Image courtesy of Osteria Morini

Tonight: City Paper hosts its "Best of DC 2012 voting party at Carmine's in Penn Quarter. Free food provided. All we ask in return is your humble opinion on the tastiest stuff in town. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, popular cafe and wifi hotspot Pound is launching its new dinner service at 5 p.m. sharp, serving things like coq au vin dumplings and crispy Cuban-style pork pork chicharrones. Check out the menu here. Then, at 7 p.m., Chocolate City Brewery and Hello Cupcake debut their combined craft-beer infused cupcake at Nellie's on U Street NW.

Coming up: tomorrow night, Cashion's in Adams Morgan launches its new tasting menu, featuring six of chef John Manolatos' favorite dishes. Price is $85 per person (that's $105 with wine). Then, on Saturday, Y&H's favorite Adams Morgan sandwich spot, A.M. Wine Shoppe, hosts its second anniversary party with free tastings, demonstrations, and cocktail talk with Proof and Estadio's affable mix master Adam Bernbach.

For more info, click on any link in the Y&H food events calendar above.

Got something tasty going on? Email tips, daily specials and event listings to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Enzo Fargione

“Sometimes in the frenetic first few weeks of opening and operating a new business, decisions are made that, though they seem to make sense at the time, ultimately prove to be the wrong decisions. The easy thing to do would be to stand pat and weather the storm that a wrong decision might cause, but we’re not afraid to admit that our initial and subsequent water charges did not best meet the needs of our guests. In an effort to best serve our valued guests, Elisir has decided to do away completely with charges for our in-house filtered and bottled sparkling and still water."

Contacted by Y&H, Curtz was mum on the specifics beyond those listed on the regulatory notice. "We tend to be very superstitious and don't want to say anything more until details are worked out," he says.

The furniture store, meanwhile, confirms that it is closing at the end of January.

A hearing on Curtz's application is scheduled for Feb. 21.

Photo by Russell Warnick

Photo by Charles Haynes/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

This is not a formal review, but rather an off-the-cuff first-impressions-style riff on a brand-spankin' new D.C. restaurant.

Of the various al la carte offerings at chef Enzo Fargione's new Elisir restaurant (roughly pronounced ale-ee-zeer), which opened on Wednesday, the smoked carpaccio di branzino immediately snagged my attention. The $18 fish dish comes served in a cigar box. The server pops the lid and—poof!—a visible cloud of Applewood smoke fills your nostrils.

Initial impressions: The aromatic presentation immediately recalls chef R.J. Cooper's "Fowl Play" dish at Rogue 24 (No. 8 on the Coop's 24-course journey, during my visit), but the morsels here are far more substantial. Several bite-sized slices of seabass line the bottom of the serving tray, drizzled with a citrus dressing and topped with shaved mushrooms, pea tendrils and blood oranges. I enjoyed the combination of flavors—salty, sweet and a little peppery—but wondered whether the thing might be just a tad overdressed. The fish is really buried under all that stuff. It is altogether tasty, nonetheless. Finishing up, I noticed a few stray shards of crystalized salt in the box and promptly popped 'em. The salt really seems to really trap the smoke.

The cooking process breaks down like this, according to a server (you can also find the recipe here): the fish is cut right off the loin, dressed and put in the cigar box. (The restaurant has about a dozen of the boxes on hand, he says.) Meanwhile, he tells me, the wood chips are placed on the grill and heated briefly to get 'em to start smoking. Then the chips are put in a little ramekin, which goes into the cigar box with the fish and the lid comes down.  The box is then basically left alone to cook for about four minutes while it makes its way to your table. "It's perfect timing," the server says, "because it gets to the table and it's been about four minutes and the server will just open the box and, of course, remove the wood chips." He laughs, "We don't want anyone eating the wood chips."

Photos by Chris Shott

Sorriso is located at 3518 Connecticut Ave NW.

The family behind Cleveland Park's homey Italian eatery Sorriso is expanding its tasty offerings to nearby Woodley Park with a new project: Cafe Sorriso on Calvert Street NW.

Isabella Polles, daughter of Sorriso patriarch Pietro Polles, will manage the new restaurant alongside her brother, Stefano Polles.

After years of taking their cues from Papa Polles—occasional family spats only added to the authentic Italian charm of the place—the siblings say they are fulfilling a long-time dream to open their own place.

Cafe Sorriso will differ from its predecessor by offering smaller plates, sandwiches, and organic options. Of course, there will also be pizza—albeit the square kind, which is apparently all the rage with Italian youths these days, according to the sibs. (Stefano Polles studied both proper pie- and gelato-making in Italy.)

The brother-sister team have also hired former Italian embassy chef Roberto Grazioli, who specializes in pastries, for their new cafe.

Isabella Polles tells Y&H the cafe will cater to those who aren't looking for a full-course sit down dinner and just want something they can take-out. "It will be a smaller menu, but there will be something for everyone," she says.

Cafe Sorriso is planning on opening its doors "sometime in the new year," she says. The siblings plan to be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Hungry for something to eat and to wear? Well, you may have come to the right place. On the second floor of the same building, Isabella Polles will also manage her own consignment and vintage clothing store.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Bombolini at Fiola

Congrats to chef Fabio Trabocchi and company. His Penn Quarter eatery Fiola, which opened this past spring, made the cut for Esquire's list of "Best New Restaurants 2011." Says the men's mag: "After his cucina nuova effusions of the past, Trabocchi has gone retro, infusing classic Italian dishes with his own sense of the sublime. You can get a simple appetizer of mozzarella-stuffed squash blossom fritters with tomato sauce — that's the 'untouched' part — followed by his i vincisgrassi, a devilishly rich Le Marche lasagna layered with wild mushrooms, chicken livers, veal, beef, pork, and sausage, with a bianchetto sauce and Parmesan — that's the glorious 'personal interpretation' part."

Photo by Chris Shott