Capital Spice

Toward the end of his stint at Vidalia, Chef RJ Cooper had jumped into the world of the multi-course “experience” tasting menu with both feet.  His “24″ menu got some great coverage from Tim Carman when he was still at the Washington City Paper, and when news came that his first solo concept would be Rogue 24, a restaurant built around the tasting menu, the buzz started building almost immediately.

We’re just a day away from opening now, and those who’ve had a chance to experience dishes firsthand – either in soft opening service over the weekend or at Cooper’s pop-up test run in New York City – have been raving.  We may not have been so lucky as to try the food yet, but we did get to stop by last Friday as Cooper was putting his team through their paces on a couple of dishes.  We got to see the open kitchen in the center of the room alive with activity, and we can only imagine how much more energy there will be when all the seats are filled, too.

Of course we took some pictures, and we also took the time to chat up sommelier Matthew Carroll about the challenges of creating appropriate pairings for a 24-course tasting menu while we were there.

Photos, conversation and “olive paper” after the jump. (more…)

View DC Summer Restaurant Week 2011 – Participating Restaurants in a larger map

It’s that time again – the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and Destination DC are about to make your afternoon.

About five minutes ago, the site for Washington’s 2011 Summer Restaurant Week went live with more than 200 participating restaurants around the Metro area. This year’s summer foodfest will run from Monday, August 15th, through Sunday, August 21st.  The OpenTable reservations for the most popular tables are probably disappearing while you read this!

With destinations from Trummer’s on Main in Clifton to Smith Commons on H Street, NE, you’ll find plenty of options in your neighborhood offering lunch deals for $20.11 and three-course dinners for $35.11.  But I know what you’re thinking: “This list is alphabetical.  How can I narrow down the choices to just the ones closest to where I live and work?”

That’s where we come in.

You can use the map above to zero in on the neighborhoods that matter most to you – just click on the link below the image to go to the Google map we created.  We’re going to be adding in the OpenTable links this afternoon so you can head there directly from here, but for now you’ll want to check the map and then go to OpenTable to make your reservations.

We’ve offered some advice on Restaurant Week from time to time.  If you haven’t seen it (or if you want a refresher), check out our recommendations after the jump.

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When it comes to dining in Alexandria, it’s hard to avoid Cathal Armstrong and his team – not that you’d want to.  Each of the Eat Good Food Group’s establishments offers a different dining experience, from the high-end tasting room at Restaurant Eve to the quick casual bite at Eamonn’s Dublin Chipper.

Until recently, the only thing missing from their repertoire was a laid-back space big enough to gather with friends for a fun night out. That’s where Virtue Feed & Grain comes in.  You can easily fit 350 of your closest friends into the space, though you’re probably better off sticking with six or eight at a time.  Walk in the front door of the former warehouse (and brewery), and you’ll have your choice of spaces where you can settle in with a good beer and a menu that takes comfort food to some new and tasty places.

We visited Virtue for an early dinner last Sunday and then returned for a late-night drink this weekend.  As you might expect, we found two very different but equally welcome scenes.  The constant?  Todd Thrasher’s inventive “hoptails” that take beer-based drinks far beyond the boilermaker and the shandy.

A tour of Old Town’s newest establishment after the jump.

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For most of us, July 4th is a day to sit back and relax as we celebrate our nation’s independence.  For Jose Andres, not so much.  The outgoing head of the ThinkFoodGroup has a busy Monday lined up, what with the opening of his new America Eats Tavern and his work with the National Archives’ “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam?” exhibit. We even got an inside tip on what he’ll be doing that morning (which we’ll share after the jump).

America Eats, conceived as a complement to the exhibit, is a pop-up restaurant that has possessed the body of Cafe Atlantico on 8th Street, NW in Penn Quarter.  The restaurant features seating on three levels and a significant facelift that focuses on iconic American images and artwork.  And although the menu is not yet complete, Andres has promised a bill of fare that will serve as a history lesson on a plate, featuring historically significant American recipes along with background information on where, when and why.

We had a chance to drop by the restaurant yesterday and take a look around.  They’ll be working around the clock between now and lunchtime Monday to make sure it’s all ready to go, but what we saw was already well on its way to completion, and there are some decorations that will make you stop and smile no matter where you enter the story of America’s dietary history.

Details and photos – including an impromptu chat with Archivist of the United States David Ferriero – after the jump. (more…)