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 Chef Massimo De Francesca photo by Darko Zagar By Jordan Wright
Massimo De Francesca had just been appointed the new and very promising executive chef at Domaso Resturant in the Hotel Palomar in Rosslyn, VA in the winter of 2008. At a Virginia-centric wine dinner held in the stunning Italian-modern restaurant, I sampled the young chef’s cuisine. I was impressed then, but thought I’d give him time to settle in and find his niche before I would write a serious review of his efforts.
A picture-perfect summery salad with cubes of yellow and red watermelon, pea tendrils and red radish dots arrived. A Wisconsin goat cheese dressing pulled the ensemble together nicely. But there were missed opportunities. Virginia has some of the best artisanal goat cheese around. Caromont Farms comes to mind, or Iron Rod from the Piedmont Valley, both near Charlottesville. The watermelon might have been injected with an herb-flavored pinot grigio infusion, mint or tarragon perhaps, to amp up the flavor until it can stand on its own by mid-July. Continue reading Domaso Trattoria La Dolce Vita Overlooking Georgetown
By Jordan Wright
Every chef has his or her trade secrets…special ingredients, little known sources, on-line products, techniques, tools and tricks.
Here’s one of mine. I buy my biscuits at Brenner’s Bakery.
 Country Ham Biscuits If you’re a Southerner, biscuits are an important part of your daily life. They sop up red eye gravy and the juice from beans and barbeque. They are de rigeur with fried eggs and sawmill gravy.
And ohmygod, you had better make an extra batch because they are morphed into yet another course…dessert. Slathered with butter and drizzled with Karo syrup, molasses or sorghum and eaten by the plateful. That’s real Southern style. But most of y’all already knew that.
There is no excuse, even for a transplant such as myself (in my case raised in Manhattan but with roots south of the Mason-Dixon line). Southerners are required to serve biscuits when they entertain their friends and relatives.
Though many of my clients regularly dine on truffles and fois gras, they know as sure as the stars shine above, that they will be serving ham biscuits at their next social event…and that means receptions, steeplechase races, hunt breakfasts and sit-down Sunday suppers. Southern hosts and hostesses do like to entertain. In some parts they still invite the mailman in for a cup and piece of cake in the mornings. Continue reading From Gravy Biscuits to Mexican Wedding Cookies,Brenner’s Bakery Slathers on the Southern Style
April 2010
 Paul Scott Goodman in Son of a Stand Up Comedian - Photo credit: Chris Mueller Paul Scott Goodman’s edgy solo show opened at MetroStage last night. Set in 1980’s Manhattan counter-culture, it is a time capsule itinerary of a hip rocker’s life…a soul-baring, self-analytical musical voyage with the Scottish-born Goodman at the helm. At turns sarcastic and heart-warming, the monologue-set-to-music is Goodman’s chance to bat back at the travesties, injustices and sheer bad luck that befell his early musical career.
While he rails at mega Broadway productions, “Broadway is dead!”, and a failed fling as a catering waiter who joined the party and then was given the bum’s rush (he expresses surprise at this), there is no doubt that Goodman, an inspired and award-winning songwriter, accomplished guitarist and tale-spinner, puts forth raw energy in this semi-autobiographical piece.
Tender memories of meeting his wife, Miriam Gordon, the show’s collaborator, conversations with his stand-up Jewish comedian father and an unexpected sidelining off the Forest Hills “N” train to make a “mikvah” with strangers during the birth of his first child; save the show from total self-absorption. It remains to be seen if it will translate outside the New York City, Woody Allen brand of one-therapist-per-resident culture. But in the end it is Goodman’s sanguine, Scottish-accented, musical introspection that keeps the audience humming and toe-tapping along with him.
www.metrostage.org
For comments or queries on this article contact [email protected].
By Jordan Wright
As Valentine’s Day is quite nearly upon us, I thought I would write about what I call one’s “foodheart,” which is what I have come to regard as the “extra sense”, and the other better-known senses that drive our passions to satisfy it.
We know that our food memory is a powerful
and palpable force and relies on our individual culture, early culinary tastes and preferences and genetic predisposition. Its profile is defined before we can be swayed by advertising’s claims. We are first influenced by what is available or served to us and who is doing the serving, most likely our mothers. Continue reading An Essay on Passion and Desire for Valentine’s Day
 Courtesy photo A Turin native of the Piedmont region, Teatro Goldoni's Chef Enzo Fargione has been honing his gastronomic skills here since 1986. By Jordan Wright
If you have a taste for the theatrical then you will marvel at the drama and wizardry at Teatro Goldoni. For there is a force of culinary nature at work here…and it is no illusion.
In the glamorous dining room yards of shimmering drapes and painted harlequin panels reminiscent of Arlecchino, the jester in the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, frame a collection of Venetian masks that echo of carnivale on The Grand Canal. It’s not surprising celebrities flock to and feel at home on this luxurious stage.
Perhaps you have chosen the coveted Chef’s Table, accompanied by your friends. It’s an adventure worth sharing. For who will believe you later when you reveal the gastronomic wonders of this meal.
Let us imagine that we have our very own sorcerer to create this magic. We’ll call him Enzo, Il Divo, and he is our chef on this memorable evening. And since every sorcerer must have his apprentice, Aziz Sajid, the headwaiter, will perform as his most capable assistant to guide us on our journey.
In truth, this Turin native of the Piedmont region, Enzo Fargione has been honing his gastronomic skills in this country since 1986. As a teenager he came to the States under the aegis of legendary chef and restauranteur, Roberto Donna, where, in less than a year, he went from sous chef to head chef of Donna’s three-star Galileo Restaurant. They were later to become partners in the famed Il Radicchio. But if you follow the careers of our top Washington chefs you already know this. Link to the whole article
By Jordan Wright
Mr. President, your table awaits you… Madame Secretary, welcome back…
This hallowed dining place, catty-corner to the appropriately named, Freedom Plaza, and adjacent to the historic Willard Hotel, has hosted presidents and their cabinet members since its’ opening in 1906 and is just a short stroll from the White House.
One cannot describe this revered watering hole without first mentioning the unique décor. Hundreds of elegantly framed photographs of Senators, Presidents, dignitaries, governors, athletes, Members of Congress and celebrity patrons, from JFK and Buffalo Bill Cody to Jackie Robinson and General Colin Powell, cover the two-story high walls of this space.
Stunning coffered-wood paneling lines the entry, which features the (to be officially unveiled next week) new Obama presidential portrait, and gives the feel of an elite private club. A sweeping, “see-and-be-seen” bar, extending across the back wall, affirms the restaurant’s Washington power scene reputation. Link to the whole article
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