Photo by jimbographer Esquire created a list of top 10 restaurant cities, placing D.C. in eighth position. Even after the disastrously painful-to-watch Top Chef D.C. spent half of the season outside of the city proper, there’s still no doubt that we attract fantastic talent in our kitchens. Unsurprisingly we come in behind, in rank order, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. But we were somewhat surprised to see…

The masala dosa at Woodlands Dish of the Week: Masala dosa Where: Woodlands Most of the Indian food in D.C. tends to be northern Indian food that includes meat-heavy curries. But there are treasures to be found in the vegetarian food of the lesser-known south. One of the signatures of that region is the dosa, a paper-thin crepe that is made of rice flour and lentils. When prepared well, it has a crisp exterior…

In September, we reported on a new partnership between DC Central Kitchen, Alexandria-based Cuisine Solutions, and six local chefs to create frozen meals from locally-sourced products with proceeds from sales benefiting DCCK. A number of local retailers have since signed on to participate and will be carrying the meals. So far, the meals will be available through Peapod (search Cuisine Solutions), the DCCK web site, and the following local retailers: Wegmans (Virginia locations in Woodbridge,…

Whether you’re not sure what to serve to surprise guests or you just want a convenient food option after a night of shopping that doesn’t involve dialing out or driving through, there is reason to rejoice this holiday season. A new partnership between DC Central Kitchen, Alexandria-based Cuisine Solutions, and six of the D.C. area’s most celebrated chefs is bringing gourmet holiday meals to the frozen food section of a store near you. The meals…

Central’s chef de cuisine Cedric Maupillier (left) and head chef Michel Richard receive the James Beard Award for best new restaurant While reality fans and food enthusiasts have spent the past week anticipating tonight’s Top Chef season finale, the James Beard Foundation – the Academy of the food world – spent Sunday night announcing their picks for top chefs and restaurants of 2007. Once again, the D.C.-area’s nominees provided a strong showing this year…

Still of José Andrés and crew at minibar courtesy WETA Local “celebrity” chef groupies and aspiring foodies itching for a glimpse inside their favorite D.C. restaurants’ kitchens can get an hour’s worth of behind-the-scenes restaurant dirt (in the figurative, NOT the literal sense) tonight as WETA premieres the latest installment of its local D.C. documentary-style series: The WETA Guide to Fine Dining. The guides, which are produced four times a year, cull together some…

Dish of the Week Wagamama – Duck gyoza with cherry-hoisin sauce, chili-garlic salt edamame and chili-beef ramen We apologize for jumping the gun a bit here, but today’s Dish of the Week is not yet available in our area. However, U.K. transplants may be happy to hear that Wagamama, the popular Japanese-style noodle house found across the U.K., is planning to open shop in the D.C. area late this year or early next, according to…

Disoriented and Seeing Stars WaPo reviewer Tom Sietsema has released his 2007 Washington Post Dining Guide online. You can catch it on newsstands this weekend. At the top, Cathal Armstrong’s Restaurant Eve has broken through to the four-star category, and his revamped Majestic also made the list. Newcomers Central Michel Richard (3 stars), Proof (2.5), Farrah Olivia (2.5), and Hook (2.5) also made it onto the list. A surprising omission was Brasserie Beck, which Sietsema…

Written by DCist Contributor Gayle S. Putrich It’s springtime in D.C. and apparently, if you’re a rock star chef, that means it’s time to open a moderately priced, bistro/brasserie/kinda casual place. Thanks to this little trend, I’ve managed to score some seriously good eats without going broke. But if you haven’t got the cash or the time to take the Tour of Bistros right now, stick with one of many reasonably priced delectable dishes at…

This post by DCist contributor Rawn James, Jr. This week’s Five O’Clock Meeting takes us to a happy hour that runs Mondays through Fridays from 5-7pm, but on Tuesdays, lasts until 11pm. The spotlight this week shines on Viridian, located north on 14th Street, NW just north of the Studio Theatre in Logan Circle. Viridian’s space is a unique combination of polished concrete and unobtrusive modernity. On this early evening, large paintings catch angled sunlight…