November 6, 2006
The Weekly Feed: Bouillabaise In Your Face Edition
D.C. Battles It Out In The Kitchen
One of Washington's best food events, the Capital Food Fight, is a little over a week away, and I expect there is wanton smack-talking between the competition's 10 food-fighters. Bebo's Roberto Donna, Mie n Yu's Tim Elliot, Kinkead's Bob Kinkead, last year's winner Ris Lacoste, Jamie Leeds of Hank's Oyster Bar, Taberna del Alabardero's Santi Zabaleta, John Wabeck of Firefly, IndeBleu's Vikram Garg, Anthony Chittum from Notti Bianche, and Boston's Ken Oringer -- a pilgrim from that city's Clio -- will take to the International Trade Center for the third-annual benefit for D.C. Central Kitchen, and it promises to be smoking hot!
Granted, much of the hotness will be emanating from the event's co-host Dave Lieberman, and from the frothing saltiness of one of its judges, Anthony Bourdain, but the actual competition promises to be more than mere eye candy for attendees. A live-action "Iron Chef" competition, the Food Fight is a 10-minute free-for-all wherein chefs use a secret ingredient to create something delicious and beautiful for the attendees and celebrity judges (who are Bourdain and WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi this year). Plus, attendees get to hobnob with both chefs and Washington's foodie community. More than the food and networking, however, it's a great fundraiser for the Central Kitchen, which helps Washington's homeless community by providing both fresh food and job training for work in the food industry.
I know Lacoste has been cooking up a storm (judging by her unfailing appearance at the Dupont farmers' market), but she's not my pick for winner this year. I'm making a prediction that Garg will wow the judges with his subcontinental fusion, and Leeds will be a sleeper with a close second-place finish.
Tickets are on sale now, and run $125 a pop. Block out 6:30 to 9:30 on Wednesday the 15th. Skip lunch and wear something nice.
Sticky Fingers in Columbia Heights
Look, I'm a pretty committed meat eater, and delight even more in animal products like cheese and eggs. As such, I'm a little skeptical of vegan cooking, especially following misadventures with "mock duck" and pancakes that resembled petrified wood. However, I'll soon travel to Sticky Fingers Bakery's Columbia Heights' shop -- a second for the company -- with an open mind and empty tummy. Recently profiled by the Washington Business Journal, Sticky Fingers is expanding its current menu from cookies and cakes to things like mac 'n' cheese and chili dogs. Having resisted putting scare quotes around those items, I wholeheartedly welcome a new vegan shop to Washington. The herbivores among us have entirely too few options to get quality goods, and they definitely deserve a sweet respite after trekking to Whole Foods to find them sold out of Quorn.
"Can You Make a Leg Spreader?!"
Since I wasn't fast enough to submit that to Overheard, I figured I'd include it here, courtesy of a screechy woman in her early 20s yelling next to my ear last Friday at R.F.D. in Chinatown. Good Lord. Who orders eight ridiculous shots at a place with 30 beers on tap and hundreds more in the cooler? An ass, that's who. Anyway, speaking of openings, there's a ton of things coming up in Washington in the next couple of months. Here's a sampling:
- Going Out Gurus bust out with a post including total unknown-to-me 14U (a coffeeshop at 1939 U 14th St. NW), and The Fractured Prune (a custom doughnut shop at 2153 P St. NW). They also have an informative post on Circa, the phoenix that is to rise from WrapWorks' Dupont Circle space. Way to scoop it up, GoGs.
- Signatures ex-chef Morou plans to open his Old Town Alexandria restaurant, Farrah Olivia on the November 7. Hat tip to GoGs on this info as well.
- Metrocurean reports BLT Steak will open at 1625 I St. NW in two weeks, November 13th. We need another fancy steakhouse in town.
- A tentative opening date as early as this Friday, November 10, for Korean spot, Mandu, in Wednesday's TomChat. This is just one more reason to abandon the suburbs.
- I took a gander at the storefront of Proof, which we reported on back in September, but the liquor license application on the front door had no good info. Gallery Place Living hasn't had any new info since August. Are there any insiders out there who'd let us in on the news?
Photo from flickr user saraduckins.
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tickets for Capital Food Fight are $125 per person... is 100% of the ticket cost going to DC central kitchen?
14U is at 1939 14th St, not U Street There is no 1939 U Street...
Wabeck will wow the judges with his amazing and creative use of duck and pork in everything (secret ingredient: rendered duck fat).
14U has been open about 5 days, so you aren't that behind. Their espresso was okay (despite the group training session acted out on my americano) but the owner's personality was enough to make you not want to come back. Also, he says he wants to order TVs to watch the games -- which seems a bad idea in a quiet, wifi coffee space and, most important, the cookies were only so-so. I will give them time, though. Every new place needs its settling in time. :>
"However, I'll soon travel to Sticky Fingers Bakery's Columbia Heights' shop -- a second for the company -- with an open mind and empty tummy."
This makes it sound as if The Sticky Fingers Bakery is opening a second location. They are closing their first location and opening the Columbia Heights location in its place. It states they have already closed their old location on their home page. (www.stickyfingerbakery.com)
Sticky Fingers rocks. Their sweets are to die for, and it's been so nice to get a nice, rich chocolate cake that my lactose-intolerant self can eat without pills (or risk of other complications). Give 'em a try, it's well worth the time.
DCist food coverage is....pretty meaty. Have you guys considered hiring a vegetarian food reporter?
To sachi:
Yes, 100% of ticket sales go to DC Central Kitchen, which is a great cause!
i'm not really in love with sticky fingers, granted i tried some of their baked goods a little over a year ago. maybe things have changed. i'm better off baking my own homemade vegan treats. hope you share your sticky fingers experience!
also, cakelove has a couple of vegan options now--haven't tried them yet.
i am so excited about sticky fingers opening up right by my house. tell them to HURRY UP, though. they put that poster up months ago but not much progress on the actually-opening-for-business thing. hopefully the lines there won't be as bad as the giant across the street! : )
Ok, I'd missed the title but must express that it is fab/