PX - An Old Town Speakeasy from Cathal Armstrong & Co.

I need a fix and Jay at the PX is my medicine man.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

PX is the latest brainchild of DC restaurant wonders Chef Cathal Armstrong, wife and business partner Meshelle Armstrong and sommelier/mixologist Todd Thrasher. Leaders of Restaurant Eve and Eammon’s, the trio set their sights on creating an upscale cocktail experience with a throwback to 1920s speakeasy glamour. True to its Prohibition influence, PX has no sign, a phone line that is “family only,” and is admittance by reservation only.  Armstrong and company made a concerted effort to keep this lounge an intimate experience free of crowds and noise: PX holds a maximum of 35 patrons at at time.

 

Foodie Fireworks on the Fourth: Chef Katsuya Fukushima’s Last Day at Cafe Atlantico!

This was going to be a quick post just wishing everyone a happy Independence Day with a promise to report on any food served at the White House’s Fourth of July fireworks viewing party, but a visit to Cafe Atlantico yesterday turned up some news that seems to have gone unreported thus far and I just have to share.

At the conclusion of tonight’s second seating at Minibar, Chef Katsuya Fukushima will be leaving the kitchen at Atlantico to take on a new executive position within ThinkFoodGroup.  Although he indicated that he will technically still be the Executive Chef behind Minibar and Atlantico, he will no longer be as hands-on as he has been since starting at Atlantico in 2002.

As anyone who has eaten at Minibar can tell you, Fukushima’s inspirations and influence are felt throughout the tasting menu - his bio on the website specifically credits him with the creation of the renowned foie gras cotton candy as well as the ravioli they create from thin strips of jicama, mango and pineapple.

We wish Chef Fukushima all the best in his new role across the range of ThinkFoodGroup’s projects, and we hope that he will continue to have a significant impact on the creative cuisine coming out of Cafe Atlantico and Minibar.

 

Ray’s Hell-Burger Now Open - What the Hell Are You Waiting For?

In the world of DC dining, Burger is apparently the new Black.  No sooner did we get home from Good Stuff Eatery last night than Elizabeth and I learned that Michael Landrum - the chef responsible for DC steak greats Ray’s the Steaks and Ray’s the Classics - opened a burger joint just a few doors down from his original Ray’s The Steaks.  

Thinking ahead, we figured we’d swing by and take a few exterior pictures this evening and plot our visit in the coming days. We were expecting to see a line out the door, judging by the response Landrum’s announcement received throughout the DC blogosphere. 

What fools we were!  Like it was even remotely possible that we would park, walk up to Ray’s Hell-Burger, snap some photos and just leave?

As you might expect, we found ourselves drawn inside by the promise of juicy, delicious burgers and a line that was only three people deep when we arrived (though it grew considerably by the time we received our food and it remained busy throughout our meal).  Staycations be damned, the holiday weekend seems to have led enough people out of town to get us to the counter without too much delay.  What we found there after the jump.

 

Good Stuff from Top Chef’s Spike Opens on the Hill

Every milliner’s favorite Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn opened the doors of Good Stuff Eatery tonight for the friends and family tasting. We we were lucky enough to score an invite and get a sneak peek at some of the menu items Spike and Mike discussed with us a few weeks ago. (Double bonus, our buddy Jon from So Good was there to enjoy the fry and burger sampling with us.)

Spike, his GM Mike and assorted members of the Mendelsohn family were in full form behind the counter flipping, frying, expediting and generally making sure everyone was happy.

The evening’s menu (right) wasn’t comprehensive, but it was a solid start. The Blazin’ Barn, Spike’s banh mi-influenced burger, was available and definitely the hot item of the night. This is easily the most buzzed about burger on the menu and with good reason. It was perfectly cooked, pink in the middle and seasoned with daikon, carrots, cilantro and a kickin’ spicy mayo.

 

Ray’s The Classics

UPDATE: While we’re on the topic of Landrum, it’s worth noting that he announced a new burger joint opening this week: Ray’s Hell Burger. Hell Burger is in the same strip mall as Ray’s the Steaks in Arlington. Thanks to metrocurean for the heads up.  And now, back to your regularly scheduled review..

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If you have 15 minutes or so to kill waiting for your table at Ray’s The Classics, consider yourself lucky.  The Classics’ experience begins at the bar.  The decor of the place delivers on the name promise - black and white, spare, seats covered in faux ostrich skin and speakers that moan anthems from the Rat Pack - I feel like I’ve slipped into my own Mad Men episode. When we walk in, I long to order stiff drinks from the always friendly bar staff and trade sassy quips with strangers, All About Eve-style.

 

And the RAMMYs Went to…

On Sunday night, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (slogan: ”Dine Out.  Dine Often.  Dine Deliciously.”) held their annual awards gala at the Marriott Wardman Park.  Local chefs, celebrity and otherwise, were joined by other RAMW Members and assorted food-loving guests to honor some of the best that the Washington restaurant scene has to offer.

Don’t worry - we weren’t there, either.

But now that everything is said and done, we’re happy to take a look at the list of winners and weigh in with our own thoughts.

The 2008 RAMMY winners, as announced by RAMW:

Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year: Hank’s Oyster Bar – DC
Hottest Bar Scene of the Year: Central Michel Richard
Power Spot of the Year: The Oceanaire Seafood Room
Voters’ Choice Restaurant of the Year: The Monocle on Capitol Hill
New Restaurant of the Year: The Source by Wolfgang Puck
Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Equinox
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Poste Moderne Brasserie
Chef of the Year: Eric Ziebold, CityZen
Restaurant Employee of the Year: Joel Guagliano, Zaytinya
Pastry Chef of the Year: Heather Chittum, Hook
Wine and Beverage Program of the Year: Passion Food Hospitality
Restaurant Manager of the Year: Molly McWhorter, Chef Geoff’s Downtown
Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Barton Seaver, Hook

Did you do your foodie duty and vote online for the first four categories?  They were all decided by public vote, unlike the remaining nine awards that were decided by an anonymous panel of food writers and hospitality industry insiders.

If you missed the voting, which took place from May 18th to May 30th at the RAMW website, you have no one to blame but yourself (and everyone who voted for the winners) if your favorites didn’t win.  A run-down of the also-rans in the open voting categories and some of our favorites among the winners after the jump.

 

What do you do with 12 pounds of cherries?

The first answer to this question is obvious: You buy a cherry-pitter. After that, you’re on your own.

Last weekend, Mike and I took advantage of the gorgeous summer weather  to go cherry picking at Hartland Orchard in Markham, VA. After a few hours in the sunshine, we came home loaded with twelve pounds of sour pie cherries (montmorency cherries, to be exact). Clearly a pie was in order.

 

Safeway’s Barbecue Battle? I’ll Be the Judge of That

In the world of competitive barbecue, there are two camps that largely define the field - the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) and Memphis Barbecue Association, also known as Memphis in May (MiM).  Each has its own traditional flavors, its own set of rules, and its own national championship.  Although many competitors participate in competitions that are sanctioned by each organization interchangeably, there has never been a joint competition.

This year’s Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle took the first step toward making a unified competition a reality.  For the first time ever, KCBS and MiM held competitions at the same location on the same weekend, with each crowning its own Grand Champion.  Though each contest was judged according to its own organization’s format, this sets the stage for future cooperative events.  On Saturday the 21st and Sunday the 22nd, Pennsylvania Avenue became the hot spot for local barbecue enthusiasts, and I was there to weigh in as a judge.

For those of us who are only certified to judge KCBS-sanctioned events, this year’s Safeway Barbecue Battle represented the first time that we could actually participate as judges in the event - previously, it was exclusively an MiM event and, as such, only Memphis-certified judges were needed.  But the addition of the KCBS contest - which was judged on Saturday, the 21st - gave three dozen of us a chance to sit down on Saturday afternoon and taste our way through the competitors’ ribs, pulled pork, chicken and brisket.

Barbecue competitions’ dirty little secret after the jump.

 

H is for “Hey, Check It Out - Our Neighborhood’s in the Post Food Section!”

When the Argonaut first opened its doors in August of 2005, those of us who live near the H Street corridor welcomed it as the first sign of life returning to the neighborhood.  There were those who worried that Joe Englert’s plans to open eight establishments between 12th and 15th Streets would start us down a path that would turn H Street into “Adams Morgan Northeast,” but community response was generally positive.  In the three years since then, we have seen a steady influx of new establishments that are giving the Atlas District (as the neighborhood has since been branded, in honor of the Atlas Performing Arts Center) a very different flavor.

Last week, the Washington Post confirmed this with a front-page article in the Food Section entitled “H is for Happening.”  The piece is written by Jane Black, a Post staff writer who has contributed dining and food-related items in Washington, New York and Boston (she was the food editor at Boston Magazine before coming to the Post) - so it’s safe to say she knows a bit about the subject.

Seriously?  An article about H Street that doesn’t focus on its Hipster appeal (who hasn’t read about Drunken Jenga at the Rock and Roll Hotel by now?) or its burgeoning nightlife scene?  More after the jump.

 

An Eggsperiment in Eating Local: Farm Fresh Eggs vs. Store Bought

On a recent visit to the Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market, I decided to check out the fresh, local eggs to find out just what the big deal is.  Writers and chefs alike sing the praises of farm-fresh eggs, waxing rhapsodic about their bright orange yolks and the depth of their flavor.  Me, I’m happy if it scrambles nicely without sticking too badly, so I wasn’t especially eager to pay roughly twice as much for something I’d be eating just as quickly.  Even so, a recent incident with farmers’ market asparagus (it amazes me how rarely Elizabeth says “I told you so” despite the countless opportunities I provide her) made me think that maybe there was something to back up the hype, so I purchased a half-dozen eggs from one of the half-dozen vendors offering them.

Right away, I could see a distinct difference between my store-bought eggs and the ones from the market - the ones from the market were brown.

More examples of my mastery of the blatantly obvious (and an actual comparison) after the jump.