Posts Tagged ‘DC culinary’
How To Make Pasta with Class
I’ve been to many cooking classes and in fact many Pasta Making classes so it was really fun to attend a creative take on a cooking class organized as part of the Barracks Row Culinary Education Crawl on Sunday, February 17th, 2013 held at various restaurants on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. as well as the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital – a truly cool space!
I took 2 classes, but this article will only cover the class Pasta Making With Chef Wendi – a 60 minute class where 12 total participants got to make our own pasta and share in the meal afterwards – all for a whopping 20 Bucks! I’ll take you through a quick run-through of the class:
Instructor: Wendi James who teaches quite a few culinary classes at other schools in the region including at Culinaerie, Sur La Table – Pentagon City, VA (or she said she once did – another story!) and at her own cooking school Rutabaga Sweets. I spoke with her before class and she has quite a pedigree having worked at many top-rated restaurants in the U.S. (she worked at Restaurant Daniel NYC, The Inn at Little Washington and Charlie Trotters Chicago) and hailing from serious Foodie City Chicago. Her attitude was refreshingly honest and she spoke her mind about the local restaurant scene and her plans to open up a breakfast place in Asheville, NC. As an instructor, she was direct and “get to work” – but of course we only had 1 hour to make both hand-roll fettucine and ravioli with the hand-cranking pasta machines – no time to dilly-dally..
Flour, Eggs and maybe 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil!
Pasta Ingredients – simple..all you really need is All-Purpose flour, some eggs, and a little olive oil (you could actually skip the olive oil). I was working with 2 other cooks who had never made pasta homemade before. Maybe you can get a little fancy and learn to crack an egg with one hand, but one secret to getting the egg in the flour with No Shell is to crack the egg against a flat surface NOT the bowl. If you mix it in a bowl, it’s very forgiving, but it’s nice to make a small “well” in the middle of the flour to hold the eggs and then swirl a fork (or your hand – watch out, it can get sticky/messy!) until the ingredients all become a dough..if it’s too sticky, add some flour, if it’s too dry, add a little water, it’s very forgiving.
State of the Art Cooking Facility
The Facility and Setup: Class is held in Hill Center’s state-of-the Art teaching kitchen. It was relatively small – only fitting 1 instructor and 12 participants, but it was truly an easy kitchen to learn from and to do hands-on cooking. There was the main table where everyone gathered round in a circle with the burners, and then there were 2 work tables in the back for up to 6 participants each. Things were kept very simple – we were given a bowl of flour and eggs, some olive oil and a tablespoon, and the ravioli filler which we had to cut up the basil and add to the ricotta and parmesan cheese to put into the ravioli’s – just like Italian food, there were simple ingredients and simple instructions. If you’ve ever been to Italy and have seen how pasta is made – it’s very simple and traditionally was done by Grandma at home. BTW – you can also make pasta without the eggs and just using water – that’s how it’s often done in the south of Italy. And then, we had to roll..
Rolling Pasta:
Hand making Ravioli
Once you make the dough, you can wait an hour or immediately begin rolling it out into sheets. The way it works is that you begin with the widest opening, do that a few times until the dough kind of “comes together” (the gluten begins to stretch and take shape) and then you keep feeding the sheet into smaller/narrower settings until you get to the lowest setting – and boy, does the dough spread out – I mean it can go for yards! The same sheet of dough can be used for noodles or for ravioli and fillings – I once took a class where different kinds of flour were used for both (All Purpose Flour for Ravioli because it’s relatively soft/tender, semolina flour for a chewier pasta) but frankly it’s a matter of personal taste.
Cooking Pasta: The sauce in this class was made for us (another post on Sauce..soon..) but in a nutshell there was a white sauce with cheese and cream and a red sauce with tomatoes of course. So Chef Wendi boiled the pasta in unsalted water – a discussion ensued – in Italy, they always salt their water for pasta (“as salty as the sea” is the famous quote on how much salt for pasta water – this always starts an argument with Italian cooks!) – her philosophy is you don’t salt the pan when you sear a steak, you salt the steak – so my interpretation is that the pasta/ingredients and the salt should be properly salted. In my own defense of the Italian way of salting the water – it depends – for example, if you cook your greens in the salted water before you cook your pasta (like for Broccoli Rabe and Orecchiette), you have a very flavorful pasta water..well, just like 2 Italians, Chef Wendi and I may never agree!
Upcoming Pasta Classes on the TasteDC Site:
–Handmade Pasta Workshop at the Kitchen Studio (Frederick, MD) (February 21st, 2013)
–Pasta Fatta in Casa (Pasta Made at Home) II at Culinaria (Saturday, February 23rd, 2013)
–Pierogi Cooking Class at Hills Kitchen (February 23rd, 2013)
–Fresh Pasta Workshop at Sur La Table (March 13th, 2013)
-Handmade Pasta and Sauce at Cookology (Ashburn, VA) (Saturday, March 23rd, 2013)
Chinese New Year Dumpling Making Class at the Source
I love dumplings..actually, I love any starch covered meat/seafood/vegetable whether it’s fried, boiled, steamed or sauteed! I attended a really unique and fun cooking class organized by AIWF’s DC Chapter with Executive Chef Scott Drewno at The Source in downtown DC on Saturday, February 9th, 2013. Here are the highlights and some photos – you WILL salivate when you see the dishes..and honestly, I just can’t forget the mouth-watering aromas of ginger, garlic and soy in so many wonderful combinations..in some ways you really need your sense of smell to appreciate this post!
The Event:
1)Layout – very unique and maybe a bit daunting at the beginning, but there were 3 separate seating areas with 3 individual cooking demonstration stations. It was sort of like theater in the round, with the main Chef Scott Drewno in the middle station (he’s on the far left in the photo above) with his “Madonna” headseat on and 2 separate chefs demonstrating on opposite/perpendicular sides of the stage – I guess you could call it a 3-Chef C-Stage Cooking Demonstration. Unusual, but it worked mainly because of the entertainment value and also because you could watch your own chef – a very creative use of a space that actually is difficult to layout for classroom style events!
2)The Menu – I usually have a pretty low expectation of a cooking class that is simple food like dumplings, but then again, I know chef Drewno notoriously is an impressive foodie and he couldn’t (wouldn’t) let us down. Here’s the menu and dish photos are below:
Yummy fall-off-the-bone Spare Ribs!
Sea Scallop Sui Mai
Chinese New Dumpling Class Menu
-Chinese Spare Ribs, Black Bean Glaze
-Sea Scallop Sui Mai, Curried Lobster Emulsion
-Pork Belly Pot Stickers, Black Vinegar, Chili Oil
-Szechuan Style Green Beans, Candied Walnuts
-Crystal Chive Dumpling, Kurobuta Pork, King Crab
-Chilled Cucumber Salad, Toasted Sesame, Togarashi
-Szechuan “Dan Dan” Dumpling, Organic Chicken, Peanut Sauce
-Millet Congee, Red Braised Pork Belly, Pickled Butternut Squash Relish
Dragon’s Fire Cocktail
3)The Process – we sat down at various dining room tables and actually got some hands-on hand-rolling of 2 kinds of pork dumplings, we each had 2 wrappers of each kind to roll. Now we got a complete explanation and demo of how to roll, and then we rolled up our sleeves, dipped our finger in the egg wash and wrapped up the mini-balls of meat into dumplings. Some people were good, some were ok, and some simply had falling apart dumplings, but hey, we weren’t going to eat these anyway – the meal was prepared for us. Primarily a demonstration cooking class, I found myself talking to my fellow Foodies more than actually listening to the class – I probably could have learned more, but honestly the vibe in the room and the amount of alcohol being served (sparkling wine and that tasty Dragon’s Fire Cocktail with Tequila!) kept the noise/buzz omni-present – if this had been my first cooking class, maybe a bad thing, but for experienced Foodies it was actually a really fun event.
4)The meal – served primarly family style (except for the Millet Congee and the dessert), it was fun to share with 3 other people at my table. My Foodie Buddie Bruce Miller (who has attended at least 200 TasteDC events or more in the past) was very experienced at these events. I actually prefer the family style method of serving – it helps create rapport and camaraderie. By sharing food, I learned more about my newfound fellow foodies than if everything had been individually plated. Some specific comments: the variety of dishes, proteins and vegetables was very thought out – from garlicky clams to
Millet Congee, Red Braised Pork Belly, Pickled Butternut Squash Relish
rich pork belly and braised pork belly, back to the Sea Scallops Sui Mai and then finally to the deliciously syrupy dessert (I forget the name!). Also the Chilled Cucumber Salad helped to cool my palate and acted sort of like an Amuse Bouche between dishes – actually the Cocktail did the same with it’s Tequila and grapefruit – a very smart way of using a drink to refresh the palate!
5)Service – I was really impressed by the Source’s staff and presentation and service – they cared..something that you don’t always get with service nowadays, but each server was focused and putting in effort. There were many parts too – the hot hand towels which came out twice, the initial layout of the wrappers on a small granite plate with a moist towel on top to protect the integrity of the dumpling wrappers, the pouring of sparkling wine, the making and serving of the cocktail, and the actual serving of the food which was primarily family style. There was one obliteration of glassware episode – and I mean ExPloDing glass – but luckily it was to the side, and the server quickly cleaned it up – no harm, no foul..in fact, maybe an extra plus for handling a delicate situation so well!
Superb Service at the Source!
6)Overall Impression – very professional presentation and staff, but not stiff – I felt like things were being taken care of without pretense. This event was very much theater in the round and in fact, there were two un-affiliated groups of people present – the AIWF DC Chapter and a list of Chef Scott Drewno’s contacts/Foodies. I thought the cooking layout of 3 chef demonstration stations although unusual, it created some theater and a chance for more discussion – and it was the best use of the available space which is awkwardly broken up by an atrium/stairwell. The space is actually quite visually pleasing with the extensive windows and the wine wall next to the stairwell. Chef Drewno is also a very good presenter and entertaining and answered questions clearly from the audience – Scott knows his Asian ingredients – oh, and this WaPo article will give you some background on that. Really curious about ethnic food? Then Check Out Tyler Cowen’s Ethnic Dining Guide
Cheers!
Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler
Thanksgiving Turkey 2012: Where To Get Your Local Gobbler
Heritage Turkeys are Gobble, Gobble Good!
So you wanna buy a local Turkey for your Thanksgiving – maybe you want a Heritage Turkey too? Below is a Listing of various Heritage and Natural Turkey Sites and places to purchase them in the DC, VA, and MD Area. TasteDC obtained this information primarily from 2 articles: Foodshed Turkey Guide 2012 and the Washington Post: Where to Buy Fresh Local Turkeys in the Washington Area. I tried to add more information where possible including direct contact with the producers. An important Note: You MUST pre-order a few weeks in advance for most of these retailers and there are VERY limited allocations of certain breeds of birds – remember, they have to plan many months in advance – a Heritage Bird is a living animal that has to be fed for many months before it can be harvested and put on your table!
Foodshed Turkey Guide 2012
Roast a local turkey this year and your farmer will gives thanks for YOU.
Happy, healthy locally raised turkeys make better Thanksgiving entrees than those weird, bloated, and watery orbs with pop-up buttons in them. Plus, real turkeys are better for the environment and the local economy. Here is an evolving list of fresh turkey sources in the region; we’re constantly adding new ones as purveyors and farms contact us, so check back!
Belle Meade Farm
353 F.T. Valley Road
Sperryville, VA 22740
(540)987-9748
www.bellemeade.net/pages/farm.php
[email protected]
Best way to order: e-mail. Turkeys often sell out! Order early!
Payment : cash or check
Avery’s Branch Farms
16923 Genito Rd.
Amelia, VA 23002
(804)561-1930
www.averysbranchfarms.com
[email protected]
Best way to order: online reservation
Payment: Cash or checks are preferred.
Ayrshire Farm
Home Farm Store
1 East Washington Street
(Route 50)
Middleburg, VA 20117
540-592-7018 x1006
www.ayrshirefarm.com/AyrshireFarm/AFHome.html
Best way to order: online or by phone
From Washington Post Article: AYRSHIRE FARM/HOME FARM STORE
1 E. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-687-8882.
www.ayrshirefarm.com
What’s for sale: USDA-certified-organic, humane-certified heritage breeds. Brined, oven-ready.
Price per bird: $95, 8-9 pounds; $125, 10-12 pounds; $195, 17-20 pounds; $225, 20-22 pounds. Turkey breasts $130, 7-8 pounds; $145, 9-10 pounds.
Ordering: By phone, online at store.ayrshirefarm.com or by e-mail to [email protected]; order by Nov. 16. (After Nov. 16, any remaining birds will be available on a first-come basis; call first.)
Pickup: fresh, Nov. 21-22, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; frozen, 7 days a week anytime with 72 hours notice.
Delivery: Overnight shipping via FedEx available through Nov. 14 for certain sizes only.
Contact: Customer service (540-687-8882).
Border Springs Farms
PO Box 58
Patrick Springs, VA 24133
276.952.5485
www.borderspringsfarm.com
[email protected]
Briars Farmstead
2535 Pyletown Road
Boyce, VA 22620
540-837-2554
www.briarsfarmstead.com/
[email protected]
Best way to order: by phone or by downloading order form from website and mailing it in.
Payment: check, cash or credit card
Charis Eco-Farm
3081 Shutterlee Mill Road
Staunton, Virginia 24401
540 886-8486
[email protected]
Best way to order: phone or e-mail
Payment: cash or check
Crowfoot Farm
Amissville, VA
540-937-4490
crowfootfarm.com/wordpress/
[email protected]
Day Spring Farm
21388 Steptoe Hill Rd.
Middleburg, Va 20117
540-687-6036 or 540-454-3145 mobile
www.dayspringfarmva.com
Fields of Athenry Farm, Purcellville, Va.
fieldsofathenryfarm.com/
$40 deposit required
703.300.5765
[email protected]
Haskins Family Farm
370 Buffalo Marsh Road
Middletown, VA 22645
(540) 869-3795
www.Haskinsfamilyfarm.com
[email protected]
Jesse Straight’s Pastured Poultry
5703 Wilshire Drive
Warrenton, VA 20187
540-349-3099
www.whiffletreefarmva.com
Best way to order: By phone
Maple Avenue Market
128 Maple Ave. E
Vienna, VA 22180
703-957-9348
$50 deposit required
Best way to order: email [email protected]
Payment: check, cash or credit card
Open Book Farm
10430 Rum Springs Rd
Myersville, MD 21773
www.openbookfarm.com
[email protected]
240.457.2558
Sunny Knoll EcoFarm
38907 Fry Farm Rd
Lovettsville VA 20180
www.sunnyknollecofarm.com
[email protected]
Best way to order: email
Payment: Cash or check
Tuckahoe Lamb & Cattle Company
989 Cartersville Road
Cartersville, VA 23027
www.tuckahoeplantationlivestock.com
[email protected]
(804) 506-4015
The Whole Ox
540-660-5535 (cell)
www.thewholeox.com/
Letter Directly From Whole Ox Butcher Shop in the Plains:
There are four options available for turkeys, all of which are free range & humanely raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones.
The first option is natural white Turkeys from Ashley Farms located near the border of Virginia & North Carolina. They are $4 per pound & come in three different size ranges: 10-14, 16-20, & 20-24. Ashley Farms is one of the highest quality poultry producers in the country.
We have two local options as well. The first is Whiffletree Farm who provide us with our chickens. Their turkeys are white hybrids and range in size between 12 & 26 pounds at a cost of $6 per pound.
We will have very few “British Bronze” turkeys from Ault’s Family Farm near Farmville at $8 per pound. These were voted best turkey in Britain for the last 8 years and will range in size between 12 & 20 pounds.
Lastly, Heritage Black Turkeys are $8 per pound and are a very old breed, probably the first to be developed from Native American stocks. Some of the first turkeys taken to Europe in the 1500’s were Black Turkeys where they became very popular, particularly in Spain. It is a naturally mating, slow growing breed particularly suited for the outdoors and produces a very flavorful and tender meat. These are raised on a small family farm in North Carolina and range in size between 12 & 18 pounds.
We will do our very best to accommodate the size range you are looking for.
We’d like to hear from you by the 7th of November and we will be sure to have a few extra birds on hand. Let us know as soon as you can so we can be sure to accommodate you. All other pre-orders are welcome.
We will need a credit card to reserve your bird and you can call us at 540-724-1650 to place your order or email the birdman at [email protected] Pickup of turkeys will be either Tuesday the 20th or Wednesday the 21st.
From Washington Post Article:
Where to buy fresh local turkeys in the Washington area
VIRGINIA
AYRSHIRE FARM/HOME FARM STORE – See Above
BRIARS FARMSTEAD
2535 Pyletown Rd., Boyce, 540-837-2554.
www.briarsfarmstead.com.
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised Broad-Breasted Whites, 10-16 pounds.
Price per pound: $5.50; $40 deposit required.
Ordering: By phone, e-mail to [email protected] or via the form at www.briarsfarmstead.com.
Pickup: Nov. 20 and 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m, at the farm.
Contact: Matt or Ruth Szechenyi.
EAST LYNN FARM
19955 Airmont Road, Round Hill, 202-253-3737
www.eastlynnfarm.com
What’s for sale: Broad-Breasted Bronzes, 16-18 pounds.
Price per bird: $140 and up; $50 deposit required.
Ordering: By e-mail to [email protected].
Pickup: Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 in Georgetown or on the farm.
Contact: Georgia Basser.
FAIR OAKS FARM
23718 New Mountain Rd., Aldie, 202-253-3737
www.fairoaksfarmva.com
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised Broad-Breasted Bronzes and Whites, 16-18 pounds.
Price per pound: $8.
Ordering: By e-mail to [email protected] or online at www.fairoaksfarmva.com.
Pickup: Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 in Georgetown or on the farm.
Contact: Georgia Basser.
HASKINS FAMILY FARM
370 Buffalo Marsh Rd., Middletown, 540-664-2441.
www.haskinsfamilyfarm.com.
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised Broad-Breasted Whites, 13-18 pounds.
Price per pound: $6.50 if picked up in Leesburg, the Palisades or Crystal City; $6 if picked up at the farm; $25 deposit required.
Ordering: At farmers markets in Crystal City, Leesburg or the Palisades; by phone; or by e-mail to [email protected].
Pickup: Nov. 17 in Leesburg, 9 a.m.-noon; Nov. 18 at the Palisades farmers market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Nov. 19 at the farm, 3-6 p.m.; Nov. 20 at the Crystal City farmers market, 3-7 p.m.
Contact: Robert Haskins.
Ecofriendly Foods
3397 Stony Fork Rd., Moneta, 540-297-9582.
ecofriendly.com.
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised Old Country Broad-Breasted Bronzes, 18-25 pounds; heritage breeds, 10-16 pounds.
Price per pound: $6, Broad-Breasted; $8, heritage; $40 deposit required.
Ordering: At farmers markets at Arlington Courthouse and Dupont Circle.
Pickup: Nov. 17 at Arlington Courthouse, Nov. 18 at Dupont Circle.
Contact: Bev Eggleston.
***
Where to buy fresh local turkeys in the Washington area
By Becky Krystal, Published: October 23
Looking to add a little more local flair to your Thanksgiving spread? Consider placing an order for a local bird from one of the farms listed here. There are more producers this year, with plenty of breed and size options to suit almost any table. Several farms sell half-birds or breasts if you need something smaller. Don’t wait, though; supplies are limited, and small birds tend to go fast. For details about the farmers markets where you’ll be able to place your orders and meet the producers, check out our interactive map at wapo.st/markets2012.
MARYLAND
FULL CELLAR FARM
Jefferson, 301-639-9711.
What’s for sale: Broad-Breasted Whites, 15-40 pounds, and heritage Red Bourbons, 15-30 pounds.
Price per pound: $3.50 for Broad-Breasted Whites, $5 for Red Bourbons.
Ordering: By e-mail to [email protected] or at the Everedy Square and Shab Row, Urbana Library, White Oak (FDA) and H Street farmers markets.
Pickup: Several Maryland locations.
Contact: Kip Kelley.
GROFF’S CONTENT FARM
14930 Bollinger Rd., Rocky Ridge, 301-447-6148.
What’s for sale: Broad-Breasted Whites, 12-20 pounds.
Price per pound: $5.
Ordering: By e-mail to [email protected].
Pickup: At the farm or at the Georgetown (Rose Park), NoMa, Eastern Market (Tuesday), Mount Pleasant and Riverdale Park farmers markets; additional delivery to District and Maryland locations may be available.
Contact: Julie Bolton.
MAPLE LAWN FARMS
11788 Route 216, Fulton, 301-725-2074
www.maplelawn.com.
What’s for sale: Free-range Broad-Breasted Whites, 10-40 pounds.
Price per pound: $2.25 for hens, $2.10 for toms.
Ordering: By phone or online; order by Nov. 18.
Pickup: At the farm through Nov. 21.
Contact: Iager family.
Also available at: MOM’s Organic Market locations in Alexandria, Bowie, Herndon, Merrifield, Rockville, College Park, Frederick, Jessup, Timonium and Waldorf (price TBD; order by Nov. 17 and pickup Nov. 19-21); www.momsorganicmarket.com); David’s Natural Market locations in Columbia, Forest Hill and Gambrills ($2.49 per pound, $5 deposit required; order by Nov. 18;www.davidsnaturalmarket.com); Whole Foods Market locations in Maryland (pre-orders through Nov. 18, or available in store beginning Nov. 15), as long as supply lasts, $2.49 per pound ($2.99 per pound for brined); www.wholefoodsmarket.com).
NICK’S ORGANIC FARM
8565 Horseshoe Lane, Potomac, 301-983-2167; 2733 Buckeystown Pike, Adamstown, 301-874-4854.
www.nicksorganicfarm.com.
What’s for sale: organic pastured Broad-Breasted Whites, 15-27 pounds; organic pastured heritage Red Bourbons, 10-24 pounds.
Price per pound: $4.59 for the Broad-Breasted Whites with a $25 deposit required; $9.99 for the heritage Red Bourbons with a $50 deposit required.
Ordering: Request an order form by e-mail to [email protected] or phone, 301-983-2167.
Pickup: Nov. 20-21 at both locations.
Contact: Nick Maravell.
SPRINGFIELD FARM
16701 Yeoho Rd., Sparks (Baltimore County), 410-472-0738.
www.ourspringfieldfarm.com.
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised Broad-Breasted Whites, 14-25 pounds; Broad-Breasted Whites all natural, 14-25 pounds; heritage Narragansett, 6-10 pounds.
Price per pound: $4.50, pasture-raised; $3.50, all natural; $8, heritage Narragansett.
Ordering: Online; order by Nov. 11.
Pickup: Nov. 17 and 18 at the farm.
TRUCK PATCH FARMS
3201 Sams Creek Rd., New Windsor.
truckpatchfarms.com.
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised Standard Whites, 12-22 pounds; half-birds also available.
Price per pound: $3.79.
Ordering: By e-mail to [email protected] or at the Mount Pleasant, Bloomingdale or 14th & U farmers markets.
Pickup: Nov. 17 at 14th & U and Mount Pleasant; Nov. 18 at Bloomingdale.
PENNSYLVANIA
ALDEN LESHER
Chambersburg
What’s for sale: pasture-raised Red Bourbons, 11-22 pounds.
Price per pound: $4.50.
Ordering: Contact Friends & Farms at 240-842-9121 or [email protected].
Pickup: Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 in Columbia and Nov. 21 in Timonium.
COULTER FARMS
964 Price Rd, Honey Grove, 717-734-1072.
www.coulterfarms.net.
What’s for sale: Broad-Breasted Whites, 14-20 pounds.
Price per pound: $4; $20 deposit required.
Ordering: By e-mail to [email protected] or at the Crystal City and White House FreshFarm markets (the White House market closes for the season Oct. 25).
Pickup: Nov. 20 at Crystal City market.
Contact: Kinley Coulter.
COUNTRY VITTLES FROM CRITTER HILL FARM
Biglerville, 717-677-9311.
What’s for sale: Free-range, antibiotic-free, all-natural white hybrid turkeys, 12-18 pounds, or whole bone-in breasts, 7-10 pounds; half-birds and parts available.
Price per pound:$3.95 for whole birds; $4.50 for the breasts
Ordering: By phone, by e-mail to [email protected] or at the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace and Farmers Market at Maryland; order by Nov. 10.
Pickup: Nov. 14 at the Farmers Market at Maryland and Nov. 17 at Columbia Heights.
EARTH ’N EATS
Waynesboro, 717-765-0150.
What’s for sale: Organic, pasture-raised, Broad-Breasted Whites, 10-12 pounds and 12-14 pounds. Available brined for an additional $5.
Price per pound: $5.50.
Ordering: Contact A.M. Wine Shoppe at 202-506-2248 or [email protected] by Nov. 16.
Pickup: Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 at A.M. Wine Shoppe, 2122 18th St. NW.
Contact: Meredith Donin, general manager, A.M. Wine Shoppe.
PECAN MEADOW FARM
357 Newburg Road, Newburg, 717-423-5365.
What’s for sale: Heritage Narragansett, 6-14 pounds.
Price per pound: $6.
Ordering: By e-mail to [email protected] or at the 14th & U farmers market.
Pickup: Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 at the 14th & U market.
Contact: Daniel Shirk.
SUNNYSIDE FARM
1865 York Rd., Dover, 410-336-9735.
www.sunny-side-farm.com.
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised heritage Midget Whites and Holland Whites, 14-21 pounds.
Price per pound: $5; $40 deposit required.
Ordering: By phone, by e-mail to [email protected] or by sending a deposit.
Pickup: Nov. 18 in Towson.
Contact: Dru Peters.
NORTH MOUNTAIN PASTURES
201 Cold Storage Rd., Newport, 717-497-3496.
www.northmountainpastures.com.
What’s for sale: Pasture-raised, organically fed Broad-Breasted Whites, 10-28 pounds.
Price per pound: $4.95; $25 deposit required.
Ordering: online and at Silver Spring, Bloomingdale and Takoma Park farmers markets.
Pickup: Nov. 17 at the Silver Spring farmers market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Nov. 18 at the Bloomingdale and Takoma Park farmers markets, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Nov. 17 at the farm, 1-5 p.m.
Contact: Brooks Miller.
© The Washington Post Company
Washingtonian Brunch and Bloodys – a Spicy Affair
Washingtonian Brunch & Bloodys – Spicy!
The Winning Bloody Mary by Chef Scott Drewno, The Source
I attended the Washingtonian Brunch and Bloody’s event on Saturday, October 20th, 2012 at the lovely Long View Gallery on a perfect day in Shaw, Washington, D.C. This was a very well-laid out event and although it was sold out, there was plenty of room to get to the tables and taste unabated..and the mimosas flowed like, uhh, wine! Let’s put it to you this way – if you left this event hungry, then you were probably just drinking, and with over 10 medium-sized Bloody Mary’s to try, you probably would have rolled out! Having said that, I’ve noticed that the restaurants and chefs at these events are getting extremely good at preparing slightly exotic dishes and pushing the envelope on how to serve 250+ people without a regular kitchen behind them.
The Bloody Marys featured Belvedere Vodka and the bar served champagne, mimosas, and bellinis featuring Chandon. Like I said – no one went home hungry, but not thirsty either..there was plenty to drink and I was most impressed that they served the mimosas in glass Champagne flutes..and of course, there was the lovely smashing of glass at the beginning of the event- sort of like a Greek wedding.. or maybe it’s a Jewish wedding, but back to the event..
The “Bloody” Judges including Cori Sue Morris of the Bitches Who Brunch and Jeff Faile, Mixologist of Fiola Restaurant
This event was based on the Washingtonian’s list of the 50 Great Breakfast and Brunch Spots from Washingtonian – and it was double smart of them to invite the infamous bloggers the Bitches who Brunch to the event to judge the Bloody Mary’s.
More Bloody Mary’s in one afternoon than I can remember..
Here’s their own marketing pitch from the CVent Website (interesting that they used such a high-powered registration system for this event – maybe a touch overkill for a 1-time event, but they sold out, so it worked!) Introducing The Washingtonian’s premier “Brunch & Bloodys” event! Enjoy delicious brunch bites from restaurants featured in The Washingtonian’s October cover story “50 Favorite Brunch Places.” Participating restaurants will also compete in the Bloody Mary challenge, in which guests and a panel of judges (including Washingtonian editors, the Bitches Who Brunch, and Jeff Faile from Fiola) will vote for the best.
Here’s the List of Restaurants that participated and the dishes they served (I put my own comments after the dishes):
“Chawanmushi” from Maple Ave. Restaurant
Art and Soul – ?
Black Market Bistro / BlackSalt – Black Market’s pancakes and BlackSalt’s Bloody Mary
Brasserie Beck – Mini quiche Lorraine with Micro Herb Salad & Bloody Mary & Jumbo Lump Crab Meat Shooters
Busboys and Poets – Coffee, Sweet Potato Pancakes with 100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup from Coombs Family Farms, Vegan Tuna & crackers – they served a Vegan yellow tomato Bloody Mary which I remember because they were the only restaurant to use non-red tomatoes. The Sweet Potato pancakes were very good with the maple syrup – they didn’t even ad pads of butter because this restaurant is promoting their Vegan/vegetarian dishes.
Chef Geoff’s/ LIA’S – Mini Vegetarian Quiches and Brunch Bread
Eatonville – Gumbo (crab, rock shrimp, andouille sausage, fried okra, white rice) and mini pulled beef short ribs sandwich – I only had the short ribs sandwich, but I have to admit – simple comfort foods seem to show the best at these kind of events.
Founding Farmers – Mini Yogurt Parfaits with Housemade Granola; Corn Muffins; Bacon Lollis – The Bacon Lollipops were alot of fun – essentially a sugar-coated piece of bacon that reminded me of putting bacon on my pancakes with maple syrup – a real winner!
Howard Theatre – Shrimp and Grits, Breakfast berry parfaits – I didn’t know the Howard Theatre was serious about food, but these were some flavorful Grits with a bit of Jerk seasoning to give them a kick.
Donuts with the fixings!
Jackie’s – Maple-Chai Doughnuts – They served these donuts glazed and you could put your own toppings on like cocoa and sprinkles – Yummy!
Maple Ave Restaurant – Chawanmushi – Chinese Steam Egg with carmelized kimchi
Mintwood Place – “Croque Madames”” featuring veal tongue” – This sounds exotic, but it tasted like really good ham and melted cheese together – fancified comfort food, this was very good.
Poste – Smoked Trout Rillette with citrus crème fraiche and trout roe on a waffle chip – One of the more “Foodie” dishes with layers of flavor – I liked this alot, but I’m always a big fan of caviar/fish roe – I love when the little eggs pop in your mouth!
The Greenhouse at the Jefferson – Quiche with Caramelized Onion, Bacon, & Gruyere and Quiche with Broccoli & Cheddar
The Hamilton – Steak and Eggs Burr-naise and Bloody Alexander
The Source – “Sambal Goreng” Spicy Hangover Eggs, Braised Short Ribs, Chesapeake Mary, Jumbo Lump Crab, Gordy’s Pickle
Overall, this event was very well run and had plenty of food, drinks and space to make it enjoyable. Since everyone could taste every dish and drink relatively quickly, the event was full and mostly empty within two hours of the start – it was a Saturday, and everyone nowadays likes to make multiple plans on the weekend, so that was another plus. The key to these events is to give the chefs/restaurants space and let them do their magic – the organizers understood this and even the Bloody Mary judging took backseat to the food. Hopefully this becomes a regular Foodie Event on the DC Food and Drink Event Calendar, and if so, I’d like to see how trends in Brunch change over time – Cheers!
Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler
P.S. Here’s a Recap of the Bloody Mary Competition by the Judges from the Bitches Who Brunch.
Washingtonian Took Some Great Pics too – and Yep, I’m in one of the photos!
A Multi-Chef Event with Star Power in DC
Great Shindig at the Ron Reagan Building!
Capital Food Fight on Monday, October 8th, 2012 was a culinary party for DC’s Foodie Elite! This impressive event had a Sold-Out Turnout of around 1,500 people tasting, imbibing and nibbling on 2 Levels of the Ronald Reagan Building. What makes this event so different from many multi-chef events in DC was the Star Power draw of some big name Chefs and Foodie Stars: Anthony Bourdain, Padma Lakshmi, Carla Hall (DC’s own!), Andrew Zimmern and of course DC’s own infamous Jose Andres put on a show for the crowd around the cooking competition between 4 Battling DC Chefs:
Chef Jeffrey Buben -Vidalia, Bistro Bis
Chef Enzo Fargione – Elisir
Chef Guillermo – Pernot – Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar
Chef Adam Sobel – Bourbon Steak
And the Winner is..
Chef Buben!
I have to admit – I was so focused on tasting many of the 60 Restaurant’s dishes at the event, that I barely paid attention to the cooking competition – I’m a professional taster, and that’s what I do at these events – Taste! the list of restaurants was quite impressive, here’s the list of about 60 – Capital Food Fight Restaurants .
Ohh, and here are the dishes served:
1789 • House-made ricotta with fresh figs & Wildflower Honey
Adour • Lobster salad with cauliflower & céleri rémoulade, assorted macaroons & al tiramisu
American Tap Room • Bourbon barrel stout braised wild boar with pumpkin butter & pickled vegetables
Argia’s Italian • Duck confit, bean ragout with crostini
Art and Soul • Louisiana crawfish étouffée, preserved lemon, brown jasmine rice & scallions
Bandolero • Red snapper tostada – really woke up my tastebuds and refreshing with a good dose of salt to bring out the fish and other flavors!
Bar Pilar/Café St. Ex • Wagyu brisket chili with farmhouse cheddar cheese & scallions – Wagyu is so wonderfully soft fat on the palate and really made this comfort food dish work.
Belga • Celery waffle with orange duck in cotton candy – I didn’t feel like waiting in line – the cotton candy just got so much attention – food as entertainment I guess!
BLT Steak • Tuna tartar
Blue Duck Tavern • Mushroom tart
Boqueria • Roasted market carrots with yogurt, marcona almonds, citrus vinaigrette & cilantro
Boundary Road • House-made sausage & pretzel rolls
Carmine’s • Meatballs & eggplant parmigiana – funny how the most basic foods get oohs and aahs at this event.
Cava Mezze • Short rib stifado with roasted pearl onions & sunchoke puree
Central Michel Richard • Salmon croquet monsieur
Cuba Libre • Scallop tiradito with compressed strawberry, roasted corn, salpicon/sweet potate & micro celery – interesting how a fruit like strawberry brings out other flavors so well – this worked.
Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato • Lemon ricotta cardamom & cementine sorbetto
Elisir • Gorgonzola panna cotta eggshells with candied celery – great presentation and creamy, delicious dish.
Equinox • Truffled fontina & slow cooked cabbage with roasted chanterelles
Et Voila • Endive soup with hazelnut oil & roasted hazelnuts
Evening Star • Pumpkin soup
Good Stuff Eatery • Toasted marshmallow shake
Graffiato • Cured sardines & broccolini with preserved lemon & aged balsamic – sardines definitely wake up the senses at a crowded event like this.
iCi Urban Bistro • Rosemary duck confit rillettes with pickles on toasted baguettes
Indique • Crab papad roll
Jackson 20 • South Texas antelope carpaccio, mole de Colorado, local radishes & pickled tomatoes
Kaz Sushi Bistro • Mini temaki (sushi hand rolls)
Lebanese Taverna • Sliced lamb loin with pastry & lebneh
Lincoln • Braised short rib with bone marrow jam, pickled shallots & black pepper truffle biscuits
Masa 14 • Fried steam buns with Korean lamb barbeque
Mie N Yu • House-made pho with duck breast
Oyamel • Salpicon de reshilled, shredded beef, pickled onions, tomatoes & chipotle chiles
PJ Clarke’s • P.J’s mini burgers
Policy • Brisket sliders with oven roasted tomatoes, sunny side up quail egg, caramelized onions & black truffle mayo
Rappahannock River Oysters • Rappahannock River oysters & Olde Salt oysters
Ripple • House-made Lamb mortadella, squash mustard & beet juice – yep, it looked like mortadella!
Santa Lucia Coffee • Coffee
Taberna del Alabardero • Tomato surprise stuffed with anchovies
Taco Bamba • Pork tenderloin burrito, grilled avocado, white beans & picked jalapeno pistachio vinaigrette
The Federalist Duck • Sausage with mustard pickled cabbage
The Majestic • Sashimi, rockfish with soy-yuzu vinaigrette, daikon, ginger, cilantro & sesame seeds
Westend Bistro • Fennel smoked trout with apple cranberry chutney, saffron aioli & angel hair potato crisps
Hank’s Oyster • Oysters on the half shell with saki ginger mignonette
Gristmill • Shrimp & grits
Jackie’s • Local lamb stuffed nora pepper with smoked tomato
Shake Shack • Frozen custard
Taylor Gourmet • Hoagies & salads
And of Course lot’s of Media Coverage:
Article by Washington Business Journal’s Miss Frederick
Jessica Sidman for City Paper – 4 Memorable Moments from Capital Food Fight (Note: she mentions the man who paid $1,000 to eat Iberico ham off Padma Lakshmi’s collar bone!)
“Where Did That Iguana Come From?” in the City Paper
