Food & Wine

Walter Nicholls • January 16, 2015

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 and Sea Catch, 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.

Peter Murray •

After being forced out of Cleveland Park last spring, Frank Ruta has been hired as the executive chef at the Capella Hotel on 31st Street, NW, in Georgetown.

Ruta and his concept, Palena, became a neighborhood and city institution, but both were given the boot by the landlord over back rent payments that reportedly reached more than $100,000. Ruta called the incident “sad, embarrassing and somewhat painful” in an email to the Washington Post when the restaurant closed.

Since Palena’s closing, Ruta has taken charge over Bread Feast, a multi-course dinner series held at Mark Furstenberg’s Bread Furst bakery on Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness. He will cook his last dinner there on Dec. 19 before moving to the Capella. He has expressed hope, though, that the Bread Feast tradition continues in some shape or form.

The Capella opened its Grill Room and Rye Bar with great fanfare last year with Swedish chef Jacob Esko at the helm to provide patrons with a luxurious dining experience to match the hotel’s rooms, which range in cost from $500 to $7,000 a night. Esko left the Capella in June and is now the executive chef at W Barcelona in Spain.

Ruta arrives at the hotel’s restaurant with a mission to bring in more Georgetown locals. In an interview with the Washington Post, Ruta mentioned the possibility of lowering price points by expanding menu options beyond the Grill Room’s staples of seafood and steak in an effort to make the Grill Room a regular destination for Georgetowners. He also said that he expects to bring more Italian and French influence to the menus.

Before taking over the kitchen officially, Ruta is expected to take time to fill out key staff positions and evaluate the hotel’s kitchens. He told the Washington Post that having “final say” over staffing was a key part of his negotiations with the hotel’s management team.

Ruta starts at the Grill Room and Rye Bar on New Years’ Day.

Georgetowner •

If Washington, D.C., has indeed become a hub for top-notch restaurants, the D.C. arrival of Nobu, one of the world’s top Japanese restaurants, would highlight that distinction. While it remains only a possibility, a source told the Washington Business Journal last week that Nobu is in talks for a West End space at 2501 M St. NW., two blocks east of Georgetown.

It is speculated that Nobu will occupy the ground floor of the former American Association of Medical Colleges building, which will be converted to luxury condominiums with retail space at the bottom.

With more than 30 locations nationwide Nobu isn’t hurting to open its doors in D.C., but we’re sure every sushi lover might feel a bit differently.

Sallie Lewis •

As December dwindles and the year prepares to turn, restaurants and bars around the District are icing down the Champagne and getting ready for their best New Year’s Eve yet. Here are the best places in town to ring in the New Year:

Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown adds sparkle to its annual soiree with festive holiday garlands and dazzling décor. The full dinner menu starts at 4 p.m., and the chef will feature four “Farewell 2014” dinner specials.

At Peacock Café, there will be two seatings with a special prix fixe menu. The first seating ($57) runs from 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. The second seating ($69) begins at 8 p.m. and includes a glass of Champagne at midnight.

Enjoy an all-inclusive five-course prix fixe menu with a midnight toast at Café Milano. Guests can also dance to music performed by Manolito the Gypsy and other surprise entertainers. Early seating is from 4 to 7 p.m., with the regular a la carte dinner menu available.

Soak in one of the best views of Washington on New Year’s Eve at the W Hotel’s POV rooftop lounge. Amidst a stunning D.C. backdrop, some of the city’s most sought-after deejays will be spinning tunes throughout the night as the Champagne flows. Limited seating is available for bottle service. Contact POVEvents@Whotels.com for pricing.

Bistrot Lepic has organized a jazzy New Year’s Eve celebration with a three-course menu ($65) and loads of live jazz performed by Natalie Jean.

Cozy up to the big, roaring fire at La Chaumiere and delight in fine French dining in Georgetown. The chef has prepared a special New Year’s Eve menu with everything from baked onion soup and escargots to sautéed sea scallops, beef tenderloin medallions and veal piccata.

Treat yourself and indulge in caviar, oysters and lobster at Plume in the Jefferson Hotel. New executive chef Ralf Schlegel has organized a decadent seven-course New Year’s Eve dinner. The first seating ($165) is between 5 and 6 p.m. The second seating ($225), between 9 and 9:45 p.m., includes a glass of premium Champagne.

Joe’s Stone Crab opened downtown this year, and there’s no better place to tuck into fine crab claws. Joe’s will be featuring its full a la carte menu on Wednesday, Dec. 31, with loads of fresh stone crab. Plus, kick off your evening with complimentary sparkling wine and hors d’oeuvres.

If you’re looking for a classic D.C. institution to ring in 2015, look no further than 1789. The historic restaurant will offer a prix fixe menu ($125) and a prix fixe menu with wine pairing ($175) in addition to its popular a la carte menu.

The swanky Blue Duck Tavern has two events on New Year’s Eve. The restaurant will serve a special four-course menu ($120), including a Champagne toast, from 4:30 to 11 p.m. In the lounge, a New Year’s Eve party ($180) will run from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The party will feature a premium open bar, small plates, a dessert table and live music by Karla Chisholm.

Wherever you decide to go on New Years’ Eve, the Georgetowner wishes you the best as you celebrate bringing in 2015!

Robert Devaney •

The wait is over, CAPaddicts. Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop will open Monday, Dec. 15. The first 50 persons in line will earn free subs for a year, and the second 50 persons will get a free nine-inch sub on opening day, the company posted on its Capriotti’s Georgetown Facebook page. Of course, there is also an app.

The Delaware-based sandwich shop will make its debut at 34th and M Streets, NW, in the vacant building that housed Philadelphia Cheesesteak Factory and before that the famed Cellar Door music joint. On the west side of town, the shop is a few blocks from Georgetown University and its student population.

Capriotti’s is already downtown at 18th and M Streets, NW, and in Roslyn, Va., on Wilson Boulevard.

Established in 1976 in Wilmington, Del., Capriotti’s is named for the grandfather of founders Lois Margolet and her brother Alan and distinguished itself from other sandwich shops with its turkey sandwiches. It is often touted as a favorite spot of Vice President Joe Biden, formerly a senator from Delaware.

The restaurant serves a large selection of salads, cold and hot subs and sandwiches and a variety of vegetarian options. Since its first shop opened 38 years ago, Capriotti’s has expanded to more than 100 locations in 15 states and the District of Columbia.

The Georgetown Capriotti’s is at 3347 M St., NW, and owned by franchisee George Vincent Jr. It opens daily at 11 a.m.; its phone number is 202-659-3354.

Georgetowner • January 14, 2015

Pizza Studio plans to open two personalized fast-casual restaurants this month. It’s a gourmet-pizza-quick-casual-create-your-own pizza-cooked-in-two-minutes concept. They will be the first locations for the company in the D.C. and Baltimore metro areas. The D.C. store will open in Dupont Circle where Baja Fresh was. The Baltimore location is in Charles Village near the Johns Hopkins University campus. The principals, who now reside in California, have local connections: Samit Varma used to live in Rockville and partner Ron Biskin lived in Owings Mills, a suburb of Baltimore.

Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises loves the D.C. metro area and has plans to open a few more restaurants. In 2015, the plans include opening Summer House Santa Monica in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose neighborhood. It’s a California-inspired American restaurant (not to be confused with Summer House in Rehoboth Beach). Stella Barra Pizzeria, serving artisanal pizza, small plates and handcrafted pastries and breads is also slated for Pike & Rose. And LEYE will open RPM Italian, a modern Italian restaurant, in partnership with celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic. It will open at 601 Massachusetts Ave. NW in the second quarter of 2015. Joe’s Seafood Prime Steak and Stone Crab is their most recent entry into the D.C. market, celebrating one year at the end of January.

Bo Blair plans to open another Surfside, a fast-casual restaurant, in Dupont Circle this month. The first one is in Glover Park. His new southern concept, Due South, is due to open in the Lumber Shed Building at the Navy Yard in the third quarter of 2015. Rusty Holman, who has worked for Bo at Bayou in the West End, has been tapped as executive chef. Next up for Bo in this area is a Millie’s, which should open in Spring Valley. The original Millie’s is in Nantucket. (This one will have the same menu if not the same amazing seaside view.)

Chef Update: Frank Ruta, formerly of the now closed Palena, takes over as head chef of The Grill Room at the Capella Hotel in Georgetown. His pastry chef from Palena, Aggie Chin, will join him at Capella. Will Greenwood will be taking over the chef duties at Elizabeth’s Gone Raw in D.C.

Will the new restaurant that José Andrés will open at the new Trump International Hotel (where the Old Post Office was) be anything like his Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills? That takes over much of the lobby and has various rooms creating the overall concept. Stay tuned.

Jose Garces may be opening a 20,000-square-foot market that will offer a range of Latin groceries and prepared foods at Union Market in D.C.’s NoMa neighborhood. It will be located in a new 520-unit residential building. It’s not the Philadelphia-based chef’s first venture in this market; he opened Rural Society in the Loews Madison Hotel last summer.

Quick Hits: Charlottesville-based Green-berry’s coffee shop plans to open in downtown D.C. on the corner of 18th and E Sts. NW…Potomac’s Grilled Oyster Company will open a 4100-square-foot seafood restaurant at the new Cathedral Commons development on Wisconsin Avenue NW. The original location is at Cabin John Mall in Montgomery County … Liam LaCivita, former chef at Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall and Northside Social, plans to open Bar Civita in Woodley Park where Murphy’s was at 2609 24th St. NW. The restaurant will serve modern American food. An opening in the first quarter of this year is planned.
David Guas’s Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Arlington is opening a second location in D.C. at 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Renovations to a two-story carriage house will create a 53-seat restaurant on the first floor and a kitchen on the second floor, with seating for 36 in the summer garden.

Local restaurateur Ammar Daoud will take over management of The Heights in Columbia Heights this month. His plans include an update to the menu and the décor, but not to the staff. The Heights will continue to honor EatWell (previous management company) gift certificates through March 31. EatWell DC will continue to focus on their restaurants: The Pig, Logan Tavern, Commissary DC and Grillfish.

Openings Update: Tadich Grill is now expected to open in late February or early March.

Georgetowner •

Without a doubt, winter has arrived in our nation’s capital. Whether it’s a Georgetown preppie clad in cashmere and Burberry plaid or a hipster walking down 14th Street with boot socks, fringed jacket and infinity scarf, everyone in the metro area is bundled up and trying to beat the cold.

My December visit came as a shock to my body. As a D.C. expat living on a tropical island, I am accustomed to temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius, not Fahrenheit. While dressing in layers and pulling warm clothes out from my storage bin helped my plight, I found a more jovial cure: hot cocktails to soothe the soul and defrost my frozen bones.

On the weekend before Christmas, I felt like I was turning into a snowman while shopping at the outdoor holiday market downtown. Fortunately, a remedy was close by. Across F Street, Nopa Kitchen + Bar features a diverse menu of winter-warmer cocktails. I sampled three of their hot tipples, each one completely different.

The first was called Nopa’s Punch, their version of mulled wine, a Northern European winter staple. Served hot, this beverage is usually made with red wine, various mulling spices and citrus fruits. It is often enhanced with another flavored liquor such as schnapps or brandy.

It immediately took me back a few years, when my partner and I strolled through the Christmas market in Belfast, Ireland, admiring the local crafts, riding a Ferris wheel and taking a break from Guinness as we stayed cheerful with a soothing glass of spiced hot wine.

Nopa’s version starts off with a good quality red wine. Beverage Director Jesse Hiney says that doing so is important because the flavor comes through in the finished product. The wine is mixed with a spice mixture, Granny Smith apples, orange, lime and Becherovka, a Czech liqueur spiced with ginger and cinnamon.

The result is a drink that is a bit bolder, with a more pronounced spicy flavor than most of the mulled wines I have tried. It is served with a gluten-free ginger cookie that echoes its snappiness. Hiney says he has received many compliments from European customers accustomed to drinking mulled wines, who call Nopa’s version especially nice.

Nopa also offers a classic hot toddy with a striking twist. The base liquor for this drink is a cardamom-infused bourbon that dominates the flavor. According to Hiney, whole cardamom pods are left to infuse in bourbon for a month. The whiskey is combined with lemon juice, spiced apple syrup, honey and hot water, then topped off with an amaretto meringue made by Nopa’s pastry chef, Jemil Gadea.

The final result tasted like a hot lemon meringue pie from an exotic land, the cardamom flavor shining through. The fluffy topping merged seamlessly into the hot liquid, with the amaretto and spiced apple syrup tempering the strong spicy flavor.
Finally, for a truly decadent treat, one should not miss Nopa’s adult version of hot chocolate. Starting off with 65-percent, single-origin Ecuadorian chocolate, this delicacy is served with a choice of liqueurs including Frangelico, Grand Marnier and Kahlua. By using superior chocolate, Nopa has created a delectable and incredibly rich dessert in a glass.

Hiney suggested I sample it mixed with Patrón XO Café Incendio, a liqueur forged from arbol chiles, Criollo chocolate and Patrón tequila. This newly created spirit magically combines the flavors of spicy and sweet with a touch of heat. When used in Nopa’s hot chocolate, the result is extraordinary.

It comes served with a light and pillowy homemade marshmallow, a special touch. The marshmallow easily blends into the rich and thick chocolate, giving it a smooth, silky finish.

By the time I had sampled all three of these warmers, my body had thawed. I had shed my alpaca poncho and faux fur jacket. I was ready to face the bitter chill and carry on – full of cheer – with my holiday errands. Readers can sample these cocktails at Nopa Kitchen + Bar, 800 F St. NW.

Georgetowner • December 19, 2014

Here’s the latest dish on restaurants moving in and around Washington, D.C.

Chef/owner Ruth Gresser is adding to her empire – by going fast casual. She plans to open Veloce by Pizza Paradiso, leveraging her incomparable 23-year-old Pizza Paradiso brand. This quick-serve pizza concept is slated to open by the end of 1Q in downtown DC at 19th & L street NW. Veloce (means “speed” in Italian) will offer personal pizzas with a variety of choice toppings, all cooked in EuroGourmet gas-powered ovens for just two minutes. Breakfast (think pizza frittata), lunch, dinner and carryout will be offered at the 30-seat restaurant, which includes an outdoor patio.

Mike Isabella hearts Ballston. He plans to open a Mexican cantina, Pepita, at 4000 Wilson Blvd, which also houses Kapnos Taverna, another Isabella restaurant. The focus of Pepita is the bar, meaning there may be up to 40 cocktails, many of them featuring tequila or mescal. Pepita will feature a limited menu of Mexican bar food. Mike also plans to open Yona, an Asian noodle bar in the same Ballston building. Jonah Kim, most recently at Pabu in Baltimore, will be the chef at the helm of this new restaurant. Kapnos Taverna is slated to open in 4Q 2014; Pepita in 1Q 2015; Yona is 2Q 2015.

Just Opened: City Perch restaurant inside the iPic movie theater in Rockville’s Pike & Rose complex. The chef at the helm is Matt Baker, formerly of Brasserie Beck and Occidental Grill. Thip Khao, a Laotian restaurant, opened at 3264 14th Street where Thaitanic was in Columbia Heights. Chef Seng Luangrath was formerly at Bangkok Golden in Falls Church, which offered Thai and Laotian menus. Thip Khao translates to “sticky rice basket.” Plan B opened at 801 Pennsylvania Avenue serving 20 varieties of burgers in the Market Square West building.

The Brig, a Bavarian beer garden, is slated to open in lower Barracks Row at 1007 8th Street at L Street SE. It will seat 210 and serve 299. Alan Gaunoux has partnered with Mark Brody and Chris Chambers of Biergarten Haus on this project.

Chef & GM Update: Pastry chef extraordinaire Beverly Bates is now at Vidalia. Armani Malik Copeland at Flight Wine Bar replaced Bradley Curtis. Susie Morrison was promoted to executive pastry chef at the White House. She replaces Bill Yosses.

the Georgetowner •

Dog Tag Bakery invites Georgetowners and visitors to celebrate its grand opening this Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon. Started by Father Rick Curry, the bakery is a social enterprise that supports veterans in a number of ways, including through a work-study program that provides wounded veterans with a high-quality business education in the kitchen and through classes at Georgetown University.

Curry and co-founder Constance Milstein said in a statement, “Dog Tag Bakery blends our passion for supporting veterans with business, entrepreneurship and baking. We hope to create a supportive environment so that the men and women who have given so much to their country can find success in a new and enriching chapter in their lives.”

The event will feature a bread breaking ceremony in lieu of a ribbon cutting. Patrons can support veterans and the bakery by donating $250 and adding their custom-made dog tag to the bakery’s chandelier, or by using the hashtag #kneadtoserve on social media accounts.

The bakery, at 3206 Grace St. NW, is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. during the week and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. [gallery ids="101940,135981" nav="thumbs"]

Sallie Lewis • December 5, 2014

Marcel’s, the haute French flagship owned and operated by chef Robert Wiedmaier, had a big year in 2014.

Having celebrated the restaurant’s 15th anniversary in March, Wiedmaier completed a major dining room refurbishment last month. Since its opening in 1999 at 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Marcel’s has been redesigned in a succession of renovations.

This year, revamping the dining room has been the primary focus. Its completion brings a fresh facelift to one of the District’s favorite dining destinations.

“It has a European look with a lot of American sensibilities,” said Wiedmaier about the space. “It’s very comfortable and spartan at the same time.” He added that the look is a flirtation of classic and modern elements, without being too modern.

From contemporary chandeliers and angular sconces to fresh china, providing “a bigger canvas to play on and paint on,” these modern appointments have beautifully updated the ambiance at Marcel’s. In addition, chef Wiedmaier hired Doyle Mueser of New York to create tailor-made, bespoke suits for the entire front-of-house staff. From top to bottom, this revamped look augments the first-class dining experience at Marcel’s and signals the beginning of a reinvigorated presentation.

In an age when casual dining and dressing down are pervasive, an evening at Marcel’s is a welcome change. “We’ve always pushed the pedal on fine dining and we’re going to continue to push the pedal harder,” said Wiedmaier, who attributes his success to a steadfast focus on fine dining, even while it was diminishing in popularity.

“The look is very elegant, but my staff exudes friendliness and unpretentiousness,” he said. “It’s a great combination.”

At Marcel’s, the objective is to make patrons feel special from the moment they walk through the door. Fostering this welcoming feeling are Marcel’s hard-working team and staff, which Wiedmaier created and has sustained over the years. In fact, from the dishwashers to the waiters, almost his entire crew has been with him since the restaurant’s conception – in today’s marketplace a virtually unheard-of distinction.

At the heart of this welcoming service and elegant experience are the gastronomic talents of chef Wiedmaier himself.

Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, to an American mother and a Belgian father, Wiedmaier went to culinary school in the Netherlands, then worked in Belgium before coming to Washington.

Along with his Belgian grandmother, Wiedmaier credits his mother for instilling the culinary calling. “My mom was always a great cook, always in the kitchen, always in the markets. And I was always tagging along with her,” he said.

Growing up, he worked at the surrounding farms, learning how to hunt, fish and live off the land. Hunting and fishing would become a lifelong interest, particularly as they pertained to cooking. Wiedmaier practices whole-animal butchery, conserving the entire animal, using each piece with no waste.
This regard for nature and sense of responsibility about using food respectfully make Wiedmaier a standout chef in D.C., where he has worked for 30 years.

“I knew what I wanted to do from a very young age,” he said. “I stuck with what I loved and never looked back.”