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 Well-organized by lists, The Fearless Critic divides the categories into “Most Delicious,” “Good Vibes,” “By Genre,” “By Location,” “By Special Feature,” “Vegetarian Friendly,” “Late Night Dining” and “Top Tastes,” offering the diner a wealth of information on restaurant options including a ranking of 100 Best for “Vibes” and separately for “Food.”
Recently the new DC Area dining guide “The Fearless Critic” arrived on my desk for review. It promises secret dining reviews and is not ad-sponsored in any way…that’s novel and desperately needed…and all the restaurants are listed alphabetically for quick reference.
Well-organized by lists, it divides the categories into “Most Delicious,” “Good Vibes,” “By Genre,” “By Location,” “By Special Feature,” “Vegetarian Friendly,” “Late Night Dining” and “Top Tastes,” offering the diner a wealth of information on restaurant options including a ranking of 100 Best for “Vibes” and separately for “Food.”
 Robin Goldstein, author of the Fearless Critic. It begins at around 2 points for California Tortilla (why bother), and goes up to a 9.7 for Komi. Well, naturally. It also warns of “bad” restaurants. Now that’s quite useful.
That said, there are numerous questionable critiques.
For example, they give Teatro Goldoni in the sixes in “Food” and “Feel” categories. But wait!
This is a stunning and romantic restaurant, steaming with DC newsmakers and Hollywood royalty and a private chef’s table that will knock your Italian leather booties off, while Ben’s Chili Bowl ranks 8.1 in “Food” and 9.2 in “Feel.”
How does one compare veal carpaccio surrounded by coronets of chanterelles, poached cardoons, microgreens and a 30 month-old Parmesan, with chili-dogs in a greasy neon-lit luncheonette? Even if it is an Obama and Cosby-approved neighborhood fave, how can one justify such “apples and oranges” comparisons?
Consider that Georgetown’s Café Milano receives 6.5 in “Feel”… and is one the cities gloriously chic celeb hot spots…while Austin Grill rates 7.4 in the same category. Go figure. I couldn’t help but note that every laudatory review quoted in the guide was from out-of-towners.
There is no mention at all of the venerable and historic Occidental Grill, an absolute “must dine” for anyone visiting Washington, DC. But trendy, 2 Amys, the pizza parlor, is rated 9.6 for “Food” and 8.8 for “Feel” and is on a par with Eamonn’s, the fish-and-chips joint in Old Town, rated a close 8.7 and 8.0.
In Old Town, they list 20 restaurants and one supermarket, Whole Foods, but in this economy two of the restaurant have already closed and seven of the twenty are chain restaurants. In the rest of the city four are chain restaurants and one is the grocery store, Trader Joe’s.
 “The Fearless Critic” promises secret dining reviews and is not ad-sponsored in any way…that’s novel and desperately needed…and all the restaurants are listed alphabetically for quick reference. Mostly, however, these previously unknown and untested critics nail it. Let’s face it, it’s well-nigh impossible to draw a bead on so many dining spots. And, yes, they are “brutally honest,” as they claim.
But to what end? With nearly 500 pages it is not for the visiting backpacker. It’s your dining dime. You be the judge.
For questions and comments, or to weigh in on your favorite restaurants and why, contact [email protected]
 Jasmine and Tarun were born and raised in New Delhi and met online in a chat room. Their new restaurant Raw Silk is the newest addition to Old Town cullinary scene.
By Jordan Wright – Food Writer
Georgetowner/Downtowner
July 2009
Old Town’s latest addition to Indian food, Raw Silk, is hosting four-course Chilean and South African wine-paired Indian dinner on Monday, July 27, at 719 King Street in Alexandria.
Little known is that Chile was among the countries that saved the French wine industry, back in the late 19th Century when nine-tenths of all European vineyards were destroyed during a devastating blight. No wonder those wines are so divine, they’re actually French!
 Photo by Flickr One of our special recipes is Chaat Papri - a typical street food in Delhi
During a recent wine tasting with notable oenophile, Bartholomew Broadbent, I had a chance to sample some surprising South African wines. For the dessert course Raw Silk will be serving a South African Robertson Almond Grove Late Harvest Noble Riesling with your choice of mango kulfi or kheer.
Here’s a clever way to save on your trip to Greece this summer. Dupont Circle’s Mourayo is offering a hot deal for $40 worth of food for $20. If your palate says, “Feed me Greek!” drop by this spot and fake it. Go here to get your coupon…
Inox Restaurant in Tysons Corner will be celebrating the soon-to-be released Nora Ephron-directed, “Julie and Julia”, with a three-course tasting menu featuring some of Julia Childs’ favorite dishes. Executive Chef Jon Mathieson’s connection was as one of the chefs at Julia’s 90th birthday party celebration dinner. He’ll be paying tribute with vichyssoise, tarragon chicken or beef brisket, salad and her famous cherry clafouti.
 Raw Silk management team I met her on an escalator at the Fancy Food Show in Manhattan too many years ago to count. She was gracious, as always, and looked at me as though she were surprised but delighted to have encountered me in such a way. Come to think of it, that’s how she’d look at a juicy chicken she was just about to carve up…
As one of Slow Food USA’s pioneers since 2000, Alice Waters continues to influence policy in DC. Its inaugural Slow Food Nation 2008 event with over 50,000 people in San Francisco was the largest celebration of American food in history. Continue reading NIBBLES & SIPS/Raw Silk Hosts a Wine-Paired Dinner
 Photo by Shariff elSheikh/Local Kicks Morou is back! He's left Old Town and is now ensconsced in Crystal City with Kora. Here a trip down memory lane with a picture of a Local Kicks-sponsored dinner benefitting the Alexandria Seaport Foundation at his Old Town digs, Farrah Olivia
KOI is coming. The restaurant, whose other outposts are in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Bangkok bumps up DC’s profile as the hot city to be in. Raspberry mojitos, sake cosmos and sushi, it’s already a celeb magnet. With Buddha Bar slated to open soon…we’ll be Hollywood East.
 Photo by Flickr/travfotos
KOI is coming, with its raspberry mojitos, sake cosmos and sushi, itâs already a celeb magnet. Robert Wiedmaier’s BRABO is opening an outdoor patio in the pretty courtyard of his popular Old Town restaurant. Should be fun for Sunday brunch with the build-your-own Bloody Mary bar to go along with their signature Belgian waffles.
Do New Yorkers know porkers?
We’ll find out when Hill Country, NY’s highly acclaimed BBQ joint, gives the competition a “cue” throwdown next year from their new location on 7th Street.
Founder and CEO, Mark Glosserman, a Bethesda native is excited to return to the area where his family still lives. Think Texas-style barbeque smoked low and slow over Texas post oak. Note to Texas State Society…they’ll show Texas college football on large screens and kick it with an ongoing roster of Austin-style roots music with country, rock and blues bands.
Love Greek food? Crazy for seafood? Kellari Seafood Taverna, another NY export will be taking over the old Jimmy’s on K Street. They’re known as one of the top Greek restaurants in NYC.
Local Chef Ryan Morgan has left Art and Soul. Will someone please tell me where this ultra-talented chef is?
Former Iron Chef, Mourou Ouattara, will be in his new Crystal City digs, Restaurant Kora, later this month. He’ll be cooking, con amore, with an Italian menu. I’ll keep you posted when I catch up with him next week before the soft opening.
Getting too hot and steamy for you to cook out?
Let Chef Michael Soper handle it. Union Street Public House hosts a Great Grill Out on July 30th. Roasted corn and summer veggies, steak, quail, lobster tails, wild halibut, scallops and in-house baked bread straight from the grill plus wine and beer pairings. Dessert is grilled pound cake with whipped cream and berries. Yum! All for $49 tax and tip included.
 Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks
Union Street Public House is hosting a Great Grill Out on July 30, with roasted corn and summer veggies, steak, quail, lobster tails, wild halibut, scallops and in-house baked bread straight from the grill plus wine and beer pairings. Bookbinder’s short-lived restaurant in Old Town is toast. Burnt toast. That’s what no advertising can do. Only a few locals even knew they were there. Columbia Firehouse will be the latest occupant in the S. Saint Asaph Street location. The walnut paneled upstairs will be an elegant chophouse-style menu, downstairs an American brasserie. Look for their opening next week.
Dishing it up with [email protected].
 Jose Andres - Garden Café Espana at National Gallery of Art Ah, the pleasures of Spain in the summer. The art, the beauty, the splendor. The Prado, the Alhambra, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, shopping, touring, lunch with a pitcher of sangria lingered over with friends and family. How we wish we could be there! How we wish the economy hadn’t tanked and we could renew our acquaintance with Picasso, Dali, Miro, El Greco and Luis Melendez. Who you ask? None other than the great 18th-century Spanish still-life master whose works are currently featured in a comprehensive special exhibit, “Luis Melendez: Master of the Spanish Still Life” at the National Gallery of Art’s east wing.
All these iconic Spanish artists and more can be viewed this summer in the Gallery at yet another show in the Gallery’s west wing, “The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain.” Spectacular armor from the Spanish Crown, on loan from The Royal Armory in Madrid, accompanies portraits of Spain’s greatest rulers sporting the same armor. The pantheon of artists represented in this exhibition, include: Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Diego Velazquez and Alonso Sanchez Coello.
But I wanted particularly to delve into Melendez’s rich oils, a paean to the foods of Spain, that were commissioned by Emperor Charles V to represent the terroir, the seasons and the four elements of Earth, Wind, Fire and Air. These food “portraits,” with their luscious figs evocative of fecundity, and plump grapes conjuring Spain’s great wines, triumph summer’s harvest, and beckon the viewer to sample its culinary bounty.
Continue reading DINING – Garden Café Espana at National Gallery of Art
By Jordan Wright
 Photo by Jordan Wright Toss out the notion of a sticky, sweet drink mixer for pina coladas or the other kind that comes in a can and is used as a cooking ingredient for Thai curries.
This new product, in plain, unsweetened and vanilla flavors made by So Delicious, is used straight from the carton on your morning cereal or drunk by the glass and is found in the refrigerated section beside the soymilk.
About coconut, the carton explains, “It is a rich source of medium chain fatty acids (MCGAs) which are recognized as “good fat”, and it is naturally cholesterol-free.” That should be good news for cardiologists and their ice cream-deprived patients.
In our house, kid-tested and highly approved, coconut milk has replaced the soy, almond, oat, rice or hemp milks previously consumed. We especially love the vanilla flavored, but the unsweetened version is better for savory cooking or baking. Not inconsequentially it is vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO and organic. Smoothies using the vanilla flavored coconut milk are divine with this brand new product.
So Delicious is an Oregon company that had previously produced only soy-based products. Their wonderful Soy Delicious ice creams like Green Tea and Awesome Chocolate are family favorites.
But in April of this year they rolled out their new line of coconut-based products called “Purely Decadent Made with Coconut Milk.” There are nine different flavors, sweetened with agave syrup.
Think ice cream without the milk…really rich and creamy, with a smooth mouth feel. Continue reading Coconut Milk of a Very Different Kind
 Photo by Jordan Wright/Local Kicks
Heath Hall and Brett Thompson of Del Ray's Pork Barrel BBQ.
By Jordan Wright
A super-secret reality show scheduled for a major network’s fall line-up has approached Del Ray’s Pork Barrel BBQ in Alexandria.
Partners Heath Hall and Brett Thompson, currently waiting for the ink to dry on their contract, swore me to secrecy…at least for the time being. The show, featuring five multi-millionaire venture capitalists looking for investment opportunities will showcase these and other entrepreneurs and fly them out to the West Coast next month for the filming.
Longtime friends from Kansas City, smack dab in America’s Heartland, they were hired by former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent and assigned to tackle the tough issues…banking, child welfare and the national budget. Dry stuff indeed, but they were well acquainted with the give and take, the tit for tat that goes on in each session. They had done their homework and knew the drill, and they were in it for the long haul.
One evening, after too many cold pizzas and as the Senate Appropriations Committee was debating the budget into the wee hours, the boys had the inkling of an idea.
They missed home and talk of “pork barrel” spending was snapping their synapses into fond memories of cookouts with family and friends. They began reminiscing about pork shoulder and beef brisket smoked for hours over oak and hickory wood, Kansas City style, with a tomato base and a rich, smoky barbeque sauce, the meat seasoned with secret recipe rubs to seal in the fat and bring out the intensity and cold beers to wash it all down. Continue reading Del Ray’s Pork Barrel BBQ Boys Headed for Hollywood
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