Photo by La Tur.
Dish of the Week: Gazpacho
Where: SouperGirl, Jaleo, Ceiba, Le Diplomate
Normally cold soup is something that should be sent back to the kitchen for reheating. But once a year, gazpacho — a sort of liquefied salad typically served cold — is the ultimate refreshing repast. Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds, and it’ll cool you down quickly.
Cold soups are all over local menus right now, and it’s hard to go wrong when the produce is at its peak. While this list isn’t exhaustive, here are a few of our recommendations for a refreshing bowl. Local soup slinger SouperGirl (314 Carroll Street NW and 1829 M Street NW) is currently hawking five different varieties of gazpacho. Aside from traditional tomato, there’s beet, watermelon, peach, and cantaloupe. Don’t worry, this isn’t dessert in a bowl; even the fruit-based flavors are quite savory. Imagine the zing of regular tomato soup tempered with just a little bit of fruity sweetness.
Jaleo (480 7th Street NW) is renown for its gazpachos, which you can also make at home. There are currently three flavors on the menu: classic, watermelon, and a white gazpacho made with pureed almonds, crab, and grapes. Ceiba (701 14th Street NW) also offers a spin on the classic recipe using sweet yellow tomatoes, cilantro pesto, and crab. Finally, the decadently creamy cold corn soup at Le Diplomate (1601 14th Street NW) nearly made an appearance on our Best Vegan Dishes list until we discovered that it wasn’t actually vegan. Sorry, vegans. What can we say? The French love their cream and butter.
Do you have a favorite place to sip gazpacho? Let us know in the comments.
Small Bites
Palena rides again with Bread Feast
Former Palena chefs Frank Ruta and Aggie Chin will be cooking together once again at Bread Feast, a new nightly dinner coming to Van Ness bakery Bread Furst (4434 Connecticut Avenue NW). Starting in September, guests will be able to book a seat for a family-style Italian menu served at a communal table. There will only be one seating per night with room for roughly 30 diners. Guests will be able to view menus and book through Bread Furst’s website.
The happiest hour evening of our lives
If there’s one thing D.C. loves more than brunch, it’s happy hour. Menu MBK (405 8th Street NW) is launching an all-night happy hour, available from 5 p.m. until close, seven days a week. Specials include $5 beers and wine by the glass, as well as $7 cocktails like the Hemingway’s Last Call made with grapefruit-infused rum, lychee, lemon, and vanilla. Bar snacks, such as truffle fries, curry mussels, and duck confit cigars, are also all priced at $10 or less.
Bye bye banh mi
Song Que Deli (6769 Wilson Boulevard), a long-time staple at the Vietnamese Eden Center, will be shutting its doors on September 15, the Post reports. Owners Kim Lai and Thanh Tran will be retiring when the lease expires next month. The couple will continue to be involved with their other establishment, Four Sisters (8190 Strawberry Land #1), and the recently opened Four Sisters Grill (3035 Clarendon Boulevard). Fans of Song Que’s banh mi and bubble tea will still be able to enjoy those items at the Four Sisters Grill location.
