Those of us who live in the District know why it’s a safer bet to open a restaurant here than in New York. There’s less competition. Real estate is cheaper. Neighborhoods are changing in ways that are hospitable to restaurateurs. In addition, enthusiastic restaurant-goers are on the rise, as noted this past year by Zagat and by virtue of the proliferation of D.C.-centered food and restaurant blogs. And, interestingly, we seem to have a more restaurant-friendly Department of Public Health than does our neighbor to the north.

Late last month, the New York City Board of Health outlawed sous vide in its city’s kitchens. Sous vide is a process embraced by slow-cooking enthusiasts in which food is vacuum-sealed en papillote and cooked in warmed, though not boiling, water. The rationale for banning it was that sous vide cooking can theoretically lead to botulism under certain conditions.

What’s the end-result difference between sous vide and standard cooking methods? In a piece in yesterday’s New York Times, chef Gabrielle Hamilton of East Village’s acclaimed Prune said that cooking food sous vide “makes food taste more intensely of what it should taste like, preserves its nutritional value, and often creates a texture of unspeakable silkiness that everyone ought to experience.”

District chefs are currently permitted to cook food sous vide. And so, whether it’s as a result of more reasonable (or more lax) health standards or otherwise, D.C. chefs have gained what some might see as an advantage in ensuring their diners a flavorful meal.