February 2011

Restaurant News: VA Corkage, ShopHouse, Sprinkles Cupcakes

by Chad on February 24, 2011

In case you didn’t get enough of Ilan Hall yesterday with my review of The Gorbals, check out his ‘audition’ video for Dancing with the Stars. If you like his moves, make sure to ‘like’ his Facebook page.

Have you voted for Food & Wine’s Best New Chef – Mid-Atlantic yet? May we suggest voting for David Guas? Click on over and vote….pretty please?

It looks Virginia is getting BYOB rights! Very excited to have the ability to bring my own wine to Virginia restaurants.

In other news:

  • Chipotle has secured a name for their asian concept, ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen. According to GrubStreet the first location is heading to Washington, DC this spring.
  • The team behind Kaz Sushi Bistro & Masa 14 has named their taco place on 14th, El Centro D.F. - Spring 2011
  • Paciugo Gelato, a Dallas based gelato chain is heading to DC, with locations in Arlington or Alexandria up first.  - WBJ
  • Sprinkles – MORE CUPCAKES. Opening March 3rd in Georgetown. Starting February 28th,  they will be handing out free treats for two weeks, head over to Metrocurean for the details.
  • Raskia West End – I know Jenna is excited about the second Rasika opening in the West End.
  • Sabor’a Street is ready to roll.
  • Bistro Le Zinc, a French Bistro from the former chef of Brassiere Beck is slated for a Mid-April opening in Cleveland Park.
  • Hill Country BBQ opens March 12. Can’t wait to try some burnt-ends

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My Dinner Date with Top Chef Ilan Hall

by Chad on February 23, 2011

Sadly, I did not get to spend this Valentine’s Day preparing a romantic meal for my wife. Instead I was out in LA for the week for work. Naturally, my first stop whenever I land on the west coast is a trip to In-N-Out Burger, and after this recent trip I think I will have to add The Gorbals to my list of “must eats” when on the west coast. I was only in LA for a week and I ate there twice (ate at In-N-Out twice too).

I was a fan of Ilan Hall from his Top Chef days and I was dying to try his bacon wrapped matzoh balls and his GLT (a BLT with fried chicken skin subbing for the bacon). I headed directly to The Gorbals after my training ended, eager to enjoy a solo meal at the bar.

Here is the problem: it was Valentine’s Day. The most popular night for dining out all year and the one night of the year that you are most likely to get ripped off with an overpriced and poorly executed prix fixe meal. When I arrived at The Gorbals I was disappointed that they were not serving the full menu, and instead were serving a Valentines Day prix fixe dinner for $64. I was still excited to eat at the restaurant and the menu looked good, so I figured why not.

I scored a seat at the kitchen bar and ended up having the whole bar to myself with Ilan preparing the nights meal right in front of me.  I basically had my own private chef’s tasting menu. Not a bad way to spend Valentine’s Day when you’re 3,000 miles away from your wife. I spent my evening chatting with the staff and watching Ilan and his team prepare everything. Ilan and his staff couldn’t have been nicer or friendlier. I thought one of his sous-chefs had a thing for me when he topped my borscht with a whipped yogurt heart. The deep red borscht with a heart shaped dollop of whipped yogurt was a great way to set the mood for my romantic date with…..myself.

I had a such a good time at The Gorbals on Valentine’s Day that I headed back the next night to try the full menu. This is something I seldom do when visiting a city– I usually try to get  a diverse sampling of restaurants, but the team at The Gorbals left me wanting more.

There are two things on the menu at The Gorbals (ok, there are far more than two things) that I want to bring back to Washington, DC.

  • The first is the their policy on substitutions : “Each dish is a happy family of ingredients. Please don’t kidnap the children. No Substitutions.”  Great line.
  • The second item is the option to buy the kitchen a round of beers for $10. It’s a nice touch and a great way to thank the kitchen for serving a great meal.

Here are some of the highlights from The Gorbals.

[click to continue…]

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Vote for David Guas – Mid-Atlantic Best New Chef

by Chad on February 18, 2011

Friend of EatMore DrinkMore, Chef of delicious deliciousness, David Guas has been nominated by Food & Wine for Mid-Atlantic Best New Chef.  I love Bayou Bakery, I love the food, I love the vibe of the place. So lets give David the recognition he deserves. Enter a vote for him here.

As an added benefit, if David wins the Food & Wine Mid-Atlantic Best New Chef, and you’re a fan of his Facebook page, you could win a a Grand Prize for 2 – a trip to New Orleans [hotel, dining, and airfare.] Other prizes – office lunch for 10 [soup/salad, sandwich, drink], 5 king cakes for a Mardi Gras party, and a signed copy of DamGoodSweet.

Other notable DC nominees are Nick Stefanelli of Bibiana, David Giusti of 1789, and Kyle Bailey of Birch & Barley.

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Gimme More Yola!

by Jenna on February 16, 2011

No offense to the cupcake places, but the trend seems to be passing. And I love a good frozen yogurt joint just as much as the next girl, however there is something refreshing and unique about the new Yola on the south side of Dupont Circle. The warm and inviting space is much larger than it appears from the street, and boasts high ceilings, an exposed brick interior, cheery green colors throughout, and a spacious seating area towards the back for studying or enjoying a snack. Yola offers breakfast and lunch options with fresh (not frozen) yogurt at the forefront of their menu as well as smoothies, teas, and coffees. I was immediately drawn to the “build your own yogurt parfait” as it took me back to my days as a kid at TCBY where I would layer on the toppings and flavors so I could enjoy the best of everything.

Yola in Dupont Circle

Yola has multiple yogurt flavors to choose from including greek style yogurt, maple, peach, black cherry, raspberry, and the delectable chocolate. The chocolate is almost like a pudding but milder and works so well with the fruit and crunchy toppings. I threw in strawberries, slivered almonds, granola, and crushed graham cracker and mixed the whole thing up so each bite was filled with flavor. Other toppings include banana, blackberries, blueberries, coconut, honey, jam, mint, mango, peaches, muesli, dates and more. The possibilities are endless and they change the toppings seasonally as well to provide the freshest ingredients. In addition to the “build your own” option, they also have signature parfaits on the menu such as the yogurt oatmeal parfait which I think I’ll have to try this weekend for breakfast. The smoothies sounded delicious as well and I was particularly intrigued by the “PBJ” which includes bananas, blueberries, jam, peanut butter, almond milk, and yogurt. Yum.

Yola's interior is bright and cheerful.

Yola's menus hang from the ceilings

Yola's Interior

Lots of flavors and toppings to choose from

My delicious concoction of chocolate yogurt, almonds, granola, and graham cracker

Yola shares a similar sensibility to Sweetgreen (one of my other favorites). Both are homegrown places that are environmentally conscious and focused on natural ingredients. Yola was founded by a local father and daughter team and all of their products are biodegradable, compostable, renewable, and sustainable.

Yola is an exciting concept because it is the first fresh yogurt parfait bar around, but it also offers such a nice alternative to the Caribou Coffee or Starbucks on the corner. They are open until 9PM on Monday through Saturday and offer plenty of comfortable seating options to hang out with friends, read a book, or enjoy a delicious parfait. I know that I’ll be spending a lot of time at Yola in the upcoming months, and I am glad to have something new and local to support in town.

Yola
1323 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20035
www.yoladc.com

 

Yola on Urbanspoon

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Eating & Drinking with EatMore DrinkMore

by Chad on February 15, 2011

We were recently inspired by a piece from our friends at We Love DC where they provided a list of all of their dining experiences in January, as well as the best dishes they ate throughout the month. In true blogger form, what’s the point of eating good food and not sharing it with others? Therefore, we thought we would follow suit on a great idea and also share some of our best meals that we enjoyed across the month of January.

Where We Ate:

  • Chad: Masa14 (2x), Cork, El Pollo Rico, Solar Crepes, Pupatella, Cassatt’s, Bibiana, Rocklands BBQ, brgr:shack, Birches (Baltimore), Upper Crust Gourmet, The Majestic, Rustico, Tachibana, Sweetgreen, Taylor Gourmet
  • Jenna: Casa Nonna (3x), Clyde’s, Central, Palena, P.J. Clarke’s, Poste, Bourbon Steak (2x), Proof, Le Bernardin (NY), Babbo (NY), Corsino Cantina (NY), Almond (NY), Brabo, Logan Tavern, Commissary, Sweetgreen, Oyamel, Dino, Estadio
  • Britt: Cava (Bethesda &  Hill locations), Cork, Pupatella, Pupuseria Dona Azucena, Farmers & Fishers, Bibiana, Screwtop (4x), The Wine Kitchen, Woodmont Deli (hidden gem in Bethesda), Taco Baja, Huong Viet, Uptown Deli, Rays the Steaks, Guajillo

Best Deal:

  • Chad: $10 off a bottle of wine when you purchase two pizzas ($9-12 each) at Pupatella. There is a lot of competition out there for pizza and Pupatella is my absolute favorite.
  • Jenna: Monday night bottomless spaghetti and meatballs at Casa Nonna which also includes caesar salad and cannoli for $18 per person. Can’t beat it, and the food is delicious. Check out our review here.
  • Britt: $1.50 papusas at Pupuseria Dona Azucena. Check out our review here.

Best Overall Dish:

  • Chad: I really loved the avocado toasts with crushed pistachios at Cork. Simple and delicious.
  • Jenna: Indian tomato curry mussels from the Brabo tasting room in Old Town. I’ve honestly been thinking about them since I ate them a few weeks ago, and cannot wait to go back.
  • Britt: A toss-up betweent the lamb carpaccio at Bibiana and grilled beef grape vines from Huong Viet.

Biggest Food Disappointment:

  • Chad: brgr:shack, they’re new, so I will reserve judgement until they get their feet under them.
  • Jenna: P.J. Clarke’s… there are almost no healthy options which makes it hard to order.
  • Britt: Farmers & Fishers just didn’t deliver. It’s a shame since I love Founding Farmers.

Favorite New Find:

  • Chad: The brunch at Masa 14 is phenomenal. If you have a large group of people or just want to spend the day drinking and eating innovative food, this is the place to go.
  • Jenna: The $25.00 prix fixe brunch at Dino in Cleveland Park. Check out our review here.
  • Britt: The Wine Kitchen. Amazing and TOTALLY worth the drive out to Leesburg. Check out our review here.

Best Service:

  • Chad: Easily The Majestic. You may be eating meatloaf, but that doesn’t mean you’re not getting high-end service.
  • Jenna: Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin in New York. This restaurant defines impeccable service. Check out our review here.
  • Britt: Well… I am going to say the waitresses at Taco Baja.

Best Drinks:

  • Chad: The Rye Bacon Bloody Mary at Masa 14 is always a great way to start your brunch.
  • Jenna: Margarita pitchers at Oyamel. Classic, but so good. Check out our review here.
  • Britt: The Wine Kitchen. Cheap flights that are full of creativity.

Favorite Oldie but Goodie:

  • Chad: Cassatt’s on Lee Highway. It’s a little out of the way and caters to a neighborhood crowd. They have a perfectly executed ham, caramelized onion, and swiss omelette  that I can’t resist.
  • Jenna: Clyde’s. I grew up going to the one in my hometown of Columbia, Maryland (Chad’s also), and I still don’t get sick of the food and always appreciate how they change the menu. I had a great crabcake sandwich there last week and it’s the perfect place to go when you don’t know what you’re in the mood for because they offer everything.
  • Britt: Huong Viet. My meals are almost always spot on and the prices can’t be beat.

The team at EatMore DrinkMore spends a lot of time eating and drinking, and we’ll be sure to update you on a regular basis with our latest and greatest experiences around town. What new places are you eating at? 

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