FOODSERVICE MONTHLY'S Sauce on the Side

Save the Date: April 26 ... Restaurants: Sign Up Today for 'Dining Out for Life'

For all my chef friends and restaurateurs: Dining Out for Life is April 26 ... and they need your restaurant to particpate.

What Is Dining Out for Life?

On Thursday, April 26, over 150 restaurants throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area will donate 25-100 percent of their proceeds to Food & Friends.

Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraising event involving the generous participation of volunteers, corporate sponsors and restaurants. In exchange for their financial support, restaurants are listed in a city wide marketing campaign in an effort to increase customer traffic.

In 1991, Dining Out For Life was created by an ActionAIDS volunteer in Philadelphia. Dining Out is now produced in 60 cities throughout the United States and Canada.

More than 3,000 restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from this one special day of dining to the licensed AIDS service agency in their city. More than $3 million dollars a year is raised to support the missions of 60 outstanding HIV/AIDS service organizations throughout North America. With the exception of the annual licensing fee of $1,150, all money raised in these cities stays locally.

Dining Out For Life International is a 501(c)4 nonprofit.

Here is a random, partial list ... just to give you a feel for the company you will keep by joining your fellow restaurateurs ... click the link here for the complete list ... it's impressive:

Annie's Paramount Steak House, Ristorante Tosca, Bistrot Du Coin, Hank's Oyster Bar, Busboys & Poets, Dino Restaurant, Le Chat Noir, BAR-CODE Restaurant, Beacon Bar & Grill, Cashion's Eat Place, The Federalist, Firefly, Fujimar Restaurant, Mintwood Place, Perry's, Pesce, Pizzeria Paradiso, Ray's The Classics, Tabard Inn, Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar, Utopia Bar & Grill, Veranda, zpizza

If you want to learn more or you're ready to sing on click here: Sign Up a Restaurant

If you want to be in all the promo material the deadline is Friday, February 24 ... but the reality is you can join the cause at any time ... think about doing it today.

You can follow on Twitter: @foodandfriends or LIKE them on Facebook.

It's all about the right thing to do ... and then we need to go to your restaurant on April 26, enjoy a great meal and make a difference!

 

 

Unintended Consequences ... A Fine Meal at Acacia Bistro & Wine Bar

I thought I would use this week's hot buzz word combo ... before retiring it to the hackneyed bin ... but I figure I can get away with a good "unintended consequence."

I stopped by Calvert Woodley Wine & Spirits the other day to pick up a bottle of Dolin vermouth for my favorite drink du jour ... the Rob Roy made with Dolin, Highland Park 12 and Tillen Farms naturally sweetened Merry Maraschino cherries.

Across the street and down a block is where I found my unexpected Van Ness, Washington DC pleasure ... the Acacia Bistro & Wine Bar, the new home for chef Ravi Narayanan. I'm not really into reviewing food anymore but I had a great meal ... simply, it tasted like someone cared. And the dish I kept thinking about was the Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Mascarpone. The chef was in and after lunch we talked. In this hospitality world, even after he tried to tell me he didn't know anyone in Washington, it turns out his sister was best friends with my dear friend, the late Joan Hisaoka. With that wonderful connection, I knew Ravi had to be a good guy ... and he can cook, too.

Narayanan describes his kitchen work as based on his interpretation of “terroir cuisine” which embraces a sense of place, culture and history. He said, “Cuisine of the moment, cuisine natural, and cuisine   inspiration are the three pillars to my philosophy.”

He is the midst of introducing a new menu at Acacia that is “healthy, natural and a mix of  classic, modern Mediterranean Cuisine."

Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Mascarpone

Serves 4 – Main Course

2# - Butternut Squash – halved, wrapped in foil

6 cup – Butternut Squash Stock – Note Below

1 each – Onion, chopped fine

4 T – Unsalted Butter, separated in half

1 ½ cup – Arborio Rice

5 T – Parmigiano Reggiano, grated fine

1 t – Salt

4 T – Mascarpone

Olive Oil – As Needed

1.     Pre heat oven 450’

2.     Cut squash lengthwise in half, drizzle each half with olive oil and wrap in foil.

3.     Place squash on baking sheet and roast till soft.

4.     Place squash pulp in bowl, and heat stock till simmer.

5.     Heat over medium heat sauté pan and add ½ butter.

6.     Add onion to sauté pan and sweat. DO NOT BROWN ONION.

7.     Add Arborio Rice till rice is coated with butter and onions.

8.     Add stock to rice till stock just covers risotto and always stir.

9.     Continue to stir risotto and add stock when it has been absorbed.

10.  When all liquid has been absorbed add salt, squash pulp, and remaining butter OFF HEAT.

11.  While stirring add parmigiano Reggiano

12.  Divide risotto among 4 plates, and place marscapone on top.

13.  Enjoy.

Note: Squash Stock – After roasting squash I make a stock with the roasted butternut squash stock skin, seeds, 1 garlic clove, 1 small onion, 1 carrot diced, sprig of thyme, bay leaf, sprig of parsley, water to cover. Cook stock for 1 hour and strain into pot. Make sure that you have 6 cups for recipe.

RIS Walk 60 ... Day 2

Yesterday I wrote about Day 1 of Ris Lacoste's journey to add walking for a purpose to her life. I hope that Day 2 was just as rewarding ... and Day 3 will be easier. If you read my post, you'll see I talked about the rigors of staying within a set schedule ... today my walk couldn't happen until after 4 p.m., but I did make it happen and I feel good about myself.

I got a couple of calls about the iPhone app ... the one I use is Nike+ GPS and you can view it in iTunes here. It's $1.99 and that's it ... you'll be amazed with all you can track, view and enjoy, that is if you committed to walking and running.

I also particpate in the The President's Challenge. The President's Challenge is a presidential awards program to motivate all Americans to start and maintain a regular physical activity program for health and overall well being. The Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) recognizes both youth and adults for 6 weeks of physical activity on at least 5 days a week: adults are eligible for the PALA if they are active at least 30 minutes a day or if they walk 10,000 steps a day measured by a pedometer; youth ages 6 to 17 are eligible for the PALA if they are active 60 minutes a day or walk 11,000 (girls) to 13,000 (boys) steps a day. A log for the PALA may be downloaded from the program Web site
www.presidentschallenge.org.

Considering the attention exercise and food have gotten recently, you might think this initiative is a recent creation ... no, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports was established as the President's Council on Youth Fitness, on July 16, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower after the President learned the results of a report indicating that American children were less fit than European youth. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy expanded the mandate to all Americans as well as youth. We've been working toward fat and lazy for some time now, ignoring the warning signs and efforts to get us up and out.

OK, enough of all this ... consider walking, consider supporting Ris (I do) but must of all, do it for yourself. We'll check back with Ris in a week or so and see how's she doing.

 

Take A Walk on the West End ... With Ris!

Ris Lacoste, chef and owner of RIS, has declared she is going to to walk an hour a day for a "healthier, happier 2012."  She started today and I hear that 30 folks showed up to support her effort and hit the streets of DC. And it just so happens, today is the first day of American Heart Month.

Now Ris says she will walk from 12 noon to 1pm following a designated daily route that originates from her restaurant, RIS, at the corner of 23rd and L Streets, NW.  I started walking as a primary source of exercise on April 16, 2008 ... at the time I was 25 pounds overweight at 185, the highest weight of my life. The hour commitment is perfect but I bet Ris will have to be more flexible with the time slot -- her life is busier than mine and I have shuffled that hour from early in the morning to after 7 p.m. in the summer ... I just insist on daylight. Just like today, I couldn't walk with Ris, but as you can see from my Nike plus chart, I fouind my hour at 8:35. Thursday will be an afternoon walk when I get back from a DC meeting.

Back to Ris: The new program, RIS Walk 60, also supprts a heart-healthy cause. For every mile walked, Ris is asking walkers to donate $1 to the George Washington Women’s Heart Center. “The program’s mission is to save lives and improve the quality of life for women at risk of cardiovascular disease in Washington, DC,” said program director Dr. Jannet Lewis, M.D. Anchored by five outstanding cardiologists and leaders in their fields, the program has a special interest in reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in women. “Although heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, many women do not understand their greatest health threats,” she added.
 
Ris’ mother died of heart disease in 2010, making the cause all the more personal. “As a chef I realize I am in the unique position not only to feed people fresh, whole foods, but also to walk with them on the path to better health,” Ris added, “I hope that everyone will join me as we walk together for our own health and the hearts of the women we love.”
 
I will be walking in support of you Ris. The goal of the program is to walk 25,000 miles in 2012 to raise $25,000 for the GW Women’s Heart Center. For more information visit RIS online (www.risdc.com) or call (202) 730-2500.

OK ... here comes my spiel on walking. I know I started on April 16, 2008 because I still have the info up on my section of the Nike plus website. When I started, I did it with a special Nike shoe and my iPod nano. Today, I don't need any special shoes but can do everything through my iPhone app. I mean everything except the actual walking. It tracks and posts my time, miles, pace, calories burned and best times. It tracks by day, month, year ... I set goals ... I participate in challenges with people all over the world. Now it is true that all the lingo is for runners ... but we play along side them. And there is no cheating. I walk and the phone will upload the data. I can give info on the weather and my mood and it tracks that. It all works to motivate me. And as you can see, the GPS gives me a map of my day's trip.

I also use a webite info area on walking at about.com. I get the Baumgarnder newsletter and read it for tips, news, health information, equipment sugggestions, exercise routines.

So Ris, do whatever it takes to motivate yourself. I know you have a strong will, but we all need support. The great thing is you can walk anywhere ... from the beach to the flat grid of Chicago to the colorful neighborhoods of Queens to Central Park. In my neighborhood I've made friends, learned some secrets, found about $30 over four years and found an abandoned asylum. It's all good.

Everything usually comes up with unintended consequences ... mine was as I gained an appreciation for being properly hydrated, I lost a taste for Diet Coke. From two or more a day, I now have one a year, maybe. Actually, I would rather have a real Coke ... so I'll buy an occasional Mexican Coca-Cola made with pure cane sugar.

WALK ... walk for yourself, walk for a healthier life, walk for Ris ... whatever it takes ... go for a walk.

 

 

 

Live on Seventh St DC ... It's Foodie & the Beast at Carmine's

OK, as promised Sunday morning at Carmine’s DC came and so did the Foodie & the Beast duo (David and Nycci Nellis), their guests and a vocal fan base bolstered by a rowdy (but polite) food press, bloggers and PR contingent. Jeffrey Bank, Carmine's CEO, welcomed the morning crew gathered for the 11 a.m. - 12 noon radio show on WFED-AM 1500. Mixologist Erin Ward, also the corporate beverage director soothed the thirsty throats with a healthy Carmine's sangria and the show was showing quite nicely its ability to deliver an entertaining "variety" live remote.  

The heavy Tweeters had their devices clicking so I'm peppering this post with a few of my favorite tweetsmiths. Their witticisms and reporting is always appreciated by this follower. 

 

Nycci Nellis, www.thelistareyouonit.com, is uber bright and she knows how to win over an audience when she opened the guest cavalcade with the ebullient Michel Richard . He didn't even have to cook and he had them eating out of his hand with his devilish sense of humor and irresistible twinkle. If radioland had listeners that maybe knew of his talent and his restaurants but had never listened to him before ... well, I believe he has a few more fans today.

If you need proof of a visual nature check out this YouTube link for taped episodes of Foodie & the Beast. I'll be watching for the YouTube version of today's show to hit the Web ... and I'll replace the link here. Stay tuned. As soon as the next Carmine's date it set, I will also post that information for those that will want to get in their show ticket requests. With a plan for one show at Carmine's a quarter, it looks like the earliest date could be April.

The fast paced show included an impressive guest list: Jeff Black (Black Restaurant Group), Scott Drewno (The Source), Brian MacNair (DC Central Kitchen), Joan Nathan (award winning author of 10 cookbooks), and Nicholas Stefanelli (Bibiana). I left before the Carmine's kitchen let loose with the food ... and I was always on the outer edge of the beverage deployment, but it sounds like all were greatly appreciated.

I left early so I'll let my PR friend Amber Pfau sum up the morning as I headed to Starbucks for a hot chocolate and a pastry on my way home and back to work.

Yes, we must do it again.

 

 

Carmine's Meets Foodie & the Beast ... off, off, way off Broadway

Foodie & the Beast duo (aka David and Nycci Nellis) have jumped off the cyber/radio wave they’ve been riding with Nycci's www.thelistareyouonit.com to meet a New York transplant: Carmine’s family style Italian restaurant in Penn Quarter, Washington , DC. The meeting (ala a live remote radio broadcast of the weekly show on 1500 am) will take place in the front bar area on the 7th Street storefront side from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on this Sunday, January 15. Show up and you’ll be accompanied by perhaps a couple hundred friends, fans, foodies and a few beasts, no doubt.

Foodservice Monthly met with the show hosts and Jeffrey Bank, CEO of The Alicart Restaurant Group owner of Carmine’s at the DC location. Bank, who opened Carmine’s in August 2010 said he became aware of David and Nycci at the very beginning and has been a fan of the radio broadcast. Regarding his initial interest in hosting the show he said, “The show is fun but it’s also serious about food. Early on I wanted to find out how can we get more involved.”

David Nellis gave me his take on Foodie & the Beast, “It’s a variety show.” The show is an hour long cavalcade of guests, including on any given Sunday chefs, farmers, restaurateurs, food activists, authors, bartenders, sommeliers … if you’re engaging and connected to hospitality, you are a potential visitor and possessing a little juicy gossip might be a tipping point. It’s hard to imagine radio broadcasting such sensory experiences as food wine and cocktails but the enthusiasm, energy and talent of the hosts and guests make it a hospitality happening. If you need proof of a visual nature check out this YouTube link for taped episodes of Foodie & the Beast.

Nycci Nellis is the founder, publisher of www.thelistareyouonit.com … the leading event and in-the-know electronic newsletter and hospitality resource in the Metro region.

Carmine's has committed to hosting one remote broadcast with Foodie & the Beast each quarter during 2012. For the first show, Nycci and David haven’t taken any chances by bringing on board an all-star lineup starting with the event hosts Jeffrey Bank, Chef Terry and Mixologist Erin Ward. Then in alphabetical order to protect myself: Jeff Black (Black Restaurant Group), Scott Drewno (The Source), Brian MacNair (DC Central Kitchen), Joan Nathan (award winning author of 10 cookbooks), Michel Richard and Nicholas Stefanelli (Bibiana).

Carmine’s has tickets for the show for $35 that will include Carmine’s food fare as well as Bloody Marys and Mimosas throughout the broadcast. If you can’t make it, you can find it on the air at WFED-AM, 1500.

 

 

Memories … Bon Appetit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian

It was August 2002 … and I was working on the eighth issue of Foodservice Monthly. Our wonderful marketing columnist, the late Karen Cathey, a national officer in the American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF), was busy making arrangements for Julia Child’s visit to Washington D.C. for the opening of Bon Appetit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian. She also celebrated her 90th birthday at 1789 with the help of AIWF during her visit when Ris Lacoste gathered an A-team of Washington chefs to cook for everyone’s favorite woman of food.

The National Museum of American History Media Event

Karen made sure I was on the press list for the media opening the morning before the 1 p.m. public opening on August 19, 2002. I was there (with my camera, of course) … maybe one hour early so I wouldn’t miss my first live opportunity to meet Julia Child, the genesis of my culinary journey.

A Little History

I still have my yolk-stained Mastering the Art of French Cooking (with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, Knopf, 1961) that I used to learn how to make the joy known as Béarnaise sauce from page 84. Oh, I can’t forget the Coq au Vin (page 263) I made for the first French chef I worked for at the Atlanta Sheraton Biltmore. For some curious reason I thought this novice could cook for a chef. For a kid who grew up in Macon, Ga., I was in a non-drug induced (it was circa 1972) food nirvana whenever Julia was on television … teaching this young hotel food and beverage purchasing agent to be confident in the kitchen. The coq au vin was spot on (at least the chef said so).

The Press Forms a Line

Short interviews/photos with Julia were scheduled in advance and I was in third position that crazy morning … ahead of some national morning television crews who were upset they couldn’t bump the “unimportant” news outlets from the lineup. The important folks who showed up late were a little tense that morning with the word that Julia at 90 was recovering from back surgery and when she tired, the press session would end. I got in and maybe two or three others did before an obviously exhausted Julia asked to leave.

A No-Shoes Interview

You’ve seen the pictures taken from outside the kitchen looking in.  On this day Julia sat at her table  and for the interview, we were allowed to enter and join her … that is after we took our shoes off – socks only for entering the domain of JC. If you read the diary online of project manager Nanci Edwards you will learn what I did that day … the floor is not a floor, rather it’s a digitized copy of her home kitchen Armstrong linoleum flooring. We were walking on, in reality, a photo of her kitchen floor. There were asbestos fears in dismantling the Cambridge floor and the pattern had been discontinued. In comes the Smithsonian graphics department to take over and paste the image on top. I talked to Julia Child that morning sans shoes ... in her kitchen.

In the end, my interview (with a couple of pictures that I took) was simply an exchange of pleasantries. She asked me about Foodservice Monthly and we talked about when I saw her from afar at the Monterey Wine Festival in 1979 where she appeared on stage with an up and coming chef from France Jacques Pepin.Twenty years later they worked together in the award winning Julia Child & Jacques Pépin Cooking at Home. She smiled. I was thrilled and wished her a happy birthday.

Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian was originally scheduled to close in February 2004 ... but the crowds kept it open until January 8, 2012. But don't despair if you missed it, the Smithsonian will take the show apart, clean it and then rebuild it later this year for another larger show that will be announced soon.

An Italian Holiday Culinary Serenade: Masoodi and Amendola Dazzle at Da Mimmo's in Little Italy, Baltimore

Christmas 2011 brings together two chefs … two worlds … and a common bond of food and hospitality in the Baltimore community of Little Italy at Da Mimmo. But there’s more to the story … it's about friends, family and the human connection that is more than just business as usual. The two chefs, Masood Masoodi and Pasquale Amendola, are top toques at Da Mimmo and Scirocco … Balitmore, USA and Positano, Italy respectively.

They arrived at their current friendship stage in their lifework journeys along rather diverse paths. After working at Da Mimmo for 14 years from 1989 to 2003, the passing of chef/proprietor Mimmo Cricchio meant that Masood Masoodi was next in line to become the executive chef of one of the leading destination dining locations in Baltimore. Before taking that monumental leap forward in his career, Masoodi asked Da Mimmo proprietor Mary Ann Cricchio if he could get a hands-on immersion into the world of Italian cooking. Cricchio arranged for Masoodi to take a working sabbatical to work at one of the Leading Hotels of the World, Le Sirenuse Hotel in Positano, Italy. There he met chef Pasquale Amendola.

As the two chefs worked together in Italy they would take their breaks and walk down to the Mediterranean Sea. Chef Amendola had to take those opportunities to relieve the pain in his ankle by soaking his foot in the cool sea ... so that he could manage to complete his 18-hour work day. His ankle had been seriously injured in a car/Vespa accident ... the car had pinned his ankle and subsequent surgery locked the ankle in one position. Later as he advanced his career, Amendola left Le Sirenuse and opened his own restaurant Scirocco, but the ankle pain became a daily burden.

In March, Amendola visited the United States for the first time to cook with his good friend, Masoodi at Da Mimmo. The two planned an Amalfi Coast dinner and Amendola brought authentic ingredients from his local producers. However, the two did not know if this dinner would come to fruition because the Italian chef was in such pain. He could not stand on his long-injured ankle.

Mary Ann Cricchio remembered whenever her late husband had trouble with his feet they turned to Mark S. Meyerson, M.D., one of the world's foremost experts on foot and ankle reconstruction and injury at The Institute for Foot and ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center. Meyerson told Amendola that he could operate on his ankle, giving him mobility and most importantly, relieving him of his pain ... something that doctors in Italy and Germany told him they could not do. He gave him temporary relied to allow the March dinner to go on. Plans were placed into motion for the December operation to improve the quality of Amendola's life.

Fast forward to tonight's "cooking class" at Da Mimmo and Masoodi and Amendola are working together again ... only 13 days after a successful American operation on the Italian chef's ankle. He is continuing his "working" recuperation in Little Italy with his Da Mimmo "family" until his final release by Meyerson and his return to Positano in the second week of January.

On this evening, a week before Christmas, an overflow gathering of friends of Da Mimmo gathered in the upstairs dining room for a dinner class with the two chefs conducting the culinary tour. With Massodi taking the lead, the two worked through a menu and demonstration of cooking techniques /ingredients for Tuscan Onion Soup, Penne Amatriciana, Veal Spiedini with Polenta and Grilled Pear and Banana with Almonds and Mascarpone Cream.

Amendola's daughter Veronica assisted in the service of the meal with the Da Mimmo staff. 

The FOTO GALLERY with a collection of the evening in pictures can be found by clicking here.

 

 

Georgetown Jingle Plays a Comforting Child’s Cancer Tune of Hope

Linda Roth writes the Latest Dish column for Foodservice Monthly – the monthly insider’s recounting of the goings on in the DC dining scene. The current column is here: Download FSM latest 1211. As a resident of Georgetown, she also works as our investigative reporter … looking for even more good deeds where members of the restaurant community donate time, talent and great food, like at the Georgetown Jingle held Sunday at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington DC.

In the photo are members of the RIS team: Will Quartel, Sarah Biglan, Jarla and Bill Ulman.

The event benefits the mission of Georgetown University Hospital’s Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation. The hospital specialists deliver compassionate family-centered, state-of-the-art clinical care and education through a multi-disciplinary approach in an academic environment grounded in spiritual and ethical values. Since 2006, the Georgetown Jingle team has supported that mission by raising funds to support the creation and establishment of a Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Georgetown University Hospital (GUH). In addition, the proceeds from the Georgetown Jingle have also supported the Cancer Survivorship Program at Georgetown University Hospital. The program at Georgetown University Hospital provides comprehensive on-going follow-up care for children to ensure they have a fulfilled life after cancer. This year, the 2011 Georgetown Jingle, will expand its support to include support for the continued growth and evolution of the Pediatric Palliative Care Program. Palliative care is a new medical and nursing specialty devoted to relieving pain and providing physical, psychological, and spiritual comfort to patients who have complex or challenging problems associated with serious illness.

The family-friendly holiday extravaganza is hosted each year by Four Seasons Hotel, JDS Designs, and The Washington Design Center.

The Georgetown Jingle offers something for everyone. Each year, CVS/pharmacy sponsors a Children’s Workshop, where young guests decorate holiday treats, do craft projects, meet Santa and friends, and enjoy kid-friendly food. Georgetown Jingle guests also sample culinary creations and libations from top area restaurants including RIS, matchbox, Four Seasons Hotel, Hudson’s, The Source, Paul Bakery and Hill Country Barbecue. In the photo to the right are the matchbox team: Perry Smith, John Donnelly, John McArthur, Caros Castera.

Over the past five years, the Georgetown Jingle has raised $1.7 million for these pediatric programs. The 2011 event co-chairs are Cynthia Bruno, mother of a former Georgetown University Hospital patient and cancer survivor, and Tamara Darvish, vice president of DARCARS Automotive Group.

For additional information about the event, visit www.georgetownjingle.com.

The Chef Link: A Restaurant Jobs Connection ... For Real, For Free

The Chef Link is a website designed to link qualified employees and restaurants together.

Designed by those who know the industry well, TheChefLink.com allows members of the foodservice industry to post and search both front of the house and back of the house jobs in an uncluttered, easy to use layout. TheChefLink.com is an alternative to the traditional non industry-specific classified boards that foodservice industry professionals have used in the past.

The best feature? It is free!

The site is new and is being upgraded based on user feedback ... created as an industry service, with advertising on the websute covering costs. It should be worth a try; you have nothing to lose.

Want more information: steve@thecheflink.com or www.thecheflink.com