Capital Spice

Good news, Eastern Market!  At 11 AM tomorrow, Pitango Gelato will open its third DC location next door to the original Peregrine Espresso.  Damn – now I’m craving an affogato.

When we got word that tomorrow would be opening day, we immediately took a walk over to Eastern Market to check out the space.  We had been watching the construction with interest, but the news that they were ready still took us by surprise.  What we saw when we got there was a Pitango shop that was just about ready for business.

A few more shots of the interior after the jump. (more…)

Think back to that first episode of Top Chef Las Vegas in August of 2009.  What was your first impression of “Mike I?”

Photo Credit: Greg Powers

Chances are, the Zaytinya chef registered as loud, brash and maybe even a bit obnoxious.

Now picture him in the final episode of Top Chef All-Stars this spring.  The Graffiato chef/owner was composed and thoughtful, but still easy-going and clearly enjoying himself.  Within a year and a half he had evolved from a subject of criticism to one of pride among supporters of the DC dining scene.

When the first patrons taste his food at Graffiato’s opening tonight, that evolution will be on full display.  The concept is his.  The menu is his.  The kitchen is his.  It’s been a team effort to get here, for sure, but this is his show.

Buzz surrounding Graffiato’s opening has reached a fever pitch over the past few weeks (we fueled the fire a month ago when we saw Chef Isabella and he teased “Could be two weeks!”).  This is absolutely one of the most anticipated restaurants of the year, and details about the pizza oven, the local partners and the prosecco on tap have only made us more eager to actually taste the food.

We had a chance to stop by for a First Look as the Graffiato team was working through some of the finishing touches in advance of tonight’s opening.  Photos and some more details on what to expect after the jump. (more…)

I have a special place in my heart for a well prepared Old Fashioned. It has been the Christmas Eve cocktail of choice since I was old enough to be handed down a (significantly watered-down) tumbler of my very own.  So long Shirley Temples, I was on my way! I smile whenever I overhear someone ordering a White Russian, immediately thinking back to our wedding reception where our friend Jeremy -who is no lily-livered drinker, let me tell you – got completely bombed on them. It was awesome.

Cocktails, so quickly tied to personal history, are typically accidental passengers in the larger history of the world. Gin and tonic? Originally a medicinal flavoring employed by sweating Brits in India to keep malaria at bay.  Gin is actually a derivation of genever, a traditional Belgian spirit that British soldiers took back with them from the battle lines of Europe after watching Belgian and Dutch soldiers swig it and fight with “Dutch courage.”

DC-based writer Orr Shtuhl and illustrator Elizabeth Graeber brought a lightheartedness to the history of some classic drinks and classic cocktail personalities in their new book An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails. Where some might dive into an exhaustive, unending tome on every cocktail nuance, the duo delivers a fun sprinkling of history mixed with lively illustrations.

The book is a great addition to any cocktail bar and is available on esty. But really, why would you buy it online when you can check out a book launch party in DC this week? The parties are open to the public and they are in some of the best cocktail lounges in DC. Reading about cocktails, much like drinking them, is an activity best pursued with like-minded boozers like you folks.

Parties start at 7pm:

June 20: Room 11, Columbia Heights
June 21: Bourbon, Adams Morgan
June 22: Breadsoda, Glover Park
June 27: The Passenger, Convention Center

The action may have been at home plate for Nationals fans in last night’s 8-6 victory over the Cardinals, but four newcomers to the stadium stole the show out in center field.  Last night saw the debut of the new lineup along the Miller Lite Scoreboard Walk, with four of the Union Square Hospitality Group’s restaurants open for business. Fans can now enjoy burgers and custard from Shake Shack, barbecue from Blue Smoke, fries from Box Frites and tacos from El Verano Taqueria in addition to the already robust lineup of stadium concessions.

If the stadium location is anything like the Connecticut Avenue site that opened last month, you’ll need to brave lines longer than the Nats’ six-run rally last night to sample the Shack Burgers and custard creations.  Get there early – they’re worth it.  We had a chance to take a look at the four new concessions and some of their menu items before last night’s game, and we’ve got a first look at each.

The operations team at Nationals Park worked on the deal with Union Square Hospitality Group for more than a year.  They saw Danny Meyer and his variety of restaurant concepts (not to mention his success with a similar venture at the Mets’ Citi Field) as a “premium” offering that could help to elevate the experience at the stadium.  The new concessions are part of an effort to rebrand the Miller Lite Scoreboard Walk as a place that offers more ambience.  To that end, shade sails and cafe lights help to tie everything together in an “open market” atmosphere, creating a park within a park.

We got to talk with Meyer before the game.  As the restaurateur put it, the goal with the stadium offerings was to present “destination-worthy” food that was still in keeping with the kinds of food you would want to see at a ballpark.  “No one wants fussy food at a game,” said Meyer, “but concessions aren’t playing to a captive audience like they once were.  We want to offer restaurant-quality food that’s as accessible as fast food.”  He indicated that USHG had an opportunity to work with the concession employees that would be staffing the four restaurants, encouraging them to embrace the Union Square mentality of quality service at all price points.

Check out El Verano’s tasty tacos, Shake Shack’s stadium-only specials, Blue Smoke’s ‘cue and Box Frites’ dipping sauces – along with copies of all four venues’ menus – after the jump.

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Admit it.  There’s at least one cuisine out there that intimidates you.  Whether it’s because of a language barrier, a seemingly complicated dining ritual or unfamiliar ingredients, you’re content to enjoy the countless other restaurants in the DC area and leave that one cuisine to the initiated.

Whatever your hang-up, Northern Virginia Magazine’s Warren Rojas wants to help.  Beginning with the June issue of the magazine (currently on newstands), he’s enrolling his readers in “Food U,” a hand-held guide to some of the most intriguing (and intimidating) cuisines that can be found in NoVA communities.  He’s hoping to help readers better understand the cultural identities that go into iconic dishes with the goal of encouraging them to step outside their culinary comfort zones.

When we first heard about the concept and its online counterpart, Graze Anatomy, we reached out to Rojas to find out what he has in store for readers.  He walked us through the concept, the connection between the Food U piece and the online video, and an early taste of the next edition.

Details after the jump.

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