The Brooklyn Brewery Mash Tour Returns to DC October 6th through 9th. This year’s events include:
· Dinner With Friends at The Royal – Thursday, October 6th
· FREE SHOW! – Timberland presents Black Lips – Thursday, October 6th
· Beer Mansion at Blind Whino – Saturday, October 8th
· Adams Morgan Neighborhood Immersion – Sunday October 9th
You can check our our coverage of last year’s DC events. We are covering this year’s events as well.
-JAY
In the theme of “dress for the job you want to have,” Ashok Bajaj’s 701 Restaurant on Tuesday evening, September 13, ran with the idea of “create a menu for the season you want it to be.” Fall’s a-coming, even if we can’t quite tell yet. Talented chef Benjamin Lambert (who once worked at Restaurant Nora) is changing over his seasonal menu with sips and plates that have whiffs of sultry summer and gusts of hearty fall.
“I took inspiration from dishes that I love to cook and eat,” he said. “And, of course, the upcoming fall season. I have a really wide range to create dishes that I’m passionate about.”
At the bar, a seasoned mixologist poured not only red, white and rose wine (now popular in any season), but also two craft cocktails. The first is geographical in name: the 7th & Penn, with rye, aged rum, PX sherry, orange and angostura bitters. The second connects summer (gin) and fall (port), called the Douro Spritz, with saffron-infused gin, white port, housemade tonic, and soda.
Small plates circulated the room, beginning with a Chilled Corn Soup in a shot glass, topped with bacon crumbles, cornbread streusel, and chili-lime sorbet. In the frozen theme, a Bluefin Tuna Tartare came topped with sushi rice ice cream, along with ponzu and wasabi oil. Our favorites: the delightful and hearty cauliflower shawarma, served over a tiny dollop of hummus, with golden raisins, tomatoes, and lavash; and the Smoked Duck Breast, served over a trio of sauces: black bean puree, salsa verde, and baby corn aioli.
The evening finished with a sweet corn pudding and deconstructed s’mores: a fitting end to a warm evening.
-ESC (Evan)
Editor’s Note: Yes, one photo is upside down.
We recently dined at City Perch (in North Bethesda) for the first time. The restaurant shares a floor with a movie theater (which is part of the same company).
We tried several of City Perch’s new menu items: Grilled Pork Chop, French Onion Soup, Tuscan Kale Salad, Apple Crisp, and Chocolate Donut. We also tried one of their classic options, the Roasted Long Island Duck, and two of their cocktails, the Norma Jean and the Illegalito.
So, how were the food and drinks?
The shredded duck was delicious. The dried out duck leg was more of a garnish, but the BBQ sauce and rest of the duck were spot on. The duck was served with Chinese Butter Buns (whipped trickling springs butter + sea salt), something I haven’t heard of, but they had a nice texture and worked well with the dish.
The pork chop was tender and well executed, and was served with tasty Brussels sprouts. It was odd that they served me an item on the bone with a butter knife, since a steak knife would have been more appropriate (easier to use).
The French Onion Soup and Tuscan Kale salad were good as well. I haven’t had French Onion Soup that included beef previously, but it was a good combination.
The Norma Jean (Strawberry Vodka lemonade) and Illegalito (lovechild of a passion fruit mojito and a fresh piña colada) were both cocktails we would order again. We actually attempted to order a piña colada, since they already were making a similar cocktail, but were told it was not possible.
The last three images above are dishes I took pictures of, even though we did not try them.
This is a great restaurant that is serving some wonderful dishes, but some work needs to be done on the dessert menu. It is interesting that the waiter tried to steer both of us towards the Chocolate Donut, but we insisted on trying two different desserts.
The Chocolate Donut could have had better texture, and in the menu, it was not clear that it is filled with warm chocolate. The accompanying macadamie tuile was excellent and the ice cream pairing (chocolate mint) worked.
The apples in the Apple Crisp were under cooked and under seasoned (cinnamon, brown sugar, or ginger would help) and the crisp topping wasn’t crisp or substantial (it is usually like a crust when I order it in other restaurants) or flavored. The bland apple crisp was paired with crème fraîche ice cream when a flavored ice cream could have helped substantially by bringing contracting flavors. That particular ice cream flavor may pair well with a more flavored dessert.
We are definitely looking forward to trying more dishes at City Perch, since the entrees were delicious and well-executed.
-JAY
One part laid-back Latin lounge, one part energetic izakaya, a dash of trendy U Street cocktail bar, shaken and poured into a new and stunning two-level space. Welcome to Sakerum.
The name is a clear combination of inspiration across two distinct, but here united, cultures. The interior, the food, and the drink all reflects this unity. Inside, interweaving international textiles back up unique wall décor and statement pieces, including a golden bird cage. And in a direct nod to the name, diners will find patterns inspired by rice and sugarcane throughout the space. The open-air upstairs space is now complete with a retractable rooftop.
Owner Stephanos Andreou said “I’m just all about people. I 
wanted something less serious, more fun, and both sophisticated and a touch mysterious. I was inspired to blend Latin and Japanese cuisines because I have always believed that though their perspectives are quite different, their flavors complement each other very well. I was also excited to bring this unique concept to a city like Washington where I was unable to find another restaurant like this before.”
Officially opened on August 22, the kitchen is helmed by Chef Khan Gayabazar, who crafts contemporary sushi, sashimi, and other dishes that cross Pacific trade and national barriers. Take the Mar y Tierra Roll – sushi made with lobster tail and tableside-scorched Miyazaki Wagyu beef, or the Yaki Tako, sweet and tender lightly grilled octopus kissed with lemon oil paired with a just-spicy-enough orange-mango salsa that provides a perfectly complementary bite.
Meanwhile, as for the liquor, talented Gina Chersevani of Buffalo & Bergen heads up the bar program as beverage manager, where she coordinates the crafting of equally alluring and creative cocktails. The “Pirates Creed,” for example, has rum, coconut, pineapple, yuzu, and nutmeg. Of course, she includes the featured spirits in her drinks, as well as housemade sugarcane juice, made from a machine right behind the upstairs bar (ask for a taste!).
At the opening party on Tuesday, August 23, Mixtress Gina debuted her cheeky tiki cocktail menu. Guests were greeted at the door with the “Welcome to the Bamba… Baby,” a warming concoction of red wine and bitters with berry, grapefruit, and lime. In a Caribbean take on a Manhattan, there’s the “I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so,” with rum instead of whiskey, and the addition of amaro sfumato and both orange and Angostura bitters. These are served at the mood-lit downstairs space, izakaya-style, snug up against the sushi bar and booths made both for boisterous groups and perhaps a canoodle.
The upstairs bar, meanwhile, goes full-on Latin lounge, with everything from the aforementioned sugarcane juicer to a frozen-drink maker. Slushie-style drinks are slung by bartenders in sleek copper cups adorned by shaved ice and sprigs of mint. Andreou said, “One of my favorite parts of the restaurant is the retractable rooftop on the second floor. It’s a gorgeous space that we can control the atmosphere around, and the small details, like the greenery and plants, make the area feel luxe and spacious.”
Chersevani told us that she “didn’t know much about sake when I started the project a couple years ago, but my passion for unique spirits means now that we have an list of rums, sakes, and other liquors that you’re not going to find at any other bar. It’s been an incredible learning process.” She also gave us the scoop on her Wednesday-only Sake Bamba parties, where she’ll serve unique sakes in limited quantities, giving her the opportunity to showcase the spirit and let different iterations shine that she’d be unable to do so on other nights.
Passed small bites wandered through the dense crowd during the event, including sushi rolls and chicken with mojo sauce. The party lasted well into the evening as the lights got low and the music turned up. Surely a good sign for this exciting space.
-ESC
Summer humidity has gotten us all crabby. This time, though, it’s not a bad thing. In the cool, sophisticated confines of Bar Dupont, guests can get their hands dirty taking part in a time-honored Mid-Atlantic tradition. In a great location right on Dupont Circle, Bar Dupont opened its patio to crab experts and neophytes on August 6, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. – and will do it again August 20. It’s a do-not-miss event for anyone who likes a little adventure mixed with some fantastically prepared crabs and sides.
The Crab Fest features three important elements. The first is Capital Crab Company, which brings in live (yes, live) blue crabs to cook on the spot. They lay down the butcher paper, provide the sauces (vinegar, Old Bay, butter) and the mallets. And then they’ll give and you the crabs, and you’ll get to get messy. There’s no better fun than prying open a salty, spiced leg, giving it an elbow-greased tap with a mallet, and scooping out the sweetest, most tender crab meat this side of the Chesapeake. Claws away.
The second element is RAR Brewing, which provides cans of a West Coast-style IPA called the Nanticoke Nectar, which has bold and fresh citrus (especially grapefruit) notes. RAR will also serve Groove City, a German style Hefeweizen, with just a touch of sweetness and wheat flavor . Bar Dupont, of course, will be serving seasonal craft cocktails from the bar for purchase.
Finally, a Southern folk-rock band will serenade your other senses with fantastic music throughout the entire afternoon.
Michael from Capital Crab Company put it well. He told us, “We love events like these; it’s a great experience. We started small, cooking crabs from the truck, but putting on events right in the heart of DC is meaningful, really bringing crabs to the people. We get the crabs right from the source, so we say it’s ‘from port to table.’ Hanging with the public is just so much fun.”
The Crab Feast includes all-you-can-eat crab, sides, and beer. Otherwise, you can also pick up crab cake sandwiches, shrimp, and crab mac ‘n’ cheese and order sides like hush puppies and coleslaw. Other drink options include fresh-squeezed lemonade and a Southern-inspired whiskey sweet tea. And to really wake up the senses – an Old Bay Bloody Mary; it pairs well, indeed. See you August 20!
-ESC (Evan)
John Shields is author of Chesapeake Bay Cooking, host of the PBS series Coastal Cooking, and owner of Gertrude’s in Baltimore (which is soon to open a second location). John hosted a crab and beer dinner a few days ago, where he lead guests through the technique of opening their own steamed Maryland Blue Crab. Wildfire Executive Chef Moreno Espinoza designed and executed the several dishes that followed the crab picking and showcased crab in a variety of uses, each paired with a beer from Baltimore’s Union Craft Brewing.
I was impressed with each of the courses and the beer pairings. The crab was fresh and delicious. My favorite dish of the evening was the crab tostada. This was my first time sampling Union Craft Brewing’s beer; Wildfire picked a great brewery to partner with, as usual.
If you are interested in attending one of Wildfire’s themed dinners (such as wine, beer, scotch, martinis, etc.), check this event page. The upcoming Port City Brewing beer dinner is on August 26th and the Glenfiddich Scotch dinner is on September 16th.
-JAY
The Mosaic District in Merrifeild, VA is quickly growing into the next hot spot in Northern VA and where hot spots go, foodies are not far behind. The popular Vietnamese restaurant, Four Sisters, was one of the first brave restaurant owners to venture into this newly constructed area and others quickly followed. And now it’s brought us a little piece of LA trendiness.
JINYA is a popular chain ramen bar that has been spreading across the U.S. and now is in our backyard and soon to open a second location in downtown DC.
I’m a bit of a skeptic with all of these new ramen restaurants popping up in the area lately but JINYA has a good variety of tasty ramen choices and a great line up of accompanying appetizers.
Tonkotsu Black was my favorite of all the Ramen choices because it had a nice bold flavor and you could tell that Jinya had taken special care in preparing the broth. I was also oddly drawn to their Spicy Creamy Vegan. I’m by no means a vegetarian but I wouldn’t have been able to tell that this wasn’t the normal pork-based ramen soup since they seasoned it so well. And don’t forget it’s a bar too. They have a fully tended bar with some very unique specialty drinks that you won’t want to pass up. You’ll find something spicy and even exotic flavors you’ve haven’t previously tried and they don’t go easy on the liquor!
I’m an appetizer lover so I was fixated on their number of appetizer choices for a ramen bar. The JINYA Bun was my favorite. I’m a lover of Chinese roast pork buns (char sui bao – 叉燒包) and JINYA’s does not disappoint. But it also doesn’t taste like your traditional pork buns either. It has a thicker BBQ sauce giving it more of a tangy kick rather than the typical sweetness. Their Tokoyaki (Octopus Ball) is also another popular item. The ball itself was very good; however, it sits in too much sauce, so the bun seemed to be drowning.
Great food and great atmosphere. It’s definitely a spot to hit up after work or with friends on the weekend.
-ADT
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Editor’s Notes: I ate at Jinya last week and want to add a few things. Jinya is one of several local ramen joints (Including Reren Lamen in Chinatown and Gaijin in Arlington) that makes they own noodles, which is a good thing. I was impressed with Jinyas ramen including the toppings, broth, noodles, and variety. I will definitely return to work my way through the menu.
I will say that this is a young, busy (there was a line outside at 5pm on a week night), high energy (in staff and ambient sound) restaurant, which combined with dim lighting and white on black menus (I was tempted to use a flashlight app to read the menu) … takes a little getting used to.
-JAY
“Dine-n-Dash” is usually a term that gets finger wags and disapproving head shakes … but this time it was legit! On June 15th Jose Andres and other participating Restaurants hosted the Dine-N-Dash benefiting the World Central Kitchen which was quite a feature to everyone who attended.
Attendees got to experience a unique culinary tour around DC. Half was on 14th street and the other half was around Penn Quarter. The types of food expanded from various types of fusion cuisine to American, Thai, seafood, and much more.
There were various check ins around so that the arrival load was split between various restaurants. This was smart considering what a crowded mess it would have been for everyone to arrive at the same restaurant. The night began at Birch and Barley where we were whisked away by the fantastic cocktails and the different bites that were offered. Knowing that 29 more restaurants were yet to come, the strategy was to try a small bite of everything unless you really enjoyed it!
Chef Ryan was overseeing the event at MASA 14, and served up some awesome pork belly steamed buns and Korean fried chicken. The Korean fried chicken is very similar to the Korean street food, “yam-yum” chicken. MASA 14 offers their version with a bit more heat, more crunch and less sweetness. The steamed buns were a perfect gluten-free option, and were topped with achiote, pineapple samba, and cilantro serrano chili.
Finally, SEI shared unique and delicious eel tacos, with a drizzle of eel sauce and topped with an Asian style slaw! Fun and unexpected barrage of flavors and presentation that bring two different unique culture together.
Ghibellina served up some handmade artisan cocktails, one of which being a rum based drink with a drizzle of basil oil to add an herb flavor to the semi sweet and sour drink.
The Pearl Dive blew everyone away with their top quality seafood. Among their treats were fried oysters and crawfish fritters that were truly satisfying. If shellfish was not to your taste, the pork loin slayed all those who tasted it. The pork loin was perfectly cooked, and had the right amount of heat which made for a surprisingly flavorful dish.
Towards the end of the night and a thirty minute walk from one side of DC to the other. It wouldn’t have been a Dine-n-Dash experience without stopping by Jose Andre’s establishments. First stop was Jaleo and it appeared as though they served a main entrée of paella as they had the big dish on display with every morsel of food gone. Next stop was China Chilcano where they appeared to have “Suspiro Limena” which is an iconic dessert of Peru that is a sweetened condensed milk custard that was topped with a soft and crunchy meringue. Before leaving the last of the three Jose Andre’s restaurants was Oyamel the popular Mexican establishment that features a number of creative Mexican tapas. With a band playing and as if everyone received the memo to end Dine-n-Dash at Oyamel a very lively crowd was present with drinks in hand.
All of the restaurants had their own charm, and each are worth a visit again for an actual sit down experience.
-EWL
Mango Tree‘s Chef Nongnaphat Phanngam, popularly known as Chef Kate, is visiting from Thailand, and creating some wonderful Thai dishes. The last time we ate at Mango tree, it was a new restaurant. Two chefs later (Chef Kate is their third and is just visiting), the food is much improved.
You can see Mango Tree’s dinner menu here. The menu includes many gluten-free options; the only items we ordered that contained gluten were the drunken noodles (egg noodles are used, not rice noodles) and creme brulee (because of the basil cake).
Our main courses, the Sweet Tamarind Crispy While Fish (it was red snapper on that day) and Spicy Duck Curry (duck breast, red curry, pineapple, cherry tomatoes) were both excellent. The duck was our favorite dish of the evening. The fish could have used more sauce, preferably on the side (in a ramekin).
The desserts were presented well and tasty. We ordered the Thai Tea Creme Brulee (which was deconstructed and included a basil cake) and Tapioca Pearls (tapioca pearls, coconut cream granita, grass jelly, rambutan, and jackfuit).
At the bar, the Drunken Noodles (with shrimp) are the Spicy Siam cocktail are items you must order.
-JAY
Located in Tyson’s, Greenhouse Bistro and the connected Samovar Tea Lounge were a bit of an “out of the box” experience for this DC dweller; however, getting out of the city to sip on craft cocktails on their spacious patio, dinner in the wide open, glass flanked dining space and after-dinner tea in the velvety lounge made the schlep a destination instead.
Executive Chef Dale Schnell and the Greenhouse team have successfully transformed the iconic LEEDS certified, Canon building into an airy floor plan boasting glass partitions deviating private dining spaces and a moving DJ booth, walls lined with living herbs (the “living wall”), and open kitchen and plenty of richly textured tapestries and lighting that gives the sleek space a comfortable sexiness, very difficult to achieve in such an expansive floor plan.
Greenhouse is the perfect place for families wanting to dine on locally sourced, organic cuisine comprising a menu of entirely sustainable ingredients. There is a strong emphasis on the casual, everyday nature of healthful, conscious eating that permeates the many aspects of the dining experience at Greenhouse.
Whether drinks over a sporting match, wine with co-workers on the patio, dinner with the in-laws or a business meeting in the private room, Greenhouse is a comfortable and inviting place that successfully de-stigmatises the pretentious and inaccessible layer of most conscious and green eating avenues.
After dinner, tea in the Samovar Tea Lounge transports diners far away from the clean lines of Greenhouse, through a portal way known as “door.” Not so magical, but the result is astounding.Now close your eyes and imagine being surrounded by red, purple and gold hues of a lounge, lined with plush pillows and rich textures brushed lightly with the ambient scent of Illy coffee, the redolent aromas of tea and the earthy ground tones of fresh herbs and cheeses traditionally served with tea. If allowed to wander, the mind would feel as if in Istanbul, and for a brief moment the nostalgia and nearness of the environment to such warm memories made time disappear as a unit and the evening an experience. So different from the sharp edges of this DC life … whether in Tyson’s Corner or looking for a getaway, take the time to explore Greenhouse Bistro and Samovar Tea Lounge.
For the most up-to-date food quips as they occur and heads up on upcoming write ups, follow me on instagram @celiareynolds with #DCfüd.
-CER
