Food & Wine

Sallie Lewis • May 21, 2015

With cranes animating the Tysons Corner skyline, the Silver Line extension and a new Hyatt Regency, it’s clear that the area is experiencing a major facelift.

Just three miles away, in McLean, Virginia, another facelift is underway at Evo Bistro. The restaurant, which opened in 2007, has gone through a succession of leadership changes over the years, but the original owner and executive chef, Driss Zahidi, is back, restoring the restaurant’s authentic Mediterranean character.

Zahidi was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, a city that exhibits a variety of culinary styles and influences. The oldest of five children, he regularly helped his mother in the kitchen. By the time he was in high school, he landed his first job as a line cook. After college, he got a master’s degree in physics and spent a year working in France as a chemical engineer before returning to his passion for cooking.

In 2000, Zahidi moved to the United States, relocating to Washington, D.C., after a brief stint in New York. He worked in a number of commercial kitchens before co-founding Evo Bistro. Zahidi’s goal since the beginning was to serve elegant, upscale Mediterranean cuisine alongside an extensive wine list, which he did until 2011. At that time, Zahidi left Evo Bistro, which slowly moved away from its Mediterranean roots.

In February of this year, Zahidi’s ambition to restore Evo Bistro to its original concept became a reality when he resumed ownership and the executive chef position. He also continues to operate Le Mediterranean Bistro in Fairfax, a French Moroccan restaurant, which he opened in 2013.

At a recent Evo Bistro lunch, the atmosphere was relaxed and inviting. The open dining room was bathed in natural light and accented with colorful artwork by Buck Nelligan. The menu has shifted back to a Mediterranean montage of dishes influenced by Spanish, French, Italian and Moroccan flavors. Tapas range from garlic shrimp with white wine sauce to lightly fried artichokes with jalapeno aioli, sweet peppers stuffed with wild mushrooms and savory goat cheese and saffron paella.

“Back home we used to have paella weekly,” said Zahidi of his Moroccan upbringing. The restaurant now has three paella dishes to choose from: a vegetable version, rich with piquillo peppers, spring squash and asparagus; a chicken and chorizo rendition with wild mushrooms and peas; and a seafood interpretation with mussels, shrimp and scallops.

The menu’s diverse flavor portfolio complements the diverse wine selection for which Evo is known. In addition to this impressive wine list, Evo Bistro also has a retail wine shop, with every bottle on the list available for purchase either individually or by the case. Guests can call ahead and pick up their order or simply take it home after their lunch or dinner.

Since Zahidi’s return, every day at Evo Bistro is a cause for celebration. Tuesday is Spanish Night, with a variety of paella specials plus 25 percent off Spanish wine bottles. On Thursdays, diners get 50 percent off select Champagne bottles, and on Mondays and Wednesdays until 9 p.m., and Fridays at lunch, guests get 50 percent off featured wines.

Additionally, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Evo has happy hour in their bar and lounge that includes $5 and $6 drink specials, plus $6 and $9 tapas. The workweek lunch special is also not to be missed, with three tapas plates for $12.
Evo Bistro sits in the crosshairs of a fast-growing region, and Driss Zahidi’s return helped sharpen the restaurant’s focus while restoring its originality. Evo Bistro has successfully revamped its look and reclaimed its identity as McLean’s premier destination for Mediterranean cuisine.

Evo Bistro, 1313 Old Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, Virginia.

Sallie Lewis •

What happens when an innovative winemaker partners with one of D.C.’s hottest restaurants? A custom wine is born.
That’s exactly what occurred when [Michael Shaps Wineworks](http://www.michaelshapswines.com/) of Charlottesville, Virginia, paired up with the [Red Hen](http://www.theredhendc.com/). The new arrival is named Dahlia, a vanity label of rosé wine.

Virginia viticulture grows stronger every year, thanks, in part, to producers like Shaps. Making wine in Virginia since 1995, Shaps started a wine consulting business in 2000. In 2007, he launched his own independent winery, focusing on small-batch production.

Prior to his Virginia winemaking days, Shaps’s interests were in Burgundy, France, where he earned a BPA in oenology and viticulture from the Lycée Viticole de Beaune and worked at Chartron and Trebuchet in Puligny-Montrachet as an assistant wine maker. Since 2004, he’s been a partner in the boutique Maison Shaps Winery in Meursault.

Shaps travels to France every other month and enjoys applying Burgundy winemaking philosophies to his Virginia business. Ordinarily, all the traveling back and forth would be exhausting, but Shaps is clearly doing what he loves. “The passion of winemaking keeps me grounded,” he said.

Unique to Shaps’s impressive portfolio is his contract winemaking service and custom crush facility, the first of its kind in the state. With this service, independent growers and individuals interested in making their own wine can work with Shaps and his team from start to finish to create something unique, from sourcing grapes to designing a label and bottling for distribution. With access to Virginia’s finest vineyards, the team has many grape varieties to work with – from Chardonnay to Cabernet Franc to Viognier.

When the Red Hen in D.C.’s historic Bloomingdale neighborhood was looking to create a spring-to-summer rosé, something unique that would complement their summer menu, they knew just the person to call. Sebastian Zutant, co-owner of the Red Hen with the restaurant’s sommelier and beverage director, has known Shaps for many years.

“He’s one of the pillars of Virginia wine,” said Zutant, adding that Shaps is “more of a naturalist” when it comes to local winemakers. For example, his wines utilize natural yeast fermentation.

On March 23, after working with Shaps, the Red Hen’s Dahlia rosé launched, with the namesake flower on the label. “Stylistically it’s a very different rosé,” said Zutant. Strawberry-driven with red fruit flavors, the wine is pale in color: blush with a light orange tint. “It’s a hard-to-say-no-to, knock-back rosé,” he said.

The wine’s easy drinkability and fair price-point ($10 a glass, $40 a bottle) has made it a strong seller. It pairs particularly well with lighter fare, from scallops to fish. Zutant suggests trying it with the restaurant’s black linguini with squid; the dish’s pickled Fresno chilies add heat, but the wine’s crispness cools the palate.
“I’m definitely going to be making more next year,” said Zutant.

**Shaps Pairings in Great Falls**

On April 28, the celebrated [L’Auberge Chez Francois](http://www.laubergechezfrancois.com/) in Great Falls celebrated Michael Shaps with a special five-course meal prepared by chef Jacques Haeringer, each course paired with Michael Shaps and Maison Shaps wines.

A grilled breast of chicken with morel mushrooms paired beautifully with a Maison Michael Shaps Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru from 2012. Shaps actually lived in the French village of Savigny at one time. The wine he chose showcased the true essence of Burgundy Pinot Noir, with the firm tannins characteristic to the village.

Next, a roasted and coffee-crusted filet mignon with Bordelaise sauce was paired with a Michael Shaps Petit Verdot from 2010. This dark, inky wine brought diners back to Virginia and exuded blackberry notes with coffee and cocoa.
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Georgetowner • May 6, 2015

Boston-based Michael Schlow of Tico plans to open The Riggsby, an American restaurant with European influences, in the Carlyle Hotel just off Dupont Circle at 1731 New Hampshire Ave. NW. Philippe Reininger, most recently executive chef at J&G Steakhouse, will oversee the kitchen. Daniel Lobsenz, most recently at Roofers Union, will be general manager. The artwork and décor is by Schlow’s artist wife, Adrienne. It will seat 40 in the bar and 75 in the dining room. A summer opening is planned.

Asheville, North Carolina-based Tupelo Honey Café, featuring modern Southern food, plans to open in Arlington’s Courthouse ’hood at 2000 Wilson Blvd., where Dr. Dremo’s used to be, in early June. This is its first Virginia location, with Virginia Beach not far behind. Tupelo Honey has 10 locations throughout the South.

Quick Hits: District Taco will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Rosslyn (where they started with a food truck) at 1500 Wilson Blvd. It will be their seventh location … A new fast-casual Indian food concept and its sister full-service restaurant, American Tandoor, are slated to open in Tysons Corner Center this September. VSAG, of Founding Farmers and its affiliate restaurants, are working with the Asia-based originators of the concept … Illinois-based Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant plans to open a large restaurant at the former Reston Town Center (now called RTC West), as well as in Ashburn’s Belmont Chase shopping center, entering the Loudoun County market. The RTC West restaurant, with an outdoor patio as well its signature tasting room and a private dining (and barrel-aging) room, is slated to open in 2017. Cooper’s Hawk serves wines it makes with grapes purchased from the West Coast. They have 19 locations throughout the U.S.

Philadelphia-based Public House Investments plans to open Pennsylvania 6, a 265-seat contemporary American restaurant, across from McPherson Square at 1350 I St. NW. The regional American menu is created by culinary director Brian Cooke. Equal time and attention is paid to its cocktail program (each drink will have its own history and origin). The company also operates City Tap House in Penn Quarter. Managing partner Chris Coco is collaborating with local designer Maggie O’Neill to create a modern day supper club and bistro, with three private dining rooms that can accommodate up to 100 seated guests.

Chef Update: Brad Race will be executive chef at Claudia’s Steakhouse in the Investment Building at 1501 K St. NW. He had been executive chef at Bearnaise … Tom Meyer is the chef at Robert Wiedmaier’s Villain & Saint in downtown Bethesda. This is the Tom Meyer from Regine Palladin’s Pesce restaurant in Dupont Circle, not THE Tom Meyer, president of Clyde’s Restaurant Group. But it does offer live music, like The Hamilton.

Openings Update: Claudia Rivas’ Claudia’s Steakhouse is slated to open in late spring … Tadich Grill at 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW is now slated to open in early summer … Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria e Bar will open in early May in Westfield Montgomery … Levante’s on 19th Street at Dupont Circle will re-open as Ankara, a Turkish restaurant and bar run by the Aslanturk family. The restaurant seats 120 and nearly that many on the outdoor patio. The cuisine will reflect Turkey’s Persian and Mediterranean influences. Chef Jorge Chicas has strong Mediterranean creds as he did kitchen time at Jose Andres’ Zaytinya in D.C. and Bazaar in Los Angeles. A May opening is planned.

Just opened: Brio Tuscan Grille opened in the Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, the third one in the metro area. Columbus, Ohio-based Bravo/Brio Restaurant Group opened the first in Tysons Corner Center and the second in North Bethesda. The restaurant seats 190 inside and 70 on the terrace … Dolcezza opened in CityCenter DC, joining RareSweets in Palmer Alley. The 1,200-square-foot space seats 20 people at a communal table and standing bar. They have a nitrogen coffee program to create smooth, creamy iced coffee using the same high-pressure nitrogen used in the beer and beverage industry … Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon and partner Fouad Qreitem of Paisano’s Pizza opened their second QSR SpinFire Pizza in Rosslyn at 1501 Wilson Blvd. … Bonchon recently opened its first D.C. location at the Capitol Riverfront near Nats Park, serving Korean crispy fried chicken … ALL SET Restaurant & Bar opened in downtown Silver Spring’s Montgomery Center, offering a modern take on Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern cuisine. The owners are industry veterans Jennifer Meltzer (front of house) and Edward Reavis (back of house), formerly of District Commons/Burger Tap & Shake. They are “good to go.” Really.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry. Reach her at Linda@LindaRothPR.com.

Caitlin Franz • April 28, 2015

It’s easy to get bogged down in over-zealous green marketing campaigns when trying to find high-quality food that is also produced in an environmentally responsible way. Check out the following compilation of local restaurants with local, fresh and eco-friendly menus.

Big Bear Café
Big Bear Café features seasonal produce and dishes, homemade sausages and house-cured fish and bacon. The iconic Bloomingdale spot, a hipster haven, is now open for dinner. The newly expanded patio is the perfect place to enjoy the warming weather. 1700 First St. NW ? 202-643-9222 ? bigbearcafe-dc.com.

Busboys and Poets
Busboys and Poets is a widely popular restaurant with a cozy atmosphere for all ages. Whether for brunch with friends or a romantic date, the menu is well stocked with sustainable food and locally cultivated organic ingredients. Browse the bookstore’s environmental selection while you wait to be seated or after your meal. 2021 V. St. NW ? 202-387-7638 ? busboysandpoets.com

Café du Parc
This authentic French bistro provides a casual dining atmosphere, complimented by its one-of-a-kind menu, enhanced with locally grown produce. The restaurant has three-star certified status from the Green Restaurant Association.1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW ? 202-942-7000 ? cafeduparc.com

Commissary
Another three-star certified Green Restaurant, Commissary offers a place to sit down for a meal at any time of day, plus a bar and a coffeehouse. The P Street venue serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, along with snacks, desserts and smoothies. There’s a cozy lounge area, an outdoor café and free Wi-Fi. This local dining spot obtains its ingredients from the Eatwell Natural Farm in Maryland. 1443 P St. NW ? 202-299-0018 ? commissarydc.com

Table
Boasting menus that change daily depending on the seasonal ingredients on hand, it’s no wonder that hours are spent handwriting each of Table’s menus – in pencil. Tucked away on N Street in Shaw, Table gained the honor of being one of the first restaurants in the United States to be REAL (Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership) Verified by the United States Healthful Food Council. 903 N St. NW ? 202-588-5200 ? tabledc.com

The Pig
As its name would imply, the Pig has a pork-centric menu. The restaurant features locally sourced food, which changes based on the availability of the freshest ingredients. The vegetables used in its dishes are grown on its farm in nearby La Plata, Maryland. In addition, the Pig uses only humanely raised animals and works to create minimal waste. 1320 14th St. NW ? 202-290-2821 ? thepigdc.com

Restaurant Nora
Nora was the first restaurant in America to be certified organic. The venue uses solely organic ingredients and prides itself on farm-to-fork dining. Restaurant Nora utilizes sustainable cooking methods and offers a seasonal dinner menu. 2132 Florida Ave. NW ? 202-462-5143 ? noras.com

1789 Restaurant
An institution in Georgetown, 1789 also happens to be a great place to sample cuisine made with local and organic ingredients. The restaurant’s website features a list of local farms where it obtains its fresh ingredients. Make sure you make a reservation if you plan to dine at 1789. A jacket is required for men. 1226 36th St. NW ? 202-965-1789 ? 1789restaurant.com

Peter Murray •

The Fuchs family’s 90-year-old Wagshal’s empire has a new crown jewel: Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ.

The new venture, housed in an alley alongside Wagshal’s sprawling base in the Spring Valley Shopping Center, is unassuming but noticeable; the reclaimed wood entrance – in shades of amber, maroon and mahogany – stands out from the white walls and loading docks, announcing to passersby that something good is afoot.

And it really is. The literal hole-in-the-wall, 900 square feet with a rustic, pig-centric aesthetic throughout, serves up amazing barbecue, possibly the best in the District.

The quality is no surprise given that Bill Fuchs and his son Brian have been supplying renowned barbecue pitmasters with prime cuts of meat for competitions for years. In ramping up their own barbecue restaurant, they even got a few pitmaster pals to contribute recipes and cooking techniques – the equivalent of state secrets in the barbecue world. (The Washington Post reported that the Fuchses make the cooks at Pitmasters sign nondisclosure agreements.)

Additionally, their experience with Wagshal’s Market and Wagshal’s Deli has lent the Fuchs a unique perspective on meat. Brian takes great pride in the product quality, emphasizing that his team is intimately involved in the process, from farm to table (fear before slaughter can completely “change the taste of the meat,” he says). In the case of the “Kobe” of pork, their Ibérico de Bellota Costilla ribs, that involvement requires international travel, to Spain.

The care put into the meat shows, or, rather, comes through on the palate. The St. Louis ribs don’t fall off the bones – Fuchs says they really shouldn’t – until you take a bite. They feel like butter in between the teeth, but with a scrumptious and savory flavor. The half-smoke, which blows others in D.C. out of the water, is crispy on the outside and tender, with umami flavor, on the inside. The garnishments (chili, fries, cheese and onions) are the cherry on top of a near-perfect package.

Most barbecue joints serve up more pulled pork than you can wag your tail at. At Pitmasters, Fuchs opts for chopped pork, saying that competitors’ pulled pork is often overcooked. The resulting Carolina chopped pork shoulder is succulent and robust, excellent-tasting on its own, without any barbecue sauce. (There isn’t anything on the menu that needs sauce, despite how good the Pitmasters sauce tastes.) Flavor also carries the day for Pitmasters’ smoky, marbled brisket, which practically melts in your mouth as you chew.

As for sides, let’s start with the power players: the burnt ends. The beef and pork burnt ends are delectable little blackened bites rolled in sauce. They crunch before giving way to soft, delicious, slow-cooked meat.

Chef Trini’s “Mother in Law” salsa-cum-slaw – made with pickled veggies, Caribbean flavor (thanks to green mango) and a spicy kick – impresses right off the bat. One would be hard-pressed to find a similar taste elsewhere in the District, let alone the world. The staple sides, like the collard greens and baked beans, distinguish themselves with meat – bacon, that is. The rest of the sides, including the mac ‘n’ cheese and loaded fries (nachos on steroids: covered with cheese, burnt ends and pickled jalapenos), are sure to be crowd-pleasers in all their gluttonous glory.

This review may tempt you to tear up to Pitmasters to get in on all of this hot-meat action. But hold back: the restaurant only offers barbecue to order. You have to call it in, and you can’t eat it there.

Fuchs savors conversation about how his team prepares orders so that they are fresh for customers. Despite the trend of extending smoke times up to 24 hours, the meats are smoked for just a few hours, which Fuchs says is all they need. The restaurant even provides reheating instructions, because, Fuchs says, “you don’t want to microwave ribs.” [gallery ids="102055,134558" nav="thumbs"]

Sallie Lewis • April 23, 2015

On March 3, Ari Gejdenson of Mindful Restaurant Group unveiled his newest venture: Sotto on 14th Street NW. The space is home to a harmonious blend of live jazz, wine, craft cocktails and American cuisine with a smoky finish. Sotto, ‘below’ in Italian, is appropriately located underneath Ghibellina, another of Gejdenson’s popular dining destinations.

The jazz and blues cultural center HR-57 was the former tenant of the building, before moving to H Street four years ago. As a tribute to the building’s past, Sotto has live jazz and blues Tuesday through Saturday, featuring a constant rotation of local artists and aspiring talent.

The restaurant’s ambiance is as sleek and sexy as the jazzy sounds that fill it. Sotto’s dimly lit space, designed by Gronning Architects, incorporates lots of exposed brick, with attractive wood and steel accents for an overall warm, sultry effect. Patrons waiting for a table or simply looking to drink and snack on appetizers can sit at the long wooden bar, flanked by rustic steel barstools.

Sotto’s bar manager Daniel Barnes created his cocktail list based on classics from the 1950s and earlier; think of a “Trolley Car” with spiced rum, blood orange and angostura or an “Ed Ellington” with scotch, Lillet Rose, cranberry and orange. His take on these cocktails goes back to D.C.’s jazz culture, when jazz clubs were really big up and down U Street. “We’re trying to continue that by having jazz here,” said Michael Rosato, Sotto’s general manager.

Executive chef Keith Cabot’s menu reflects regional American cuisine with an emphasis on smoked meats. The chef’s selection of housemade sausages was inspired by Gejdenson’s trip to Austin. Other highlights include the Brussels sprout salad with an herb cream dressing and pomegranates, pork ribs, beef brisket and a delicious half-chicken with a delightfully crisp skin and chili sauce. Sotto also has a sweet selection of desserts, like poached apple with caramel ice cream or banana bread with dulce de leche and chocolate.

Diners can enjoy all of this in one of the restaurant’s cozy booths or at long wooden tables. At the end of the restaurant, a stunning glass wine cellar is the backdrop to the night’s local talent.

Sotto is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, starting at 6 p.m. [gallery ids="102023,134915,134914" nav="thumbs"]

Jody Kurash •

Africa is an exotic continent with an unbridled spirit: a place full of starry-eyed dreams of safari, mystifying native people, endangered animals, spectacular sunsets and thrilling sojourns across savannahs filled with breathtaking vistas.

On my first trip there, I came across a striking elixir in Kenya with a bold label that truly caught my eye. The label prominently featured a massive elephant with mammoth tusks staring at me with its ears alert. The brown bottle with a golden cord tied around it blended seamlessly into the background display, featuring images of the sun going down on a dazzling landscape, with elephants silhouetted across a sky tinged with orange and gold.

A tagline proclaimed it: “Amarula – the spirit of Africa.”

I would later see this alluring liqueur on sale throughout Africa, from the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to the safari dreamland of Tanzania, from the rollicking beaches of Ghana to the colorful deserts of Namibia.

Amarula is a cream liqueur (similar to Baileys), forged from the fruit of the marula tree. In Africa, the tree is also known as the elephant tree because elephants are very fond of its fruit.

There is also an ancient African legend about the elephant and the hare. According to African.org, a hare helped an elephant during a time of drought. To thank him, the elephant presented the hare with a tusk. The hare buried it in his garden and then enjoyed the wonderful fruit in times of famine. From then on, the elephant is said to be looking for his tusk as he devours the fruit from the marula tree.

Marula trees grow abundantly in the wild and are found in South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The fruit, the size of a small oval plum, has a golden-yellow skin and a soft, citrus-like flavor, but with a creamy nuttiness.

Amarula liqueur is made in South Africa. The technique is very similar to the process of making wine, for which South Africa is also known. Like grapes, the fruit is crushed with the skins. Next, the pulp is transported to Stellenbosch, South Africa’s famed winemaking town, where it is fermented, distilled and then left to age for two years in oak barrels, where the additional flavors of vanilla and spices are imparted. Finally, it’s blended with fresh dairy cream to give it its thick, velvety consistency.

The rich and creamy final product is often served on the rocks as an aperitif or after-dinner tipple. Many of the cocktails made with Amarula are thick and heavy. For a dessert-like indulgence, it is mixed with coffee or other sweet liqueurs and ice cream.

The best Amarula mixture I’ve sampled came from an outdoor restaurant along the beachfront road in Cape Town’s hip Camps Bay neighborhood, where fashionable young locals hobnob on Sundays. It was a brisk early-spring afternoon, just before sunset. I was sitting on the patio, lazily enjoying the sublime view.

My drink arrived in a classic martini glass, looking a bit like an old-time brandy Alexander. A combination of Amarula, vodka and Cointreau, it was a pleasant pre-dinner treat. The orange liqueur enhanced the orange flavor of the Amarula, while the vodka provided an extra kick, preventing the drink from becoming too heavy. It was a lovely way to cap off a day of touring Africa’s celebrated southernmost coast.

There are more noble reasons to imbibe Amarula than the exotic taste. The brand is involved in many projects to help the people and wildlife of Africa. Being true to its majestic elephant mascot, the Amarula Elephant Research Program tracks elephant movement rates and ranging behavior. Amarula has also partnered with the Kenyan Wildlife Service.

Another unique community project the company sponsors is the tassel program, which helps formerly unemployed women by hiring them to make the tasseled cords that adorn every bottle of Amarula.

You don’t need to fly to Africa to sample this unique elixir. Amarula is available in many local liquor stores.

Swinging Safari
2 1/2 shots of Amarula
1 1/4 shots of Cointreau
1 shot of vodka

Mix all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Georgetowner • April 22, 2015

The story of how I, a wine amateur, ended up preaching the gospel at the Wine Bar on the second floor of Bistrot Lepic is not worth telling.

I tasted. I looked through books. I looked up grapes and regions and appellations. I asked questions of the French crew and received choice words, such as ‘inky’ and ‘sauvage.’

After one hectic Sunday night, the manager decanted – sniffing it in a big glass with satisfaction – a Pic Saint-Loup. He poured me a glass and I swirled it, and within, magically, was the manure from the manure spreaders of my childhood, along with the shale-y underground on which everything in our part of the world grew.

Each time we taste a wine we get that lesson of terroir. This is what makes wine enjoyable – not to hoard, but to sample; to understand the earth a wine comes from, the weather, the slopes, the soil and its minerals; a sampling of the DNA of a particular place, its creatures, its flora, the traditional local dishes.

I decant a Madiran for two French gentlemen and they savor it along with a venison fricassée, singing its praises with Gallic pride when I pour. A lady, a sommelier, orders a Bandol. She tells me she only decants vintage bottles. “Really?” I reply. “I would decant a young pinot or even a Beaujolais,” I say. “Beaujolais, I cannot stand Beaujolais,” the lady says, and we chuckle.

A venerable vigneron from a small town in the Languedoc, in excellent shape well into his seventies, brings a rosé and a red for a wine tasting. I asked him about the vintage. “Every year is good in the South of France,” he says, and he smiles.

For all my homework regarding French wines not of the modern style, I have a new crush: a varietal exotic to me, with a long history, a grape not easy to handle. I’ve been hearing how every seafood restaurant in New York is pouring Greek white wines. There have been whispers about the Xinomavro grape, dark red wines of northern Greece.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m breaking out of my own routine, discovering the beauty of something new, beautiful, different, earthy and enjoyable with just about everything, sipping this foreign beauty in new company.

Sallie Lewis • March 26, 2015

Walking into After Peacock Room is like opening an elegant coffee table book and spending an afternoon in its glossy pages. The location, a former consignment shop, has metamorphosed into a delightful teahouse and fine-dining café. With its gilded industrial hardware, crystal chandeliers, plush blue benches and peacock-colored walls, it is both cozy and hip.

The aesthetic of After Peacock Room is inspired by James McNeill Whistler’s “Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room,” created in 1877 for wealthy English shipowner Frederick Richards Leyland. Whistler’s work was purchased by Charles Lang Freer and later installed in the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery on the Mall, where it remains today.

Heewon Ra is the lady behind After Peacock Room. The Korean beauty, who has lived in D.C. since 2001, remembers the first time she saw the Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery more than ten years ago. That moment would spark a sense of wonderment that would flower years later in her first venture into the restaurant business.

Prior to opening, Ra’s love of art and interior design drew her to a curatorial internship at the Hirshhorn Museum and to studies at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. After graduating, she spent time in Paris, where she fell in love with Mariage Frères, the famed teahouse in her Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood.

Upon returning to D.C., she dreamed about creating something similar to Mariage Frères, and Georgetown, with its pretty homes and European feel, seemed like just the place. “My goal was to provide excellent food and service in a nice ambiance,” she said. Inspired by the beautiful Prussian blues, deep greens and gold that come alive in Whistler’s work, After Peacock Room serves as a contemporary interpretation of the classic.

The quaint size of the teahouse is part of its appeal. In 2011, Ra snatched up the building on 27th and P. She began construction in 2013, and by 2014 After Peacock Room was in business. Along with being her first restaurant, the space was also her first interior-design project, and the outcome is a tribute to her talent. The interior walls, which are canvas, are layered in oil paint in hues of sea green and midnight blue that come alive at night.

The dining room in the back, called the Hawthorn Flower Room, is inspired by Leyland’s collection of blue and white porcelain; the walls are painted with gold flowers. Rockville-based woodworker Jed Dinger made the communal dining tables, and the black bistro chairs that accent them were freshened with brushstrokes of gold paint, which Ra added herself.

After Peacock Room was closed from June to November while the kitchen was updated and the wine-and-beer license was pending. During that period, the decision was made to transition from a full teahouse to a daytime tea-and-coffee destination with a fine-dining dinner component. Chef Nick Sharpe, who worked under the acclaimed Michael Mina in San Francisco, now helms the kitchen. The menu features the best of seasonal tastes.

On Sundays, After Peacock Room offers takeout coffee service from 9 to noon, with the proceeds donated to local charities.
Ra looks forward to growing the restaurant’s dinner business and being able to host small private parties. For now, though, she is focused on sustaining a unique teahouse and an elegant dining experience in the neighborhood.

After Peacock Room is located at 2622 P. St. NW.

Jody Kurash •

“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

On Nov. 10, 1871, journalist and explorer H. M. Stanley muttered these words to David Livingstone in a small town on Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, giving rise to this still-popular quotation.

The quote has dubious connotations, as it describes Stanley’s words upon completing a long and treacherous journey in search of Livingstone, one of the most popular explorers of the 19th century. When he spotted the only white man, the legendary question was posed

Livingstone, who had a near-mythical status in Victorian England, was on the forefront of a period of geographical discovery that led to the colonization of Africa.

Throughout Africa today, monuments of Livingstone abound. His name is attached to many places, including the city of Livingstone, Zambia, where he became the first European to visit Victoria Falls. Even a cocktail bears the name of the British hero.

I stumbled upon this by accident. As a cocktail nerd, whenever I travel to a new place, I Google the city name along with ‘cocktails,’ in an attempt to find the top local watering holes.

When I Googled ‘Livingstone’ and ‘cocktail,’ I didn’t find any lounge recommendations, but I found a number of sites with recipes for the Livingstone cocktail. My interest was piqued. I wanted to try this new cocktail, but the websites seemed to disagree on its ingredients.

The ingredients were sometimes listed as Mount Gay rum, orange juice and tonic. To me, a drink made with Barbados rum did not seem fitting for an African pioneer.

Another site had a photo of a drink looking much like a 20th-century cosmopolitan made with pomegranate syrup. I didn’t picture Livingstone hanging with the “Sex and the City” gals.

The recipe that came up the most was a drink similar to a classic martini, made with gin, vermouth and sugar syrup. This timeless combination was something I could imagine as a colonial drink.

I decided to take the search into my own hands when I landed in Livingstone last September. However, I quickly found that the hunt for the Livingstone cocktail in Livingstone was almost as challenging as Livingstone’s search for the source of the Nile.

I started with the bar at my hotel, Fawlty Towers, named after the John Cleese Britcom. Since my expectations were formed by the antics of Basil Fawlty and Manuel, I wasn’t too surprised when the staff hadn’t heard of the drink. They recommended some nearby places.

My first stop was Zambezi, a happening African joint. No luck. I headed to a long stretch of nightspots. I dutifully tried them all: cafés, outdoor bars, a seafood restaurant and even an Italian restaurant. Dr. Livingstone’s cocktail was nowhere to be found.

Finally, I upped the ante and headed to the Royal Livingstone Hotel, the ritziest place in town. I assumed they must serve the cocktail that bears the name of their hotel.

The Royal Livingstone exudes colonial elegance with its stylish design, graceful lobby and well-designed lounging areas. The expansive grounds around the hotel are home to a number of safari animals. I caught glimpses of zebras and giraffes on my taxi ride there.

Since it was early in the day, the refined bar was empty. I was handed a thick menu of drinks. Surely Dr. Livingstone would make an appearance soon. But once again he was absent. I quizzed the bartender, who brought me his supervisor. I was told that at one time they had a cocktail called the Livingstone, but they no longer served it. I asked him if I could order it. He eyed me suspiciously and said he would have to check.

He returned with a recipe for the elusive elixir and began to whip it up. Its ingredients were puzzling to me: mint muddled with a double of Jameson, apple juice topped off with soda water. A drink named after a British national hero forged from an Irish whiskey?

The drink was surprisingly interesting. The mint complimented the vanilla undertones of the Jameson, while the apple juice provided a hint of sweetness.

However, it seemed a bit heavy to be drinking after a warm day on safari, so I decided to compare it with the gin version I found online.

For the next round, I requested the bartender to mix a recipe I took off the internet. This drink was light and refreshing, and the London gin gave it a bit of regal twang. Here was a cocktail that could inspire new adventures.

After downing my drink, I found myself doing just that, hopping a boat from the hotel’s marina to visit the top of Victoria Falls and take a swim to the very edge in the Devil’s Pool.

Thank you, Dr. Livingstone, for the liquid courage!