Quick hits on the meatless beat

Vegan Business Secrets: Learn from vegan hero Sara Polon, owner of Soupergirl, about what it takes to run a business. WaPo's Bonnie Benwick hosts Polon and Yael Krigman, owner of Baked by Yael, on being a woman in the food industry. Hosted at Sixth & I, expect some ranting on Jewish mothers as well. Register: Stovetop Success: Women and the Business of Food; Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7:00 pm. Tickets $10.

Give the Gift of Meatless Merriment: Metrocurean releases her local gift guide, full of suggestions for the veg-heads in your life: baked goods, jams and hot sauce.

Back to School: Peta2, the "kiddie" arm of PETA, announced last month the most vegan-friendly colleges. In the Small U.S. Schools Top 10, Georgetown University ranked #3 for its "seitan gyros with soy yogurt" and American University rounded out the list at #10. A previous winner, American is hailed as a "beacon of hope emanating from the nation's capital" with its "vegan zucchini quinoa lasagna, picadillo stuffed peppers, and vegan cherry pie."

Photo by Stefanie Gans

I think the saying is your eyes are bigger than your stomach. In my case, my hunger for reading is bigger than my appetite. While I rarely ever follow recipes, I love to read them.

With no discrimination of sources, I find inspiration from cookbooks, both old (Theory and Practice of Good Cooking by James Beard) and modern (The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg); from magazines (although not as much since the demise of Gourmet); from newspapers; and of course, from blogs.

I read a recipe like a story. Like a delicious adventure.

While restaurants in D.C. are starting to offer more vegetarian and vegan options, sometimes the best place to find a meatless meal is at home. Here are some food experiments from local bloggers that I'm interested in pursuing.

• Vegetarian Sloppy Joes (pictured): Tofu subs for ground beef in this classic messy sandwich. [Macheesmo]

• Tuscan Kale and Chickpea Pasta: Sometimes an easy pasta dish is the answer. Add greens and beans and call it a night. [Veggie Belly]

• Pumpkin Spice Pancakes: Breakfast for dinner never gets old. [Metrocurean]

• Vegan Pumpkin Soup: The long ingredient list reads like a "Who's Who" of deliciousness: coconut milk, peanut butter, and Sriracha. [DCFüd]

• Indian Naan Pizza with Homemade Paneer Cheese with two sauces — Spicy Spinach Curry and Indian Garam Masala: For the seriously ambitious, try making naan, paneer, and two sauces from scratch. Wow. [The Front Burner] 

Photo courtesy of Nick Evans at Macheesmo

Even though we're reaching the end of outdoor grilling season, we are in no way done with burgers. (Well, they are, but that's a different story.)

In fact, with the explosion of burger places on Connecticut Ave., NW  in Dupont, the cow invasion has even led to a bona fide nickname: Red Meat Row, coined by Amanda McClements of Metrocurean. And while there's been obvious attention paid to red meat, non-meat burgers have been left out of the discussion.

I rarely eat veggie burgers. If I want a burger, I want tender, fat-laden meat and nothing can accurately mimic that taste and texture. However, I haven't ruled out all non-meat burgers. In honor of Red Meat Alley, or in defiance of it, I'm interested to taste these burger joints' veggie alternatives. See if I can get my bloody-fill with chickpeas, not ground sirloin.

Following the burger places listed on McClements' Red Meat Row graphic, I checked out the online menus of BGR: The Burger Joint (which has just been named in the Washington Post's Fall 2010 Dining Guide by Tom Sietsema), Five Guys, and the yet-to-be-opened GO Burger and Shake Shack.

• BGR's veggie burger is an inventive mix of brown rice, black beans, oats, and molasses.
• Five Guys doesn't offer a veggie burger.
• GO Burger relies on a chickpea and herb patty and is pretty pricey at $11.
• Shake Shack fries a portobello mushroom and fills it with muenster and cheddar cheeses, a relative bargain at $6.75.

But what makes a good veggie burger?

There's two camps: make a veggie burger taste like meat or make it its own. I'm in the latter camp: I don't think the patty should attempt to imitate meat's unparalleled taste.

No one calls a crab cake a "crab burger" because it's not trying to impersonate red meat. Maybe veggie burgers should take the hint. I'll be watching.

Photo by TheCulinaryGeek via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License

How does one go about achieving such greatness?

Just head over to the Restaurant Raters main page and let us hear your opinion on any establishment, whether your new favorite joint or an old spot that you can't stand anymore. We'll be selecting a winner on Oct. 1, so time is of the essence. Get those critiques in and make them count.

Once your review is in, you will be automatically entered into the contest to serve as a judge at the Taste of Georgetown, right next to such well-known foodies as Nycci Nellis of The List Are You On It and Amanda McClements of Metrocurean. The winner will be picked based on the entries received before the deadline.

Here's a peek at the list of restaurants that you could be judging. Do you think you have what it takes to stand in judgment of others?

Photo courtesy of  a Taste of Georgetown

So much for the summer doldrums. Let's get right into the news.

• Dino owner Dean Gold wants to open a second restaurant, this one with more beer. [TBD]
• The new Metrocurean is born! [Metrocurean, duh]
• This just in, bro: Heavy drinking will extend your life. [Time]

• Gut Check thinks The Great Food Truck Race should have conducted better research on the mobile options in NoVa. [Northern Virginia magazine]
• Vento restaurant is moving into the old Stars Bistro space on P Street NW. [Prince of Petworth]
• Make your own cocktail at the Fruit Bat. [Thrillist]
• The Alliance Tavern is dead. [Capital Retail Group]
• American Tap Room in Bethesda has menus that light up! [The Bethesda Foodie]
• A look inside the new Taylor  Gourmet in Bethesda. [Washington Business Journal]
• EFN Lounge closes amid controversy. [Washington Blade]
• How dishes really get made in a tiny food truck. [Serious Eats]

There's lots of news to pass along, so let's not waste time with idle blog-chat.

• The Prez parties at graham elliot in Chicago for his 49th. [Obama Foodorama]
• Is D.C. a "food city" or just a second-rate Big Apple? [Grub Street]
• Metrocurean is getting a facelift, complete with video. [Metrocurean]

• Even more food trucks coming to our streets. [DCist]
• Kitchens of the future: green jelly refrigerators! [The Food Section]
• Congratulations, West Virginia, you're fat. [New York Times]
• TLC has hasn't listened to its critics: The cable channel is bringing back D.C. Cupcakes for a second season. [Washington Post]
• DCist asked readers who will win Top Chef D.C. and where the finale will be shot. Perhaps in a less geek-intensive city? [DCist]
• The Target in Columbia Heights will be selling fresh groceries in October. Its new layout is pissing off people now. [Prince of Petworth]
• Oh, Rickey, you're so fine. You're so fine, you blow my mind. Oh Rickey! [Washington Post]
• It's the summer of ice cream sticker shock. [New York Times]

Photo by loomingy1 via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License

The half-smoke is coming to RFK

Yes, it's that time again. Time for me to catch up on my favorite food sites and pass along the cream of the crop. Let's jump right in.

• Trader Joe's says it'll sell only sustainable seafood by the end of 2012. (WaPo's All We Can Eat)
• Zola's Wine & Kitchen is starting a farmers in residence program. (WBJ's Top Shelf)
• Screw Kellari Taverna's $100 martini. Endless Simmer has a $5 version.
• RFK Stadium is getting some new concession options, including President Sarkozy's favorite, Ben's Chili Bowl. (DCist)
• Who says there's no such thing as a free meal? Urbana has one tomorrow. (Metrocurean)
• Gut Check asked Fabio Trabocchi what he thinks about the new tenant at his former Maestro space.
• Congress is desperately trying to improve child nutrition in public schools. (NYT's Diner's Journal)

With all due respect to my colleague, Metrocurean, I don't think the macaroon is the next cupcake, not unless you've got the bank to hang out at Adour or Restaurant Eve. I think another French treat is more likely to supplant the little frosted cakes in the hearts of Washingtonians: crepes.

Why? First off, because the tissue-thin pancakes are tasty and easy to eat on the go (although they can quickly turn rubbery if the batter is over-mixed, as Carrie and I learned this weekend when we bought a Nutella pancake from the newish Crepes on the Walk in Chinatown).

Second, crepes are far easier to make than macaroons — and don't require as many ingredients, which makes them more attractive to potential businesses.

Third, crepes can swing both ways, sweet and savory, which means you don't have to have the sweet tooth of a 5-year-old to enjoy them.

And finally, creperies are starting to mushroom around the area, much like cupcakeries have. Aside from Crepes on the Walk, there are two more recent additions to the scene: Crepe Amour in Georgetown and the Choupi crepe cart in Arlington. More are, no doubt, on the way.

Yep, I think I get it. Reality TV has supplanted reality for our affections. Leave it to New York magazine's Grub Street to cut D.C. down to size.

The Top Chef-to-D.C. rumors have been bubbling for some time, but Amanda McClements broke the news yesterday on her blog, Metrocurean. The Post followed hours later.

In more mundane news:

• An expanded Spider Kelly's reopens (Going Out Gurus)
• P.J. Clarke's has signed a deal to take over the Olives space (WBJ's Top Shelf)
• Dangerously Delicious Pies' opening party has been delayed. (Frozen Tropics)
• MoCo schools don't want any pest-infested gardens on their grounds. (All We Can Eat)
• Embassy chef cook-off! (Zagat Buzz)
• Funxion to serve booze and health food (Urban Daddy)

Dean Gold is giving it away...for Haitian relief

It's time for some housekeeping here at Y&H Central. Lots of news has passed through our inbox and computer screen. Here are the highlights:

• Following a slammed Restaurant Week, Hook and chef Jonathan Seningen parted ways; yesterday the Georgetown seafood emporium announced a replacement, former Blue Duck Tavern chef de cuisine, Mark Hellyar (via Top Shelf).
• Dino in Cleveland Park is setting aside Monday nights in February for Haitian earthquake relief. Owner Dean Gold is donating 10 percent of his Monday night sales to several charities.

• The International Wine and Food Festival takes place on Feb. 11-14, and Metrocurean is giving away a pair of tickets to Sunday's Grand Tasting.
• CakeLove has soured on Charm City (via Washington Business Journal).
• The new Hush underground supper club has an Indian accent (via Thrillist) — not to be confused with the old Hush supper club, which did not.
• The Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza Cart is heading indoors this spring.
• Chef Gerard Pangaud starts his military career (via Tom Sietsema)
• Two new cupcakes shops open in NoVa.
• J.D. Salinger and all things food (via Diner's Journal).
• Rumors are circulating that Wagamama won't be opening in Penn Quarter after all (via Don Rockwell)
• A.M. Wine Shoppe finally opens, nearly two months later than expected.