The Margherita at 2Amys: Does it make the cut? Earlier this week, I was noshing on the roast chicken at Palena Cafe, reveling once again in Frank Ruta's ability to add and coax flavors from this generous, succulent portion of breast, wing, and leg meat. That's when the thought struck me: This is, hands-down, one [...]
The way chef/owner Frank Ruta explains it, Palena must clear three separate hurdles before the highly regarded restaurant can expand into the adjacent Magruder's, which closed down in May. The first hurdle — an agreement to take over the former grocery — has already been cleared, Ruta says. But the final deal is contingent upon [...]
Y&H is thrilled to report that Select 55 has been dethroned — by another beer, Guinness, which celebrated a birthday yesterday. Let's raise a glass to Select 55's long run and to the new king of the Y&H blog. This week's most-read posts: Raise a Toast to Guinness' 250th Anniversary Budweiser Launches Select 55, Light [...]
Ruta emerged from Palena's kitchen, pictured with Maddy Beckwith So how unique was last night's opening reception for Sou'Wester? So unique that Frank Ruta showed up. In all the years Y&H has been covering the dining scene in D.C., I've never seen the semi-reclusive Palena chef and owner at an industry event. I barely recognized [...]
One by one, we’re running through the 50 restaurants that made the cut on this year’s Young & Hungry Dining Guide. If you have visited the day’s featured restaurant, let us know what you think. If you’re planning to visit for the first time, tell us about your meal when you return. The influx of [...]
Ruta: A main reason Murshed likes Cleveland Park Komi manager and server Basheer Murshed, a long-time D.C. resident, bravely offered his top five foodie neighborhoods to the Urban Turf real estate Web site. There are no real surprises on Murshed's list, but perhaps a few omissions that say something about the fine-dining leanings of our [...]
Etrusco deserved a better farewell than its slow, mostly ignored fade into nothingness late last year, and Olga Boikess finally provided it yesterday with a short-but-laudatory blog post for ZagatBuzz. Boikess briefly documents the many incarnations of the Dupont Circle eatery and quotes a number of D.C. culinary dignitaries who give owner Vince MacDonald his [...]
Barack Obama's transition team has just announced that it will retain current White House chef, Cristeta Comerford, a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Philippines. Hate to tell you, but Palena chef and owner Frank Ruta, a former White House cook himself, virtually predicted such a thing back in November when Young & Hungry contacted him. [...]
