Art Works Now Chef's Dinner 2019 does it all with Carla Hall and more...(5-23-19)

For several years now I have attended the wonderful annual Art Works Now Chef's Dinner held at the home of Art Works Now founder Barbara Johnson and her wife Chef Ruth Gresser (owner of Pizza Paradiso), and I can easily say it is one of the best foodie events I look forward to every year. For the second time, Will joined me and I am quite sure he will agree! On arrival at their gorgeous home(right after the huge deluge and tornado watch) we were served Miguel Pons Cava Brut and then we gathered poolside as Sue McWilliams of Sue McWilliams Cooks mixed up some tasty drinks. I decided to try the  "Merry Month of May Shrub Mocktail" of lemongrass, black current and sparkling grape juice which was yummy and not sweet at all, but even better when I mixed in the Cava!! Her other drink was a Chesapeake Rumrunner Cocktail of Barbados Rum, Dry Curacao, Fresh fruit juices and Falernum which I loved and went so well with the Harissa Spiced Nuts on the table with the drinks. Speaking of these nuts, all the hor's d'oevres were prepared jointly by uber TV star Chef Carla Hall with Chef Janis McLean of Seasons Culinary Services. All of the four passed hor's d'oevres were irresistible and I had way too many. Shortcut Deviled Eggs were delish as Chef Carla explained how to save time in making these by NOT scooping out the yolks! Mini Open-faced Tomato Sandwiches on Johnnycakes were fresh local heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced on a yummy johnnycake while the Pickled Shrimp with Persian Cucumbers were served in Endive leaves and had such flavor I must have eaten closed to a dozen. My other favorite was the Bourbon Glazed Pork tenderloin on Buttermilk Biscuits with Rhubarb Chutney & Dijon Mustard Butter!!

We headed inside to the huge kitchen where dozens and dozens were seated for a dinner that was top notch in every bite and sip. While Chef Amy brandwien of Centrolina & Piccolina had a last minute conflict, she sent her able second-in-command(excuse me for not writing down her name) to prepare a superb dish of Virginia Grape Leaves of Quail, Blistered and Pickled Grapes, Frisee and Moscato Vinegar. I am a huge quail fan and this was delightful with a light Domaine Ancely Vin Rose du Pays d'Oc 2017 (oddly the bottle label had "Que j'aime ta couleur" in huge print on it!). Chef Fiona Lewis of the District Fishwife excelled with a crispy skinned Pan Seared Verlasso Salmon with Grilled Asparagus and Arugula Orange Salad. A hint of white balsamic made it a true dream! The Bourgogne Blanc 2014 from Domaine Desertaux-Ferrand was the perfect foil.

I love the spice and food at Doi Moi and had not met Chef Johanna Hellrigl(when I first looked at her name on the menu I thought it said HellGirl!) who took over there over a year ago. Well she went back to her Northern Italian roots here and skipped the strong spices with a Speck wrapped Lamb Roulade with Garlic Scape, Pecorino & Spring Mushroom Stuffing served with English pea Puree and Charred Candy Onions. I loved every bite and flavor of this dish which had bursts of all flavors in every different bite. The Domaine la Ligiere Vaqueyras Rouge 2001 was in amazing drinking form(Vacqueyras needs time and 8 years was ideal for this one) and I continued having it with dessert as the dessert was paired with a beer.

I tasted the Right Proper Baron Corvo beer and immediately went back to the wine, although everyone else loved the beer with the amazing Valrhona Strawberry Chocolate Coated Rhubarb and Vanilla Bavarois with Lemon Sable and Compressed Strawberries. I know that beer is a problem for my taste buds and have come to accept that. Chef Michelle Poteaux of Bastille assembled the most delicious and amazing dessert down to the divine strawberries ending an evening that raised over $80,000 and was a complete success in every single way! Can't wait until next year!

Holy HIMITSU and Chef Kevin Tien takes on my birthday (5-19-19)

This year we headed to HIMITSU in Petworth where Chef Kevin Tien towers supreme. His 24 seat restaurant offers flavors like none else around town and the staff are truly supreme to boot. Facebook photos and videos are available of our wonderful experience that started with rounds of cocktails at the bar with Beverage Director & co-owner Carlie Steiner, who deserves awards for her ingenuity and keeping up with our drinking pace!

Singani Swoosh is made from Singani(a Bolivian Brandy akin to pisco) mixed with lime and ginger and I fell in lover with this but knew that too many would be the end of me so I switched to the Upshur 75 made from Cappelletti Aperitif(reminded me of Campari), Sparkling wine and Soda which was lighter and refreshing in the 90 degree heat of that day! All the cocktails and wine served are woman-made and woman-inspired giving a nice tie in to all the drinks.

As the 12 of us sat down to dinner we started with a gorgeous Akami Tartare of tuna with ginger scallion, tamari and sesame rice cracker. We brought the yummy leftover crackers home and Samuel loved them with his gazpacho lunch the next day. they were fun and I have shown how they hide the tartare and then are used as spoons to pick up the yummy fish seasoned just right. Our first wine was a 2017 Ganeta made from Hondarrabi Zuri & Hondarrabi Beltza) from Basque country and worked well with the tuna but even better with the next course of Hamachi Crudo of Japanese Yellowtail with orange Supremes, Yuzu & Tobiko, as the wine was ideal with the fruitiness of the yuzu. The dish had a kick and that always inspires me as I adore good spice. 

Stracciatella was a new dish Chef Kevin tried on us and he plans to serve at a Food & Wine event in Atlanta this week. The gooey cheese was at the base and topped with a charred English cucumber, kimchi vinaigrette and sunflower seed. I loved the charred veggie and gooey cheese, but some thought it was too cheesy. Honestly how can anything be too cheesy. We moved to a yummy light red claret (which tasted Italian to me)2016 La Part Des Anges from Patricia Boyer-Domergue which we also had with the next brilliant vegetable course: "Elote," or roasted heirloom carrot (these were huge) with crema and cotija cheese. Any vegetarian needs to get to Himitsu as there are so many options here for them as well. 

The next dish continued the veggie vein with a vegetable pasta made from Zucchini in a gochujang Pomodoro sauce with panko, 10 month aged Parmesan & fried basil leaves.  The sauce has a slight kick from the Korean spice. We moved to a 2017 Baia's Wine from Baia Abuladze in Georgia made from the Tsolikouri varietal. Georgian wine and food is so up and coming and I know it's on our list of places to try in DC.  The next course was one of my faves called a Sichuan Sando and was simply a cornmeal crusted Maryland Catfish sandwich with slaw and pickles. The fish was sweet and crunchy crusted to perfection and the slaw had a punch(was this the dish that had the fermented chilis?). There were so many of these brought to the table we had a whole one to take home and relive the experience the next day for lunch!

Gulf Coast Red Drum is a fish we don't see here so often and it was cooked perfectly with the crunchiest of skins atop a curry(Vadouvan) with caulini(cauliflower hybrid)and heirloom cherry tomatoes. The wine switched to a superb 2014 Argatia from Haroula Spinthitopolous in Santorini(gonna check this out when we are there in July) made from Xinomavro varietal. The final course was a 48hour Short Rib atop Congee with chives & tare which was a yummy congee, but alas some of the ribs were a bit fatty and chewy. 

Miso Peanut Butter Pie with Graham Cracker Crust, caramelized banana and salted rum caramel made us forget about any issues with the fat as even my husband who does not care for peanut butter raved as we all did. A magnificent Pedro Ximenez El Candido sherry was as thick as the yummy pie and unctuous to boot which I always love. 

The whole evening was an amazing journey nd I would return to Himitsu in an instant for more of Chef Kevin's brilliant cuisine.

perfect pizza at PIZZA PARADISO in Spring Valley,DC (5-2-19)

Last night Chef/Owner Ruth Gresser declared that proceeds from all her Pizza Paradiso locations would go to help a journalist who had been imprisoned in Iran. We felt this was a worthy cause and a good excuse to head to their newest location just 5 minutes away in Spring Valley.

The staff here is super friendly and when Will asked for some help with the beer our server Chantal actually brought over tastes of the ones he asked about; he settled on Dynasty and declared it yummy. Samuel loved the sparkling lemonade and I was very happy with a glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo La Fera to start and moved on to a fuller red with Le Duc Arbie Chianti Superior from Dievole. The wine list is short, but the wines are excellent and almost all available by the glass.

We looked at the specials and the Sesame Kale salad with radish, celery and carrot with soy-sesame dressing sounded yummy and chose that along with the Insalata Romana of escarole, marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes, white beans, Grana Padana and a creamy garlic dressing. Sam would have no salad(he eats them always at home) so he had the Bruschetta loaded with fresh tomato, but Will and I split the two wonderful dishes. The Kale was simpler, and the Romana dressing was creamy but never overpowering or too much.

One, of course, orders pizza here and Sam went with the Quattro Formaggi of Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Pecorino, Grana Padana, garlic & parsley insisting on the 12 inch, but still could not finish it. We decided to share the special Nebraska Rueben of corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut which was  a dream. The special pizzas these days are named for various states (US of Pizza) and specifically dedicated to women in the restaurant industry and our lives in general; a nice touch as the menu indicated in 2018 more women were elected to political positions than ever before in history! the Rueben was amazing with yummy corned beef pieces and sauerkraut but dressed just right so nothing was too much. Our other pizza was the Paesana of spicy garlic pesto with Paradiso Chicken sausage, sautéed red peppers, roasted escarole, broccoli rabe, mozzarella and ricotta. Me, liking my pizza spicy, shook some of the red pepper flakes on top before I tasted and the pesto and sausage were spicy so it really was on fire, but still delicious.

Two desserts arrived in the form of chocolate almond cake which was delish, but the souffle-like Tiramisu was divine. We went home VERY full, knowing that NW DC's Spring Valley and surroundings welcomes and embraces Pizza Paradiso(the place was virtually full by 8pm!) and we are thrilled to have such hi quality pizza 7 minutes away!

James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef Tour returns to Washington and Maketto makes it magnificent(4-30-19)

The James Beard Foundation never fails to throw an amazing party and this year's Celebrity Chef Tour pulled out all their tricks bringing eight stellar chefs together at Maketto (H Street Corridor) where James Beard nominee Erik Bruner-Yang hosted one of the best events ever.

The evening started off with Chef Eric's hor's d'oevres being passed as we roamed through the restaurant, large open patio and kitchen and had the change to greet the chefs as well. Delicious Vodka, Ginger, Lime and simple syrup drinks were poured(I stuck with one) as I tasted the yummy Taiwanese Fried Chicken (one of Chef Erik's signature dishes) along with awesome Crystal Shrimp Dumplings which are akin to the dumplings that explode in your mouth as these had shrimp in chicken broth inside!. Spring Rolls were passed and I was told they were great, but the size was so huge, I passed knowing how much food was yet to come! I wandered into the kitchen to say hello to Chef Gerard Craft from St. Louis, where he has won the Best Chef Award for his stellar Niche where I have dined multiple times over the years. He also has opened Cinder House, Sardella, Taste, Brasserie and Pastaria creating a true empire and making him one of the best chefs (I say in the USA, but surely) between the two coasts. Chef Gerard hails from DC and I am blessed to know his wonderful parents who, like me, are opera fanatics and supporters! I got to meet some of the other chefs, but had to take a selfie (FB) with Chef Kristen Kish(of Arlo in LA) who won Top Chef several seasons ago and is one of Samuel's all-time favorites!

We sat down and I was thrilled to have a seat at the bar(there were only 4 of us) and the two bartenders, Rob & Jay(Jamaal) were awesome and also generous pourers and servers. I would highly recommend visiting Maketto and sitting at the bar just for a fun chat with them at anytime they are there! 

The first course came from Chef Mei Lin of Nightshade(LA) and it was a dream to start with: Scallops with Crispy Ginger, Coconut Vinaigrette and Coriander (all on FB) was a ceviche style dish in a yummy sauce akin to leche de tigre but with a huge punch and fresh jalapeno slices as well. I knew this was going to be an amazing meal if the impetus kept going. the wines from Rebecca Buchanan at Maketto were stellar starting with a Ayunta "Piante/Sparse" 2016 a Mount Etna whote from Carricante and Catarratto that we just kept asking for more of as it was so delicious and had an acidity to fight that amazing scallop dish.

Chef Kristen Kish was next and in the explanation session prior to sitting down, when we all gathered in the courtyard and the chefs explained their dishes, she basically called her dish "Crispy Rice with Saffron, Bacon and Crab: her "shit!" Well, that's not the word I would use to describe this dish that we all raved over as we kept drinking the Etna Bianco!! It was getting hard to have favorite dishes anymore as they were all truly stellar.

Next came Chef Gerard Craft's Charred Asparagus with Garum Custard, Red Pepper Jelly, Crispy Garlic & Basil. the custard was the consistency of a hummus and indeed reminded me of a garlic paste and it was dreamy as were the super fresh local asparagus. These chefs were all using truly local and amazing produce that only the finest purveyors have and I felt like I was on a uber chef trip to my farmer's market! The wine switched to Casa Rojo Orange Republic(odd name) 2017 red from Valdeorras, Spain and it was a lighter rioja but worked well with the strong garlic, even though I might have gone acidic white thinking asparagi & garlic! Okay, now which was my favorite dish? IMPOSSIBLE!

Chef Gregory Gourdet(Departure in Portland, OR) was next with a yummy Herbed Snapper and Strawberry-Rhubard Ponzu with Basil. How can you get more local than these ingredients!

the next dish arrived family style and we all hunkered down over the gorgeous spread from Chef Esther Choi(of Ms. Yoo & Mokbar in NY) who presented what she called Kimchi Four Ways. It had a small kimchi salad made from a spring Korean veggie call "stone crops" that she explained only is available at this time of the year--it was spectacular. Ram-Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi was the highlight of this dish and there was also Napa Cabbage Kimchi; the whole thing was daunting and paired with beautiful sliced Pork Belly that seemed to have nary an iota of fat on it. The soy beurre blanc paste blew me away as did the entire preparation. A Belezos Tinto reserva 2012from Rioja was a full bodied and brilliant pairing.

Chef Deuki Hong (Sunday Bird, San Francisco) introduced us to the Uni Shake Box which he explained was something he grew up with. At the start of the evening Chef Erik said the evening was designed around each chef's American roots and their heritage as well. This dish had uni, black tobiko, roasted kimchi and toasted anchovy which was shaken after the box was revealed tableside. What fun and what taste sensations! The pairing was a Tuk Tuk International Lager by Maketto x DC Brewing which I tasted and then returned to the red Rioja just because I am not a beer fan, but I can really see how it made sense.

the last dish served was Sweet Potato with Sable(a cookie dough crumbled) and Cheese which was with tapioca and had a dessert essence from Chef Jon Yao(Kato also in LA-these guys travelled far!!) and I loved its lightness from aeration of the sweet potato tapioca.

There's always a takeaway and we got little boxes to go with treats from Maketto pastry chef Rebekka Baltzell and I loved them later and the next day: Pineapple Bun, Matcha Blondie and the brilliantly spicy Kimchi White Chocolate Cookie--what a way to remember the event the next day with my coffee!!!

I love these events and have to thank Jeff Black for returning to DC and I hope it's more often from now on! BRAVI TUTTU and so much to all the staff, especially, Rob, Jay & Joe!

Arlington's Liberty Tavern hosts 23019 Rootstock winer dinner with perfectly paired Pinot Noirs(4-29-19)

My second wine dinner this week was in Arlington's Liberty Tavern, where I had not been before. The upstairs dining room was heaving as I arrived with tables set with tons of glasses and six boutique Oregon winemakers chatting with all the guests. I heard about the dinner through Jim Prosser, winemaker and owner of J.K. Carriere whom we met close to two decades ago in a garage on a hazelnut farm, where he was bottling his first JK Carriere Pinot Noir release(1999, which incidentally sold out and received a  93 from Wine Spectator!). It was great to see Jim again whose winery flourishes and now houses a gorgeous tasting room on a mountaintop at the east end of the Willamette Valley!

On arrival we tasted a yummy bright crisp Haden Fig Pinot Gris Rose 2018 and I knew this was going to be a fun dinner with some great rarities. We sat down to Brick House Cascadia Chardonnay 2015 and I liked it much more than some of their previous releases and the pairing with a Maryland Crab Cake with celery root puree, green apple and mango was sublime (sorry I missed some FB photos of the food). The wines went crazier as Evesham Wood Ke Puits Sec 2016 Pinot Noir was poured and we all marveled at the first of five pinot noirs we were to be treated to. Skuna Bay Salmon arrived with braised morels and sugar snap peas and the fish was indeed such a rich salmon it needed a red wine like this full of body and superb fruit forwardness.

the Dry Aged Rohan Duck Breast arrived with a Foie Gras Cromesquis & Dandelion and I kept asking what a cromesquis was until I bit into the ping pong ball sized croquette and a virtually liquified foie gras came oozing out into my mouth. WOW what a superb idea and treat! Here the wine paired was easily the evening's winner, JK Carriere St. Dolores Estate 2015, which was the first time I have tasted this specific vineyard and was blown away by the hugeness of this amazing wine. Alas the $65-70 price tag means it is purchased in small amounts for the most special occasions! Portions were not small, so halfway through the course I started asking for doggie bags and ended up with three from each of the meat courses; what a smart idea! Next came Slow cooked Berkshire Pork Cheeks with fennel, ramps and strawberry. While I was not a fan of the strawberries, the meat was unreal and melted in my mouth and the ramps were divine as they just arrived at farmer's markets here in DC this past week and I made a pesto of it for Sam that very night! Walter Scott Le Combe Vert 2017 Pinot Noir was a great pairing, but as the meat heaviness grew, I was worried about the Pinots growing as well. The final course(there was no dessert) was a Smoked Prime Beef Striploin sliced and cooked rare with pommes Robuchon, white asparagus and charred spring onion jus that was a powerful dish and accompanied by two Pinots. The Patricia Green 2017 Estate was way too light for sure, but the Goodfellow Whistling Ridge 2016 did great service and ended up on my shopping list for the night. 

These boutique winemakers all belong to a slightly larger group in Oregon called Rootstock, hence the name of the wine dinner and I have to say, if they get back to town again, this is an evening not to be missed!

vivacious Veneto Wine Dinner at Al Dente(4-28-19)

I started off this week with the first of three wine dinners in a row and on Sunday Samuel joined me as Will is off in the UK for a while. We have always enjoyed dining at Al Dente, where Chef Roberto Donna is truly top chef and Samuel adores everything he makes. He was joined by chef/sommelier Davide Megna from Imperio wine pouring(for me, not Sam) superb wines from the Veneto region and roaming the room all night giving details about the wonderful wines. I have to give credit to our server, Ivan, as well, as I did demand some refills and the place was quite full with wine lovers, so it was a bit crazy and he maintained perfection in service all evening.

Risotto al Radicchio e Radicchio Fritto was  a gorgeous red radicchio risotto with some fried radicchio on top and presented with the first corn shoots of the season on top. The dish was perfectly perppery and paired ideally with a Ripasso Della Valpolicella Superiore 2017 from Tinazzi that was drinking gorgeously for being just released. While we had told the staff that Sam did not eat red meat or fish, somehow some pieces of sausage were in the dish, but Sam, who is a person not to complain in a restaurant, gobbled it up and was even ready to ask for more.

More would have been too much as the next course was a Bigoli all'Anatra or thick house made spaghetti in rich thick duck ragu. This was paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot (70/30%) blend called "Dugal" or rooster also from Tinazzi 2017. The rooster refers to the cock-fighting of the two grapes. It was a nice wine, but not as silky and smooth as the first; I guess I am just not a big Cab fan. Sam really wanted another plate of this, but we had asked for a main course of poultry and a plate of risotto arrived with gorgeously plated diver scallops on top. I hope someone enjoyed this as we had to send it back! Instead a plate of Chef Roberto's top notch chicken fingers and fries with garlic aioli arrived for Sam!

My main course was a perfectly cooked Manzo al Gorgonzola with roasted NY Strip steak sliced thinly and served with Gorgonzola and polenta Taragna(apparently a specific type of polenta from the region). It was an ideal size as a huge steak would have been way too much and the sauce was divine and rich and paired with a brilliant 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella from Villa Loren. Amarone is one of my fave wines and this was aged 30 months in Slovenian oak with huge raisin hints and long legs in the glass--DIVINE!

We were presented small pitchers of chocolate sauce and the dessert arrived after a nice rest: Pandoro Cioccolato, Mascarpone e Lamponi was a nice pound-cake like cake with mascarpone cheese mousse and raspberries on top of which we poured the sauce. You can see a fun video along with photos on FB! Paired with a super fun sparkling red called Sangue di Guida (yes, the blood of Judah) made from Croatirra, Uberrara and Barbera grapes that was so much fun to drink and cut the chocolate ideally.

What a fun night and I hope we get more chances to go to Al Dente's super(and $75 bargain) wine dinners each month! Bravi tutti.