Food & Wine

Corrie Dyke • October 1, 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jody Kurash • September 25, 2013

The Negroni is my go-to cocktail. As a person who abhors overly sweet drinks, the Negroni (a mixture of Campari, gin and red vermouth) is the polar opposite of a sugary tipple like a pina colada. I just love its herbaceous bitter, tangy taste. Campari, an Italian bitter aperitif , an infusion of herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water. It is characterized by its dark red color.

While those with a sweet tooth sometimes complain about the medicinal taste of the bitters, there’s something about the way the sharp orange of the Campari, melds with the botanicals of the gin with the vermouth bringing the two together in sweet harmony.

A classic cocktail, dating back to the early 1900s in Italy, variations of this cocktail abound. In Peru, I have tasted the zamboni a takeoff with pisco substituted for the gin. The spicy edge of the pisco made this satisfying variation. At New York’s Saxon & Parole I tried the Champagne Negroni, which was the traditional recipe topped with champagne. It gave the drink a lighter texture and bubbly edge similar to the standard Campari and soda. And just to be cute, it was served in old-fashioned soda bottles.

During my last visit to Bandolero, Georgetown’s temple to Mexican spirits, I was intrigued by the El-Capo, a Negroni-style drink on their menu. In their South-of-the-border rendition, mezcal was substituted for the gin in the timeless recipe.

I had to ponder a moment. the idea of tequila in a Negroni, did not sound appealing at all to me, I imagined that the piquant flavor the agave would clash with the powerful Campari. Then I gave some deep thought of the possibility of mescal, a spirit I learned to love after spending a month the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca last year.

While both are Mexican spirits distilled from the agave plant, mezcal differs because the agave is roasted in an oven before the distillation process. The cooking of the agave, must like the process of making Scotch, departs a complex smoky flavor to the spirit. This could be interesting, I thought.

Bartender Matt McHale, a mescal enthusiast, described the El Capo as one of his two favorites cocktail at the bar. (The first being the award-winning Jesus Malverde, another tipple made from mezcal) He described the El Capo, which translates from Spanish into the captain, as a “Smoky Negroni.”

McHale was eager to satisfy my curiosity. I watched as he carefully crafted the drink, and stirring it, the way a proper Negroni should be made. The results did not disappoint, the smoky edge of the mescal stood out strong but was tempered buy the herbal bouquet of the Campari. The mixture exulted in an earthy, woody taste. A dash of Laphroaig Scotch gives this drink an extra punch of smokiness.

While Campari can be overpowering in many drinks, the El Capo is a very balanced cocktail. “The Campari is there,” says McHale, “But it’s not the whole drink.”

While Bandolero has quite an extensive list of tequilas and mezcals, McHale adds that it is great place to get a well-crafted cocktail, with any spirit. “We have a little something for everyone,” he says. So whether you decide to sail with “the captain,” or imbibe on the original Negroni, both are superb options at Bandalero.

El Capo

1.5 ounces
.5 Campari1 oz Carpano Antica
Splash of Laphroaig Scotch
Pour ingredients into a glass or shaker, stir, serve in an old fashioned glass.

Corrie Dyke •

From the moment you walk up to Vino Volo at Tysons Galleria, you immediately feel transported from Metropolitan D.C. to the middle of wine country by way of rustic wood and rosemary bushes. Upon entering the venue, the feeling only grows.

Vino Volo at Tysons opened Sept. 19, launching the shop’s second urban location. However, you’ve probably spotted the wine bar-restaurant and boutique shop at a number of airports across the country, as their 30th location opens in LAX this week. The fused bar and shop is no stranger to the D.C. area. Its first location opened in Dulles International Airport in 2005 and its first urban location in Bethesda, Md., in 2012.

“Our most loyal customer base is in D.C. area,” said Sarah Evans, Vino Volo’s marketing specialist. “They were the ones asking us to move out of the airport.”

Doug Tomlinson founded Vino Volo in 2004. As a management consultant for Deloitte and one who often traveled through airports searching for a good glass of wine to enjoy with colleagues, Doug found a gap in the market where guests were being underserved.

“I have always had a passion for wine, and believe there is nothing better than opening a great bottle to share with love ones,” Doug said.

He wanted to bring wine country in the airports to give travelers a chance to relax and enjoy wine.

“Our goal is really ‘wine country casual’,” Sarah said. “Whether it’s California or Tuscany, we try to take the best of wine country from all over and bring it to our locations.”

Vino Volo is derived from “Wine Flight” in Italian. The wine bar specializes in hand selected flights of wine that include tastings of three paired wines each served at 1/3 of a glass. The flights are presented on a metal tray with a description under each glass giving details of the wine including where it was made, the specific grape and description of flavors along with Vino Volo’s signature taste graph.

The shop caters to a growing demographic as it expands out of terminals. From the most experienced to those just discovering wine, Vino Volo serves anyone who has a passion for wine.

At Vino Volo Tysons, Virginia wines and Maryland cheeses highlight the menu, along with other small plates including salads and roasted cauliflower. The restaurant also has dinner plates and pizza. According to Sarah, sourcing local is important to Vino Volo. The shop strives to give customers the experience of wine country, while focusing on smaller, lesser known boutique wineries, without stepping foot outside.

Wine flights and selections change seasoning in the shop, with Thanksgiving table wines right around the corner, and celebratory sparklers when the New Year arrives.

Each location’s staff selects the wines, and Vino Volo also has a national sourcing manager.According to Doug, the teams at each store work hard to cultivate relationships with local wineries, often making trips to taste wines and meet winemakers on location.

A quarter of the wines listed on the menu are the same at every location for consistency. Sarah ensures that all the staff are equal opportunity wine drinkers and will try anything. Doug’s current favorite is a pinot noir from Dumol, a small winery in California.

“Our goal is to become the world’s favorite wine destination. Our guests are always asking for a Vino Volo in their home airport or neighborhood, so we plan to continue opening them in North America and beyond,” Doug said.

Vino Volo will be expanding to airports in Monteral, Austin, Boston and Columbus, Ohio in the coming months.

With rapid growth, and a heart for the D.C. area, it’s easier than ever to find your way into a Vino Volo shop. Welcome to wine country in your own backyard.
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Walter Nicholls •

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pasta with asparagus and shrimp Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. penne or rigatoni pasta

4 garlic cloves, chopped

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

1 and 1/2 lbs. medium raw shrimp

1 and ½ pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh sliced basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

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

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

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

Nico Dodd • September 12, 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 2013 RAMMY Award winners will be named at the 31st annual RAMMY Awards Gala on Sunday, June 23, 2013 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. For more information about The RAMMYS, go to www.ramw.org, or contact RAMW at (202) 331-5990 or email at therammys@ramw.org.?
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Georgetowner •

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

Jody Kurash •

If you walk into most liquor stores, you’ll notice quite a large space devoted to its vodka selection. Many watering holes will have a rainbow of vodkas on display behind the bar. Vodka is one of the most well-liked spirits in the United States, especially among younger drinkers. Given the tremendous popularity of vodka today, it’s hard to believe that up until the 1950s, gin and whiskey were the preferred liquors of choice.

One of the principle cocktails that propelled vodka into the limelight was the Moscow Mule, a mixture of vodka, ginger beer and lime. This classic tipple was born out of mutual convenience between two men, John Martin and Jack Morgan, in the 1940s.
Martin was trying to introduce his new product, Smirnoff vodka, in the United States. At the time Americans were accustomed to spirits with a more pronounced flavor, making it extremely difficult for Martin to sell his vodka. It is rumored that he had problems giving it away.

One day Martin was having lunch at the Cock & Bull restaurant in Los Angeles. He started a conversation with the owner Jack Morgan, who at the time was trying to sell his Cock & Bull brand of ginger beer, a product he produced on the side.
They decided to mix the two products together, and after a bit of experimentation the Moscow mule was born. Morgan had a friend who had inherited a copper factory and she was trying to unload a huge batch of copper mugs. The two men decided to promote their new concoction by serving it in copper mugs with an image of a kicking mule embossed on it. The cocktail was said to have the kick of a mule.

The Moscow mule became the house special at the Cock and Bull on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Martin set off to market his new drink to bars across the company. He had a clever scheme, which involved taking Polaroid photos of bartenders holding the distinctive copper mug along with a bottle of Smirnoff. He would leave one copy of the photo at the bar and take another photo to competing bars to show them that their competitors were selling Moscow mules.

Between 1947 and 1950 Smirnoff case columns more than tripled, and nearly doubled again in 1951, according to CocktailAtlas.com,
The Moscow mule kicked off a long period of success for Smirnoff. According to Phil Greene, founding member of the Museum of the American Cocktail, as the brand increased in popularity, Smirnoff ran many ad campaigns featuring the Moscow Mule with celebrities such as Woody Allen. The ad campaign touted that Smirnoff vodka will “leave you breathless,” a possible reference to the idea that vodka is undetectable on your breath.

The popularity of the Moscow mule encouraged Smirnoff to promote a variety of cocktails, all of which highlighted the mixability of Smirnoff with other ingredients. As time wore on, vodka became the favored spirit of many leading up to a Renaissance of new cocktails, such as the cosmopolitan, sex on the beach and whole host of drinks served in martini glasses, such as the appletini, flirtini and French martini.

Today, the Moscow mule is a cocktail that stands the test of time, even though its birthplace, the Cock and Bull has closed it doors. The original Copper Mugs are now collector’s items.

It’s a fairly simple cocktail to mix with only three ingredients. Finding the ginger beer can be a bit challenging, but most large supermarkets and better liquor stores will have it on hand. One of the most popular brands is produced by the Black Seal rum company to promote their dark and stormy cocktail. Personally, I prefer Goya ginger beer, which is a spicier than other brands.

THE MOSCOW MULE:

2 ounces vodka

3 ounces ginger beer

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

Build in mug, fill with ice, garnish with lime wedge.

Recipe courtesy of the Museum of the American
Cocktail.

www.MuseumOfTheAmericanCocktail.org

Shari Sheffield •

In need of some hot fun in the summertime? Here are some fun and different wine events coming up to get you out in the countryside and explore the ever-expanding Virginia Wine Country. According to www.virginia.org, Virginia boasts to have more than “200 wineries and counting.” So, why not take a day trip, visit some of these and bring a picnic basket?

‘The Paradise Springs
Winery Experience’ Production Tour and Tasting
Billed as the winery’s “signature experience tour and tasting.” You will get the opportunity to learn how wine is made. The tour consists of the property’s historic log cabin, vineyard, and production facilities. You will cap the tour off with a full tasting of their wine portfolio. Tour and tasting experience is held every Saturday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and every Sunday at 3 p.m. Cost is $25 per person and includes a PSW etched glass.

Paradise Springs Winery
13219 Yates Ford Road
Clifton, Va. 20124
www.paradisespringswinery.com

Hartwood’s
Anniversary Celebration
Celebrate the 24th anniversary of Hartwood Winery on June 2, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pack a picnic and the pets and enjoy live music, tours and wine tasting. There’s even a moon bounce planned for your little ones. $15 for adults; children are free.

Hartwood Winery
345 Hartwood Road
Fredericksburg, Va. 22406
Phone: 540-752-4893 ?
www.hartwoodwinery.com

Tailgate Thursday with Eli Cook
Head to Stinson Vineyard’s Tailgate Thursday summer music series. Local blues legend Eli Cook plays summer long each Thursday as you grill on the lawn of the vineyard. Admission is free, grills will be provided for you to cook your own picnic fare. Meats from Timbercreek Organics can be purchased by call-ahead ordering. Dogs and children are welcome. Make sure you try their Rose and Meritage red wine. Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 23 through August 29, 2013.

Stinson Vineyard
4744 Sugar Hollow Road
Crozet, Va. 22932
Phone: 434-823-7300
www.stinsonvineyards.com

Friday Nights Under the Stars
What could be more romantic than a wine dinner under the stars? Head out to AmRhein Wine Cellars winery in Bent Mountain, Va., on the second Friday of each month, May through September, and you can do just that. Wine will be paired with an appetizer and a three-course dinner. $75 per couple; $37.50 per person. Reservations required. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

AmRhein’s Wine Cellars
9243 Patterson Drive
Bent Mountain, Va. 24059
Phone: 540-929-4632 ?
www.amrheins.com

16th Annual Cajun Festival at Breaux Vineyards
Breaux Vineyards hosts its 16th annual Cajun Festival June 15. Taste wines, shop from local craft vendors, or join a hayride all to help celebrate the vineyard’s Cajun heritage. Little Red and the Renegades will perform from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the Dixie Power Trio from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Kids can enjoy clowns, balloon art, face painting and hayrides. No dogs or picnics are allowed. Cost is $16 in advance and $20 at the gate.
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Jordan Hellmuth •

Mad Fox Taproom announced Aug. 12 that it expects to open in Glover Park by first quarter 2014. It will be Mad Fox Brewing Company’s first expansion from Falls Church, Va., to the District.

Mad Fox Brewing Company just celebrated the third anniversary of its Fall Church location in July and now has another reason to celebrate. Madden is hoping to took over the property at 2218 Wisconsin Ave., NW, where Mayfield & Pine once was, in September.

Mad Fox CEO and executive brewer Bill Madden and business partner Rick Garvin started Mad Fox in 2007 and since have become very active in the craft beer and brewpub community.

Falls Church will remain the hub of the whole operation, as all of the beers will be brewed there in its 16-barrel brewery. The new location will showcase Mad Fox’s award-winning handcrafted beers with draught and English-style cast service, including up to 24 draught and cask options.

“We have plenty of capacity in our brewery and we’ll be able to serve all of our Falls Church fans, wholesale clients and the Glover Park tap room without any compromises,” said Madden.

Just like the original in Falls Church, Mad Fox Taproom will provide guests with not only handcrafter beers, but also with a full menu including appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, salads and small plate options.
“Though the spotlight will be on our beers, our food is a key part of our concept and will help the taproom evoke a brewpub environment,” said Madden.

“I can’t wait to bring the Mad Fox atmosphere and experience to the iconic city of Washington, D.C.” said Madden.