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Jordan Wright
The Georgetowner
August 2009
 Photo by Jordan Wright Farmers markets spark our culinary imagination, nourish our communal spirit, and excite our artistic creativity in the kitchen. The lavish bounty of the field stacked chock-a-block, evokes images of country roads dotted with rural farmhouses and red barns. We gaze adoringly at the summer’s abundant cornucopia while our inner sybarite emerges full-blown and we stand urban-ready to do battle with pots, knives and glass canning jars glinting. Awaiting our dreams are velvet-skinned peaches, crusty loaves of Kalamata olive bread, crates of jewel-like eggplants and juicy tomatoes.
 Photo by Jordan Wright - Copper Pot Food Company's summer-in-jar Nectarine and Bourbon Jam Consider the humble tomato. The fruity flesh a palette of epicurean possibility. Until recently only hybrids such as “Big Boy”, “Early Girl” and “Roma” could be found in the marketplace, but now, countless varieties of heirloom tomatoes are cultivated by our local farmers. In Penn Quarter’s small but mightily impressive market, I found a myriad of tomato treasures like “Green Stripes”, red and yellow “Brandywines” and “Black Cherries”, tiny globes of pop-in-your-mouth sweetness. These open-pollinated non-hybrids are luscious with the bygone field flavor of prized tomatoes. I pondered the possibilities of a dinner alfresco.
Would it be a colorful ratatouille simmered with the headliners of the current season, green beans, onion, garlic and eggplant? Jim Breger of Anchor Nursery grows a heritage Sicilian eggplant variety called “Rosa Blanca” that would do nicely.
Angel hair pasta, tossed with quick-sautéed garlic and cherry tomatoes in all three colors from Mountain View Farm, could then be dressed with a fruity olive oil, scattered with ribbons of basil and crowned with curls of Parmegiano-Reggiano shaved a la minute. The larger tomatoes might be stuffed with celeriac remoulade or used in gazpacho. And taking us into the winter months, a dehydrator could preserve the Romas for use in pesto and served atop bruschetta, while canning would afford us crisp “bread and butter” pickles or dilled beans to prolong summer’s memory.
 Photo by Jordan Wright - Enjoying the day at Penn Quarter Farmers Market
Like schoolboys out on recess, neighborhood chefs were everywhere at this market with some of the same thoughts in mind. Chef Andy Kitko of the newly opened Cedar, located at the top of the street, is already receiving rave reviews for his creative use of seasonal ingredients with a French influence. Would the melons have been for his Chilled Melon Soup with lobster and basil? Maybe the berries were for his Strawberry Pavlovas with lemon curd and passion-fruit-coconut sorbet.
I met Chef Terri Cutrino of Café Atlantico, joshing around with the other chefs while picking up her order for the restaurant. “Every Friday night the café does a farmers market dinner, a three-course meal using ingredients found here at the market. This week I’ll make “ciccioli” a sort of pork rillete,” she revealed.
Emily Haas of Black Rock Orchard, who was generously handing out samples of her fruits, told me, “The chefs have won me and the other farmers over. We used to be swamped by them. Now they place their orders ahead and they’re ready when they get here.” Her ripe nectarines would be perfect for my ginger nectarine cobbler topped with Dolcezza’s artisanal Lemon Ricotta Cardamom gelati and her “Golden Donut” peaches, with their mango and apricot overtones, could dovetail well into a peach and blackberry galette and incorporate two ingredients in abundance now. www.dolcezzagelato.com
From Oyamel Restaurant I encountered Executive Chef Joe Raffa and cohort Chef Luis Montesinos,  Photo by Jordan Wright - Executive Chef Terri Cutrino of Cafe Atlantico enjoys a laugh with fellow chefs who affably showed me their cache of nopales (cactus pads) that they planned to grill, pickle or salt, then puree with pineapple juice for use in salads. When queried about the unusual choice of pineapple juice, Raffa grinned, “I grew up in Hawaii!”
At Wollam Gardens’ booth I spied Chef Brian McPherson of Poste Moderne picking up the restaurant’s flower order… sprays of fragrant Casablanca lilies.  Photo by Jordan Wright - Chef Brian McPherson of Poste Moderne with lilies It was on to the Bread Ovens at Quail Creek Farms and its breathtaking array of baked goods. The choices seemed endless. Here you could find ciabatta, savory and mixed berry tarts, peach and blueberry muffins, pagnotta, giant boule, pane pugliese, brioche, rustic Italian potato bread and iced apple cookies with golden raisins and pecans…a veritable crescendo of fresh baked delights. They’re also known for their seasonal soups. Try a Virginia Peanut soup with crabmeat and country ham or a lovely and cool Vichyssoise. You’d have to venture far afield to Burke, VA, Loudoun County or Annapolis to find them in another market. www.QuailCreekFarm.com  Photo by Jordan Wright -- Chef Nathan Anda of Red Apron Butcher Shop The Copper Pot Food Company, on hand with its farm-fresh line of handmade batches of jams, brought Nectarine and Bourbon Jam, White Fig and Balsamic Vinegar Jam, Strawberry and Vanilla Jam and Peach and Prosecco Bellini Jam to spread on your favorite bread or use as a decadent topping for ice cream. It tastes like summer in a jar. www.copperpotfoodcompany.com
Another standout was the Red Apron Butcher Shop. Here Chef Nathan Anda has created a line of authentic hand-cut house-cured meats unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Anda, who formerly cheffed at Tallula and EatBar, displayed his charcuterie, which included soppressata, guanciale, pork belly, prosciutto, pepperoni, bresaola, sopressa, corned beef and something called “tesa” that was new to me. “It’s like pancetta with the skin,” he helpfully offered. www.redapronbutchery.com
Penn Quarter Farmers Market – Thursdays, April 2nd through December 17th – 3 pm till 7 pm. 8th Street between D and E Streets NW, Washington, DC – For a list of other participating famers and producers go to www.freshfarmmarkets.org.
For comments or questions write Jordan@whiskandquill.com or go to www.whiskandquill.com.
Jordan Wright
May 2010
 Three-star Michelin mixologist Brian Van Flandern with hostess, Lani Hay - photo by Jordan Wright On a balmy evening last week at the home of Lani Hay, President and CEO of Lanmark Technology, guests gathered around Michelin three-star mixologist, Brian Van Flandern, for a lesson in margarita-making. On the white croc-skin topped bar Van Flandern had laid out all the necessary accoutrements for professional bartending: jiggers, shakers, strainers, ice scoops, crystal pitchers of fresh-squeezed lime juice and freshly-cut lime wedges, including his preferred Don Julio Tequila and light agave syrup. Large silver bowls of ice were ready for eager guests who lined up to measure, ice down, shake, pour and garnish the perfect classic margarita in preparation for their own summer parties.
The natty and knowledgeable consultant, Van Flandern, who creates cocktails for the iconic Bemelmans Bar at New York’s posh Carlyle Hotel, Thomas Keller at Per Se, Michel Richard at Citronelle, and Chef Mario Batali, had arrived at Ms. Hay’s chic Palisades home for a private dinner and launch of his book, “Vintage Cocktails” by Assouline Publishing.
Prosper and Martine Assouline, whose elegant imprint of luxury books and works of art are found in boutiques in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, were on hand to celebrate the moment with a dinner menu that was designed around a progression of dishes paired with classic cocktails from the book.
 Pairing cocktails with dinner courses - photo by Jordan Wright “Acid, alcohol and sugar,” Van Flandern instructed his mixologists-in-training. “It’s all about the balance,” he advised while the sloshing and clacking sounds of a battery of Boston shakers filled the room. Everyone had their own Hawthorne strainer to hold back the ice for the straight-up margaritas. A quick tasting was recommended to perfect the balance, and it was down the hatch. “Bottoms up!” he exhorts.
In an interview, the debonair Van Flandern, who grew up in nearby Chevy Chase, described a few of his techniques and ingredients for some of his spectacular cocktails. A purist to the bone, to craft his exquisite “Tonic and Gin”, designed for New York’s Per Se, he uses ground chinchona bark from the Amazon rainforest. And he makes his own maraschino-style cherries, using dehydrated Bing cherries reconstituted in hot water, “They taste just like cherry pie! “ counseling me to “Be sure to save the liquid, add sugar and reduce to make a simple syrup for infusing spirits.”
 Guests mixing margaritas with Brian Van Flandern - photo by Jordan Wright I wondered where the word “cocktail” originated and why some cocktails are referred to as “vintage” or “classic”. He explained that, “at one point in history a certain cocktail gained global popularity and becomes a classic or is destined to become one because of all the publicity it has garnered.”
The term, “mixologist” has been usually regarded as pretentious and taboo in the industry, but since a renaissance of the cocktail, he assures me bartenders are embracing the coinage.
“2004 was the 200th anniversary of when the word “cocktail” first appeared in print. And now great bartenders around the world are looking to chefs for direction and focusing on balancing acid to sugar. They are using fresh ingredients, hosting spirits education, and researching the histories of the specific distillation techniques. Even the terroir and culture behind where different spirits are made are taken into consideration in developing flavor profiles to create delicious and original cocktails.” A trend likely to continue.
While working with Chef Thomas Keller at Per Se in New York City, Van Flandern lowered the ethanol content of the spirits and paired his cocktails with dinner courses creating food-friendly cocktails and earning a four-star rating from noted New York Times food writer and wine critic, Frank Bruni.
Designer Cocktails
Since I misspent some of my salad days at the Bemelmans Bar in the Café Carlyle where Van Flandern reigns, I asked him to share an original cocktail he has created for the iconic watering hole in the past.
“Sex in the City” Cocktail – On the cover of “Vintage Cocktails” is a photograph of a pretty pink sugar-frosted rim cocktail he calls, “The Bradshaw”, named after Carrie Bradshaw of “Sex in the City”. Little known is that real life actress, Sarah-Jessica Parker and husband, Matthew Broderick, had their first date here. To mark the occasion and the drink was designed for her using Don Julio Blanco Tequila, fresh lime juice, simple syrup and the pink-colored passion fruit-infused spirit X-Rated Vodka. The recipe is just in time for, “Sex in the City 2”, and should be served at all the private screenings around town.
Here are a few more of his creations to add to your repertoire:
Tiffany and Co. Cocktail – For his design of “The Official Cocktail” for Tiffany and Co. he mixes blue Alize, fresh lime juice, pear vodka, a drizzle of cane sugar syrup and Moscato d’Asti. When presented it was served in a champagne flute and tied with a white silk ribbon around the base.
Dolce and Gabbana Cocktail – For the launch of their “Light Blue” perfume, he mixed Ciroc Vodka with Granny Smith apple cider and citrus peels, adding cedar wood from a distillation he created using the shavings from a cedar wood clothes hanger.
Van Flandern’s advice at what to expect when imbibing at a bar serving hand-crafted cocktails, “We’re entering into a new “Golden Age” of the cocktail. If you order a cocktail and it’s not to your liking you should let the bartender correct it.”
For question or comments on this article contact Jordan@WhiskandQuill.com .
Jordan Wright
May 2010
Healthy Snacks Fuel Local Garden Volunteers
 Under the crape myrtles at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery - photo by Jordan Wright Under the guise of calling power bars and lemonade food reporting, I’ll relate last week’s triumph at Alexandria’s Del Ray Artisans Gallery’s gardens, which I have been curating with a small but dedicated group of gallery members for the past ten years or so. The single-story clapboard gallery charted its renaissance on a dirt-and-trash-strewn lot where our all-volunteer gardeners have helped to transform the blighted property into an award-winning garden often featured on Del Ray’s House and Garden Tour. Usually we have eight to ten folks during spring and fall to weed, plant, mulch and prune, keeping the grounds up to snuff for the Gallery’s monthly shows.  Mayor Bill Euille and SunTrust and King Street Wireless Volunteers at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery for Spring Garden Cleanup - photo by Jay This year we got herculean help from a batttalion of volunteers. From SunTrust Bank: Steve Truitt, Brian MacDonnell, Bob Dail, Jill Fields, Chris Hartman, Lori Caumeil, Mark Leonard, Lauton Brown, and Jim McCormack. From King Street Wireless: Remy Kauffmann, Allison DiNardo, Robert DiNardo, Judy Harmatz and Bruce Kauffmann.
What an amazing, upbeat, cheerful and hard-working group they were. We thank them all for their participation. Drop by and see the results!
Though we are not on this year’s tour, make sure to stop by and visit the gallery and sit along the garden path on the benches beneath the crepe myrtles. And, if you’re of a notion, there might be a few weeds left for the plucking.
This year Del Ray’s House and Garden Tour is this Saturday, May 22nd from 11am to 5pm. Go to www.delraycitizen.org for tickets. Or visit www.thedelrayartisans.org.
Jordan Wright
May 2010
Georgetown’s “New” Social Safeway is a Lollapalooza!
 Temperature-controlled WIne Room at the Georgetown Safeway - Photo by Jordan Wright Georgetown’s “Social” Safeway celebrated its grand opening with a gala celebration. The store, which has been sorely missed by its neighbors ever since it was shuttered for the rebuilding, has returned in breathtaking splendor. Now patrons can revel in its many new specialty departments.
Here are some neat things about this 71,067 square-foot “Grocery Store for the 21st Century”:
 DC Society photographer, Albert Mogzec in front of the lens with friend - Photo by Jordan Wright * It’s open 24 hours a day and has a 24-hour pharmacy. (Things could get a lot more “social” after the bars close.) It is the first LEED-certified grocery store in the District, and Safeway’s second LEED-certified store (the other is in Santa Cruz, Calif.). It features include a sit-down sushi bar, an Italian-style gelato bar; pizza oven and an open-flame hearth oven where European style Artisan breads are baked fresh daily.
* There is a flower market to rival any high-end florist. I spotted dozens of orchids, stalks of exotic ginger, pink and yellow cymbidiums, white hydrangeas, brilliant red anthuriums, kangaroo paws and huge modernist palm fronds, elephant ears, and of course, the usual posies. Many arrangements are gift-ready and echo the lavish displays seen in our poshest hotel lobbies.
* A “Nut Bar”, reminiscent of an old-fashioned candy store, offers a large selection of warm, ready-to-eat nuts that can be flavored with chocolate or ground to make spreads and butters.
* A vast greengrocer section featuring some very exotic fruits and the city’s largest selection of fresh organic produce.
* A deluxe version Starbucks coffee bar serving until midnight.
 The new sushi bar at Georgetowns Social Safeway - Photo by Jordan Wright * An indoor/outdoor seating area with fireplace, HD televisions, complimentary WiFi, and open balcony overlooking Wisconsin Avenue.
* Ongoing events, such as cooking demos by local chefs, and wine and cheese tastings are held every Thursday. And in a lavishly appointed wood-paneled and temperature-controlled wine room that rivals any purveyor in town, their wine (and beer) selection purports to be the largest of any retailer in the District.
Bonus: All parking is now underground, making for pleasant shopping come rain or shine!
Jordan Wright
May 2010
Buddha Bar – Hot and Glamorous, World Class and Here
 WJLA's Leon Harris and the stunning Holly Macke at Buddha Bar - photo by Jordan Wright Only world-class cities like Moscow, Paris, Tokyo, New York and Dubai have Buddha Bar…until last week…when DC’s newest, screeching hot, upscale haunt with the world-music vibe opened to the public. Before the velvet ropes went up Washington Life held a swank reception for the well-heeled and well-known and believe me there were plenty of “nibbles and sips” to go around under the acquiescent gaze of the eighteen-foot Buddha. Buddha Bar is known for its eclectic music mixes. They have a dozen CDs out of their signature in-house mixes, ranging from operatic arias and New Age to Samba and Bollywood, and everything in between. I have an enormous collection of two so far and they are among my very favorites.
That night House DJ, Parisian Allan Davis, was spinning to Raspberry Saketinis, champagne, sushi and crispy Vietnamese spring rolls. Yum yum!
Co-owner Michael Don, “I’m originally from Soviet Georgia,” told me, “It’s all about the food here. That’s number one to us!” On that note we’ll have to return for a proper meal and let you know.
www.BuddhaBarDC.com
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