Short ribs and baby octopus may dominate many menus in the city, but that doesn't mean local chefs can't find love in an acorn squash. In our ongoing series, Chefs Veg Out, we'll prove D.C.’s chefs can play with more than just meat.

• Name: Amy Brandwein
• Title: Executive Chef
• Restaurant: Casa Nonna
• Twitter: @CasaNonna
• Cooking Since: Professionally, I started about 12 years ago. My first real experience was at Galileo. When I was growing up I was always in kitchens, but was more a sandwich maker. My second job was at a deli in Arlington, Primo.
• Random Fact: I love soccer. I played soccer since I was six. I'm in retirement now.
• Favorite Vegetable: Broccoli rabe. It's my favorite food, actually. I love the bitter, earthy taste.
• Least Favorite Vegetable: Fiddlehead fern. Oh my God. I try to cook it and try to work with it... It's a sexy spring time thing, but to me, it's inedible. There's nothing that I could possibly do to it that could make me like it.
• Memorable Meatless Dish: In Italy, I had a terrific pappa al pomodoro. That is basically a very simple but delicious bread and tomato soup I had in Tuscany last year. It's chunks of tomato, garlic, basil, and a ciabatta loaf. It's a mushy kind of soup and topped with extra virgin.
• Best Vegetable Dish at Casa Nonna: Caponata: chunks of eggplant, fried, then combined with braised onions and celery in a sweet and sour tomato sauce with raisins, capers, and pine nuts. It's very versatile and very tasty.
• Quick and Dirty Meatless Idea: My favorite thing is whole wheat pasta (spaghetti) with broccoli rabe, garlic, hot peppers, extra virgin olive oil, a tiny bit of butter and pasta cooking water. Finish with Pecorino. I always have my cooks make this for me when I'm hungry.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Find the Afikoman: The 16th Street JCC is holding a "green" seder on Tuesday. Buy a ticket online and bring your own kiddush cup. Washington DCJCC, Community Second Night Seder, $54/ticket.

Pasta for Passover?: Inspired by her trip to the Jewish ghetto in Rome, Chef Amy Brandwein will carry one kosher dish for the faithful: Passover sfogletti with beef ragu and fava bean. Casa Nonna, dish $22, pictured above.

Mediterranean Maztzah: Enjoy traditional haroset, matzah and horseradish, along with an Italian-inspired option of mahi mahi al mosaica. Dino, 4 courses for $55.

Old School: Eat like your Old World grandparents and enjoy tsimmis with flanken and chicken livers. Perry's, 4 courses plus amuse for $30.

Calling Sephardics: If you're cool to eat the grains rice and corn for this Festival of Freedom (not so with Ashkenazi Jews), then you might enjoy beef tongue tacos, baked salmon in cabbage leaves and tropical haroset. Rosa Mexicano, appetizers $6-14, entrées $14-25.

Did we miss any Passover specials? Leave more in the comments.

Photo Courtesy of ThreeLockharts Communications

The Family Ties That Bind? Casa Nonna in Dupont Circle, whose family-style Italian dining approach was profiled by Young & Hungry last fall, is now stepping back from that whole family-style thing. "The change accommodates single diners and small groups turned off by the large portions." [Y&H; The Feast]

Congress Heights v. Georgetown: Developer Jair Lynch "says people in Congress Heights spend about $25/week on groceries while in Georgetown people spend $125/week" [@OConnellPostbiz via G'town Metropolitan]

Names That Bug Copy Editors: The brgr:shack sure loves its colons! [Express]

Healthier Burgers: Out in Falls Church, Burger 7 offers "a healthful twist by offering beef from grass-fed cattle, whole-wheat buns as an alternative to white ones and french fries crisped in olive oil." [WaPo]

Photo of Casa Nonna chef Amy Brandwein by Darrow Montgomery

“We’re trying to replicate the good things about having a Sunday dinner at your family’s house,” Brandwein told Tom, who notes that entreés are expected to be shared.

But the Sunday Post Magazine doesn’t stop with the sharing at Italian restaurants! This week’s Date Lab combines three interesting elements: First, it’s one of those rare same-sex dates featured by the Post! Second, a wine-fueled meal at Carmine’s. And the third? Keep reading for the surprise twist…

After talking about an eyebrow piercing at Carmine’s, twentysomething Date Labbers John Cloutier and Jeff Staugler ordered some calamari, but ended up with a salad instead! “It wasn’t a big deal.” (Because sending it back might send off bad vibes of not being easy-going?)

They also had two bottles of wine! Two! On a first date! Cloutier then ordered dessert. “He just ordered it,” Staugler said. “He was a lot more the decider, which was good. I really liked that aspect of him. There wasn’t a lot of flirting at dinner.”

Hmmm, maybe because there was so much to eat? The Post doesn’t dive into many details what all was consumed. Carman wrote about "a squat tower of lasagna, a mammoth slab scaled to the oversized dimensions of the 20,000-square-foot family-style restaurant in Penn Quarter," if that gives you a picture of what level of food consumption is required of Carmine's patrons.

In any regard, Carmine’s sort of sounds like a recipe for a worst first-date venue ever, especially if you’re ever concerned about how your date might judge you on the size of your appetite.

But look at where all that wine and food led Cloutier and Staugler: Secrets, the gay strip club! Maybe they needed to dance off a load of family-sized eating?

Chef Amy Brandwein of Casa Nonna

Casa Nonna had barely been open a month when Grub Street broke the news that parent company, BLT Restaurants, was going to launch an outlet of the family-style eatery in New York. The New York blog seemed rather dumbfounded that the Big Apple should accept any concept not born within its borders.

Whatever.

But here was the interesting nugget in the Grub Street post: Amy Brandwein, the chef at the D.C. location, was going to be "involved in the New York spot, which is scheduled to open this spring." As part of this week's Young & Hungry column, I spoke with Brandwein about what role she'll play in the Gotham branch.

"It will be a long distance relationship," Brandwein told me. "I will be involved. That's all I can say right now."

Brandwein noted that her first priority is the Dupont location of Casa Nonna, which she said is, to a certain degree, still a work in progress. It opened in mid-September, for example, and Brandwein continues to experiment with the pizza dough. The chef has been trying different flours, eventually landing on a combination of pizza and Parisian flours, which provide both softness and crispiness. She's also messing with fermentation times. "We weren't letting it sit long enough" in the beginning, Brandwein said.

That, no doubt, explains why the pizzas I sampled for this week's column were so dramatically different. It also explains why Casa Nonna is already such a strong restaurant: The chef is never satisfied.

Amy Brandwein, I think, can make it in New York.

Northern fried chicken wings: coming soon to the Renaissance's Mixx bar.

Y&H, as noted by one of our own here at Washington City Paper, is not always so great about keeping you informed about the new eateries in the area — at least not in one lump sum. I'm going to continue that spotty record with this post, which highlights only a handful of the new additions to the scene or those coming soon.

• Blue Ribbon Classics at Mixx Lounge: The brothers Bromberg, known for their Blue Ribbon restaurants popular with fellow NYC chefs, have partnered with Renaissance Hotels to offer a "Blue Ribbon Classics" menu, which will include such home-style comforts as northern fried chicken wings and BBQ pork sliders. The menu will roll out on Oct. 15 at the downtown Renaissance's Mixx Lounge at 999 9th St. NW.
• Muncheez Mania: This small sandwich shop in Georgetown (whose name sounds like some second-tier Broadway musical) is the brainchild of David Nammour, who developed the concept while a student at Duke. His freshly made sandwiches are called "muncheez," and they come on house-made saj, which he calls "thinner-than-pita but thicker-than-a-crepe bread." Muncheez will also sell crepes. Opens in late October at 1071 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
• District 2 Bar & Grille: The upscale sports bar and grill is assuming the space once occupied by Enology and Alliance Tavern, obviously hoping to break the recent curse of that corner location. It's promising freshly made dishes from chef J. Scott Webster, formerly of Clyde's Tysons Corner. The place opens Friday at 3238 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

• Ozzie's Corner Italian: The Great American Restaurants group has just opened its 12th property, an Italian joint that (mercifully) doesn't employ the term "family-style" on its menus.
• TeakWood: This new Logan Circle operation is competing with neighbor Thai Tanic for your Asian cuisine dollars. I should note that this newcomer also has a secret weapon: sushi.  Located at 1323 14th St. NW.
• Casa Nonna: This reportedly was one of the restaurants in the BLT empire that caused the split between the company's two high-profile partners.  It may have been worth it, based on my initial visit to the family-style Italian joint located in the former California Pizza Kitchen space at 1250 Connecticut Ave. NW. Check out chef Amy Brandwein's terrific pizzas, these razor-thin, wood-fired creations that are simultaneously crispy and chewy. These are not those wet, Neapolitan-style pies that have become all the rage. Her broccoli rabe should not be missed, either. Now open.
• Rustik Tavern: Bloomingdale finally got its wish. It can now hoist craft beers without fear of ANC interference.  This neighborhood tavern opened last week at 84 T St. NW and along with its pizzas and small plates, Rustik has alcohol! That's right, sweet sweet alcohol! The Beerspotter breaks down the suds list.
• District Taco: As noted earlier this week, owner Osiris Hoil is bringing his Yucatan-based street food to the great indoors. Look for a late October or early November open date at 5723 Lee Highway in Arlington.
• Food Wine & Co.: Montgomery County has always been a bitch of a place to sell good wine with any consistency or value.  Grapeseed in Bethesda has been one of the few restaurants to fight the good fight in MoCo. Now comes Food Wine & Co., a more casual spot than Grapeseed, but with similar ambitions when it comes to vino.
• Galileo III: It seems like we've been waiting forever for the resurrection of Roberto Donna in downtown D.C. It seems like we'll have to wait a little longer.
• Cuba Libre and Rum Bar: The small, Philly-based chain is opening its D.C. location on Friday with some special introductory prices during the first two weeks of operation. Diners will get 50 percent off the first week, and 25 percent off the second. Missy Frederick at the Washington Business Journal has an inside look at the small plates and ceviche establishment.

As a general rule, the Young & Hungry blog is not here to plug every damn product that comes down the pike, but we'll make an exception for the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs 2009 calendar, which you can purchase for $12 over at WCR's Web site. It's a great holiday gift, blah, blah, blah.

The national organization's mission is "to promote and enhance the education, advancement and connection of women in the culinary industry," which says way more about the industry, I think, than about WCR. I mean, we're nearly eight full years into the 21st century, and women still need a specialty group to promote their interests inside the kitchen? The French influence, she is still strong in the restaurant world, oui?

The calendar is D.C.-centric, even though the organization is national. The local chefs, restaurateurs and sommeliers who appear in the calendar include Melanie Parker (Equinox), Ris Lacoste (ris and Rock Creek), Amy Brandwein (Fyve), Barbara Black (Addie's Restaurant, Black Market Bistro, Black's Bar & Kitchen, and BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant), Beverly Bates (ici Urban Bistro at Sofitel Hotel), Nora Pouillon (Nora), Ruth Gresser (Pizzeria Paradiso), Jamie Leeds (CommonWealth Gastropub and Hank's Oyster Bar), Heather Chittum (Hook), and Tracy O'Grady (Willow Restaurant). So do some of their recipes.

"The D.C. calendar is the first one that WCR has ever done!" e-mails Rachael Siefert, a publicist for the project. "The idea came from the D.C. chapter of WCR...and WCR is hoping to take it to other cities in the future."