Boy was I glad Passover ended the day before the
James Beard Foundation arrived in town this year for their periodic
Celebrity Chef Tour. This year we had close to a dozen chefs and
mixologists hosting at Mike Isabella's new 14th Street haunt, KAPNOS.
When I walked in just before the 7pm starting time, the bar was already
heaving as people crowded around the three mixologists working hard to
custom mix and pour each drink.
I passed the first group and
headed to Taha Ismail who is the mixologist for Kapnos. He was pouring a
superb drink made from Skinos, Hum, Grapefruit, Maple and Burlesque
Bitters. He explained the first two alcohols come from Greece, but you
will have to do your own research here! Next to him, where the long line
was previously were the folks from Mockingbird Hill on 7th St, NW (www.drinkmoresherry.com)
mixing up Green Hat Spring/Summer Gin, Alexandro Moscatel Sherry, Fresh
Lemon Juice, Orange Bitters and adding a sprig of singed Lemongrass for
aroma. I adored this drink, but boy did it pack a punch.
I
tasted the fab hor's d'oevres which consisted of Crispy Deep Fried Pork
Roll, Smoked Salmon something, Scallop Sushi with a Wasabi Cream punch
and my favorite that I could not resist; Spoons of WAGYU BEEF TARTARE! I
must have had 6 or more of these irresistible treats. After these I
moved to Adam Bernbach from 2 birds, 1 stone who was mixing up a drink
called Banana is My Business. I wish this was served at the end of the
meal as it was sweetish, but here it served as a palate cleanser of
sorts before we sat down. It was made from High West Silver Oat Whiskey,
Amaro Ramazzotti, Hefeweizen (which he explained is a light wheat beer
with a banana hint!) & Banana Soda. It was just right.
We
sat down and we were told that the hor's d'oevres were made by local
chefs Scott Drewno of The Source, Victor Albisu of Del Campo (yay for
the scallop and wagyu!) and Hiadar Karoum of Doi Moi, Estadio and Proof;
not a bad start.
The restaurant if full, and it was jammed,
can be loud, but we were thankfully in the quieter back room in the
corner, which was a blessing. I was lucky enough to be at the "head"
table with Jeff Black from Boulder, CO who spends his life organizing
these dinners all over the country; not a bad job! They pured
Moscofilero, Tselepos "Villa Amalia" , Arcadia Sparkling Brut which was
the first of all wonderful Greek wines, but it was not cold. They
quickly replaced the glass with a very cold one and it was perfect,
especially oh so cold, with the RAW FLUKE, Eggplant, Peas and Mint from
Chef Kevin Sbraga (of Sbraga in Philly) which was an instant hit. The
secret here were the small cubed deep fried pieces of eggplant which
were in a kicky spicy coating that lit up the dish to no end; we all
were surprised at the intense spice, but it was quick and the brut was
perfect to distill it.
Second came Chef Jamie
Bisonnette (of Coppo & Toro in Boston) who served a tasty OCTOPUS A
LA PLANCHA with a mild Harissa, Burnt Onion and a divine crispy Bone
Marrow that made the dish. We wanted more from the harissa as it
actually seemed more like a mild red pepper puree. An aromatic
Malagouisa, Gerivassilou White 2012 from Thessaloniki accompanied
brilliantly.
The next course was from one of my
favorite US chefs (whose tabbouleh recipe is to die for) Mike Solomonov
(of Zahav in Philly) which I really want to visit! His DUCK & FOIE
GRAS KEBAB was simple yet superb with Huckleberry & Pistachio over
Jasmine Rice. We all argued over what was atop the kebab, which was more
like a mini-burger. I was sure it was a radish, but it turned out to be
a poached carrot. The wine was one of my favorites all night and I kept
asking for more of the Tannat, Alpha Estate "Utopia" 2009 from Amyndeon
which indeed sent me to utopia.
The "main" meat
course was from Chef Mike Isabella himself who presented perfectly
cooked Spit Roasted LAMB with Boureki, Green Garbanzos, Ramps. The lamb
was smokey and intense and the puree of garbanzos was ingenious. The
phyllo boureki pastry was filled with spinach, mushroom, feta and white
raisins; who would have thought? The wine was another amazing red:
Agiorghitiko/Cabernet from Domaine Skouros 2008 called "Megas Oenos"
(big work?) from Peleponnese.
Nearing my limit I
was pleased to see that Pastry Chef Chris Ford (now of Bouchon Bakery in
LA) sent out a perfect GOAT CHEESE PANNA COTTA with Orange Honey,
Candied Almonds, Kaitfi (that crunchy "shredded wheat") & Pistachio
Gelato. It was a small plate with perfect portions just right and served
with a wonderful Assyrtico/Aidani Vin Santo from Domaine Sigalas 2004
on Santorini, where we had actually visited the winery some 6 years ago!
I
am sorry that the tour will return to DC this summer, but I am unable
to attend; hopefully more dates are in store as DC becomes a culinary
center and big yield for the James Beard Foundation!
