Food and Drink, The Daily Feed

Outstanding in the Field – Arcadia Farms

Photo courtesy of Samer Farha
Birch & Barley
courtesy of Samer Farha

Outstanding in the Field, a traveling culinary adventure that brings attention to local farmers and food artisans in the most beautiful settings a diner could ask for, is coming to us. This year, Outstanding in the Field will be headed to Arcadia Farm at Woodlawn, Alexandria (which also just happened to once be a part of George Washington’s farms at Mount Vernon). Guest chefs Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac of Birch & Barley (and other delicious wonders) will be knocking out a multi-course beer dinner in this historical setting. The duo knocked it out of the park at last year’s event and are sure to impress us even more this year, especially with all the James Beard nominations under their belts.

Tickets for the $220.00 beer dinner are already on sale. The event will be held at 3:00pm on Sunday, September 30, 2012 at the Arcadia Farm at Woodlawn, Alexandria, VA.

*A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to Arcadia Farms.

Do good, eat well.

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features

Capital Chefs: Kyle Bailey & Tiffany MacIsaac (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of
‘Birch & Barley’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

I’m practically drooling at the thought of this pasta dish. Had I been dining in the privacy of my own home, I would have picked up the bowl and proceeded to slurp down the sauce that was on it. And it was heartwarming to see Kyle and Tiffany make this dish together, each executing the part of the dish that they knew best.

Below you’ll find the recipe for homemade ricotta cavatelli with slow-roasted pork, broccoli rabe and pine nuts. Before you go running for the hills, screaming, “Make pasta from scratch?! I caaaan’t!” let me assure you that it’s really easy, will only take about 15 minutes, and will taste far better than the pre-packaged, chemical-laden crap at your local grocery store. I have faith in you, dear reader. And if you’re here, you’re probably not the type of person looking up Rachael Ray recipes for burgers with hotdog bits in them (yes, folks, that happened). Put in a little effort, and you will be rewarded with a savory, memorably delicious meal.

Continue reading

Capital Chefs, Food and Drink

Capital Chefs: Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac (Part 1)

Photo courtesy of
‘Birch & Barley’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

It’s rare to find one person who is doing exactly what they want in life, let alone two. But chefs Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac are doing just that: cooking food they love in a restaurant geared towards their tastes and styles. They’re all about serving homemade food, no pretensions and you can tell neither one of them is the type to cut corners in the kitchen.

The married pair came to DC in 2009 after working at the now closed, Allen & Delancey in New York City. Michael Babin, one of the co-owners of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, approached Bailey about coming to work at Birch & Barley. “He said he wanted to open a beer restaurant, and he was like, ‘I hope that’s not going to be a problem for you.’ Are you kidding? That’s like my dream,” says Bailey. “It wasn’t about dumping Miller Lite on fish. I wanted to cook my food and prepare dishes with awesome beers. I take the long way home every time. It’s about quality and cooking from scratch.”

Continue reading