Logo courtesy of Eatonville

Michael Landrum has been getting some flak lately over his portobello mushroom caps.

Landrum’s Arlington eatery, Ray’s the Steaks, offers a slew of entrées for diners to choose from, including 21 different plates of beef and four kinds of seafood dishes.

But, if you happen to be vegetarian, the ’shrooms, marinated in balsamic vinegar, grilled and plated on a recent evening with eggplant, broccoli, tomatoes, grilled onions, and blue cheese, are your one and only option.

As a guy who makes no bones about his meat-centric business, Landrum would hope that the meatless crowd could simply appreciate the effort. “We’re trying here,” he says.

To the contrary, he says, some people “take great offense that someone would dare offer grilled portobello mushroom as a vegetarian option, and that it’s somehow lacking.” Landrum is baffled by this. He notes, “Twenty years ago, 10 years ago, [the portobello] was the most exciting thing in the vegetarian world.”

To a beef-focused entrepreneur like Landrum, the portobello’s burger-like shape and meaty texture probably seems like a no-brainer. To the modern vegetarian diner, however, it seems like an afterthought, what with the farm-to-table movement elevating other produce—such as heirloom squash and purple cauliflower—to newfound prominence.

But appeasing the veg-heads was never really the point, Landrum says. Putting the standalone fungus on his steakhouse menu isn’t about attracting vegetarians at all. To the contrary, it’s about not losing steak eaters.

Landrum explains his single-veggie-entrée strategy like this: Say a family of five walks into his restaurant one night. Mom, dad, and two of the kids are all carnivores. But the third child doesn’t eat meat. If Landrum’s menu doesn’t cater to her tastes in some way, he risks losing the whole group. “I have five family members who otherwise wouldn’t be here,” he says.

There’s a term for this form of minority rule in dining. It’s called the vegetarian veto vote.

It’s an idea that Erica Meier talks up quite often. “It’s just the concept that when a group of people are choosing where to dine out, that the majority rarely rules,” says Meier, executive director of the Takoma Park-based nonprofit animal-rights group Compassion Over Killing. Part of Meier’s job involves lobbying local restaurants to include more meatless options on their menus. Earlier this year, her organization launched a new campaign providing comment cards that diners can casually leave alongside their bill to encourage restaurant managers to expand their menu offerings to include vegetarian and vegan dishes.

On a recent afternoon, Meier was on the phone with the manager of Julia’s Empanadas, asking the kitchen to trade in its traditional egg wash for an egg-free substitute in order to make the eatery’s vegetarian empanadas amenable to patrons who are following an even stricter vegan diet.

Meier takes credit for helping to convince some 35 Baltimore- and D.C.-area restaurants to create or enhance vegan menu options. For her purposes, the vegetarian veto vote is a persuasive part of the overall argument.

It’s not exactly an easy sell. Many chefs and restaurateurs are reluctant to forgo precious menu space on full-size plates of mushrooms and tofu—items traditionally viewed as loss leaders.

“I’ve only got six or so spaces,” says chef Kyle Bailey, “so I want to make sure I cover everything”—everything, that is, except a main course to please the meatless crowd, which his Logan Circle restaurant Birch & Barley entirely lacks. The restaurant does accommodate special orders for vegetarians, but those are rare. According to Bailey, the kitchen fields just one or two requests a night. “Because the majority of people want fish and want meat, we have to make sure that we cater to those people, too,” he says.

The threat of a vegetarian veto doesn’t concern Bailey nearly as much as losing money. “I think there’s also a fear,” he says. “What if you only sell two [vegetarian entrées] a night? That is a failure. That’s a failure rate for any other dish.”

But Meier contends that the numbers are moving in her favor. While only a small segment of U.S. population identify as vegetarian—less than eight million of the more than 300 million Americans—Meier notes that an additional 22.8 million are “vegetarian inclined,” according to a 2008 study sponsored by meatless advocacy magazine Vegetarian Times. This suggests that many omnivores are apt to skip the animal protein when presented with another option.

And the more vegetarian offerings that are readily available, Meier says, the more people who are willing to try them—regardless of whether those people are vegetarian or not.

“The power of using the vegetarian or vegan vote is behind the growing number of people who are looking for these options,” Meier says.

In D.C., in particular, the numbers are even more favorable to Meier’s cause. LivingSocial, the Washington-based daily-deals site, surveyed 20 major cities this past September and concluded that D.C.’s “preference” for vegetarian and vegan fare ranks number one, with eight percent of diners identifying as vegetarian or vegan, compared to just five percent nationwide.

At Eatonville, restaurateur Andy Shallal’s Southern-inspired eatery on 14th Street NW, Meier’s lobbying ultimately culminated in the addition of a vegan jerk-marinated tofu entrée sold for $15. General Manager Michael Woods says he was initially skeptical about how well the meat substitute would fare at a place better known for fried chicken and baby-back ribs. While the tofu is by no means a top-seller—accounting for about five percent of entrée sales at Eatonville this past October, Woods says—the vegan dish isn’t the restaurant’s worst performer, either, even outselling the grilled salmon.

Danny Bortnick, executive chef at Firefly in Dupont Circle, doesn’t need a lobbyist to tell him the stats on vegetarianism in the District. “We have a lot of vegetarian customers and the sales show,” says Bortnick.

Firefly is that rare D.C. restaurant, not labeled as vegetarian-specific, which nonetheless offers not one but two meatless entrées on the menu. “For a long time we just did one and it just kind of came to mind that vegetarians come here and essentially eat the same thing every time but meat eaters have tons of choices,” Bortnick says. “It just didn’t make sense to me.”

On his seasonally rotating menu, Bortnick now generally keeps a starch-based entrée—most recently, a kuri squash and porcini mushroom risotto—and one shining with vegetables, demonstrated by late-season eggplant reuniting with mozzarella and tomato. Sales aren’t awful. Combined, these two items accounted for about 18 percent, or nine percent each, of entrées sales last month, he says.

Other D.C. eateries that offer vegetarian-friendly entrées report similarly steady, if not stellar, sales of those items. At Ripple in Cleveland Park, chef Logan Cox makes agnolotti to showcase the über-seasonal vegetable of the moment, currently pairing beets and olives with tarragon and ricotta. This rotating pasta dish accounts for about 20 percent of overall entrée sales, he says.

At Café Saint-Ex on 14th Street, where a recent kitchen expansion finally allowed chef Billy Klein enough refrigerator room to offer a permanent menu slot for a meatless plate, the sweet corn risotto cakes aren’t just taking up space. Burgers generally account for 50 percent of sales. But of the rest, the cakes represented about 17 percent of sales last month, Klein says.

At Ray’s the Steaks, meanwhile, the dubious portobello dish fares pretty poorly. The restaurant regularly cranks out between 3,000 to 3,500 covers a week, Landrum says, but only eight to 15 of those diners order the vegetarian entrée.

As much as Landrum respects the vegetarian veto, he’s not naïve enough to offer something he can’t afford not to sell. Of the portobello, Landrum says, “I could afford to run at a loss and still recover my costs on alternative uses.” Leftovers provide heft to the mixed-mushroom side dish and eggplants appear in kitchen staff meals, he notes.

“Despite public opinion,” Landrum jokes about his image as an anti-establishment restaurateur, “I think that it’s a necessary service for every restaurant to offer the most hospitable environment for all guests, even the not frequently occurring occasion of a vegetarian diner.”

Photos by Darrow Montgomery

Eatery tips? Food pursuits? Send suggestions to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Quick hits on the meatless beat

Nice Detective Work: Props to WaPo food editor Joe Yonan (and his tipster on Twitter) about ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen's fish sauced curries. What is seemingly a meatless option has been outed as otherwise, as Yonan confirms that fish sauce flavors both the red and green curries at Chipotle's entry into quick-Asian food.  Erin Hartigan, editor of DC's Tasting Table, confirms that there is still an option for those not kosher with pescetarian eating: the tamarind vinaigrette is vegan.

Get Your Veg On: DC VegFest is this Saturday at George Washington University. The free event features a meatless wonderland of food vendors, cooking demos and authors and juxtaposes a Sticky Fingers sponsored cupcake-eating contest (want to be a competitor?) with free cholesterol readings.

Black-Eyed Pea Chowder for the Veg Lover's Soul: Eatonville learns from its veg-friendly sibling Busboys and Poets and tweets about its new fall menu's vegan soup: black-eyed pea chowder, debuting Tuesday.

Go Raw: In its continuing pursuit to educate, as well as feed, Elizabeth's Gone Raw will feature Gene Baur, author of Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, at a dinner and VIP cocktail reception on October 13. Reservations are still available: $95 for 3 courses, $125 with wine parings.

Photo by Stefanie Gans

Dishes We Dug

Dishes We Didn't: Low-country cioppino at Eatonville. A bit bland. Get the house sausages or grilled lamb porterhouse instead.

Most Retro Chic Reader Comment About D.C.'s Raw Milk Craze: "Between growing chickens in the backyard, eating non-inspected food from 'grey markets', and drinking unpasteurized milk, it seems like people really want to be living in the 1700's."

Photo of "drunken spaghetti" at Thai Orchid's Kitchen by Chris Shott

Garret Fleming checks out barbeque in South Carolina.

Many of you may remember Tim Carman's Beard-nominated cover story last year that chronicled the way in which Andy Shallal selected Eatonville's first chef. If you recall, the story didn't end well.

Chris Newsome, initially appointed executive chef after winning the Top Chef-style contest, was quickly replaced by runner-up Rusty Holman. Holman left Eatonville this year after apparently confronting Shallal over an unpaid parking ticket and is now working the Fry Captain food truck. Holman's replacement, Brie Morris, didn't stick around long either, which means that Eatonville has been without an executive chef for awhile.

Until now.

Garret Fleming has just been announced as Eatonville's new executive chef. The Culinary Institute of America alumnus is coming to Eatonville from Stella's in Castine, Maine. I got wind of this information not through a press release but via Facebook. You see, I went to high school with Garret — 786 miles away in Rockford, Ill.

I remember comparing Garret to some literary figure in junior year English class, a super-smart slacker who maybe didn't get the greatest grades but you knew he could, if he just gave enough of a shit. He had a rebel quality to him, somewhat at odds with his father's post as president of the Rockford Institute, an über-conservative think-tank.

Something I didn't know about Garret: According to the press release, he was born in Charleston, S.C., and his "culinary heritage is rooted in the Lowcountry cooking of his childhood." There's not too much shrimp and grits or Hoppin' John in Rockford, so either he was eating it at home or making frequent trips back to Charleston.

Tomorrow is Garret's official coming-out party at Eatonville, and he's got a pretty delicious sounding prix fixe menu planned, featuring roasted tomato pudding, braised lamb shank, and Bosc pear cobbler.

Photo: eatonvillerestaurant.com

Holy crap, is that Rusty Holman?! No way, it can't be! Don't embarrass him, or yourself, by asking! Don't even make eye contact! But what if it is Rusty? You'd be one lame-ass food writer if you don't find out what he's doing slinging fries out of a food truck on Farragut Square!  Don't forget how you met him: He was the default winner of a profoundly twisted hiring contest and was awarded the opportunity to run the brand-spankin' new kitchen at Eatonville.

As these thoughts were going through my head, Rusty Holman made the first move: "Your name's Tim, right?"

"Yes, Rusty. I thought that was you," I replied, relieved that he took the initiative.

We chatted for a few minutes through the window of the Fry Captain. He said that he's invested some money and sweat equity into Jake Sendar's mobile shake-and-fries unit. He's helping Sendar, a student at Vanderbilt, turn out the best possible products in that tin-can kitchen on wheels; he's also looking for something more suitable for a professionally trained chef with a long history of running his own kitchens.

So how did he end up here?

It's a long story, he told me, but it boils down to the snowstorms in February. He apparently drove a few Eatonville employees to work after the blizzard to help keep the place running, and he promptly parked the car in an emergency snow route. Instant $250 ticket. Holman said that owner Andy Shallal promised to pay off the violation.

Several months later, the ticket was still unpaid and had doubled. Holman said he sent a pointed email to Shallal and others about the issue. Holman wrote something to the effect of, "If it's not paid today, I'm not coming in tomorrow." Shallal apparently decided to accept the implied threat and fired him.

I've e-mailed and called Shallal for confirmation of the story and am still awaiting a response. I phoned the restaurant and learned that Holman's apparent replacement just left Eatonville this week. The eatery is currently between chefs.

The final tally for Eatonville's chef-search contest: The original winner was fired before the restaurant opened, and the default winner was fired a year into the job for apparently bitching about an unpaid parking ticket. And the owner, who's not a big fan of chefs, is in between chefs.

Holman's current place of employment.

The hand-cut fries at the Fry Captain are delicious. They undoubtedly benefit from a chef who understands the double-fry technique: Holman blanches the cut potatoes first, then fries them in vegetable oil on the truck. I had mine sprinkled with sea salt and paired with a Sriracha-mayo dipping sauce. (Many other dipping sauces and seasonings are available.)  It's not exactly a meal, but if the Fry Captain were parked outside a festival, for instance, I suspect it'd clean up.

The hand-spun shake was thick and rich and, dare I say, almost marshmallow-y. My only complaint is that I'd prefer a deeper chocolate flavor.

It's that time of year again. SAVOR is coming to town and with the national craft beer and food pairing event comes a week-long beer party for D.C. Tickets sold out in record time this year, but thanks to the local bars, restaurants, and distributors who take advantage of so many talented brewers being in town for SAVOR, you have plenty of opportunities to taste many of the same beers being served and meet several of the same brewery founders and brewmasters who will be at SAVOR.

The Lagerheads haven't decided if the best way to prepare for an entire week of drinking is to hydrate and get extra sleep now or start drinking to get our livers warmed up. Whichever route you choose, we hope this list of beer events for SAVOR week (a.k.a. D.C.'s Unofficial Beer Week) will help you make good decisions about where to spend your sobriety. (If you prefer a graphical representation of this info, check out our DC Beer Events Calendar. Our tired fingers thank you.)

TUESDAY, JUNE 1

• [LH PICK] East Coast Craft Beer Cask Party at ChurchKey – Leading up to SAVOR, ChurchKey will pour rare casks and drafts and give away glassware from five East Coast craft breweries: Harpoon, Dogfish Head, Peak Organic, Heavy Seas, and Flying Dog. 4 to 8PM.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2

• The Clash of the Titans at The Red and The Black – The event will feature Great Lakes Brewing Company's Lake Erie Monster and Harpoon Brewing's Leviathan, two behemoths among beers. Music provided by Nathan Robinson (of Archivist) and friends. Glassware giveaway. 5 to 8PM.
• Anchor Humming Ale Release Party at ChurchKey -Anchor's new seasonal release, Humming Ale, will be featured on draft and multiple other Anchor offerings will be available. 6 to 9PM.
• Flying Dog Meet the Brewery Night at Pizzeria Paradiso – Both Pizzeria Paradiso locations will have a special selection of Flying Dog beers including Barrel Aged Gonzo, Locally-Roasted Coffee Stout, and a firkin of Raging Bitch Belgian IPA. 5 to 8PM.
• [LH PICK] Three Floyds Tasting at the Brickskeller – The three brothers from Indiana who started Three Floyds Brewing Company will be on stage at the Brick leading a tasting of eight FFF beers, including their Alpha King Challenge winning beer. 6:30 to 10PM. Tickets $35 at LoveTheBeer.com.
• Heavy Seas & BreweryFans.com SAVOR Ticket Giveaway at Elephant & Castle – Loose Cannon IPA will be available for $1 off. Get a raffle ticket for every Loose Cannon purchased for a chance to win a ticket to SAVOR including a salon ticket. 6 to 9PM. Drawing at 9PM.
• Goose Island Sofie Tasting at D'Vines – Free tasting of the Illinois brewery's "sparkling saison" style beer, brewed with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels with orange peel. Every 13th four-pack is $0.01. 5:30 to 8PM.
• Extended Hump Day Flying Dog Happy Hour at 19th – The golf-themed bar will have a late happy hour featuring Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale and other Flying Dog offerings. 8 to 10PM.
• American Craft Beer Tasting at Granville Moore's – It'll be too late for those award-winning mussels but the folks at Granville Moore's are featuring a bunch of American craft beers including Brooklyn Barleywine, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Local 2, Anchor Porter, Rogue Chipotle, Coney Island Albino, River Horse Triple and others. Free Granville Moore's glasses to the first 30 people. 10PM to 12AM.

THURSDAY, JUNE 3

• A Toast to SAVOR at RFD – Unlimited samples from 10 breweries featured at SAVOR:  Dogfish Head, Samuel Adams, Ommegang, Sierra Nevada, Saranac, Harpoon, Heavy Seas, Anchor Steam, Magic Hat, Flying Dog, Southampton, Stoudts, Peak Organic, Hook & Ladder, Cisco, and Otter Creek. 6:30 to 10:30PM. Tickets $30 at LoveTheBeer.com.
• Three Floyds Beer Dinner at Birreria Paradiso – The Floyds will guide guests through four courses and seven beers, including the super rare barrel-aged Dark Lord Imperial Stout. Seatings at 6:30 and 9:00PM. $65 includes tax and tip. Call 202-337-4936 for reservations. [SOLD OUT]
• [LH PICK] Odell Tasting at the Brickskeller – Doug Odell of Ft. Collins Colorado will speak about and serve eight of his beers. 6:30 to 10PM. Tickets $30 at LoveTheBeer.com.
• [LH PICK] The Bruery Dinner at Brasserie Beck – The Bruery founder Patrick Rue from California will host a dinner of four-courses paired with five Bruery beers: Orchard White, Saison de Lente, Rugbord, Oud Tart and 100% Barrel-Aged Coton. 7 to 9:30PM. $85 plus tax and gratuity. Call 202-408-1717 for reservations.

FRIDAY, JUNE 4

• Heavy Seas Barrel-Aged Below Decks Barley Wine Tasting at D'Vines - Taste free samples of Heavy Seas' award-winning barleywine aged two ways, in wooden bourbon barrels or cabernet barrels. Every 13th bottle is only $0.01. 3 to 5PM.
• Sierra Nevada Meet & Greet with Ken Grossman at ChurchKey – Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman will be on hand to serve some of his rare barrel-aged brews and cask ales and give away glassware. 4 to 7PM.
• [LH PICK] Sam Calagione Book Signing & Dogfish Head Tasting at D'Vines – Owner and founder Sam Calagione will be selling and signing his book Extreme Brewing. Guests can taste Fort on draft at the store. Free Dogfish Head glass with book purchase. 5 to 6PM.
• Harpoon Brewery Night at Scion – Six Harpoon Brewery beers will be available: IPA, UFO, Munich Dark, Leviathan Imperial IPA, Leviathan Big Bohemian Pilsner, and 100 Barrel Series Single Hop ESB. Food and beer pairings available a la carte. 5 to 9PM. RSVP to joanne@scionrestaurant by May 31, for a free bottle of Harpoon UFO.
• Great Lakes Lake Eerie Monster Debut at DC Bread & Brew - "Release the Kraken!" will feature Great Lakes Brewing Company's Lake Erie Monster and free glassware giveaways. 6 to 9PM.
• Magic Hat Beer Dinner at Policy – Alan Newman, co-founder of Magic Hat Brewing Company in Vermont, will lead a beer dinner upstairs. 6 to 9PM. Call 202-387-7654 for reservations.
• Terrapin Brewmaster Meet & Greet at Rustico - Meet Spike Buckowski, brewmaster and cofounder of Terrapin. Enjoy casks of Hopsecutioner dry hopped with Centennial Hops, Hop Karma Brown IPA aged on wood with vanilla, Gamma Ray Honey Wheat Wine, their newest Side Project, and #11 Boomshakalager. Terrapin pint glass giveaway. 6 to 9PM.
• Abita Bayou Beer Tasting at Eatonville – Meet and greet with reps from Abita Brewing Company in Louisiana and taste six different beers in draft and bottle, plus Abita Root Beer. Admission includes first beer and passed hors d'oeuvres including Fried Oysters, BBQ Shrimp and Exotic Gumbo. Live New Orleans-themed Music. $10. 6 to 8PM.
• [LH PICK] Lupulin Reunuless at the Brickskeller - Without key competitors, a Lupulin Slam reunion (Lupulin Reunulin) is not possible this year. Instead a new lineup of big names in craft beer will be on stage to talk about their beers. Speakers include Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada, Kim Jordan of New Belgium, Rob Tod of Allagash, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Greg Koch of Stone, Nick Matt of Saranac, Bob Pease of the Brewers Association, and Bill Madden of Mad Fox Brewpub in Falls Church. Doors at 6PM. Program 7 to 10:30pm. Tickets $50. [SOLD OUT]
• Meet the Brewers Night at Pizzeria Paradiso Georgetown – Meet brewers Phil Markowski of Southampton and Matt Brophy of Flying Dog and enjoy several great American craft beers from Flying Dog, Southampton, Ommegang, and Victory. Markowski will have copies of his book, Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition available for purchase and signing. Surprise guests and beers are highly likely. 7 to 10PM.

SATURDAY, JUNE 5

• [LH PICK] Stone Founder Meet & Greet at Rustico – Stone co-founder Greg Koch and hoprageous Stone beers including double dry-hopped Stone IPA, 10th Anniversary Blend Imperial Russian Stout, and a cask of Ruination IPA. 11:30AM to 2PM.
• Coronado Tasting with Rick Chapman at Best Cellars Clarendon – Beer tasting and bottle signing with Coronado founder Rick Chapman. 1 to 2:30PM.  More info: 703-741-0404.
• [LH PICK] Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Tasting at Commonwealth – A fundraiser and networking event for women in the beer and hospitality service industries to meet the Women Chefs of D.C. A selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie will be paired with three beers from Rogue Ales by Chef Jamie Leeds and Rogue Advocate Sebbie Buhler. 2 to 4PM. $10 WCR members; $20 non-members. RSVP online.
• Coronado Tasting with Rick Chapman at DeVinos – Meet Coronado owner and founder Rick Chapman at a tasting featuring Mermaid Red Ale, Islander Pale Ale, and Idiot IPA. 3 to 5PM.
• Stone Tasting at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits – Featuring five Stone beers: Levitation, IPA, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Smoked Porter & Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. 3 to 6PM.
• SAVOR: an American Craft Beer & Food Experience at the National Building Museum - Attendees will enjoy a reception-style sampling of sweet and savory appetizers and 140 craft beers from 70 breweries and a chance to converse with the brewery owners, brewers and representatives. 7:30-11pm, $95. [SOLD OUT]

SUNDAY, JUNE 6

• [LH PICK] The Bruery and Allagash Brunch at Pizzeria Paradiso Dupont - The Bruery founder Patrick Rue and Allagash founder Rob Tod will lead guests through a six-beer four-course brunch.  Beers include The Bruery's Hottenroth, Tradewinds Tripel, and Coton and Allagash Black, White, and Curieaux. 12 to 1:30PM. $60 includes tax and tip. Call 202-337-4936 for reservations.
• Coronado Founder Meet & Greet at Rustico – Meet founder Rick Chapman and drink two Coronado beers on cask, Irish Stout and Nutter Brown. 2 to 5PM.
• [LH PICK] All 'Ale the Ladies: Women of Craft Beer Meet & Greet at the Black Squirrel – Enjoy great beer, food pairings, and door prizes at this educational event. Featured guests include Sebbie Buehler of Rogue, Gwen Conley of Flying Dog, Julia Herz of the Brewers Association, Carolyn Smagalski of BellaOnline, Ellie Tupper of Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ales, Kelly Zimmerman of Heavy Seas, Erin Tyler of Legends Limited and Susan Greene of Global Brewers Guild. 6 to 8:30PM. Info online. [RSVPs FULL]

MONDAY, JUNE 7

• [LH PICK] Schlafly Happy Hour at The Big Hunt – Meet and greet with co-founder and brewmaster Dan Kopman from St Louis Brewing Co., makers of Schlafly Ales & Lagers. On draft will be the 2010 World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner- Kolsch, APA (American Pale Ale), and the just-released AIPA (American India Pale Ale). Bottles of a rare Schlafly 750 ml will also be available to purchase. 5:30 to 7:30PM.

Photo by Eddie Arrossi Photography

The storm ain't got nothing on the Philly boys at Taylor Gourmet

I figured I better start compiling this list now before Carrie and I lose our Internet connection (again), our power, and our ability to open the front door and scream for help.

So without further ado, here are the restaurants and bars that plan (at present) to stay open during the storm. I'd highly encourage you to double check before you make the trek to any one of these.

UPDATED at 7:22 p.m.

• Social 14 The Columbia Heights restaurant promises happy hour prices all day long!
• Jaleo Nothing can keep the irrepressible Jose Andres down. This is for the D.C. location only.

• Matchbox Both locations of the pizza and mini-burger chain will be open for lunch and dinner.
• Pete's Apizza The owners recently opened and have the soup simmering now. You can check their Twitter page for updates.
• Eatonville According to its Twitter feed, the U Street corridor spot will be "sendin out "omg" dining deals every hour all day startin in 10 minutes. Don't miss out!"
• Urbana The Dupont restaurant will be open all night and offering a "Stir Crazy" special: $7 stirred martinis.
• Columbia Firehouse The Alexandria restaurant, home of the watery OJ, is open but with limited service. There are only two servers, so all orders have to go through the bar.
• Poste Modern Brasserie The Penn Quarter spot will be running a "Snow Day Special": Ask for it and get a glass of house wine with dinner.
• CommonWealth Gastropub Chef/owner Jamie Leeds says the Columbia Heights pub will be open all day.
• Hank's Oyster Bar Leeds also notes that the D.C. location of Hank's will be open for dinner.
• Taylor Gourmet The guys behind the Philly hoagie shop are not standing down. According to their Twitter page: "We will be open ALL DAY today!!! This blizzard has nothin on us!!!"
• Firefly The Dupont restaurant is running a happy hour all night long.
• Buzz Bakery The Alexandria sweet shop has plenty of hot chocolate, too. (NOTE: Buzz closed earlier today.)
• Jackson 20 The Old Town restaurant is offering a happy hour all night, along with some menu specials: $5 southern-style appetizers and a $10 combo called the Jackson 5. It's a plate with a ham slider, a barbecue pork slider, three tater tots, two fried green tomatoes, and a deviled egg.
• Neighorhood Restaurant Group beer emporiums You can't keep a good beer bar down, and both NRG suds factories, Rustico and Birch & Barley/ChurchKey, will be open today. (NOTE: Rustico and Birch & Barley have decided to close; ChurchKey will remain open, however.)
• Harry's Tap Room The Clarendon watering hole and grill will be open.
• Brabo Tasting Room Robert Wiedmaier's Old Town spot will be going all night long.
• BlackSalt Fish Market Somehow, someway, the Palisades seafood emporium got a delivery of fresh fish.
• Evening Star Cafe The Del Ray restaurant is open but is offering only lounge service, with a limited, sandwich-heavy menu.
• Bar Dupont The place is reserving its terrace for an "ice bar" from noon to sunset today.
• RedRocks Fire Brick Pizzeria The Columbia Heights spot is fearlessly slinging pies today.
• Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe The Dupont Circle bookstore and cafe is open for normal service. It's also offering a "Snomore," which is equal parts Chambord and Crème de Cacao in hot chocolate.
• L'Enfant Who said the French are wimps? The Adams Morgan bistro is open.
• Three for the Road: Sister restaurants Tryst, Open City, and The Diner are all open during what they have dubbed "Cluster Flake." According to a spokesman, "We are all stocked up and ready to serve our neighborhoods. We've got you covered with hot chocolates, DC's BEST Cappuccinos, fresh baked pastries, a FULL BAR, your favorite comfort foods, and of course breakfast all day & night!"
• Chinatown Coffee Co. The shop is ready for all your caffeine needs.
• Off the Record Bar The Hay Adams Hotel bar will be stirring it up during the storm.
• Cork Market Wine, meats, sammies, breads, and spreads...all available at the 14th Street market.
• DCBrit, the gastronome over at Endless Simmer, has put together a Google map of the restaurants/bars open in the Shaw and U Street neighborhoods. Check it out.
• Andrew Beaujon has a more-extensive run-down of Del Ray restaurants that are staying open.

As always, please add updates in the comments section as you hear about them. And stay safe and warm!

Tacos took off in D.C. in 2009

Good God, I can even begin to wrap my mind around all the things that happened on the D.C. dining scene during the past 12 months. Fortunately, not all of them were as apocalyptic as the closing of your favorite restaurant or the passing of Ben Ali.

For starters, we had a ton of above-average to good restaurants open in 2009. Last week, in fact, I listed my 10 favorite newbies.

We also had a President and First Lady who actually enjoyed eating out on the town, both on the high and low ends. And let's not forget about the First Family's love for burgers, burgers, and more burgers. The Obamas even made a strong statement about local/seasonal foods, which was heard all the way to Ireland.

Outside the White House, we discovered that gourmet and organic hamburger outlets were sprouting up all around us. These burger joints were practically fighting for space with all the new fro-yo, pizza, taco, and cupcake shops.

D.C. took tentative steps toward becoming a better street food city, including the addition of a cupcake truck and a stand across the river that serves up a killer breakfast taco. Far more aggressive strides were made on the local cocktail circuit, where you could find some of the most creative drinks in the country, not to mention a cool place to imbibe them.

Of course, 2009 was not all wine and Rose's grenadine. Michel Richard planned to high-tail it out of the District for a spot in McLean. Andy Shallal bankrolled a disastrous Top Chef-like contest to hire his kitchen leader at Eatonville. The "dean" of alcohol beverage control lawyers died. Esquire magazine's selection of Barton Seaver as chef of the year caused a small shitstorm among locals. Spike Mendelsohn was evicted from his Capitol Hill rental house.  The RAMMY Awards was a heated mess. And the District of Columbia showed, yet again, why it's so hard to open a restaurant within its borders.

By the way, if you'd like to hear more about the Year in Food 2009, check out my conversation with David Furst on Metro Connection.

The seasonal pumpkin-tapioca dessert at New Kam Fong

From the look of things, y'all have a strong interest in vegetarian food. Yesterday, the Y&H blog had some of its highest traffic numbers ever for a Monday, which, of course, is not why we do these kind of themed days. We do them in the name of dietery balance, the environment, human health, and the animals!

OK, sure, we also do them for the traffic.

Regardless, you seemed to enjoy the change of pace, even on the weekly Y&H newsletter, which yesterday was similarly devoted to veg eats. (You can sign up for the newsletter on the right, if you'd like.) One reader, Caroline, e-mailed to say:

Thank you so much for devoting this week’s newsletter to vegetarian/vegan dining! My boyfriend is a vegan and I am a carnivorous foodie. I almost lost it on Sunday morning when we couldn’t find a vegan pancake mix at Whole Foods. Keep the veg/vegan articles coming and maybe someday I’ll be able to go out on a date with him someplace other than Chipotle!

If you aren't a newsletter subscriber you missed a number of other veg options that Y&H has recently highlighted, like the following:

• The Match Point pizza at Comet Ping-Pong;
• The vegetarian option at the Gondar fine dining service at Almaz;
• The plate of Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas at Cantina Mexicana;
• The veggie roti at Caribbean Palace in Takoma Park;
• The cheddar tart at Eatonville;
• The french fries at Inox; (yes, I said the french fries; one bite and you'll understand.)
• The "Cornucopia" dessert at Hook (assuming the sugar topping isn't torched).

Rest assured, Y&H will return to this vegetarian topic again soon, regularly even. Perhaps I tease too much about the self-righteousness too often tied to ethical eating, but I'm also aware that it is important — and that our future may even depend on it.

As a small thank you for your continued presence on this blog, I leave you with this sweet sweet from New Kam Fong, a new Chinese eatery at 2400 University Blvd. in Wheaton. I didn't actually order this dessert; the waitress just brought it to us at the end of the meal. If your server doesn't do the same, ask for a small bowl of this seasonal treat, a mix of tiny tapioca balls, coconut, pumpkin, and God knows what else.

It was simple, light, sweet, fresh, and delicious.