• 11Jun

    3rd Annual Dine N Dash 2015

    What do Jaleo, China Chilcano, Oyamel, and Zaytinya: what do these restaurants have in common? They are all owned and operated under acclaimed chef and restaurateur, José Andrés! And, all three participated in the chef’s Dine N Dash event earlier this week on Tuesday, June 9th, 2015.

    Chef José Andrés’ 3rd annual Dine N Dash is an extraordinary event in which participating restaurants and food trucks gather together and serve limitless dishes and drinks to Dine N Dash’ers. Of course, many of José Andrés’ restaurants partook in the event (China Chilcano, Jaleo, Oya, Oyamel, Pepe, and Zaytinya), making it a total of 17 businesses in Penn Quarter of Washington D.C. serving hungry Dine N Dash’ers this year. Proceeds from this event will benefit World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization (which the chef is an active Chairman in) that passionately trains people to develop and nurture skills to build “smart kitchens.” Coming together for the love of food to support a great cause to help others? Pure brilliance.

    I was determined to hit all the Dine N Dash restaurants from 6pm to 9pm, but ultimately failed and hit 13 out of 17. Which honestly, in my opinion, is still pretty good for a first-time Dine N Dash rookie. Also, due to early morning work priorities, I was unable to attend the after-party at Carnegie Library (close to Ping Pong, Dine N Dash’s starting point), so I am intrigued to see photos and hear about what happened. I will be Dine N Dash’ing next year for sure, including the after-party.

    Cheers!

    -EHY

    Permalink Filed under: Events, Restaurants Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
  • 08Jun

    Noelia Restaurant: A New, Contemporary American Menu

    A year ago, in June 2014, DC welcomed another Italian dining experience when DC’s Finemondo on F Street became Noelia. This is the first restaurant from Kaiser Gill, former FBI special agent turned restaurant owner. The spot, located in the midst of the hustle and bustle of downtown DC, manages to feel both modern and classic, with tablets serving as the drinks menu and a John Wayne movie playing in the background, at least on the Wednesday night we dined there. Now, executive chef T.J. Fisher has launched a new, contemporary American menu, and it’s worth checking out.

    First on our list: the drinks and appetizers. The refreshing cucumber collins and the sweet pomegranate martini help cleanse the palette while you nom on Noelia’s hearty, flavorful Italian dishes. I highly recommend the whipped ricotta flatbread to start, though make sure to leave room for the rest of your meal. This appetizer is sneakily heavy, with soppressata, ricotta, olive relish, grape tomatoes, arugula and shallots, all strong tastes that go well together in each bite. The calamari is also a favorite. Cooked well, the calamari is paired with a spicy marinara sauce as well as an excellent herb sauce.

    Now, on to the good stuff: the entrees. The malt braised short rib is perfectly tender, presented on top of beet infused potatoes and cooked carrots. The dish is drizzled with a malted cola lacquer, but you can’t really taste the cola. When I first saw the dark pink color to the potatoes, I was a bit taken aback. But, as it turns out, the beets are only mixed in with the potatoes to give it that aesthetic color and look and are stripped of the beet flavor. The crispy salmon dish also has the beet infused potatoes, but this time in a puree. The salmon is cooked well, if you like a crispy top skin to your salmon, and the puree is fluffy and creamy.

    To finish off the meal, try either the chocolate molten cake or the corn and blackberry cheesecake. Yes, baked corn kernels are on top of and inside the cheesecake. The cheesecake itself is smooth and rich, and the corn mostly gives this dessert a more unique look. Meanwhile, the chocolate cake is warm and melt-in-your-mouth good, as most molten chocolate cakes tend to be. This one stood out from others I’ve tried with its delicious strawberry jam spread on the side.

    Noelia succeeds in its transition to a more contemporary American food menu, yet still keeps some Italian elements to it. With its friendly staff, good food and relaxing atmosphere, you will have a nice dining experience at Noelia. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 2:30pm and is open for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5pm to 10pm and Friday through Saturday from 5pm to 11pm. They are closed on Sundays.

    -SDM

    Editor’s Note:

    JAY of DCFüd will be hosting the July 1st DC Food Blogger Happy Hour at Noelia, 6pm to 8pm. Please RSVP here.

    July 2015 DCFBHH Noelia

    Click to add a blog post for Noelia Restaurant on Zomato

     

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  • 03Jun

    Pre-Game for Savor — Brasserie Beck St. Bernardus Happy Hour Report

    Last night we attended a wonderful St. Bernardus tap takeover at Brasserie Beck. They had some wonderful beer options including:

    Bottles:
    St Bernardus 6 and 8 (Both are dubbels.)
    Tripel
    12 (This is a quadrupel.)
    Oak-Aged 12 (Newly Released as of June 1!)

     

    Draft:
    St. Bernardus Extra 4 (This Belgian Pale Ale is originally a recipe from St. Sixtus/Westvleteren Monastery.)
    St. Bernardus 12
    Kazematten Grotten Sante (This Pierre Celis recipe  is a cave-aged Belgian brown ale.)


    I enjoyed a 4 and a 12 (which are two of my favorite beers), but also tried the Kazamatten (which is a really mellow and delicious brown), the Oak Aged Abt 12 (which sells for $65 a bottle and well worth it), and BFM’s Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien (a flavorful sour beer). The oak aged Abt 12 is less sweet than the regular Abt 12.



    I do want to mention that the red curry aioli (one of the 3 aiolis served with the mussels) was addictive.

    -JAY

    Click to add a blog post for Brasserie Beck on Zomato

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  • 31May

    DCFüd Wants You!

    Several of our writers are scaling back on their flow of articles due to other responsibilities or travel, so we are looking for … A FEW NEW WRITERS!

    Are you passionate about food? Found a great new restaurant and/or have recipes to share? You discovered the best wine, beer, grocery store, product, restaurant, or food truck in DC? Do you want to compare different restaurants’ BLTs? Need some hipster cred? Writing experience for your resume? Articles for your Portfolio? Maybe you also want to cover an occasional food event? Then we want you for DCFüd.

    Send writing samples to jay@dcfud.com, along with few ideas you’d like to write about. It’ll be crazy!

    -JAY

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  • 30May

    Chopped is Casting Kids of all Ages

    Chopped Kids

     

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  • 30May

    Next Week is a Good Week for Beer in DC

    St BernadusHere is Savor’s list of next week’s Savor-related beer events. Savor is already sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t attend the related events. Savor’s has a great lineup of attending breweries. Some of the following haven’t got Savor’s event list as of yet:

    Dcbeer.com’s Third Craft and Comedy showcase will be at the Big Hunt Monday evening at 7pm (free).

    Devil’s Backone‘s Brews Cruise is leaves from Alexandria Saturday 11 am ($60).

    Thursday Lagunitas will have a vaporizer set up at Smoke and Barrel to vape hops.

    They aren’t on Savor’s list yet, but below are some events at Churchkey. More details on these events, and Birch & Barley (their sister) events (including beer dinners) are listed here.

    • 4 Hands Brewing Company, Monday evening at 6 pm.
    • Wicked Weed Brewing, Wednesday at 4pm
    • Jolly Pumpkin, Tuesday at 4 pm.
    • Florida’s Cigar City & Funky Buddha, Thursday at 4pm
    • Kuhnhenn, Friday 4 pm.

    Also, these are not Savor-related, but there are St. Bernardus (from Watou, Belgium) events May 31st at Churchkey 4-7pm, and June 1st at Brasserie Beck 6-8pm. Details (from the Brasserie Beck people):

    Representatives will be on hand from both the Brewery and their importer, D & V International. As such, we’ll have one non-St. Bernardus beer as part of the event. We’ll definitely have special happy hour pricing for the St Bernardus stuff. The lineup:

    Bottles:
    St Bernardus 6 and 8 (dubbels)
    Tripel
    12 (Quadrupel)
    Oak-Aged 12 (Newly Released as of June 1!)

     

    Draft:
    St Bernardus Extra 4 (Belgian Pale Ale, originally a recipe from St. Sixtus/Westvleteren Monastery).
    St Bernardus 12
    Kazematten Grotten Sante (cave-aged brown ale from Belgium)
    BTW, twitter is covered in beer articles and listing for next week: https://twitter.com/search?q=savor%20dc&src=typd

    -JAY

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  • 28May

    DC-ers Speak Easy at The Speak

    A new underground cocktail bar, The Speak, opened last Wednesday in downtown DC. Located beneath the busy K Street corridor, The Speak welcomes DC-ers looking to wind down in a cozy yet cool atmosphere. Owner Seth McClelland makes his guests feel at home with a friendly staff and a classic-speakeasy meets neighborhood-bar feel. This 1,750 square-foot, 100-person bar brings you back in time to the 1920’s prohibition era with its carnival-lighted decor. While the bar area could undoubtedly get packed in this long, narrow space, keep walking and there is plenty of comfortable seating to sit back and relax at.

    The Speak offers refreshing craft cocktails and a rotating, seasonal list of beer and wine. The bartenders take their time preparing each drink with precision yet ease, and it is definitely worth the wait. Some notable classics include the Moscow Mule, which I highly recommend trying, and Negroni. The Moscow Mule’s minty, fresh taste is perfect for the start of summer. Their more unique cocktails include the Bobby Burns, Scofflaw, New York Sour and Old Cuban. Next time I want to try their specialty Aviation cocktail, which includes gin, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, Creme Yvette and lemon juice. The prices are fairly standard for DC bars: $11 cocktails, $8 vodka shots and $5 beers. Visit The Speak at 1413 K St from 5pm to 2 am Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5pm to 3am on Fridays, and from 10pm to 3am on Saturdays.

    Images courtesy of Joy Asico.

    -SDM

    Click to add a blog post for The Speak on Zomato

    Permalink Filed under: Drinks Tags: 3 Comments
  • 26May

    VIDA Penthouse Pool & Lounge Now Open

    The penthouse pool and lounge at U Street, located above VIDA fitness, celebrated its grand opening last Friday evening. The spacious rooftop features a bar and pool area surrounded by cabanas, day beds and other comfortable poolside furniture. Enjoy tasty margaritas, food designed by chef Spike Mendelsohn and an amazing view at this exclusive rooftop.

    Their standard margarita, the MargaVIDA, has silver tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice and house made sour, with an added bonus for sweetness: fresh orange juice. If you like your margaritas a bit sour and a bit sweet, go for this classic drink with a twist. You can’t go wrong. The drinks menu also includes cocktails, wine and beer. For cocktails, choose from summertime citrus drinks or old school cocktails featuring new school mixology. Being a whiskey sour fan, I’d go back and try their Whiskey Sour Smash, an old-school rye whiskey drink with the added freshness of mint, lime juice and orange wedges. If you’re hungry, I recommend the Watermelon Feta Salad. As their other selections seem to be, this salad’s light and refreshing taste is perfect for the hot weather. More poolside options on their health-conscious menu include seafood dishes, sandwiches, other salad flavors and dips. I personally love that ceviche is on their menu. With a relaxed atmosphere and good food and drinks, VIDA penthouse is a great way to escape from the busy streets of DC and soak up the sun.

    Check out their website to become a member and experience this hot spot.

    -SDM

    Permalink Filed under: Events Tags: 2 Comments
  • 20May

    Sun Cups: an Allergy Friendly Reese’s Cup

    When it comes to living with allergies, there can be nothing more frustrating then trying to navigate the candy world. During Halloween, school or birthday parties, trying to read the ingredients on a candy package can feel like playing a game of Russian Roulette. But there is an easy answer that will not feel like a sacrifice.

    I would describe Sun Cups as an allergy friendly Reese’s cup. However, they even beat out the Reese’s cup by coming in FAR more fun flavor combos. Made with chocolate and a roasted sunflower seed butter they mix in a number of additional flavors ranging from caramel to mint chocolate. The result? A tasty nut-free, gluten-free treat for everyone! Some are even dairy, egg, soy and corn free as well. So load them in your purse or send them in to keep in your kid’s classroom and next time there’s a questionable allergy scenario there’s an easy answer that will still end in a smile.

    Flavor Offerings: Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Caramel, Dark Chocolate Mint, Dark Chocolate

    Go to http://suncups.com/ for more information and to find selling locations near you.

    -JPM

    Permalink Filed under: Products Tags: No Comments
  • 18May

    Dimitri Moshovitis of Cava Mezze Won 3 Awards at the DC Lamb Jam!

    Congratulations to Dimitri Moshovitis of Cava Mezze who won 3 awards (Best in Show, People’s Choice, and Best Latin) at the DC Lamb Jam last night! His dish was a lamb shoulder half smoke with mustard tzatziki on a brioche bun. It was fun being a judge at this event!

    -JAY

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