Food

Georgetowner • June 18, 2014

Loudoun County is the next?Loudoun County. One Loudoun, a development in Ashburn, will host metro-area restaurant groups ready to expand west. Robert Wiedmaier plans to open a new Italian-concept restaurant. Matchbox Food Group plans to open a **Matchbox** next summer. Bryan Voltaggio is already northwest of D.C., so he?ll travel south to open his second **Family Meal** (the first one is in Frederick) at One Loudoun in late summer or early fall. More outside-of-D.C. concepts slated to open there include **Uncle Julio?s Mexican** restaurant (from the folks who brought you **Rio Grande**) and **Redskins Grille**, from a company that opens NFL-themed restaurants.

**Texas de Brazil** plans to open where **Buddha Bar** used to be in NoMa (aka Mount Vernon Triangle) on Massachusetts Avenue, NW. The churrascaria-style Brazilian steakhouse with Texas-style hospitality is known for its all-you-can-eat service right at the table. There is currently a location in Fairfax?s Fair Oaks Mall and in Richmond. A fourth-quarter 2014 or first-quarter 2015 opening is targeted.

Robert Irvine of ?Restaurant Impossible? and ?Dinner Impossible? cut a deal to open **Robert Irvine Fresh Kitchen** at the Pentagon. It?s a restaurant in Arlington you may not be able to visit unless you an employee or a contractor. Irvine has the military creds, as he began his career in the British Royal Navy and was a guest chef at the White House mess (run by our navy). It will offer full-service, as well as fast-casual and fast food, for breakfast and lunch. A February 2015 launch date is expected.

A new Italian restaurant, **Noelia**, opened where **Finemondo** was at 1319 F St., NW, near Metro Center. Owner Kaiser Gill hired Carmen Piazza, formerly of **Sette Osteria** and **Caf? Milano**, as executive chef. The businessman comes from a restaurant family that owns and operates **Aabshaar**, a Pakistani restaurant in Springfield, and **Shineys** in Annandale. Noelia, named for his niece, will serve modern Italian comfort food.

Walter Grio • June 17, 2014

In 1991, two brothers with limited savings pooled their resources to open a cute, 12-seat eatery on Prospect Street. With only the aid of a hot plate and a convection oven, Maziar Farivar, the older of the two, prepared the pasta salads and sandwiches on the short menu. Younger sibling Shahab managed the front of the house, waiting tables and handling take-out sales. Both charmed and nourished all who entered Peacock Cafe.

And when, in 1998, these natives of northwestern Iran moved a few doors down, expanding their operation into an airy full-service restaurant, contemporary in décor, the fans followed. Maziar’s modern American, Mediterranean-influenced menu – at the same time sophisticated and family-friendly – has something for everyone. Kids can have their meatloaf and mashed potatoes while the adults at the table dig into a whole bronzino with fennel-butter sauce. From the bar come made-to-order fresh vegetable and fruit juice drinks, as well as killer cocktails, 24 wines by the glass and a heady selection of craft and imported beers.

The chef’s addition of exceptional Persian dishes has not gone unnoticed. “They are so well received, I’m doing more and more,” he says. Borani is a thick purée – bright tasting and spicy – of caramelized onion, sautéed spinach and yogurt with a touch of cumin and chili oil, a yummy spread for crisp flatbread. I adore the creamy and smooth, sweet-scented pistachio soup enlivened with a sour note of Seville orange. The fruit-and-nut theme continues in an entrée of delicate Atlantic cod atop a compote of apricots, figs, sour cherries and shaved almonds. Sun-dried limes are the secret to the explosion of flavor in qaymeh – a stew of tender chunks of lamb, yellow split peas and tomatoes, topped with a tangle of tiny golden-brown potato sticks.

Last summer, Maziar created a healthier version of one of his favorite dishes, Cajun-style shrimp and grits. His inspiration was “Fit for Hope,” the American Cancer Society’s 12-week chef weight-loss and fitness competition. “This was a real challenge for chefs with girth,” says Maziar, who lost 22 pounds and raised $2,000. “Adding coconut milk is my little twist.”

Cajun Shrimp with Coconut Cauliflower

2 servings

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed

7 ounces unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning mix

1/4 cup dry white wine

4 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

1 lemon, cut in wedges

Directions

Cut the cauliflower into florets and then into 1-inch cubes. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the coconut milk to a simmer and add the cubed cauliflower. Cook until fork-tender, about five minutes. Off heat, strain the cauliflower, removing and saving the coconut milk. Then transfer the cauliflower to a blender and add the salt, pepper and shredded cheese. Pulse until the mixture resembles lumpy mashed potatoes, adding back the reserved coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, for desired consistency – smooth or chunky. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, dust the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning mix. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until pink, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine, stirring, and reduce the liquid by half, about one minute. Remove from heat. To serve, mound the cauliflower on a plate or a platter and arrange the shrimp on top. Garnish with the parsley and lemon wedges.

Peacock Cafe

3251 Prospect St., NW

202-625-2740

peacockcafe.com

Georgetowner • June 4, 2014

Whenever I’m feeling a little blah or beat, I treat myself to lunch at Patisserie Poupon. I never waiver on menu choices. I have have-to-haves. At one of the tiny corner tables in the rear of the attractive bakery/cafe, past the gleaming showcases of fancy French pastries, next to the specialty coffee bar, I rejuvenate with a healthful crudités salad composed of a variety of select fresh vegetables and a sandwich of yummy country pâté with cornichons on buttery brioche. A perfect pairing. In minutes, any troubles fade away.

The owners are husband-and-wife team Joe and Ruth Poupon, pastry chefs who met at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Joe is a native of Brittany in France and Ruth hails from College Park, Md. After working in restaurants for several years in Washington and New York, together they opened their flagship Patiserrie Poupon take-away bakery in Baltimore in 1986. The Georgetown location opened in 1998. In late March, a third location – Cafe Poupon – opened as a 30-seat eatery and bakery four blocks from the Inner Harbor on Baltimore’s historic Charles Street.

“The new place, it’s just gorgeous,” says Ruth Poupon at an impromptu pastry tasting in her second-level office above the Georgetown location. “The building is a former Masonic Temple, built in 1866, with lots of French and Italian Renaissance-inspired detail.”

At all Poupon locations, there is something sweet for everyone. The shop’s many French-born customers order a wide variety of favorites, including breads, cakes and pastries. “In particular, they like our Paris-Brest,” she says. The doughnut-shaped, almond-topped pastry is split and filled with a praline-flavored buttercream. American-born customers are less adventurous and “tend to go for just a few things,” like the luscious strawberry cake, cream-filled and chocolate-covered éclairs and the classic, crisp, layered Napoleon.

The bakery’s large Middle Eastern following “loves our croquembouche for any kind of celebration,” she shares. French for “crisp in the mouth,” the decorative dessert (order in advance) is made with bite-size custard-filled cream puffs, coated in caramel and stacked into a tower shape. For a theme party, the sugary puffs may also be fashioned into the form of, for example, a baby stroller, train or teddy bear.

The preparation must be exacting. “There can be no air in the filling and the caramel cannot be dark and bitter,” she says. The weather also comes into play. “On a humid Washington summer day, the caramel can get sticky and melt. I say, this time of year, get a cake. We are pastry people who believe in what we do and want to do it well.”

For a “perfect day” on the 1600 block of Wisconsin, she suggests dropping the car off at Detailz Fine Auto Cleaning for the works, inside and out, followed by an appointment at the beauty destination IPSA For Hair. “They are the very best,” she says. “Then you have time for a little clothes and antiques shopping nearby. Then, have lunch with us.”

Patisserie Poupon, 1645 Wisconsin Ave., NW, 202-342-3248 (patiserriepoupon.net)

Raspberry Choux

Makes 15 individual-sized puffs

Ingredients for the pâte à choux:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

8 ounces butter (one stick)

A pinch of salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, plus 1 for brushing

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Combine the water, milk, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and add flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. Use a pastry bag or spoon to transfer the dough onto the baking trays in balls approximately 1 1/2 inches wide. Beat the extra egg and brush the tops of the dough balls with a soft brush. Score the tops gently with a fork. Bake until golden brown all over and under, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Ingredients for the diplomat cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 egg yolks
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
2 pints fresh raspberries

Directions
Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk along with the pod. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the yolks and sugar until thick and fluffy, then beat in sifted flour and cornstarch. Temper into hot milk by adding a ladle of hot milk to yolk mixture. Whisk and add to pan, stirring constantly over medium heat. Bring to a boil, simmer for a minute, pour into heatproof bowl and cool. Once cool, refrigerate (can be made a day in advance).
To serve, stir and smooth the cold pastry cream and gently fold in the whipped cream. With a sharp knife, remove the tops of the pâte à choux. Fill each pastry with the diplomat cream. Top with fresh raspberries and dust with powdered sugar.

The Georgetowner family was shocked and saddened by the recent loss of food writer Walter Nicholls (see obituary on page 8), who created “What’s Cooking, Neighbor?” We will miss his presence dearly in the paper and in the neighborhood he loved.

Robert Devaney • June 2, 2014

You have three evenings left to dine at Bangkok Joe’s. The Thai restaurant at the entrance to Washington Harbour at 3000 K St., NW, will close June 1, as its owners transform the space into a French-Southeast Asian restaurant, named Mama Rouge.

The new restaurant will open in September, owners — chef Aulie Bunyarataphan and Mel Oursinsini — told their patrons in a May 27 email. They also cited the changing tastes of customers. The same team runs Tom Yum District across Key Bridge in Arlington as well as T.H.A.I.

The self-described “dumpling bar and cafe” — which was reviewed by Zagat as having “dumplings “to die for” and “great cocktails to boot” — has attracted the likes of such celebrities as Nicole Kidman and Nicholas Cage.

Opened in September 2003, Bangkok Joe’s is getting a re-boot, so to speak, to stay current with its guests. Along with a revamped menu, the space will be redesigned and get a new kitchen.

Robert Devaney • May 27, 2014

When Clyde’s corporate chef John Guattery gave 1789 chef Daniel Giusti a book on the restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, “Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine,” he had no idea the gift would prompt his executive chef at his best restaurant to quit and run away to Denmark.

“The company has been gracious,” said the 27-year-old Giusti, speaking at 1789’s pub bar before the dinner hours.

In return, Giusti recommended Casa Nonna’s executive sous chef Anthony Lombardo – his friend and one-time roommate – as 1789’s top chef.

“We think the same as far as food goes,” Giusti said of Lombardo, giving the Clyde’s Restaurant Group a smooth continuity between chefs. Giusti’s last day at 1789 will be Aug. 28; Lombardo begins work at the 36th and Prospect Street fine dining spot this week.

For Giusti, who departs with his girlfriend Annika De Las Heras for Europe in September, it is a leap of faith. He is heading to Noma, cited as “the best restaurant in the world,” with merely a job possibility from owner Rene Redzepi. “There’s a good chance that I’ll never get paid,” he said.

What would make a chef at a top restaurant leave without a firm job offer for another in an old warehouse by the docks?

Noma – its name short for “Nordisk Mad” or Nordic Food, or so it is said – is admittedly the best and known for its unique and complicated recipes from local sources in season with epic gastronomical results (a meal with wine can pass the $300 mark).

For the departing 1789 chef, it is the Scandinavian restaurant’s precise pursuit of excellence on all levels fueling his passion for food. He wanted to know: “How is the best kitchen in the world run?”

What struck Giusti was “the intense energy of 60 persons” working in the kitchens along with a combination of contemporary and traditional techniques. The “tame-looking food,” he said, surprises with the tastes of the mixed ingredients. Noma— where the cooks bring diners the food and where Giusti briefly helped around the kitchen in July – is “the best as far as their thinking” goes in search for the “best or pure food,” he said. “What I love to do is to cook at seasonal levels.” And as far as making the top of that restaurant list? “Being on the list gives the owner the freedom to think. I can do what I want,” he said.

The adventuresome Giusti began working at Clyde’s of Georgetown at the age of 15. Attending the Culinary Institute of America, he then worked in New York — where he met Noma’s current chef Matthew Orlando at Aureole — and Las Vegas. He returned to D.C., becoming 1789’s top chef for a little more than three years. He was nominated by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington for a 2009 and 2010 RAMMY Award and received a regional nomination for “People’s Best New Chef” from Food & Wine Magazine.

While Giusti said he was disappointed to be in New York during the surprise visit to 1789 by President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in June, he said it was pretty cool to have met the Clintons as well as Paul McCartney there.

Not bad for a kid from New Jersey who moved to Northern Virginia and was Langley High School’s prom king in 2002. See you in Denmark.

Georgetowner • May 22, 2014

QSR is alive and growing in the D.C. metro area. GRK Fresh Greek is a new healthy, fast-casual concept from a partnership that is 100 percent Greek. Their first U.S. store is in New York’s financial district. It came to the attention of Nation’s Restaurant News, which included GRK in its “Breakout Brands 2014: 10 hot, emerging restaurant concepts generating excitement in the industry.” They will introduce their signature Yeero, a classic Greek marinated meat pocket in house-baked pita. (You can get a “gyro” in most Greek QSR places, but it’s actually pronounced “yeero.”) They will offer fresh yogurt imported from Greece with sweet and savory toppings, as well as their own frozen yogurt. There will be 75 seats inside plus 36 on the outdoor patio, nicely timed for their June opening in the Golden Triangle at 1140 19th St., NW. The plan is to open eight to ten stores in the DMV region.
The new owners of 1819 M St., NW, are renovating the four-story building to open MPire, a fine-dining restaurant and gentlemen’s club. Joanna’s 1819 Club was the previous tenant. The restaurant is expected to fill the first level, with a bar, lounge and entertainment on the second and third levels. The fourth level is office space. A June opening is planned.

D.C. airport dining continues to give us reason to arrive more than an hour early for our flight. Renowned chef/restaurateur Robert Wiedmaier (Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, Mussel Bar) plans to open a restaurant in DCA’s Terminal A, at the older, southern end of Reagan National. His Sugartoads Restaurant Consulting Group is planning a Provençal restaurant, with everything sourced locally and iPads for guests to order their meals and use the internet while dining. A summer 2015 opening is targeted. Wiedmaier’s new DCA restaurant will join &pizza, Taylor Gourmet, Grille District and Starbucks. Coming to Dulles (IAD) later this year: Bar Symon from Cleveland chef Michael Symon, a DC Craft Brew station, Smashburger, brb from Thompson Hospitality, District ChopHouse, Carrabba’s, Chef Geoff’s and &pizza. (When else can you write and &?)

Macon Bistro & Larder should be open by the time you read this. Located in the Chevy Chase Arcade, it’s named for chef/owner Tony Brown’s hometown of Macon, Ga., as well as where he learned his classic French cooking techniques, Macon, France. His chef de cuisine is Mike Matis, who previously worked at Miami’s Yardbird Southern Table.

Ch-Ch-Changes:

Il Canale in Georgetown is expanding into the space where Cannon Seafood Market was, next door at 1063 31st St., NW…Owners Ralph Brabham and Drew Porterfield and chef Aschara Vigsittaboot plan to relocate Beau Thai to bigger space at the Jefferson MarketPlace building, a new luxury apartment building on 7th Street, NW, across from City Market at O. The existing location in Shaw will close when this one opens, which should be by October. They started as a carryout when they opened in 2010 and grew into a full-service restaurant. Now they’re even bigger.

Just Opened:

Uprising Muffin Co., a bakery and café, has opened in Shaw. It’s owned by first-time restaurateur Donnie Simpson Jr., who studied how trendy donuts and cupcakes had become, but not muffins – yet. The fast-casual spot at 1817 Seventh St., NW, offers muffins in 35 rotating flavors as well as sandwiches and salads, along with coffee and espresso drinks. He is the son of legendary WPGC (and before that, WKYS) radio personality, Donnie Simpson…U.K.-based One Group has opened its 232-seat STK steakhouse, geared in décor and menu toward women (for a change). Chef Marc Hennessey previously worked at BLT restaurants in Hong Kong as well as at upscale restaurants in Chicago and Northern California…Thai street food is the theme of Soi 38 from restaurateurs Nat Ongsangkoon & Dia Khanthongthip, which just opened in Foggy Bottom. The chef is Mitchai Pankham…Red Light, a dessert-and-cocktail-focused bar that opened in the former Bar di Bari space at 1401 R St., NW, is owned and operated by Aaron Gordon, pastry chef Robert Underwood and cocktail impresarios Ari and Micah Wilder. Red Light takes its name from that area’s former reputation. (What a long, strange road it’s been, 14th Street!)

Chef Bob Kinkead has opened Campono, a more casual restaurant adjacent to his full-service Ancora in the Watergate complex, near the Kennedy Center. Campono focuses on casual Italian food. It’s named for the town in Italy where Bob’s daughter and her family live. Campono specializes in wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas, hot and cold subs, salads and house-made gelato. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as takeout.

Georgetowner •

Crazy-busy barbecue ace John Snedden always finds peace and restorative strength at sea. Every chance he gets during the spring and summer months, Snedden, owner of four Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company restaurants, heads with like-minded pals for the tiny town of Deale, Md., south of Annapolis. That’s where the group climbs aboard a charter boat destined for the open Chesapeake Bay. With luck, he reels in a good size rockfish (also known as striped bass).

“It’s beautiful on the bay, relaxing,” says Snedden, a Philadelphia native who opened his flagship eatery for wood-smoked meats in Glover Park in 1990. (The additional Rocklands locations are in Rockville, Alexandria and the Lyon Park section of Arlington.) “For my family, rockfish is a seasonal regional delicacy we love.” And regardless of whether the stripers are biting, Snedden is at the ready with a cooler-full of his trademark sweet and spicy baby back ribs, succulent chopped pork and slow-cooked beef brisket.

All three are Rocklands customer favorites. Soon there will be more room to enjoy them in Glover Park. In the weeks ahead, the location will expand into the adjoining building, formerly the site of Max’s Best Ice Cream. There will be 39 additional seats, including a 16-seat communal table, and ? on the kitchen side ? more space for baking cookies and seasonal fruit pies. “We can now be more family-oriented,” he says.

Did I mention that he’s a hard-working guy, always on the go? Snedden is also co-owner of Earl’s Sandwiches, with two locations in Arlington (Clarendon and Ballston), where the specialty is weighty fresh-roasted turkey, beef and pork loin sandwiches. Then there?s Right Proper Brewing Company in the Shaw section of Washington. The 5,500 square-foot full-service restaurant and brewery, which opened in late 2013, offers six rotating artisanal yeast-forward brews and a menu of beer-friendly snacks and more than 20 select local cheeses. His favorite? The bright, tart and creamy ash-covered goat cheese made by Pipe Dreams Dairy in Greencastle, Pa.

At home in the Palisades, John and Kim Snedden and their three teenage children divide the cooking duties. The following is their “go-to” rockfish recipe. “It’s flawless, foolproof,” he says. “And it’s the only recipe for fish that Kim loves?when she cooks it.”

*Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company, 2418 Wisconsin Ave., NW, 202-333-2558, [rocklands.com](http://www.rocklands.com/)*

**Rockfish with Creamy Leeks**

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 leeks (white and pale green parts), thoroughly washed and sliced thinly

3 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

4 six-ounce or 8 three-ounce rockfish fillets

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped

Parchment paper

Directions

Place the sliced leeks in a large, heavy skillet with the butter, 1/2 cup of the water and a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Cover the leeks with a circle of parchment just large enough to fit inside the skillet. Cover the skillet and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender (about 10 minutes).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt and flour. Combine the mixture and the remaining 1/4 cup of water with the leeks. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper to taste and nestle them into the leeks. Simmer on low heat, covered with parchment paper and lid, until just cooked through (about 8 minutes).

Serve hot, garnished with the chopped parsley.

Walter Nicholls • May 19, 2014

Sixteen years ago this month, former hair stylist and Hong Kong native Hollie Wong opened a serene tea house on Wisconsin Avenue, steps from the C&O Canal. She named it Ching Ching (her Chinese name) Cha (Chinese for tea). And little has changed in the fashion and feel of this distinctive sanctuary since I enjoyed Wong’s hospitality that very first week.

“The purpose is to relax. Don’t be in a rush, taste the tea,” says Wong, as she pours our first cup from a fist-sized red clay pot. “We keep it the same, slow, with no Wi-Fi or those bubble tea drinks.”

At the center of the polished rosewood table is a cast-iron kettle of simmering water, at the ready for refreshing the tea leaves. From the kitchen come plates of perfect thin-skinned chicken, vegetable pot stickers and bowls of lightly dressed chopped kale and snow peas.

On a raised platform along one wall are two frequently reserved tables, low and with lots of pillows, perfect for laid-back sipping. Even when all the tables are taken, there’s a reverent hush. Here, tea drinkers tend to linger.

I check out the selection of more than 70 different teas, as well as teapots and tea accessories, which Wong acquires on annual buying trips to China, Japan and Taiwan. This just in: the select top-bud spring crop of first-quality “Monkey King” green tea, her personal favorite, is now in stock. “The leaves are beautiful and the flavor is elegant,” she says. “This is the tea for a stressful Washingtonian.”

A woman comfortable with familiar food pleasures, Wong starts the day near her home in gated Hillandale with a stop at Patisserie Poupon for a classic buttery brioche roll. For a dinner out, her preferred destination is the sprawling 120-store Eden Center, a Vietnamese dining and shopping enclave in Falls Church. (At Eden, her choice for takeout is Thanh Son Tofu.)

And when a snack is in order, she reaches for a Chinese fast food have-to-have: a hard-cooked egg marinated in spices and soy sauce. “I never get tired of them,” she says.

Marbled Tea Eggs

Ingredients

12 eggs

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons peppercorns

6 pods star anise

2 tablespoons black tea leaves, such as Earl Grey

8 cups water

Directions

Place the eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water, one inch above their tops. Slowly bring the water to a boil. When boiling, cover the pan, remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl and run cold water over them until cool. Gently tap each egg until the shell is thoroughly glazed with small cracks.

Place the cracked eggs in a saucepan with the 8 cups of water, salt and soy sauce. Tie the peppercorns, star anise and tea leaves in a square of cheesecloth and add to the saucepan. Bring the eggs and liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to very low and simmer for 1 hour. Turn off heat, cover and let the eggs stand in the liquid for 2 hours. Do not remove the cover while the eggs are steeping.

Remove the cracked shells and serve cold or at room temperature with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and a touch of toasted sesame oil.

Jody Kurash • May 9, 2014

It seems that rum and pirates are like smoke and fire – you can’t find one without the other. From the earliest rum production in the 1600s in Barbados to Captain Jack Sparrow’s fondness for the spirit in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy, their history is tied together.

Today, liquor-store shelves are filled with brands of rum with pirate-themed monikers, the most popular being Captain Morgan, accounting for about a third of the premium rum market in the U.S. The real Captain Henry Morgan was legendary for his ruthlessness, his exorbitant thirst for liquor and his enormous success. But few know that he died an ugly death in Jamaica at the age of 53 from alcohol-related causes.

While it may have been rum that put the final nail in Morgan’s coffin after his Jamaica retirement, during his carousing on the high seas Morgan most likely imbibed other spirits. Preferring to plunder Spanish ships and villages, the richest of the time, he probably drank brandy and Madeira wines, the spirits that Spaniards consumed, while on the job.
Another rum named for a real-life buccaneer is Admiral Nelson. A British flag officer famous for his rousing leadership and unconventional battle tactics, Nelson was wounded in combat several times, losing an arm and his sight in one eye.

The best known and most notable of his victories was the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, during which he was shot and killed.

Nelson’s love for rum was so fabulous that his body was preserved in a cask of rum before it was finally laid to rest. After this incident, rum was often referred to as “Nelson’s Blood.”
The rum drink most commonly associated with pirates is “grog,” which is a misnomer. Grog was invented after the decline of piracy as a form of rationing on ships of the British Navy. Pirates consumed their often crudely distilled and harsh tasting poison straight up.

If you’d like to act like a buccaneer and enjoy a tot of rum on its own, you’re in luck. In recent years, rum has been enjoying a renaissance. Many fine rums now on the market can rival the complexity and depth of a single malt Scotch. One of my favorite sipping rums is Ron Zacapa, produced in the highlands of Guatemala. This rum took the top honors for five years in a row at the International Rum Festival. It was retired in 2003 to give other spirits a chance at the grand prize. Ron Zacapa continues to be served to the judges at the competition as a benchmark.

Other aged rums I adore are Ron del Barrilito, a craft rum produced in Puerto Rico; Chairman’s Reserve from St. Lucia; Neisson Rhum Agricole from Martinque; and Mount Gay Extra Old from Barbados.

Even with these enchanting choices, many still prefer their rum in a cocktail. The Pirate Cocktail, which originated in the venerable Esquire Drink Book, is a lovely option. Essentially a rum Manhattan, this pleasant nip preserves the character of the rum. The sweet vermouth softens the alcohol while the bitters highlight the complexity of the aged spirit. It’s a perfect coming-out drink for spring: too hearty and sublime to be a frothy summer drink, but too sultry to stay inside after winter.

**Pirate’s Cocktail**

3 ounces full-flavored aged rum

1 ounce sweet vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into
a short glass.

Georgetowner • May 7, 2014

Although one day a year is not enough time to thank moms for all they do, make May 11 exceptional and take mom out for brunch. Here’s what a few D.C. restaurants are serving up for Mother’s Day…

Bourbon Steak – A three-course Mother’s Day brunch menu. Sample courses: potato leek soup, pain perdu French toast and profiteroles. $95 per person, $40 per child. 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. 202-944-2026

Café Milano – A brunch buffet featuring an egg station, a breakfast buffet, a raw bar, an antipasti buffet, a bread station, a pasta station, an entrée station and a dessert station. Prosecco included. $95 per person, $39 per child. 3251 Prospect St., NW. 202-333-6183

Ristorante Piccolo – A three-course Italian dinner with choice of Champagne, mimosa or Bloody Mary. Complimentary glass of Champagne for moms. Serving from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. $28 per person. (A Mother’s Day dinner will be served from 3:30 to 10 p.m.) 1068 31st St., NW. 202-342-7414

The Grill Room – A brunch menu by executive chef Jakob Esko featuring New American and European flavors. Selections include orange and rye whiskey cured salmon, chopped lobster salad, rotisserie maple leaf farm duck and the Grill Room’s popular peach baked Alaska. Serving 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. $95 per person, $30 per child. 1050 31st St., NW. 202-617-2424

I-Thai – A free meal for moms on Mother’s Day weekend, courtesy of Georgetown’s newest Thai restaurant and sushi bar (reservation required). I-Thai offers a complete Japanese menu in addition to Thai favorites like I-Thai basil – think Ka Pow dishes – and mango curry. 3003 M St., NW. 202-580-8852

Teddy & the Bully Bar – A three-course menu by executive chef Demetrio Zavala with a variety of farm fresh items, including a flapjack and omelet station. Teddy’s patio will be open, weather permitting. Serving 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. $40 per person. 1200 19th St., NW. 202-872-8700

Walker’s Grille – A three-course prix-fixe menu of contemporary American fare, including farm vegetable gazpacho as a starter, herb crusted prime rib and chocolate paté with raspberries, hazelnuts, apricots and whipped cream. $35 per person. 6909 Metro Park Dr., Alexandria. 703-922-6200

701 Restaurant – A three-course Mother’s Day menu accompanied by live jazz. Menu options include a roasted carrot salad, branzino and coconut panna cotta. Serving 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $45 per person. 701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. 202-393-0701

Bombay Club– A three-course prix-fixe Indian menu. Entrees such as lamb and chana masala are available on the buffet. $39-50 per person, $54 with Champagne. 815 Connecticut Ave., NW. 202-659-3727