Food and Drink: June 2008 Archives

Despite the stuffy weather, more than 1600 curious guests gathered at the 26th annual RAMMY Restaurant Awards Gala yesterday to honor the cream of this year's culinary crop. Those who braved the weather were treated to the best of D.C.'s fine dining, all exemplifying the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's commitment towards using regional and locally sourced ingredients, while still showcasing the city as a global dining destination.

   

How many rocket scientists (and their friends) does it take to serve frozen yogurt? Just about 21 or so if you ask Mr. Yogato, the anthropomorphic mascot of a new shop opening tomorrow in Dupont Circle. Yes, rocket scientists. Steve Davis, the company's founder and "Man of Yogurt" is also an employee of SpaceX, a space exploration company with an office in D.C. Struck by the lack of "froyo" options when he transferred here (though that is increasingly no longer the case), Davis conceived of the operation with his rocket launching pals as his partners. Their vision: bringing yogurt and delicious toppings to D.C., and bringing fun and goofiness back to frozen yogurt.

The closing of Colorado Kitchen is one of the more notable in local restaurant news. Chef Gillian Clark is well known in D.C. for her strong personality and her ability to persevere as one of the few female head chefs. Clark told Washingtonian's Todd Kliman that the closing was due to a space issue. Maybe it's all semantics, but that sounds like slightly different language on Rasmus, the auction site where the kitchen's equipment is being sold, implying that it is due to redevelopment of the building. The last day of service will be June 29. Prince of Petworth first reported news of the auction.

Two floods, two ruined wooden floors and a broken AC compressor later, Dolcezza's second location in Bethesda Row finally opened two weeks ago. Now that the shop has had a little time to perfect serving their Argentinean-style gelato - in addition to churning out 300 lbs of various flavors, all from locally sourced ingredients - they'll be throwing a grand opening fiesta tonight from 6 - 11 p.m. They expect "mass gelato pandemonium" as they give away all 300 lbs of the frozen treat. Although it may be a bit out the way, we recommend getting there early to secure a cup before it all runs out.

Washingtonian reports today that chef Barton Seaver has left his post at Hook.

All the big guys have covered the Tuesday night specialty cocktails made by Pilar's self-described sherpa Adam Bernbach. So what do you do when it's not Tuesday? Certainly you could choose from the good selection of beers. But this summer you should opt for a Brown Derby. The drink is composed of Bulleit bourbon, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, and honey. At first it sounds odd, since citrus fruits are more frequently combined with rum, tequila, or vodka.

      

The D.C. food cart landscape is slowly but surely changing from a sea of hot dogs and half-smokes to a kaleidescope of world flavors. Hungry residents can now munch on the likes of bulgogi, schwarma, jerk chicken, and tacos. Taco carts are a particularly important addition because they appear to solve not one but two problems currently plaguing the District: lack of good street food and lack of good Mexican food. Moreover, tacos are an ideal to-go meal: they're compact, easy to assemble, come in a variety of flavors, and can be consumed entirely without utensils. So how do these tacos stack up? What follows is a tale of two very different taco carts.

Susan Holt and Susan Watterson are hoping that you and your officemates might enjoy throwing down Iron Chef-style at their new Thomas Circle cooking school. They will be opening CulinAerie this fall and that will offer "recreational" (not accredited or professional) cooking classes and special events.

Monday night, a large crowd gathered at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F monthly meeting to ponder a series of proposals from Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis. The crux of the matter: a request by Alefantis to lift a voluntary agreement between his business and the commission regarding the operation of his restaurant.

http://dcist.com/2008/03/14/the_weekly_feed_36.php">British-owned ramen bar will be taking the space. Though it's a bit further south on 7th St., the spot is bound to butt heads with other casual high-end fast food joints like Chop't and the soon-to-be-opening Vapiano, as well as another British chain, Nando's.

It's not easy being an independent coffee shop in D.C. While Starbucks and other conglomerates continue to bloom like mushrooms on virtually every block of downtown, several local favorites have closed their doors in the past year. Sparky's Cafe abruptly shut down; Murky Coffee was seized by the D.C. government for failing to pay taxes; and 14U closed in April with plans to reopen as a handbag boutique/cafe hybrid.

Fine, fine news from the Associated Press. A Fatburger will soon be opening in Columbia, Md., with another slated for a location near Howard University after that.

While reality fans and food enthusiasts have spent the past week anticipating tonight's Top Chef season finale, the James Beard Foundation - the Academy of the food world - spent Sunday night announcing their picks for top chefs and restaurants of 2007.

With the crazy heat, the line at Tangysweet should be long with their free promotion today. If you can't make it to the brand new Dupont frozen yogurt shop, we've got a couple of alternatives for you.

For those of you expecting another Ice Creampocalypse, I'm sorry to disappoint. But if you're already out getting a free frozen yogurt from Tangysweet in Dupont, you may as well swing by the Krispy Kreme nearby for a free doughtnut in celebration of National Doughnut Day. Something not that bad for you, something really bad for you, it evens out, right?

              

It doesn't take a background in PR or advertising to know that Pinkberry, Red Mango, and other similar frozen yogurt brands are, at the moment, red hot. For those of you unfamiliar with the product, the concept is simple: take low or non-fat yogurt, freeze it, and top it off with your choice of fresh fruits or other toppings.

The corner of 13th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. NW may contain the best lunch value downtown. No, we’re not talking about the the all-too-familiar basement level food court or street vendor. Instead, look up and join the world thought leaders at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, their café is a secret lunch spot of sorts, but it’s not too hard to find. All you have to do is: pass through the metal detectors at the southernmost entrance, sign in at the guards desk., take the Wilson elevators to the 6th floor, and make a couple of lefts. And one last thing ... plan on a late lunch. Employees at the Center may dine anytime. For you? 1:30 - 2 p.m.