Valentine’s Day Confidential

August 15, 2013

Valentine’s Day Q&A

In preparation for Valentine’s Day, we contacted a few of our favorite couples about their relationships, memories and plans for this year. We asked:

1. What are you two doing for Valentine’s Day?
2. What was your best romantic gesture or stunt?
3. What do you two love most about each other?
4. Where was your first date?

Here are their responses:

Geoff Tracy and Norah O’Donnell

= Duh, is that coming up again?! Quite un-romantically, I’ll be in D.C., watching the restaurants on Feb. 14, and Norah will be in NYC going to bed early to get ready for her 4 a.m. wake-up call to do “CBS This Morning.” I should probably send flowers, right?

= Back in the day when I was courting her (freshman year at Georgetown University) I would leave little love notes hidden in her dorm room that she would find throughout her week. Fortunately, she never filed a restraining order.

= I love and respect her hard work and success in her career and life. I also find her drop-dead gorgeous.

=The Dubliner in 1991. It was a group of eight of us. An older gent with a few missing teeth was flirting with Norah. She asked me to get her out of the situation. I said I would but she had to go along with whatever I did. She agreed. I then told the guy I was about to ask for her hand in marriage. He didn’t believe me. So, I got down on my knee in front of the whole restaurant and asked her to marry me. She had to say yes. People bought us drinks and congratulated us all night.

Robin and Jeff Jones

= Not sure yet …

= I sent him on a scavenger hunt throughout the house with puny valentines cards to find his gift. It was fun … he found it endearing, but I cannot remember what the gift was.

= Each other’s company!

= A lunch date (I was checking him out to see if he was nighttime date-worthy) at a local tavern in Frederick, Md., called Jennifer’s.

Kiki Ryan and Tim Burger, to be married in March

= Sadly, we are going to be apart. Ironically, I’m going to the most romantic city in the world – Paris – with some of my bridesmaids for my bachelorette party.

= He recently showed me he had saved the receipt of chocolate and wine that he bought for our first day.

= That as long as we’ve got each other, we can handle anything.

= He brought over red wine and dark chocolate over to my apartment, and we watched “No Country For Old Men.”

Richard and Charlotte Shields

= We will be having dinner at 1789 Restaurant … nothing better.

= Best romantic gesture: Husband hijacking my iPhone or computer and posting on my Facebook how much I love him. He doesn’t even need to hijack it … I proclaim it everyday.

= What we love the most about each other is our limitless desire to spend time with each other, our family and friends and how we both find joy in every moment spent together in anything.

= Our love and life is uniquely a Georgetown story: We met at Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart at Georgetown University where Richard was the wedding singer, and I (Charlotte) was the bridesmaid for my brother’s wedding. Our first kiss was in the courtyard in front of Dahlgren Chapel. First date? The Tombs. First time going to church together was at Holy Trinity where Richard was singing in 1974.

Erika Gutierrez and Rodrigo Garcia, to be married in March

= We enjoy spending quality time together at home. So, we will cook dinner together, watch movies at home and hang out with our miniature pinscher Ricky.

= On the weekend we got engaged, Rodrigo took me to Little Palm Island and proposed while we were on a walk after dinner. It was so romantic, so perfect. He planned everything out so beautifully. I will never forget it.

= The way we both support each other in our personal and professional lives. We are each other’s biggest fan.

= Rasika

Jack and Kay Kendall Davies

= We will be in London and going to one of our favorite restaurants.

= Best romantic gesture or stunt: When Jack proposed to Kay at the top of L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

= Kay has learned to love hockey, and Jack has learned to love dance.

= First date: A wonderful dinner at a not so wonderful restaurant, surrounded by noisy tourists with children.

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Q&A with RAMW President Kathy Hollinger


With just over a month under her belt as president of Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), Kathy Hollinger is excited to move forward. She assumed the position Dec. 15, 2012, succeeding Lynne Breaux, the organization’s former president.

Hollinger was previously Agency Director and Film Commissioner of D.C. Motion Picture and TV Development, and founded Storyboard, LLC, a strategic communications agency dedicated to improving visibility for clients in both the private and public sectors. She has also worked for Comcast Cable, the Council of the District of Columbia, and American University, as an adjunct professor of entertainment communication. She has a Master of Arts in Public Communication and Public Policy from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Arts from American University. Hollinger’s background and experience in strategic communications, public relations, marketing, external affairs and advocacy, namely, have equipped her with the knowledge and ability to help lead RAMW while working to represent and advance the restaurant industry in the District.

Hollinger shared reflections with The Georgetowner about her new presidency and the organization’s future, as well as her interests and personal life.

How have your past experiences helped to prepare you for this position as president of RAMW?

I think that the common thread is advocacy. I think in every position that I’ve been in, I have had to be an advocate for an industry. A lot of what the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington is about is focusing on that type of advocacy, to make sure that we are helping to position these restaurants to succeed, and continue to succeed, and focus on growth and ways to better serve and address the needs of industry stakeholders. I did that with film in the film community. I did that with Comcast and Comcast’s business interests. So, people who have worked locally and in this market understand that advocacy really is defined in many ways, but a lot of it has to do with representing the best interests of that industry at the time.

I think that having the opportunity to work in private sector, public sector, academia, political – in all of those arenas – has very much prepared me to come in, and work, and run an association. A lot of the core task of what I had to do in previous roles centered around advocacy and working with the business community. Those relationships that I have created over the last 20 years are really helpful in helping to continue the momentum of this association, and really build on all that we want to do moving forward.

What are you most looking forward to about working in this capacity?

I’ve been here a month, but I have had the pleasure of working with the association over the years, when the previous president was in place, so I’m familiar with the association. I’m looking forward most to working with – and building personal relationships with – current members, and reaching out to new ones. We are seeing such growth. We want to make sure that we can reach as many new members [as possible], as well as continuing to provide value to our current members so that all restaurants are experiencing the renaissance in this region and are also represented, and have great representation, when it comes to their interests from a business owner’s standpoint.

What do you believe will be your biggest challenge this year?

Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t really think about it in terms of a challenge. But, I do think about it in terms of opportunities: to really find ways to enhance our programming, to augment some of the services that are currently offered, and to help restaurants in the region to build stronger businesses. I think that currently we have some great services that we offer to our membership, but [must also] really listen to the industry to see how we can refine those services and create additional ones.

Restaurant Week is Feb. 4-10. How many restaurants traditionally participate?

Over the last couple of years, we have had about 200 to 250 restaurants participate. The association has worked very hard to grow the promotion of this Restaurant Week with the launch of a new website. We have helped to develop marketing packages and tools to make sure that our members can get their messages out and make the most of their investment in the event. We have seen so much energy and so much enthusiasm, so we are hoping for and expecting the same level of participation, if not more.

How would you like to see participation grow? Have you used social media to help with publicizing Restaurant Week?

We have seen such a spike in traffic directed to our Restaurant Week website and social media, and that has been a very big deal for us; the association has really taken a lot of time to invest in a website that is going to make a lot of sense for those participating, and really give the type of information that consumers want when they are thinking about where to participate during that week.

We are a small staff, but a very, very talented and driven staff. To be able to put effort into something that is just yielding such positive returns is really rewarding for everyone.

We absolutely know that we have to use and leverage social media more. It is definitely a priority for us, going forward. Facebook and Twitter are incredible tools that restaurants use, and we want to make sure as an association that we use those same tools.

Will you be participating in Restaurant Week?

I participate literally every year: I personally do, my friends do, my family does. It’s something that we always look forward to, and we plan to do the same this year.

Do you have a favorite Valentine’s Day restaurant?

I don’t have a favorite Valentine’s Day restaurant, but I do always try to go out for Valentine’s Day. I don’t know if it will be a family Valentine’s Day or a date night Valentine’s Day.

What I do love about Valentine’s Day is that it is another opportunity for restaurants to really be able to promote and market their individual packages. I’m hoping that the city sees a lot of excitement coming off of Restaurant Week and that it sees the same excitement going out for Valentine’s Day.

Where are you from originally, and where do you live now?

I grew up in Philadelphia, and I have been in D.C. for 25 years. I came down to go to American University, and I virtually never left. I live very close to the university, and I am very tied to this area. It’s very near and dear to me. I still live in D.C. and I live in The Palisades.

What is your favorite food?

I don’t know if I can answer that one… I can answer it by saying that I really love food – I do genuinely love it all. There are very, very few things that I do not eat.

What is your favorite music?

I would have to say that Stevie Wonder is one of my favorite artists. If I had to pick a genre that I really love, I would pick jazz.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love to walk, I love to hike, I love to bike, and I love spending time with my family, especially my five-year-old. He’s a little boy with a lot of energy, and he has already in his five years grown up in the restaurant industry, eating out constantly.

Georgetown’s Turning Tables


Fiola’sTrabocchi Plans Washington Harbour Restaurant Chef Fabio Trabocchi (shown right) plans to open his next restaurant, the 7,500-square-foot Fiola Mare, at Washington Harbour in fall 2013, according to the Washington Post. Trabocchi has signed a letter of intent with MRP Realty, which owns the popular waterfront complex on the Potomac River in Georgetown. Trabocchi already has Fiola in downtown. Architects for the new restaurant’s build-out, HapstakDemetriou, which has offices at Q Street and Wisconsin Avenue, the Post added. The fish-happy eatery will have inside and outside dining along with a raw bar.

Meanwhile, at Washington Harbour, Farmers Fishers Bakers will open in November in the old Farmers & Fishers space, next to Sequoia and Tony & Joe’s, in front of the soon-to-open ice skating rink. Maintaining the rustic theme, Farmers Fishers Bakers will include a “farmhouse sushi” bar, whatever that means.

Michel Richard’s Citronelle is reportedly reopening in May or June 2013. Central is open. See details on page 13.

Tony &Joe’s Seafood Place and Nick’s Riverside Grill have reopened. It’s a big deal; see page 14.

Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery will open on M Street at, 3291 M St. N.W., sometime soon, we hope.

ShopHouseSoutheast Asian Kitchen As previously reported in Linda Roth Conte’s column The Latest Dish right here in The Georgetowner,ShopHouse is awaiting approval to open in the former home of Furin’s at 2805 M St. N.W.

The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show will be at the Washington Convention Center this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-4. The Show will feature appearances by celebrity chefs Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri and Jacques Pepin. Cookbook authors, cooking demonstrations, and mixologists will all be part of the expo. Adult admission is $27; children under 12 years old, $15; children under 4 years old have free admission to the event. ?

The Parthenon: Chevy Chase’s Neighborhood Restaurant


The “Neighborhood Restaurant” has always been a mainstay of American society. Even as the size and pace of our lives has grown and quickened, the restaurants that we frequent close to home offer a consistency and comfort that is actively sought out, as places where everyone knows you, your family, and the events that define us.

One of those establishments in the Washington, DC metro area that best defines the “neighborhood restaurant” descriptor best is Parthenon Restaurant–an authentic Greek restaurant in Chevy Chase. Established in 1989 by Pete Gouskos and Steve Tsiolis, The Parthenon replaced the Swiss Chalet. The challenge was to quickly renovate the dark interior to a bright, warm ambience; and to build a reputation for fresh, well-prepared meals.

Over time, Pete and Steve renovated their restaurant. Among their regular customers from the very beginning were Yankel and Pamela Ginzburg. Learning of Yankel’s reputation as a world-renowned artist, Pete asked Yankel if he would consider doing a painting for the restaurant. Yankel advised Pete to wait, given their budget focus. “You don’t need a painting from me!” After several years of cajoling, however, Yankel finally agreed. Pete handed him a 1948 black and white postcard of the Parthenon that his mother had sent to him. “It should look like this, but in color.” After months of effort, Yankel delivered the painting to the restaurant, where it remains prominently displayed in the main dining room.

With the goal of creating a neighborhood restaurant that would last, Pete and Steve immediately recognized the need to serve not only quality food and memorable cuisine. Doing so required a world-class chef. After an extensive nationwide search, they found their ideal candidate just across the Potomac in Alexandria: Juan Galeas. “Juan’s been with us 22 years, and remains our head chef,” Pete tells me. In addition, Parthenon has three assistant chefs, many of whom have been there 15+ years.

Parthenon’s crab cakes are reputed to be the best in Washington, D.C. Ben Olsen, manager of DC United frequents Parthenon, and always orders them, I’m told.

I ask Pete how he achieved such a reputation, he smiled and said simply, “To prepare the best food, you must have the best ingredients.”

Senator Jim Sasser and his wife, Mary, are long-time customers of Parthenon. “We stumbled upon it,” the Senator tells me. “And have been coming back for ten years!”

Another couple, Ken and Nancy Malm, rave about the menu. “It has 96 items. They’re always able to fill every item you order, and it’s always exceptional,” Nancy says.

“Who is your most loyal customer?” I ask Pete.

I’m told the restaurant has been frequented by many famous personalities, to include Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Supreme Court Justices Sotomayor and Souter, Senator Ted Kennedy and Chris Matthews.

“Patricia,” Pamela Ginzburg says, smiling.

“Patricia? I ask, now curious.

“Patricia Cook,” Pete answers. “She’s 99 years old and has been coming here every day for lunch. At the end of every meal, she orders a martini and smokes a cigarette. Every day.”

Loyal indeed.

“That is why we are here,” Pete says. “The quality of our people. In a nice neighborhood. With loyal customers who keep coming back.”

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Cocktail of the Week: Play It, Sam


Infusing liquors with flavors is
nothing new. After all, it’s the
aging process in wooden barrels
that impart rum and bourbon
with their unique characteristics.
Adding fruit flavors to vodka started
a new trend that branched out to
instilling spirits with savory herbs,
spices and even vegetables.

The process of fat-washing
liquors took off with the recent
bacon craze, where crafty bartenders
added bacon and pork fat to
create a rich, unami taste. Josh
Berner, mixologist at Cleveland
Height’s Ripple has taken this
movement and pushed it a step
further, by fat washing liquors with
vegetable fats, such as olive and
sesame oils.

Ripple currently has three
fat washed cocktails on its drink menu. They
include the Basil Exposition – an olive oilwashed
vodka, green chartreuse, white wine
and basil combination, Play It Sam, forged from
sesame oil-infused gin, aquavit and a date reduction
and the Chile Manteca y Dulcet, a mixture
of bacon-infused Benevamezcal, cayenne and
toasted pecans.

Berner recently hosted a cocktail class
where participants were taught how to make
fat-washed liquor at home and mix these three
delicious tipples.

Berner demonstrated the vegetable fat-washing
process by making a batch of the sesame-oil
infused gin that is used in the Play it Sam cocktail.
The process begins by using one 750-milliliter
bottle of gin and combining it with two
ounces of sesame oil in a saucepan. Berner
melds the ingredients by cooking them over on
the lowest heat and stirring for 20 minutes. The
heat needs to stay low, because if the gin begins
to boil, the alcohol will burn off.

The mixture is then poured into a container
and placed in the freezer for at least 12
hours, until the fat is solidified. Next, using a
pre-chilled batch, Berner showed the participants
how to remove the solid fat from the gin
with a spoon and then strain it, using wither a
cheesecloth or coffee filter. Once the oil has
been removed, you are left with a smooth liquor
infused with sesame flavor.

The Play it Sam was named after what Berner
calls the correct line from movie, “Casablanca.”
“She never actually says ‘Play it again Sam,’ ”
he said. The “Casablanca” reference is due to the
Moroccan flavors found in the cocktail.

Besides sesame, this potable also features
aquavit, a Scandinavian liqueur flavored with
caraway and anise and a date reduction. The
date reduction is made taking finely chopped
dates, sugar and water and cooking it until it is
reduced into a concentrated flavor.

The aquavit was the main building block
for Berner in creating this cocktail. “I started
off with aquavit,” he said. “It’s a great liquor. It
has a wonderful flavor and it’s underused. So
I thought about what I can do with it to make
it interesting and taste good.” Berner started
researching foods to see what flavors would mix well with the caraway and anise which led him
to Moroccan cuisine. From there, he decided on
the addition of sesame and experimented with
some different fruit mixtures including cherries
and a cherry and date combination.

Another important, flavorful aspect to this
drink is the lemon twist garnish. Berner uses a
channel knife to make lemon twists that are not
only pretty, but serve an important purpose as
well. As he cut the peels over the cocktail glass,
bits of lemon oil squirt into the drink. The oil
gives off a nice scent and imparts a balancing
flavor. He also rubs the peel along the rim to
add a bit more punch.

Berner said that when he first made the drink
without the lemon peel, he was not happy with
the flavor, but once he added the lemon oil, “the
flavors popped, “he says. “A little oil made a big
difference.”

The result is an exquisite flavor combination.
The lemon lends nice citrus nose that is
quickly followed by the flavor of the aquavit,
which is tempered nicely by the dates. The sesame
kicks in with a subtle hint on the finish. Lick
your lips after one sip, and you will definitely
taste the tangy sesame. Not sweet at all, this is
a dry cocktail, which is spicy yet refreshing at
the same time.

While Ingrid Bergman did not say “Play it
again, Sam,” in the movie, you may find yourself
saying. “Again,” when imbibing this drink.
Its brisk and cool flavor will make it hard for
you to stop at one. ?

PLAY IT SAM
1 1/2 ounces sesame-oil infused gin
1/4 ounce aquavit
2 ounces date reduction
Lemon twist
In an ice-filled mixing glass, stir gin, aquavit
and date reduction until cold. Strain into
ice-filled highball glass, garnish with a
lemon twist, rubbing the peel on the rim of
the glass.
Readers may taste the Play It Sam at Ripple,
located at 3417 Connecticut Ave., NW.

What?s Cooking, Neighbor? August 7, 2013

August 8, 2013

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](http://www.bistrotlepic.com/) and [Sea Catch](http://www.seacatchrestaurant.com/menu/dinner.cfm), 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.***

Mike Isabella Drops Bandolero

August 5, 2013

The Mexican restaurant Bandolero has lost its star chef, Mike Isabella, who with others opened the “Day of the Dead”-themed eatery of small tacos, other small plates and fancy tequila drinks in late May 2012 on M Street.

Isabella announced July 31 that he was ending his management agreement with the business owners, Jonathan and Bethany Umbel, who also own Tackle Box next door. Bandolero is in the space once occupied by Hook, a seafood restaurant, closed because of a fire two years ago. Umbel’s Pure Hospitality is fighting a lawsuit — which Isabella has nothing to do with — from the property owner of that space.

Isabella has other places in D.C., such as Graffiato and the sandwich spot, G Grab and Go. Last month, he opened a Greek restaurant on 14th Street, Kapnos.

In a prepared statement, Isabella explained his decision: “I am no longer part of Bandolero. I own all my other restaurant concepts. And with the opening of G Grab and Go, Kapnos and G this year, it’s time for me to focus on those concepts. I am very proud of the modern Mexican concept my team and I put together, but it’s not 100-percent my restaurant … It’s time for me to focus on the restaurants where I have full operational control.”

Isabella — a “Top Chef” alumnus — was the subject of a Georgetowner feature in June 2012.
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Good Stuff Eatery Now Open on M Street

August 1, 2013

The wait is over. Georgetown residents and visitors can now indulge in the “good stuff” that Spike Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery brings.

The M Street location is the third of the franchise; the first one is located at Capitol Hill.

“Georgetown is the place to be,” said Ryan Helfer of Good Stuff Eatery.

Good Stuff Eatery was drawn to Georgetown’s sense of community and its proximity to all of the universities.

“We wanted to be in the hippest, coolest party of town,” said David Greenberg of Good Stuff Eatery.

Not only is Good Stuff known for being a local brand, but it also brings in local talent and ingredients. Good Stuff is open seven days a week, and believe it or not, fresh ingredients are delivered six days a week.

After two years of anticipation and excitement, Good Stuff has begun its new journey on M Street. Georgetown’s Good Stuff Eatery marks Mendelsohn’s second D.C. location of Good Stuff. The third is located in Crystal City, Virginia.

The top three selling burgers are the Prez Obama Burger, Colletti’s Smokehouse, and the Free Range Turkey Burger.

“This was always where we wanted number two to be,” says Greenberg. “We plan to be here for a very long time,” added Helfer.

Serendipity 3’s ‘I Cannot Tell A Lie’ Sundae for July 4th

July 18, 2013

With the Fourth of July soon upon us, it’s time to start celebrating. In honor of Independence Day, Serendipity 3 and its sister restaurant in New York City are featuring a delicious, patriotic-themed sundae through July 11 — the “I Cannot Tell A Lie” Sundae. It combines two of the best American classics: pie and ice cream. This special sundae layers cherry pie, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. Capped off with blue and red sprinkles, a maraschino cherry and a white chocolate lollypop, it’s one sweet deal. [gallery ids="101366,152839,152835" nav="thumbs"]

Dine ’n Dash With José Andrés and Friends


Eating without paying. That is what most people think when they hear “Dine and Dash.” However, chef José Andrés has added a new and positive definition to this concept — all for a good cause.

On a hot evening June 25, Andrés and friends presented the first annual Dine ‘n’ Dash, which six restaurants from Penn Quarter joined, including Oyamel, Jaleo, Proof, Zaytinya, Poste and Azur. The event worked as follows: after purchasing your wristband, you were assigned to a restaurant as your starting point. The goal was to stroll through all of them within four hours, which was not an easy task. As you walked in, unlimited drinks and delicious food surrounded you at all times. Waiters with full and colorful trays were everywhere, offering different dishes and making sure you were never empty-handed.

The $150 cost of the wristband covered the unlimited food and benefited World Central Kitchen . A non-profit run by Think Food Group, that José Andrés started after a trip to Haiti. Its goal is to “foster future generations of innovators and activists and to change the world through the power of food.” World Central Kitchen is committed to find solutions that will help combat hunger around the globe.

The June 25 event raised more than $60,000 that will go towards “Smart Solutions to Hunger and Poverty,” which focuses on providing and facilitating local agriculture, clean cook stoves, sustainable kitchens and job training in Haiti. According to World Central Kitchen, more than 600 persons attended.