Food & Wine

Georgetowner • January 6, 2014

Like many people concerned with their body image, Ryan Fichter rang in the 2013 New Year with a weight-loss resolution. But unlike most folks, he stuck with his personal promise beyond day two. Now 20 pounds lighter, he’s proud of his determination and feeling great.

“I decided I was going to eat more vegetables, more salads, more Mediterranean-style,” says Fichter, executive chef of Rialto, a Venetian-modern, small-plate Italian restaurant that opened in Georgetown in September, replacing the nearly 50-year-old landmark The Guards. “I stopped eating after 9 p.m. and stopped chef-grazing all night long,” the Columbia, Md., native tells me as we share a selection of fine, all-natural charcuterie meats and four types of anchovies at the restaurant’s elegant, crescent-shaped white marble bar.

With the exception of the massive carved-limestone fireplaces, there is little in the 175-seat Rialto to conjure images of the former tenant. Wood paneling and dim lighting have given way to a bright color scheme with hints of turquoise, mural maps of Venice and an open kitchen with a distinctive, domed pizza oven covered with gold-hued glass tiles. On the lower level, in the former funky Gryphon Room, red and black velvet-flocked wallpaper gives the space the look of a fancy Euro-bordello – one with a glass-enclosed pasta-making station.

The owners are restaurateurs Ben Kirane and Moe and Joe Idrissi, the trio responsible for Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge and Thunder Burger & Bar, also in Georgetown.

Chef Fichter, a 1999 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and a fine-dining veteran at resorts from the Carolinas to Hawaii, emphasizes fresh seafood and vegetables on his Rialto menu. “We are trying to lighten up the heaviness associated with Italian food,” he says. “There are no oversized bowls of carbs.” Standouts include a simple but elegant seared branzino with lemon and his personal favorite: cuttlefish in ink topped with earthy cepe mushrooms. I’m a fan of the beautiful rustic free-form pizzas, which have an airy, bubbled, very eatable crust.

(For New Year’s Eve, Fichter has created a special six-course menu priced at $150 per couple, tax and gratuity not included, with two glasses of prosecco sparkling wine.)

One of the top-selling vegetable small plates is a cracker crumb-topped cauliflower dish, rich with raisins and almonds. The fruit enhances the natural sweetness of the cauliflower and the nuts bring texture. It’s a terrific recipe, one that helped this chef keep his New Year’s resolution.
Rialto, 2915 M St. NW, 202-337-1571,
rialtodc.com

Cavolfiori
(Cauliflower with raisins and almonds)
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thinly
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the topping:
1 cup Ritz crackers, crumbled
½ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup rough chopped and a dozen whole almonds (Fitcher uses fine Sicilian “pizzuta” almonds, available at Dean & DeLuca.)
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For the filling:
In a large pan over medium high heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil until they are caramelized. (This should take ten to fifteen minutes.)
Add the raisins and the wine and cook for 1 minute, allowing the alcohol to evaporate.
Add the cauliflower and cook until the florets have softened but remain al dente. Season with salt and pepper.Transfer the mixture to a baking dish.For the topping:
In a mixing bowl, combine the crumbled crackers, cheese, chopped almonds and the olive oil. Sprinkle the topping over the filling and bake until lightly browned. Crown before serving with the whole almonds and parsley.

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 and a former staff writer for The Washington Post.

Georgetowner •

Chef Amy Brandwein will once again join forces with veteran Chef Roberto Donna, at restaurateur Hakan Ilhan’s newest eatery, Alba Osteria, named for the town of Alba in Roberto’s hometown region of Piedmont. The plan is for 226 seats plus an outdoor 63-seat patio as well as private dining for 22 at the 425 I Street, NW location. In the Piedmont spirit, there will be a salami and formaggi counter as well as a pizza bar. This is the sister operation of Al Dente ristorante on New Mexico Ave., NW where Chef Roberto reigns. Amy previously worked for Roberto at Galileo in D.C.

The team that brought you Ripple has more in store for fans of Executive Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley. A second location is under construction in Adams Morgan where The Reef was located. The new restaurant & bar will be called Roofers Union and will offer Marjorie’s house-made sausages, merguez and more comfort foods at comfort prices. A large selection of local craft beers and craft cocktails will be offered. There will be bars on the first, second and rooftop floors. A new pastry chef will be hired to prepare desserts for both Ripple and Roofers Union. Owner Roger Marmet has made a definitive statement of confidence in Adams Morgan. A mid-January opening is planned.

And from the folks who brought you Buffalo Billiards, CarPool, Continental, Iron Horse, Nanny O’Brien’s and Rocket Bar as well as Ripple, comes Jackpot, on 7th Street, NW in Chinatown, across from Clyde’s Gallery Place and the Verizon Center. It will be a neighborhood basement tavern with a large craft beer selection (22 taps), specialty cocktails and keg wine. It will also have live music on weekend nights. Jackpot is a tavern and will not serve food, though customers are welcome to bring in food from the many restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood. A mid-December opening is scheduled.
Chef & GM Update: Jeff Faile is the new beverage director for Neighborhood Restaurant Group, including Birch & Barley (D.C.’s Logan Circle), Vermilion (Alexandria) and Dupont Circle’s Iron Gate Inn . Previously, he worked for Fabio Trabocchi…Mark Courseille is the new pastry chef at Et Voila! on MacArthur Blvd. in D.C.’s Palisades neighborhood. Previously, he served as pastry chef at Le Paradou restaurant for Yannick Cam, and also at Michel Richard’s Citronelle in Georgetown, Central in Penn Quarter and Michel at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner. Allison Cortese has been appointed to run RIS at Union Market opening in mid-December. She was promoted from dining room manager at RIS.

Jersey Mike’s opened a franchise operation in the District on Dec. 4 at Rhode Island Row, above the Rhode Island Metro stop in Northeast D.C. The franchisee is Sean Schoonover. This will be the first one to open inside the District line. Nineteen other stores are in the surrounding metro area.

Zeke’s Coffee opens up at 2300 Rhode Island Ave., NE in the Woodridge neighborhood. The coffee shop roasts mostly organically grown fair trade beans on site. Owner John Kepner has been selling his beans at farmers markets for awhile before opening the shop. His uncle Thomas runs the Baltimore operation and his cousin Chris runs the Pittsburgh one.
Westfield’s Montgomery Mall on Democracy Blvd. is in the midst of major renovations that also include new dining options. Bobby’s Burger Palace just opened. Cheesecake Factory, Wicked Waffle, Kraze Burgers, McDonald’s and Dumpling Dojo are all slated to open in December. That is a preview. Wait until their new Dining Terrace opens.
Openings Update: Ri Ra on M Street, NW in Georgetown is slated to open just before year’s end. Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steaks & Stone Crabs will open by the end of January on 15th Street in D.C. Smashburger on Cordell Avenue in Bethesda will open by mid-December. They have two more locations planned for Vienna (Leesburg Pike & Cornerside Blvd.) later on in December and in Falls Church (S. Washington St) in January. City Tap House, at 901 9th Street, NW is slated to open by mid-December with 40 draft lines, serving craft beer and American comfort food. It’s one of many new places that includes barn wood paneling in its décor description.

A create-your-own fast casual pizza place, Bergami’s, is slated to open at Rhode Island Row this spring. Owner Mark Bergami has been in the pizza world most of his life – from Domino’s to Frank Pepe’s (New England) to, most recently, Haven Pizzeria. You can choose various toppings as well as your crust, such as a cauliflower offering. ?

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations & marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry, providing creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events. Reach her at: Linda@LindaRothPR.com or 703-417-2700. www.lindarothpr.com

Georgetowner • December 5, 2013

When Nancy McKeon invites longtime friends and neighbors for a holiday dinner, the set-up and menu are the same, year after year. No problem from this end. As a returning guest, I find her no-surprises tradition comforting. My former editor and mentor at the Washington Post Food section has a firm grasp on what she knows works, what she does best.

On the living room coffee table of her Victorian townhouse near Georgetown University, there is always a bowl of bright-tasting lemony white beans mixed with plump shrimp, seasoned with a profusion of oregano. Alongside, there’s a stack of pretty, sometimes quirky, late 19th-century European eight-inch plates from her growing collection of sets, acquired piece-by-piece on eBay. I help myself. Everyone sips a sparkling Italian prosecco.

Once seated in the dining area, the main course is sure to be a rich and labor-intensive beef bourguignon, made from a recipe attributed to the Duchesse of Devonshire. (Nancy will tell you no other variation on the dish will do.) For dessert, out comes a platter of lemon bars from Trader Joe’s.

“I’m a big believer in sticking to the same stuff,” she tells me, as we munch on bagels on a recent morning in her sunny kitchen.

“And I’m a very nervous hostess and don’t like to experiment on people.”

For the bean-shrimp combo, she uses canned Goya brand alubias/cannellini beans. “Always remember to rinse them first.” Prepare the dish a day in advance “so that the flavors meld and the beans slowly soak-up the lemon juice,” she says. With the appetizer at the ready, there is more time on event day for everyday pleasures.

A year ago this week, she adopted “Jeremiah,” an eight-year-old Saint Bernard mix, who enjoys long walks, twice a day, along the C & O Canal and to Volta Park. Both get a good workout and more. “I’ve met more people in the last year than in all of my 26 years of living in Georgetown,” she shares.

Up next: February will see Nancy and a clutch of her media colleagues launch the web destination mylittlebird.com—a site for “grown up girls,” with Washington-centric home, design, fashion and well-being Best Bets. Says Nancy, “What will set us apart, for sure, is our interactive retail neighborhood maps.”

Shrimp with Cannellini Beans
Makes 6 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
2 cups cannellini or northern white beans

Directions:
In a medium-size bowl, mix together the zest, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano and salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the beans and shrimp and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 5 or 6 hours, or overnight, mixing occasionally so that the beans soak in the liquid. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Nancy’s white bean salad comes from an entertaining feature she co-wrote with Washington Post columnist and recipe developer Stephanie Witt Sedgwick.

Nancy’s two current favorite
restaurants are: Estadio in Logan Circle for the tapa of sausage, cheese and quince and 1789 Restaurant in Georgetown for the appetizer of foie gras on brioche toast.

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.

Jody Kurash •

When one thinks of liquor and Japan, sake immediately comes to mind. With its history dating back to the 700s, complex serving etiquette and array of fancy drinking vessels, this fermented rice wine is synonymous with Japan.

But during my recent excursion to the Tokyo area, I discovered another beverage that is booming in popularity in the land of the rising sun. Sh?ch? is a distilled beverage, mostly forged from barley, sweet potatoes, wheat or rice.

It varies in alcohol content from 20 percent to 25 percent and sports a crisp dry taste comparable to vodka or arrack. Multiple-distilled sh?ch?, which is generally used in mixed drinks, may contain up to 35-percent alcohol. The main difference between sake and sh?ch? is that sake is brewed, whereas sh?ch? is distilled.

Sh?ch? originated in Kyushu, the most southwesterly island in Japan, where it has been drunk for centuries. In recent years, its popularity has surged. According to the Japan Times, sh?ch? had long been thought of as being “cheap and nasty.” But as premium brands emerged and it was discovered by a new generation, the last two decades have seen triple-digit growth in sales. Trendy bars specializing in sh?ch? began popping up all over Tokyo.

Once considered stodgy, sh?ch? has been embraced by younger drinkers. Kimiyoshi Utsugi, a Tokyo resident, says he drinks sh?ch? every day. “My father always drank sake, but I drink sh?ch?,” he said. “The younger generation believes it’s much better for you.” Kimiyoshi says there is less sugar in sh?ch? and it won’t make you fat.

The way sh?ch? is served depends on the quality. According to Kimiyoshi, if it’s of good quality, it’s drunk neat or on the rocks. Brands of lesser quality are mixed with fruit juice, tea, lemon or cola.

The most popular sh?ch? cocktail is ch?hai (pronounced Shoe-High), which is a mixture of sh?ch? and lemon juice topped off with club soda for a fizzy finish.

Douglas Ford, my fun-loving host during my holiday, introduced me to the ch?hai cocktail. After a traditional Japanese dinner, we stopped by Wesley’s, one of his preferred watering holes for a nightcap.

We were in Fujisawa, an industrial city a short distance from his home in Kamakura. While the city lies about 46 kilometers south of Tokyo’s city center, to me it felt like part of the L.A.-type sprawl of Japan’s capital city.

As we walked down a dark side street near the train station, we stopped at a narrow doorway that opened to a steep flight of enclosed stairs. Nothing from the street level indicated that anything at all was located in this dim building. But sure enough, once we ascended we arrived in a small cozy den of eclectic regulars. The walls in this dive bar were plastered with marker graffiti and a collection of posters and customer photos. It reminded me of CBGB’s meets Cheers.

The true highlight of Wesley’s is the owner Kagefumi Yoshimora. Yo-Chan, as he is known, is an adorable bespectacled man with cute fuzzy eyebrows and a matching mustache. He becomes an instant friend with all his patrons. Not to be missed are the special nights when Yo-Chan plays guitar with his jazz band.

Doug suggested that I try Yo-Chan’s special version of ch?hai. My drink, a bright yellow concoction, arrived in a handled beer mug. The flavor was bright, refreshing and effervescent. The pungent lemon shined while being softened by the fizzy soda. The sh?ch? added an invigorating bite.

After a 90-plus degree summer day, this tipple is a perfect way to quench your burning thirst. Be forewarned, Yo-chan’s ch?hai packs a punch. After a frustrating day plodding through airports, his cocktails went straight to my head on my first night in Japan. After asking for his recipe I discovered why his ch?hai is so lethal: there is an approximate 5-1 ratio of sh?ch? to mixers.
Ch?hai is not just popular in bars. It’s commonly found as a canned pre-mixed drink in supermarkets, convenience stores and even vending machines in train stations. Popular beverage companies like Kirin (beer) and Suntory (whiskey) produce their own ch?hai canned drinks.

While pre-mixed versions may be a convenient option, some of my fondest memories of Japan are huddling around the cramped bar at Wesley’s, cooling down with a glass of “high test lemonade” and listening to Yo-chan jam with his mates. Domo arigatou.

Ch?hai
150 ml Sh?ch?
30 ml Lemon Juice
Pour in a beer mug and top with club soda.

Georgetowner • November 21, 2013

As a native of the Puglia region of Italy
(the heel of the boot), Silvestro Conte
appreciates the little niceties that many
men might consider not worth the effort. For example,
with old fashioned gusto he hangs laundry
to dry in his Burleith garden, surrounded
by pots of mature herbs. A purist, he shops for
only the freshest and authentic ingredients, a
holdover from childhood, when he helped his
mother each day making bread, pasta and pizza
from scratch.

“My passion is taking care of the little details
that make all the difference,” says Conte, a
retired medical marketing executive. If the last
name is familiar, his wife is Georgetowner “The
Latest Dish” columnist Linda Roth Conte, president
of public relations and marketing firm Linda
Roth Associates. His latest venture is “Your
Italia”: a personal, nine-day food and wine tour
of his beloved homeland, visiting local chefs,
small farms and select wineries.

“It’s a learning, gastronomic journey to the
hot spot of Italy now, and my thing is making
you feel like a local,” says Conte, an expressive,
passionate guy with a broad chest and sizable
hands, which punctuate every sentence. “We
go to farms, where families have made cheese
for hundreds of years, not to factories. We go
to olive oil tastings at family mills, where the
Mediterranean Diet was born.” All the information
can be found at: www.youritalia.com.

At home, the couple invites two to four
guests for dinner every other week. On the
menu, five courses paired with three different
wines. One will surely be a tart white Verdeca
from Puglia as “My father went crazy for this
grape.” He doesn’t dig discussions of terroir at
the dining table or talk of licorice or strawberry
flavor notes. Says no-nonsense Conde: “I know
what I like and drink wine. Period.”

One of his favored main courses, “which always
brings applause,” is a salt-roasted whole
striped bass stuffed with herbs and cherry tomatoes.
(I hesitate sharing his recipe as it calls
for seven pounds of kosher salt and wielding,
at the same time, a large knife and a hammer.)
Alongside, he serves a classic Italian lemon and
herb infused salmorigilio sauce, which is also
terrific with grilled or baked branzino, salmon
and swordfish.

The secret to the pungent flavor of this
dressing is the use of salt-cured capers in place
of the more readily available brined variety.
(Such capers, dry-packed in salt, are available
at Dean & Deluca as well as many Italian and
Spanish specialty markets.) “It’s easy to make,
with little time required,” he will tell you, adding
with a wry remark. “And your guests will
love you, more.”

Conte’s two current favorite restaurants are Al Dente in Wesley Heights for
the calamarata pasta and Rialto in Georgetown for the fried sardines.

SALMORIGLIO SAUCE SERVES: 4
Ingredients:
I/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
The minced peel and juice of 1 medium lemon,
preferably organic
1/4 bunch parsley leaves, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, minced
6 salt-cured capers, thoroughly rinsed and minced
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
Sea salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Pour the olive oil into a small bowl, and while
slowly whisking, add the lemon juice, forming an
emulsion. Add the minced lemon peel, parsley,
oregano and capers along with the crushed garlic
clove salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
Transfer the sauce to a small sauce pan and
simmer on the lowest heat setting for 5 minutes,
stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and
let the sauce rest at room
temperature for at least
two hours. Remove the
garlic clove before serving.
Pass the sauce alongside the
fish.

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.

Georgetowner •

Mark Furstenberg, founder of
**Marvelous Market** and **The Bread
Line**, plans to open **Bread Furst** , a
bakery shop in Q1 2014 at 4434 Connecticut
Ave, NW, near the car wash at Albemarle Street,
NW. Originally the location was the site of a
beloved (southern-based) grocery store, called
Piggly Wiggly. Jack Revelle will be Bread
Furst?s pastry chef. Mark says he even has Raul
Fernandez onboard to work in the bakery. Raul
worked at Marvelous Market in 1991. For the
project, Mark has a very interesting blog where
he updates the trials and tribulations of what it
takes to open a bakery from scratch ? not just
the bread is made from scratch: breadfurst.com
Ch-ch-changes: Restaurant Associates has
re-opened a refreshed **Roof Terrace Restaurant
& Bar** at the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. In addition to an extended bar
area for pre-performance cocktails and appetizers
for a group or a duo, the private dining room
also transforms into an intimate lounge. The
new interior design features rose-tinted drapery,
luxe navy carpeting, and contemporary wooden,
leather upholstered furniture. The transformed
bistro bar space boasts modern, blue acrylic
tables and a special bar menu?.Sanjeev and
Mitul Tuli have made changes at their restaurants
at 1901 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Their
landmark restaurant, **Heritage India**, serves a
lunch buffet across the entire space, including
where **Crossroads** used to be. Starting at happy
hour, the space turns into **Zanzibar**, a nightclub
for the 40+ crowd, with music and light food.
Matt and Jena Carr plan to open **Little
Red Fox** on Connecticut Avenue, NW, where
Marvelous Market used to be, serving healthy
comfort food made with seasonal ingredients.
The husband and wife team are D.C. natives
who are returning to their old ?hood after living
in Portland, Oregon. The focus is local, with
coffee from Annapolis-based Ceremony Coffee
Roasters, and local produce and wines.
Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth
Associates, a public relations & marketing firm.
Reach her at: Linda@LindaRothPR.com or
703-417-2700. [www.lindarothpr.com](http://www.lindarothpr.com).

Georgetowner • November 6, 2013

When Katherine Tallmadge returns home from work at night she heads for the freezer ? her treasure chest of well-balanced homemade meals. Soups and stews, even desserts, are stacked in various size plastic tubs, on standby for a quick solo meal or three-course dinner for guests.

?I?m a big believer in batches,? says Tallmadge, an internationally recognized speaker, author and weight loss/nutrition counselor, who lives on a quiet dead end lane in the East Village. ?I encourage people to cook. And knowing something is there in the freezer, just ready to heat up when you get home, is the best way to avoid pigging-out on fast food on the way home.?

Although her kitchen is small, there is ample space for quantity cooking. With a nod to her mother?s Scandinavian heritage, the narrow living and dining space is filled with vintage Swedish furniture. It?s cozy by the fireplace. ?For entertaining, there is no comparison between the relaxed feel of a home over a restaurant,? she says.

Using fresh seasonal ingredients from farmers markets she prepares, for example, a big pot of cauliflower vichyssoise or sweet potato black bean chili every weekend, keeping in mind the essentials of flavor, color and texture. You won?t find high-fat dairy products in her recipes. ?I don?t believe in being a fanatic. But people can get cream and butter-rich foods anywhere,? she insists. Her favorite plan-ahead dessert is a delicious and easy to make apple crisp with nuts, dried fruit and ginger.

It?s no revelation, but she will tell you that her nutritional counseling expertise is in demand, because ?people in Washington are uptight and have a lot of stomach problems.? With high-stress jobs, they are too busy to take care of themselves and suffer from ?pattern disorganized eating.? The answer: regularly scheduled food shopping trips and meal times ? and, of course, batch cooking.

For weight loss, Tallmadge also advocates freezing one-serving plastic tubs of home cooked meals for portion control. At work, you avoid being ?a vending machine victim.? Nothing lasts forever. She writes the date and contents on the top of every container. ?You?ll always know what?s inside and how fresh or ancient it is.? More healthy recipes can be found at KatherineTallmadge.com.

Tallmadge?s current favorite restaurants, both in Georgetown:
La Chaumiere for the fish soup and Tackle Box for the fish tacos.

**APPLE CRISP WITH NUTS, DRIED FRUITS AND GINGER**
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced candied ginger
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 pounds crisp, tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
For the topping:
1-1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup walnut, or any nut oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare filling: In a large bowl, mix the maple syrup, dried fruit, lemon juice, ginger and flour. Add the apples and mix well. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Prepare topping: Mix the oats, nuts, brown sugar, whole wheat flour and cinnamon. Add the oil and mix until the topping is moist. Pour over the filling in the baking dish.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the apples are tender and the crumble is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes until serving.

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

Jody Kurash •

I can hear the faint rumble of the ocean over the chill sounds of a mellow reggae beat. The cool sea breeze laps at my hair as my partner and lounge in an oversize bean bag chairs with a candle lit between us. Brightly colored paper lanterns glimmer in the dark as they hang from the large ketepeng tree. In the night, I watch the glow of the moonlight as it catches the waves that slash on shore. I can smell the salt in the air and the feel sand between my toes, as I sip on a cool cocktail.

Welcome to the JAJ beach bar on located on the Double Six beach in Legian on the tranquil isle of Bali, Indonesia.
What feels like a dreamy paradise, is actually quite a simple concept. JAJ, which is short for ?Jing a Jing? is not much more than a crew of three or four with a makeshift bar under the trees.

The beaches of South Bali are lined with these so-called beach bars. While not bars in the standard sense, these gathering spots usually consists of a cooler or two, filled with soft drinks and beers, beach chairs, umbrellas and some Indonesians hosts, happy to entertain you with jokes, guitar melodies and magic tricks, while you soak up the sun and surf. Each little place is like a mini ?Cheers? where everyone knows your name.

But JAJ has managed to take the concept a little further. They have cashed in on in on the natural beauty of Bali, postcard-worthy sunset every night and the magical sea – to create a serene and blissful atmosphere. Lounge chairs, romantic lighting, a high quality sound system and a small menu of beachy cocktails add to the island vibe. The bar opens at 4 p.m., about two and half hours before sunset and stays open until about 1 am.

The main man behind the bar is Irvan Blueocean who says he has been working on the beach for more than half his life. Irvan has been a fixture here since 2000 playing guitar, renting beach chairs, giving surf lessons and mixing drinks. Whether you just want a simple tumbler of Johnny Walker, a classic mojito or a tropical creation, he will mix it up for you with a smile. Irvan and the others who man the bar call themselves ?the crew of happiness.?

The name of the bar itself is an acronym for happy. ?Jing a jing? which is a Balinese translation of the Indonesians phrase ?sik a sik ? is derived from the word, Asik, which means to enjoy yourself.

Most of the drinks on the cocktail menu are fairly simple, but what makes them special is Irvan?s special mixer that he calls ?jungle juice.? A secret blend of fresh tropical fruits including pineapple and sweet orange. It?s bright and crisp flavor make a refreshing tipple that mixes in harmony with the sunny setting.

For me, my favorite tipple to enjoy here is a freshly-forged mojito, sans sugar. For this Irvan will grab a handful of green mint leaves from a basket and muddle them together with limes. Topped off with rum and club soda, this brisk and chilly cocktail is perfect for someone that doesn?t like sugary drinks. But if you prefer your elixirs on the sweet side, that?s no problem either, Irvan will customize it to your taste.

A popular choice is the bar?s namesake cocktail, the Jing a Jing Sunset. It is a fruity concoction of Absolute vodka, ?jungle Juice,? lemon and grenadine. The combination provides a refreshing burst of flavor, reminiscent of the original tiki drinks that were made by hand, before pre-made mixes became the norm. The red grenadine, combines with bright yellow juice to form a drink with the brilliant hue of an island sundown. Ask for this drink with rum instead of vodka and the result is a cocktail similar to a Mai Tai.

As the drinks and conversation flow, the Irvan dispenses tidbits of joyful advice, like ?Make the world green,? ?Love your life? and ?It?s all good,? as he jokes with the happy bunch of fellows that gather here. Whether you chose to indulge or not, it?s hard not to leave JAJ in a better mood than you came with.

**JING A JING SUNSET**
2 jiggers vodka (1.5 oz each)
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
4 oz fresh fruit juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into glass full of ice. Enjoy (Jing a Jing!)

Marie Loiseau • October 31, 2013

Chef duo and married couple John and Karen Urie Shields is looking to open a new restaurant, and they have their eyes locked on a Georgetown location. The two left their former, acclaimed Town House in Chilhowie, Va., over a year ago in order to pursue a Washington, D.C., spot. After a lengthy search, the couple has taken a strong interest in 1050 Potomac St., NW, and plans to sign the lease within the week.

The new undertaking, which has not yet been named, will be a Town House follow-up. It will, therefore, feature a menu heavy in vegetable and marine options.

Before taking on the Town House, John and Karen Shields were well renowned in Chicago for their work at Charlie Trotter’s as sous-chef and head pastry chef, respectively. John Shields later worked as sous-chef at Alinea in Chicago and was listed on Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs in 2010.”

The two were brought on to assist with a revamping of Town House in 2008 by its co-owners Kyra and Tom Bishop. The Shields turned the Town House around, leaving it a booming hot spot in Chilhowie, which is west of Roanoke.

But now they’re set on Washington, DC. “I’ve always loved D.C.,” John Shields has said. “It’s got a great vibe.”

The space they’re eying consists of an outdoor patio as well as carriage house, allowing more space for restaurant guests.

Assuming the couple does sign the lease, a grand opening would, realistically, still lie nine months to a year down the road.