Jordan Wright
April 2010
 Chock-a-block with the best kitchen equipment and supplies - photo by Jordan Wright For those professional cooks or weekend iron chefs who prefer to whip up a soufflé using a French copper bowl or create artisanal  La Cuisine - The Cook's Resource - photo by Jordan Wright chocolates with edible gold leaf or a color riot of pretty dye-free sugar sprinkles, the tiny Provencal green and pink townhouse, La Cuisine in Old Town Alexandria, where they have been selling some of the finest quality cookware and gourmet food products for 40 years, is an unparalleled culinary resource.
Sourcing the Most Sought-after Kitchenware
Here you’ll find everything from earthenware tagines to make authentic Morroccan stews, cookbooks, olive wood scoops and spoons, the most extensive collection of baking gear, dozens of wooden butter molds, cookie cutters in a myriad of shapes and sizes, enough copper pots and molds to re-plate the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, and pots, pans and knives from the likes of Mauviel, Messermeister, Pillivuyt, Combrichon, Sabatier, Lodge Cast Iron and Shun. And that’s just a soupcon!
You’ll also find culinarily-knowledgeable assistance from owner, Nancy Pollard, and her staff, Stephanie Gorenflo and Larissa Avendano, who between them have dozens of years of cooking experience.
Classes for the Cook – Young and Old
They also offer classes in knife skills from Joe Raffa of Oyamel; marzipan, chocolate molding and fondant classes from Phyllis Farzam; cookies and pie making from Betsey Cukla of Hammersong, of the adorable cookie cutters; and cooking lessons for kids by Alicia Cherry, which sell out fast.
 Wooden cooking utensils at La Cuisine - photo by Jordan Wright If you’re serious about cooking, or aspire to be, you’ll find everything from Marcella Hazan’s beloved 00  The Perfect Italian 00 Flour is here - photo by Jordan Wright Italian flour to trendy top-notch carbon-steel crepe pans. You did know that crepes are back!
Visit the adorable shop or find them at www.lacuisineus.com.
For questions or comments about this article contact [email protected].
 Copper pots and molds at La Cuisine - photo by Jordan Wright  Burl wood utensils - Photo by Roy Wright
Jordan Wright
April 2010
When I heard they had revamped The Jockey Club, Washington’s bastion of the Old Guard and sanctuary for the well-heeled, my heart sank. The power dining spot in its heyday, it was a place where gentlemen’s chauffeurs awaited; purposeful young men, hoping to impress, brought their dates; and fashionable ladies lunched in suits and jewels. It stood alone in cataloguing the to-ings and fro-ings of elite Washington society. And though the menu rarely changed, there was comfort in the veal paillard avec foie gras and the delicate Dover sole meuniere. No culinary acrobatics here.
 Jockey Club Executive Chef Levi Mezick - photo by Jordan Wright On a perfect spring afternoon we drove up to the porte-cochere at The Fairfax at Embassy Row. The original Jockey Club lantern stood beside the black-booted jockey, still sporting his red and white racing silks, and the etched brass plaque were in situ as we strode into the newly decorated dining room. Gone were the red-and-white checked tablecloths and the dark-stained wooden booths (how they had held such charm is now inexplicable), in their place an elegant, understated room flooded with sunlight, soft colors, suede banquettes and equine portraiture.
But the food, my dears, after all, that is why I have come.
Levi Mezick is a young chef whose Modern French cuisine has thrown down the gauntlet to every French chef in this city as he  Snapper Carpaccio at The Jockey Club - photo by Jordan Wright displays a new dynamic for gastrophiles in this city. Mezick trained under Edouard Loubet, the Provencal chef whose Domaine de Capelongue restaurant in Luberon sports two Michelin stars. He cut his teeth in the New York kitchens of Daniel Boulud at Daniel and Café Boulud, and later at Thomas Keller’s Per Se. All revel in three Michelin-starred restaurants and all are in the forefront of progressive French cuisine.
We started with a simple butternut squash soup with cinnamon croutons and cranberry coulis, nicely executed though a bit behind the season. But it was the next dish, a snapper carpaccio, exquisitely articulated and looking for all the world like the circles of Fibanacci with rings of blood orange segments and red radishes swirling around the thinly-sliced raw fish, that foretold the glories that lay ahead.
 Maryland Crab Salad with green apple gelee on sunflower china - photo by Jordan Wright We swooned and chirped over a glorious crab salad, a destination dish, mounted atop green apple gelee and celery root remoulade, an old French classic reinvented with a lively balance of creamy and tart. A delicious bread-crusted sea bass on Basmati rice, showed Indian-Asian influences with trails of coriander, tamarind and Kaffir-lime oil highlighted by tender baby bok choy aswirl in an airy coconut foam.
 Duo of beef with Bordelaise sauce - photo by Jordan Wright A duo of Pineland Farms local beef…red wine-braised short rib and seared strip loin…struck a lovely chord among sunchokes and pommes Dauphine that were accented by a rich sauce Bordelaise fragrant with marrow bone, wine and herbs.
Sadly, desserts don’t measure up to Meznick’s triumphs. Pastry Chef, Lisa Hood, who was at the Inn at Little Washington and Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert will hopefully have more to offer on my next visit. For the present, a serviceable but plebian chocolate-crusted Key lime cheesecake with raspberry coulis, and a Valrhona chocolate crème brulee with fresh berries will have to suffice.
It was too early in the day to tipple, but rest assured the wine list is breathtaking. Cellaring over 450 labels and vintages, it is certainly one to explore over many occasions. Mostly weighted on the French side it ranges from Nuits-St. Georges, Pommards and Chambertins to Meursaults and Puligny-Montrachets. Yet there are also stunning Brunellos and Barolos and nine Chateaux d’Yquem to quibble over.
This “new” Jockey Club is as alluring as a first kiss. Just as impressive as ever, it has returned with a fresh cachet, a winning new chef and a dining room to match the restrained elegance of its cuisine.
For questions or comments contact [email protected].
Jordan Wright
April 2010
A café-style spot in McLean, Joe’s Amazing Burgers, is making killer burgers with local dry-aged all natural Angus beef, turkey, bison, lamb and Berkshire pork from next-door neighbor and supplier, The Organic Butcher of McLean. And the toppings are crazy.  Al Laroussi, owner of Joe's Amazing Burgers in McLean - photo by Jordan Wright Twelve types of gourmet cheese, like Bel Paese, aged Gruyere, triple cream Brie or smoked Gouda for starters, and twelve sauces that go light years beyond mayo, like Asian barbeque, smoky Romesco, creamy truffle or wasabi lime aioli. Served on brioche-style toasted (Is there any other way?) buns, they come with sweet potato or regular fries.
The sweet potato fries are done just right – skinny, crispy and herb-coated with a tender interior. Skip the Mac-N-Cheese, which is gloopy, not terribly cheesy and full of too many inharmonious ingredients.  Millionaire burger at Joe's Amazing Burgers - photo by Jordan Wright Start with the yummy fried jumbo olives stuffed with chorizo and try the Lamburger with feta cheese, tzatziki, green olive relish, melted onions and baby spinach, or the over-the-top Millionaire’s Burger made with Kobe beef, seared Hudson Valley foie gras, black truffle Sottocenere cheese, in-house pickled onions and truffle oil aioli.
This is a cozy neighborhood hangout, whose former incarnation was a French bistro…then Joe’s Burgers for a while. Al Laroussi, a young Morrocan-born US educated banker, added the “Amazing” part to the name when he took it over. He revamped the menu and ratcheted up the burger profile with top grade meats. In the process he has become a bona fide restaurateur with thoughts of opening a French bistro in the area.
When you visit order the local Holy Brew Purgatory Pilsner from Leesburg or the very popular Louisiana dark beer, Abita’s Turbodog. There are a smattering of desserts but, better yet, finish with an adult milkshake made with Haagen-Daz ice cream and a shot of bourbon and caramel, Bailey’s Irish Cream combo or the pina colada with rum. And just kick back.
For comments or queries on this article contact [email protected].
Jordan Wright
April 2010
It was just after the first big snow, and everyone was struggling to navigate around the snow dunes created by the plows. I was slipping and sliding around the icy streets in Georgetown with plans to meet a friend at Bistrot Lepic for hearty French fare.
 Bistrot Lepic - Georgetown's cozy French retreat - photo by Jordan Wright The restaurant has been offering a three-course prix fixe lunch for $20 to celebrate their 15th anniversary and the menu items were inviting. But as I scanned the menu I spied “Rognons de Veau”, veal kidneys with roasted potatoes and a Dijon mustard sauce, and I was on my way to French comfort food heaven.
My longing for this childhood dish, made by our beloved French cook we named “Nana”, has been as forceful and evocative as Proust’s reflections on madeleines, and in this cheery yellow-hued retreat I would recapture my memories. This restaurant has been a fixture in Georgetown for many years and I recall lunches with my mother, who wished to revisit its charms whenever she was in town.
Head Chef Simon Ndjiki-nya has kept all the bistro classics to warm the cockles of your Francophile heart. The Camaroon-born chef, who grew up in Paris from the age of five, has worked at Bistrot Lepic for eight years with a brief stint mid-way to cook with Gerard Pangaud, no stranger to Michelin stars.  Executive Chef at Bistrot Lepic, Simon Ndjiki-nya - photo by Jordan Wright An endearingly charming, but unfussy place with a Parisian sensibility, you will find all your favorites like roast lamb and ratatouille, calves’ liver Provencale-style and coquilles Saint-Jacques, tweaked ever so modernly by its ginger broccoli mousse accompaniment.
Desserts are everything you would expect when you’re dreaming up favorites like pear tarte, chocolate mousse and the ambrosial ile flottante, a feathery-light sweet egg dish floating on crème Anglaise.
Drift up the townhouse stairs to the wine bar where cheese is paired with wines…Roquefort from Aveyron with sauterne or port, a Tomme de Savoie with a light Burgundy, or perhaps, Montbriac with a glass of Cotes de Rhone. Small dishes are served here and the country pate is made in house with Armagnac. The upper level has comfortable sofas and chairs and is decorated like a private salon, intimate with an air of decadence. A floor to ceiling Toulouse-Lautrecesque mural places you in the turn-of the-century Moulin Rouge cabaret.
This precious bistrot is the sort of rare jewel that one finds less and less in France and almost never in the States. Keep it close to your heart.
www.bistrotlepic.com
For questions or comments on this story contact [email protected].
Jordan Wright
Whisk and Quill
April 2010
 James Beard Nominees, Restaurateur Ashok Bajoj and Chef Tony Conte at The Oval Room - photo by Jordan Wright Ashok Bajaj, Washington DC restaurant dynamo, is a 2010 recipient of a prestigious James Beard Foundation nomination for “Outstanding Restaurateur”. That no other owner has as many successful outposts in Washington, DC with seven diverse and prestigious restaurants in his empire, it is no surprise that he has achieved a status that others might easily envy.
On Connecticut Avenue, a stone’s throw from the White House, reside two of his especially patrician establishments, The Bombay Club and The Oval Room, both a draw for DC’s fine dining-driven elite.
I trotted off last week to visit two of Bajoj’s Executive Chefs, Tony Conte, at The Oval Room, noted for his clean-lined “Modern American” food, and Nilesh Singhvi who reigns over the kitchen at The Bombay Club and is known for his authentic regional Indian cuisine.
The Oval Room – Modern American Cuisine
“Modern American Cuisine” – the terminology gives pause for thought. It evokes everything from corn dogs to apple pie to Aunt Molly’s pickled beans. Even a lowly rib joint considers their food American cuisine, so it seems a convoluted coinage to slap the word “modern” on the front end for clarification. I remember when Betty Crocker was considered “modern”.
A far cannier descriptive to my mind is “Modern French” or “French Fusion”. It translates more accurately into an individual chef’s interpretation of the new French cuisine, that uses French techniques and incorporates American, Asian and Italian ingredients. Well, it’s too late for that now. The terminology is ubiquitous. I can’t change it and I won’t try, but I do feel it comes up short to express the beauty and innovation of what American chefs with French culinary training and global influences are creating in the better restaurants today.
Across Connecticut Avenue to another of Bajaj’s outposts, The Oval Room is a culinary paradigm shift with the cuisine of Chef Tony Conte and his stellar interpretation of the French dynamic. Conte has gotten the nod from the James Beard Foundation as well and is a semi-finalist for “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” 2010. Though the restaurant bills itself as “Modern American”, Conte has a light-hearted, eclectic, predominantly Euro sensibility in which I intuited a delicious blend of Thomas Keller and Jean-George Vongerichten, Conte’s former boss and muse, with a soupcon of Alain Ducasse. Conte however, has his own distinct interpretations.
 Roasted Baby Beets with Passion Fruit, Shaved Horseradish and Icewine Dressing from The Oval Room - photo by Jordan Wright His roasted baby beet salad uses a tangy-sweet passion fruit gelee with delicately earthy red, golden and purple beets, zingy fresh horseradish shavings, micro-greens and a sweet drizzle of ice wine mignonette.
In salads today most chefs incorporate elements of sweetness…fresh or dried fruits perhaps…and earthiness…as with multi-colored beets, radishes and artichokes, or legumes such as French lentils, lending a certain piquant rusticity and serving to balance out the bitterness in field greens. Conte’s design goes one better with its clean preparation and clever addition of fresh horseradish.
The food at The Oval Room is stylish and understated, echoing its décor. It is a pretty room but unfortunately I experienced one of my restaurant pet peeves…banquette seats so much lower than table height my chin was nearly grazing the plate.
I focused on the food instead…its flavors, textures and techniques. Whether preparing a Berkshire pork rack and belly with briny little neck clams, sweet peppers and lime; or a dish of Pennsylvania duck with red cabbage traced by an alluring persimmon and mustard sabayon sauce, Conte is able to tweak his ingredients to achieve something new yet quite un-twee. In these and some of the other dishes the combinations take their cues from the Asian kitchen and reflect a decidedly unorthodox direction.
Although the menu reads like a gourmand’s shopping list of intriguing, multi-ethnic ingredients (What, pray tell, is shrimp chorizo?), you can put your trust in the outcome when Conte is at his creative best.
Crudo of hamachi, a raw tuna appetizer oft-experienced elsewhere, is gotten right when dressed with a green apple mustard and yuzu vinaigrette to create a vivid flavor and color interplay.
 Chef Tony Contes Crispy Rockfish - photo by Jordan Wright Rockfish, as served here, crisped up and perched over slices of fingerling potatoes, nestled in a sheer peekytoe crab “chowder” and balanced by pancetta and licorice root, was perfection. The fish itself was lauded by Conte’s skillful balancing of his components, and never losing sight of his prevailing ingredient. Nothing is flashy, over-wrought or contrived here. In fact, although he incorporates a multitude of global ingredients in his cuisine, the result is quite harmonious, delightful and unexpected.
Pastry Chef Adrienne Czechowski helped draw the veil for us with a dessert of caramelized peanuts and hazelnuts, puddled beside a chocolate glazed hazelnut dacquoise, layered with peanut butter mousse, and served with salted caramel ice cream bringing the salty-sweet thing to a heavenly convergence. Another reinvention of a classic is her Asian pear tart served with homemade honey ginger ice cream.
If this is Conte’s “Modern American” call-it-what-you-will experiment, then I offer myself up as the thoroughly “Modern American” guinea pig!
Highly recommended.
www.ovalroom.com
The Bombay Club – An Ayurvedic Tradition
 Bombay Club Executive Chef Nilesh Singhvi - photo by Jordan Wright At Bombay I discovered that Chef Singvi pulls  Malabari Shrimp, Chicken Tikka and Tandoori Salmon at Bombay Club - photo by Jordan Wright no punches in his use of lively spices, chilies and herbs; a kitchen that has neither chamber vacuum packers nor a thermal immersion circulator, but does have an ancient Indian coconut meat grinder and deep charcoal-fired tandoori clay ovens for baking off the delicious naan, paratha and kulcha breads. You could live on the goat cheese and tomato kulcha with its scattered bright green mint. Warm, grill-smoky, sassy and alluring.
Exploring the kitchen I saw boxes of cashew nutmeats waiting to be pureed into creamy curry sauces. Mace and fenugreek seeds in clear containers stacked beside whole black cumin seeds and nutmeg pods. More boxes stretching up to the ceiling were filled with cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, ginger, mustard seeds and green cardamom pods, while dates and tamarind stood ready to transform into fruity chutneys. All chutneys and curries are concocted in-house, ground from these raw ingredients, and familiar Indian dishes are ratcheted up stratospherically with Singvi’s experienced hand.
Ancient Coconut Meat Grinder - photo by Jordan Wright  www.bombayclubdc.com
Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine and Old Hickory Steakhouse
Jordan Wright
February 2010
 Chef Michael Harr - photo courtesy of the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center Chef Michael Harr’s return to the DC area has landed him at the Gaylord National’s Resort and Convention Center to helm both the Old Hickory Steakhouse and Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine. Thrilled to have a chef with such star quality, the hotel takes a decidedly different turn in offering diners a more innovative and chef-driven dining opportunity.
Locals know the Gaithersburg-raised Harr from turns at the Watergate’s Jean-Louis, where the cooking bug bit him, Butterfield 9, the greatly adored and sadly missed DC restaurant, where he made his mark with his beautifully created and unique offerings, and at the former five-diamond Maestro Restaurant, where he worked alongside famed chef, Fabio Trabocchi.
Harr has held stages in France at a number of prestigious restaurants working with other noted chefs, Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy. In Las Vegas he was Sous Chef to Jacques Vanstaden at the famed London Club, later worked in Montreal, New York and Miami as Executive Chef at Zodiac.
Old Hickory, which I reviewed last year, is a sophisticated steakhouse. It has an après dinner cigar deck, their very own artisanal cheese cave and one of the most beautiful dining rooms ever designed…a stunning Charleston-inspired setting with gorgeous views of the Potomac River.
Moon Bay, also reviewed here last year, feels like a coastal retreat, with a babbling brook flowing beside its deck, it, too, overlooks the Potomac. Surrounded by a lush tropical forest, it features creative seafood dishes. Harr’s French-trained background is an impressive new direction for these two top-drawer destinations.
In an exclusive first time interview with Whisk and Quill, Harr shares his vision for his latest adventure.
Jordan Wright – As an iconoclastic chef with classical traditions how will your style translate to accommodate two distinctly different restaurants…Old Hickory Steakhouse and Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine?
Michael Harr – As a culinary professional, it is important to appreciate many aspects of cuisine and the use of products available to us with every season. In this case, we have seafood and meats as the main focus. This amazing opportunity will allow me to focus on foods that I am passionate about. Such as local East Coast seafood as well as sourcing seafood items that wouldn’t normally be found on a general seafood restaurant menu.
For Moonbay, I envision it as being an adventurous outlet with the freshest of seafood as it’s main focus. My objective with the food is sustainably sourced, seasonality and driving personality…and keeping it simple and approachable.
For Old Hickory, I plan to incorporate classic approaches as well as “new-age” items with a modern twist. We hope to share our concepts to a clientele that can be adventurous and enjoy creativity within a steakhouse setting. Old Hickory is a gorgeous restaurant with an outstanding service. I’ve dined in many steak houses and Old Hickory stands out as an attractive destination that sets itself apart from the rest.
I would like to introduce seasonally inspired food items with creative choices for our composed plates. We are a steakhouse so our focus will be to offer great quality steak dishes, but I’m looking forward to incorporating some very interesting twists like “Chocolate Elk” (a dish that became my signature and gained notoriety at one of my previous restaurants) among others. My vision for Old Hickory is to make it one of the Capital region’s newly appointed destination restaurants that everyone must experience.
JW – How will you interpret your training in haute cuisine for the both restaurants?
MH – I have a very ambitious approach to our cuisine at the Gaylord National, with important goals to accomplish along with our executive leadership. My initial focus will be to bring the best local ingredients to our clients while enhancing overall food quality.
We currently have corporate contracts and, once they are approved for local sourcing, I will be able to develop a seasonal program that allows me to design creative and fun menus with local products. I believe “haute” is about quality, passion and foundation… in this way I am able to be successful in my mission to create the best for the clientele.
JW – What menu changes and local sourcing do you have in mind? When will the menu reflect these changes?
MH – I believe that all menus should be seasonal. Local sourcing can be significant with the amount of business that we produce. If we support the local farmers, we demonstrate our support for agriculture, renewable resources and local community.
In regards to menu changes, that’s a good question. We have to consider that we are in a corporate environment so there are many processes that must be followed. We will gradually implement the changes as we provide comprehensive training to our staff.
JW – Will you be using only sustainable seafood and from what sources?
MH – Yes, I would like to obtain sustainable resources as much as possible. As a local DC chef, I have many sources that I have used throughout the years. I will continue to use my vendors to source amazing seafood products.
JW – Who have you brought with you to execute your vision?
MH – We are currently evaluating our organizational structure, and we will strategically allocate our talent to improve operations.
This interview was conducted, condensed and edited by Jordan Wright.
DC and Alexandria residents can get to National Harbor by taking the Metro to King Street where a Gaylord Hotel bus shuttle at the entrance to the station runs every 30 minutes from 10AM till 10PM direct to National Harbor for $5.00 each way.
Ferry service from the Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria docks to National Harbor resumes in March. For more information visit:
www.PotomacRiverboatCo.com
www.GaylordHotels.com/gaylord-national/ and click on transportation.
For questions or comments about this article contact [email protected].
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