Jordan Wright
March 29, 2013
Special to DC Metro Theater Arts, Broadway Stars, and localKicks
Greek Orthodox Easter Festival at Zaytinya
 Head Chef at Zaytinya – Michael Costa – photo credit Jordan Wright Jose Andres’ popular spot, Zaytinya, is planning a five-week festival beginning March 31st and ending on Greek Orthodox Easter, May 3rd. Head Chef, Michael Costa, who continues his mission to create dependably delicious flavor-forward food, has devised some truly savory bites for the Lenten season. Last week we had a chance to sample some of the upcoming dishes including mixologist, Juan Coronado’s dazzling cocktail, Apokreas. Named appropriately after a Greek carnival celebrating Dionysus, it’s a combination of Metaxa, verjus, and maple syrup garnished with a red pickled quail egg and baby carrots. Cue the bunnies!
 Apokreas cocktail with pickled quail egg and baby carrot garnish – photo credit Jordan Wright A few of the traditional dishes we sampled were lachanosalata, shredded cabbage and carrot salad served in Brussels sprout leaves and dressed with olive oil, lemon and smoked walnut skordalia; sopa me lahanika aladoti, a smooth Lenten vegetable soup with cauliflower, rice, mushrooms, tahini and herbs topped with crispy cauliflower and black tahini; and clam stew from Lefkada, sea sweet clam soup with basmati rice.
 Greek Easter offerings Yogurt, olives and lava beans – Seasonal morsels from Zaytinya – photo credit Jordan Wright During the festival there will be an agorá outdoor market on Sunday, April 21st and Monday, April 22nd featuring artisanal foods, crafts and Greek music. Look for Andres’ Pepe Food Truck to be out front selling spit-roasted lamb sandwiches served with tzatziki and pickled red onions. Prizes of signed cookbooks, Zaytinya gift certificates, wines and other delights are being offered to benefit World Central Kitchen.
During the first week of the festival, the restaurant will host Greek cookbook author, photographer and journalist, Aglaia Kremezi for a collaborative wine dinner on April 3rd and a cooking class on April 4th. Check the website for more deets. www.Zaytinya.com.
Todd and Ellen Gray Host Seder Dinner With Recipes From Their Latest Cookbook
 The NEW JEWISH TABLE by Ellen and Todd Gray The New Jewish Table (St. Martin’s Press) by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray arrived at my door in galley form a few months ago. Written with Washington Post food writer, David Hagedorn and sporting a foreword by Jewish cookery queen and DC local, Joan Nathan, the book is Gray’s modern spin on traditional Jewish cooking. What really charms me as a cookbook collector is the backstories told by the writer, and in this collection the duo fills the space between the easy-to-make recipes with cooking tips and personal tales of their very different childhoods. Ellen, a city-bred Jewish girl and husband, Todd, a country-bred Episcopalian, are the successful owners of Equinox Restaurant here in DC. Between them they have written a book that speaks to their food memories yet reinvents familiar Jewish recipes in Todd’s fresh and elegant style.
 The ceremonial Seder plate – Photo credit Jordan Wright This week the Grays hosted Passover Seder dinner for family and friends at Equinox and this scribe was lucky enough to snag an invitation. Though I had attended a one Seder dinner long ago at the Palm Beach Country Club when I was a girl, I enjoyed revisiting the time-honored traditions, including the reading of the prayers by the guests and the unique ceremonial plate of baytzah (roasted egg), maror (bitter herbs), z’roa (roasted bone), karpas (green vegetable) and haroset (chopped apples, nuts and wine) to represent their exodus from Egypt to the Holy Land.
 Guests read the Seder prayers The Gray’s, who are known for their warmth and conviviality served dishes from the cookbook starting with a salad of roasted heirloom beets with golden raisins and Sicilian pistachios; Todd’s Black Angus beef brisket in red wine sauce with potato mousseline and wilted spinach and sesame seeds; quinoa with poached figs and mint; and finishing wondrously with a decadent flourless chocolate cake with caramel ice cream and bourbon vanilla sauce. Now have I got your attention? Mazel tov Mr. and Mrs. Gray!
 Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach 
Click Link to Download Receipt in PDF
Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach
A Persian Excursion in the Heart of Georgetown
Word is out that one of Georgetown’s “in” spots for the past twenty-two years is serving Persian cuisine on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Now that’s hard news, readers, especially when you consider this place has flown under the radar for over two decades. So, yes, we had to see for ourselves what all the fuss and flutter was about.
When Iranian chef and Peacock Café’s co-owner Maziar Farivar, was tapped by the James Beard Foundation to cook a dinner for the Persian New Year’s celebration, Nowruz, he had to research his own country’s cuisine. Inspired by the dishes of his childhood that were still close to his heart, he set out on a mission to learn how to prepare the dishes that the women in his family had brought with them to America. From that jumping off point he and brother Shahab Farivar, decided to proudly offer his country’s cuisine in his own restaurant.
Regulars are familiar with Farivar’s everyday menu of American meatloaf, organic chicken, sustainable seafood and an array of pastas. It’s the jumbo lump crab cake, grass-fed rib eye steak and lobster salad that up the ante. But lately the clientele have been clamoring for his exotic Persian dishes and that is what we came for on a frigid winter’s night.
 Fresh herbs with feta and beets and Pistachio soup at Peacock Cafe – Photo credit Jordan Wright We pored long and hard over the menu and the specialty cocktail list from which we chose mango martinis made with homemade sour mix, fresh fruit and organic blue agave. It was a good place to start. Stymied by so many alluring menu choices, we vacillated wildly over our decisions before settling on the following – – borani-e laboo, red beet and yogurt dip with hummus, olives and seasoned flat bread; naaz, roasted eggplant with pomegranate; and panir va sabzi gthat with whole fresh herbs, feta radishes and dates.
An exquisite pistachio citrus soup, soup-e pesteh, arrived followed by khoresht qaymeh, which turned out to be a stew consisting of lamb and yellow split peas with sundried lime over basmati rice. We also tried a dish called albaloo polo ba morgh, a pomegranate-glazed chicken dish with sour cherries in the rice. We found the dishes to be quite small so there was ample room for dessert when we capped off the evening with the restaurant’s signature chocolate volcano.
P. S. We tried to take some photos but, alas, the sexy, red-lit resto, bracketed by neighbors Neyla and Café Milano, is so charmingly intime that the photos aren’t quite up to snuff. www.PeacockCafe.com.
A New Brunch Spot Shines in Shirlington
On the far end of what I’ll call the Shirlington Strip, that two-block boulevard lined with boutiques, bakeries, heaps of restaurants, one artsy movie theatre and, of course Signature Theatre, is The Curious Grape. You may recall I swooned over young chef, Erik McKamey’s food last June, shortly after they expanded from a wine and cheese shop into a full size restaurant. Now happily they have also expanded their hours to include a sit-down lunch on Saturdays and, more importantly, a scrumptious Sunday Brunch.
 Flight of wine-based Bloody Marys – photo credit Jordan Wright You would expect nothing less from a place that features wine at every turn, than their creative use of wine as a base for the ubiquitous Sunday morning drink, the Bloody Mary, which they just call “Mary” cocktails here. There are three versions, but order the flight in order to try them all, thus finding a favorite, if you can, which is well-nigh impossible. These cute cocktails served in half-size martini glasses snub their noses at vodka while providing an assuredly more preferable and less earth-shattering way to start your day of rest.
For the flight you’ll have the Ciao Bella, flavored with balsamic vinegar, roasted red pepper and basil and decorated with a morsel of cheese and sundried tomato on a bamboo spear. The Bloody Maria, spices it up with smoked paprika, piquillo peppers and cumin seed and comes garnished with chorizo. And lastly the Beijing Mary incorporates soy sauce, wasabi and sesame oil with a sprig of Thai basil. Each one delivers a sort of sprightly perfection. There are other brunchy drinks made with sparkling rose, sake, tawny port and sparkling hard cider as a base, but those will be for another day.
The menu is cleverly laid out in food and wine columns to aid the diner in pairings, and since the list quite extensive, you might want to stick to the script. Most selections can be ordered by the half glass, so as you work your way through their well-culled offerings, you can convince yourself you are getting an education in wines from around the world. Blissfully all wines are $13.00 and under for a full glass, so drink up, it’s study hour.
Baked goods are made in house, so try a coconut lavender muffin or cinnamon bun to break the fast. We dove in hard selecting a few starters to share. Doughnuts with wild boar, hoisin sauce and pickled onion were a tasty balance of flavors we couldn’t get enough of was an earthy foil for a dish of airy ricotta blintzes sweetened with cranberry compote, caramelized honey and thyme. And a gooey wine-kissed Abondance cheese fondue, served only as a small plate, proved a tease I’d like to see offered as an entree.
 Wild boar doughnuts at the Curious Grape – photo credit Jordan Wright Driving me mad with craving as I write this, was the house made flat iron corned beef accompanied by sweet potato hash, poached egg and salsa verde. Why, you may ponder, is this corned beef so different from all others? Why is it so irresistible, so craveable? It is because to achieve this wonder you must first appreciate the marvel of well-brined, slow-cooked meat, a process that renders the beef mouth-meltingly tender. But here’s why this one supersedes the others. In a twist of brilliance, the chef puts a thick slice of the boiled meat onto the flat top grill, searing the flesh and giving it a crusty ‘bark’. Gourmands, it does not get any better than this, except when the yolk of a perfectly poached egg oozes over the meat and onto the crispy potato hash below.
 Flat iron corned beef on sweet potato hash – photo credit Jordan Wright Next I was eager to try what is referred to as the Spanish breakfast, a potato and leek “tortilla” with Serrano ham and Zamorano cheese. I am a sucker for any dish that lists leeks as an ingredient. But this one was a disappointment, as the eggs were dry, the whole concoction flat as a board, the leeks, well, I’m not sure where they went to, and the delicate imported ham was seared to smithereens. Even the sweet note of quince on the side could not redeem it. I hope they get a better handle on this, since apart from an apple pancake soufflé, it was the only other egg dish.
 Ricotta blintzes – photo credit Jordan Wright As a footnote we decided to wait until we had finished with our bloodies before ordering coffee and tea. The restaurant has an extensive coffee bar menu and additions like house made vanilla bean, hazelnut and toasted almond syrups to flavor the java. My cappuccino with hazelnut syrup was lovely but my cohort chose a Chai latte that sent us into orbit. It seems the barista makes pouches of well-chosen spices for this drink and it’s terrific. All in all we concluded that the Curious Grape is a most welcome addition to the brunch scene and we’ll be back very soon. www.CuriousGrape.com.
Last Chance for The Garden Café’s British Menu at the National Gallery
 The Garden Cafe at the National Gallery of Art – photo credit Jordan Wright By last count I have already made three trips to the Garden Café Britannia to dine on Cathal Armstrong’s British-inspired menu at the museum and I am still smitten. With the opening of the large and gorgeously curated Pre-Raphaelite exhibition, I have returned with both local and out-of-town friends luring them in with the fabulous buffet, the elegant fountain setting and the best lunch deal in town (at $20.75 for all you can eat, it’s a steal). They have all been giddy with delight over the food, which is consistently wonderful and overseen by the National Gallery of Art’s Executive Chef, David Rogers.
 Carrots and turnips – Cornish pasties at the Garden Cafe The menu will stay in place until the end of April, but hurry! In early May, to complement the Gallery’s upcoming Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes exhibit, famed chef Michel Richard will transform the café into the Garden Café Ballets Russes. Expect dishes with both a French and Russian influence as the master creates a menu featuring Russian black bread, lentil salad, chilled borscht, blini with caviar, grilled eggplant, beef stroganoff, salmon coulbiac, and strawberries Romanoff for dessert. Na zdorov’ye!
 Digging in at the Garden Cafe Britannia – photo credit Jordan Wright
Jordan Wright
February 20, 2013
Special to DC Metro Theater Arts, Broadway Stars, and localKicks
 The Barefoot Spirit How to Succeed in the Wine Business Without Really Knowing a Damn Thing About It
Last month I spoke with Barefoot Wines founder Michael Houlihan about his upcoming book The Barefoot Spirit (Evolve Publishing – May 2013). Michael, who has been in the wine industry for nearly 30 years along with his life and business partner Bonnie Harvey, created the affordable and ubiquitous wines we know from the cute footprint icon. As soon as I spoke with him, I knew I liked him. He’s engaging, modest, enthusiastic and plain speaking, and considered a wine industry visionary. Though there are better known trailblazers throughout the history of California wines – perhaps none have started out more hapless, or dare I say clueless. He’d be the first to admit it.
When Michael and Bonnie hatched their idea to produce wine out of their farmhouse laundry room in 1985, they were so unaware of the vagaries and complexities of the business that they didn’t even know that wine came in different sized bottles. And though Bonnie had a nose for business and Michael had a knack for sales, they couldn’t possibly foresee what it took to make and sell wine on a grand scale. But both kept an open mind and both were quick studies.
 Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan Co-Founders of Barefoot Spirit As he describes it in his light-hearted and informative book, Michael started his sales adventures by lugging samples of Barefoot wines through a blinding thunder storm to the Piggly Wiggly in South Carolina – hardly an auspicious beginning. Neither one of them was knowledgeable about such crucial details as marketing, distribution and shelf placement, and they were sticker-shocked when they discovered the high cost of glass to bottle their wines. The term ‘spiffs’, which are legal bonuses given to distributor reps to push a wine, was not in their vocabulary yet. They just had a product they believed in and a commitment to see it through. Michael remembered what one wine purveyor told him, “You’ve got to be better and cheaper than Bob.” Mondavi, that is. So they put their heart and soul into the venture and learned along the way. Turns out they learned a lot.
A cornerstone of their success in marketing their brand is something all winemakers use today in one way or another – getting their wines to the public through tasting events in order to establish solid relationships and engender goodwill along the way. To that end Michael and Bonnie created Barefoot’s “Worthy Cause Marketing”, donating their wine to charitable events and following up with their new friends. It proved to be an ideal model, both personally and professionally. Many budding entrepreneurs now turn for advice to the pair who in 2005 sold Barefoot Wines to the family-owned E. J. Gallo, which according to Wine Folly is, “the largest wine brand on the face of the earth.”
“The Barefoot Spirit” is the polar opposite of a dry business-oriented tale of success. It’s about a pair of entrepreneurs who dropped everything, except their commitment to fun, to make and sell an affordable wine. I mean who wouldn’t love a pair of nature-loving, beach-combing winemakers who think there’s nothing better in life than hiking the Sierras with their cats and treating their business like an adventure. Now that’s a tale you wouldn’t want to miss.
 The action at Toki Underground – photo credit Jordan Wright Tales From The Underground – Toki’s Simple Pleasures
“We have to arrive at an unfashionable time,” I insisted. “The minute they open the doors!” Like everyone else I’ve been put off by Toki Underground’s rumored lines-around-the-block and their no-reservations policy but my accomplice and I were determined to check out all the noise. Certainly the restaurant’s 2012 DC “Restaurant of the Year” award has the trendoids beating a path to their door, but we weren’t going to let that stand in our way. So around five on a weeknight, I picked up my epicurean compatriot and we headed off to H Street where we discover to our delight that we are seated right away.
Toki Underground has been on the radar screen of foodies and chefs from Alice Waters to Joan Nathan whose famous Sips & Suppers event featured the noodle shop’s Executive Chef Eric Bruner-Yang in one of their private dinners this year. The tiny noodle house, all 650 square feet of it, has a mere twenty-five stools and most face the wall. Don’t expect a romantic hideaway or group ramen night. This hot spot could be more fondly described as a hole in the wall.
 Counter dining at Toki – photo credit Jordan Wright The tiny outpost sits above The Pug, a small dive bar on the first level. A steep stairway leads to the second level and the unmistakable aroma of miso, soy and freshly made ramen. (Why “Underground” if it’s on the second floor?) A tattooed host leads us past clouds of billowing steam from the open kitchen where we hop onto two empty stools, propping our feet up on the footrests, actually repurposed skateboards, and dive into the menu like starving cheetahs.
The décor is Asian animé hipster – the limited menu Japanese/Taiwanese fusion ramen and dumplings complimented by Asian-themed cocktails, sake and Korean beers. But it’s the ramen, lovely silken noodles made off premises in Springfield, VA to Bruner-Yang’s specifications and floating in a 24-hour simmered pork shoulder bone stock, that steals the show. Though there are a purported twenty-six different styles of ramen, the young chef draws on his life in Taiwan watching his mother and grandmother form the flour and water into pliable strands to interpret his own style.
The proper way to eat ramen is to slurp. (Miss Manners, cover your ears!) The reasoning behind this custom, uncouth to Western proprieties, is to aerate the noodles in order to eat them quickly before they break down in the hot broth. Lots of communal slurping was heard. Dainty diners need not apply.
 Sesame Crusted Salmon with horseradish sauce and eggplant jam – photo credit Jordan Wright Our dumplings come first, steamed instead of pan-fried and the soft pillows, stuffed with ginger, scallions, Napa cabbage and a house-made spice mix, and served alongside tare, a sweet soy dipping sauce. A classic hakata follows – the bowl filled to the brim with ramen, pork loin, pickled ginger and nori seaweed. My partner likes the nitamago with the sous vide cooked egg that when broken spills into the broth turning it into a creamy slurry. If you’re of a mind, Chashu pork cheek or other additions can be added to most dishes with a nominal $4 surcharge. All the ramen bowls are layered with complex seasoning and spice and cradled by the deep undertones of the slow cooked pork bone stock.
Dessert is an afterthought here with house made chocolate chip cookies and a carafe of milk. Take it or leave it. If you want something more substantial you may want to drift over to Dangerously Delicious Pies for a slice of heaven on a plate.
Currently in the works is Bruner-Yang’s experiment to channel the Asian night market experience. Look for Maketto to bring the same energy and intriguing cuisine to his revered H Street neighborhood.
1,001 Serbian Dreams
 Cherry pomace and Honey Drop rakija – photo credit Jordan Wright It was last November and a small group of us were brunching at Masa 14, when I first heard about Ambar. Ivan Iricanin and his partner, chef and restauranteur Richard Sandoval (Masa 14 and El Centro D. F.) had already begun building out the Eighth Street restaurant that would soon transport the soul-satisfying regional dishes of Serbia’s Balkan republic to DC. In particular they were excited to debut dozens of varieties of the country’s national treasure, rakija, which are fruit brandies of a wide-ranging potency. My antennae were vibrating like a summertime cicada.
In January the two-story brownstone opened with three authentic Serbian chefs and bar shelves filled with glistening bottles of rakija sharing space with wines from Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia. It’s a cozy country rustic space yet with a modern polish. Mason jars of pickled eggs and vegetables take up shelf space with books and candles flicker against the pickled wood walls.
 Forest Gnocchi at Ambar – photo credit Jordan Wright The cuisine here is a heavenly mixture of Mediterranean, Balkan, Turkish and hearty Slavic fare – a bit spicy, earthy and deeply flavored, especially the meats. Scanning the menu I saw a multitude of intriguing dishes – Wild Mushroom Salad salata sa pecurkama, White Veal Soup teleca krem corba, Venison Carpaccio karpaco od smetine. But it was the way they were described that made us lean in further. A dish called simply ‘Grilled Asparagus’ is done up in a velouté sauce with crispy prosciutto, pumpkin, purple potato and quail egg. Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, slojevi cvekle arrives garnished with pork cracklings, walnuts and chives. Sesame Crusted Salmon, losos, is flavorfully enhanced by horseradish sauce and spicy eggplant jam. It seemed impossible to decide but after giving our preferences to our capable and quite adorable server, she made a few suggestions and additions to complement our initial choices.
 The Balkan bread basket with three spreads at Ambar – photo credit Jordan Wright The homey Bread Basket ustipci ili proja is a good place to start. Filled with the Balkan version of cornbread, fried sourdough, (be still my heart) and three savory spreads, the one most of us are familiar with is ajvar – a spicy red pepper puree. We also swooned over the Cheese Pie gibanica – a delicately layered phyllo napoleon with spinach and goat cheese, far better than most I’ve tried. Though they have the traditional beef and pork kebabs cevapi, which adds cheese to the skewer and the National Dish pljeskavica, a Balkan hamburger – it was the Stuffed Sour Cabbage known as sarma that transported us on that cold, rainy evening.
Ambar does not treat dessert as an afterthought. They have a pastry chef who trained in kitchens throughout Europe. The most unusual dessert is the Forest Gnocchi. Dazzlingly presented in an earthenware bowl that weighs as much as a bocce ball, its separate components consist of chocolate mousse, bitter orange cake, ground chocolate, orange gelee, tarragon gnocchi and passion fruit espuma. The unusual dessert, pretty as a medieval garden, is then stirred up with black tea sauce.
Be sure to finish with one of the rakijas. We opted for the subtle Honey Drop and the high octane Cherry Pomace. Just the beginning of our love affair with Ambar.
Jordan Wright
January 26, 2013
Special to DC Metro Theater Arts, Broadway Stars, and localKicks
It’s been a whirlwind of deliciousness since my last column. Umpteen restaurants have opened in the Metro area, most notably Ambar with its authentic Serbian chefs in a modern setting housed in an old brownstone on Capitol Hill; Suna, across from Eastern Market; and Bryan Voltaggio’s Range, which at 14,000 square feet is an astonishingly large undertaking for gourmet food. So far reviews are good. Not much to personally report as sadly I missed the recent press opening.
What’s New
 Range Restaurant – Potato Vodka In Dupont Circle the Russian-inspired Mari Vanna is getting a lot of buzz. Could it be the vodka or the Ovechkin-watchers? With outposts in London, Moscow and New York Mari Vanna has planted its Cossack boots firmly in DC. Where else could we get pirozhok, borsch and caviar with blini?
 Energy Kitchen Black Bean and Mango Salad and Cali Veggie Burger On K Street the 500-calories-or-less fast food concept Energy Kitchen has weight-watching office workers in its thrall. The healthy fast-casual resto developed by Anthony Leone and Randy Schechter plans an additional outlet in DC soon. Here smoothies are called “Smart Shakes” and have energy-boosting ingredients like fresh fruits, protein powder and yogurt. Add to that a wrap; veggie, turkey or bison burger; or a large salad and one of their low-cal sides like black bean and mango or creamed spinach and eating light and right never tasted so filling!
 The bar at Ambar – Photo by Jordan Wright The aforementioned Ambar is the much-anticipated restaurant from Richard Sandoval and Ivan Iricanin whose Balkan Peninsula style-cuisine is helmed by Serbian-born Executive Chef Bojan Bocvarov, Pastry Chef Danilo Bucan and Sous Chef Ivan Zivkovic. The restaurant plans a Valentine’s Day dinner of Roasted Squash Salad with mixed greens, panko-crusted mozzarella, crispy bacon and pomegranate dressing; Cheese Pie with phyllo, cucumber yogurt and red pepper spread; Roasted Mushroom Crepe with red pepper emulsion, béchamel and gouda; Veal Stew with kajmak and sautéed onions and carrots, as well as Sesame Crusted Atlantic Salmon with spicy eggplant jam, sesame crust and horseradish sauce. I certainly hope there’s a dessert in there somewhere.
Priced at $35 per person exclusive of tax and tip, couples select one drink each from the house red, house white, Mango Lemonade, Mojito Classic, Margarita Classic, Grappa Rakia, Corona or National Bohemian. Believe me one Mango Lemonade will cure what ails you, so you’ll be tempted to have a few. Follow your impulses!
 Nando’s Peri Peri in Old Town Alexandria – photo credit Jordan Wright In Alexandria Nando’s Peri Peri the South African-roots flavorama has opened an outlet on King Street and at National Harbor recently. Known for its flame-grilled chickens, fans choose sauces ranging from mild to I-double-dog-dare-you hot as accompaniments. Have it with some spicy garlic olives and sangria – that’s the Afro-Portuguese influence. The international concept restaurant chose the DC area for its US debut and it’s been going gangbusters ever since. Lesser known but just as yummy is the pea mash with parsley, mint and chili and the gooey grilled halloumi.
 Nottinghill Restaurant & Garden Area One of my new favorite spots is the super creative Asian-fusion Sushi Naru with its multiple sushi masters and sleek blond wood interior. Very flavor forward, if you like that kind of thing – and I do. Also in Old Town is the upscale Notting Hill, which slid elegantly into the former Le Gaulois space just a few weeks ago. The restaurant, proud of their local farm-sourcing, will reopen the pretty garden in spring but in the meantime is hosting the Saturday night sing-a-longs formerly at the now-shuttered Bistrot Lafayette.
 Old Town Theater owner Bob Kaufman on Opening Night and some of the evening entertainment – photo credit Jordan Wright It’s a hit! Old Town Alexandria has gotten its historic King Street theatre back and that’s no joke, unless of course you want to make something of it, which is what the upcoming talent intends to do. Comic relief is on the bill for the foreseeable future in the stunning and totally restored 1914 Old Town Theater. Ask about the hidden windows and secret stairway uncovered during the rehab. http://www.oldtowntheater1914.com.
Invasive Fish Gets Its Due
 Snakehead – Fish Upcoming is the “Snakeheads At The Harbour!” dinner at Tony and Joe’s to benefit Miriam’s Kitchen and the Oyster Recovery Partnership on Georgetown’s restored waterfront, the perfect metaphor for restoration and recovery. On January 28th top DC chefs Scott Drewno of The Source by Wolfgang Puck, Victor Albisu of Del Campo, Chad Wells of The Rockfish, Phillipe Reininger of J&G Steakhouse at The W Hotel, Adam Litchfield, from Cause The Philanthropub, Dennis Marron, of Poste Moderne Brasserie, David Stein, of Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place and Matt Day of Woodberry Kitchen will prepare a number of delicacies. All chefs will do their culinary best to turn the mighty snakehead into a palatable fish…as long as it doesn’t taste like chicken! Though the invasive beast is named in the event, there will be lots of sustainable seafood too, thanks to host ProFish. For tickets go to https://tonyandjoes.com/snakeheads-at-the-harbour-benefit-dinner/.
Annual Capital Wine Festival Kicks Off With a Grand Tasting
 Cured meats at The Fairfax Hotel’s wine event – Photo Jordan Wright The tony Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row is gearing up for its annual Capital Wine Festival dinners in February and March and Nibbles and Sips was on hand for the grand opening reception Friday night. The ballroom held several stations related to the reds and whites. The meat station offered lamb loin and beef tenderloin, another had cured meats and local cheeses (loved the La Quercia prosciutto and Maryland cheesemaker Cherry Glen’s Monocacy Ash goat cheese).
 Cherry Glen Monocacy Ash goat cheese – Photo Jordan Wright At the seafood station, tailored to pair with the evening’s white wines, was Executive Chef Christopher Ferrier, who eight months ago dovetailed seamlessly into the hotel’s classically elegant yet modern dynamic. Ferrier served up a luscious smoked scallop seviche topped with baby celery sprouts, togarashi and a light sauce made from yuzu, lemon, lime and grapefruit juices with sriracha and served in a tiny scallop shell.
 Smoked Scallop Seviche – Photo by Jordan Wright Boutique California wines were offering generous pours. From Napa were Darioush, Miner Family Winery, Heitz Wine Cellars, Burgess Cellars, Patz & Hall, Pine Ridge Vineyards, and artisan winemakers Julie Johnson’s Tres Sabores Winery along with her son Rory Williams’ Calder Wine Company. From Italy’s Alba area, where the rare white truffles are hunted, came the classic wines from Pio Cesare who make the coveted Piedmontese barolos, barbescos, nebbiolos and barberas. These exceptional wines will be featured at the wine dinners. What a tease!
 The Ladies of Boxwood Winery – Photo by Jordan Wright Squeezed into the mix were two Virginia wineries, Boxwood whose wines are distinctly French-inspired, and Barboursville, known for winemaker Luca Paschina’s Italian styled wines. As I raved about Barboursville’s Octagon, and who doesn’t, the sommelier took out a bottle hidden behind a backpack and poured me a glass. Squeaky wheel gets the grease, as my mother used to say. Visit www.CapitalWineFestival.com for tickets and dates of the upcoming dinners.
|