You just kind of knew, given all of the controversy around chef Gillian Clark (that profile by Tim Carman in the Washington Post and the resulting awkward live chat, those videos mocking her customers, we could go on) that when she announced her restaurant, The General Store, had closed - it would be more complicated than it first seemed. more ›

During today's Washingtonian chat with food critic Todd Kliman, one chatter asked Kliman for his opinion about a YouTube channel started by General Store chef and owner Gillian Clark, which features a number of video reenactments of customer requests and behavior. Clark has gotten in trouble in the past for her somewhat less-than-polite behavior toward customers. The chatter notes: "The bulk of [the videos], under the title "A General Store Re-enactment" seem to consist of Gillian and Robin mocking their customers...But this public mocking of the people who want to give her money seems to be beyond the pale." Kliman agrees with the chatter, due to what he views as a lack of humor in the videos. more ›

Chef Bobby Flay will be returning to the D.C. area to challenge Chef Gillian Clark's fried chicken -- the show will air January 19 at 8:30 p.m. on the Food Network. This isn't the first foray into television for Clark, though: her fried chicken, served at the General Store and Post Office Tavern in Silver Spring, has also been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We doubt Clark'll have any problems taking Flay down -- ten bucks says he decides to coat his chicken with potato chips and Anaheim chili powder, and call it Crunchchicken. (Just be sure to trademark it before he does!) more ›

Dish of the Week: Tom yum soup more ›

Fried Chicken Frenzy Returns Fried chicken fanatics have something to get excited about. Both Colorado Kitchen and Ray's the Classics have restored their famous versions of the dish. Everyone lamented when Gillian Clark pulled her chicken from the menu a few years ago. But now, she is hosting burgers and fried chicken nights on December 11 and January 8 (the second Tuesday of the month). Apparently her chicken is so good that she told... more ›

Suddenly, it occurred to us that given the culinary talent in this city, perhaps a few our area's more creative minds pour an unhealthy amount of TLC into the creation of homemade donuts. Our quest for proprietary fried dough led us to Colorado Kitchen, Hotel Tabard Inn, and 2 Amys. Yes, we consumed 11 donuts this weekend so we might share our revelations with you. Here’s how it went: more ›

With the revival of classic cookbooks propelled by the releases of The Silver Spoon and Julie and Julia -- the blog-turned-book in which Julie Powell writes on cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking -- it’s worth noting the death of chef and cookbook writer Edna Lewis, 89. Lewis didn't just compile recipes. Having authored The Taste of Country Cooking, she's largely credited with explaining and showcasing Southern cooking to... more ›

Buck's Has a Cow Over at DCFoodies.com, our restaurant-reviewing pal Jason Storch has run into some legal trouble. It seems that he received a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney purporting to represent Buck's Fishing and Camping. What did Storch do to deserve this? Did he too loudly insist that chef Carole Greenwood stop stalking him through his television set? Did he open a restaurant next door called Jason's Hunting and Whitewater-Rafting? No, it simply seems... more ›

"For whatever reason, we're the restaurant you all love to hate," remarks Chef Gillian Clark of her Brightwood restaurant, Colorado Kitchen. Some patrons have complained about slow service. Others are put off by the tone of the menu. "Are you starving?" it reads, "...you'd better have a salad and stop staring at the folks in the kitchen with that anxious look in your eye. You're making them nervous." PCists are skeptical of her more recent venture, DeSto -- as opposed to The Store -- and of a black chef's choice to embrace Aunt Jemima ("Her smiling face, while it makes some of us black folks cringe, is part of Americana. How could I leave her out? I have come to terms with Aunt Jemima and I've acknowledged my secret admiration of her.") more ›