The Weekly Feed: Purim Polemic Edition
Viridian Chefs Wander to Vegetate
In order to keep DCist's newly veg food editor happy and well fed, Sidra Forman and Derrick Bullock (formerly of Viridian, Perrys, and Rupperts) have moved to Vegetate, the new all-vegetarian restaurant/locus of neighborhood tension in Shaw.
The team has been cultivating its no-meat cooking skills for a while now (as evidenced by the menu at Viridian), and will be sure to please proprietors Jennifer and Dominic Redd. Also pleasing is the time-limited liquor license granted to the restaurant despite the vociferous complaints of nearby Shiloh Baptist Church. Perhaps this will end the protestations of the pious neighbors, as the license is only granted for Friday and Saturday nights. We'll wait to see if this ends the criticism of the church for its congregants' double parking, but we doubt it.
Palette Promotes from Within
While Vegetate is embroiled in a civic battle, Palette marches quietly forward, content to pour its excellent drinks and produce its whimsical food. The restaurant—located in the Madison Hotel—has promoted Arnel Esposo to Executive Chef. Chef Esposo has been the restaurant's Sous Chef for the past three years, but will picking up where former Chef James Clark left off.
Esposo has worked under Michel Richard (of Citronelle) and Morou (most recently of shuttered Signatures), and is originally from the area, though he spent time cooking at the March-appropriate Kilkea Caste in Ireland. The new chef promises new menus on March 6 and 13 and will be trying his hand at dishes such as honey-soaked sea bass and morels and red lentil soup with coriander pesto and Pernod. DCist respects any chef who tries to make lentils remotely edible.
GW Jewish Students Take On Issues of the Day
Taking after the folks who, until recently, used their student center as the set for cable news yelling matches, the students from George Washington University Hillel are teeing up for a primetime mock debate. Intractable as it may be, students from both sides of the debate will (hopefully) hurl insults at one another of which is best: latkes or Hamentaschen.
Sadly, the conflict has been going on for 15 long years. It picks up again on Tuesday night from 7 to 9 p.m. at the GW Hillel. We're sure debaters have become battle weary, but it's only the piping-hot oily purity of the latke and the sweet jam-filled pointed strength of the hamentash that keeps them going. We hope the debate takes one of two tracks: a profane free-for-all reminiscent of a prurient version of Prime Minister's Questions or an old-style filibuster à la Senate Dean Robert Byrd (D-WV). Anything less and we're walking. Tell us when the latkes are done though, OK?
Artichoke photo from flickr user byrdiegyrl and used under a Creative Commons license.