Five on Food: Articles from the Wednesday Dining Pages

1) Sweet Heat. New York Times. In Brooklyn, summer is the season for jerk.

2) The Picnic Spread. Washington Post. Three caterers emphasize fresh and fast for a lovely picnic.

3) Spicing Up Sausages this Fourth of July. San Francisco Chronicle. Two dozen types of sausages for grilling.

4) Cool Drinks. LA Times. “Aguas frescas have a long tradition in Mexico and Latin America, where the “fresh waters” — made with fresh fruit or rice, tamarind pods or dried hibiscus flowers, sugar and water — are the perfect thirst-quencher for hot weather and sometimes-hotter cuisine.”

5) Dried Cherries Now Expand the Market to Year Round. Chicago Tribune. How an industry was rescued.

A Conversation with Bertrand Chemel of 2941

The charming chef has had several months to get into a groove at renowned 2941. What are some of his observations of his new home?

How did you decide on leaving Cafe Boulud for 2941?

“I knew when I turned 30, I was going to go on my own. But what I did not know is that Cafe Boulud would be reviewed that summer.  That made things tricky.  Half my career was with Daniel. I didn’t want to break that bridge. But if I didn’t leave, . . .  40 is just too late. So right after that review, I said, ‘I’m leaving the restaurant in good hands. I’m giving it back to you the way you gave it to me.’  I reminded [Boulud] he went out on his own when he was 30. I said I want to find out what I can do.”

How does your experience here differ from yours in New York?

“I have more time to think here than I did in New York. New York is very intense. So really, the challenge is for me to be known. In New York, there’s a restaurant on every corner. And working for Daniel– well, once you’re there you earn your name there.  My biggest challenge now is to surprise people and keep them remembering their experience.”

What’s one of your many aspirations for the restaurant?

“What I want to teach my cooks is a love of cooking. . . . .You have to look at a tomato and be excited and say wow, because it’s just great. My challenge is to teach them to have feeling.  And I think that our cooking is getting more refined and that makes me happy.”

How does restaurant culture differ between New York and Washington?

“It’s a family of chefs. I was very welcomed here in DC. You feel that everyone is close to each other even though everyone is competing. In New York, it is very difficult to go into someone’s restaurant and meet the chefs. If you don’t know them, it’s tough.”

“Here, it’s different. I went to see Eric Ziebold [of CityZen] two weeks ago and he came out and we talked. He said to ask if I needed help with anything. . . .  It’s unusual to have someone offer to help. That doesn’t happen as much in New York.”

 

 

Catching Up. . . .

Between interviewing for DC Chefs, guest blogging for The Food Section for two weeks, visiting family in Pawleys Island and at Atlantic Beach, celebrating a friend’s birthday (it’s today!), and hitting up the Rammys, it has been a busy couple of days.  Meatier posts as the week progresses.

BYO Sushi Concierge

I read the article on Trevor Corson’s Zen of Fish in the Washington Post awhile back, but wasn’t aware he’s hire. Courtesy of Food and Wine’s Mouthing Off:

Trevor is perhaps the country’s first sushi concierge (www.sushiconcierge.com). For a reasonable fee, not only will he chat with the chef and find out what’s good, but he can also show you how to eat your nigiri properly (dipping it fish-first into the wasabi-free soy sauce then downing it in one bite), fill you in on the history and biology of the seafood, and make funny jokes about lobsters in their boudoirs.

And from his website:

Available in New York City and Washington D.C. Trevor charges a flat fee for his time. If you like, you can buy him dinner as well, but it’s not required and does not affect the rate. However, Trevor does require a certain level of quality in the chef and restaurant.

So who needs a sushi concierge and where would you take him?

Five on Food: Articles from the Wednesday Dining Pages

1) Grill Desserts for Smoky, Carmelized Sophistication. LA Times. Grilled pound cake or Nutella sandwiches are the Marilyn of desserts: voluptuous temptations.

2) When “The Face” is Away. . . Washington Post.  “When the pickiest eater in the house is out of town, it can be fun to cook for one (and a half).”

3) Add a Splash of Ad-Lib. New York Times. Mark Bittman offers the basic formula for making terrific cocktails.

4) SF Firm Harvests Potential of Unused Land. San Francisco Chronicle. Don’t have time to grow your own? Have MyFarm do it for you in your backyard.

5) Dips and Chips Enter the 21st Century. Chicago Tribune.  I’m not sure if BLT dip, creamy basil onion, or roasted red pepper constitutes postmodern, but I’d try it.

(photo from today’s LA Times.)

Chefs on Bikes Profile: Heather Chittum of Hook

Local chefs and industry folks participating in Chefs on Bikes will roll through Washington on June 24th to raise money for Share Our Strength, “a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.” Hook Pastry Chef Heather Chittum will be a participant.

Q: What defines your work as we move into summer?  What are you most excited about or looking forward to?
A: As always my work is defined by the season and what local, fresh produce is available.  I am counting down the days until peaches are available.

Q: What kind of bike do you ride and what got you into riding motorcycles?
A: I actually ride a Vespa scooter, but for Chefs On Bikes I will be riding on the back of a Harley!

Q: When was your first Chefs on Bikes and what part of it holds the most appeal to you?A: This is my first Chefs on Bikes.  I suppose the greatest mystique will be seeing what everyone looks like when not in their chef whites, but in biker black….

Q:Is there anything else you’d like to share with customers or readers?  A: I just want to encourage people to get involved with Share Our Strength and their work to end childhood hunger.  I used to work for Share Our Strength so this organization and their mission hold a special place in my heart.

Want to support Heather’s efforts? Click here to contribute.

The Pop with Hop

Thanks to a bill sponsored by Del. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and Sen. Patsy Ticer (D-Alexandria) that amended the ABC’s law on alcohol content in prepared foods, Rustico will sell its summer brew pops as of tomorrow, the first day of summer.

After last year’s brouhaha, the news is sweet relief. Priced at $5 a pop, the icy treats come in seven flavors: Framboise, Cherry Kriek, Peche, Cassis, Banana, Plum and Chocolate Stout. 

 

 

 

Five on Food: Articles from the Wednesday Dining Pages

1) I Can’t Believe I Bought the Whole Thing. Washington Post. Where, how and why to buy local meat from the source.

2) Mexican Summer on a Stick. New York Times. Bittman’s take on paletas.

3) Still Buying Wine by the Bottle? Try the Case. LA Times.  Summer is for easy entertaining; be prepared. 

4) Celebrate the Solstice. San Francisco Chronicle. Provencal-style:

Thick lamb chops and spicy merguez sausages sizzle on the grill as they’re brushed with branches of wild rosemary dipped in olive oil. Long, brightly covered tables are set out on the grass terrace overlooking the fields. Pastis and rosé are poured liberally, and platters of tapenade toasts and bowls of olives are passed around the crowd.

5) Amazing Graze. Chicago Tribune. As is the case for DC restaurants and DelMarVa cheesemakers, Chicago chefs are wild about locally made goat cheese.

 

Chefs on Bikes Profile: Chris Cunningham of Dino

Local chefs and industry folks participating in Chefs on Bikes will roll through Washington on June 24th to raise money for Share Our Strength, “a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.” 

Over the next few days, I’ll feature Q & A’s with participants in this year’s event. First up,  Dino Mixologist, Chris Cunningham.

Q: What are some of your favorite drinks you’ve been making this summer?

 

A: I love gin and I can make those that say they hate it, love it.  Two of my favorite drinks are the korabella and the cucumber thyme refresher.  The korabella is a strawberry-basil gin fizz with a prosecco float. I muddle basil and strawberries then add gin, lemon sour and prosecco. And the cucumber thyme resfresher is gin with fresh lime juice, simple syrup, cucumber water and fresh thyme. It’s very aromatic.

 

Q: What moved you to decide to participate in Chefs on Bikes this year?

 

A: This will be my second Chefs on Bikes. Besides just being part of a great group of people riding for a cause, I’m really looking forward to having my girlfriend Cathy riding with me. That I love riding again and I really strongly believe in Share Our Strength has made me want to do it again.

 

Q: What’s the story behind your deciding to purchase a Triumph Tiger?

 

A: Through the years I have owned several sport bikes including Yamaha, Kawasaki and Honda. Fast forward to September 2007 and on a whim I felt like checking out some Triumph bikes after reading several motorcycle magazines. So I walked into the dealership and saw their bikes. When I saw the Tiger 1050, I knew I had to have it.  It was beautiful: fast, sleek, sexy…… An hour later I’m out the door with one.

 

Having not been on a bike in a year, I was a bit nervous. But this was a fast and nimble bike that responded to my every move. I have such a love affair with riding again and this bike in particular that I even got a Triumph tattoo on my arm a month later.

 

Q: What part of the ride are you most looking forward to?

 

A: The start is quite fun as you roll out in a massive group.  But the ride to Boyce through the Virginia  countryside is gorgeous.

 

Q. Anything else you’d like to share with customers or readers?

 

Just that I really love what I do and I love watching people enjoy my drinks and hospitality.  Pleasing others is very gratifying for me and I’m always looking to improve upon that.  If I can make someone’s day better, I have done my job.  

Want to support Chris’s efforts?  Click here to contribute.

 

Sweet Tea in DC

Someone got me a subscription to Garden and Gun, which is kinda funny since I don’t have either.  The writing is good, though– like a less obscure Oxford American.  Last month, John Currence from City Grocery did a piece on barbecue. This month, Rick Bragg writes on Miami’s “killer cuban sandwiches.” The food writing is lively and original. Whomever signed me up knew I’d like something in it.

Anyway, this month also features ”Sweet Tea: A Love Story” by Allison Glock– an interesting piece on the origins of the drink and its evangelists. 

My father, a doctor, explained to me that sweet tea is the devil’s brew, blood-sugar-wise. A glass of sweet tea is around 22 percent sugar, twice that of a can of cola. Add to that the ubiquitous free refills and you’re looking at enough sugar to choke Augustus Gloop.

What makes for perfect sweet tea?  Brew using a handful of bags of Lipton or Luzianne. Pour hot tea over a mound of sugar or simple syrup. Add water to dilute, stir and serve over ice.  People who use ”fancy stuff”– raspberries, using a coffee maker to brew, baking soda–”These people are annoying.”

Even though it’s so simple, apparently every sweet tea is different.  Her favorite is at The Chintzy Rose in Knoxville, Tennessee. “Notes of orange and lemon intertwine with the sharpness of the tea, all of it buoyed by a mysterious sweetness unlike your basic simple syrup.”

That said, sounds like the further south you go, the better the sweet tea. That would mean DC is too far north.  Even West Virginia is dubious. “My mother’s sweet tea was not the best, perhaps this is because she was from West Virginia, a place where people drink sweet tea with some ambivalence.”

Do people drink sweet tea here– the drink equivalent of icing?  And would anyplace here convert a skeptic?