Jordan Wright
June 18, 2016
Photo credit: Jordan Wright
Special to DC Metro Theater Arts
Indique Redux; Asia Nine Bar & Lounge – An Asian Oasis Endures and Thrives; Italy in the Box; Simit + Smith – A New Turkish Bakery and Café; Chickpea Mediterranean Grill; Q Barbecue’s Secret Corn Pudding Recipe
Indique Introduces New Dishes, New Décor
Chef and Co-Owner K. N. Vinod along with Co-Owner Surfy Rahman recently re-launched their modern Indian cuisine restaurant with a totally revamped menu that included street food, family style dishes and classics with a modern twist, as well as gorgeous handcrafted Indian art and an updated décor.
As a staple of the Cleveland Park community for over 12 years, the upscale Indique has always been at the forefront of Indian cuisine in DC and, Chef Vinod, one DC’s most most celebrated chefs is a well-known frequent guest at the Smithsonian Resident Associate Programs. His annual contributions to the prestigious Sunday Night Suppers series, hosted by Alice Waters, Joan Nathan and Jose Andres, cannot be understated.
For Rahman it’s a family affair. His sister-in-law sourced the new china, furniture and glassware; his daughter accompanied her father to India for fresh inspiration; and his two sons, Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman, who intend to follow in their father’s footsteps, are looking forward to a DC opening of their fast casual Indian concept called Rasa Indian Grill.
Rahman hired Carlie Steiner of Stir Bartending Co. to create a stylish cocktail menu for Indique which she based on Indian spices and herbs. Her delicately spice-infused drinks use house made tonics made with garam masala and another that incorporates a blend of Indian herbs and spices such as fresh curry leaf, coriander and fenugreek. Unique ingredients like toasted mustard seed and tamarind chutney contribute to an exotic and aromatic profile. Addictive bar snacks included.
In a few weeks Indique will add a Happy Hour menu and Saturday and Sunday brunch. Check the website for deets. www.Indique.com
Asia Nine – Penn Quarter Perennial
As one of the longer lasting Asian-owned restaurants in Chinatown’s Penn Quarter, Asia Nine has rightfully basked in its reputation. It’s proximity to the downtown action – theatres, Verizon Center, museums and more – is yet another draw. But this cozy, hip spot doesn’t rest on its laurels. It continues to turn out an amazing variety of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean and Japanese dishes for the adventurous diner.
Start with a refreshing Hibiscus Mojito or Lychee Martini. No passport required. Want sushi? There’s maki sushi, nigiri sushi and vegetarian sushi. Honey roasted duck? Coming right up. Your dinner partner is craving Thai curries? There are three types – green, panang and lemongrass. Noodles, your thing? There’s everything from pho to udon. All made to order.
Chef owners Natalie Tantivejakul and Rod Yomanee both immigrated individually to America from Thailand. Natalie is from Bangkok and Rod is from a small town in the south named, Na-Korn. The couple met and later married when Natalie hired Rod to be a chef at her first restaurant, Rice & Spice in Lorton, VA. With roots from both the North and South of Thailand, Natalie and Rod are able to create menus that reflect both cooking styles as well as their favorite dishes from all over Asia. In addition to two Asia Nine locations, they now have Rice & Spice Thai Cuisine restaurants in Alexandria and Fort Belvoir.
This week Asia Nine announced a new Saturday brunch service from 11am to 3pm. The menu includes plenty of egg dishes, like kapow, bipimbap as well as the ubiquitous street food, pa thong ko, a deep-fried donut-style confection served with fresh fruit and sweetened condensed milk for dipping.
N.B. They’re especially welcoming to large groups with advance notice, the restaurant prides itself on getting everyone served and out in time for curtain up.
915 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20004 or their newest location at 254 Crown Park Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20878 www.AsiaNine.com
Simit + Smith
Turkish Bakery and Café Opens in the Heart of Georgetown
Cary Pollak with Jordan Wright
Simit + Smith is a two-story Turkish-inspired eatery housed in a charming historic townhouse. Arriving on the ever-burgeoning bread and baked goods scene, the Istanbul-based company surprises the adventurous eater with authentic Turkish savory breads and rolls. The star of the show is simit, a baked, not boiled, ring-shaped bread eaten throughout the day in both Balkan and Mediterranean countries. Its texture is moist and light on the inside. The dough is briefly dipped in a grape molasses and water mixture which helps the two types of coatings, sesame seeds or multigrain, stick to the bread, giving it a delectably crunchy crust. Simit is the Turkish name, but it is also known by different names and comes in many varieties in Greece, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Lebanon and Israel.
You’ll find three varieties of simits here – original, whole wheat and multigrain. To prepare these delightful puffs of bread for the oven, the first two varieties are the ones that are coated with sesame seeds. The third is dipped in a multigrain mix that includes sesame, rolled oats, flax, poppy and sunflower seeds, and millet. On a recent visit to the new Georgetown branch, both company President Zulfikar Bekar and Business Development official Dina Careccio pointed out that the simit is lighter on the inside and crunchier on the outside than its cousin, the bagel. All are handmade and preservative-free.
The company’s name is the result of an effort by the Turkish-based parent company to portray “a synthesis of Turkish/Mediterranean food culture and American food culture.” They felt that the simit is something very familiar in Turkey, as is the name Smith in the U.S., so they chose a name that is blends East meets West.
While the simit gets top billing, there are other Turkish breads to explore. Acma (pronounced ACH-mah) also is in the form of a bagel, but is more akin to the light, eggy dough of brioche. The un-holey pogaca is baked with different fillings, the most interesting of which is black olives and tangy,Turkish kasseri cheese. Lamahcan is their version of pizza that’s topped with marinated minced meat with spices, sumac, onion, parsley with a wedge of lemon on the side.
The DC menu differs from the one in the New York area largely in that more “simitwiches” are available in the Big Apple, though the DC outlet has a variety of homemade sourdough bread sandwiches including a roasted chicken sandwich with cheddar cheese, sundried tomatoes, mixed greens and honey mustard sauce, and a Doner (sirloin) Kebap sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and Café de Paris sauce, a butter-based sauce commonly paired with beef. A vegan sandwich also is on the menu. Choose from an array of salads – Aegean Feta, Chicken Orange, Quinoa Salmon or Caesar served with the doner kabap. (Hopefully the menu will widen to include some of the spreads like baba ganoush, Nutella and hummus which they serve in their three New York and two New Jersey restaurants.) Be sure to try their real Turkish coffee and Turkish chai tea, too.
Last year the simit was listed in Zagat’s “9 Snack Foods You Need to Try in 2015” (albeit with an inaccurate claim that boiling is part of the preparation process). The article predicted that this tasty treat will soon be seen around country and lucky for us, they chose Washington, D.C. as their first outpost beyond their U.S. home area!
Simit + Smith, 1077 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20007 www.SimitandSmith.com
Italy in the Box
What says amore more than a surprise box filled to the brim with Italian gourmet delicacies and landing on your doorstep? Arriving without a card or return address, I had no one to thank, or share it with, before racing to the kitchen to prepare what it had in store for me. All I had to do was boil water, toss the jar of Ligurian pesto from Niasca Portofino onto the artisanal basil tagliatelle from Pastificio Camp’Oro, then shave bits of aged pecorino from Famiglia Busti on the whole divine mess of pasta al dente.
The nifty brown box also included truffled potato chips from Tartuflanghe, which will wind up crumbled over roasted lemony green beans, and a delightfully fragrant Prunotto Mariangela Moscato wine jelly, which will find itself married to vanilla yogurt. I wasn’t going to mention the three different flavors of chocolate Camardo truffles – rum, coffee and hazelnut – since I left no evidence of their existence. But now that you know, I recommend you get your own, because I have no intention of sharing something that should not be made public anyway. Check out www.Italynthebox.com for all their other products.
Chickpea – A New Mediterranean-Style Fast Food Spot
From the team who brought you DRP Pizza (in Del Ray and Belle Haven) and Stomping Ground the bakery/coffee shop/Southern menu eatery along Mount Vernon Avenue beside the farmers’ market, we now have Chickpea. This new spot, as cute as its name, is beside the playing fields along Route 1 near Crystal City. You can’t miss it for the bright red umbrellas on the large patio. Open only a few months, its already catching on with those on the go. Because sometimes you just WANT IT NOW! No waiting, no table service, no tipping. Okay, a contribution to the small glass jar by the register would be the kind thing to do. Grab a tray and get in line.
It took me awhile to figure out the system and make my choices, but the dish I concocted was very tasty. You begin by selecting a base from among brown or parsley rice, toasted quinoa, a giant oven-baked pita, spinach, arugula, mixed greens or romaine. I was feeling healthy just reading the menu. I mixed arugula with romaine. Next is protein – lemony chicken cooked with wine, fresh herbs and garlic; spicy chicken with yogurt, peppers and herbs; chargrilled beef kofta; pulled lamb shank, which they slow roast; or falafel, crunchy little chickpea balls flavored with garlic and cilantro. I had the lamb shank and it reflected the long, slow-cooked flavors you’d expect.
Toppings are next and there are tons to choose from. You can add whatever you like from among lettuce, tomatoes, feta, olives, sumac onions, cukes, fresh mint, tabbouleh, grilled veggies and more. Stay focused because your fourth decision will be spreads and here come the classics – tzatziki, baba ganoush, harissa, green chili chutney, two kinds of hummus or a creamy roasted garlic sauce. All made in-house. Not wanting to overwhelm the dish with too many flavors, I asked for mine served on the side so I could enjoy it separately with a side order of pita chips.
Lastly you’ll opt for one of three vinaigrette dressings for your very large bowl of deliciousness – lemon-oregano, Greek or red wine.
I have tried one other Mediterranean fast food spot that couldn’t hold a candle to Chickpea. Try it. You’ll love it. It’s just outside Old Town, a few blocks from downtown Del Ray and thankfully there’s plenty of parking.
529 East Howell Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301 www.MyChickpeaGrill.com
Tuffy Stone’s Q Barbeque Secret Corn Pudding Recipe
If you can’t get to one of Q Barbecue’s four locations in the Richmond area, here’s some inspiration just in time for summer grilling. We asked pitmaster Tuffy Stone for this fan favorite side dish and he willingly obliged. It’s the perfect accompaniment to your chargrilled protein, or just on its own with a salad of summer tomatoes, cukes and garden greens. Tip of the Day: Be sure to use the same, or similar, high quality ingredients in this classic Southern tribute to the king of summer vegetables – corn.
Tuffy, aka ‘The Professor’, is a barbecue ninja. Oh, and I should mention he’s also a classically trained French chef. Working with his team “Cool Smoke”, the Lynchburg native and über pitmeister has won countless awards for his smoked meats.
He has appeared on the TV show BBQ Pitmasters and was a judge on Season Three. Last October he dazzled the barbecue world with a win at the 2015 Jack Daniel’s Invitational BBQ competition in Lynchburg, TN.
To give his corn pudding authenticity, Tuffy uses freshly shucked corn and Patrick Henry Yellow Cornmeal, milled by Ashland Milling Company of Virginia. If you’re serving a crowd, just double or triple the recipe. www.QBarbeque.com
Q Barbeque’ s Corn Pudding
Yield: 5 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 40 minutes
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 ½ tablespoons diced onions
- 4 ½ tablespoons corn, cut off the cob
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 rounded tablespoon of yellow cornmeal
- 1 extra-large egg, beaten
- ½ egg yolk, beaten
- ¾ creamed corn or ½ (14.5 ounce) can creamed corn
- 1 rounded tablespoon sour cream
- 2/3 cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons whole milk
- ¼ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and 8-x-8-x-2-inch glass baking dish with butter and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and corn. Cook until soft, approximately 10 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cornmeal, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until combined.
- Add creamed corn and sour cream, beating for 1 minute on lowest speed.
- Add milk and cream, beating for 1 minute.
- Add melted butter, salt, pepper, and corn mixture, beating for 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
- Place a shallow pan on the lower oven rack and place baking dish inside. Fill larger pan with enough water to come up halfway on sides of baking dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then turn pan ¼ and back for 20 minutes. Serve hot.