Young & Hungry » Founding Farmers http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry D.C. Restaurants and Food Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:18:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Last Night’s Leftovers: Coca-Cola Freestyle Edition http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2012/01/31/last-nights-leftovers-coca-cola-freestyle-edition/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2012/01/31/last-nights-leftovers-coca-cola-freestyle-edition/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:32 +0000 Chris Shott http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=53420 José Andrés almost crashed his new food truck into a tree. Let this be a lesson to all you young people entering the industry: don't eat and drive. [Eater DC]

Mike Isabella dishes about his Mexican-inspired menu at the forthcoming Bandolero. Salsa? Not included. Fajitas? Maybe. Tacos? Most definitely. Margaritas? Hiccup! [Washingtonian]

One writer's last meal at Capital City Diner: fried chicken and waffles, captured in photographs [WaPo]

Wolfgang Puck, proprietor of D.C.'s The Source, among 20 other restaurants nationwide, will receive the James Beard Foundation's lifetime achievement award in May. [AP]

A restaurant workers group is suing the owners of Capital Grille on behalf of employees in the D.C. area and elsewhere, alleging racial discrimination and labor law violations.  [Reuters]

Sightings: Rob Lowe lunches at Founding Farmers; Michelle Obama hits up The Hamilton. [Reliable Source]

Soon you can pair your pad thai with some 100 different types of drinks. Noodles & Company, with locations in Woodley Park and Arlington, is installing Coca-Cola Freestyle beverage machines in its stores. [Press release]

Photo by Mbrstooge/Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2012/01/31/last-nights-leftovers-coca-cola-freestyle-edition/feed/ 0 Deviled in the Details http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/10/26/deviled-in-the-details/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/10/26/deviled-in-the-details/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:27:00 +0000 Chris Shott http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=48961 Deviled Eggs Take Over D.C. Restaurants

Deviled eggs, like the common hot dog and macaroni and cheese, are one of those classic comfort foods that have lately taken on a sort of contemporary chic—and, in some cases, sheen.

To wit: One recent evening at Boundary Stone in Bloomingdale, a plate of the $3 hors d’oeuvres arrived in the standard fashion—hard-boiled, bisected, and served cold. Except for one glaring element: The yolks were frickin’ pink! What horrible deformity had befallen that poor chicken embryo?

Thankfully, the blushing semi-orbs didn’t taste all that abnormal. They were just slightly sour and a tad tangy. It seemed no genetic mutation was at play here, nor was this some ill-conceived promotion to benefit the Think Pink campaign for breast cancer awareness. “I take some pickled beet juice and add that in with the yolk to make the deviled mixture,” chef Vincent Campaniello later explains.

When I made a return visit a few weeks later, the eggs had changed from bright pink to a sort of greenish gold. They smacked of heavy salt and spice, as well as a more subtle flavor that I couldn’t immediately identify but eventually found out to be dill.

This sort of guessing game has become commonplace at the increasingly hip neighborhood’s newest boîte.

A woman sitting next to me at the bar, who described herself as a “deviled egg snob,” claimed to have previously tried three different colors of eggs at Campaniello’s rustic-looking restaurant on Rhode Island Avenue NW: pink, orange, and purple. Her favorite? The orange—though she added that she had no clue what was in that one.

“My deviled eggs will change nightly depending on what I feel like playing around with and putting in them,” says Campaniello, whose Sunday trips to nearby farmers markets often dictate what sort of creamy egg filling his patrons will be eating for the next week. “I try and give the people something new.”

Despite the mystery, or maybe partly because of it, the bar snacks have become quite popular sellers, according to the chef. “I get a lot of questions sometimes,” he says. “But once [customers] try them, they fly out of here. I get in trouble stocking them. I’ll think I make enough orders and they’ll be gone with plenty of time left in service.”

Campaniello’s eggy experiments underscore a larger trend. At D.C.-area eateries, the summertime picnic staple has become as common an appetizer as fried calamari, yet as varied in preparation as pizza.

Deviled Eggs Take Over D.C. Restaurants

Perhaps the local standard-bearer of the genre is 2Amys in Cleveland Park, where deviled eggs have been listed on the menu since the restaurant first opened in 2001. Peter Pastan’s place is best known for its traditional Neapolitan-style pizza, but the eggs are outstanding. They win my vote for best in the entire city. The yolk filling tastes of curry, but not overpoweringly so. And, the accompanying oily green sauce—whipped up with chopped parsley, pickles, anchovy, capers, and mustard seed—piles on the salt.

Prior to the pizzeria’s opening, Pastan, also proprietor of Obelisk in Dupont Circle, had served the dish at local fundraisers. “Either people would get it, and they’d be like, ‘Oh, who doesn’t love deviled eggs?’ or, they’d be like, ‘What? Deviled eggs?’ like it was nothing special,” says 2Amys co-owner Amy Morgan.

Between the deviled delights and other egg-laden recipes, 2Amys generally goes through about five cases of eggs each week, she says. That’s 150 dozen.

In recent years, other venues have tried to elevate the old cold egg in weird ways, with varying degrees of success. At Ray’s to the Third in Arlington, the latest establishment in beef-centric restaurateur Michael Landrum’s empire, the traditional yolk mixture is tossed out entirely. Landrum instead fills his white ovals with steak tartare and smothers them in Hollandaise. The powdery yolks are scattered about the plate as a sort of garnish along with some pickles, capers, and diced onion. Call me old-fashioned, but the yolk is where the payoff is. Relegating it to the side is just plain wrong.

Retro-chic comfort food, like overpriced pet food, seems to cause marketers to break out the puns: At Ray’s, the classic deviled descriptor is altered to “devilishly good” on the menu. At Founding Farmers, the Foggy Bottom church of farm-to-table dining, eggs filled with lobster, crab, and salmon-infused mixtures are labeled “devil-ish.”

* * *

Deviled Eggs Take Over D.C. Restaurants

Economics may help explain the ascension of the old-school, albumin-rich dish to prominence on local menus. Eggs are cheap. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average retail price of a dozen grade-A eggs in September was less than $2. Slice each of ’em in half and your profit margin on the main ingredient instantly doubles.

Another financial factor: Prominent local chefs I’ve interviewed give me the distinct sense that they think the cure for our current national economic malaise involves healthy doses of mayonnaise, plus yolk.

“In these times, people are looking for what comforts them,” says Boundary Stone’s Campaniello. “I’ve done the five-star fine dining and everything. People aren’t really looking for the white linen service anymore. They want to come in and just enjoy the simple things that spark a little memory.”

And yet, even some of the city’s finer dining establishments are churning out deviled eggs. Consider Central, where fancy French chef Michel Richard serves what his compatriots calls œufs mimosa, a quartet of creamy egg halves topped with marinated anchovies called boquerones, for $7. They are quite good. The seafood topping is neither too fishy nor too salty.

At Richard’s even fussier Georgetown location Citronelle, a more traditional version of deviled eggs also appear on the menu of a special pre-theatre promotion honoring the Washington Ballet’s upcoming production of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic jazz-age novel The Great Gatsby. (The story’s action, you’ll recall, takes place in fictional West Egg.) It seems that what was good for the dapper gents and flapper-clad gals of the roaring ’20s is also perfectly suited to the 21st-century high rollers still raking it in within the Beltway’s yet-unburst bubble.

On the flipside, you find the same style of finger food getting hands sticky inside some of the District’s dingier dives. At DC9, where former Frank Ruta acolyte Amber Bursik now helms the kitchen, deviled eggs help ease the sting of whiskey shots and ear-ringing indie rock.

Bursik infuses her egg filling with pimento cheese. It’s a natural extension of the chef’s go-to morning-after remedy: grilled cheese filled with the pimento spread. “That’s one of my favorite hangover foods,” she says.

Add some paprika and a sliver of real pimento on top and you’ve got one potent bar snack. “It’s got a little bit of a smoky flavor to it, then it’s kind of sweet, a little salty, a little cheesy, and a little eggy,” she says.

Beyond the homey appeal of the dish—“They remind you of your childhood, they’re tasty and they’re kind of a guilty pleasure,” the chef says—Bursik floats another reason why folks flock to local restaurants for their deviled egg fix: “They’re a pain in the ass to make for yourself.”

Photos by Darrow Montgomery

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

Boundary Stone, 116 Rhode Island Ave. NW

2Amys, 3715 Macomb St. NW, (202) 885-5700

Founding Farmers, 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, (202) 822-8783

Ray’s to the Third, 1650 Wilson Blvd., Arlington

DC9, 1940 9th St. NW, (202) 483-5000

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/10/26/deviled-in-the-details/feed/ 5 Chew On This, Wasteful G-Men: A Real $16 Muffin at Founding Farmers http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/10/03/chew-on-this-wasteful-g-men-a-real-16-muffin-at-founding-farmers/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/10/03/chew-on-this-wasteful-g-men-a-real-16-muffin-at-founding-farmers/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:21:40 +0000 Chris Shott http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=47776 Remember the whole brouhaha about the Justice Department effectively shelling out $16 per muffin at a recent conference. Urban Daddy now points us to a place where you, too, can get a crumby confection with a price tag soaring  into the double digits. Founding Farmers is offering what it's calling the "24K Jumbo Pumpkin Muffin," a ginormous mound of  cranberries, raisins and pumpkin seed granola that's big enough for two. The off-menu, limited-quantity item is available during Sunday brunch service throughout October. The kicker: "And unlike the Justice Department’s hotels, they’ll even throw in the coffee—a two-person French press of Intelligentsia organic."

Photo courtesy of Founding Farmers pastry chef Courtney Goldian

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/10/03/chew-on-this-wasteful-g-men-a-real-16-muffin-at-founding-farmers/feed/ 6 Graffiato’s Mike Isabella Is Plotting A New Pizza Place [UPDATED] http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/09/21/graffiatos-mike-isabella-is-plotting-a-new-pizza-place/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/09/21/graffiatos-mike-isabella-is-plotting-a-new-pizza-place/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:24:26 +0000 Stefanie Gans http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=47015 Gravy Trained: Mike Isabella's Jersey-Italian Graffiato Is Neither Jersey Nor Italian. Discuss.

Chef Mike Isabella is shopping around for space to open a new pizza joint. The owner of the popular three-month-old Italian-inspired Chinatown eatery Graffiato, home of the fried calamari-topped "Jersey Shore" pie (pictured), has a slightly different concept in mind for his next venture and mentioned Northeast D.C.'s bustling H Street corridor as a possible location.

Isabella dished up his future pie-making plans after a press conference on Wednesday morning at Founding Farmers. The former Top Chef contestant was asked whether he intended to open additional Graffiato locations in the future. Isabella said no but added that he hoped to create a more casual restaurant concept focused on pizza, with  "a few salads, and maybe some olives and anchovies," rounding out the menu. Graffiato, of course, serves an array of dishes beyond artisanal pies, including pastas and local hams.

Isabella spoke at an American Farmland Trust briefing announcing the organization's second annual Dine Out for Farms. Restaurants participating in this nation-wide event will donate money to the organization and educate diners about the importance of preserving the nation's farmlands. Graffiato and other D.C.-area restaurants will participate the week of Oct. 16.

UPDATE: Isabella clarifies via Twitter that the new pizzeria concept is "just a pie in the sky dream right now. No space no lease." Realtors, this is your cue.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/09/21/graffiatos-mike-isabella-is-plotting-a-new-pizza-place/feed/ 2 And the Rammy Goes To: Todd Gray, Kyle Bailey, The Source, Estadio, All Big Winners on Awards Night http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/06/27/and-the-rammy-goes-to-todd-gray-kyle-bailey-the-source-estadio-all-big-winners-on-awards-night/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/06/27/and-the-rammy-goes-to-todd-gray-kyle-bailey-the-source-estadio-all-big-winners-on-awards-night/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:39:09 +0000 Chris Shott http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=40795 Todd Gray is out $100. The acclaimed chef at Equinox took top honors as D.C.'s "Chef of the Year" last night at the 2011 Rammy awards gala at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Northwest D.C., an honor which apparently comes at a price. During his acceptance speech, Gray confessed to betting against himself and losing that gamble to former chef turned writer David Hagedorn. (Later, at an after-party, Hagedorn told Y&H that he was still waiting for his C-note.)

Earlier, chef Scott Drewno hobbled to the stage on crutches to accept "Best Fine Dining" honors on behalf of The Source by Wolfgang Puck, joking that the guys from rival nominee Bourbon Steak had broken his legs.

Restaurateur Mark Kuller, meanwhile, demanded that organizers turn off the wrap-it-music while accepting the crystal obelisk statue for "Best New Restaurant of the Year" on behalf of Estadio. Kuller continued to issue thanks ad nauseam even through the second round of nudging melodies.

Other winners: Husband and wife team Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac both won for "Rising Culinary Star of the Year" and "Pastry Chef of the Year," respectively, for their work at Birch & Barley. Taberna del Alabardero was honored for its wine; Founding Farmers for its beverage/mixology program. The Tabard Inn was named "Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year," while the "Favorite Restaurant," as voted by the public, went to Carmine's, whose proprietor credited the eatery's large portions. Carmine's was also the people's pick for "Power Spot of the Year." Additional faves of the public: Chef Geoff's at Tysons Corner for "Hottest Bar Scene of the Year" and Ted's Bulletin for "Neighborhood Gathering Spot of the Year."

Earlier in the evening, chef José Andrés was honored for career achievement, received a standing ovation and a lengthy video tribute. He jokingly apologized for the "commercial" to raucous laughter. "I didn't pay for it!" he said.

Check back later for video from the red carpet.

Photo by Brooke Hatfield

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/06/27/and-the-rammy-goes-to-todd-gray-kyle-bailey-the-source-estadio-all-big-winners-on-awards-night/feed/ 1 Hitting the Sauce: Founding Farmers’ Triple-Threat Beignet Fixings http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/05/25/hitting-the-sauce-founding-farmers-triple-threat-beignet-fixings/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/05/25/hitting-the-sauce-founding-farmers-triple-threat-beignet-fixings/#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 20:22:41 +0000 Samantha Le http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=39536 If there’s one thing I like better than a good gourmet doughnut, it’s the opportunity to sauce that tasty tiny fried cake myself. Case in point: the ambrosial “B Baby’s Beignets” at Founding Farmers, served with a trio of delectable house-made dips.

Desperate dessert seekers, please be patient. The New Orleans-inspired sweets are made fresh every few hours but they don't go into the fryer until you order. "They will take about twenty minutes," my server warned me, "but they’re delicious." She was right. The lemon-sized, sugar-glazed confections arrive piping hot, dusted with powdered sugar, inside an open brown paper bag; the smell of freshly fried dough wafting through the air.

But the proverbial pièce de résistance is, of course, the saucing. You get three: a decadent semi-sweet chocolate, a salty caramel and a mouth-puckering raspberry coulis.

Consider it a big upgrade on the boring old chocolate or jelly doughnut. Here, you can have both; plus, creamy caramel.

Dip or drizzle according to your preferences. If you really want to get crazy, I recommend mixing the sauces. Raspberry and chocolate, or chocolate and caramel combine to make luscious combinations.

Raspberry and caramel? Well, let's not get too crazy.

Naturally, a fanatical condiment connoisseur like myself can't help but dream up new ways to sauce-up even the most delicious dish. Might I suggest to Founding Farmers the addition of a fourth dip, the supernal chocolate-bacon sauce?

Founding Farmers, 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, (202) 822-8783

Feeling saucy? Email us about your favorite condiment at hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com

Photos by Samantha Le

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2011/05/25/hitting-the-sauce-founding-farmers-triple-threat-beignet-fixings/feed/ 1 Changing Tables: Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill Now Open, Another Matchbox on the Way http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/12/08/changing-tables-arlington-rooftop-bar-and-grill-now-open-another-matchbox-on-the-way/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/12/08/changing-tables-arlington-rooftop-bar-and-grill-now-open-another-matchbox-on-the-way/#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:05:25 +0000 Andrew George http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=30627

The latest in restaurant openings, closings, and highly unstable target dates.

Coming Soon:

Openings:

Closings:

Photo by Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/12/08/changing-tables-arlington-rooftop-bar-and-grill-now-open-another-matchbox-on-the-way/feed/ 2 Changing Tables: Sweetgreen Opens Today in Ballston http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/12/02/changing-tables-sweetgreen-opens-today-in-ballston/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/12/02/changing-tables-sweetgreen-opens-today-in-ballston/#comments Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:10:04 +0000 Andrew George http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=29993

The latest in restaurant openings, closings, and highly unstable target dates.

Coming Soon:

Openings:

Closings:

Photo by Tom (andertho) via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/12/02/changing-tables-sweetgreen-opens-today-in-ballston/feed/ 4 Changing Tables: American Tap Room and Ping Pong Dim Sum Are Reproducing! http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/11/24/changing-tables-american-tap-room-and-ping-pong-dim-sum-are-reproducing/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/11/24/changing-tables-american-tap-room-and-ping-pong-dim-sum-are-reproducing/#comments Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:19:21 +0000 Andrew George http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=29601

The latest in restaurant openings, closings, and highly unstable target dates.

Coming Soon:

Openings:

Closings:

Photo courtesy of American Tap Room

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/11/24/changing-tables-american-tap-room-and-ping-pong-dim-sum-are-reproducing/feed/ 1 Changing Tables: Ba Bay and New IHOP Location Open http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/11/17/changing-tables-ba-bay-and-new-ihop-location-open/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/11/17/changing-tables-ba-bay-and-new-ihop-location-open/#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:30:46 +0000 Andrew George http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/?p=29229

The latest in restaurant openings, closings, and highly unstable target dates.

Coming Soon:

Openings:

Closings:

Photo from flickr user sikario.

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