Category Archives: Food and Drink

Arlington, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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The Phallic Deli

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Food Fits – Well, Hot Dog!’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Do you like a little innuendo in your local deli?  Maybe some masculine flair?  Well, look no further than Ballston’s Market Place & Deli. Jeff, one of our readers, sent us a picture of Market Place’s hilarious and unintentionally(?) sexual logo.  This may be old news to Ballston locals, but most people aren’t in on the sausage fest yet, so I thought I’d give you all a laugh.  I took the liberty of posting the logo on Failblog, so get over there and vote for it. Penis.

Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery and General Store

Outside

Franklin’s is Cracker Barrel. Minus the flagrant discrimination, and with house-brewed beers, and a general store that sells toys instead of wooden peg games, and craft booze instead of lollipops.

Located on Baltimore Avenue in Hyattsville, the restaurant, brewery and general store are steps away from the up-and-coming little-engine-that-could Hyattsville Arts District. The store and restaurant are in a landmark building built in the 1880’s as a blacksmith and carriage shop. As such, Franklin’s remains a lovable, family-friendly community staple. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The Features
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First Look: Masa 14

Masa Interior

Unless you live under a foodie rock, you’ve noticed that 14th street has exploded lately. Eatonville, Policy (though Jenn says don’t go there), Birch and Barley, and, of course, Masa 14. Masa 14 is the new small plate concept by Kaz Okochi (Kaz Sushi Bistro) and Richard Sandoval (Zengo). The kitchen is led by Chef de Cuisine Antonio Burrell, who used to be at CommonWealth Gastropub.

Masa 14 has a large, industrial feel. Sleek and trendy, noisy, and totally packed. Fritz Hahn was right when he said it is the new thirty-something destination on 14th street. The crowd wasn’t the typical young quasi-hipster crowd I’ve grown accustom to at places like Eatonville or Saint Ex. But don’t for a second think this isn’t a stylish crowd – red lipstick, cuff links and afros all made statements there Friday night when Jenn and I stopped by to check it out. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Ray’s the Steaks at East River Asks for Liquor License

Photo courtesy of
‘Ray’s Hell Burger’
courtesy of ‘roboppy’

DC Public records show that restaurateur Michael Landrum has officially applied for an Alcohol License for Ray’s the Steaks at East River. The license says Ray’s the Steaks at East River will be, “New high quality and full-service community and family oriented restaurant serving grilled steaks and traditional entrees. Occupancy Load is 85 and Sidewalk Café with 40 seats.” An indicative move on the part of Landrum who has been attempting to open the restaurant for a while now, and has had to push back opening East River since the original prediction of April 2008.

Located in East River, many believe East River to be a bold move on Landrum’s part, especially since Ward 7 is severely lacking in sit-down options. The only option now for sit-down in Ward 7 is a Denny’s. The location is cited as right off of Benning Road at Dix Street, at what looks to be easy walking distance from the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station.

Landrum has been quoted in the past as saying, “The more I looked into the neighborhood, the more I talked to people, the more excited I have gotten about the great prospect and hope there.” We Love DC author Shannon has reported on East River in the past as being the next big redevelopment location in DC, and a Ray’s the Steaks is a great way to start.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District
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FREE FOOD ALERT: BGR Burgers Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

FREE BURGERS TOMORROW! For anyone that has a sharpie and skin. I quote you the press release:

“On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 11:00 a.m. to noon customers who arrive at any of BGR’s three DC area locations with ‘BGR’ written on any body part will receive a delicious gourmet burger on the house. Customers can select either The Burger or Veggie Burger, and the promotion is limited to one complimentary burger per customer. ”

The locations are: Dupont Circle: 1514 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 2003 Alexandria: 106 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 and Bethesda: 4827 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, The Daily Feed
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Mad Hungry? Hooks Books Event at Zola Fills You Up

Photo courtesy of
‘Artomatic 2009 Kerrin’s Appetizers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Zola Wine & Kitchen is hosting a Cookbook Author Series with this Thursday’s author being Lucinda Scala Quinn, formally the food editor of Martha Stewart Living Television.

On November 12 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., the nationally renowned culinary author will discuss her new book, Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys, and will offer culinary demonstrations.

Tickets are priced at $75 per person and include a copy of her new release, along with appetizers showcasing the published recipes and two glasses of wine per person. Guests for the evening also receive a 10% discount on wine purchases from its wine shop during the event. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, People, The Features
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Women Chefs in DC Area Win in a Landslide

Nora Pouillon

This past Sunday was the Women Chefs and Restaurateur’s awards dinner titled “Women who Inspire.” Emceed by Top Chef finalist (and stand-up comedian – or at least she should be) Carla Hall, the dinner honored many DC women chefs. Often teetering between an association dinner and the Oscars, dozens of women chefs, including those who were being honored and even more, were back in the kitchen preparing 6 courses to interlude each of the award-winner announcements.

Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR) recognizes women who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in: the dining room, kitchen, baking and pastry arts, beverage profession, farming and food production, community affairs, as well as for a lifetime of culinary excellence.

Local Nora Pouillon, of Restaurant Nora in Dupont Circle, prepared the first course (paired with a non-local chef, Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune) and last but not least, accepted the final award of the night and the most honorable. She was awarded the Genesis prize, which recognizes a woman who has achieved a true “first” in the culinary profession – a clear win for the originality of her all organic restaurant. Nora was pioneer in the organic food movement, having the first and only organic restaurant in DC, Resaurant Nora, for a long time.

Seated with one of six tea sommeliers in the world, the founder of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, a restaurant owner, and the chef of her family’s bed and breakfast, it really became apparent that we were surrounded by foodies when our table began to debate over the true ingredients of a “Mirepoix.” Between a “Garbure” with Stone and Thistle Farm Braised Pork Belly (by Nora and Gabrielle) and a Ballotine of Pheasant with Confit of Idaho Fingerling Potatoes (by Barbara Lynch, No. 9 Park and Kate Jansen & Tracy O’Grady of Willow), I fumbled with how to eat, pronounce and appear cultured, all at the same time, while enjoying the award presentations and acceptances for a variety of categories.

Just the tip of the iceberg for DC women chefs and restaurateurs, Ellen Kassof-Gray, whose excellent management and hard-efforts in the front of the house at Equinox Continue reading →

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Food Aromas of DC

Photo courtesy of
’02 pan frying bacon’
courtesy of ‘jasonlam’

What is it about walking cities and the various food aromas wafting around?

Growing up on the Upper West Side of New York City, it was the smell of freshly baked and doughy H&H Bagels. In highschool at soccer practice, the ladyfingers and swiss fudge cookies of nearby Stella D’oro made my mouth water during drills.  In Baltimore’s Fells Points area, it’s the bread baking at H&S Bakery.

And in DC, for me it’s the smell of bacon cooking in the early morning along M Street.

What are the food aromas you associated with our Nation’s Capital?

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Picks for Weekend Wineries

Photo courtesy of
‘Winery’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

My favorite weekend activity this fall has been heading to wineries. I celebrated Virginia Wine Month with a fervor – give me a bottle of wine and some cheese, a nice patio, sunshine and a view and I’m pretty close to heaven. I love to escape the city and relax – if you’ve never been I’m here to tell you, it’s as good as a day at the spa. This upcoming weekend is going to be a gorgeous one, they say. And with the fall leaves at their peak, this weekend is an ideal one to head outside the city and experience what the Virginia countryside has to offer. So where should you go? Well, here are some of my favorites from this season for your consideration. Continue reading →

Downtown, Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Features
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Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show: Paula Deen Brings the Butter

Paula Deen and Jon Ashton in LOL Theater

courtesy of The Tiny Kitchen

You thought I was kidding about the butter until you saw this picture…

Things have been a little crazy this fall, and I’ve been missing out on my usual weeknight and weekend HEAVY dosage of the Food Network. Alas, this weekend, I am excited to get some face time with my favorite stars, in addition to some DC super-chefs.

This Saturday and Sunday (November 7-8), the 2009 Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show is coming to the downtown convention center. For a $20 admission ticket, you can visit the showroom floor, a cooking demonstration or a knife skills class.

The show room floor will feature over 200 caterers, personal chefs, appliance manufacturers and party planners, but one of the true benefits of your General Admission ticket is access to the Tasting and Entertaining Workshops. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Iron Chef Comes To The White House

Photo courtesy of
‘The White House – The Dream Home of Many Children’
courtesy of ‘adcristal’

The Food Network announced today that Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse came to the White House last month (how did we miss this?) to film a special two-hour Iron Chef episode, called “Super Chef Battle”. Michelle Obama and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford gave Batali, Lagasse and Flay the challenge of using produce from the White House garden as the “secret ingredient”. In new-media fashion, Flay even tweeted about it this morning.

The special episode premieres Sunday, January 3rd at 8pm ET. Here is the full New York Times article (and a picture of Mario Batali wearing RIDICULOUS orange shenanegans on his feet).

$5 says FLOTUS wore a cardigan for the episode.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Picks For Best Hot Chocolate In DC

Photo courtesy of
‘”Rita Hayworth” Hot Chocolate’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

This week is the perfect temperature. Chilly and brisk without being completely hunker-down cold. It’s the ideal weather for taking a stroll with a hot drink in hand or sitting in the window of a shop sipping on out of a mug. Which got me to thinking – where can you find some unique hot chocolate in DC? None of that Starbucks generic mix, but some original, interesting mugs of the good stuff. Here are a few of my top suggestions. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The DC 100, The Features
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DC Omnivore 100: #37, Cream Tea

Scones, The Jefferson

"Scones, The Jefferson" by Jenn Larsen on Flickr

It’s time for another item from the DC Omnivore 100 list of the top one hundred foods every good omnivore should try at least once in their lives.

Cream tea, high tea, afternoon tea… what’s it all about? And why does the Omnivore 100 list have “cream tea” instead of one of the other terms? I just remembered seeing little signs for “cream tea” while wandering around cute villages in the Cotswolds, but have never seen it used around here. Then there’s the constant “high tea vs. afternoon tea” debates that erupt on food forums, everytime someone asks where to get “a proper high tea” in this town.

As luck would have it, last night at the Women’s Chef & Restaurateurs Awards gala, I had the pleasure of meeting an actual tea sommelier! Cynthia Gold explained the difference between these three terms, with some history to boot. Like so much food lore, the actual reasons were not at all what I expected.

It all comes down to table heights.

Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink
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Eat Like Me: October’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘West End Bistro’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Am I becoming a snob? It is possible. When I started this whole endeavor, I swore to myself that I’d never become that obnoxious girl, who sniffs a plate, turns up her nose, and sends it back to the kitchen with a wave of her hand. That’s just not who I am. I’m the kind of girl who unashamedly adores Olive Garden – iceberg salad, processed breadsticks, mozzarella out of a bag and all. But lately? You guys, I’m getting nervous for myself. I think I’ve caught the foodiot disease. I find myself overhearing a joke about truffles, foie gras, lobster and caviar being the major food groups and think it’s so funny that I repeat it to my friends. Boys half-joke that I’m intimidating to take out to dinner because “where could a guy take a foodie like you?” To which, I vigorously shake my head in over-compensating protest, saying, “no, no, I’m like anyone else! I like Taco Bell. I swear!” And yet… I find myself becoming more and more obnoxious.

I think it might actually stem from the quantity of food I’ve put in my pie hole this year. I’ve been blessed enough to try a tremendous amount of places, and with that much dining out, and that much input, I’m bound to start being increasingly judgmental. Right? It’s only natural. This month has been one of the most ridiculous eating months of my life. And yet, of all the months of Eat Like Me that I’ve written, I didn’t struggle to come up with the contenders. There were clear winners. And this could be for a number of reasons, but I think one of them is that I’m getting snobby. I’m sorry! I tried not to. And don’t worry, I still love Potbellys. And I can talk about other subjects. But between you and me, reader, I’m on a slippery slope. (Just look at my Twitter feed. Obsession at a whole new level.)

So what does all this snobbery amount to? Well, a stiff cocktail for me later for admitting my problem, but also a great Eat Like Me for October. I’ve been to some outstanding places, from real DC classics like Oval Room or Obelisk, to new up-and-comers like Kellari and neighborhood spots like Evening Star Cafe. And I have to say, this list of dishes is by far my favorite. So without further ado, the best of my October meals. Continue reading →

Downtown, Food and Drink, Night Life, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: W Wine Bar

Barscape, W Hotel Washington

"Barscape, W Hotel Washington" by Jenn Larsen on Flickr

It took me a while to return to the W Hotel after my first look back in July. Katie’s second look confirmed it was going to be a sleek and chic scene. But what about the drinks?

When I ask people what they think about drinks at the W, I tend to get the same response – “Love the view. Hate the line.” They’re referring to POV and its roof terrace, of course, both featuring a killer view of our fair city. POV is still going strong, even as the weather turns chilly. The hotel plans to keep the roof terrace open year-round, thanks to heat lamps and a new awning. So if you don’t have a reservation up top, most likely on peak nights you will end up waiting in a labyrinthine line snaking through the Living Room. That is, unless you just do the sensible thing – plan in advance and make a reservation.

But the most important thing to remember about a night of drinks at the W – it’s not just about POV. There’s a snug little bar tucked away beneath J&G Steakhouse that’s perfect for a rendezvous or two. Biggest surprise? Shssh – the drinks experience may actually be better. Continue reading →

Arlington, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Wine for a Cause

Photo courtesy of
‘Bottle’s Top’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’ 

Looking for a happy hour option tonight that will also help others? Charity events are always a win-win, and the elegant Hotel Palomar Arlington has you covered tonight with “A Taste of Virginia’s Own.”

The event will raise funds for the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, which has been helping educate the community about HIV/AIDS since 1987. Tickets are $35 at the door and the event will run from 6pm to 9pm. Varietals from such local winemakers as Chateau O’Brien, Horton Cellars, Pearmund Cellars, Tarara Winery and Rappahannock Cellars will be featured. The Palomar always does an excellent spread of hors d’oeuvres so you’ll be fed well too.

Helping a worthy cause + learning about local wines = a good Thursday night plan.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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K Street is for Kellari

fish display2

Dreaming of a trip to Mykonos, while stuck toiling away in your cubicle? Lucky for you, the New York eat place Kellari opened its doors at 1700 K Street two weeks ago, ready to fulfill all your Greek needs without any of the airfare or time off.

I was invited to sample all the Greek fare during a tasting, and I’m happy to report, we’ve finally got a restaurant on K street that will stick. For the happy hour-er in you, Kellari offers fun cocktails at the bar, with limitless olives, and crackers and cheese. Take a seat, and indulge in fresh fish, which you can pick right off the raw bar in the center of the dining room. (I’d recommend the King Prawns from Madagascar, divine.) Sample some hummus with grilled bread to get started, pick yourself a fish, and round out the meal with some of the best baklava I’ve ever had.

In no time, you’ll be floating on the Aegean. At least in your mind.

Arlington, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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The Fries Verdict…

Photo courtesy of
‘Mountain of deep fried goodness’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Yesterday, we reported that Rays Hell Burger is now serving fries with their hamburgers. Upon inspection of a picture of said fries, there was some question as to their freshness.  They appeared to be the generic, bagged and frozen variety, which stands in direct contrast to Ray’s mantra of fresh meat and fresh ingredients.  Well, I believe that I can lay your fears to rest.  After some hard hitting investigation, during which I subjected the fries to my discerning palate, I’ll say unequivocally that these fries are not frozen (maybe).

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Fries! At Hellburger!

hellburgerfries
Hellburger Fries photo courtesy Samer Farha

I love Ray’s Hellburger, guys. It’s to the point where I don’t even bother ordering the burger at most other restaurants because it will just disappoint me. But every time I take someone there who hasn’t been before, they wrinkle up their nose in annoyance. “What, no fries? Who serves a burger without fries?” Someone who is spending all his efforts on making the best damn burger I’ve ever had, that’s who. I don’t even notice the lack of fries, that burger is so tasty.

It seems that Michael Landrum has heard the pleas of the masses- according to WLDC reader Samer Farha, french fries are now on the menu at Ray’s Hellburger (edited to add: Samer tells me the small order of fries is priced in the $2-$3 range). But I’m looking at this photo, and they look like your general foodservice, frozen-in-an-enormous-sack, shoestring-cut fries. I could be wrong, I have not eaten them myself, and I welcome correction from anyone in the know.

But look. I once walked into Hellburger and saw Michael Landrum standing next to a side of beef and a meat grinder with a cleaver in his hand. That burger was recently steak. Steak that was aged by the Ray’s staff. Frozen food service fries do not deserve to be on the same table as that burger. But for all of you who just can’t fathom eating even the finest burger without a basket of mass-produced, thawed-out french fries… here you go.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Crepe Love

Photo courtesy of
‘Nutella + Banana crepe!’
courtesy of ‘ronnieliew’

I don’t think I can adequately describe my love of crepes, so you’ll just have to believe me when I say that upon reading PoP’s breaking of not one but two crepe cafes hitting my ‘hood this winter I just about passed out from sheer bliss. Three words, people – Nutella! Banana! Strawberry! That’s all it takes to get me in a buckwheat batter lather!!

(ahem)

Anyway, yes, two creperies will open on the rapidly blooming 14th Street Corridor this season. Crepes on the Corner in the old Garden District space at 14th & S (by the same owners as the garden shop) and Point Chaud in the storefront formerly operated by Circle Boutique (on roughly the opposite side of the street). The former has the opportunity for a large outside seating area so I predict quite a hot brunch spot. The latter will probably be cosier. But who cares about the details! Nutella! Banana! Strawberry!

Two, two creperies. So close to me. I’m in heaven. Dancing around with dreams of savory and sweet. Can’t wait.