Thom Sesma plays the French-Vietnamese club owner who refers to himself as The Engineer in “Miss Saigon” Photo: Christopher Mueller.
With the Vietnam War as dramatic backdrop, Miss Saigon, presents a poignant tale of doomed love amidst the horrors of war. This well-known re-interpretation of Puccini’s classic opera, Madame Butterfly, with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Alain Boublil, has become one of the longest running shows ever to hit the American stage – – in no small part because of the thousands of Amerasian children called “Bui-Doi” that continue to be part of the greater tragedy.
It’s Saigon in the spring of 1975 near the close of the ‘Great Undeclared War’ when Chris, a young Marine meets Kim, an innocent country girl forced into a life of prostitution. In a strip club named Dreamland Chris’s buddy, John, buys her attentions, giving her to the forlorn Chris who is searching for meaning in a world gone mad.
The cast of “Miss Saigon” welcomes you to Dreamland, the Vietnamese nightclub where bargirl Kim will meet American GI Chris. Photo: Christopher Mueller.
The club’s owner, a crafty con man they call, ‘The Engineer” senses the men’s interest and ups the price. “Men play the moon to get fresh meat,” he snickers. Thom Sesma plays the sleazy Svengali to the hilt, delivering a memorable in-your-face performance filled with equal parts charm and smarm. “The Heat is On in Saigon” is a number aswirl in strippers, beefy Marines and lounge hustlers, but especially notable for the introduction of Gigi (Cheryl Daro) the sexy pole-dancing queen of the strippers who is crowned Miss Saigon. When Gigi, Kim and the bar girls commiserate in “The Movie in My Mind”, a song later reprised, we are forced to recognize their despair.
In one fateful night Chris and Kim find love amidst the ruins and pledge to spend their lives together. Gannon O’Brien (who took over the role of Chris on press night) showed engaging sensitivity and starry-eyed innocence against the fierce pathos of Kim as played by Diana Huey. Huey is an outstanding actress and singer whose compelling portrayal of a young woman fighting for her dignity and that of the couple’s love child in a country ravaged by war and uncertainty, is magnificent. Her delivery of “Sun and Moon” to their son, Tam, is a master class in character immersion.
A warm welcome from the girls of Dreamland (from left: Tamara Young, Katie Mariko Murray, Cheryl Daro, Diana Huey, Eunice Bae) in “Miss Saigon” Photo: Christopher Mueller.
Theatergoers will be wowed by this brilliantly crafted production. Signature Theatre’s award-winning Director, Eric Schaeffer, has assembled a cast and crew in spectacular synch. Kudos to Sound Designer Matt Rowe for the rhythmically clanking and stomping devil-masked dancers and thundering helicopter rotors in the iconic scene of the last plane out of Vietnam, and Lighting Designer Chris Lee’s blood red expression of Communist rule, neon-lit B-girls cavorting erotically, and a hauntingly evil nightmare sequence of the Commissar’s ghost. Special effects run the gamut from wind to smoke and create an atmospheric ambiance that envelops the audience in a sensory explosion. And with thirty-four spectacular musical numbers to orchestrate, Music Director Gabriel Mangiante accomplishes a herculean task using both classical and Asian instrumentation.
In this iconic show with plenty of memorable acting to rave over, Diana Huey, Thom Sesma, Christopher Mueller as Thuy, and Chris Sizemore as John, give the performances of their lives.
Chris Sizemore, playing the American soldier John, sings of reuniting families through international aid work (“Bui Doi”) in “Miss Saigon” Photo: Christopher Mueller.
Highly recommended.
Through September 29th 2013 at Signature Theatre (Shirlington Village), 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call 703 820-9771 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.
Fabio Trabocchi insists his new restaurant Casa Luca Vino E Cucina is a tribute to his roots in the Le Marche region, which also happens to be the land of truffles. “I grew up very poor and this is the food we had on our table,” he told me in a recent phone conversation. Now I’m not one to challenge a gentleman’s pentimento, but if you go by the dishes here, you will say the peasants ate very well…very well, indeed. Certainly I did on a recent visit.
Trabocchi who is far and away one of the most respected Italian chefs in the country has opened what he calls a “casual dining” experience, which is to say it is not the fine dining of Fiola, his first restaurant in Washington, DC, nor that of the Medici family table. On the other hand don’t expect massive platefuls of meatballs and spaghetti – – this is not your mamma mia’s kitchen.
Grigliata Mista di Pesci
Soft light bathes the high-ceilinged space, from the pendant lamps to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking 11th Street. It is a contemporary Euro vibe with a nod to the past from blowups of old family photographs. Red accent walls and grape motifs dot the room on table runners hanging from wrought iron racks to linen lampshades sporting the restaurant’s logo. Half moon banquettes offer an intimate retreat much like they do at Fiola, while window tables and outdoor seating are cherished spots for people watching.
We cooled our heels with a lovely cocktail from celebrated local mixologist Jeff Faile, who has been jockeying back and forth between the two restaurants as the staff gains their footing.
Stone fruit salad from Casa Luca
The china here is worth mentioning as it is purposely and charmingly mismatched. While plates range from white china in classic 19th C patterns or 50’s modern, soup vessels are made from old wine bottles and delicate flowered saucers appear to have been plucked straight from auntie’s breakfront. It is what you would expect to see if you were in someone’s home in the country…in Italia, that is.
The Marche Classic Cheese Bread with buffalo butter
Begin with some bread. It is not to be ignored. The “Marche Classic Cheese Bread with Buffalo Butter” is a rich, glistening, cheesy, crust-topped mega-muffin served with a steak knife and an elongated pat of butter. The butter may be superfluous, but it is certainly the point. Do it justice. I can only assume the buffalo reference comes from the water buffalo from which mozzarella di buffala is made, but I’m a bit fuzzy on the menu’s translation.
Maria Trabocchi, Fabio’s beautiful Spanish wife, created the recipe for the restaurant’s gazpacho, one of the most delectable versions this epicurean has ever lapped up. Garden vegetables are finely diced and crunchy on the bottom half. Then the same combination of tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic is slightly pureed and floats on top. A tiny pool of aromatic olive oil rests on the surface to smooth out the flavors. It is perfection.
Maria’s gazpacho in foreground
There is a listing of piccoletti to tantalize the diner. We could not decide on which alluring small bites to choose from and so requested a smattering of each, including a chunk of manchego in rosemary and olive oiland canestrato pecorino with a few rounds of fennel salami. The cazzimperio is a slice of toasted bread piled high with meltingly ripe tomatoes piled high with capers, fennel sprigs, olives, peppery pansies and a hint of garlic – a veritable blizzard of sensuous flavors. Little cups held jewel-like salads one of sweet corn, prosciutto and mint, another of heirloom tomatoes and stracciatella, the third of burrata and tomatoes with pesto.
An assortment of piccoletti
A salad of tender greens, plums, peaches and cherries arrived adorned with colorful pansies and dressed with a whiff of vinaigrette that spelled orchard meets field in the loveliest way.
If you are looking for Trabocchi’s renowned gingered lobster ravioli, which I have written about before on these pages, you won’t find it here. These are rustic regional pastas fatta in casa. Expect some to be earthy and unrefined like smoked gnocchi with duck ragu and cremini mushrooms – – not terribly summery for my taste but a well known Le Marche dish – – or soupy like Campanelle inBrodetto with prawns. Grilled scottadito, defined as “finger burning” on the menu, are smoky, juicy, fat-laden lamb chops that beg to be picked up by the bone and gnawed over but only if dining al fresco beneath a trellis of grapevines, not supplied here.
Grigliata Mista di Pesci is a dish that embodies summer holidays whiled away along the Italian coast. Mixed grill of locally caught seafood is found most anywhere along the sea, be it Adriatic or Mediterranean. And for me Trabocchi’s way with seafood evoked sun-filled days spent seaside and starry nights of dining on the beach in sight of pastel-colored fishermen’s boats. For this dish gorgeously tender octopus, briny head-on shrimp, golden-seared sea scallops and the daily catch are grilled over a wood fire and tossed with fresh bay leaves, rosemary, parsley, olive oil and charred lemon halves. Ahhhh. La dolce vita! Could life be any sweeter than this?
Sicilian Cassata at Casa Luca
After much to-ing and fro-ing we settle on three desserts (all in the name of research, dear readers, because we are stuffed to the gills). We are steered towards the Ciambellone di Nonna Palmina, a hazelnut coffee cake sounding more like a breakfast treat. The surprising combination of caramel gelato and vin cotto to pour over the cake, assure us it is not. Sicilian Cassata is a colorful concoction of pistachio and orange semifreddo, a firm ice cream, with baby meringues and strawberry-campari sorbetto decorated with the ubiquitous pansies as is the Luca Macedonia –stone fruits and the sorbetto of the day. Each dish is beautiful in a carefree way as if tossed together with flower petals gleaned from the kitchen garden. If this is how the peasants are eating these days, I wonder what it’s like to be a duke!
Hazelnut Coffee Cake with caramel gelato and vin cotto
Casa Luca adheres to its casual definition by offering nearly two dozen wines at $28.00 a bottle with a few selections by the glass or carafe including the Tuscan Donna Laura Sangiovese the restaurant keeps on tap. But go for the limoncello with strawberry, one of four varieties of vin dolce,or one of five grappas from Poli,produced by a 5th century Veneto family since the 1800’s. And buon appetito!
Get Your Mad Men On
Photo credit – Harald Gottschalk
Craft Cocktails is writer Brian Van Flandern’s latest homage to the hand-crafted cocktails enjoyed pre-Prohibition – – a period between 1920 and 1933 when talented bartenders fled to Europe in droves, Eliot Ness and “The Untouchables” chased mobsters and moonshiners, and a hatchet-wielding Carrie Nation ransacked her way into speakeasies all under the guise of the Volstead Act banning “intoxicating liquors’ throughout the U.S. Given today’s fascination with these throwback cocktails, it’s difficult to fathom what it was like to live in the shadows just to get a little drinkie pooh.
In his follow-up collection Van Flandern, who has been named one of the “Top Ten Hotel Bartenders in the World” by Travel and Leisure Magazine, selects a few fellow bartenders from New York’s top craft cocktail lounges to join in the fun by contributing some of their recipes to the “mix”. Death & Co., PDT (Please Don’t Tell), Employees Only and Clover Club in Brooklyn are the four bars that meet his approval for innovative drinks, retro-chic ambiance and high standards of service. Mr. Van Flandern is very particular…and that should come as no surprise to those who have sampled his creations at the Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel; The Worldship, the private residential luxury liner that plies the high seas; and Per Se, where he fine tuned his art at Thomas Keller’s Michelin three-starred restaurant in New York City.
Recipe for “Port of Call” cocktail by Brian Van Flandern
Filled with quirky-charming hand-written recipes naming the exact liquor brands along with specific instructions on how to achieve the perfect drink, Craft Cocktails is written as a companion guide to Vintage Cocktails, an earlier book in the same vein, that featured a revival of elegant handmade cocktails by the noted mixologist. Lavish photographs of the finished and garnished cocktails in period settings and in Baccarat crystal glassware are by Harald Gottschalk.
So get your shakers and stirrers out, and as the uncompromising Mr. Van Flandern would say, “Bottoms up!”
The debonair Brian Van Flandern with his cocktail kit
One of the private dining rooms. Painting by Brian T. Dang
Uber Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj Has a New Baby
When it comes to cooking up success, Ashok Bajaj has a formula that could well be called the ‘ultimate dish’. It’s simple, really. Hire a talented chef, train your staff to a fare-thee-well, commission a trendy architect to design a stylish restaurant, and put it in a high-end location with plenty of foot traffic. What could go wrong? Not a blessed thing, as it turns out.
Over the past twenty-five years, Bajaj, a transplant from New Delhi whose training at the Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces prepared him well for DC’s kingmakers, has been showered with umpteen awards from industry titans to magazine editors, who track his latest ventures like Bengal tigers. Earlier this year Bajaj was named “Restaurateur of the Year” by Washingtonian Magazine, an accolade bested only by his recognition by the James Beard Foundation, Forbes, CNN and GQMagazine.
So what’s nopa got that sets it apart from the others? To begin with nopa’s Executive Chef, Canadian Greg McCarty, who has brought along his impressive resumé. Before landing in DC he spent six years alongside celebrated chef, Jean-George Vongerichten at the luxurious Bahamian restaurant Dune, later trotting off to Manhattan to open Nobu 57 and assisting renowned restaurateur Drew Nieporent on a number of special projects.
The zinc bar
Described as an American brasserie, nopa’s fresh decor has beautifully transformed its earlier incarnation as Zola. Martin Vahtra, the resto’s swank designer has swept away the heavy velvet drapes to reveal a series of light-filled dining rooms with white-washed brick walls, rustic wooden beams, and a black-and-white original mosaic tiled floor beside the zinc bar to reveal a unique space that can now highlight the historic building’s distinctive architectural elements.
Let’s have a cocktail, shall we? The bar’s designer cocktails are surprisingly well priced at ten dollars and list six under two categories “The Classics” and “Signature Cocktails”. “Blood and Sand” is an updated version of the original using Black Bottle Scotch Whiskey with LuxardoCherry Liqueur, Dolin RougeVermouth and blood orange puree and “Red Envy” is an exotic concoction of El Dorado Rum, Heitz Cellar Ink Grade Port from the Napa Valley, lime and Fee BrothersChocolate Bitters. But the warm day spells gin to me, and the “800 F & Tonic” sports Plymouth Gin, house-made tonic and lavender with a ginger infusion to spice it up.
Because of its Penn Quarter proximity to the International Spy Museum and other local attractions, the menu ranges from family friendly choices like burgers and vegetarian options like the veggie bánh mi sandwich with cauliflower purée and a fresh herb salad, to fine dining and designer drinks. At a recent lunch I found some hits and a few misses. Foie gras terrine with a swoosh of carrot ginger purée was addicting, but the bluefish paté was disappointing, the negligible amount of fish in the spread renders the whole thing inconsequential and its accompanying triangles of earthy Russian-style black bread become far too ponderous a vehicle, especially when the bread basket has such alluring choices.
Nopa – Foie gras with carrot ginger swoosh – Spring radish salad with pineapple, mint and feta
Gazpacho seems to be the only soup offered. Unfortunately it was blended into the consistency of a breakfast smoothie and the crunch of summer vegetables unexpressed. But crispy soft shell crab with avocado basil purée was precisely on point as was the sprightly radish salad with chunks of pineapple, feta and mint.
Soft shell crab with avocado basil purée
When it comes to fish the chef treats it with a gentle respect, no doubt from his days in the Bahamas preparing fresh catch with a French chef, and a glazed Chilean sea bass with tender baby eggplant and wasabi pea mash was everything one would hope it would be – the sweet taste of the fish balanced against smoky soft eggplant and a hint of fire from the Japanese horseradish.
At this point dessert beckoned and it was, well, cute! Tasty fried cherry hand pies with crushed raspberry icing – the sort of thing grandma would toss into a cast iron skillet and a creamy dreamy version of banana pudding that was reminiscent of a church picnic.
I could say what a long strange trip it’s been, when reflecting on last night’s Grace Potter concert at Wolf Trap. With her band the Nocturnals the indie group performed a reimagined form of vintage psychedelia and hard-driving rock that hasn’t been heard since the heady days of the Fillmore West in the late 60’s.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
You have to wonder what’s taken Potter so long to emerge as one of the most promising hard rock, blues and country stars we’ve seen since Grace Slick and Stevie Nicks stole our hearts with the same raw emotional style. Maybe it’s because Potter is too beautiful with her swirling, head tossing, mane of honey blonde hair and legs way out to the next county. Or maybe it’s because we can only imagine men tearing the guts out of their guitars to find notes that only the Eric Claptons of the world could unleash. Is the male-dominated rock world ready to accept a woman who can write her own music, dance like Isadora Duncan on LSD, play both keyboards and guitar, and sing with as pure and powerful a voice as has ever been heard on a rock stage? Oh yes, it is. And a packed house at Wolf Trap proved it last night.
Playing songs from their latest album, The Lion The Beast The Beatas well as earlier material, Potter showed off powerful wailing leads on her signature Gibson Flying V guitar and haunting notes from a Hammond B3 organ, all the while creating a bold new sound built on the old yet without ever sounding retro.
Clad in a sizzling hot platinum lamé bat-wing sleeve gown that revealed her long legs with a slit up to there, Potter and the Nocturnals opened with “I’ve Got The Medicine That Everybody Wants”. Later she gave a grateful shout-out to a guy named Sandy she knew would be at the concert and who’d introduced her parents, Sparky Potter and Peggy Sparks, to each other back in 1969 by explaining, “That’s why I’m here!” She later introduced locally born tenor saxophonist, Ron Holloway, who came on stage for a duet on “Treat Me Right” with the sentiment, “We go back to the days of hard drinking and hard touring.”
The Nocturnals consisting of Matt Burr (drums/vocals), Scott Tournet (guitar/bass/keyboard/vocals) and Benny Yurcot (guitar/bass/vocals) are as tight as they come and it shows. During one number the entire band dropped their instruments and held a group drumming session on Burr’s drums. In others Potter traded fiery licks with her fellow guitarists and gave tribute to the Jefferson Airplane with the number, “White Rabbit”.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.
Famed musician Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, opened the show. Born Troy Andrews in the Treme section of New Orleans, he’s performed with U2 and Green Day and recently played at the White House in celebration of Black History Month. His 2011 album For True features Jeff Beck and Warren Haynes. Andrews, who calls his sound “Supafunkrock”, opened with “American Woman” amping up the crowd with his fierce horn and a rumbling bass. Amazing lead guitarist, “Freaky” Pete Murano, and a back up horn section gave it the stuff soul was made of. There were George Clinton-style funkadelic 60’s riffs using a wah-wah pedal from Murano coupled with Shorty’s signature staccato repetitions in which he appeared to split notes into fractals ending in long breath-averse wails on the trombone. Though Andrews’ style gallivants around the musical map, there’s a bottom line Chicago horn sound going down, especially on power numbers like Ray Charles “I Got a Woman Way Over Town”.
There’s been a fine kettle of fish brewing in Del Ray. Raw fish, that is. Jilted by the adults-only restrictions at a new sushi bar, horrified moms lit up Twitter and the Del Ray Patch’s Facebook page with blistering comments, accusing the restaurant of discriminating against their little paragons of politeness. Others claimed they were just fishing for publicity. One writer challenged the unique name of someone’s child on the comment board. While another retorted, “One day some family is going to pull a Rosa Parks on this place!” Good heavens! What was going on in hipster Del Ray, the sweet little burb where Gen-Y parents queue up with their little angels at The Dairy Godmother for soft-serve on steamy summer nights?
Here’s the skinny, if you haven’t already heard. Six weeks ago restaurateur Mike Anderson of Mango Mike’s and Pork Barrel BBQ, opened a sushi and sake bar for adults. That’s all. If you saw the miniscule size of the place you’d realize that even one stroller could get in the way of service. There are sixteen seats at the sake bar, six stools at the sushi counter and a few banquettes along the back wall, accommodating a grand total of 45 guests who will enjoy its pleasures on weekends between 5pm and 1:30am and during the week from 5 till midnight. Get the picture?
From left – tuna tartare, yellowtail & jalapeño, salmon carpaccio and sea scallops with mango salsa and tobiko — Three Kings – toro, salmon roe and uni — Tuna, yellow tail and salmon with a quail egg shooter in iced shot glass
The Sushi Bar’s jewel box size is its charm. It’s an intimate and relaxing spot with exceptional sushi and a well-chosen sake menu. Momokawa, from Denver, Colorado, is one such sake in the nigori style. It’s the first sake ever to be produced in the US. I enjoyed its Moonstone Asian Pear, a delicate fruit-infused sake with the unmistakable floral sweetness of the fruit that dovetailed nicely with the raw fish and smoky seaweed flavors. My partner opted for the Momokawa Pearl, an unfiltered sake that was both sharp and sweet. Other sakes are in the ginjo & daijinjo, junmai and nama styles.
Moonstone Asian Pear Sake
We sat at the sushi counter with sushi master, Peter Kannasute, an abundantly cheerful fellow who delights in describing his craft. Omakase,meaning “chef’s choice”, is an option that allows the chef to dazzle the diner with a seven-course dinner that showcases his creativity. For Kannasute, that’s the highest compliment.
Fourteen years ago Kannasute came to the US from Thailand, where his family owned a restaurant in Bangkok. While attending college on Florida’s East Coast he made the decision that becoming a sushi chef was his true calling. “I asked myself what I really wanted to do,” he remembers. “I knew of one master sushi chef with his own Japanese restaurant. He hired me on and began to teach me the art of sushi. Ten years later I was the head chef.”
Master Sushi Chef Peter Kannasute with some of his creations
At age twenty-three Kannasute entered an Iron Chef-style competition at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, where he went head-to-head with local leading chefs, including Jeb Bush’s private chef. “I was the only entrant who hadn’t gone to culinary school!” he recalls. “Ginger was the main ingredient. I prepared lobster rolls and won!”
Later on in his career Kannasute opened the Atlanta branch of Sushi Ra, a well-known chain of sushi restaurants, where he established himself as head sushi chef. At The Sushi Bar the young master has achieved his dream of teaching others about sushi. He expresses his philosophy in the restaurant’s logo – the Japanese symbol for ‘dream’. “I want our all our guests’ dreams to come true too.”
Red bean & green tea mochi with strawberries and yellow raspberries
Gin Takes Center Stage in Summer Cocktails
Central’s Gin Program
Summer says G&T to a lot of us, but who knew we could keep it local? In DC New Colombia Distillers is making it the juniper-based elixir the old-fashioned way in a copper pot still, launching Green Hat gin – the city’s first gin since Prohibition. The distillers even craft seasonal gins like their Spring/Summer offering with floral notes of cherry blossoms. We’ll want to serve this during next year’s Cherry Blossom Festival.
At Central Michel Richard they’ve jumped on the gin bandwagon with both feet offering US made gins and those from as far away as France, England and Scotland and using over twenty varieties in surprising concoctions to highlight its glories.
Cucumber Mint Gimlet at Central Michel Richard
There’s California’s DistilleryNo. 209 Napa Valley Gin, a citrusy gin made from an original recipe from the 1860’s and distilled five times. Or try Greenhook Ginsmiths gin out of Brooklyn, NY whose product is made from organic wheat using Tuscan juniper, elderflowers and chamomile in the blend. Berkshire Mountain Distillers, the first distillery in the Berkshires since 1911, is in the town of Great Barrington where my family had a country retreat nearby. This summer Central presents a cocktail made from the company’s “Greylock” gin. It’s called ‘Gin Blush’ and uses Campari, Chinotto, orange and lemon to enhance its charms.
The bar at Central has a rotating menu of four cocktails that are indelibly creative. Try a ‘Lavender Gin Rickey’ made with FEW American Gin and lavender turmeric syrup, or this one that sounds particularly appealing, ‘Summertinez’, made with the UK-based Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, VyaSweet Vermouth, Triple Sec and house made strawberry rhubarb bitters. General Manager David Hale partners with the staff to come up with new concoctions every week. Cheers to that!
Clyde’s Turns 50
Clyde’s CEO and partner, John Laytham, is reveling in half a century of success. “I don’t know of too many restaurants that have been around for fifty years or too many restaurant companies who haven’t closed a restaurant,” he remarks in his book How We Do Business, Clyde’s Primer For Beating The Odds In The Restaurant Business (Brick Tower Press).
Scheduled for August release, the book chronicles the history of the company’s fourteen restaurants and is broken down into vignette conversations with the company’s founding partners who reflect on the restaurants’ proud history and their modus operandi. The lateStuart C. Davidson quoting the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, espoused the business’s core philosophy by once remarking, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” The company has proven that adage beyond a shadow of a doubt with an enterprise that has continued to grow and prosper.
Pages are filled with photographs of Clyde’s formative years in Georgetown. I checked to see if I was in one of them, but didn’t see myself, though I lived around the corner on Cecil Place and misspent a good bit of my reckless youth downing Bloody Marys and ripping into steak tartare amidst its red-and-white checkered tablecloths. Oh, the memories…
Clyde’s in Georgetown – Stuart Davidson hanging from fire escape; John Laytham in the bib overalls holding straw boater
There are beautiful images of Old Ebbitt’s Grill and the group’s newest outpost, The Hamilton in downtown DC, a spectacular 37,000 square foot entertainment venue, restaurant and bar that had its first incarnation as Garfinkel’s luxury department store. And even Clyde’s famous chili recipe has here been revealed. Unfortunately no photos of The Tombs tare provided, though my initials might still be carved in one of the tables.
Local writer, Food Network producer and documentarian, J. Garrett Glover, does a fine job of capturing the owners’ personalities with an ear for humor and a keen perspective on the history of Clyde’s and its many outposts.
Maketto at Hanoi House Serves Its Street Food Indoors
When Erik Bruner-Yang decided to do a pop-up test kitchen in advance of Maketto, his open air market and retail store slated for Lord knows when, it was a chance to revel in his Southeast Asian street food at the bargain price of $30.00. For that very affordable price of admission, we embarked on an eight-course Asian odyssey during which we became quite eager guinea pigs for the sweet heat of Thai/Viet/Cambodian regional cuisine. Until its official opening on H Street, Hanoi House, a Franco-Viet hip slip of a place on Fourteenth Street will serve as Maketto’s temporary quarters.
The Franco-Viet decor at Hanoi House
Bruner-Yang is a hands-on guy. One minute he’s in the kitchen making your dinner the next he’s serving and describing his dishes and the a la carte items on the dim sum cart. There’s also a full bar menu. Specialty cocktails called “Strongdrink” are a good way to start. I opted for “Silk Road”, a refreshing concoction of rum, coconut milk, ginger and vanilla – – perfect for a steamy summer night.
On the night we dined the menu started with Lok Lak a DIY Cambodian dish in which you pack with egg, tomatoes, rice noodles and Wagyu beef into a lettuce wrap, then dip the leafy cylinder into an irresistible pepper, garlic and lime sauce; then Bok Lahong, a spicy salad of green papaya, dried fish and shrimp, chilies and cabbage. As the meal progresses the courses get spicier – in a good way. Fried prawn heads, the spot where the crustacean guards its fat and flavor, are a gastronome’s nirvana. Pick up the head, suck out the meat and rake out the good bits with your teeth. Lick your fingers and repeat.
The bespoke bar at Hanoi House
As the kitchen brought out more courses we watched Chef de Cuisine James Wozniuk standing behind the bar pounding spices with a mortar and pestle, tattoos flexing with each smash while tantalizing aromas waft about the room. Next up was ground pork chili pepper ragout – – spicy, addictive and enrobed in a tangy tamarind sauce with green beans and water morning glory stems, a plant I’d never encountered before. The insistence on its name from our server was so mystifying I thought I hadn’t heard her correctly. I later discover Bruner-Yang grows it at home from seed. The next day I look up its Latin name, ipomoea aquatica, to better understand its origin. It’s the same genus as our morning glory, however “water morning glory” is a separate species, not well known here but commonly used in Southeast Asian and Eastern cuisines. Mystery solved.
Ground pork chili pepper ragout in a tangy tamarind sauce with green beans and water morning glory stems
As quickly as one dish disappears another arrives. Everything moves at top speed with the fixed price, two-seatings-a-night plan. There were times we had to plead with servers to let us keep some of our courses, so eager were they to remove dishes we were still savoring. A Cambodian concoction of black sea bass, dill and coconut milk was followed by Somlah Machoua chicken and pork broth based dish of tamarind, taro, lime juice, mint and crispy fried garlic – all mouth-wateringly delicious. In the end I could have skipped the final dish of handmade fermented sausage that ended the savories with a whimper – – the only disappointment.
Shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk, fresh peaches and mochi served in a Mason jar
After all that we wondered if we could eat dessert too. But we had signed up for the total immersion experience and we couldn’t pass up shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk, fresh peaches and mochi served in a Mason jar. Could you?
Doukénie Winery came to my attention when I first heard of their Heritage Club, in which members have an advantage of pre-ordering their personal selections. In mid-July we took a leisurely drive to the winery’s 520-acre property in Purcellville in the region known as the Loudoun Heights Cluster where we could sit overlooking the mountains drinking their award-winning wines and partaking of a once-a-month evening of live music and Greek food. By the time we arrived “Bistro Night” was in full swing. Guests were grazing on humus, Greek salads, gyros and baklava and watching ducks and geese splash around in a nearby pond while the sun descended over the blue hills on a clear night. The barns and silo became silhouettes against the fading light and the water took on the sunset’s pinks and corals. Most couples had purchased bottles to share and along with the band the lively atmosphere gave the evening the feel of a private party.
Sébastien Marquet, Doukénie’s winemaker, is a cheery and sophisticated fellow who began oenological school in Burgundy when he was a mere sprout of thirteen. Naturally he gravitated towards the Côtes de Rhone and Bordeaux of the Burgundy region, the same wines he coaxes from Virginia grapes. The winery produces an astonishing collection featuring Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Mandolin, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Vintner’s Reserve and Hope’s Raspberry Legacy, a dessert wine created by blending blackberries and raspberries with oak-aged red wine. But the most popular among club members is the Mandolin and new offering, the 2009 Dionysus, made from 100% Merlot. All of Doukénie wines are made from the estate’s own grapes.
Doukenie winemaker Sebastien Marquet
We trotted off close on Marquet’s heels into the cool temperatures of the Barrel Room for a tour. As he spoke of his life story and what brought him to America, he extracted samples with a glass pipette from oaken barrels coded by their variety and vineyard block. They were intriguing and complex, a good sign, certainly holding promise, but clearly needing time to develop – – though it was fun imagining what they might become.
He explained the name of the winery, which is how I first learned that, notwithstanding the Doukénie surname, these are most emphatically not Greek-style wines. So no retsina of course. Though with the focus on Greek rather than French food, it was a bit puzzling.
As the story goes doukénie means “duchess” in Greek and reflects the name of the woman who was the first generation of Bazacos to come to America. She was fourteen, a slip of a girl when she came alone by boat in 1919 from Greece. Her father was a winemaker and she grew up in the vineyards around their home. Traveling with scant possessions, she nevertheless chose to bring her mandolin, the symbol of which later has become the winery’s logo.
Hope Bazaco, the matriarch at Doukenie Winery
It was Hope Bazaco, Doukénie’s daughter and the winery’s matriarch, who shared her story with me as she fed the ducks from her golf cart. Hope is originally from Brooklyn, New York where her mother settled among other Greek ex-patriots. And it was Hope’s son, George, a local pulmonologist, who with his wife, Nikki, purchased their first tract of land in 1981. Together they planted their first vines in 1986 as Virginia’s wine industry was finding its identity. They called it Doukénie Winery after Hope’s mother who lived on the Loudoun farm for many years.
Sunset at Doukenie
Bistro Nights are held on Fridays through the end of September. On September 26th they celebrate the harvest with one of their biggest events of the year – the Italian Festival, featuring Italian food, wine tasting, grape stomping, live music and activities for the kids. Resident geologist, Leanne Weiber, will take visitors on a guided tour of the vineyard by hayride to explain the area’s terroir. For more info visit www.DoukenieWinery.com.
Osteria Marzano – Hidden in Plain Sight
On the first floor of a glamorous high-rise, far more apropos of South Beach or Vegas, is the brand new Osteria Marzano. Located in a cluster of office buildings near Alexandria’s Kingstowne shopping area, it is an unexpected beacon of light in an area better known for chain restaurants and strip malls.
Carmine Marzano has been cooking his country’s cuisine for over 30 years – first training at the prestigious Istituto Alberghiero Statale di Pienerol and later launching his career as the Executive Chef at the exclusive Ristorante Giudice in Turin, Italy where he remained for three years before coming stateside to assist acclaimed chef, Roberto Donna, with the opening of Galileo. Marzano served as Donna’s sous chef for four years before opening Luigino’s in 1993. Sadly Luigino’s shuttered its doors in 2003 after a great run.
Partners Carmine Marzano and daughter, Elena Pouchelon, at their new restaurant Osteria Marzano
Fast forward to three months ago when Carmine finally put his name on the door at Osteria Marzano. Along with his partner and daughter, the beautiful Elena Pouchelon, they have superseded all expectations in the creation of a stunning modern restaurant that covers both the Northern and Southern regions of Italy with dishes from the sophisticated to the casual.
Since opening three months ago it has garnered a loyal fan base from locals who pop in for lunch, drinks and apps after work or dinner at the end of the day. Families, too, have discovered the wood-fired brick oven for pizzas and small plates called assaggini – – perfect for kids. We dropped in last month for dinner and came away thrilled, sated and loaded down with doggie bags or more candidly, lunch for the next few days. Last week tables and chairs were added outdoors across from a burbling fountain, providing a romantic spot for dining under the stars.
Chef Marzano has a light touch that works in dishes like thinly sliced salmon crudo with truffle oil and a toss of lemony greens, and Ahi tuna carpaccio with pink peppercorns. Try the little polpette. They are heavenly. Made with veal, beef and pork and served with a scoop of ricotta, they nearly float off the plate.
Crudo di Salmone – Atlantic salmon with truffle oil and citronette – Polpette – meatballs with a spicy pomodoro sauce and a scoop of ricotta
All the meats on the salumi board are first rate. Ditto for the cheese board that includes marvelous cheeses from five different regions of Italy and comes with ciabatta bread and house made fig jam. Vegetables are prepared gently as are salads, a touch of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a hint of garlic. A veal osso buco could have been heartier, its accompanying risotto, brighter and more al dente. The sauce lacked the depth and richness the veal deserved. It’s a dish best made a day or two in advance allowing it to bring the flavors together.
Tagliere di Salami with house made gardiniera
Osteria Marzano’s menu is short story-length. There are fourteen pasta dishes alone. Imagine! One for every other day of the month! Each made in house. You can’t go wrong with a dish that incorporates the restaurant’s basic marinara, a sauce made here that is perfectly balanced – – fresh and tangy, not sugary, with the distinct flavor of good quality tomatoes and herbs.
Veal Osso Buco with Saffron Risotto
But let’s talk pizza – – the offerings are dizzying. Feta, fontina, gorgonzola, buffalo mozzarella, provolone and ricotta are the cheese choices. Dozens more toppings attract. Expect the usual sausage and pepperoni, although the sausage is made here. But it was the grilled eggplant, Italian bacon, shitake mushrooms, and even fresh clams and mussels that caught my eye.
Heads Up: Be sure to let the server know you want your pizza charred. Apparently diners in the hinterlands haven’t gotten the word that 50’s style pizza has gone the way of bobby socks and poodle skirts. Customers keep sending it back thinking it’s burned and the restaurant has had to dumb it down. So be sure to tell the pizzaiolo to prepare it the way he knows best – – the traditional way, the correct way. Because that is how they do authentic Italian pizza here. Of course, my readers already knew that!
The fabulous Nutella pizza
And speaking of pizza, have it for dessert. Yes, you read it right. The Nutella dessert pizza is bad to the bone – – as in good bad – – as in crazy mad fabulous! Think Italian s’mores. First the creamy hazelnut chocolate spread is smeared over cooked pizza dough. Mascarpone goes on top with handfuls of toasted pistachio nuts and tiny marshmallows. Finally it’s slid into the wood-fired oven, which is sort of like a campfire, if you get my drift. The marshmallows melt over the nuts and into the Nutella creating an insanely craveable sweet that turns grownups into kids. Do not miss it.
So close your eyes and pretend you’re in Roma or Napoli or Firenze. Because this is as close as it gets to the real deal without Alitalia.
