Archive for the ‘Penn Quarter’ Category
We Love Food: Poste Moderne Brasserie
Pork Rillettes at Poste Moderne Brasserie
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Back in September, there was a changing of posts at Poste when Dennis Marron became the new executive chef. It’s always interesting to see how a chef changes up a menu and makes it their own, so when I received a recent dinner invitation to check out [...]
Capital Chefs: Mike Isabella of Graffiato (Part 2)
Mike Isabella’s Pork and Beans
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Pork belly, the stuff of Gods. And if you’ve had the delectable version at Graffiato, you know exactly what I’m talking about–melt in your mouth pork with that nice seared, caramelized outer edge, complimented by a roughly pureed bed of cannelini beans. Chef Mike Isabella shared the recipe [...]
Capital Chefs: Mike Isabella of Graffiato (Part 1)
Mike Isabella of Graffiato
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Chef Mike Isabella describes himself as intense, focused and driven. And at first you might be intimidated by the tattoos or the serious face when he asks a line cook about a certain dish, not to mention his culinary prowess that landed him on Top Chef and as a [...]
We Love Food: Quick Update on Restaurant Happenings
‘America Eats Tavern- Washington, DC’
courtesy of ‘Plantains & Kimchi’
For those of you who avidly follow the food scene, this all might be old news. But to those of you who don’t eat, sleep and drink DC food coverage, here’s a little roundup on some of the latest restaurant happenings around DC.
Have no fear about not [...]
Stalin’s Spies: an ISM Event
‘The Secret’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
This Friday at 4:30 pm, the International Spy Museum, in cooperation with the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, is hosting an event on Stalin-era espionage. The free event includes the opportunity to view unique artifacts from the life of one of the Soviet Union’s most famous spies, Dmitri Bystrolyotov, [...]
DCCK’s 2011 Capital Food Fight
‘DCCK Capital Food Fight 2010′
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
It’s that time of year again: Capital Food Fight. On November 10th, four local chefs will battle it out on stage while raising money for DC Central Kitchen.
This year’s competing chefs include Todd Gray from Equinox/Watershed, Haidar Karoum from Proof/Estadio, Jeff Black from BlackSalt Restaurant Group/Pearl Dive Oyster Palace [...]
National Memorial Day Concert: Behind the Scenes
Each year, PBS presents the National Memorial Day Concert live from the National Mall. The show features some of the top musical acts in the nation and around the world. This year’s show had special meaning to the production crew, performers, veterans, active soldiers, and all Americans due to the recent capture of Osama Bin [...]
More »Capital Chefs: Kaz Kazmi of Merzi (Part 2)
‘Food’
courtesy of ‘MichaelTRuhl’
It’s easy to be intimidated by the prospect of cooking Indian food. Will it turn out right? Will my kitchen smell like curry for days? Am I better off ordering from a restaurant in town that actually knows what they’re doing? But take my word for it: making Indian food, really good Indian [...]
Capital Chefs: Kaz Kazmi of Merzi (Part 1)
‘Owner Qaiser Kazmi’
courtesy of ‘MichaelTRuhl’
There’s a phrase that comes to mind after talking to Qaiser (Kaz) Kazmi: “go big or go home.” The father of three and entrepreneur gave up the corporate life working in IT and set his sights on creating an Indian-inspired concept back in 2005. Today, he’s working on perfecting the first [...]
Café Atlántico Celebrates Carnaval
The Caipirinha
by Samer Farha
Although chef José Andrés has yet to respond to my offer to judge a Gin and Tonic showdown (which still stands) it’s worth noting that tonight from 4-6, there’s a free cachaça tasting at Café Atlántico. It’s the first event in the restaurant’s Brazilian Carnaval, which culminates next Tuesday with a [...]
We Love Arts: Oedipus el Rey
Jocasta and Oedipus (Romi Diaz and Andres Munar)
by Stan Barouh for Woolly Mammoth, used with permission
Oedipus. We all know the myth. Ill-fated to kill his father and marry his mother. The solver of the riddle of the Sphinx. Pride before fall. Blinded at the end.
Now take that myth, rattle it in Zeus’s dice cup, and [...]
Friday Happy Hour: West Islayer
It’s time for Friday Happy Hour, highlighting a drink we’ve recently enjoyed, every Friday at 4pm! Please share your favorites as well.
One of my besties, Heidi, wanted celebrate her birthday with a low-key, grown-up sort of celebration in which a group of us went out for a nice dinner and cocktails at a nicer sort [...]
A New Menu for Zola
It’s hard to imagine but it’s been eight years since Zola first opened back in the former culinary wasteland then being redeveloped around the Verizon Center. I remember being so excited about the wittily gorgeous space and enjoying a few cocktails and dinner before it fell off my radar. Last night I was invited to attend a [...]
More »FREE FOOD ALERT: Merzi in Penn Quarter
Appropriately dubbed the “Indian Chipotle”, newcomer Merzi is giving away free food today from 11 a.m. to noon at the Penn Quarter restaurant. I stopped by last night for a sneak preview, and walked away a big fan. The steps are just like Chipotle, pick a base (in this case, Naan, Chaat, Rice or Salad), [...]
More »We Love Arts: The Master and Margarita
Synetic Theater is following up on their muscular rendition of King Arthur with something a bit more cerebral. Actually, a lot more cerebral, with not one but two men losing their heads onstage. Joking aside, it’s hard for me to know how to judge The Master and Margarita, playing through December 12 at the Lansburgh Theatre. As [...]
More »TEAISM to be Carrotmobbed
‘Every Food Fits: “What’s Up, Doc?”‘
courtesy of ’staceyviera’
This Saturday, November 13th starting at 10am at TEAISM’s Penn Quarter location, the Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC (ROCDC) is organizing DC’s first ever Carrotmob to promote paid sick days for DC restaurant workers.
You might say: “But Rebecca, what the heck is a carrotmob?” And up until 15 [...]
First Look: Cuba Libre
‘cuba libre’
courtesy of ‘amarino17′
Although I’ve never been to Cuba, I am fairly certain that Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar doesn’t scream authenticity. The restaurant’s interior, styled as an open air piazza, feels like the Epcot version of Havana. The plaster is artfully peeling in all the right places. At any moment, a mechanized figure [...]
Hibernation Schedule for D.C. Area Farmers Markets
‘Late Season Harvest.’
courtesy of ‘leedav’
Now is that time of year when you wake up a little late Saturday morning and have that mental debate with yourself over whether to get up or roll over and sleep until it’s sunny again. Last year around this time I was having that very same fight, when I bribed [...]
October’s Best at SAAM & NMAI
Some great stuff’s going on this month at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum (SAAM) and the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). While there’s a ton of events and exhibits happening at both locations, I’ve highlighted some of the more interesting things you may want to check out. Got a free afternoon or in [...]
More »OXCART: CIA Innovation and a Cool Spy Plane
‘Oxcart Belly’
courtesy of ‘MrGuilt’
In the late 1950s, during the heyday of aviation and the dawning of space flight, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) approached Lockheed to develop a new aircraft that could overfly the Soviet Union. The CIA’s current plane (at the time) was the U-2, which served admirably in its role as a high-flying [...]
