Food & Wine

Jody Kurash • August 15, 2013

This year’s inaugural season will be one of the quietest in years. The Obama-Biden inaugural committee has announced that it is cutting back on the number of inaugural balls. There will be just two official parties plus a concert honoring military families. The cutback on festivities is meant to reduce government spending and the amount of security and law-enforcement personnel needed. This will be the lowest number of balls in the past 60 years.

If you aren’t one of the lucky elite that will be spending the evening of Jan. 21, dancing and toasting with the first family, there will be dozens of unofficial balls and parties and no shortage of restaurants and nightclubs looking to cash in on the influx of celebratory visitors.

Several D.C. hot spots have led the way with inauguration-themed drinks. Just steps from the White House, the Hamilton is offering two potables to honor our nation’s 44th President. The “Perfect 44,” a variation on a classic Manhattan, features FEW Bourbon from Chicago. If you’re Donald Trump, you may want to order the Executive Punch, made with rum from Obama’s birthplace of Hawaii, along with a slice of humble pie.

Penn Quarter’s Brasserie Beck is serving an Obama-tini cocktail with a Democratic blue hue. This festive drink is forged from Ketel One vodka, Hypnotiq liqueur, and a float of blue Curacao. Nearby at D.C. Coast, the drink-du-jour is the Sparkling Second Term made with Averell damson plum gin, Leopold Brothers New York apple whiskey, lemon bitters and a splash of bubbly cava wine. This refined sparkler is served in a cinnamon-and-sugar-rimmed Champagne flute.

If these cocktails sound a bit too stuffy for you, swing by Hill Country Barbecue where they will be offering $1 POTUS-pop Jell-O shots all day Jan. 21.

Many folks, going with the subdued nature of this year’s festivities, will choose to host soirees in their homes. In additional to the décor and menu, one of the most important elements of any Obama-themed fiesta will be the choice of cocktails. Toasting the Commander-In-Chief with a sparkling wine or Champagne is a given, but a signature tipple is a special added touch that will make your party memorable.

One of the most obvious choices to serve is the classic El Presidente cocktail. While technically a Cuban creation, this full-flavored rum cocktail includes Curacao, vermouth and grenadine. Another clever choice is the retro Blue Hawaii tiki drink. This concoction made with blue Curacao, pineapple juice, sour mix and either rum or vodka, pays both homage to the Democrats with its color and Obama’s Hawaiian roots.

My choice for a private party would be the “Yes, We Canton,” an opulent sparkling sipper created for Obama’s first inauguration by D.C. celebrity mixtress Gina Chersevani. It was the star cocktail at the Peace Ball in 2009. I was first introduced to this dignified drink at a presidential drink seminar, sponsored by the Museum of the American Cocktail. The stellar ingredient in this cocktail is Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. Forged from baby Vietnamese ginger, Cognac. Tahitian vanilla, Provencal honey, and Tunisian ginseng, Domain de Canton adds an exotic and a dash of winter warmth and spice to this mixture of pineapple juice and sparkling wine. Elegant and easy, this recipe can be multiplied and served as a punch, freeing up time for the busy host or hostess.

No matter what your plans may be for the inauguration or political affiliation, on Jan. 21 let’s all raise a glass to what we hope will be four years of peace and prosperity.

Yes, We Canton!
½ oz pineapple juice
½ oz Domaine de Canton
2-3 oz. brut sparkling wine or Champagne.
Serve in flute. Can also be made as a punch.

Jody Kurash • August 8, 2013

**VINCENT: Did you just order a five-dollar shake?
MIA: Sure did.
VINCENT: A shake? Milk and ice cream?
MIA: Uh-huh.
VINCENT: It costs five dollars?
MIA: Yep.
VINCENT: You don?t put bourbon in it or anything?
WAITER: Nope.
VINCENT: Just checking.**

Movie aficionados will recognize this conversation from Quentin Tarantino?s 1994 cult favorite ?Pulp Fiction.? Hit man Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta, is taking out his boss?s wife, Mia Wallace, played by Uma Thurman, for a night on the town while the big man is away. Vincent is questioning the high price of Mia?s choice of beverage. While he does later recant after sampling it, ?I don?t know if that shake?s worth five dollars but it?s pretty damn good.?

Well, if Vincent would have lived through the movie, he would have been able to indulge in an adult milkshake that bears his name at the Satellite Room bar near the 9:30 Club in D.C. The ?Vincent Vega? is a creamy vanilla shake, spiked with Bulleit bourbon. Although Vincent may have gone into sticker shock at the $10 price tag. Yes, prices have risen since 1994. But just like the movie, the same shake can be ordered without alcohol for only $5.

Adult milkshakes have been one of the hottest trends in D.C. in recent years, a perfect have-my-dessert- and-cocktail- too treat, for the area?s scorching summers. These concoctions are basically your cherished childhood treat boozed up with liquors ranging from rum to Kahlua to cr?me de menthe.

[Ted?s Bulletin](http://tedsbulletincapitolhill.com/) on Capital Hill started the trend. Their Baileys caramel macchiato will make you wish that Starbucks could add a lethal shot to their frappuccinos while their white Russian shake, would probably earn the approval of ?the Dude.? If fruit is more your style, Ted?s offers the buzzed berry forged from raspberry schnapps and rum.

In Adams Morgan, the weekend gathering hub, the [Diner](http://www.dinerdc.com/) has four adult milkshakes on its menu. The apple bottom is creative mixture of Sailor Jerry?s rum, vanilla ice cream whipped together with apple pie. The peppermint shake combines, cr?me de menthe, with ice cream and crushed candy canes. But perhaps the most interesting concoction merges the adult shake trend with the ?bacon in everything? craze. The bacon bourbon float takes and old-fashioned brown cow (or root beer float) spikes it with Jim Beam and tops it off with fluffy head of whipped cream covered in freshly made bacon bits.

I recently indulged on the Diner?s bacon bourbon float for a late-afternoon pick-me-up. The D.C. heat index was 105 degrees. I had spent two painful hours at the dentist, and I was looking for something satisfying, cooling and numbing at the same time.
Like so many other bacon foods, it may sound strange, but the hearty salty smoky bacon, merges well with the spice of the root beer, with the bourbon lending a sweet, oaky and powerful bite. My companion Dan Breen, a Baltimore-based artist and music promoter, gave it a thumbs up as well.

[The Satellite Room](http://satellitedc.com/) has the longest list in town, with ten celebrity-named ice cream elixirs. In additional the Vincent Vega, customers can say ?cheers? with the Norm Peterson shake, made with Murphy?s Irish stout or an ?Absolutely Fabulous? Patsy Stone made from pineapple, coconut, orange and nutmeg with Captain Morgan spiced rum.

If you are looking to give your childhood treat an R-rated makeover many of these ice cream cocktails can be easily made at home with a blender, a pint of Haagen-Dazs and your favorite spirit. Get creative, or use a popular cocktail as a guideline. For example, for a pi?a colada mix together rum, pineapple juice and coconut ice cream.

**If you would like to replicate the Diner?s sinful treat, here is a simple formula:**

Add two ounces of bourbon to a parfait or pint glass. Add one large scoop of vanilla ice cream slightly softened. Fill the glass with your favorite root beer. Cover with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle generously with bacon pieces. ?

Georgetowner •

Delicious food on the table assumes a supporting role to great wine in the glass, when the entertaining curtain rises at Jackie Quillen?s contemporary townhouse in Burleith. And for good reason. Quillen?s cultivated senses have served her well as a wine expert , smelling and tasting her way through a celebrated career, which spans more than four decades. As the founder of auction house Christie?s New York Wine Department, where she appraised rare wine collections, she is known as ?The Nose.?

?I like to say, keep the food simple and spend more time with your guests,? says Quillen, as she slowly stirs a saucepan of grits with one hand and flips simmering shrimp with the other. From start to finish, all cooking is completed in less than 20 minutes. We take our seats under a mature plum tree in the garden, near a small fountain. A chilled white wine is at the ready. Still, this oenophile is not ready for that initial taste.

?First, you must look at the color, smell deeply. It?s not about drinking,? she says, giving her glass a swirl. The terroir, or nuances of geography, geology and climate, come into play, into conversation. ?That?s how you get into a wine.? Only then does she allow that opening sip.

What wines is Quillen serving guests this summer? Corks will fly from two favorites: a white and rose (both available at Potomac Wines & Spirits, 3100 M St., NW). ? I love Alsatian whites, low in alcohol, just very refreshing. And Schlumberger Pinot Blanc (2011, $17.99) is lovely,? she says. ?Alsatians aren?t as popular as they should be. Perhaps, people are confused by the German-sounding names or expect them to be sweet. Few are.?

Whispering Angel (2012, $19.99), a rose from the Cotes de Provence, has a place at her table. ?It?s an affordable approximation of Domaine Ott Cotes de Provence, the Holy Grail of all Roses. It?s crisp and delicate, but nicely rounded without a hint of heaviness. A lovely color in the glass.?

But her best summer buy isn?t really a summer wine, but a great value Bordeaux, a Chateau Rousset-Caillau (2010, $15.99).

Steve Feldman, owner of Potomac Wines & Spirits, calls this French varietal ?The best Bordeaux, for the money, that we have stocked in 15 years.? Quillen plans to break into her case this fall and winter. ?But perhaps one warm summer evening when you are grilling lamb you might serve this Chateau just very slightly chilled,? she says. ?And sitting outside in the garden, it would be divine.?

Quillen?s current favorite restaurants: [Bistrot Lepic and Wine Bar](http://www.bistrotlepic.com/) and [Sea Catch](http://www.seacatchrestaurant.com/menu/dinner.cfm), both in Georgetown.

**Shrimp and Grits**

**Ingredients**
16 medium raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup stone-ground grits
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parsley, optional garnish

**Directions:**
In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil and slowly stir-in grits. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring frequently for 15 minutes. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Off heat, add cheese to grits and stir until combined.

Spoon grits onto a luncheon plate, arrange shrimp on top and add garnish.

***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 and an East Village resident.***

Robert Devaney • August 5, 2013

The Mexican restaurant Bandolero has lost its star chef, Mike Isabella, who with others opened the “Day of the Dead”-themed eatery of small tacos, other small plates and fancy tequila drinks in late May 2012 on M Street.

Isabella announced July 31 that he was ending his management agreement with the business owners, Jonathan and Bethany Umbel, who also own Tackle Box next door. Bandolero is in the space once occupied by Hook, a seafood restaurant, closed because of a fire two years ago. Umbel’s Pure Hospitality is fighting a lawsuit — which Isabella has nothing to do with — from the property owner of that space.

Isabella has other places in D.C., such as Graffiato and the sandwich spot, G Grab and Go. Last month, he opened a Greek restaurant on 14th Street, Kapnos.

In a prepared statement, Isabella explained his decision: “I am no longer part of Bandolero. I own all my other restaurant concepts. And with the opening of G Grab and Go, Kapnos and G this year, it’s time for me to focus on those concepts. I am very proud of the modern Mexican concept my team and I put together, but it’s not 100-percent my restaurant … It’s time for me to focus on the restaurants where I have full operational control.”

Isabella — a “Top Chef” alumnus — was the subject of a Georgetowner feature in June 2012.
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Jordan Hellmuth • August 1, 2013

The wait is over. Georgetown residents and visitors can now indulge in the “good stuff” that Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery brings.

The M Street location is the third of the franchise; the first one is located at Capitol Hill.

“Georgetown is the place to be,” said Ryan Helfer of Good Stuff Eatery.

Good Stuff Eatery was drawn to Georgetown’s sense of community and its proximity to all of the universities.

“We wanted to be in the hippest, coolest party of town,” said David Greenberg of Good Stuff Eatery.

Not only is Good Stuff known for being a local brand, but it also brings in local talent and ingredients. Good Stuff is open seven days a week, and believe it or not, fresh ingredients are delivered six days a week.

After two years of anticipation and excitement, Good Stuff has begun its new journey on M Street. Georgetown’s Good Stuff Eatery marks Mendelsohn’s second D.C. location of Good Stuff. The third is located in Crystal City, Virginia.

The top three selling burgers are the Prez Obama Burger, Colletti’s Smokehouse, and the Free Range Turkey Burger.

“This was always where we wanted number two to be,” says Greenberg. “We plan to be here for a very long time,” added Helfer.

Eve Barnett • July 18, 2013

With the Fourth of July soon upon us, it’s time to start celebrating. In honor of Independence Day, Serendipity 3 and its sister restaurant in New York City are featuring a delicious, patriotic-themed sundae through July 11 — the “I Cannot Tell A Lie” Sundae. It combines two of the best American classics: pie and ice cream. This special sundae layers cherry pie, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. Capped off with blue and red sprinkles, a maraschino cherry and a white chocolate lollypop, it’s one sweet deal. [gallery ids="101366,152839,152835" nav="thumbs"]

Beatriz Parres •

Eating without paying. That is what most people think when they hear “Dine and Dash.” However, chef José Andrés has added a new and positive definition to this concept — all for a good cause.

On a hot evening June 25, Andrés and friends presented the first annual Dine ‘n’ Dash, which six restaurants from Penn Quarter joined, including Oyamel, Jaleo, Proof, Zaytinya, Poste and Azur. The event worked as follows: after purchasing your wristband, you were assigned to a restaurant as your starting point. The goal was to stroll through all of them within four hours, which was not an easy task. As you walked in, unlimited drinks and delicious food surrounded you at all times. Waiters with full and colorful trays were everywhere, offering different dishes and making sure you were never empty-handed.

The $150 cost of the wristband covered the unlimited food and benefited World Central Kitchen . A non-profit run by Think Food Group, that José Andrés started after a trip to Haiti. Its goal is to “foster future generations of innovators and activists and to change the world through the power of food.” World Central Kitchen is committed to find solutions that will help combat hunger around the globe.

The June 25 event raised more than $60,000 that will go towards “Smart Solutions to Hunger and Poverty,” which focuses on providing and facilitating local agriculture, clean cook stoves, sustainable kitchens and job training in Haiti. According to World Central Kitchen, more than 600 persons attended.

Georgetowner • July 17, 2013

From Matchbox Food Group comes a new Ted?s Bulletin, its family-style restaurant, opening in Reston, Va., in the Uno?s space. It will be the third in the metro area. The original is on Barracks Row on Capitol Hill and the second will open on 14th Street near Swann St., NW in late summer, just a block from its sister operation, matchbox, at 14th & T. A 4th quarter opening is planned for Reston.

San Francisco-based Vino Volo, known for their airport retail operations, plans to open its largest restaurant and wine bar in the D.C. metro area in Tysons Galleria where Sharper Image was, by summer?s end. It will be larger than its Bethesda store, with 120 seats plus private dining space and a retail store. They have two locations in Dulles International Airport, one in BWI/Marshall Airport as well as Bethesda Row.

NYC chef Daniel Boulud’s DBGB Bar & Kitchen is coming to City Center, at the former Convention Center site in Penn
Quarter. Boulud started in D.C. when he first came to the U.S. 30 years ago. Expect a brasserie-
style restaurant in Washington.

***Just Opened:*** Attman?s Deli has opened in the Cabin John Shopping Center. The original is in downtown Baltimore. The
Popal family has opened its latest addition to its empire (Napoleon, Caf? Bonaparte), Malmaison, a bistro and wine cellar, also in Georgetown at 34th & Water Streets, NW. Their consulting chef is the renowned Gerard Pangaud. Chef de cuisine is Yomi Faniyi. Their pastry chef is Serge Torres, who has worked at Le Cirque in NYC. Decanter opened where Adour was in the St. Regis Washington, D.C. Chef S?bastien Rondier oversees the menu of this Mediterranean- influenced restaurant. Taco Bamba, chef Victor Albisu’s taqueria, recently opened in Falls Church, just a few doors down from his mother’s
Plaza Latina food market.

Openings Update:
Smashburger opens their second metro are store on August 7 in Dupont Circle. The first is in Fairfax. Ri Ra plans
to open its Georgetown location at the end of October. An August opening is planned for Ovvio
at Halstead Square in Merrifield, Va. Pinstripes, offering Italian and American cuisine, is slated
to open in November at the Shops at Georgetown Park. The 14,000-square-foot space will also house 14 bowling lanes, 6 bocce courts, an outdoor patio and event space for up to 600 guests. Chik-Fil-A plans an Aug. 22 opening in Rockville in Montrose Crossing Shopping Center. Mike Isabella’s newest addition to his restaurant empire, Kapnos, opened at 14th and W Streets, NW. Kapnos is Greek for “smoke” and features the cuisine of Northern Greece. He plans to open G (Graffiato’s sister restaurant) by August. It?s next door to Kapnos, offering traditional Italian heroes by day and a four-course, $40 tasting menu by night Au Bon Pain signed a lease to open at 801 17th St., NW. The Deli owners have signed a lease to open at the Watergate
complex on Virginia Avenue, NW. Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab plans to open in late fall on 15th Street, NW . Richard Sandoval’s Toro Toro, a pan-Latin steakhouse, is opening this fall at 13th and I Street, NW. Aaron Silverman’s Rose’s Luxury should be open on 8th Street, SE, in Barracks Row by early fall.

Chef-GM-Sommelier Update: Harper Mc-Clure has been named chef de cuisine at Brabo by Robert Wiedmaier and the Butcher?s Block at the Lorien Hotel in Old Town, Alexandria, Va. Previously, he was sous chef at Marcel?s? Ethan McKee is new chef at Urbana at Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle. Previously, he was at Circle Bistro and Equinox. Gene Alexeyev has been promoted to sommelier at Blue Duck Tavern. The Russian-born Alexeyev was assistant manager.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates. Reach her at: Linda@LindaRothPR.com. www.lindarothpr.com.

Robert Devaney • July 15, 2013

Spike Mendelsohn and his crew are about to open the third Good Stuff Eatery at 3291 M St., NW, next to Rhino Bar & Pumphouse. The two-story Georgetown Good Stuff Eatery expects to open within a couple of weeks, or at least by the end of the month, said Ryan Helfer of Good Stuff Eatery.

Helfer also said that while the new business has completed most of its hiring at the M Street spot there are still a few more slots to fill — Georgetown@GoodStuffEatery.com; 202-286-9125.

The five-year-old business offers “handmade burgers, hand-cut fries and handspun ice creamshakes,” it says, and is “committed to freshness, fellowship and friendliness.” It expects to average about 1,000 hamburgers per day at its new location. (We especially like the Prez Obama burger.)

The original Good Stuff Eatery is at Capitol Hill; the second in Crystal City in Arlington, Va. A fourth Good Stuff Eatery is slated to open in Philadelphia in a few months.

Other restaurants headed by Mendelsohn are We, the Pizza and Bearnaise, a steak frite place, which opened a week ago. Both are at Capitol Hill.

Mendelsohn is well known for his appearances at cable TV’s “Top Chef.” Other places that Good Stuff Eatery is checking out include China and Dubai, the head chef told the Eater blog a few month ago.

Georgetowner • July 4, 2013

UPDATE
The 2013 Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington awards night, known as the “Oscars of Washington, D.C., area restaurants,” burst with flowers, food and wine as its theme, “Restaurants in Bloom,” took on a whole new meaning June 23.
The Washington area became the home of 50 new restaurants this year, making the RAMMY awards, such as the one for “Rising Culinary Star of the Year,” a more competitive honor. Hosted at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, the RAMMYs recognized members of RAMW for their exemplary commitment to the District and its suburbs as well as for love of food.
The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel also received the Joan Hisaoka Associate Member of the Year Award for its commitment and support of RAMW.

More than 1,600 attendees wined and dined at food stations with wine pairings and a chocolate fondue fountain.
The honor of the night, the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award, was given to longtime D.C. resident and former restaurant owner Linda Lee, for helping make D.C. more of an international destination. For one, Lee has helped to entirely revitalize Chinatown.

Other individual notable winners included Ashok Bajaj, from Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, winning Restauranteur of the Year, Fabio Trabocchi from Fiola as Chef of the Year and Scot Harlan from Green Pig Bistro (Arlington) as Rising Culinary Star. Chef Beverly Bates took the cake for Vidalia, winning Pastry Chef at this year’s awards. Luis Noriega of Zengo won Restaurant Employee.

Mintwood Place was voted Best New Restaurant, and Bar Pilar grabbed the title of the Hottest Bar Scene. Separated by just a few blocks in NW, 14TH Street between Logan Circle and U Street proved its diversity with Bar Pilar’s win and with Estadio recognized as an Upscale Casual Restaurant.

Triple-threat restaurant manager Michael Nevarez of Vidalia, Bistro Bis and Woodward Table won the RAMMY for Restaurant Manager. In the wine and dine department, Room 11 took the RAMMY for Beverage-Mixology Program and March’s by Robert Wiedmaier won for Wine Program.

Dupont Circle’s C.F. Folks Restaurant was recognized as Casual Restaurant of the year and West End’s Blue Duck Tavern won Fine Dining Restaurant. The Power Spot award went to P.J. Clarke’s, and Nellie’s Sports Bar can now be known as Neighborhood Gathering Place.

Georgetown’s M Street landmark, Clyde’s of Georgetown, received the Honorary Milestone award in honor of its 50th year of business.

END UPDATE

The 2013 Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington awards night, known as the “Oscars of Washington, D.C., area restaurants,” bursted with florals, food and wine as its theme, “Restaurants in Bloom,” took on a whole new meaning June 23.

The Washington area became the home of 50 new restaurants this year, making the RAMMY awards, such as the one for “Rising Culinary Star of the Year,” a more competitive honor. Hosted at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, the RAMMYs recognized members of RAMW for their exemplary commitment to the District and its suburbs as well as for love of food.

More than 1,600 attendees wined and dined at food stations with wine pairings and a chocolate fondue fountain.

The honor of the night, the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award, was given to longtime D.C. resident and former restaurant owner Linda Lee, for helping make D.C. more of an international destination. For one, Lee has helped to entirely revitalize Chinatown.

Other notable winners included Ashok Bajaj from Knightsbridge Restaurant Group winning Restauranteur of the Year, Fabio Trabocchi from Fiola as Chef of the Year and Scot Harlan from Green Pig Bistro as Rising Culinary Star.

Mintwood Place was voted Best New Restaurant, and Bar Pilar grabbed the title of the Hottest Bar Scene.

Georgetown’s M Street landmark, Clyde’s of Georgetown, received the Honorary Milestone award in honor of its 50th year of business.