Capital Spice

As you may have noticed from some of our posts over the past few months, we’ve been expecting an addition to the Capital Spice family.  I’m proud to announce that the wait came to an end last Wednesday.  We’ve now got our very own Baby Spice!

So what did we do to mark the occasion?

Well, we took a week off from writing, for one thing.  Apologies to those of you who checked in regularly last week – we were hoping to pre-write some posts but the time got away from us.

Once we got home, though, we celebrated like any foodie couple would.  We reacquainted ourselves with some old friends that were off-limits during the pregnancy.  I paid a visit to Cheesetique to pick up a few favorites: Roquefort, St. Andre, raw milk cheddar.  We enjoyed them with some aged prosciutto and a sparkling rosé from J Vineyards (which we visited during our trip to Sonoma last year).

For us, it’s been interesting to see the health care community’s approach to food at various stages throughout the pregnancy.  Blanket prohibitions against certain categories of food perplexed us, as they usually did not come with clear explanations as to why.  Recommendations of some things seemed counter-intuitive to our “eat fresh, eat local” perspective.  And then there’s hospital food…

Elizabeth has plenty of thoughts on the subject, and I know she’ll be writing about them in the near future.

And what does this mean for Capital Spice?

At some point, it will mean that you’ll be able to get three opinions, instead of just two, when we check out a new restaurant.  But for now, it’s business as usual.  We don’t dine out quite as often as we used to, but that just makes it that much more important for us to seek out the best quality and value at restaurants both old and new – and to share them with you.  You can also continue to expect plenty of recipes from our own kitchen as the local farmers’ market season heats up.  And there are plenty of restaurant openings on the near horizon; we’ll be sure to provide you with information as we receive it!

We’ll also have plenty of exciting news and insights into Top Chef DC as the new season debuts next Wednesday.  As you may recall, we held a contest soliciting challenge ideas for a Washington-based season at the end of last year.  Who knew the folks at Bravo would be paying such close attention?

Check in with us next week and throughout the season for cast interviews, behind-the-scenes details (we may have been invited to a taping or two…) and a regular feature for national fans of the show providing the background of what makes each challenge so uniquely DC.

Thanks for reading!

We’ve been spending a lot of time eating and sipping in Clarendon lately and with good reason. This yuppie playground is becoming a pleasant destination for quality food in a relaxed setting. Lyon Hall is upping the ante with their new French-infused gastropub on Washington Boulevard, in the old Dan Kain trophy shop space.

I suspect the name Lyon Hall is supposed to hark to the French city and its regional influences to be found on the menu. Unfortunately, it makes me think of dudes my grandpa’s age hanging out in funny hats and planning the big summer BBQ fundraiser. Luckily, this is not at all the crowd you’ll find inside the restaurant.  The bar is consistently full of revelers taking in the seasonal cocktails. For my dinner visit and recent drive-bys, the crowd has been decidedly Clarendonian, maybe swinging a few years older than the average eatery in the neighborhood.

While the menu has French overtones, it actually struck me as more Alsatian to me, which is a good thing when done right. And in this case, it is a very very good thing. Imagine an entire section dedicated to housemade charcuterie. The fantastic Hungarian lamb sausage entree I sampled on my first visit earlier this spring was a fun surprise in both flavor and execution, with the paprika seasoning finished just so to give the tender meat an earthy spice. The sausage was served in a shareable plate style, with the charcuterie cut into three smaller pieces, delicately piled on toast points with a warm fingerling potato salad.[Apologies for the lack of photo - my light was terrible and all the pics are too fuzzy for posting.]

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With a flourish and a staff of literally dozens, SweetGreen opened their fifth storefront this morning on Capitol Hill.  Staffers and interns can rejoice in a new (and, more importantly) healthy lunch option.  While it may not be a ‘food desert,’ the healthier lunch options in the vicinity of the Congressional office buildings have been few and far between.

I took a walk past the Pennsylvania Avenue location at lunchtime, wondering just what I’d find in the old Trover Books space.  Would the green in SweetGreen show through?  Or would they emphasize the sweet to bring in the crowds?

As it turns out, there’s plenty of both with an entire floor’s worth of space left to spare.  And after an abbreviated opening (they closed early at 4 PM) yesterday, they’re now ready to handle the crowds from 11 AM to 10 pM daily.

After the jump, check out their fresh, local focus (and maybe some frozen yogurt while you’re at it). (more…)