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June 30, 2008
After rumblings and hints over the weekend, the Washingtonian's Todd Kliman confirmed today that Butterfield 9 will be closing after eight years. Kliman hints at strife between the ownership and Chef Michael Harr, while another source points the finger at financial hardships. With the economy as it is, today's newest closing probably won't be the last. Harr, a D.C.-area native, hopes to stay in the city, but with fewer openings and more closings, options look...
Continue Reading "Butterfield 9 Closes"
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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. But despite the glitz, glamor and grub, let's...
Continue Reading "The 2008 RAMMYs go to..."June 27, 2008
Dish of the Week: Potato salad Where: Your backyard, or small patch of grass We're coming up on 4th of July, so we're in prime potato salad season. Whether you make your own or buy it, it's always delicious. If you make your own, the variations are endless, with different herbs, proteins, vegetables, mustards and vinegars that you can add. Perhaps go with a Japanese-style salad with small boiled shrimp and edamame. My most recent...
Continue Reading "The Weekly Feed: Pink Elephant Edition"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...
Continue Reading "Mr. Yogato Arrives on Dupont Frozen Yogurt Scene"June 26, 2008
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...
Continue Reading "Curtains for Colorado Kitchen"Advertisement: DCist Continues Below!
June 26, 2008
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...
Continue Reading "Ice Creampocalypse: Day 6 @ Dolcezza, Bethesda Row"June 25, 2008
Washingtonian reports today that chef Barton Seaver has left his post at Hook. Seaver, formerly of Jaleo and Café Saint-Ex/Bar Pilar, has been with Hook since it opened in March 2007. Seaver has become a golden boy of sorts in the D.C.-area for his dedicated advocacy of sustainable seafood, and has been honored by the Blue Ocean Institute for his commitment to oceanic sustainability. It’s not surprising then that Seaver’s post-Hook plans include ambitions to...
Continue Reading "Chef Barton Seaver Off the Hook"June 20, 2008
Drink of the week: Brown Derby Where: Bar Pilar 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...
Continue Reading "The Weekly Feed: Survival of the Fittest Edition"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...
Continue Reading "Taco Cart vs. Taco Cart"June 19, 2008
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. CulinAerie's demonstration and participation-style classes will cover a broad range of topics, from basic cooking techniques to French pastries, wine tastings, kitchen design, and even food writing. But their...
Continue Reading "Cooking School to Open in Thomas Circle"June 18, 2008
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. But the larger than usual crowd was a sign of things to come (or a sign of what had already passed), and...
Continue Reading "Small Victory for Comet Ping Pong at ANC Meeting"June 17, 2008
With the official news that the Olsson's in Penn Quarter is closing, there's some speculation in our comments as to what will be in the new space. According to a few sources, Wagamama, the 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...
Continue Reading "Noodles vs. Books"June 12, 2008
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. However, one indie coffee house is...
Continue Reading "Cafe Collage Returns to T Street"June 11, 2008
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. For those of you who have never had a Fatburger, allow me to educate you. Fatburger is a chain burger joint that's incredibly popular in the western half of the United States. I wouldn't exactly call it fast food, because they don't have drive-up windows and they don't...
Continue Reading "Fatburger is on its Way to the D.C. Metro Area"
Central's chef de cuisine Cedric Maupillier (left) and head chef Michel Richard receive the James Beard Award for best new restaurant 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. Once again, the D.C.-area's nominees provided a strong showing this year...
Continue Reading "Central, Eric Ziebold, Terry Theise Win at James Beard Awards"Advertisement: DCist Continues Below!
June 6, 2008
Dish of the Week: Frozen yogurt 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. Sweetgreen in Georgetown, City Market (bodega on the SW corner of 17th and M Streets NW), and Ice Berry in Reston Town Center all sell the Korean-style frozen yogurt with fruit toppings....
Continue Reading "The Weekly Feed: Ice Cold Edition"
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? Based on last year's turnout, prepare for long lines. On the other hand, maybe...
Continue Reading "Doughnutpocalypse @ Krispy Kreme"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 menu is so simple, that it is easy for someone without history or experience in...
Continue Reading "First Look: Tangysweet"June 3, 2008
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...
Continue Reading "30-Minute Meals with Woodrow Wilson"June 2, 2008
Last week, we caught up with Rick Wasmund, CEO and Master Distiller at the Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, VA. Their Wasmund's Single-Malt Whisky is the only spirit of its kind in the world, and it was great to get inside the head of the guy who makes it. To meet the distiller in person, Wasmund is doing an event at Marvin tonight at 5:30 p.m. He'll be pouring samples of Wasmund's Batch 20 and,...
Continue Reading "Chewing the Fat: Copper Fox Distillery's Rick Wasmund"