Monthly Archive for August, 2010

2 Amys – Washington D.C.

Published by Gastronomer on August 31, 2010 in Italian, Pizza, Restaurant Review and Washington D.C.. 16 Comments

Following the delightful progressive lunch at Chef José Andrés’ five restaurants, my levelheaded blogging companions headed back to the hotel for a nap and explored Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian. While both of these activities appealed to me on some level, I decided to do the unthinkable.

After meeting up with my cousin Kristine at Dupont Circle, we hightailed it to 2 Amys for pristine pies. Even though my belly was filled nearly to the brim, leaving D.C. without a meal here would’ve been a travesty.

2 Amys serves what is arguably the best pizza in The District. The restaurant is a member of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, which was established “to protect and promote authentic Neapolitan pizza and defend its Neapolitan origins and traditions.” This means that the restaurant only uses soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water, and sea salt in its dough, and only Italian plum tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and dried oregano for toppings. Furthermore, all pizzas are cooked in a wood-burning oven.

The folks at 2 Amys have been rewarded for their serious pizza making efforts with legions of devoted fans and lots of great press.

We arrived at the restaurant sometime after the Saturday lunch rush and were seated immediately at a table by the window. Kristine insisted that we sample some small bites before diving into pizzas, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

The pork rillettes ($6) arrived in chunk-form, dressed with a bit of olive oil and flaky salt. A few snappy cornichons were served on the side for balance. We slathered the pork onto some bread and savored the creamy fat embedded with shredded meat. Try as I might to stuff more than a bite of this into my system, it was too rich for my current state. My cousin stepped up to the plate and manhandled the decadent plateful of pork.

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José Andrés Washington D.C. Restaurant Tour: Minibar, Café Atlántico, Oyamel, Jaleo, Zaytinya

Published by Gastronomer on August 30, 2010 in Media Event (this meal was free), Mexican, Molecular Gastronomy, Small Plates, Spanish and Washington D.C.. 14 Comments

A tour of D.C.’s food scene wouldn’t be complete without examining Chef José Andrés‘ restaurant empire. The Think Food Group owns five highly lauded eateries in the metropolitan area: Minibar by Jose Andrés, Café Atlántico, Oyamel, Jaleo, and Zaytinya. Located within walking distance of one another in Penn Quarter, each restaurant has a different vibe and a distinct culinary viewpoint.

On our second day in the city, we enjoyed a progressive lunch at Chef Andrés’ restaurants. My feelings were lukewarm at best after dining at The Bazaar by Jos é Andrés in Los Angeles, so this tour offered the perfect opportunity to experience the chef’s cuisine on his home turf. I was hoping to be wowed.

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Minibar by José Andrés

With Minibar tucked into the second floor of Café Atlántico, our first two stops turned out to be one in the same. The six seat Minibar (yep, just six seats!) serves an avant-garde tasting menu with upwards of 30 courses. “This is food that owes as much to art and science as it does to gastronomy, food that is as much about the brain and eye as it is about the tongue and stomach, food that forces the diner to rethink food and its presentation,” states the restaurant’s website.

As a tremendous fan of Spanish molecular gastronomy, I was most excited to experience Minibar. Unfortunately, we were only given a taste, literally and figuratively, of what the restaurant had to offer.

“Olives Ferran Adria” arrived on a porcelain spoon in a shallow pool of olive oil. The spherified green olive encompassed all the qualities of a great olive, minus the proper texture. I’ve experienced these spheres dozens of times, but the sensation of the thin membrane popping and unleashing a flood of flavored liquid never gets old. [Watch Ferran Adria and José Andrés explain the spherification process here.]

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Birch & Barley – Washington D.C.

Published by Gastronomer on August 26, 2010 in Gastropub, Media Event (this meal was free), Restaurant Review and Washington D.C.. 14 Comments

Birch & Barley, a ground-breaking D.C. restaurant dedicated to artisanal beers, was the site of our second dinner in the city. I was a bit nervous about dining here because truth be told, I don’t like beer. Try as I might to embrace the sudsy stuff, beer and I just haven’t grown very tight over the years. In fact, there’s only been one brew in my experience that didn’t elicit a bitter face—La Fin Du Monde, a champagne-like beer from Québec.

Even though I haven’t had the best experiences with beer, I came here with an open mind and a willing palate. This evening, our group indulged in a tasting menu ($55) with beer pairings ($22) orchestrated by Chef Kyle Bailey (Cru, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Allen and Delancey) and beer director Greg Engert. Bread service and sweets were masterfully handled by Chef Tiffany MacIsaac (Cru, Union Square Cafe, Allen and Delancey).

Mr. Engert, who was recently named by Food & Wine magazine as Sommelier of the Year, was on hand to expertly guide us through the evening’s libations. He came to our table at the beginning of each course to introduce the beer pairing, telling us about its history, origin, and distinctive qualities. His immense and intense passion came through with each delivery, inspiring me to give every beer a fair shake and to appreciate its craftsmanship. We sampled a lot of beers throughout the course of the night, but it barely made a dent in the 555 artisanal brews (500 in bottles, 50 on tap, five cask-pumped) that Birch & Barley sources.

Before the official tasting began, a series of light appetizers arrived to amuse our bouches. These were paired with a thoroughly delightful ale brewed with raspberries from Italy called Rubus. The first bite were arrancini, fried risotto balls with peas, prosciutto, mint, and Fontina. The panko crust was just about perfect.

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Little Ethiopia Food Tour: Zenebech Injera, Habesha Market and Carry-Out, Little Ethiopia Restaurant – Washington D.C.

Published by Gastronomer on August 25, 2010 in Ethiopian, Media Event (this meal was free), Restaurant Review and Washington D.C.. 12 Comments

The city savvy folks from D.C. Metro Food Tours took our group on a walking tour of Little Ethiopia on our first full day in Washington. The tour centered around the U Street Corridor and Shaw neighborhoods, taking us through the heart of the world’s largest Ethiopian enclave outside of Ethiopia. The vibe in this part of town couldn’t have been any more different than the one we left in Capitol Hill. The gritty streets and laid back feel was a refreshing change of pace.

I was introduced to Ethiopian cuisine my first year out of college while living in Oakland, California. The name of the restaurant has since escaped me, but the tastes and memories from that meal remain quite vivid. From the sour-tinged injera to the syrupy sweet honey wine to the sensation of eating with my finger tips, Ethiopian food left a great impression on me and I’ve adored it ever since.

Our tour began at Zenebech Injera, arguably the best Ethiopian restaurant in the District according to our tour guides. In addition to serving up some of the city’s best food, Zenebech also provides the injera for a bulk of the area’s restaurants. For those unfamiliar with Ethiopian cuisine, injera is a spongy and springy flat bread made of teff flour. It is not only used to deliver food into one’s mouth, but it doubles as a serving platter as well.

The smiling and amiable Ms. Zenebech gave our group an injera making demonstration before feeding our eager bellies. Cameras weren’t allowed inside her kitchen, but this video on YouTube captures the experience quite well. In layman’s terms, injera is like a steamed sourdough pancake.

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Art and Soul – Washington D.C.

Published by Gastronomer on August 24, 2010 in Media Event (this meal was free), Restaurant Review, Southern and Washington D.C.. 12 Comments

Earlier this month, I traveled to our nation’s capital on a culinary press trip courtesy of Destination D.C. and Foodbuzz. Joining me were two other Foodbuzz publishers (Olga of Mango Tomato and Joseph of Gastronomer’s Guide), as well as five veteran food and travel writers from across the country. Our weekend in D.C. took us to some of the city’s most talked about restaurants, and also included a few stops off the beaten path. It was a food tour of a lifetime, and let me tell you, D.C. is delicious. There truly is no better way to explore a city than by breaking bread all across town.

Our excursion began at the Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill, which served as our group’s swanky home base for the duration of the trip. After checking in and unpacking a bit, it was time to head downstairs to Art and Soul for dinner.

Chef and co-owner Art Smith arrived in D.C. following the success of his restaurant Table Fifty-Two in Chicago and a decade-long stint as Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef. Although he is not a full-time Washingtonian, he spends a few weeks here each month making sure that all is perfect at Art and Soul. We were very fortunate to have him join us for cocktails and dinner.

The restaurant’s menu is a blend of Chef Smith’s Southern cooking heritage and the Atlantic region’s finest ingredients. Before sitting down for a full-on feast, we indulged in a parade of small bites. My favorite of the bunch was the mini smoked salmon hoecakes. According to the menu, hoecakes are “cornmeal flatbreads traditionally cooked after a hard day’s work.” Topped with house-cured salmon, caviar, dill crème fraiche, and caper berries, the hoecakes’ flavors were familiar and immensely satisfying.

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