Sauce on the Side may be bold, sweet or sour, savory or at times a little salty ... don’t be too afraid, you can always click away.
Michael Birchenall, editor/publisher
Vapiano is sleek, cosmopolitan and serves fresh gourmet pastas, pizzas and salads. I think it is the best of the fresh casual category to open since Chipotle. There is a sparkle to the entire design concept and an energy in the open food preparation. The key is that the flavor profiles carry that same exuberance -- the food tastes mighty fine. With restaurants open throughout Germany, as well as in Zurich, Vienna, Istanbul, Budapest, Warsaw-Poland, Stockholm-Sweden, Dubai-Emirates, Jedda and Riad-Saudi Arabia, London, England and now the United States -- the uber cool design and ambiance makes it easy to have a good time.
Dulles Town Center opened this evening with plans to target Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Boston, New York City and other key markets for corporate expansion. For more fotos of the evening's activities, check out the FOTO GALLERY. Restaurants are 5,000-8,000 square feet, seat 150 or so guests and have a blended check average of about $13.50 per guest.
If you have any problem with Nike violence directed toward food/food related products, then this video is not for you. But if you can sit through the Gingerbread House test, you'll enjoy the tests with milk, cake and cranberry sauce.
The National Restaurant Association released today its 2007 research that shows bite-size desserts, small
plates/tapas/mezze and alcohol top the list of hottest culinary trends in restaurants. A survey of more than 1,000 American Culinary Federation members - ranks craft beer, energy drink cocktails, martinis, mojitos, artisan liquors, organic wine and specialty beer in the top 20 trends. In addition to cocktails and bar drinks, alcohol is also used as an ingredient in cooking and as part of meals and menus through food-alcohol pairings.
Todd Thrasher does his "bar chef" thing at PX in Alexandria.
Fabio Trabocchi received his first three stars from the New York Times today ... Frank Bruni, the critic, has spoken (barely eight weeks after Fiamma reopened with Fabio) and now life can go on.
Bruni's review is well written and deals in a straight forward manner with the storm that has been the arrival of Fabio in a city where apparently you have to have a convenient label (French, Italian, American, Japanese) to be able to survive the onslaught of food commentary.
Bruni's comments on Fabio's food are accurate and thoughtful. I was glad to see Tom Wellings get a mention -- his loss to our culinary scene as an upcoming pastry chef in DC was significant.
Leading up to the review, Bruni had a entry on his blog that probably gave Fabio a moment of critic heartburn ... Bruni had received the napkin of shame at Fiamma, not once but twice. Fabio found little humor in it -- but from my less involved perspective, you could see Bruni was having a little fun about something that would never pass the muster of a review edit.
My last post makes one of my typically sarcastic references about the Washington Redskins ... and in the wake of the death of Sean Taylor it could appear unkind. I met Sean Taylor in December 2005. That's before the supposed rebirth of Mr. Taylor as a man and citizen ... if you read the stories and listen to the endless commentary. I did a photo shoot at a fan event -- one of those obligatory events players have to do as part of the marketing machinery that is the NFL. I did it as a favor and worked an evening of "grip and grin" photography. For whatever reason, most of the players were missing in action and Taylor was the only one on the scene for maybe 30 minutes. He could not have been a more pleasant, accommodating person. He was real to everyone that met him that night. No airs. No false pretenses. His loss is a sad, uncomfortable event -- not because he was a reborn football star ... but because he was a young man with a long life to look forward to, and then it was over.
I used to like pro football ... that is before I moved to Washington DC.
With the Ravens and Redskins taking deep dives, I have already learned there are other things to do on Sunday. Here are two recent fun Sundays. First I needed to get ready for the holiday pie season, so I took a class at Nancy Pollard's La Cuisine with Betsy Cukla, tinsmith and baker. There is no better kitchen store here or anywhere else I can think of ... the best! Betsy's Hammer Song handcrafted cookie cutters are truly tools of the kitchen, not those "things" you find in other stores. Her classes at La Cuisine sell out each fall ... and I was lucky enough to get into her pie crust making class for some special attention -- the cutoff was six persons. We spent the Sunday morning and afternoon listening, learning and making crusts. With new confidence, my pumpkin pie crust was my flakiest ever. My pumpkin pie is always a winner ... this year, my first one (made from pumpkins from my garden) was my best ever. The recipe comes from a 1993 Cook's Illustrated. Download pumpkin_pie.doc
Leave it to "lifestyle architect" Janet Cam to create a memorable Sunday afternoon experience to numb any football anxieties: a Gin Tasting. Bruce Rosen collected many of the gins for the comparison test -- from trendy favorite Hendrick's (Scotland) to personal favorite Plymouth (England), the group tasted straight, with a little ice or a chaser, if deemed necessary by an individual. Nothing scientific, nothing too formal -- just trying to find personal favorites and the ability to express nuances found, if any. Others tasted included Juniper Green (organic from London), Cascade (Oregon), Ten from Tanqueray, Bluecoat (Philadelphia), Junipero (Anchor Steam) and Citadelle (France). For the group Hendrick's was a favorite; Plymouth was still my number one. Citadelle had a finesse several liked.
But the most striking to my palate was the Blackwood's Vintage Gin from Shetland Islands ... the most northern part of Scotland. While the juniper comes from Umbria, some of the herbal ingredients like the meadowsweet, angelica and wild mint are handpicked on the island. The YouTube videos they made are a real hoot. Take a look at all eight of them ... and take a sip if you can find these ... several will take some effort.
#9 brings you the only two holiday songs I'll subject you to this holiday season ... on the first Friday of the official Christmas music season ... and then we have an appropriate diet message from Margaret Cho ... and since I feel obligated to give my explicit warning for Ms. Cho (no, not family friendly), I may as well give you another impure option with Bobbing for Apples ... and an entendre or two elsewhere.
My wife Acqua is a glassblower working with glass and mixed media. She will have a show opening at New Door Creative on Sunday December 2 with a 3 - 6 p.m. reception at the Baltimore gallery at 1601 Saint Paul Street. If you're able to attend the opening, just let the gallery know at 410 244 8244 or newdoor@earthlink.net.
Her new series of Timekeepers is quite exciting ... and she has a series of accompanying prints to complement the glass. Also, if you go to my Foto Gallery you will see some of the work that will be in the show. If you have any questions for the artist, feel free to contact Acqua.
Sauce on the Side friend Kelly DiNardo recommended Leela James who redefined Soul Food for me (extra sauce please) ... and that started a soul food theme mixed in with a little fast food, dessert and of course Thanksgiving ... another well-balanced music meal albeit High in Soul Calories.
