Food

Jordan Wright • July 26, 2011

Tapas Menu Introduced at Taberna

Taberna del Alaberdero is shedding its stuffy image as an Old World Spanish restaurant and appealing to a younger crowd with the addition of an extensive tapas menu and a Sunday brunch that features a different region of Spain each month. November explores the foods of the Northern sea coast of Cantabria, a region known for its seafood.

New chef Javier Romero comes to Washington by way of several Michelin-starred restaurants and brings with him his success as the top chef in Madrid in 2005, topped only by securing fourth place in 2006 for all of Spain. He employs his classical training to create tapas, infusing bold flavors in tiny bites.

I particularly liked his Arroz Cremoso de Rabo de Toro y Judiones (braised oxtail and fava beans) with its slow-cooked meat and creamy beans served over rice and Brick de Morcilla con Manzana y Parmesano, which is anything but brick-like and features blood sausage cradled in a pastry crisp and served with apple slices and parmesan cheese. Typical tapas like Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp with garlic) and the traditional potato and egg omelet are well executed, and there are over a dozen other tasty morsels to nibble on before polishing it all off with Spanish cheeses served with an aromatic honey still in its comb.

Though summer has past, make sure to try either the white or red sangria. It is never out of season for sneaking luscious fresh fruit into your meal even if it is saturated with wine. These are the best sangrias in town.

The Jockey Club Gets a New Chef – Again

Speaking of new chefs in town, The Jockey Club at The Fairfax at Embassy Row has snagged Ralf Hofmann, with his classic American style and light approach to fish and vegetables. His signature dishes like Lobster “Bratwurst” and Root Vegetable Gnocchi continue to draw the posh and political as evidenced by the appearance of Hilary Clinton on the evening I dined there. I am told she ordered her favorite, Dover Sole Lemon Meuniére. I went for the Steak Tartare, as I often do, and this version was spot on.

The hotel will host the 2011 Capital Wine Festival on January 20th with a very affordable weekly dinner series limited to only 60 guests. It will pair Chef Hofmann’s cuisine with wines from around the world.

Rivers at the Watergate Gives Foggy Bottom a New Power Dining Spot

The darling of the legendary Prime Rib, Billy Carter, has moved on to open Rivers at the Watergate, where he is the proprietor. I don’t usually follow the vicissitudes of restaurant managers. However, so many of us know and love Billy from his 34 years at the Prime Rib that it was a stunner when he announced his move to open this new venture featuring Contemporary American Cuisine with a twist, with Asian and Southern thrown in for good measure.

“I was surprised at the changing and sophisticated palates of our clientele,” Carter told me. “Dishes we put on the menu, like Whole Rockfish with ginger black bean sauce and rice vermicelli stir-fry, and Ginger Steamed Cod with sesame rice balls, were things that Mike and I liked and that have really taken off.” Mike is Mike Smithson, former chef at The Prime Rib in Philadelphia, who also did stints at Morton’s and Ruth’s Chris. Yes, he knows beef, and yes, they have fabulous steaks and zinfandel-braised short ribs too.

It’s not the same K Street crowd that Carter has welcomed in the past, though many of the swank regulars have caught on to the new location. Now you might find the cast of “Hair” popping in after the show from nearby Kennedy Center, along with prima ballerina Suzanne Farrell. Composer Marvin Hamlisch, soon to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra, was taking lunch between rehearsals as we spoke. Note to Marvin: There is a piano at the bar just itching for a little ragtime. Text me!

The restaurant’s name celebrates the rivers of the world and plans are to feature one river each season to reflect that cuisine. Italy looks to be the first.

Arena Stage Hits the Heights

On Saturday we witnessed the opening of the new glittering, glimmering, glass-walled Arena Stage where three main stages will seat 1400 audience members.

Former Artistic Director, Doug Wager, who came to the struggling theatre in 1974 recounted founder Zelda Fichandler’s words, “Maybe you can’t pass the torch,” she once told him. “Maybe you just pass the fire.”

“We’ve raised the roof, and what a home it is!” heralded current Artistic Director Molly Smith, who noted the “Zen-like aura about the place.”

Performers and playwrights from the theatre’s upcoming calendar were showcased throughout the venue. We saw alumni artist, E. Faye Butler, who is appearing in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” till December 26th, and former Tony award-nominee Brad Oscar. The Manzari Brothers, who I interviewed earlier in the year when they were blowing audiences out of their seats with their tapping talents in “Sophisticated Ladies,” and the Voices of Now, Arena Stage’s creative DC youth group, were only a few of the full day’s indoor and outdoor performances.

There is so much to look forward to in this shining new venue: a vivid contribution to the revitalization of its Southwest neighborhood, world-class theatre, and José Andrés brilliant cuisine where many of the dishes are influenced by the season’s productions. Look for an inspired and eclectic menu served in a sleek café that makes it a pre-theatre dinner destination. Sipping champagne on the outdoor terrace overlooking the Potomac is optional but highly recommended.

Cuba Libre Opens DC Outpost

At long last, and after many false starts, Cuba Libre opened its doors in Penn Quarter, and I found both good and bad to report. First the expected: It is a fun, super-lively, noisy hot spot. Second: the management team has gotten it right with informed servers, gracious door host and fast and efficient service. The freshly made mojitos are crazy fabulous, especially the pineapple, but not forgetting the beet and basil rendition. Dear Lord, there are 15 to choose from!

Over 75 premium and flavored rums from Brazil, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Tortola will keep you experimenting for a good long while. The restaurant itself has six of their own branded rums, anejos aged up to 21 years, and made in Guayana.

Ceviches are memorable, especially the scallop with blackened tomatillo-truffle sauce and goat cheese confetti. I opted for the flight of five, great for sharing.

Now for the disappointing part: The Nuevo Cubano cuisine didn’t always match the mouth-watering dishes described on the menu. Arepas are better eaten off local street trucks. Ditto for the tostones. Somewhere along the line the baby octopus had the life taken out of it by overcooking, and “whole roasted fillet of Australian sea bass” was a meager half inch by four inch slice and way overcooked. My charming server steered us away from the Gaucho platter, which I was eager to try, and put us on to the pork, which was dull and tough. Still I’ll go back to see if they make a good Cuban sandwich and to sample the four varieties of empanadas.

Stick to the bebidas and piqueos. Calle Ocho and South Beach still beckon.
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Jordan Wright •

Little Morso’s Turkish Delights

Morso is a tiny jewel box of a restaurant. Its hip modern décor is sleek, its bar, cozy and chic, its cuisine scrumptious, its prices gentle. A parking lot is right across the street, and it’s in the heart of Georgetown. What more can a hungry, stylish diner ask for?

Favorites: Ezme, a mixture of roasted tomato and pine nuts with orange and red pepper; creamy Babaganoush, the traditional eggplant made with roasted eggplant and pistachio oil; Baked Moussaka; heavenly Wood-grilled Fresh Squid filled with fresh herbs and burrata; perfectly grilled and tender Zatar Spiced Octopus with white bean puree, green olives and cilantro; Lamb Shish Kebap (yes, the spelling seems odd but that’s the Turkish word for roasting) served with bulghur and addictive sweet red onion with zatar and a killer dessert called Irmik Helva that is made with shredded phyllo and pistachios and boasts a semolina custard. It is to die for. I can’t be held responsible if you miss out on this sweet treat!

On the list for next time: eight different kinds of Brick Oven Pides (Turkish-style pizzas); Octopus Pilaf with Swiss Chard and Scallions; Grilled Boneless Whole Branzino; and handmade Manti. Manti are beef dumplings and here they are served with warm yoghurt, paprika oil and sumac. There is also a Swordfish Kebap, which is a fish high in mercury. So if you do have it and it is really good, please only order it once a year!

Glitch: There was a reception in the bar area for around 40 university alumni for the first hour and a half we were there. The manager apologized profusely saying he had planned for only 20 guests. Though it was a cute group of well-mannered alums, the bar is open to the dining area and it can be noisy. If you are planning a romantic evening without a distractingly high decibel count, ask if the restaurant is hosting a reception when making your reservations.

Sweetbite Creamery Poised to Up the Cookie Ante

I was introduced to Ashley Allen and Tricia Widgen, partners in Sweetbite Creamery, at the new Bethesda Central Farm Market where they sold their delicious ice cream sandwiches till the market closed up on November 23 for the season. Now you’ll find them at the Oakton Market in Bethesda and on the menu at the Mayflower Hotel.

The young local entrepreneurs met at George Washington University’s Business School and started their collaboration only a few months ago. They’ve been catering parties and putting together holiday gift packs with assorted flavors, and will even deliver a minimum of one dozen of their original flavors such as Baked Apple Snickerdoodle, Molasses Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Marshmallow, and Salted Caramel to your home.

Rising Star Chefs Hold Gala Rooftop Tasting

Recently some of the area’s notable chefs including David Varley of Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons, Bertrand Chemel of 2941, Dean Maupin of Keswick Hall at Monticello, John and Karen Shields of Town House restaurant and Benjamin Lambert of Restaurant Nora, prepared a few of their signature dishes on the tented rooftop of Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse. Out-of-town chef Jason Alley of Comfort restaurant in Richmond, whose Beef Cheeks braised in juniper and ginger beer, was a favorite among some of the food writers. And he gave me his secret: Pork stock for the beef! Road trip to Richmond anyone?

Or maybe you’d prefer to cruise down Route 81 to Chilhowie, VA for Karen Shields’ heavenly Parsnip Candy Ice Cream concoction served with coconut, banana pudding, sponge cake, almond cookie, and lemongrass sorbet. I counted nine separate methods to create this dessert and though all the chefs’ recipes were included in the program, don’t try this one at home unless you want to be chained to your kitchen like a yard dog to a tree.

Each creation, including the swank desserts, was paired with wine, beer or specialty cocktails like the “Mulberry Street” created by PS 7’s mixologist, Gina Chersevani. The early fall evening was hosted by the ubiquitously charitable Todd Gray of Equinox. The winning chef was Matt Hill from Charlie Palmer’s for his Prosciutto-wrapped Canadian Pork Tenderloin with cauliflower puree and preserved cherries.

Kudos that the event overlooking the dome of the US Capitol was as green as could be with recyclable bamboo dinnerware.

Michel Richard Opens Third Restaurant in Tysons Corner

Michel Richard of Citronelle and Central Michel Richard, flush with celebratory glee, served up some delicacies earlier this week at his eponymously named new restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. Richard has tapped one of my favorite chefs, Levi Mezick, formerly of The Jockey Club (see my July story on Mezick) to be his Executive Chef.

Zaca Mesa Wines

Brook Williams is the CEO and wine grower at Zaca Mesa Winery and Vineyards nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley. He is a blond blue-eyed California guy with an enthusiasm for wine that came later in life after over twenty years on the financial side of winemaking for super-size wineries like Gallo, Kendall-Jackson and Beringer. You could say he’s a convert in a lot of ways.

For the past seven years, along with winemaker, Eric Mohseini, Williams has nurtured the grapes on the estate’s 750 acres. His wines are 100% estate grown and bottled using sustainable winegrowing practices and organic products.

“When we started out in the 1990s we got our cuttings from Randall Grahm and afterwards discovered they were Viognier not Roussanne,” he told me at a one-on-one wine tasting in the Blue Duck Tavern Lounge where I sampled seven Zaca Mesa wines.

“Later we got cuttings for our syrah from Gary Eberle. Zaca Mesa was the first to plant syrah in Santa Barbara County back in 1978. In fact our syrah sales have gone up 80% this year. It is our most popular seller.”

I found it has a lovely flavor profile of cassis, espresso, mocha and sage, but the 2006 should be put down for a few more years to fully appreciate.

As we spoke we nibbled and sipped over an exceptional charcuterie and cheese platter consisting of a luscious silken prosciutto, mortadella, soppressata, cured olives and tomatoes. Cheeses sampled were Humboldt Fog, Bayley Hazen Blue, Oma from the Von Trapp Farmstead, Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert, Organic Red Hawk triple crème made by Cowgirl Creamery, and the local Everona Dairy Piedmont.

I particularly liked the 2006 Roussanne. The grape is a Rhone variety, not well known in the States, but it likely will be soon since it captured a “Best White of Show” at Hilton Head this spring.

Try their award-winning 2007 Z Cuvee made with 57% Grenache, 31% Mourvedre and 12% Syrah with its raspberry, blueberry, blackberry and light pepper notes. I picked it up at the Home Farm Store in Middleburg where I had stopped to order an organic Ayrshire Farm heritage breed turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

Enjoy these wines with dinner at such top restaurants as the Lafayette Room at the Hay Adams Hotel, Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse, Black Salt and Veritas Wine Bar where they offer over 70 wines by the glass.

For purchase at Arrowine and Wegman’s in VA, and in DC at Ace Beverage, Cleveland Park Liquor and Wines, and Bell Wine and Spirits.

Rigoni di Asiago Fruit Jams, Honey and Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

It seems every chef in the country is fiddling around with “Nutella” in their desserts. This chocolate hazelnut spread has been a favorite in Italy since its invention in the 1940’s. During the war years, chocolate was pricey and hazelnuts were prolific in the Piedmont region of Italy, and this recipe could stretch out both ingredients.

It debuted in the US three decades ago it has become a popular way to sneak a bit of protein in kids’ diets with a slathering of the “gianduja” spread on toast.

For over 80 years the Rigoni family has produced eight varieties of organic honey (like chestnut, pine and eucalyptus), and seventeen different organic jams (crave the fig, gooseberry and pomegranate) on their ancestral farms in the Cimbrian Plateau of Asiago, Veneto. They have recently brought to the US market an entirely organic version of the spread they call, “Nocciolata”. It adds 15% more hazelnuts than Nutella and is richer, more luscious, and has a deeper flavor, too. Try frosting your cupcakes with it. I did…and it was heavenly and quick! [gallery ids="99568,104835,104814,104831,104819,104827,104824" nav="thumbs"]

Alexa McMahon •

On Volt’s homepage, Head Chef and former Top Chef contestant Bryan Voltaggio holds a golden rooster in front of a red barn in a deeply saturated atmosphere of rich primary colors. The slides turn through hundreds of pictures of the American countryside. Voltaggio wears a butcher’s apron and walks through a dimly lit barn. Yet it seems that the silo and cornfield glamour shots may be the only thing “country” about his restaurant. Walking into Volt, paneled with glass, fresh backlighting and swank white couches, it feels more like a hip Chinatown sushi bar than an agrarian outpost in Frederick, Maryland.

The dichotomy between the polished, farmland dining Volt projects and its ultramodern design left me not knowing quite what to expect. I left, after a very good meal, equally puzzled. The bill was reasonable and the food delicious, and yet I couldn’t escape a feeling of disappointment. It’s similar to a friend setting you up with a man she markets as down to earth, personable and easy to talk to—but when that man turns out to be a successful investment banker who pulls out your chair and has a slick line for every occasion, you come away from the date thinking not of the man you met, but the person you feel you’ve missed. I left Volt feeling the void of the restaurant they’d had me believing they were, even if the reality is more than satisfactory.

For starters, the restaurant has an irreconcilable Asian vibe. However, I quickly forgot this upon tasting my yellowfin tuna carpaccio appetizer, delicately folded into atranslucent wonton paper. Underneath the small roll of sweet, fresh fish was a stripe of avocado which had been mixed with honey and lemon, then extruded. It was topped with soy “air” and hot chili oil. The dish was sweet, fresh and creamy.

In between courses, the attentive waiter offered me complimentary champagne and a smooth, smoky Manhattan to my dining companion.

The Chef can be seen cooking on the “kitchen cam” on televisions placed throughout the restaurant. I watched him smoke something in a pot on the screen. An odd Orwellian feeling crept up. His image was everywhere. It is one thing to see flames rising from an open kitchen and catch the wafting aroma of reduction sauces and searing meats, while the chatter of chefs at work reverberates through the walls and sets the dining room humming. But watching Chef Voltaggio cooking alone on a muted television screen was serene, but almost eerie.

My entrée of Maine lobster with black forbidden rice and citrus vinaigrette was tender and perfectly cooked. The flavors were again fresh, and the vinaigrette cut the richness of the lobster nicely. Forbidden rice has a purplish kernel and is named such because, for a time, it was reserved to be eaten exclusively by the Emperor of China—it was actually outlawed for public consumption. Does it get more Far East than this?

I was enjoying my food and the atmosphere, but it felt like I wasn’t at Volt, wasn’t in Frederick. I was at a beautiful Asian-inspired Manhattan bistro twenty years in the future, watching my meal being prepared in a place out of sight.

I would go to Volt again. Absolutely. The food was thoughtful and it was nice to get out of the city for the day, even if dining in the restaurant felt like being in the heart of Midtown.

Volt feels a little bit like someone who isn’t sure who they are yet. While they may think it’s ugly to be a city slicker in a small town, the only thing worse is the city slicker who wears leather jackets with farm boots thinking they fit it. It would do Volt justice not to be what it imagines it should, but to just be itself.

Volt is located at 288 North Market Street Frederick, MD. www.VoltRestaurant.com for reservations. [gallery ids="99579,104874,104890,104886,104879,104883" nav="thumbs"]

Ari Post •

Tis’ the season to be fat and happy. Let’s just face it.

There are endless news articles that come out this time of year warning the helpless public of the looming holiday season and its devious inclination to burden us all with blubbery baggage around our midsections. Then they will proceed to assure us that if we just follow some odd number of holiday eating tips, we can make it through to spring as bright and trim as a daisy.

Or we can be honest with ourselves and accept our fate.

I have always done what I can to keep fit, but despite my most diligent efforts, I never fail to pack on a few cold-weather pounds. That’s just how it goes. Squirrels do it and so do bears, and they seem fairly content on the whole. So I’m just not going to burden my conscience with a five-pound margin of error.

It’s frigid outside. There is less light. Our body’s natural reaction to these harsher elements is to cushion itself with a bit of insulation to keep warm. That’s surely one of the reasons we start craving heavier, thicker, more nourishing foods in the wintertime.

Foods like chicken potpie. There are few dishes that so instantly activate our receptors for things rich and savory, says Ris. A buttery, flakey crust enveloping a gluey union of chicken and softened vegetables in a milieu of thick gravy that binds all the parts together like an idea giving form to the words of a sentence.
Like many of the dishes Ris chooses to cook with me, potpie is a time-honored, traditional food that can be endlessly incarnated. It is one that takes kindly to experimentation and exploration. And as I have found with Ris, her concern isn’t always what she puts in these dishes, but how to handle the preparation and the ingredients in use to bring out as much natural flavor as possible. Whether you add kielbasa or andouille sausage, parsnips or carrots, peas or broccoli is not vital to the essence of the dish. Each substitute will add a different dimension.

What matters is that you put in the herbs first thing to season the melted butter, and make sure the vegetables are all nicely aromatic before mixing in the stock, releasing the flavors of each ingredient which fuse together as they simmer. Pre-roasting the pearl onions and mushrooms will ensure that much more flavor. Deglaze them with sherry for even more.

Ris prefers grainy roux for use in potpies. The proportions are roughly equal parts butter to flour, but adjust to preference, she suggests. Slowly whisking the flour into the melted butter keeps it from forming clumps. And cook it well, says Ris, “to avoid that raw flour taste and bring out the nuttier side of the four.”

Another point she stresses is to never add salt and pepper to the dish until after you have combined all the ingredients into the pot (added the stock and the roux and the potatoes to your vegetables) and your filling has had time to reduce. The reduction process intensifies the salt of the stock, and you run the risk of over-seasoning if you’re not patient. Also keep in mind that diced potatoes only take about five minutes to cook, so once you add them you should be nearly finished.

When the filling is looking like it’s ready, I watch Ris pick up a spoon and dab the underside against the filling in the pot. She is “napping” the back of the spoon, she explains to me as she reveals the gooey film that has adhered itself to the spoon’s belly. This tests the consistency of the filling and lets you know if it’s ready. Upon running a finger across the sticky spoon, if the gap you created in the gravy does not fill itself back in, your filling is at the right consistency. You are now ready to ladle it into its bed of pie crust and stick it in the oven.

Again, like many of the dishes Ris and I have cooked together, chicken potpie is a great vehicle for leftovers. “Just like borscht is a kind of Eastern European method for dealing with leftovers,” she says, “potpie is a very British way to use them.”

Use turkey, sweet potatoes, salmon, asparagus or anything in between, says Ris. A Shepard’s Pie, potpie’s Irish relative, is traditionally made with lamb or beef with a mashed potato topping in place of the pie crust.
But a true potpie demands a pie crust, and it’s important that it be done the right way. “You should always cook the crust with the potpie filling,” Ris tells me. “The crust should never be cooked separately. It must bubble together with the filling.”

Ris recommends 100% pure butter puff pastry, which you can buy frozen from the grocery store if baking isn’t your strong suit.

Don’t let cold weather get the better of you. Put on the burner, heat up the oven and bring some warmth into the winter months ahead. A few extra winter pounds have never been more worth it.

RIS’ Chicken Pot Pie

“In my humble opinion, there should always be plenty of light, flaky crust in a chicken potpie. At my house we would fight over my mother’s flaky pastry lining the bottom of the pyrex baking dish.?Make plenty of your favorite pie dough or buy 100% butter puff pastry, rolled to 1/6” and cut to cover and/or encase individual ramekins or larger casseroles.”
—Ris

For the roux
4 ounces butter?1 cup flour

For the filling
makes 3-4 quarts, 6-8 servings

8 oz mushrooms, quartered if large and roasted until golden, seasoned with S&P, fresh thyme and olive oil.
1 cup pearl onions, peeled and roasted until golden seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and olive oil.
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced, about 2 cups
2 large stalks celery, large dice, about 1 cup
2 carrots, large dice, about 1 cup
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 qts chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 large potato, large dice, about 1 cup
1-2 cups or to taste root vegetables that are available: parsnip, celery root, sweet potato, or all of the above, large dice
1 cup frozen English peas
2 cups roasted chicken meat, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper?
Sherry vinegar

Roll out your pastry to suit your needs and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Make the roux: Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan. Whisk in the flour stir constantly, spreading the paste over the bottom of the pan to lightly color and cook the flour, for about 5 minutes. Set aside in a warm place until ready to use.

Roast the mushrooms and pearl onions. Set aside when done until ready to use.

In a heavy based 2-gallon soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the 2 Tablespoons of butter and add the diced onions, celery and carrots. Sprinkle with the chopped thyme and sage and cook until the onions are barely soft, stirring occasionally, just enough to release the aromatics from the vegetables, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Let simmer for another 5 minutes to meld the flavors and season the stock.

Add the potatoes and any additional root vegetables. Season lightly with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Bring just to a boil and add the peas, roasted mushrooms, roasted pearl onions and chicken meat. Bring back just to a boil again, keeping in mind that you have about 5 minutes to finish from this point before the potatoes are overcooked.

Thicken with the roux, whisking in a bit at a time and dissolving each bit, not to leave lumps. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and a dash of sherry vinegar for brightness. Remove from the heat.
Prepare your pastry to accommodate your vessel. Fill with the potpie filling and cover with more pastry. Filling can be hot if put in the oven immediately or chilled and can be kept in the refrigerated until ready to use.
Cooking time will be in a 350 degree oven, but will depend on size of pie and whether or not filling was hot or cold. Individual portions take 20 minutes or so. Larger casseroles may take up to 1 hour.

Ari Post •

When Chef Daniel Bruce created the Boston Wine Festival over twenty years ago, it was hardly driven by divine inspiration. “The initial reason for the wine festival is that it was a slow year,” he says with a chuckle. Since then, however, Bruce’s wine festivals have been steadily growing, spreading like gospel throughout the country.

This will be the second year that Bruce brings his wine festival to the District, hosted again by The Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row. Calling the event a festival is a loose way to say it; the Capital Wine Festival is a series of wine dinners, in which each meal is constructed around a specific region or style of wine. Bruce brings in the winemakers and proprietors of each participating winery to discuss the wines and terroir of their particular regions, affording guests a uniquely intimate experience with their wine and food, and putting a distinct twist on the farm-to-table experience.

In order to be true to the wine he selects, Bruce goes about planning the dinners in a way that most chefs would never consider. He does not choose the wine to complement the food, but tailors the cuisine around the flavors of the individual wines. “There’s nothing worse than the wine coming off bad because the food wasn’t prepared right to go with it,” he says.

“Working with the wine makers has changed the nature of how I work,” he says, revealing a sincere and personal devotion to Cuisine, which he defines as a seamless blend of wine and food. “In a lot of ways, the winemakers are like chefs, bringing out the best flavors the grapes and the land have to offer.”

Bruce’s personal history with wine began around 30 years ago, while he was working abroad in Tuscany and France. “Wine there is part of the table,” he says. “Wine is just such a part of their culture. Just as regular as a food source.”

Growing up in the United States, where wine is not part of the culture, Bruce found the commonality of table wine in Europe to be a revelatory experience. The wine, almost always local, greased the evening conversation, drew out the night, and helped form bonds among friends and family.

Table wine also affected the flavor of the local food offerings. While it may not always have been perfectly constructed or balanced (though being Tuscan, it was probably damn close), the flavors of the land were so richly engrained within the wine that they complemented the surrounding cuisine like nothing Bruce had ever tasted.

When he returned to the States, Bruce went to more formal tastings, which opened his eyes to the potential and diversity of wine to complement different cuisines. He began pairing food and wine at dinner tastings for winemakers in the basement of Manhattan’s Club 21, working with the sommelier to choose the wines. Only after meeting and befriending the winemakers did he begin constructing his plans to showcase distinct regional wine varieties with tailor-made foods.

23 years ago, Bruce founded the Boston Wine Festival. He now has four around the country, including the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans, the Capital Wine Festival, and the Berkeley Wine Festival, which he kicked off in 2010.

Tasting the wine is Bruce’s first priority in putting together a dinner. It may sound like a well-dressed excuse to knock back some good vino, but it’s really no joke. He samples 3,000 wines a year, taking careful notes on each bottle. “My wine notes tend to be chef-driven,” he says. “Not wine driven. I might write down, ‘Belon oysters,’ next to a Chardonnay, or something that invokes food ingredients.”

He then chooses the winemakers based on a theme or a group that shows a spectrum of styles. The process falls somewhere in the infinitely coextending parameters of art and science. “I try to strike a balance,” he says simply, deceiving the complexity of this job. “It’s a matter of recalling the structure of the wine. I’ll find something that uses contrasting, parallel or compatible flavors. I use the flavor of the wine as a departing point for the food.”

Wines with higher acidity are easy to pair, he admits. That’s why Pinot Noir and Barolo are so often recommended at restaurants. When the wine is less acidic, he says, you have to be a little more careful with what you cook or you might overwhelm the plate. “Having tasted the wine, I know how far I’ll go with the intensity and flavors of the dish.”

He particularly likes cooking for Pinot Noir because, as he explains, it is a wine that is true to the terroir that it comes from, “Which, as a chef, gives me more options.”

“I do a dish created only for that wine,” Bruce says of his cooking philosophy. “There are subtle differences to all the wines. So why shouldn’t I honor that tradition by creating individual dishes?”

Bruce uses the wines he selects in the cooking process as well, from using syrups made from the varietal, to a marinade or glaze or herb reduction for meat and vegetables. Again, he only cooks with the wines he decides to feature, further displaying the versatility and flavors of each selection.

Bringing together winemakers and wine enthusiasts, the Capital Wine Festival celebrates great wine from around the globe. Prior to each dinner, guests will enjoy a reception or seminar before being seated for an evening of food and wine pairings. “When people get to meet the person behind the wine, it’s a great thing for them. They can go back and tell their friends, and they have a story. There is always a story behind a bottle of wine, and now they can be a part of it.”

Once a week, beginning on January 20, the Capital Wine Festival will host eight intimate wine dinners at the Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row. For ticket purchases please visit CapitalWineFestival.com, or call 202-736-1453. Each dinner is limited to 60 guests. [gallery ids="99589,104944" nav="thumbs"]

Corrie Dyke •

Restaurants around town are offering up a plateful of events. From culinary classes to food festivals, the local dining scene is freshening up for spring.

Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert has introduced new menu items, which it debuted at a hugely successful tasting night last February 17. The new mouthwatering plates include a chicken-fried pork belly appetizer, black walnut and cauliflower soup and a succulent triggerfish.

Citronelle will host a five week wine series, starting with Wine Profiling, Saturday February 26 from 1 – 3 pm. The restaurant, located at 3000 M Street NW, will continue the series March 18, April 30, May 12, and conclude on June 18. Classes are $100 individually, with deals varying on how many classes you sign up for. Reserve a space by calling 202 625 2150.

The Herman J. Wiemer Winemaker Dinner at Chef Geoff’s Downtown will take place Tuesday March 22 at 7 pm. Fred Merwath, winemaker and owner of Herman J. Wiemer Vineyard, will be the featured speaker at the dinner. The menu features five courses each paired with a featured wine. Chef Geoff’s Downtown is on 13th Street between E & F NW. Tickets are $69 and can be purchased at ChefGeoff.com

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana will celebrate the fourth annual Tequila & Mezcal Festival March 14 through 27. Oyamel, 401 7th Street NW, will be offering premium tequila and mescal, served in flights, and specialty cocktails. Stop by Oyamel from 4 – 6 pm March 15 – 24 to enjoy complimentary samples of tequila and mescal. A celebratory menu will also be available during the festival, incorporating the spirits.

John Engle will return to Brasserie Beck and take on the position of Chef de Cuisine. Engle, most recently at Mussel Bar in Bethesda, will be serving up the brasserie’s signature mussels, along with other Belgian favorites. 1101 K Street NW.

Open Kitchen’s next spread of cooking classes will be going on February 27 – March 1. The hands-on classes cover everything from cupcakes to the cuisine of Venice. The classes run for three hours and range from $79 to $89 per class. Details on the classes can be found at OpenKitchen-DCMetro.com

The Source by Wolfgang Puck launched its new Presidential Menu Tasting on Presidents Day, which featured all of the dishes enjoyed by President Obama and the First Lady during their January dinner at the restaurant. The special menu will continue during regular business hours in the main dinning room of The Source, 575 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

HomeMade Pizza is now open at 1826 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The take-and-bake pizza shop makes everything with fresh, all natural ingredients. Stop by the new store February 23 and 24 for the launch party and take part in fresh produce giveaways and free pizza.

Even more pizza is hitting the area when Pizzeria da Marco opens its doors at 8008 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda on March 28. The pizzeria will feature authentic Neapolitan pizza cooked in a handcrafted wood-burning oven.

Fourteen Alexandria restaurants participated in the Cherry Challenge earlier this month. Restaurant chefs competed with cherry-inspired dishes, drinks, and desserts. This year’s winners were no strangers to the competition. For the third year in a row Temp Restaurant placed in the finals, taking the win in the starters category with their Insalata di Ceresa e Mela di Fuji. Murphy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant won the entrée with their three-time winning Duck a la Cherry. Sweet Cherry Rye from Food Matters took the prize in drink, and an ice cream from Dishes of India won dessert. Each person who ordered the dish or menu item was given a ballot to judge the item on taste, presentation, and creativity.

The half beef, half pork smoked sausage has long been considered the District’s signature dish. Domaso will be hosting its first annual Top Dog Half Smoke Challenge, Sunday May 1 at 3pm. Ten area chefs will be presenting their interpretation of the local favorite. Admission is $20 per person and includes samples of all ten half-smokes, a signature Skyy Vodka cocktail, tax and gratuity. Domaso will be donating 100 percent of the proceeds to Brainfood, a non-profit youth development organization based in DC that helps build life skills and promotes healthy living. The restaurant is located at Hotel Palomar, in Arlington, VA.

Support the rebuilding of the Fauquier Livestock at the Cattlemen’s Hoedown, February 26 at Barrel Oak Winery. The benefit runs from 6-9pm in Delaplane VA. The night will feature a live and silent auction, wine and appetizers. Tickets are $25, reservations can be made at 540-364-1572.

Jordan Wright •

The past two months have brought a variety of assignments and pleasures: interviews with Bravo’s Top Chef finalist Kelly Liken; BLT Steak’s Laurent Tourondel; Eric Ripert, star of the PBS series “Avec Eric”; a meeting at the Sofitel with patriarch Giorgio Gucci, third generation of the Gucci empire, in town to testify to Congress about the pervasiveness of black market goods and to offer ideas for new ways of enforcing existing laws. Of course, we all want the latest accessory. But he warns to stay away from the sidewalk vendor handbag and wristwatch knockoffs. He tells me plans are to arrest the buyers as well!

Giorgio Gucci Launches 50 Year Old Connoisseur Cognac

Gucci is launching an ultra premium brand connoisseur cognac, “Giorgio G”, this week at the Pierre Hotel in New York City where his 30-, 50- and over 50-year old cognacs will sell at auction with the remaining 4,000 bottles offered to collectors. The indelibly charming Signori Gucci completed our interview with a kiss on the hand. Viva Italia!

5,000 Bottles of Wine on the Wall (Countdown to Zero)

A stay at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa in Colorado earlier in the month brought us to pinnacles of dining higher than Vail Mountain itself. The food scene there is as breathtaking as Vail Mountain. We dined at the resort’s Atwater Restaurant, where dinner is often served entirely by candlelight overlooking the sparkling
Gore Creek. Larkspur has a wine list so extensive it was in “mouseprint” so as to allow guests to lift the weighty leather tome in order to select one of 5,000 bottles from over 500 labels.
Restaurant Kelly Liken, she of recent Top Chef fame, created an elk carpaccio stole my heart and thoughtfully celebrated my birthday with a personalized menu.

Paradise Among the Turkeys and Elf Watermelons

One of my favorite local chefs, Robert Townsend, prepared a spirit-soothing luncheon and turkey tasting at Ayrshire Farm (You can order your organic and humanely raised heritage turkey from their Home Farm store in Middleburg) and introduced me to a new vegetable from his garden. Have you ever seen a Mexican sour gherkin? So cute! It looks like an elf’s watermelon. In its natural state, it is crunchy, tart and lemony, like a kosher pickle. Conveniently, you can grow it in a pot with a trellis. How perfect!

The gorgeous early fall afternoon was shared with two-time James Beard award-winner Joan Nathan, whose latest book, “Quiches, Kugels and Cous Cous” is set to be released next month. Joining him was entrepreneur extraordinaire Mitch Berliner, whose company, MeatCrafters, makes freshly cooked, cured and smoked meats that sell at the Bethesda Central Farm Market. Mitch was a co-founder back in the day, before the term “locavore” came on the scene—if you go back that far.

Go-Go Techno for Bittman

Meanwhile, Mark Bittman, in his latest foray into the techno-world of home cooks, has launched an app for iPhones based on his book “How to Cook Everything Essentials”, which is the “Joy of Cooking” for young moderns.

Tourists Wowed by Cheesecake “Ice Cream” Cones

A private behind-the-scenes tour of The Source’s catering kitchens, led by Executive Chef David Spychalski, proved to be delicious. After shooting the beautiful food in the Newseum’s cafeteria, I sat down to enjoy it, dining on tempura soft-shell crab, sushi, and all manner of scrumptious desserts. Heads up: if you’re invited to an event at the Newseum, expect scrumptious food. Spychalski, who has been perfecting some creative new offerings, then served up samples to the surprised tourists who had been eagerly watching the whole tasting. Grateful, bug-eyed and thrilled were their reactions to cheesecake ice cream cones, chocolate truffle lollipops and massive trays of glistening sushi. The kids, thinking they were part of a TV show, became instant autograph hounds.

Local “Top Chef” News

A premiere viewing party for “Top Chef Desserts” was held at Hook for pastry chef and “Top Chef” contestant Heather Chittum. Although she was nowhere to be seen, (Bravo contractual restrictions
were in full force) her spirit was very much alive with a table the length of the restaurant chockfull of her signature desserts. Her crave-inducing Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart and Whoopie Pies were paired with champagne cocktails while guests watched Chittum on the big screen. Virtual Heather, but real desserts!

The town is abuzz with the news that “Top Chef” alumnus Mike Isabella will open his new restaurant, Graffiato, at 707 6th Street with investor Bryan Voltaggio next February. Isabella was the former head chef at José Andrés’ Zaytinya, still one of our favorite spots.

Eat, Chat, Drink – Ayurvedic Style

My search for an Ayurvedic Indian restaurant brought me last month to the Van Ness area, where I dined at Indian Ocean, the only one of its kind in our area. The Ayurvedic style of cooking reflects the ancient Hindu art of medicine and prolonging life, and owner Raj Kapoor is an avid messenger of the philosophy.

Everything we sampled, including the traditional dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Roghan and tandoori oven baked dishes, were so much fresher and lighter. The secret: they don’t use butter, ghee or heavy cream. Also noteworthy is that nothing is canned and no flour or sugar is ever used; only yogurt cream and olive oil.

With a menu that favors Goan and Northern Indian cuisine there is much to like, and the UDC and Harvard Law students fill up the place at lunchtime. Their exclusive use of halal meats brings in the local embassy crowd who often use Indian Ocean to cater their receptions.

Mango, mint, tamarind and date chutneys are made in-house, and are more delicate and less sugary than most versions we know. Standouts were Palak Gosht, Samosa Chat, Onion Kulcha, Kabuli Naan, bread stuffed with raisins, cashews and almonds. The Goan influences fill the menu with seafood dishes using lobster, trout, salmon and prawns, and there is a wealth of vegan dishes. They are open seven days a week with a champagne brunch on Sundays.

Red Fruit Festival is a Red Hot Hit

The first annual Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival, held in the Pavilion Room at the Ronald Reagan Building, was a red-hot hit! In a contest sponsored by the Washington Post, winning home cooks from our area were paired with top local chefs who recreated, and in some cases amped up their recipes. My favorites were food blogger April Fulton’s Tomato Tarte dessert. Fulton, whose blog is TheFoodScribe.com, was paired with Chef Xavier Deshayes. She told me Dessaye added hazelnuts to her tart crust and a sugared mint leaf. Bravo to him! It was highly addictive. Another winner in my book was Jessica Sidman whose blog, TheFrozenFix.com, reports on her ice cream and sorbet experiments. Sidman was paired with local chef Michael Lund, formerly of Zynodoa in Staunton, VA, who consults with restaurants and teaches Farm-to-Table classes at Stratford University. Lund served her Green Tomato Marbled Goat Cheese Ice Cream in mini black pepper tuiles topped with crushed corn nuts.

Fashion for Autism – Features Breakout New York Designer

Throngs of Georgetown’s adorable fashionistas ganged up for the cause at City Tavern Club. The venerable old watering hole was rocking with disco lights, a performance by Julliard concert pianist Edvinas Minkstimas, and a full-blown red carpet fashion show with designs for men and women by Colombian-born Edwing D’Angelo. The silent auction featured a pair of glittering eight-inch heels by Fever Footwear. Well, I suppose you could just wear them to bed! Miss DC 2010 Stephanie Williams was on hand to help us eat the chocolate and vanilla cupcakes from Serendipity3. When, oh when, will they serve the first Frrrozen Hot Chocolate confection in DC? [gallery ids="99210,103454,103475,103471,103459,103467,103464" nav="thumbs"]

Shelle Tran •

Magnificent monuments, a cupcake craze and powerhouse politics are not the only things that make the nation’s capitol unique. The annual Cherry Blossom Festival welcomes the spring season with the blooming of beautiful flowers and three weeks full of events. This year, the Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off on Thursday, March 24 with a fundraiser at the Washington Monument. This event, known as “Stand with Japan”, is organized to express our condolences and support for Japan in the wake of their recent tragedies. All donations go to the National Cherry Blossom Festival Red Cross Online Donation site and will benefit the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.

Along with fundraisers, festivals and parades, local restaurants are also joining in on the festivities. Restaurants all over town are offering a special Cherry Blossom Festival menu. The menus include desserts, entrees, and cocktails, all inspired with a cherry twist! From duck confit with sour cherry compote and braised artichokes to a chocolate covered cherry martini, the menus will be sure to satisfy. Below is a list of participating restaurants and their offerings.

Againn
– Eton Mess with Brandied Cherries
– JP Caceres’ Cherrio Cocktail (vodka, cherry herring liquer, lemon juice, rose water, egg whites)
1099 New York Ave NW. 202 639-9830

Art and Soul at the Liason Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel
– Steamed Southern style pork buns with sour cherry hoisin dipping sauce
– Grilled tuna with coriander spiced rice, marinated bok choy, maitake mushrooms and ginger chile glaze and Yuzu ginger trifle with sour cherries and candied kumquats
– Cherry Pick Cocktail (Vodka, sake, cherry reduction)
415 New Jersey Ave NW. 202 393-7777

Bangkok Joe’s
– Peking Duck Bao with cherry-hoisin sauce
– 7-spiced roasted shrimp with caramelized tomatoes and cherry ponzu butter sauce
– Warm cherry upside down cake
– Frozen cherry bellini (champagne, bing cherry, cream sherry, lime juice)
3000 K Street NW. 202 333-4422

Café Dupont at The Dupont Hotel
– Goose Liver Torchon with cherry orange compote
– Chargrilled NY Strip Steak with a cherry reduction
– Vanilla Bean Pana Cotta with a cherry crumble
1500 New Hampshire Ave NW. 202 939-9596

Carmine’s
– Sicilian Triple Cherry Cassata
– Frozen Cherries Jubilee (Cruzan Rum, Luzardo Maraschino Liquer, port, lemon juice, brandied cherries)
425 7th Street NW. 202 737-7770

Cuba Libre
– Barbacoa de Pato con Cerezas
– Cherry Tini (Pyrat XO Rum, Combier, lemon grass- infused guarapo, bitters, bing cherries)
– Coconut Cherry Frozen (Three Olives, cherry vodka, lemon grass- infused guarapo, coconut puree, maraschino cherry juice)
801 9th Street NW. 202 408-1600

Current Sushi
-Cherry Blossom Martini (cherry vodka, sake, black cherries)
1215 Connecticut Ave. 202 955-525

Dino
– Tart Cherry Gin Cocktail (Plymouth Gin, Leopold’s Tart Michigan Cherry Liquer, Orchard’s Cherry Liquer, Leopold’s Cranberry Liquer, lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda)
3435 Connecticut Ave. 202 686-2966

Farmers and Fishers
– F&F’s Cherry Slump
3000 K Street NW. 202 298-0003

Georgia Brown’s
– Peanut Butter and Jelly Foie gras with dried cherry jelly
– Chicory Rubbed pork tenderloin with cherry and balsamic demi-glace
– Dark Cherry glazed roasted free range chicken
– Mexican chocolate and cherry cobbler with cinnamon sticky bun ice cream
– Cherry Mojitos (cane sugar, ginger, cilantro, a cinnamon swizzle stick)
950 15th Street. 202 393-4499

Hudson Restaurant
– Free Range Lamb with chervil johnnycakes and bing cherry gastrique
2030 M Street. 202 872-8700

J.Paul’s
– Baked Brie with cherry marmalade
– Cherry and Pecan Crusted Lamb rack
– Cherry Almond Strudel
– Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Beer
3218 M Street NW. 202 333-3450

Kaz Sushi Bistro
– Cherry Blossom Special Chitashi
1915 I Street. 202 530-5500

Kellari Taverna
1700 K Street. 202 535-5274
– Cherry Blossom Salad with jumbo shrimp and cherry balsamic
– Pan roasted fagri with a bing cherry demi glace
– Greek yogurt with sour cherry preserves
– Kellari Cherry cocktail

Morton’s The Steakhouse
– Cherry Blossom Cocktail (three olives cherry vodka, lindemans cherry limbic, and prosecco)
1050 Connecticut Ave NW. 202 955-5997

Neyla
– Duck Manti with dried Cherries
– Baby arugula with arak soaked cherries
– Pan roasted grouper with kiln dried cherries
– Dark chocolate cherry crème brulee
– Chocolate covered cherry martini (Valhrona chocolate, vanilla vodka, and dark cherries)
3206 N Street. 202 333-6353

Old Glory
– Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Beer Battered Onion Rings with Sweet and sour dried cherry cherry pepper dip
– Old Glory Red Stag Bourbon Buffalo Wings
– Cherry Cola BBQ Glazed Salmon with cheddar cheese grits, backyard cucumber slaw, and grilled beefsteak tomato galette
– Black Forest Cheesecake with cherry brandy chocolate sauce
– Red Stag Mint Julep( red Stag Cherry Bourbon, vanilla bean, mint, simple syrup, cherry brandy, soda, red stag- soaked maraschino cherry)
3139 M Street NW. 202 337-3406

Plume at the Jefferson Hotel
– Duck Confit with sour cherry compote and braised artichokes
1200 16th Street. 202 448-2300

Ten Penh
– Togarashi Seared Tuna Tataki with seaweed salad and ponzu sauce
– Duck confit and wild cherry gyoza with daikon and toasted pinenut salad
– Pan seared black grouper with a scallion crabmeat rice noodle crepe and black bean sauce
– Dried cherry and rhubarb crisp with honey, vanilla, and sesame ice cream
1001 Pennsylvania Ave. 202 393-4500

Zola
Cherry Cured Valentine Miller Ham Rillettes with cherry gelee and brioche
Anise glazed sea scallops with country ham, ramps, and cherry suds,
Roast quail with cherry aigre-doux, goat cheese polenta and seedling salad
Cherry braised beef short ribs with sunchoke puree, pea tendrils and foie gras emulsion
Cherries with bruleed vanilla sponge cake and tonka bean cream
800 F Street. 202 654-0999
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Georgetowner •

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Have you ever dreamed of a world filled with cupcakes? Were there cupcakes everywhere you looked, with smiling servants at the ready? Was the heavenly aroma of sugar hanging sweet in the air? Best of all were you able to taste each tantalizing treat and experience the joy of tingling taste buds as you took bite into each sweet?

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The National Capital Area Cake Show made this dream a reality for hundreds of cupcake enthusiasts on Saturday as they hosted the first ever, Cupcake Cocktail Hour. Hosted at the Northern Virginia Community College, 54 cupcake bakers brought sample sizes of cocktail inspired cupcakes. By the end of the night, it was estimated that there were 154 different types of cupcakes for sampling with over 700 guests attending the event.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThis was the 3rd annual National Capital Area Cake Show, with over 8,000 people in attendance throughout the two day show, March 26-27. The show ran from 9-3 each day offering classes, cake tours and even a television-style live challenge. The Cupcake Challenge grew out of an idea of combining a tasting competition with a fun theme.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“Cupcakes have kind of exploded in DC. While cake decorating appears intimidating to some, no one is afraid of a cute cupcake!” said Melissa Westervelt, who spearheaded the idea of a Cupcake Challenge. “There are people out there making really great stuff in their home kitchens and in new bakeshops. I wanted to elevate that, to draw the ‘cupcake people’ into this great community atmosphere.”

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Amateurs as well as professional bakers were invited to participate in the challenge, allowing those new to the business a chance to get their name out while well-established bakeries were able to share their reputation with a wider audience. 11 professional and 43 amateur bakers took the challenge to create original cocktail cupcakes.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp “People are passionate about cupcakes. I know competitors with no culinary background who worked for weeks to perfect their recipe and they can be very proud of the results! I even heard about a few baking days, tasting parties, and Facebook friendships that formed as people developed the perfect cocktail cupcake,” Westervelt said. “Area professionals need a place to shine too. If I want a cupcake right now, I am walking into one of their shops. They were totally open to creating new flavors, engaging with the other bakers and creating some amazing display pieces for the Cupcake Challenge.”

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The challenge was advertised with the National Capital Area Cake show, but ticket sales soared after a promotion with LivingSocial, which offered five free tickets for cupcakes along with the price of admission. The campaign was responsible for the sale of 550 tickets to the Cupcake Challenge alone and close to 1,585 general admission tickets to the show. Proceeds from the event benefitted Icing Smiles, a non-profit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by critical illness of a child

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“Baking is more than mixing up flour, sugar, and butter. It’s the muse, the creative process, the joy of the celebration that the sweet is created for. When I stumbled into the world of cake shows and competitions, all of that was amplified,” said Westervelt. “There is this network of artists where the competitive spirit is real, but the goal is camaraderie, sharing knowledge, and demanding something tastier and more gorgeous than you have ever made before.”

Georgetowner •

For many people nationwide, a homemade pie is as symbolic of the American Dream as baseball and a house with a white picket fence. For Alli, Erin and Cat Blakely, three sisters from Northern Virginia, pie is also a personal dream that they plan on bringing to Georgetown by the end of this summer with the opening of their pie shop, O’B Sweet.

The sisters, who grew up in Great Falls, spent a lot of time in Georgetown throughout their childhood, attending church at St. John’s on O Street. “We’re just local girls, and that’s why we wanted to stay in Georgetown with our shop,” said Erin.

They started their baking careers early in life when their mother taught them how to can fruit and make pies, “to keep us all busy,” said Erin. After following separate careers in different fields, the Blakelys finally decided to fulfill their dream of operating a family business.

“We’re sisters. There’s three of us. We’re all two years apart,” said Erin. “We’re best friends and baking pies was something that brought us all together having fun even on the holidays after our lives kind of took us in different directions.”

Even the name the sisters chose reflects their family roots. “We’re Scott-Irish, so the ‘O’ kind of brings in that part of us,” said Erin. “The ‘B’ is for our last name, Blakely, and the ‘Sweet,’ obviously, is because we’re sweet.”

The trio is currently looking at retail space at 3833 Prospect St., according to Robert Tack, the real estate broker representing O’B Sweet. The market, Tack noted, is ready for a new sweet tooth craze—a refreshing idea noting the area’s baffling cupcake fetish.

“I think they’re gonna do well with their concept,” he said.

The Blakelys are already setting themselves apart from average Georgetown bakeries and cupcakeries. The shop will feature an array of savory and sweet pies in three sizes: nine inches, seven inches, and “Cuppies,” single-serving mini pies that are original to O’B Sweet. Because most of their fruit comes from local growers, their menu of flavors rotates seasonally, while their cream pies will be available year round. The shop will cater events as well as delivering pies and providing seating where customers can enjoy their Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Cuppies with coffee or hot cocoa.

While the shop has a few months until their grand opening, O’B Sweet’s catering business is already up and running. The sisters have supplied weddings, birthdays and dinner parties with their homemade pies and plan to continue this service through the process of opening their store.

“Pies are really all-American classics, so we’re trying to take that and make it more mainstream,” said Erin. “It’s giving people the option, instead of going to cupcakes, to go to pies… There’s nothing like this in Georgetown.”