Best Bites Blog

Table to Table: This Week in Food Events

Monday, November 23

Get a head start on holiday baking plus a few new recipes with Open Kitchen’s (7115 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church) course on cookies. In a three-hour hands-on class, instructor Angie Lee will cover pistachio/cherry/dark-chocolate chunk, apple/cranberry/oatmeal, checkerboard shortbread, and drei augen (German shortbread). Tuition is $75 and includes a box of cookies to take home. Click here for more.

Tuesday, November 24

Raise your glass and give thanks at a beer dinner at Belga Café, (514 Eighth St., SE) which will showcase Belgian Christmas brews and winter ales. The three-course, seven-beer dinner is $49 per person. Reserve your spot by calling 202-544-0100.

Thursday, November 26
Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re not in the mood to cook, check our roundup of Thanksgiving dinners at area restaurants.

Frugal Foodie: Adam Longworth

Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to gobble up your budget. Adam Longworth from 701 shows us how with a feast for six for less than $50.

>> Want to see what Longworth's Thanksgiving meal looks like? Check out our photo slideshow to see more

>> Get our full Guide to Thanksgiving

“I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, but then I saw this,” said Adam Longworth, holding up a clear plastic card with purple-and-gold writing. “I was looking at turkeys and they were going to break my budget. Then I saw the sign that said if you had a Giant card the turkey was only $12.”

The 701 chef had accepted our Frugal Foodie challenge to cook Thanksgiving dinner for six for less than $50, not including pantry items. He was taking it seriously. He beat me to the grocery store in order to scout out ingredients. He insisted that the amount of sugar and butter he needed would be more than what’s considered fair pantry item use and included both in his budget. And now he was the proud owner of a Giant card so he could save a few extra dollars.

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

Every Friday, we fill you in on what’s been happening in the local restaurant world.

• Richard Blais, a Top Chef season-four finalist, announced that he’s bringing his Flip Burger Boutique to DC’s Penn Quarter next year. The slogan for the restaurant, which Blais would like to make a nationwide chain, is “fine dining between two buns,” and the first location is in Atlanta. The menu there has 20 burgers, which include such ingredients as Japanese Kobe beef, foie gras, kimchee ketchup, and pickled apples. Sides include vodka-battered onion rings with beer honey mustard and veal-sweetbread nuggets. The molecular-gastronomy fanatic also has liquid-nitrogen milkshakes whose flavors include Krispy Kreme, pistachio-and-white-truffle, and foie gras.

How to Make: Café Pizzaiolo’s Diavala Pizza

Back in 2007, The Washingtonian food critic Todd Kliman examined the pizza boom that had started to take over Washington. Since then, the boom has transformed into a full-fledged golden age—one which we recently celebrated with our Pizza Pool contest.

One of the frontrunners of the area’s pizza renaissance is Café Pizzaiolo, owned by former Smithsonian culinary director Larry Ponzi. The Crystal City pizzeria has built a reputation on its crisp crusts and unfussy pies, which are more street than boutique. Ponzi’s spicy spin on the New York-style pizza, the Diavala, is one of the most popular items on the menu. The dough is prepared with a sourdough starter and later topped with whole-milk mozzarella, Italian sausage, and roasted peppers. If reading this is making you hungry, just wait until you see Ponzi demonstrate how to make the pizza in our video below.

Recipe Sleuth: Vidalia’s Macaroni and Cheese

Vidalia chef/owner Jeff Buben has experimented with lots of macaroni-and-cheese recipes since the restaurant opened in the early ‘90s, but he and chef RJ Cooper didn’t settle on one until 2½ years ago. Since then, this version laden with creamy Mornay sauce has been a staple at the restaurant—Cooper takes it off the menu only in July or August because he feels the creamy side dish is too heavy for summer. The reader who requested the recipe isn’t the only fan: Cooper says he sends out about 40 orders on a Saturday night.

It’s crucial to make sure the cream doesn’t boil or scorch, Cooper says. Otherwise, “you’ll just taste burnt flour.” He also suggests trying fillings other than smoked ham—good options are lobster, crayfish, and this time of year, black or white truffles.

Chew on This: What's the Best New Restaurant?

There's been a flurry of new-restaurant openings in the last couple months—Masa 14, Bibiana, Kellari, Birch & Barley/ChurchKey, Againn, Souk, Masala Art, and more—and we're having trouble keeping track. Although restaurants always need awhile to settle in, we want to know which ones have impressed you right out of the gate. What's your favorite just-opened restaurant? Let us know in the comments!

More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder

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Table to Table: The Week in Food Events

Meet the Redskins, hobnob with a tequila ambassador, and slip inside Roberto Donna’s house in our top food bets of the week.

Monday, November 16

Eat away your case of the Mondays at the Reston Morton’s (11956 Market St.), which will host an informal meet and greet with players from the Washington Redskins from 7 to 8. Fans can chat with the Skins, get autographs, and celebrate Sunday’s victory over the Broncos. For more information, call 703-796-0128. Free.

Tuesday, November 17

Meet Richard Sandoval, the chef/restaurateur behind Modern Mexican Restaurants (locally, he’s got La Sandía, Masa 14, and Zengo), when he hosts a tequila dinner at Zengo from 5 to 10. Tequila Herradura will find its way into each of four Latin/Asian courses, and guests will have an opportunity to chat with Ruben Aceves, the Tequila Herradura ambassador from Mexico, following the dinner. The dinner is $45 a person. For reservations and more information, call 202-393-2929.

$5 for a Taste of Dupont Circle?

This year’s Taste of Dupont takes place on Tuesday and offers $5 tasting tickets.

Fifteen restaurants are taking part in this year’s Taste of Dupont, scheduled for tomorrow, November 17, from 6 to 9. The progressive-dinner-style event features $5 tastes at neighborhood spots, including Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, Scion, and Eola.

In addition to food samples, some of the restaurants are including wine pairings or deals on cocktails. Bread & Brew is offering happy-hour prices all night along with samples of slow-roasted pork belly with jalapeño-sweet-potato or butternut-squash risotto. Annie’s will have drinks for $4 plus a special tasting menu with several food options. And Pesce Bistro will have sautéed blowfish tails paired with a glass of Muscadet or a cocktail. For a complete list of participating restaurants, click here.

Tasting tickets are $5 each or five for $20. You can purchase them here or at the Dupont Resource Center (9 Dupont Cir., NW) starting at 5 on Tuesday. All tickets purchased online will be held at will call at the Dupont Resource Center.

More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

Every Friday, we fill you in on what’s been happening in the local restaurant world.

• White House pastry chef Bill “the crustmaster” Yosses (nickname by President Obama), spilled a few of the First Family’s eating habits. The Obamas love fruit pies, but hate meringue and don’t go for cookies. Despite the President’s earlier proclamation that “the pastry chef makes the best pie I’ve ever tasted, and that is causing big problems for Michelle and myself,” Yosses says that the health-conscious family only indulges in their favorite dessert about once a week.

Scenes From the Capital Food Fight

>> To see more photos from the Capital Food Fight, check out our photo slideshow

Pack thousands of foodies and their umbrellas into the Ronald Reagan Building’s atrium, combine a hyperactive host with a bombastic sound system, and top if off with a hefty $175 ticket. It might not sound like a mouth-watering recipe, but Wednesday night’s Capital Food Fight was the hottest culinary ticket in town. Sixty of Washington’s most renowned restaurants proffered bite-sized nibbles to a sea of well-heeled grazers, and proceeds went to DC Central Kitchen. However, the main attraction was a series of Iron Chef-style battles featuring secret ingredients (among them merguez sausage, beef tenderloin, and raw lobster tails) that pit five chefs against one another—Bourbon Steak’s Michael Mina, Willow’s Tracy O’Grady, and Blue Ridge’s Barton Seaver plus Top Chef contestants Mike Isabella of Zaytinya and Bryan Voltaggio of Volt.

The final round featured an east-coast/west-coast showdown as Seaver, the two-time reigning champion, was ousted by San Francisco’s Mina, who transformed the round’s secret ingredient, coquitos (baby coconuts), into Thai coconut shrimp fritto misto.

In case you missed it, here are some of the night’s highs and lows.

Washington Gets Its First Cupcake Truck

Curbside Cupcakes, a mobile cupcake business operating out of a bubblegum-pink truck, landed in front of our downtown DC office this morning; it's been making rounds since Tuesday. An intersection of Washington's latest food trends—social-media marketing (follow the truck's whereabouts at twitter.com/curbsidecupcake), street food, and cupcakes—the concept was the brainchild of two friends who wanted cupcakes one day but didn't feel like schlepping to Georgetown to get them. Samuel Whitfield III, a former attorney, and Kristi Cunningham, who worked in freight forwarding, gave up their careers to peddle their sweets, baked by a third partner in the business. The cupcakes, which sell for $3 apiece, come in five flavors: classic vanilla, classic chocolate, red velvet, chocolate mocha, and chocolate frosting with vanilla cake.

Frugal Foodie: Patrice Olivon

Eating your veggies doesn’t have to wilt your budget. Chef Patrice Olivon shows us how with a vegetarian dinner for two for less than $15.

>> Want to see what Olivon's ingredients and meal look like? Check out our photo slideshow to see more

Steaming bowls of monkfish with garlic aïoli. Plates of soft cheese and rabbit pâté. Cassoulet thick with white beans and pork sausage.

France is renowned for its cuisine, but so much of it is meat-based. What will a French chef do when challenged to make a vegetarian dinner for two for less than $15?

Chef Patrice Olivon—who grew up in Provence, cooked at the Embassy of France and the White House, and now teaches at L’Academie de Cuisine—agreed to give it a whirl. Not including standard pantry items—sugar, flour, olive oil—this vegetarian feast can’t exceed $15.

Recipe Sleuth: Jaleo’s Bacon-Wrapped Dates

At the Penn Quarter outpost of the Spanish tapas-house Jaleo, the kitchen sent out nearly 600 orders of bacon-wrapped dates last month, according to executive chef José Andrés. It’s no wonder, then, that a reader requested the recipe for the crunchy, salty/sweet snack. Andrés says he grew up eating lots of Catalan cooking, which often includes savory/sweet pairings—lamb with honey, pork with apricots—and the bacon-and-dates combination is a common one in Spain.

Andrés recommends searching for a high-quality bacon that’s on the thin side. Use a toothpick to help secure it around the date.

Have a restaurant recipe you'd like sniffed out? E-mail recipesleuth@washingtonian.com.

Dátiles con tocino ‘como hace todo el mundo’
Fried dates wrapped in bacon

Makes 10 dates

5 slices bacon
10 pitted dates
1 egg
1 teaspoon milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

Table to Table: The Week in Food Events

An egg-themed dinner, pie-making class, and a Thanksgiving dinner in under three hours.

Tuesday, November 10
Get your chick-lit fix tonight at the Georgetown Italian bistro Paolo’s, where Kristin Harmel will sign copies of her newest book, Italian for Beginners, from 6 to 8. The novel, Harmel’s seventh, takes place in Rome, where a professional woman has taken an impulsive trip to visit an old flame—and includes, naturally, a spontaneous Vespa ride with a “handsome stranger.” Sip a glass of Little Black Dress wine while you’re there.

Wednesday, November 11
Unless you’ve already gotten your tickets for the Capitol Food Fight, you’re out of luck—Wednesday night’s star-studded philanthropic event, with attendees such as Anthony Bourdain and John Kerry, is sold out. Legal Sea Foods in Crystal City, Penn Quarter, and Tysons Corner are celebrating Chilean wine through November 14. Prices for select Chilean bottles are $23 to $45 and glasses are $7.50 to $9.50. There’s also flights of three wines for $7.95.

At the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner (1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean), sommelier Vincent Feraud is hosting a Champagne tasting at 6:30. To reserve a spot for the event, which costs $125, call 703-917-5496.

Chew on This: What Are the 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do?

On the New York Times' You're the Boss blog, first-time restaurateur Bruce Buschel is writing "The Start-Up Chronicle," which documents the making of his Southampton, New York restaurant. Last month, he posted a two-part list of 100 do's and don'ts for his servers, and restaurant-industry controversy ensued.

The list runs the gamut from hygiene (number 12: Do not touch the rim of a water glass. Or any other glass.) to attitude (number 58: Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested.).

We know everyone has pet peeves when they eat out. So, we want to know your thoughts on the list: Would you add any rules or take anything off? Servers, please chime in, too. Are Buschel's rules realistic or idealistic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Get Your Black-Pudding Fix at Againn

An upscale pub brings all things British (plus 130 kinds of Scotch!) to DC's Penn Quarter. Check out our photo slideshow and the menus.

>> Check out more photos of Againn in our photo slideshow.

For all their literary, musical, and theatrical achievements, Britons haven’t traditionally been known for their flair in the kitchen. Fish and chips can be synonymous with crude frying, and mushy peas taste like, well, mush. But thanks to Michelin-starred English chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay—and locals such as Jamie Leeds of CommonWealth—UK cuisine has become de rigueur.

In keeping with this trend is Againn, a British-inspired gastropub that opened last week on the fringes of DC’s Penn Quarter. Contrary to spell check, the oddly named location isn’t a typo—it loosely translates as “are you going?,” “with us,” or “at us,” depending on your Gaelic dictionary.

BGR Yourself for a Free Burger

At Mr. Yogato in DC’s Dupont Circle, owner Steve Davis gives 10 percent off to anyone willing to get the fro-yo shop’s name stamped on their foreheads. BGR the Burger Joint is doing customers one better on Tuesday—for an hour, at least. From 11 to noon, anyone who shows up at one of the three outposts (the original in Bethesda plus two newer locations in Dupont Circle and Old Town) with BGR written on any body part will get a free veggie or regular burger. If you forget to ink yourself, there’ll be BGR reps stationed with stamps at the ready.

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

Every Friday, we fill you in on what’s been happening in the local restaurant world.

On Monday night, Coppi’s Organic co-owner Nori Amaya was found dead in her apartment, according to NBCWashington.com. Police ruled that the 38-year-old, who owned the U Street restaurant with her brother, Carlos, was strangled.

D’Acqua, a seafood-centric restaurant in downtown DC, shut its doors for good on Friday after its landlord proposed a rent increase, reports the Washington Business Journal’s Missy Frederick. Chef Enzo Febbraro’s other two businesses, a mini D’Acqua in the Verizon Center and the recently opened Forno in Ashburn, aren’t affected by the closure. Febbraro is scouting locations to reopen D’Acqua.

Ping Pong Dim Sum, which has 16 storefronts in England, signed a deal in July for an outpost in DC’s Penn Quarter, its first US location. The company said Tuesday the opening is set for December.

Dining With the Critic's Mom

Restaurant critic Todd Kliman’s mother, Itsy, has been a trusted companion on her son’s eating adventures for years. So we gave her a pen. What’s her take on all those lavish celebrity-chef spots, humble strip-mall dining rooms, and far-flung suburban restaurants? She tells it like it is from the non-critic’s side of the table.

How to Make: The Greek Deli’s Avgolemono Soup

To be among the lunch-breakers who routinely line up outside downtown DC’s Greek Deli in the hope of grabbing a cup of avgolemono soup is to experience a moment straight out of Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” episode. Owner Kosta Fostieris moves things along quickly—the soup has quite a following—but unlike the episode’s title character, he’s an affable fellow. So what makes the egg-and-lemon soup so good? We set up our cameras in his kitchen to find out.

David Guas Is a Pudding Guy

Pastry chef and New Orleans native David Guas, who until recently was the face behind the desserts at the Passion Food Group restaurants (DC Coast, TenPenh, Acadiana, Ceiba, Passionfish), just released his first cookbook, DamGood Sweet. Many of the recipes come with passages about the traditions—both personal and historical—that are associated with them. (Guas remembers eating powdered-sugar-covered beignets at Café du Monde as a reward for good church behavior.) Currently, Guas is working on finding a location for Bayou Bakery, which will feature many of the pastries in his cookbook. In between scouting spaces, he sat down with us to chat about what he’s making on Thanksgiving and the recipe he craves the most.

Who Showed Up at the Top Chef Auditions?

Magical Elves, the production company behind Top Chef, held its first Washington casting call this morning at the Occidental Grille. The company is currently casting for the next season of the Bravo TV show as well as its pastry-focused spinoff, Top Chef: Just Desserts. With three local contestants on the current season of the show, we were expecting to see a mob of chefs lined up outside the restaurant as early as 9 this morning—casting ran from 10 to 2—but we found only a handful of hopefuls, mostly from outside the Washington area. We chatted with a few of the wannabe cheftestants.

Recipe Sleuth: Tallula’s Cavatelli With Sausage, Escarole, and Chili Flakes

When Barry Koslow took over the kitchen at Tallula in April, he knew he wanted to have three fresh pasta dishes always on the menu. This bowl of cavatelli with garlicky sausage, bitter escarole, and piquant chili flakes is the only one that’s never changed. Koslow says the kitchen makes so much cavatelli—about ten pounds on the weekends—that he has to buy a new cavatelli machine every month.

If you can’t find cavatelli (short, rolled tubes of pasta), you can use garganelli (an angled penne) or orecchiette (which look like tiny bowls), all shapes that Koslow likes for their texture and the way they carry the sauce. Choose your sausage wisely, too. Look for veal or pork, and avoid anything that’s lean. For a dish this simple, Koslow says, “timing is everything, so make sure to have all the ingredients ready and close by.”

Have a restaurant recipe you'd like sniffed out? E-mail recipesleuth@washingtonian.com.

Chew on This: Which Locals Should Try Out for 'Top Chef'?

Tomorrow, look for a line of white coats outside the Occidental in downtown DC. The restaurant is one of seven national locations where Magical Elves, the production team behind Top Chef, is holding a casting call for the show’s next season. We want to know who you think should show up. Which Washington toques have the chops to join Carla Hall, the Voltaggio brothers, and Mike Isabella as cheftestants? And which pastry chefs would you want to root for on the forthcoming Top Chef spinoff, Just Desserts? Let us know in the comments!

An Early Look at the Reserve (With Menus)

What used to be the divey Ollie's Trolley is now a candlelit restaurant and wine lounge.

>> To see more photos of the Reserve, visit our photo slideshow

It’s easy to walk past the Reserve and not even realize it. Its two nine-foot-tall, unmarked castle doors are fringed by the scruffy Post Pub and a makeshift sign advertising “$5 palm readings by Ms. Alexis.”

Pushing past the doors and onto the lounge’s mahogany floor, patrons will find black leather love seats surrounding candlelit tables and an oak-paneled bar topped with marble. A carpeted staircase leads to the upstairs wine room, where some 250 bottles of reds are stacked in a floor-to-ceiling cantina and another 250 bottles of whites chill in a refrigerator.

Table to Table: The Week in Food Events

Rock out at Eastern Market, pop Champagne at the French Embassy, and bake a cake in the ’burbs.

Monday, November 2
Hobnob with Redskins, Capitals, and more than 30 of the city’s top chefs at the March of Dimes’ Signature Chefs Auction at 6:30. The evening, emceed by WJLA anchor Leon Harris, features a series of live and silent auctions, food and wine tastings, and hotel and weekend giveaways inside the Ritz-Carlton in DC’s West End (1150 22nd St., NW). To reserve tickets, click here.

Tuesday, November 3
Join food writer Gail Forman at Blue Ridge for the first installment in a three-part series, “What’s for Lunch? Sustainable Foods That Sustain You at Lunch.” Over lunch, she’ll discuss sustainability with a focus on pigs and pork. The following session, at Zola on November 10, features a trip to a nearby historic “eco-gastro” restaurant. The final lunch, on November 17 at Sonoma, has a focus on Alaskan fisheries. Tickets for the three dates are $135 for Resident Associates members and $170 for nonmembers. Reservations can be made here.

Table-Hopping: Where the Boldface Names Are Eating

President Obama takes Michelle to Blue Duck Tavern, Natalie Portman sips white wine at Westend Bistro, and Tommy Lasorda eats birthday cake at Il Mulino.

President Obama romanced first lady Michelle Obama at Blue Duck Tavern in DC’s West End. The couple was celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary . . .

. . . Actress Natalie Portman invaded Westend Bistro at the downtown Ritz-Carlton in DC with a gang of more than 20 people. She was later spotted breakfasting at Commissary near Logan Circle.

. . . Who’s the man eating a cheeseburger and sipping Chardonnay at Trio in DC’s Dupont Circle? Shaft (a.k.a. Richard Roundtree)! You’re damn right . . .

. . . Los Angeles Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda celebrated his 82nd birthday at the upscale Italian chain Il Mulino in downtown DC. Joining the party were Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, Dodgers manager Joe Torre, and Nationals owner Mark Lerner . . .

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

Every Friday, we dish on what foodie news happened that week. This week? Top Chef is down a DC-er, crepes take over town, the Black Rooster is saved, and more.

Top Chef is down one Washingtonian. In a surprise twist, perennial bottom-three-er Robin escaped elimination on this week’s episode and Zaytinya chef Mike Isabella was asked to pack his knives and go. His offense? A poorly executed (and oddly protein-free) leek dish for vegetarian actress Natalie Portman. On a Washingtonpost.com chat yesterday, Isabella made clear he’s hasn’t gained any affection for Robin (a.k.a. Grandma). “That woman could not cook her way out of a paper bag,” noted a commenter. “That’s totally true,” replied Isabella. “She can’t cook.” He went on to tell E! Online that though they’ve talked since the show, “she’s crazy and she’s annoying.”

Jack Evans saves the day! After it looked like the 40-year-old downtown DC dive the Black Rooster was headed for extinction, it now seems it’ll stay open after all. Owner Jody Taylor credits the DC Council member with the rescue. What happened? “I don’t really know, to be honest with you,” Taylor tells the Washington City Paper. “Once I talked to the landlord, he was extremely gracious. Everybody came to terms. It’s good all around.”

What's Wine Blogger Gary Vaynerchuk Drinking These Days?

The host of video blog Wine Library TV talks about his best-kept-secret bottles, the next big wine hot spot, and what he'd pair with a bushel of crabs.

Gary Vaynerchuk, host of the video blog Wine Library TV, was at American University last week promoting his new book, Crush It! Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. Considering the entrepreneur’s background, the title couldn’t be any more appropriate.

After immigrating from the former USSR to New Jersey, Vaynerchuk honed his wine skills at his family’s liquor store—also called Wine Library—and used social-media networks to catapult the bodega into a $60-million brand. Yet it wasn’t until Vaynerchuk launched his daily Web cast three years ago that his buzz propelled him onto Decanter magazine’s 2009 Power List. Today, Vaynerchuk’s straightforward—and often hyperactive—online reviews (he recently broadcast that one varietal “reminds me of Skittles” and that another “tastes like asparagus pee-pee”) has led him to become a wine guru for some 350,000 followers on Twitter and more than 90,000 “Vayniacs” who tune in to his Web cast each day.

Recipe Sleuth: The Majestic's Coconut Cake

This fluffy layer cake won an in-house bake-off at the Old Town, Alexandria restaurant. Here's how to pull it off at home.

Until two years ago, the makings of the Majestic’s layer cake changed daily. Chef Shannon Overmiller decided, however, that she wanted to “do one cake and do it well.” Employees from the Majestic and its sister properties—Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s, and PX—held a bake-off to determine which cake would be a menu mainstay. Overmiller’s coconut cake—she tweaked a recipe from the Internet—triumphed over approximately 15 other entries.

The dessert is a tall, fluffy creation that gets an extra kick of coconut flavor from the fruit’s milk—Overmiller suggests using Chaokoh brand—in the cake batter and brushed between the layers. Because the filling needs to chill overnight, be sure to start the cake the day before you’re going to serve it.

Have a restaurant recipe you'd like sniffed out? E-mail recipesleuth@washingtonian.com.

Chew on This: What's Your Favorite Halloween Candy?

Even if your Halloween treats tend to come in the form of frosty beer mugs instead of fun-size Snickers, don’t try to tell us that you don’t love tearing into chocolate bars, candy corn, and boxes of Mike & Ike (does anyone actually like those?) this time of year. When you dip your hand into a plastic pumpkin bucket of candy, what do you go for? Let us know in the comments. And make sure to check out our full Halloween guide.

Dining With the Critic’s Mom

J&G Steakhouse
Downtown DC

Lousy restaurant name and great food? Or intriguing name and lousy food? Definitely the former. This place gets four stars, without a doubt.

They started us off with a sample drink—on the house—which looked and tasted somewhat like pink grapefruit. Then we ordered our own choices from a really nice selection. Pimm’s Cup was excellent. We shared appetizers of corn ravioli and crabcakes, and then we ordered a round of oysters. Just writing the word and remembering those oysters, I’m actually salivating. We had to repeat the order; it was impossible not to. Even the sauces and vinaigrettes accompanying the oysters were special.

Our entrées were a fish dish, interestingly topped with diced celery, and an amazing cheeseburger (with fries, of course). But what a burger!

Desserts were excellent, too. And just like we started out with a freebie, we ended with gratis almonds, coated two different ways. The service was top-notch—attentive but not obsequious.
Whew! That’s an eating experience worth bragging about.

Table to Table: The Week in Food Events

Dine in homage to Edgar Allen Poe, lick your fingers after eating a spit-roasted baby goat, and more.

Monday, October 26
Start the week with a hoppy bang at Birreria Paradiso’s Smuttynose Brewery dinner. This sudsy affair, which begins at 6:30, pairs six varieties from the New Hampshire microbrewery with a four-course meal. Get into the Halloween spirit by downing Smuttynose’s Pumpkin Ale, and meet the man behind the product, lead brewer Dan Schubert. The dinner costs $65 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 202-337-4963.

Tuesday, October 27
Sip Heinekens and Budweisers, sample a buffet of offerings from DC dining rooms, and help make a difference at StreetWise Partners’ second annual Taste of Success, held at Jones Day (51 Louisiana Ave., NW). The organization pairs mentors with those working their way out of poverty, and participating restaurants include Mandu, La Tomate, Circa, Oceanaire, Café Saint-Ex, and many others. The event begins at 6:30. Tickets, $85 to $100, can be purchased in advance here .

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

Every Friday we fill you in on what's been happening in the local restaurant world.

An Early Look at Birch & Barley and ChurchKey

>> Check out more photos of the Birch & Barley and ChurchKey space in our photo slideshow

Greg Engert leans across the table, using both hands to explain why Pilsners and lagers are meant to be served colder than barleys and stouts. His eyes widen as he talks about how he analyzes a beer’s crispness and aromatic content to determine the “purest representation of the brewer’s intention.” He interrupts his draft discourse to shout numbers up to several movers hauling kegs into what look like three oversize bank safes. “No one in the country has ever done this before,” he says.

Introducing Birch & Barley, a seasonally driven American dining room, and above it ChurchKey, a grazing-friendly upstairs bar/lounge. After a year-and-a-half delay, both beer-centric spots opened yesterday in the old Dakota Cowgirl/Ramrod space near DC’s Logan Circle. Though visitors first step into Birch & Barley’s slick dining room downstairs, the building’s focal point is found up the steps, where beer director Engert, who oversees the suds at the beer-obsessed Rustico in Alexandria, has stocked 555 beers from 30 countries. The bar offers 50 artisanal drafts and five hand-pumped, cask-conditioned beers. Beer geeks will admire the three temperature-controlled vaults—which rang in at $100,000—nestled overhead. Inside them, kegs cool at their optimal temperatures according to each brewer’s specifications. A roster of old-school cocktails—Aperol spritzes, Moscow mules—is available for those not in the mood for a pint.

The Frugal Foodie: Firefly’s Danny Bortnick

Cheering for your team doesn’t have to leave you rooting through your wallet. Daniel Bortnick of Firefly shows us how to cook a tailgate for 15 for less than $75.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The maroon sweatpants and white jersey trimmed in red and gold give it away: Although Daniel Bortnick grew up in Wisconsin, he’s a big-time Redskins fan.

Suited up and ready to go, the chef at Firefly in DC’s West End has accepted the Frugal Foodie challenge and agreed to cook a tailgate party for 15. Not including drinks or standard pantry items—sugar, flour, olive oil—the bill can’t exceed $75.

At the supermarket, Bortnick studies his meat options before choosing a roast sirloin and two large packs of wings. He then powers through the store, snagging bread, artichokes, chickpeas, and other ingredients. Grand total at the cash register: $71.38.

FeedBack: G Street Food

G Street Food (1706 G St., NW; 202-408-7474) is a different kind of lunch spot. Featuring a menu that rotates daily—with not only a soup of the day but also a sausage, tartine, and pancake of the day—the eatery focuses on street-cart fare from around the world. It comes courtesy of bread master Mark Furstenberg, founder of the renowned Breadline and Marvelous Market.

Can Furstenburg’s new restaurant live up to his reputation? We set up our cameras outside the door to find out.

Dirt Cheap Eats

In this month's issue of Washingtonian, we found 82 burger joints, street carts, taquerias, and dinner-worthy happy hours where a delicious meal won’t cost you more than $15. To see the full list of Dirt Cheap Eats—including guilty pleasures, happy-hour feasts, lunch deals at top restaurants, and more, pick up the issue, on stands now.

But while you're here, make sure to check out...

Our Dirt Cheap Eats 2009 photo slideshow. Don't look at this before lunch. We warned you.
Delicious Dining Deals During the Downturn
Bargain Happy Hours
Happy Food Hours

Enjoy! And while you're at it, if you have any favorite Dirt Cheap Eats of your own, let us know in the comments—or tweet at @bestbitesblog or @washingtonian with your faves, using the hashtag #DCE.

More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder

Follow the Best Bites Bloggers on Twitter at twitter.com/bestbitesblog

Recipe Sleuth: The Source’s General Tso’s Chicken Wings

In the lounge at Wolfgang Puck’s Penn Quarter restaurant, the Source, General Tso’s chicken gets a gourmet upgrade from chef Scott Drewno. He offers wings—an unlikely finger-licking snack in such chic surroundings—glazed with the familiar-sounding sauce, but they bear no resemblance to the gloppy mess that most Chinese takeouts serve. Instead, the chicken sports a thin but crispy skin with a sauce that has hints of spice and vinegar.

The recipe, a collaboration between Drewno and Lee Hefter—Puck’s corporate chef—uses lots of Asian ingredients that Drewno says can all be found at H Mart (locations in Fairfax, Falls Church, and Wheaton). You’ll have the crispiest skin, advises Drewno, if you eat the wings right after they come out of the fryer.

Have a restaurant recipe you'd like sniffed out? E-mail recipesleuth@washingtonian.com.

Chew on This: What Foodie TV Shows Do You Watch?

In dining editor Todd Kliman’s chat this morning, he got the following question:

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DC TV: I love your chats and wonder what television you watch regarding food/cooking? For me—I have found PBS to be top notch. Between Lidia and America’s Test Kitchen—I have found a great balance between recipes, tips, tricks, and great equipment. Lidia’s food is shockingly similar to my family’s Italian cuisine plus more variation, creativity, and imagination. ATK provides great advice.

Ever notice the awkward balance btw Christopher and the Chefs? The more you watch it is funny. Martha Stewart’s 2 shows are interesting with great recipes but her hosts seem like robots. I am not looking for more Rachael Ray action. But a bit of off the cuff could be welcomed.

As for FOOD NTWK, I only enjoy Ina/Giada/Tyler. TK, Hope to hear where your interests lie with food and TV? Readers?

Todd Kliman: I’m with you—PBS all the way.

Food Network, back when it started, was not nearly so slick, not nearly so much an all-about-the-production-values sort of thing. Now, it’s basically just models with sauce pans. I enjoy Alton Brown, the exception to the rule, but otherwise I hardly ever tune in.

If you want to learn anything, if you want to not be played, then PBS is a great place to turn. And I agree about America’s Test Kitchen—it’s very unintentionally funny. You really do get the impression that Christopher Kimball is an imperious patrician grouch, and that all the staffers indulge him while surreptitiously poking fun at him behind his back.

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We want to hear what you think of the current state of foodie TV. Do you agree with Todd that PBS is the way to go? Do Paula Deen and her doughnut-and-bacon sandwiches make you want to be gluttonous . . . or gag? Does it matter that the Food Network is more about entertainment than cooking? Do you rely on any shows or TV chefs for actual recipes or cooking advice, or do you find yourself pining for Julia Child reruns? Let us know in the comments.

An Early Look at Kellari (With Menus)

>> To see more photos of Kellari, check out our slideshow here.

Gregory Zapantis surveys the seafood atop a mound of crushed ice and selects a whole prawn, prettily mottled and nearly as long as my forearm. It weighs in at about half a pound. “This is a Madagascar wild shrimp,” he says, turning it over to show me. Because the flavorful roe is located along its back and not its underside, he says, the kitchen cleans and prepares this shrimp differently. “It’s very sweet, very good.”

This is how Zapantis, chef and partner of the new downtown DC restaurant Kellari, wants all his patrons to start their meal—by chatting with the staff, learning about the food, and understanding the preparation before selecting their dinner. And so the focal point of the restaurant—a DC outpost of the popular New York dining room—is this icy seafood display fringed with fennel and packed with 15 varieties of seafood. Diners can view that day’s selections and choose their meal straight off the ice—a tribute, Zapantis says, to traditional, menuless Greek dining.

Zapantis resists calling Kellari a Greek restaurant or the dishes Greek cuisine. “How can you put borders on food?” he asks. But the menu is unquestionably Mediterranean-inspired, with classics such as spanakopita, olive-oil-grilled lamb, and citrusy avgolemono soup. The seafood, the restaurant’s star, is sold by the pound—the chefs recommend a pound per person—and simply prepared with oregano, capers, lemon, and olive oil. “Our philosophy is that food in its purest form is the best food,” says executive chef Anthony Acinapura.

Table to Table: The Week in Food Events

Monday, October 19
Virginia is for lovers—if only of its cheese and wine. Start the week off with a wine-and-cheese event at Mon Ami Gabi’s Reston location (11950 Democracy Dr.), where you can sample from the barrels of the Winery at La Grange, Pearmund Cellars, and Boxwood Winery. Taste some Virginia-made cheeses while you sip, including wedges from Everona and Meadow Creek dairies. The cheeses will also appear in a few hors d’oeuvres. The event, $45 per person, runs from 6 to 9; call 703-707-0233 to reserve your spot.

Tuesday, October 20
After winning three medals at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based Tröeg’s Brewing Company is coming to CommonWealth for a beer dinner tonight at 7. The $45 price (plus tax and tip) gets you a three-course dinner paired with six Tröeg’s brews. Call 202-265-1400 to make reservations or for more information.

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema’s tenth annual dining guide is online—for real this time. Close watchers got a glimpse of the guide when it was inadvertently posted on the Post’s Web site at least four days early. “Since I never saw what went live, I’m not sure if that was my final FINAL list,” Sietsema told the Washington City Paper’s Tim Carman. Indeed, newcomer Eventide wound up with two and a half stars, not the early version’s three. The biggest surprise: Rasika, the Penn Quarter Indian hot spot, garnered four stars, putting it in the same ranks as CityZen, Komi, the Inn at Little Washington, and the tasting room at Restaurant Eve. Citronelle, which was downgraded to three and a half stars last year, was given the same rating this year.

Chef Sam Adkins is leaving Jackie’s after more than five years at the funky Silver Spring restaurant. And not by choice, he tells Tom Sietsema. Owner Jackie Greenbaum says that although Adkins is one of her “dearest” friends, “I think we reached the limitations of expression with one another.” No word yet on where Adkins will turn up next.

FeedBack: SeventhHill

Everyone knows Washington has reached the big leagues when it comes to gourmet pizza, and rookie SeventhHill (327 Seventh St., SE; 202-544-1911) is looking to make a name for itself in the brick-oven game. Opened by the owners of the French bistro Montmartre, right next door, SeventhHill is taking on a pizza style dominated locally by the likes of 2 Amys and Pizzeria Paradiso. Barely three weeks old, the Capitol Hill restaurant was brimming with lunchtime pizza lovers when we stopped by with our camera to see what diners think of Washington’s newest pies.

An Early Look at Masa 14 (With Menus)

>> Want to see what Masa 14 looks like? Check out our full slide show here!

Fusion cuisine became trendy back in the ’80s. People who weren’t even born when the first bok-choy-stuffed taco hit menus can now legally vote, drink, and pay taxes. So what makes Masa 14, a new Latin/Asian restaurant that opened its doors Monday, think it can make an impression?

Well, the neighborhood doesn’t hurt. The area around 14th and U streets, Northwest, which was being called “up-and-coming” only five years ago, is now one of the city’s liveliest. The Black Cat is there. So is Bar Pilar, Cork, Busboys and Poets, and Ben’s Chili Bowl. Not bad neighbors for a new restaurant courting a mix of young professionals and college students.

Recipe Sleuth: BlackSalt’s Caramel-Apple Streusel Pie

Chew on This: What’s an Acceptable Wait Time for a Reservation?

Last week, a reader wrote in to food and wine editor Todd Kliman’s chat to get his feedback about a bad experience waiting at a restaurant. The reader had a 9 PM reservation and wasn't seated for 50 minutes. “I’m wondering what your guidelines are on what’s considered a reasonable wait for a table when you have a reservation and when you should just cut your losses and leave?” asked the frustrated customer.

“I think 2 minutes or fewer is a reasonable wait if you have a reservation. I’m not being facetious,” Kliman said. “Actually, I’m being charitable and forgiving. I think no-wait-at-all is what is reasonable if you have a reservation. Or two minutes and the restaurant buys you a drink. Fifty minutes? Fifty minutes and the meal ought to be comped.”

In Kliman’s chat today, lots of people wrote in with opinions on how the restaurant should have handled the situation. What do you think? How long is an acceptable wait for a table when you have a reservation? If you have to wait, should the restaurant do anything to make up for it?

What Do Pastry Chefs Hand Out on Halloween?

Table to Table: The Week in Food Events

A dinner date with Wolfgang Puck, a salty day of oyster shucking, a four-course chocolate meal, and lots more to do this week.

Monday, October 12
Find an ATM and head to the Source to celebrate its second anniversary with a five-course wine dinner hosted by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck (and yes, we’re told he’s actually going to be in the kitchen). In honor of the late American vintner Robert Mondavi, his widow, Margrit, will pair their wines with the secret menu. The evening also features a cocktail reception with wines from the Virginia-based Kluge Estate Winery. 7 PM; reserve your $195 seat by calling 202-637-6100.

Tuesday, October 13
When we think of the Pacific Northwest, we think grunge, lots of rain, and coffee. But the region also produces some pretty impressive Pinots, Cabernets, and Syrahs. Come learn what makes the wines of Oregon and Washington unique, and taste four to seven varietals with local specialist Mike Canter’s hourlong class at Vinoteca. Tickets for the event, which begins at 7, are $35 a person. Call 202-332-9463 for reservations.

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

• The food-magazine world lost its queen on Monday, when Condé Nast announced it was closing Gourmet, which has been in print since 1940. For weeks, we’d heard rumors that the media giant was going to shut down a number of its titles, but the news about Gourmet was a shock to many. Its October issue was dedicated to restaurants, and editors asked Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema where he’d spend $1,000. Among his picks were Jaleo, Et Voila!, and Obelisk. Gourmet will put out its final issue next month.

• Yesterday, 82-year-old Ben Ali, best known as the mastermind behind the iconic U Street, Northwest, landmark Ben’s Chili Bowl, passed away yesterday. The restaurant, famous for its chili dogs and cheese fries, opened in 1958. Ali’s sons, Kamal and Nizam, run the DC landmark.

• More wine on the way: Prince of Petworth reports that Justin Abad and John Manolatos, two of the three Cashion’s Eat Place owners, found a spot for a wine-and-gourmet-foods shop in DC’s Adams Morgan and hope to be open before the holidays. Then a Metrocurean reader wrote in about Twisted Vines Bottleshop & Bistro, a wine store and small-plates restaurant to open by November in Arlington.