Photo courtesy Four Seasons, Washington D.C.

Dish of the week: Asparagus and warm ricotta tart
Where: Bourbon Steak

Spring always brings to mind renewal and other regenerative symbols. This is also the case at Bourbon Steak inside the Four Seasons. With King of Porc champion David Varley called upon to act as corporate chef on the left coast for chef and boss Michael Mina, spring has brought new executive chef Adam Sobel and new pastry chef Brent Balika to show off their new menu and all the bounties that the Vernal Equinox provides.

Focusing on lighter dishes with invigorating flavors, Sobel’s Spring menu utilizes fresh herbs and earthy flavors from their garden to balance the richness of meats and cheeses. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in their asparagus and ricotta tart. With a rich, buttery crust as a base, the sensitive balance of freshness and richness was in a continual tug-of-war that one doesn’t mind ending in a tie. The astringency of the purslane kept the savory ricotta in check and added citrus notes to the asparagus. Country ham lends a slight smokiness that was aggressive without being overbearing to the delicate flavors of the asparagus. Head Sommelier Julian Mayor masterfully avoided wine with this and chose Schneider Weisse, a beautiful German wheat beer that added ample carbonation to cleanse the palate and fruit esters to add nuance to the tart as a whole.

While this certainly isn’t meant to fill you up (perhaps save that for their version of the cheese steak with beef tartare, aged provolone and crispy potato skins), it is a delicious indication that the warming sunshine is just around the corner.

Small Bites

A Delicious Convoy
On Saturday, the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival, in conjunction with the Cherry Blossom Festival, plans on hosting the D.C.’s largest mobile food crawl of 2011. Some of the most popular food trucks will set up around the festival starting at 1 p.m. and serve up until the start of the fireworks. Red Hook Lobster, Fojol Bros., District Taco, Eat Wonky and many others will be on hand to dish out your favorite dishes on four wheels. Family-friendly activities and live music fill out the day until the fireworks start.

Meat: Why the internet exists
Starting in April, Red Apron Butchery will start taking online orders for their delicious offerings of charcuterie, sausages, cured meats, rillettes, confit and other nose-to-tail needs. Red Apron has garnered much notoriety for their locally-raised, locally-made philosophy to their offerings that are often imported in because so few offer these high quality products here in the States. While you will still need to pick up your online orders at farmers’ markets or Planet Wine, they plan to have their new shop opened up by the fall.

Brackets and Brunches
Seems like everything got put up into bracketology this NCAA tournament season — Bloody Mary’s are no exception. Head over to Rustico in Ballston for their Bloody Mary Bracketology Tournament Finals Championship Brunch on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. The best of the best go head to head with only one recipe able to claim victory. The champion will remain on the menu for a year to bask in the glory. And over at The Passenger, a Cherry Blossom-inspired brunch will be served from 2 p.m.-midnight, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Red Cross to benefit earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. Highlights include the Sakura Lady (made with Junmai Sake, Campari, cherry brandy, lemon juice, and egg white) and Akachochin (made with bourbon, sour cherry infused vermouth, Benedictine, and orange bitters).