DC’s Most Notable Chefs to participate in Toyota Farm to Table Tour Thursday, July 29.

On Thursday, July 29th at FRESHFARM Market by the White House (810 Vermont Avenue NW), some of D.C.’s most talented Chefs will participate in the Toyota Farm to Table Tour which showcases the connection between farmers, chefs, farmers markets and the communities they serve. Now in its second year, the Toyota Farm to Table Tour is visiting 11 famers markets across the country this summer to showcase the bounty of local farmers and to give market shoppers the opportunity to experience Toyota’s hybrid vehicles.

At the event, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. nine of D.C.’s most notable chefs will partner with market farmers to create bite-sized complimentary treats for visitors – all featuring farm-fresh ingredients.

Nora Pouillon and White House Chef, Sam Kass

Washington D.C.’s line-up includes:
Ryan Wheeler of Restaurant Eve
Kyle Bailey of Birch & Barley
Scott Drewno of The Source, by Wolfgang Puck
Mike Isabella of Zaytinya
Olivier Perret of Ici Urban Bistro
Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora
David Varley of Bourbon Steak
Paul Stearman of Marcel’s
Nicholas Stefanelli of Bibiana

Interested in what the Chefs will be preparing? Chef Nora Pouillon will serve an assortment of Organic Ham Salads–Ham and Root Vegetable Salad, Ham and Parsley Terrine, Ham Mousse on Heirloom Tomatoes.  Chef Ryan Wheeler will serve a fresh White Peach Panna Cotta with a Hazelnut Tuile. Nicholas Stefanelli will serve Ricotta with Grilled Peaches and Pistachios.

“Over the past 30 years, I have been delighted and encouraged to witness the steady rise of farmers markets in D.C.”, said Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora, America’s First Certified Organic Restaurant.  “They bring our communities together and showcase the importance of fresh and seasonal food so that everyone may reap the pleasure and health benefits of local produce.” The White House Organic Farm website said, “Nora was also instrumental in reviving DC’s farmers’ markets and is a frequent shopper. ”

In addition to complimentary tastings, visitors who participate in the day’s activities will have the opportunity to select complimentary potted culinary herbs from the Highlander Hybrid Mobile Garden as well as enter for a chance to win a culinary trip to Santa Barbara. At the Highlander Hybrid Mobile Garden, a Mobile Garden Herb Specialist will be on hand to pot the plants for visitors and answer general questions about gardening.  All herb plants are sourced from local vendors at the market.

“Our FRESHFARM Market, by the White House, is pleased to partner with Toyota’s Farm to Table Tour and the Farmers Market Coalition to launch National Farmers Market Week,” said Bernadine Prince, co-director of FRESHFARM Markets and vice president of the Farmers Market Coalition. “We’ll have nine chefs at the White House market on July 29 to showcase the bounty of local foods from the Mid-Atlantic region at our producer-only farmers market. Farmers markets continue to be a vital source of support to local, sustainable, family-owned farms in our region and across the country.”

I will do my very best to be there at the event. I hope to see you there!

This Weeks Dining in DC (DID) Inbox

Seasonal Specials:

Photo courtesy of Affinia Hotels

As summer comes to an end, Art and Soul will offer another opportunity to take advantage of the restaurant’s outdoor patio. Replacing the summer’s Crab and Beer Wednesdays, the restaurant’s seasonal patio with a warm comfy fire pit, will now be the site of a delicious mid-week barbeque.  Starting Wednesday, September 9th, Art and Soul will hold Wednesday Patio Barbeque Feasts, where guests can enjoy southern BBQ while cozying up to the outdoor fire pit as the seasons change and the fall foliage arrives.
 
The Patio Barbeque Feast will include a plate piled high with a variety of barbequed delights including Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Beef Brisket, Carolina Barbeque Wings, Coleslaw, Cornbread, Baked Beans, and a duo of unique barbeque sauces – Carolina and traditional flavors. The meal is $25 per person. Additionally, Art and Soul serves will offer new autumn brews including Alewerks Tavern Ale, Duck-rabbit Milk Stout, Penn Brewing Weizen, and Old Dominion Octoberfest. Buckets of six 7 oz. “nips” are also available for $14. The Patio Barbeque Feast will take place 5:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. on Art and Soul’s patio every Wednesday throughout the fall, weather permitting.  

The bar at The Source by Wolfgang Puck

The Source by Wolfgang Puck is introducing the “Hour of Power” taking place Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. in the lounge. This happy hour alternative features a trio of food items paired with a flight of wines for $25 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Executive Chef Scott Drewno is kick-starting his new menu with a unique trio pairing in which guests can enjoy three types of dumplings, each matched with a specially selected glass of wine (the complete menu is included below). The offerings will change frequently, and future specialties will include trios of soups, spring rolls and ribs. The current menu is available through the month of September.
 
The Source by Wolfgang Puck is located at 575 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (entrance on 6th Street). The dining room is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. The bar is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday. For reservations please call (202) 637-6100.

Announcements: 

Photo courtesy of City Paper

Today the Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG) announced the appointment of Kyle Bailey as Executive Chef of Birch & Barley and ChurchKey, the group’s first restaurant and beer bar in the District of Columbia opening this fall. In addition to Birch & Barley and ChurchKey, the company operates Buzz Bakery, Evening Star Café, EatBar, Planet Wine, Rustico, Columbia Firehouse, Star Catering, Tallula and Vermilion, all located in Northern Virginia.

 A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Bailey has made his way to the nation’s capital after working in several notable New York restaurants. He most recently served as the executive chef of Allen & Delancey, a Michelin-star restaurant in New York City. The restaurant provided Bailey his first opportunity to head a kitchen, and his work was praised in numerous publications, including New York Magazine, Debonair and Gothamist. 

Bailey’s inventive cuisine and appreciation for local produce is evident in the menu he has conceived for Birch & Barley, located in the ground floor of a two-story building located at 1337 14th Street NW. His modern American menu will include appetizers such as Charred Octopus with warm fingerling potatoes, pickled eggplant and fried capers and Char tartar with yuzu, ginger, basil and sesame chips. The menu will include a pasta section with rotating selections all made fresh in-house, such as Tagliatelle with braised rabbit, carrots, chives and housemade ricotta. The format of Bailey’s menu will allow guests the ability to enjoy his pasta selections as a first course, a mid-course or an entrée. Bailey has conceived an imaginative menu split into four sections: Fresh, Pressed, Roasted and Fried. Artichoke hearts with sheep’s milk ricotta and chestnut honey are a welcome ‘fresh’ snack, while ‘fried’ and spicy Hush Puppies are destined to be a crowd pleaser. For ‘pressed’ or ‘roasted’ options, guests can try the Truffled grilled cheese with tomato soup dip and the wood-fired Flatbreads with toppings such as Port-glazed Black Mission figs and Gorgonzola crema focata.

Anniversary Celebration:

Bangkok Joe’s is celebrating their 6th anniversary on September 15th; and to pay homage to patrons’ favorite dishes over the years, Chef Aulie has created a 5 course tribute menu with her best selling and most memorable dishes that will be available from September 15th through 30th.  She has also included something new for the menu: Siam Sunrays cocktail.  The cocktail was created by her nephew Paul Sirisant, a Smirnoff Ambassador in Thailand, to help boost tourism in and around the country.  Just as Cuba has the Mojito, Thailand now has the Siam Sunrays.   Aulie just returned from a trip to Thailand where she visited with her nephew and perfected the recipe so she can give the taste of Thailand in a glass to guests at Bangkok Joe’s this fall.

Bangkok Joe’s also offers half-price wine nights on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 p.m. until close when guests can enjoy bottles of wine like Salmon Creek Pinot Grigio and Salmon Creek Pinot Noir for $14.00.

 To Do:

• Virginia Wine Fest Bus Trip on Saturday, September 19th that includes all of the following:
  Round-trip, luxury bus transportation – buses leave Clarendon Grill &
  Front Page – Arlington @ 10AM – Leave Wine Fest at 6PM
  Admission ticket into the Wine Fest (minimum $25 value)
  Unlimited Wine Samplings @ Wine Fest of over 300 different Wines
  Huge, VIP Tents w/ seating in front of Main Stage ( for our guests only)
  Souvenir Wine Glass
  All-Day, Live Music from Multiple Bands
  Pre & Post Parties at both bus/restaurant locations
   

Holiday Happenings:

BOURBON STEAK, Michael Mina’s restaurant situated within the exclusive five-star Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, is pleased to unveil its tempting Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus for the upcoming holiday season.  BOURBON STEAK will be the place to dine and celebrate among family and friends with delicious menus reflecting fabulous seasonal finds, from roasted Ayreshire Farm heirloom turkey and salt roasted prime rib, to Worcestershire braised short ribs, brown butter-basted Maine lobster and roasted Grimaud Farms duck prepared by Executive Chef David Varley.  BOURBON STEAK also features private dining room with custom furnishings and expansive windows overlooking the C&O Canal for those who wish to celebrate and dine privately with up to 22 guests.
 
On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th, BOURBON STEAK will offer an a la carte menu from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with holiday specials to include starters such as Brown Butter-Basted Maine Lobster with Acquerello Carnaroli Risotto and Perigord Black Truffle; Roasted Chestnut Soup with Foie Gras Cromesguis and Spices Marshmallows and Endive & Asian Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts, Pomegranate, Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue.  Entrée choices include Salt Roasted Prime Rib with Yorkshire Pudding, Horseradish Cream and Braised Oxtail; Glazed Duroc Pork Rack with Mustard Fruit and Stuffed Cabbage, as well as Roasted Ayreshire Farm Heirloom Turkey with Foie Gras Stuffing, Grilled Turkey Sausage and Cranberry-Orange Confit.  For dessert, Pastry Chef Lincoln Carlson will feature Kabocha Squash Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butter Pecan Ice Cream, and Pumpkin Seed Nougatine; Winchester Apple Confit with Spiced Rum Financier and Goats Milk Dulce de Leche as well as Silken Chocolate Panna Cotta with Red Velvet Cake, Cocoa Nib Ice Cream and Crispy Beets, the perfect ending to any holiday feast.  Menu specials range from $11 to $44.