DCist

The Saturday Morning Post

Aaron Morrissey — 2009-11-21T11:05:10-05:00

Photo by Satirenoir.

Good morning, Washington. The Brookland-CUA Metrorail station was closed for about ninety minutes last night after another person intentionally placed themselves on the tracks in front of an oncoming train. Last night's incident pushes the number of suicides in Metrorail stations this year into double digits. WMATA says that at about 9:18 p.m., a man who had gone on to the tracks was struck by a Red Line train heading in the direction of Shady Grove, dying of his injuries. Trains were single tracking through the station for some time last night, but the area is now clear -- aside from the weekend's planned track work, of course.

Scanning the news this morning:

>> WaPo food critic Tom Seitsema pens "game plan, based on suggestions from industry insiders, for making the most of your meals away from home." His findings, in so many words: everyone, please stop acting like an ass.

>> For those who maintain eggnog, sweaters, and decorating parties as a December institution: Garden District at 1740 14th Street will be receiving their big shipment of fir trees, destined for tinsel and ornaments, on Sunday.

>> If you've ever watched the HGTV reality show Real Estate Intervention, you know that the whole thing is one big good cop/bad cop routine. The show specializes in yo-yoing the emotions of people who are looking to sell their home due to terrible financial circumstances and/or mismanagement, mostly through lectures from a tough-looking real estate adviser. If revealing all your major money issues, crying, and getting yelled at on cable television sounds like how you want to sell your home, well, HGTV wants to talk with you.

The Weekly Feed: Experimentation Edition

Jamie R. Liu — 2009-11-20T12:31:59-05:00

Photo by NatalieMaynor

Dish of the Week: Sweet potato casserole

Thanksgiving... foodie holiday... blah blah blah. But of course, it is my favorite holiday, not just because of the food, but because of the focus on family. My mother is a fantastic cook. She makes the best scallion pancakes. Her technique is so flawless that family members can tell the difference between the pancakes she rolls out and the ones my aunts roll.

But sometimes my mom likes to "experiment." Now there's experimentation within reason, substituting brown sugar for white sugar, adding a touch of almond extract to a dessert that doesn't call for it. And then there's her special brand of experimentation. She's done fun things like adding hazelnut coffee syrup to chicken stir fry, and dried cranberries in sushi rolls. (We were lucky we got away without that same sushi featuring large chunks of walnuts.)

So what does this have to do with sweet potatoes? As you might have guessed, my mom is not one for "recipes" and tends to wing making sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. That usually meant additions like orange juice, and lots of burned marshmallows. It also meant that I grew up hating sweet potatoes. Though we all know they're really just a vehicle for toasted marshmallows.

Luckily, I've discovered a recipe from my sister's mother-in-law that I love. It eschews the usual marshmallows for a streusel-like pecan topping. And the half cup of butter helps.

Share with us your favorite Thanksgiving dishes, "experiments" and disasters with us in the comments.

Sweet Potato Casserole
29 oz Canned Sweet Potatoes, Mashed
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, Melted
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Topping:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Flour
4 Tbsp Butter, Melted
1/8 tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Chopped Pecans

1. Mix yams, sugar and salt. Add 1/2 cup butter and vanilla blending well. Pour into greased 1 1/2 qt baking dish.
2. Mix brown sugar, flour, butter, allspice, cinnamon and pecans. Spread over yam mixture.
3. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.

Small Bites
RIS real soon
The long touted RIS from Ris Lacoste that's been anticipated for the past several years is coming much closer to fruition. According to Zagat, the restaurant should open by November 30. Check the restaurant's Twitter for more updated details.

Cupcakes Moving In
Just when we thought maybe the cupcakes would slow down, we're seeing even more in town. First up is food truck Curbside Cupcake, which is making one last stop before Thanksgiving at Capitol South. You can follow their future whereabouts on Twitter.

Also New York's Crumbs Bake Shop will be getting in on the D.C. action with shops planned for Georgetown, Cleveland Park, Foggy Bottom, Rockville, Clarendon and Reston. Though this seems like just one more newcomer, a perusal of the web site shows a much larger variety of flavor options than any existing D.C. cupcakeries, including flavors like caramel apple, chocolate pecan pie, and cookie dough. [via WBJ]

DC Diner
Tom Sietsema reports that DC Diner, from Jessie Yan and Vanessa Lim, will be taking over the old Cleveland Park McDonald's space. Even though the main focus will be on traditional American breakfast foods, they say they'll also offer some pan-Asian foods as well. Dim sum-type items please!!

Cup O' Sushi
Everyone mourned the demise of the reasonably priced Sushi Taro lunch specials. But now Kaz Sushi is bringing back affordable lunch sushi starting November 23 through New Year's Eve. For $12 you can choose from the Cup Sushi option of three miniature cups of sushi with California, spicy tuna, salmon tartare, tuna tartare, crunch eel, spicy scallop or seaweed salad toppings. If sushi isn't your thing, you can opt for Hot Pot of miso with pork, daikon radish, carrot, sweet potato, ginger and scallions or the Hot Pot of chicken with tofu, shitake mushrooms, spinach, scallions, glass noodles with ponzu sauce, also $12.

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José Andrés is GQ's Chef of the Year

Jamie R. Liu — 2009-11-19T13:18:55-05:00

With the opening of The Bazaar in Los Angeles and his Made in Spain cooking show on PBS, José Andrés has been busy building a name for himself on the national scene. All of this culminated today in him being named GQ's Chef of the Year. This article highlights tapas selections that you can find at his D.C. restaurants, including Jaleo, Zaytinya, and Minibar. With Blue Ridge chef Barton Seaver's Chef of the Year award from Esquire, D.C. is really coming out on top this year. Now about that Chef of the Year cage match...

First Look: The Passenger

Jamie R. Liu — 2009-11-18T15:40:22-05:00

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A bar patron's ability to develop a relationship with his bartender will invariably dictate a better imbibing experience, whether it's at a fancy cocktail place or the local dive bar. That is perhaps what makes the name of the much anticipated new bar from brothers Tom and Derek Brown, The Passenger, particularly apt. Going back to a time when travel wasn't about being corralled through metal detectors like cattle, The Passenger, which opens tonight at 5 p.m., is trying to put some first class luxury and leisure in your drinking journey. This is apparent throughout the decor, which features church pews, intricate wrought iron tables, and the building's original floors.

This is not a race to the finish with a simple two-ingredient gin and tonic or rum and coke. The expectation (though who knows what it will be like when the joint is actually busy) is for you to relax and have a complex cocktail that is crafted to your specifications. This experience will also extend to the back, the Columbia Room, a separate reservations-only 20-seat bar that will be served by Derek Brown. It is still undergoing construction, with the hope that it will open sometime in January. The private room is meant to ensure an unhurried evening that isn't necessarily guaranteed in the main bar.

There is no cocktail menu at the Passenger, so when ordering one, you'll be asked to specify a base liquor and further detail on whether you like a drier or sweeter drink. This is the part where it's important to develop that relationship with your bartender and have a real conversation. It will enable you the opportunity to learn more about what you prefer, and to learn about new things. You may discover that you like vermouth; the dry, rouge and blanc Dolin vermouths are highly quaffable on their own.

For non-cocktail lovers, there is a solid list of wines and beers (four on draft plus an eclectic offering of cans). If you come hungry, food is simple: olives, roasted almonds, beef jerky, and Route 11 chips are available for the slightly peckish, and if you want something a bit more substantial, there are paninis, half smokes and kimchi dogs (take care on that last one, it's spicy acidity isn't for everyone). Both the dogs and jerky come from Nathan Anda's Red Apron Charcuterie.

In addition to Tom Brown working the front bar, expect to see Bourbon Steak's Jamie McBain picking up a few shifts. Both have unique mixing styles and you may decide you prefer one to the other. But that really ensures there's something for everybody.

The Passenger
1021 7th St. NW
Washington, DC, 20001
(202) 393-0220

Metro: Mt. Vernon Square or Gallery Place/Chinatown
Mon - Thurs: 5 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Fri - Sat: 5 p.m. - 2:30 a.m.
Sun: 5 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.

Chewing the Fat: Bourbon Steak's Michael Mina

Rebecca Cooper — 2009-11-18T12:02:22-05:00

Chef Michael Mina in the kitchen at Bourbon Steak. Photo courtesy Amber Pfau.

Now that we know the outcome of the 2009 Capital Food Fight to benefit D.C. Central Kitchen, we have to wonder whether Chef Michael Mina was laying it on a little thick last week when he said he was scrambling to try out some recipes that he could whip up in 10 minutes. Mina wound up the big winner at the Iron Chef-inspired cooking competition, seizing the title from former two-time champ Barton Seaver and out-slicing, -spicing and -dicing the likes of Bryan Voltaggio, Mike Isabella and others. When he sat down to talk with DCist earlier that day, however, he was just hoping to make it past round one.

“10 minutes is short. I will tell you, I usually never do cooking competitions that are timed, because it’s not my forte and I hate to be rushed like that when I’m cooking,” said Mina, who has opened 16 restaurants in hotels around the country, the most recent being Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons in Georgetown. “I might get knocked out in the first round.”

Mina said he was just glad to be able to participate, after he missed last year’s event because it fell smack in the middle of the final push to open Bourbon Steak. He often participates in similar programs in San Francisco—which he calls home—and just finished teaching a class to recently-homeless and rehabilitating students hoping to work in the restaurant industry.

“It’s an amazing cause,” he said of D.C. Central Kitchen. “Feeding hungry people, sure, but also people helping people to get into this profession. It’s great to see a charity that has multi-layers that all weave together.” Mina sat down in the lounge of Bourbon Steak last week to talk with DCist about the first year in D.C., restaurants, the recession and his local favorites.

Bourbon Steak has been open for almost a year now. How’s it going in D.C.?

Everything about it—D.C., the space, this restaurant—has exceeded my expectations. When you’re coming into a market that you’re not in ... There’s many things that you hope for when you open up a restaurant. The first thing is that the restaurant all flows together, the design, style of the food, service, everything down to the uniforms. There isn’t a piece that you’re not worried about. All of those pieces have come together really well. The clientele couldn’t be better, the staff couldn’t be better, and everything has come together really well. We’re far from finished, and being exactly where we want to be, but as far as how the start has been, it’s been great.

You say you’re not finished. What’s still to come from Bourbon Steak? Where would you like to take it in the future?

There’s always a train of thought with a restaurant, and that is that a restaurant is either better or worse every day than it was the day before. So, you have to start there, by making sure that everybody understands that. Where does that come from? It comes from your leaders, from your general manager, and your chef. I couldn’t be happier because I feel like I have a great chef and a great general manager. Every day they’re starting with a platform of ‘we’re going to improve today.’ So what does that mean? Each day we learn another thing that we can do to make this restaurant better.

We’ve got great seasonality, we’ve got return clientele. That’s a big one. When you come into a new market, you always open with a menu that—well, you try to be bold, but you also need to not overshoot. You need to find that balance and then you start to understand your clientele, and they start to trust you, and then you can continue to push the envelope. I feel like that’s where we are now, the chef [David Varley] and myself are at a point now where we can start to push people, because we’ve established a good group of regulars. We’ve really had some fun introducing new, fun things, like in the lounge, the lettuce cups. We now have a completely different lounge menu than we opened with.

What drew you to D.C., and the Four Seasons?

It’s a great restaurant market. When you look at a market, you look at great chefs that are already there, and their success rate. You have amazing chefs that are here. One of the chefs I’ve been following since the beginning, since I also started as a pastry chef, is Michel Richard. What he’s done here is brilliant. You already had chefs here that were at the very highest level of the country. So, there obviously was already that clientele. Between the amazing chefs here locally that have built their own grassroots restaurants, and then chefs like Eric Ripert, Jean Georges, Alain Ducasse coming into your city—I’m fortunate to be able to come in!

You opened right as we were plunging into this economic downturn. How has that affected a restaurant selling $50-$60 steak? How do you address that?

You address that by ... well, we don’t just have $50 steak on the menu. People say to me ‘you come to a restaurant like this and let’s say you order the skirt steak. Does that get perceived wrong in the restaurant?’ Absolutely not. If a chef didn’t think it was a great cut of meat, they wouldn’t put it on the menu. And so, obviously, you have to have a variety. With most major cities there’s a variety in the clientele as well. We focused a lot on the lounge menu as well, and having some things that are affordable in the lounge area. You do have two completely different menus here.

Also, the most important thing with what I do is I partner up with hotels. So you have to pick the right partner to be successful. Opening at that time in D.C., if you take those facts by themselves, it might not seem like the perfect decision. But then you layer in Four Seasons, Georgetown, the history, and what was going on here before. Where we sit today was already a great bar business, so I already knew that there was a clientele.

You’ve won acclaim for both your steak and seafood restaurants. Is seafood the next on your list for D.C.? Are you interested in pursuing any new ventures here?

Right now we’re not actively looking at anything except for Bourbon Steak. And Bourbon Steak is so much more than a typical steakhouse. The menu is so vast, the chef is obviously trained in many different areas. We have all the tools here to do great fish—wood burning oven, all the bells and whistles—and the menu has a lot of fish.

So where do you eat when you’re here—other than your own restaurant?

For sure, Michel Richard. I’ll tell you where I am a lot of times is over there for a lamb burger at the bar. That big basket of fries, that lamb burger ... those are definitely not helping me. And then, all of Jose Andres’s places. Rasika, I’ve been there like five times. Unfortunately, I have to admit, I’m a little bit a creature of habit. I need to venture out, and I will more and more when I’m here, but every time I’m here I end up convincing myself ‘I want to go to Rasika’ or I want to get that lamb burger, or go to one of Jose’s places.

Let’s say you’re sick—battling swine flu or something. What’s your big feel-better food?

Well, first of all, I try to avoid battling swine flu. But no, really, I eat the same thing almost every time I’m sick, and it’s dashi broth, with a little sushi rice and a lot of herbs. I eat that almost every time I’m sick, and I give it to my kids when they’re sick ... it’s our household under-the-weather dish.

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Fun and Fare for a Cause at Capital Food Fight

Rebecca Cooper — 2009-11-13T13:50:57-05:00

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D.C. restaurateurs and food fanatics alike turned out in droves for this year's sold out Capital Food Fight to benefit D.C. Central Kitchen–although it's unclear whether they were there for the food, the fierce competition or to see how long it would take José Andrés to lose his voice. (For the record: it started to give out sometime after Round 2.) Chef Michael Mina, creator of Bourbon Steak and the only out-of-town chef participating in the competition, took the crown from reigning champ Barton Seaver during a final round that featured coquitos (baby coconuts) as the secret ingredient.

The event, which pitted D.C. chefs against each other in a truncated Iron Chef-style battle, featured hosts Andrés and TV personality Anthony Bourdain; guest judges Eric Ripert, Ted Allen, Carla Hall and Jonathan Umbel; and tasting tables from more than 60 of D.C.-area restaurants. Highlights included Proof's tiny dried sausage, fontina and cherry-soaked quince combination, cassoulet from Blue Duck Tavern and beef shabu shabu from Bourbon Steak's table. (Strikingly similar to the dish Mina made during round one — we're thinking that as usual, those "secret" ingredients were hardly secret.)

Andrés jumped around the stage shouting, as Ted Allen put it, like "a crazy person" for most of the event, while the two hosts often seemed torn over who to heckle next: the contestants, or each other. There was also a surprise host/judge showdown (judged by a "clap-o-meter" rather than a panel of chefs) mid-way through the competition, where Bourdain and Andrés played sous chefs to former Top Chef contestant Hall, and Hell's Kitchen Season 3 winner Chef Rock Harper. Totals weren't in yet, but the event raised a "record amount" of money for the DC Central Kitchen, according to organizers.

The Weekly Feed: Breakfast for Dinner Edition

Alicia Mazzara — 2009-11-13T10:45:47-05:00

Photo by Flickr user arnold inuyaki, used under a Creative Commons agreement.

Dish of the Week: Fried Chicken and Waffles

Fried chicken and waffles is a uniquely American food innovation. Like many comfort foods, the exact origin of this fantastic pairing is murky. One account suggests that the dish emerged when Thomas Jefferson brought a waffle iron back from France in the 1790s, where it became popular as a Sunday morning meal in the South. Elsewhere, the dish is said to have first been served at Wells Supper Club in Harlem in the 1930s. Owner Joe Wells supposedly came up with the concept while serving late night diners, including jazz greats Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, because it was too late for dinner and too early for breakfast.

Whatever the true history may be, anyone who has taken a bite of crispy chicken and syrup-smothered waffle can attest to the beautiful marriage of flavors and textures. It is the perfect food for the indecisive. Can't decide between breakfast or dinner? Sweet or salty? With fried chicken and waffles, you get it all. This Southern staple can be had at a number of restaurants around town, including Marvin, Creme, and on the late night menu at Oohhs and Aahhs. Did we miss your favorite spot to get this delicious breakfast/dinner hybrid? Let us know in the comments.

Small Bites

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
If it's the third Thursday in November, it means it's time for Beaujolais Noveau. Celebrate the uncorking of the 2009 edition by getting drunk on a Wednesday. While Bistro du Coin's annual party is already completely booked, you can try Brightest Young Thing's Breathless Beaujolais Party at 1905 ($10). For something swankier, head to the French Embassy on Thursday for their “fête populaire”. The $60 ticket gets you wine, a buffet, pastries, live music, and a silent auction.

Easy as pie
Learn how to make all the Thanksgiving classics at Art and Soul's pie-making class on Saturday afternoon. Pastry chef Lauren Whitledge will show you how to make apple, pumpkin, and pecan pie, along with a pear tart. The class is $40 and includes your own baby pie. Register here.

Openings and closings
The Washington Business Journal reports that Penn Quarter restaurant D'Acqua has officially closed its doors and UK chain Ping Pong Dim Sum is scheduled for a December opening.

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Burger-pocalypse at BGR

Jamie R. Liu — 2009-11-10T10:24:29-05:00

What does BGR stand for? Though it could easily be booger, in this case it's burger, which is what you'll get for free if you go to a local BGR The Burger Joint today with the letters "inked" on any body part. And yes, they can just be written on your hand with a ballpoint pen.

Today from 11 a.m. to noon, walk in with your BGR "tattoo" and you will receive a free burger or veggie burger. If it's not too crowded, be sure to try out their hand cut fries. Locations include the new restaurant at Dupont Circle, plus Alexandria and Bethesda.

More on Dr. Dremo's Potential Return

Andrew Wiseman — 2009-11-09T17:22:59-05:00

On Saturday we posted about Dr. Dremo's, the much-beloved and missed Arlington bar that closed in January 2008 -- they were looking for investors for a potential new location in Clarendon. Since then, a few others folks picked up on the story: you can read interviews with owner Andrew Stewart by blogger Tom Cizauskas and our own Missy Frederick in the Washington Biz Journal.

Stewart, whose father Bill opened Dremo's predecessor Bardo's, says he's identified a location "within 1000 feet of the Clarendon Metro." It's a 2,400 square foot space with room for an expansion up to 4,500 square feet, plus 3,000 to 4,000 square feet of outdoor seating. The old location of Dr. Dremo's had about 8,000 square feet. Stewart said he hopes to open in the space in spring of 2010.

For those worried that the old spot's quirky atmosphere would be lost, Stewart writes in a prospectus that "It is our intent to recreate Dr Dremo's in many facets as the previous location." He also told Frederick he still has the copper tabletops from the old location, as well as many signs and booths, although some of the merchandise, including the 1000-pound totem pole that was sitting out front, were sold at auction.

The prospectus says the place will only serve beer and wine, but no hard liquor, to avoid having to deal with any percentage of food vs. alcohol sales rules. They would still offer burritos, sandwiches and other eats that can be heated and served quickly. Similar to the old Dremo's wall of beer taps, new Dremo's would have 25 to 36 taps of beer, with Stewart emphasizing that many will be hard-to-find beers. Hopefully they'll include the weird ones from the old joint, like the chocolate donut beer.

For those interested in investing, there's a $10,000 minimum, with an understanding that it would be paid back over 2 years. Email newdremos(at)gmail(dot)com if you're interested.

The Weekly Feed: Running from Pigs Edition

Jamie R. Liu — 2009-11-06T12:15:42-05:00

Image courtesy of woolennium

Dish of the Week: Kimchee jigae

Where: Adam Express, Mandu

The swine flu appears to be aggressively making its way around town, and it sounds like it's going to hit a lot more people before they are able to get the vaccine. I, too, am riding the snot rocket to hell. But in addition to chicken soup, I recommend kimchee jigae.

Kimchee jigae is a stew made with pork stock, pork, tofu, scallions, onion, and of course kimchee. The result is a warm confluence of rich pork flavor, acidity, and spice. It's certainly a great way to clear up congestion. I know there are some kimchee haters, but this preparation mellows its effects. The intent of the dish was to use up "riper" kimchee, since the addition of heat and stock helps to dilute the really strong flavors. It's also worth noting there is some anecdotal evidence floating that kimchee (as well as sauerkraut) has some effect on the flu virus, due to its wealth of good bacteria.

You can get kimchee jigae at Adam Express or Mandu. At Mandu, they have a vegetarian version, but that's not helping to solve the problem before it's too late. We must get all the pigs before they get us!

Small Bites
I ride, and I ride
The Washington City Paper and Going Out Gurus provide more details about The Passenger, the new bar to be opened soon by Tom and Derek Brown (of The Gibson) inside the Warehouse. Metrocurean says they plan to serve half-smokes, paninis, and stick beef jerky. Partner Paul Ruppert (also of Room 11, and of course, the Warehouse arts complex) tells DCist that the tentative opening date is Nov. 17.

Iron FLOTUS?
In more First Family tracking/stalking, the January 3 episode of Iron Chef America will feature a competition pitting Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse against Bobby Flay and White House Chef Cristeta Comerford. The challenge will center around produce grown in the White House Kitchen Garden.

Chancellor of food?
Did Michelle Rhee get through to Kevin Johnson's heart through his stomach? Not sure if you want to spend $150 to find out, but she will be competing against Top Chef contestant Carla Hall and southern cuisine entrepreneur Delilah Winder in the True Flavors Celebrity Cook-Off on November 12 at Culinaerie. Each chef will have 35 minutes to make a three course meal with a set of secret ingredients. Proceeds go to TrueChild.

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Chewing the Fat: Top Chef and Zaytinya's Mike Isabella

Josh Novikoff — 2009-11-04T11:39:28-05:00

WARNING: This post contains Top Chef spoilers, albeit from last week's episode. Read no further if you are behind on this season.

Zaytinya's Mike Isabella heard those fateful words, “please pack your knives and go” on last week’s episode of Top Chef. The chefs were brought to host Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak kitchen to ogle and plan a dish using the choicest cuts of meat in Las Vegas, only to be told by guest judge Natalie Portman that she was a vegetarian. Isabella's attempt at channeling scallops out of some boiled leeks did not win the judges over, and he was sent home.

It was an up and down run for Isabella, who made it to the show's 10th week. The chef, through his confidence and competence, could certainly hang with the show's top tier, but could not quite place himself in the upper echelon, middling in most of the challenges. But the most notable low was when he was derided as sexist and arrogant after some questionable statements he made during the show's early episodes. Isabella had difficulty shedding that perception, but eventually showed himself to be one of the warmer and more interesting competitors.

The season continues tonight (against Game 6 of the World Series) with six contestants remaining. Among them are former D.C. and now Frederick, Md.-based chef Bryan Voltaggio, his brother and fellow culinary wizard Michael, and frontrunner Kevin Gillespie. We caught up with Isabella to talk about his approach to the season, his cooking, and why he won't be reading this interview.

There seems to be a real connection between chefs of any given restaurant empire, such as José Andrés'. You know Michael Voltaggio decently well it seems from sharing a boss, and folks I've spoken to at other Andrés restaurants around town were pulling hard for you. Is it familial being part of a large restaurant group like that?

José is obviously a big name chef. He’s got a lot of restaurants. A lot of us who’ve worked for him have worked in different parts of the country. We do a lot of traveling with him.

Me and Mike met through his sous chef's friend working for me. And then his sous chef's friend came down and ate and had a great meal and one thing led to the next. We became friends via people we knew, and that was years ago. You meet someone once and you're friends with them in our industry.

Some New Yorkers were up in arms that there was only one New York chef in the competition. A couple have D.C. roots. You and Bryan both outlasted Ash, who was the New Yorker. What's your take on how the D.C. food scene stacks up these days?

Nothing will ever be New York. New York is New York for a reason in every angle, not just cooking. I definitely think we're part of one of the biggest growing culinary scenes right now in America. There's other cities that are a little bit ahead of us—maybe Chicago or San Fran. But I feel like we're catching up and we're definitely competing with markets like New York because you have a lot of those chefs trying to come out here to D.C. to open up restaurants. There's a lot of upcoming chefs. There's a lot of great restaurants. We feel that we're at the top of it.

Is there any geographic rivalry on the show?

No, not really. I don’t think any of us ever really thought of it like that like “we’re gonna beat Atlanta or we’re gonna beat L.A.” It was never like that. A lot of us competed with ourselves. We all felt we were great chefs and we all felt we could win. So we felt if we executed, that was the key to success and it really had nothing to do with cities or anything like that.

Your intolerance for fellow contestant Robin isn't a big secret. Host Tom Colicchio said at one point that he thought as long as Robin was around, you probably thought that you were safe and even if you faltered, such as with the leek dish, she'd probably be worse. Was it tough to pack your knives with her sticking around?

Tom might have thought like that; I never thought like that. I always try to do the best I can do. It had nothing to do with who was there. I went home last week because my dish wasn't the best dish, and that's really all it is. I didn’t lose to Robin. I didn’t lose to anyone. I lost to myself. It was Kevin who won that challenge so if I lost to anyone, it was Kevin.

Robin and I didn't agree as to the way she worked and carried herself sometimes, but that's just personal issues. I would not put up a bad dish just because I thought she'd go home before me. I mean, what idiot would do that?

Smart money right now for winning would have to be on Kevin or Michael. Can anyone beat those guys? Could you have beaten them if you stuck around?

The track record for most of the season: Bryan, Kevin and Mike have the majority of the wins. Jen started off really strong. It seems like she's starting to come down a little bit the way the episodes are airing.

Yeah, I thought I could compete with them. I think a lot of those guys had a little more of a fine dining background. Mine's a little more ethnic and rustic. So I felt that my goal was to get to the end and hopefully I had a great day. And if someone didn't perform one hundred percent, I had a shot to win.

You assessed yourself at one point as starting off really strong and kind of decreasing as the show went on. Why is that?

I felt like some of the challenges I didn’t adapt as well to. I think in the beginning some of the challenges to me, I enjoyed. For some reason I work with snails a lot, so that snail challenge benefited me. Didn’t benefit half the other people on the show. Cooking for people like Wolfgang Puck or Robuchon who are some of the biggest name chefs in the world, I was really inspired. I put a lot of thought and effort into it and I did really well on both of those challenges. Cactus was another unique thing for me. But when you got towards TV dinners with regular TV station shows, you know Restaurant Wars where I didn’t control the group, I was just a teammate and some of the people on the team didn’t carry their weight.

Sometimes it’s just the way the ball rolls and I feel like some of the challenges, I didn’t adapt to them the way I should have. There’s no excuse for me not winning a vegetable challenge when most of the food in my restaurant is vegetable.

You personally drew fire for being perceived as obnoxious and even sexist at the start of the show, then went on to become one of the more likable and vibrant personalities. When you said the “lose to a girl” stuff at the beginning of the competition, did you ever imagine the words would come back the way they did? Have people finally learned to take a joke?

I never thought it would come out like that. You don’t know what’s gonna be aired or how it’s gonna be perceived. When I saw it the first night I thought it was pretty funny and some of my old cooks and friends, I got some e-mails like “typical Isabella being a wiseass.” But to me it was a joke, they knew it was a joke, but a lot of people who didn’t know me didn’t realize that and I didn’t realize that I upset a lot of people and I kind of felt really bad and I was just really nervous after that episode went on. I was like, “how else was I gonna come across?”

If I could have done it again I would have never said it. It wasn’t to mean any harm. I grew up with my mother and my sister and that was it in a broken family. So for me respect for women is one of the biggest things in the world. Jen thought she was better than me obviously because she worked at Le Bernardin, which is the number one seafood restaurant in the world. She thought she was faster. I was just joking with her when we were talking a little smack. That’s really it. It was a little upsetting in the beginning, but I knew once people got to know me throughout the season that they would really start to like me. They knew that I wasn't malicious or anything like that.

How is it going back to the “daily grind” after the competition and now after seeing yourself on TV and online media each week?

I watch the show once a week. I think it’s kind of cool. I don’t read any blogs or anything like that because of what happened week one. I really didn’t feel good listening to what people had to say about me. That I felt was more malicious than anything. But going back it’s just everyday grind. I’m really busy. I’ve been doing events around the city like I do every year. I run one of the busiest restaurants in the city. We just got re-reviewed in the [Washington Post] Dining Guide. It got 3 stars.

I asked this of Carla Hall last year…If you were in charge of creating a Top Chef season in D.C., what would it look like?

I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t even know how some of these people think of some of these challenges, ‘cause they’re crazy. But it would be cool to have it in D.C. I think there’s a lot of cool restaurants, cool people, cool chefs.

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Coppi's Organic Co-Owner Found Dead

Sommer Mathis — 2009-11-03T14:30:11-05:00

~~Nora~~Nori Amaya

Sad news for the local restaurant community today. ~~Nora~~Nori Amaya, co-owner of popular U Street restaurant Coppi's Organic, was found dead Monday night in her apartment in the 3600 block of 16th Street NW, NBCWashington.com is reporting. A call to Coppi's this afternoon confirmed the news, though a restaurant spokesperson declined to comment any further at this time.

D.C. police said they are waiting on a determination on cause of death from the medical examiner's office.

Amaya co-owned Coppi's with her brother, Carlos Amaya. She was 38.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m.: Amaya's Facebook page provides some eerie evidence of her demise. At 8:57 p.m. on Friday night, she updated with a reminder about a performance scheduled for Sunday night at Coppi's: "Rumba Flamenca !!!! and the EXOTIC Belly Dancers !!!!! This Sunday !!!," she wrote. Then there's nothing on her wall until earlier today, when news of her death first broke, and friends and loved ones began posting heartfelt messages about the loss of Amaya.

The Post is now reporting that Amaya's death is being treated as a homicide by D.C. police, pending autopsy results.

In Which We Trade Aluminum Foil For Burritos

Aaron Morrissey — 2009-10-31T14:45:04-05:00

For those who anxiously refresh DCist in anticipation of the next [food item]pocolypse, your patience has paid off! Empty stomachs in search of sustenance before an evening of waddling around in costume, take note: Chipotle is definitely doing their annual "dress like a burrito -- or you know, just throw a whole bunch of random bits of foil on your person and we'll be so busy that we won't even care -- and you'll get a free burrito" Halloween promotion. (Personally, I'm a fan of the "Mega Man" strategy of covering the forearms with burrito-wrap, but don't let me tell you how to express your own inner burrito.) You'll be hard-pressed to find an easier giveaway all year -- just grab whatever foil is sitting around in your kitchen drawers and hit up one of the numerous local Chipotles after 6 tonight.

The Weekly Feed: Smooth as Silk Edition

Jamie R. Liu — 2009-10-30T13:25:57-05:00

Image courtesy of avlxyz

Dish of the Week: Avgolemono soup
Where: Greek Deli
The line outside of Greek Deli is always ridiculously long. And with good reason. The food is delicious. The gyros are excellent with a lovely dilled tzatziki sauce. The daily specials like meatballs, meatloaf, and roasted pork melt in your mouth, and are large enough for two meals. All these tasty standbys make it hard to work your way to other items on the menu. So it took a while to work toward getting the avgolemono soup.

This classic Greek soup is luscious with a thick, velvety texture that seems rich with cream, but actually contains no cream. The chicken soup is instead flavored with lemon juice and egg with orzo and shreds of tender chicken. The eggs are added to cooled stock to prevent curdling, yielding a homogenized mixture instead of egg drop soup. If you do head to Greek Deli looking for it, be sure to get there early - it sells out quick.

Small Bites
Day of the Dead
If you're looking for something a little different in a seasonal menu, Oyamel is serving its Day of the Dead specials through Nov. 2. The menu is heavy on traditional tamales, each prepared with Chef Joe Raffa's personal twist. We especially liked the unusual "Tamal de alcegas," a Michoacan-style tamal with shredded pork, almonds, raisins and pickled jalapenos wrapped in chard. If you go, make sure to download a coupon from the restaurant's web site for a free "Sloe Dead Fizz" cocktail, which combines Plymouth Sloe gin, Presidente Mexican brandy, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice and egg white.

They're like thin pancakes
A new crepe restaurant will be opening soon on 14th Street in the old Garden District location. Called Crepes on the Corner, their web site says they will offer fresh crepes made to order, with soups and salads. The outdoor area will house a garden where patrons can gather the ingredients for their crepes. It's currently slated to open in December.

Fries at Ray's Hell Burger
Ray's Hell Burger is now serving French fries. There's quite a discussion going on Don Rockwell about the joint's use of frozen fries. While this seems contrary to their use of freshly ground beef for burgers, owner Michael Landrum says that given the methods available for cooking, frozen is the best way to go for delicious fries.

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Office of Tax and Revenue Targets More Restaurants for Closures

Kriston Capps — 2009-10-29T17:12:42-05:00

Joe Englert's got company. Following on the news that the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue briefly closed the Argonaut today for back sales and use taxes, OTR released a list of seven other restaurants that met the same fate. Collectively, these restaurants owe more than $860,000 in sales taxes: INTI (1825 18th Street NW), Prince of Georgetown (3205 Prospect Street NW), Besta Pizza (5029 Connecticut Avenue NW), Porter's (1207 19th Street NW), Prince Café (1042 Wisconsin Avenue NW), Mendocino Grille (2917 M Street NW) and Café Nema (1334 U Street NW). None of these restaurants belong to Englert's greater restaurant collective, which suggests that OTR is engaged in a broader collection campaign. Mendocino Grille was recently sold; it's unclear whether the delinquency occurred under the new or old management. And INTI is a quite small business that may have started on a microloan. No one answered the telephone at any of these spots or at OTR.