Food

Marie Loiseau • October 31, 2013

Chef duo and married couple John and Karen Urie Shields is looking to open a new restaurant, and they have their eyes locked on a Georgetown location. The two left their former, acclaimed Town House in Chilhowie, Va., over a year ago in order to pursue a Washington, D.C., spot. After a lengthy search, the couple has taken a strong interest in 1050 Potomac St., NW, and plans to sign the lease within the week.

The new undertaking, which has not yet been named, will be a Town House follow-up. It will, therefore, feature a menu heavy in vegetable and marine options.

Before taking on the Town House, John and Karen Shields were well renowned in Chicago for their work at Charlie Trotter’s as sous-chef and head pastry chef, respectively. John Shields later worked as sous-chef at Alinea in Chicago and was listed on Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs in 2010.”

The two were brought on to assist with a revamping of Town House in 2008 by its co-owners Kyra and Tom Bishop. The Shields turned the Town House around, leaving it a booming hot spot in Chilhowie, which is west of Roanoke.

But now they’re set on Washington, DC. “I’ve always loved D.C.,” John Shields has said. “It’s got a great vibe.”

The space they’re eying consists of an outdoor patio as well as carriage house, allowing more space for restaurant guests.

Assuming the couple does sign the lease, a grand opening would, realistically, still lie nine months to a year down the road.

Georgetowner • October 10, 2013

Restaurants at DCA and IAD: MarketPlace Development has been contracted by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to take the restaurant offerings at Reagan National and Dulles International Airports to the next level. MarketPlace Development has done the same at airports in Seattle, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago?s two airports. A majority of existing contracts at Reagan National and Dulles are up for renewal or change in the next few months. The Ali family?s **Ben?s Chili Bowl**, Thompson Hospitality?s **American Tap Room**, **Legal Sea Foods** and **Pinkberry** are expected to open. Several new tenants also signed for Dulles, including **Bistro Atelier**, a locally-owned French restaurant, **Luv?n?Berry**, a frozen yogurt place and **Au Bon Pain**. MarketPlace will hold another open forum for potential tenants at the Residence Inn Arlington Capital View Hotel on Oct. 1.

Cyrille Bernac and his partners in **Bistrot Lepic** in Glover Park have purchased the lease for **Bistro Le Zinc** in Cleveland park and plan to open **La Piquette**, a casual, contemporary bistro. An October opening is planned. The name is tongue in cheek, as ? la piquette? means a bad wine in French — which they will not be serving. The restaurant has 60 seats inside and 20 outside on the patio. La Piquette will have a small menu featuring seasonal, sustainable food. The deal was made on Friday the 13th ? which in this case, is a good omen.

***Chef Update***: **Caf? Dupont?s** executive sous chef, David Fritsche, has been promoted to executive chef. A native of Switzerland, Fritsche will continue to serve modern brasserie cuisine at the Dupont Circle Hotel restaurant. Westin Reston?s **Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro** has added assistant restaurant manager and sommelier, Nicole Bernard, to their team. A Certified Level II Sommelier, Bernard previously worked at Range, **Willow Restaurant** and **Trummer?s on Main**. Eric McKamey has been named chef de cuisine at **Masa 14** in the Logan Circle neighborhood. Masa 14 is owned by Richard Sandoval and his partners Kaz Okochi and Ivan Iricanin. The new chef plans to execute dishes with his modern take on Latin American and Asian foods.

***Quick Hits***: Owners of **Thunder Burger** on M Street in Georgetown, opened an Italian restaurant, **Rialto**, where the **Guards** was on M Street. Ryan Fichter is chef for both. Andy Seligman and operating partner Mike Chisti plan to open **Terrapin Pizza Mart** in College Park, Md., serving jumbo sliced pizza by the end of November. The first **Pizza Mart**, serving jumbo sliced pizza, has opened in Adams Morgan.

Mike Anderson, founder of **Mango Mike?s** in Alexandria?s West End and co-owner of **Pork Barrel BBQ**, will open **Sweet Fire Donna?s** barbecue restaurant on John Carlyle Street where **Jerry?s Subs and Pizza** used to be. The restaurant is named after Mike?s wife, Donna. It will offer a menu of slow-cooked meats and Southern-style sides, just like **Pork Barrel BBQ** in Del Ray. A late fall opening is planned. Mike also owns **Sushi Del Ray** and **Holy Cow**. A new Mexican restaurant from the owners of **1905 Bistro & Bar** and **Sticky Rice DC** will open on Rhode Island Ave., NW in the Bloomingdale neighborhood next summer. Owners Tony Luca and Phil Rodriguez (he lives in the ?hood) plan to offer a traditional Mexican menu with Latin cocktails.

Ocean City-Md.-born (and now Newark, Del.-based) **Fractured Prune** plans to expand into the D.C. metro area ? as well as across the country. Dan Brinton is the new owner. He plans to open in Georgetown, Arlington, Rockville as well as Baltimore?s Inner Harbor. There are currently 11 Fractured Prune stores, including Ocean City, Md., Rehoboth Beach, Del., Salisbury, Md., Frederick, Md., Parkville, Md., Ocean City, NJ and Lancaster, Pa.

*Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations & marketing firm. Reach her at: [Linda@LindaRothPR.com](mailto:linda@lindarothpr.com) or 703-417-2700.*

Gary Tischler •

We’ve always contended—based on the food and the man—that chef Maziar Farivar, co-owner with his brother Shahab of the popular Peacock Café in Georgetown, is one of our favorite chefs in this city, where chefs are often kings.

Farivar’s kitchen—whether in the initial small 12-table space he and his brother opened in 1991 or the current sun-lit, spacious spot—has always been top-notch.

First in 2011 and again in 2012, Farivar was invited to the James Beard House and Foundation in New York City to serve a five-course dinner in celebration of the Persian New Year. It was an ideal task for Farivar, because he and his brother hail from Iran, and the experience allowed him to add a little bit of his childhood memories into his cooking.

Then, last year in September, Farivar, along with other national, regional and local celebrity chefs, was named to become a Culinary Ambassador and a member of the American Chef Corps, part of a new Diplomatic Culinary Partnership with the U.S. State Department, its Protocol Department and the James Beard Foundation.”

“It makes sense,” Maziar said. “This is about culinary diplomacy. This is such an international city, and there are so many foreign dignitaries who work here, and visit here, including heads of state, and there are all these embassy chefs. It was really an honor, I am very proud to serve.”

The Chef Corps will be deployed overseas, and travel as “chef ambassadors” or cook for dignitaries, speak to groups and extol American cooking and food products.

This September, Farivar got his chance.

He was assigned to represent the U.S.A. in the Cous Cous Festival, a multi-nation cook off competition held September in the ancient fishing village of San Vito Lo Capo, located between the Gulf of Castellammare and the city of Trapani.

“What a great experience,” Farivar said. “Eight nations competed, included Italy, Israel, Morocco, France, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia as well as the United States. This is like rich territory for dishes and chefs featuring cous cous. This was the first time the U.S. competed so I was really proud to be there.”

This was a competition to determine, if you will, the capo of cous cous.

“I was in a group with Tunisia and Morocco, this is like people who grew up with this all our lives,” Farivar said. “There were two votes, popular and judges. In the end, Israel won.”

Farivar came up with what he called an American-Persian dish called Lamb Khoresht, a heavy stew with dried lime and citrus cous cous. “I got some very nice comments like ‘bold flavors’ from judges and people.”

“Let me tell you,” he added, “when you walked out flanked by the Italian and American flag, and they played the Star Spangled Banner, I got a lump in my throat.” [gallery ids="101491,151739,151746,151744" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Siblings Erin and Cat Blakely have a breezy one block walk from their narrow red brick Federal townhouse on 35th Street to their equally petite Pie Sisters bakery at the foot of Key Bridge. That?s where the Great Falls, Va., natives, with third sister Alli Sydnor, have been baking sweet and savory goods since opening for business in early 2012. A home nearby is an ideal retreat for the trio, day or night.

Let?s take a look inside. The slim all-white contemporary first level living and dining space, with dark bamboo floors and a spiral staircase to the one bedroom, leads to the adequate modern kitchen and door to a postage stamp garden, covered in wood decking. Throughout, furnishings are sparse and there is zero clutter. ?For as small as it is, from the living room to the garden, we can have 20 for dinner, divided-up in two groups,? says Erin. ?Everything is multifunctional.?

For example, a clever custom built-in unit serves as home office, bar storage and buffet area. A second built-in, each flanking the fireplace, is a convenient spot their party-sized glass beverage urns, one each for a serve-yourself rum punch, sangria and margarita cocktail.

Before guests arrive, the sisters place fresh multi-colored floral arrangements in every room. (They buy assorted bunches at nearby florist Greenworks.) With a monochromatic interior design, ?flowers make it pop,? says Alli. For ambiance, out come short and tall pillar candles, which give the space more dimension. Next, they line the buffet surface with bowls of hummus, pita chips, nuts, olives as well as a cheese board. Still, one important have-to-have is missing
.
Alongside the snacks, there is always a platted dessert. ?There are no rules. You can have dessert before dinner,? says Alli. ?That?s the way our parents always do it at home.?

Often, the party sweet is a gluten-free, chocolate-glazed, walnut brownie. They call it ?Texas Sheet Cake.? ?It?s our mother?s recipe from her hometown of Roby, Texas,? says Erin. ?And it melts in your mouth.?

*What?s Cooking, Neighbor? visits with wine, food and entertaining professionals, who call the Georgetown area home. Georgetowner dining columnist Walter Nicholls is the food critic for Arlington Magazine, a former staff writer for The Washington Post Food section*

**Texas Sheet Cake**
Ingredients:
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups water
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups King Arthur gluten-free flour
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups sour cream
Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350. Combine butter, cocoa and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. In a separate mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, baking soda, salt and flour. Pour hot mixture over flour mixture. Add eggs and sour cream and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Pour into a 12 X 18-inch greased pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

**Frosting**
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
8 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup crushed walnuts
Directions:
Bring butter, milk and cocoa to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla. Beat well with a whisk. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes to slightly thicken. Add crushed walnuts to frosting and smooth over warm cake. Let cool before slicing into 2-inch squares.

Georgetowner •

Chef Robert Wiedmaier Hosts 3rd Annual Chefs Go Fresh & Seafood Motorcycle Rally to the Annapolis area Monday, Sept. 30

On Monday, Sept. 30, for the third year, Georgetown Media Group continues the popular event, Chefs Go Fresh, while highlighting seafood this year. Local chefs rev up for a motorcycle tour of farms near Annapolis, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries, in an effort to introduce D.C. area chefs to purveyors of produce, meats, seafood and other local products.

Chefs, sponsors and a limited number of ticketholders will start the day at 9 a.m. with a traditional Belgian breakfast at Brasserie Beck, hosted by chef Robert Wiedmaier, co-founder of the original “Chefs on Bikes.” Participating chefs will ride their motorcycles through the scenic Annapolis area, stopping at select farms for presentations by farmers. The day’s festivities conclude with lunch.

Tickets are $75 ea.

To purchase tickets and select t-shirt size:

Motorcycles are not mandatory, transportation can be provided for sponsors and chefs who don’t ride.

To Purchase Transportation Ticket, Click Button Below:

Become A Sponsor

Platinum Sponsor- $5,000 –SOLD OUT

• Premium Logo Placement: Top billing on all printed materials (invite, t-shirt, press releases, etc)

• 20 tickets to attend event

• Promotional video on Georgetowner website

• Editorial coverage of Chefs Go Fresh feature in The Georgetowner/Downtowner newspapers

• Credit in Press Release and post event editorial

• Placement of promotion and marketing materials at event

Gold Sponsor- $2,500

• Logo (medium) placement on all printed materials

• 10 tickets to attend event

• Credit in press release and post event editorial

• Placement of promotion and marketing materials at event

Silver Sponsor- $1,000

• Logo (small) placement on all printed materials

• Five tickets to attend event

• Credit in press release and post-event editorial

Bronze – $500

• Logo (small) placement on all printed materials excluding t-shirt

• 2 tickets to attend event

• Credit in press release and post event editorial

Please submit all sponsorship information, including logo in an EPS format by Sept. 16.

Corrie Dyke • October 3, 2013

The Third Annual Chefs Go Fresh was a roaring success Monday as a group of D.C. area chefs hopped on motorcycles for a rally through Maryland farms, sponsored by Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Fisheries.

The event, originally co-founded by chef Robert Wiedmaier, introduced more than 30 chefs to area purveyors of produce, meats and other products in an effort to encourage chefs to buy local. This year’s rally through Clinton and Brandywine, Md. also highlighted seafood. Chefs, including David Guas of Bayou Bakery and James Gee of Jaleo, among many others started the day with a traditional Belgian breakfast at Brasserie Beck. After a scenic drive to Clinton, Md., chefs arrived at Miller Farms where owner Brad Miller gave a guided hayride tour of the bountiful kale, cabbage and collards growing on his 260-acre farm. Chefs were also introduced to his many free-range chickens and had the opportunity to learn how Miller Farms sources to local markets as well as Giant food stores in the area. From there, chefs rallied on to P.A. Bowen Farmstead in Brandywine where they were taught the farm’s cheese making process by owner Sally Fallon Morell and co-managers Mike and Barb Haigwood. P.A. Bowen’s Chesapeake cheddar cheese was recently ranked second in the country by the American Cheese Society for hard farmstead aged cheeses.

Back in D.C., chefs concluded the day with a crab feast at Nick’s Riverside Grill at Washington Harbour. Along with freshly steamed crabs (that were still alive when the chefs arrived) a number of sides were prepared with produce from Miller Farms. Chefs Go Fresh looks forward to continuing the tradition of spreading the word of local agriculture at next year’s event.

Corrie Dyke • October 1, 2013

What do you get when you combine 5-star chefs, fine wines and a six-course meal? Nothing better than the Farm-to-Fabulous “5 Star Reunion” dinner and wine tasting at Cesco Osteria & Co2 Lounge in Bethesda, Md., Sept. 25.

Hosted by chef Robert Wiedmaier and organized by Greg Phillips, media consultant for Five Star Charities, the evening promoted farm-to-table dining and benefitted the Olney Farmers and Artists Market. The night started with a reception tribute to Wolfgang Puck and Sandi Hoffman who signed her book, “My Love of Affairs,” while guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, prepared by the talents of Francesco Ricchi, K.N. Vinod, Jeff Buben and others.

Guests mingled while the 5 Star chefs had a blast from the past, preparing a six-course meal and no doubt reminiscing on their days of working at the Four Seasons. The all-star team included chef Robert Wiedmaier, Oliver Beckert, Jason Tepper, Devin Bozkaya, David Rexford and Roberto Donna.

Chefs presented their course with a short speech to the enthusiastic small crowd of new and old friends, who gave a roaring response to each chef and his dish.

From Wiedmaier’s potato blini, topped with Scottish smoked salmon, crème fraiche, a quail egg and osetra caviar to tuna, pretending to be a filet mignon, by chef Devin Bozkaya, the food was an excellent representation of quality, 5-Star work.

Wine flowed from Jackson Family Fine Wines and was paired and poured by Elyse Kudo of Majestic Fine Wines. Kudo presented two Jackson Family Verite Le Desirs from Sonoma County 2003 and 2008 that were named 100-point and 99-point wines respectively.

Both the event emcee, Joe Cochran, Jr., and Wiedmaier spoke to the importance of local farmers and the use of their products in restaurant kitchens. Each chef noted 5-Star kitchen’s high expectation for excellence in every piece of what they do. Wiedmaier learned that demand early in his career from chef Doug McNeill, whom Wiedmaier toasted to conclude the night.

Walter Nicholls • September 25, 2013

On any given Sunday afternoon, Gus DiMillo prepares a simple pasta dish for himself in the small, sun-drenched kitchen of his stone-clad Victorian row house near Volta Park. “I like my pasta and it’s really the only time I have to cook at home” says DiMillo, a founder of the Passion Food Hospitality restaurant group.

In 1998, with partners David Wizenberg and Jeff Tunks, the trio opened their first restaurant, DC Coast, on K Street N.W., and over the past 15 years added Ceiba and Arcadiana (also in downtown Washington), PassionFish (Reston), District Commons and adjoining Burger, Tap & Shake (Foggy Bottom) and Fuego Cocina y Tequileria (Arlington). On most nights, he is at one property or another, maintaining the high quality of his establishments. Some evenings, he gives a new dining spot in town a go.

For this “quick and easy family recipe,” he uses the popular De Cecco brand pasta because “it’s made with the best flour from the Abruzzo region of Italy, where my family is from.” Only the asparagus tips make the cut. “They are tender and cook faster than the stalks.” DiMillo never grates Parmesan cheese on a seafood pasta dish, saying “It overwhelms the delicate flavor of the shrimp.”

Rounding out his dining-for-one meal is a small arugula salad, topped with shaved, sharp pecorino sheep’s milk cheese and seasonal fruit for dessert. “Then, as they do in Italy,” he says, “ it would be nice to take a nap.”

But times for rest are too few. DiMillo’s specialty is staff training and “reenergizing everyone,” a never ending duty in an industry, which is notoriously transient. He will tell you that “Hospitality is a dying art.” With that in mind, he encourages servers to always make customers feel welcome. “When guests feel they are being cared for they will overlook a small service mistake,” he says.

DiMillo and his partners have three projects in the works, opening over the next two years. His details are few. “It’s still too early yet.” But one he shares will be a second location for the always busy Burger, Tap & Shake. He enjoys a busy life.

Then Sunday rolls around again, and it’s time for a bit of solitude and a nice bowl of pasta.

DeMillo’s current favorite
restaurants: Marcel’s in the West End for the fried chicken special and B Too in Logan Circle for the mussels.

Pasta with asparagus and shrimp Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. penne or rigatoni pasta

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bunch of pencil-thin asparagus cut one inch down from tip

1 and 1/2 lbs. medium raw shrimp

1 and ½ pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh sliced basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, sauté the garlic for two minutes in 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the asparagus tips, saute’ 2 minutes , add cherry tomatoes and cook 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh shrimp to mixture, sauté 2- 3 additional minutes .

Cook the pasta in 6 quarts boiling salted water. Drain and combine with the shrimp, asparagus and sliced basil.

What’s Cooking, Neighbor? visits with wine, food and entertaining professionals, who call the Georgetown area home. Georgetowner dining columnist Walter Nicholls is the food critic for Arlington Magazine, a former staff writer for The Washington Post Food section.

Nico Dodd • September 12, 2013

The RAMMYs are the biggest awards in the Washington, D.C. area for the restaurant indus- try. Check out this year’s nominees. We are definitely going to be checking some of these out soon. Stay tuned.

Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
The Ashby Inn & Restaurant?
Blue Duck Tavern
The Bombay Club
Marcel’s
Rasika

Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year?
Birch and Barley?
Cork Wine Bar
Estadio?Jaleo – Penn Quarter
KAZ Sushi Bistro

Casual Restaurant of the Year
Bar Pilar?
Bayou Bakery?
C. F. Folks?
Nando’s Peri-Peri?
Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza

Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year?
Ardeo + Bardeo
Bastille?
Evening Star Café
Nellie’s Sports Bar
Willow Restaurant

New Restaurant of the Year
Boqueria?
DGS Delicatessen?
Fuego Cocina y Tequileria
Mintwood Place?
Rasika West End

Chef of the Year
Tony Conte – The Oval Room?
Haidar Karoum – Estadio/Proof?
Tarver King – The Ashby Inn and Restaurant
Cedric Maupillier – Mintwood Place?
Fabio Trabocchi – Fiola

Rising Culinary Star of the Year?
Scot Harlan – Green Pig Bistro?
Tim Ma – Maple Avenue Restaurant
Marjorie Meek-Bradley – Ripple
John Melfi – Blue Duck Tavern?
Nathan Shapiro – The Ashby Inn and Restaurant

Pastry Chef of the Year
Beverly Bates – Vidalia?
Peter Brett – Blue Duck Tavern?
Alison Reed – Ripple?
Susan Wallace – BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant?
Tom Wellings – Fiola

Wine Program of the Year
Adour?
The Ashby Inn and Restaurant
Dino?Marcel’s?
Ripple

Power Spot of the Year
The Bombay Club?
Johnny’s Half Shell?
P. J. Clarke’s Seasons?
The Source by Wolfgang Puck

Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene of the Year?
Bar Pilar?
Fiola
Fuego?Cocina y Tequileria?
Hank’s Oyster Bar – Capitol Hill
Jack Rose Dining Saloon

The 2013 RAMMY Award winners will be named at the 31st annual RAMMY Awards Gala on Sunday, June 23, 2013 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. For more information about The RAMMYS, go to www.ramw.org, or contact RAMW at (202) 331-5990 or email at therammys@ramw.org.?
[gallery ids="101232,145428,145412,145424,145419" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

The Rye Bar, located at the Capella Hotel, hosted a June 12 barrel-tapping event of its new batch of six-week-aged rye. It was crafted by the hotel’s food & beverage manager Will Rentschler. The Rye Bar has turned barrel-aging cocktails into an art form. The barrel consisted of an aged Dad’s Hat Rye, an artisanal small-batch whiskey from Pennsylvania, Dolin Sweet Vermouth and Byrrh Quinquina, a sweet French aperitif. After being siphoned, the deep bodied with hints of vanilla rye was created into wonderful Manhattans that were finished off with homemade orange bitters. [gallery ids="101350,152341,152311,152337,152318,152333,152323,152328" nav="thumbs"]