The Weekly Feed: Highly Aromatic Edition
Dish of the Week: Pho
Pho has been called Vietnamese penicillin; it's warm goodness certainly seems healing. And for a long time good pho was hard to come by in the District. Sure you could go to Nam Viet in Cleveland Park, Froggy Bottom Pub, or Miss Saigon in Georgetown. But it was best to go to Pho 75 in Rosslyn or one of its other locations.
At its best it's a fragrant and beefy broth accented by star anise, cinnamon, ginger and other spices, and filled out by rice noodles. Then, depending on the restaurant, a variety of cuts of meat such as flank, brisket, tripe, or meatballs. And because Vietnamese food is all about garnishes, it frequently comes accompanied by a plate of Thai basil, lime wedges, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and other greens such as perilla. These, along with hoisin sauce and sriracha hot sauce, help you customize your flavors. I tend to prefer it spicy and sour, so I tend to dig a hearty amount of limes and sriracha. And by the way, it's pronounced "fuh" rather than "foe," making all those jokes about pho joints called Pho King all the funnier.
Recently a large number of D.C. spots have started offering pho. The first is a new restaurant focusing on pho in Columbia Heights - Pho 14. Prince of Petworth did a preview earlier this week, and if the 19 varieties of pho and the pictures are any indication, this place should be pretty good. Other spots that have it on offer are Asian Bistro, Saigon Bistro, and Jack's Famous Deli. So what's your favorite D.C.-proper pho spot?
Small Bites
Spike Up the Matzoh
On March 22, just in time for Passover, Sixth and I Historic Synagogue will have former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn in the sanctuary for a lesson in matzoh. Similar to December’s Latke Mania event, the cheftestant, presumably with his sidekick/mother in tow, will teach another packed house some new tricks for pesach. A sneak peak at the demonstration menu includes matzoh pizza. Daring! We’ve always struggled to conquer that one. Spicy wings on a bed of matzoh. Um, can we learn to assemble mozzarella sticks and potato skins on a bed of matzoh too? Keftethes (Greek matzoh meatballs). Okay, that one sounds interesting! The event starts at 6 p.m. and costs $9.
Ray's the Glass?
Earlier this week it was revealed by Don Rockwell that James Beard award-winning sommelier Mark Slater was leaving Citronelle to join Ray's the Steaks. As Michael Landrum is well-known for being vocal in promoting his high value-to-quality in his restaurants, it will be interesting to see the wine program that will be developed by Slater. Kathy Morgan from 2941 will be the new sommelier at Citronelle.
100% charitable
Taste of the Nation will be holding its D.C. event on March 30 to benefit Share our Strength. Share our Strength is a charity dedicated to fighting childhood hunger. The entire $85 ticket amount goes to support the charity and will get you food and booze from a great variety of restaurants.
Oyster Uprising
If you weren't able to land tickets to Old Ebbitt Grill's annual oyster riot, you can check out Hank's Oyster Bar's Second Annual Oyster Fest on April 18, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $65 will get you all-you-can-eat local East Coasters such as New Point and Rappahannock, and West Coasters such as the delicious Penn Cove, and a selection of beers. They're available for presale at both the Alexandria and DC locations.
Contributions from Josh Novikoff