Not afraid to bring the funk: Ripple finds a new use for its collection of cheeses. Photograph by Elizabeth Parker.
"What should Ripple do with all that cheese they have?" you've probably never wondered. But the owner, Roger Marmet, has. And here's what he came up with: On June 5, the Cleveland Park restaurant will debut a new grilled cheese bar. Guests in the bar area can either choose their own ingredients--there's a list of 15 fairly amazing cheeses, plus spreads like chutney and black-eyed-pea hummus and toppings that include roasted red peppers and caramelized onions--or opt for one of the sandwiches on the menu.
Take the Stinky Pete, for instance, a $9 combo of Époisses cheese, asparagus, and anchovy. "There is no Pete," says Marmet. "It just sounded funny." Other silly sandwich names include the Krusty Krab, an homage to Spongebob SquarePants's place of employ that features jumbo lump crab imperial and béchamel; and the "Swiss bank account," with hand-sliced prosciutto, Challerhocker, and truffles.
When it comes to mixing hard liquor with feminine style, few do it better than Katie Nelson, bartender at the Columbia Room in DC's Mount Vernon Square neighborhood. We checked in with Nelson about her favorite drink, thoughts on vodka, and morning-after pick-me-ups.
Always on the home bar: Plymouth gin.
Cocktail to make at home: Dark and Stormy with Gosling's ginger beer or Blenheim ginger ale and a dark rum such as Myers's.
Cocktail to impress guests: Gin martini. "I pinch the lemon peel to distribute the oils and then toss it."
First drink: Whiskey sour.
Liqueur: Chartreuse Green.
Bitters: Peychaud's.
Brand of tonic: Fever-Tree.
Vodka is . . . : "Tasteless, which can be useful."
Mixer: Blenheim ginger ale; Canada Dry bitter-lemon soda.
Special-occasion drink: Champagne from small growers like Pierre Gimonnet and Henriot.
By Anna Spiegel
Grilling . . . and grilling burgers to be more precise . . . is an activity no Memorial Day weekend should be without. Photograph by Flickr user m.mate.
If the thought of pink slime turns you off Memorial Day burgers, don't give up the tradition--just head to your local butcher. Several meat shops and markets around Washington grind top-quality hunks of meat daily, if not to order, ensuring pristine patties. More in the mood to grind your own? Check out tips from Ray's Hell-Burger owner Michael Landrum, and then ask the butcher to recommend whole cuts. Call ahead, as several shops are closed on Mondays or will observe holiday hours.
Among the cocktails on Bandolero's agave-focused list: El Dorado, featuring Espolón reposado tequila, Cardamaro (an amaro from Italy’s Piedmont region), St. Germain, five-spice syrup, and lemon, shaken and strained into a coupe glass. Photograph by Madeline Tank.
With two pop-ups in the bag, the staff at Bandolero should be all set for the restaurant's grand opening. On Thursday, Mike Isabella and team unveil the two-level restaurant, featuring a long copper bar with crates displaying bottles of tequila and mezcal--37 of the first and about 15 of the latter, with more on the way, according to Sam Babcock, the man in charge of beverages.
Babcock is betting the Bandolero margarita will be among the most popular orders. He's prebatching the cocktail daily in Cornelius kegs--old-school soda canisters--which are hooked up to a nitrogen line. "The nitrogen provides the liquid with enough pressure to force it up through the tap, but not enough gas to carbonate the beverage," Babcock explains. Down the road, we may see more on-tap cocktails at Bandolero. The service method has shown up in other cities--New York, Seattle--but as far as we know, the Bandolero margarita will be the first on-draft mixed drink in the Washington area.
By Anna Spiegel
Happy Tuesday, food truck followers! It's a litte cloudy out there, but that shouldn't keep you away from specials like fried oyster tacos and chilled avocado soup from Chef Driven Cuisine, tostadas and carne asada at Best Burritos, and lemon-Chardonnay layer cake aboard Seoul Food.
By Todd Kliman, Ann Limpert, Jessica Voelker, Anna Spiegel
Pistachio-topped avocado bruschetta at Cork. Photograph by Erik Uecke.
Our British colleague, cook extraordinaire Sophie Gilbert, alerted us to the fact that it's National Vegetarian Week. "Excellent," we thought, pondering our many favorite meat-free dishes (For most of us, the first two works that came to our minds were palak chaat--the crispy spinach at Rasika is the stuff of meat-free dreams). And then we learned it's only National Vegetarian Week in the United Kingdom.
Well, as they say across the pond, no bother. It's also Meatless Monday, so whether you're a vegetarian, a UK expat, or just want to sample some tasty veggie fare, here are some of our top picks.
Todd Kliman, food and wine editor
• Spicy roasted tofu with basil at Bangkok 54.
• Spicy lemongrass tofu at Rice Paper.
• Cacio e pepe--black pepper and Romano pasta--at Fiola.
By Anna Spiegel
Get your Memorial Day barbecue fix early with lunch at the LivingSocial event space, courtesy of a pop-up by Del Ray's Pork Barrel BBQ. Typically the venue only hosts temporary dinners with preordered vouchers, but you can pop in unannounced for this counter-service lunch--dine in or take it to go-- that includes a pulled barbecue pork sandwich, sides like slaw or potato salad, and a drink (be warned, they only take cards for the $13 meal).
Today is the start of Beast at Society Fair, a monthly Monday happening that involves butchery lessons, meaty bites, and wine. Today chef Julien Shapiro demonstrates how to carve heritage Randall Lineback beef while you sip vino and snack on seasonal porky appetizers. Tickets for the 90-minute class ($45 per person) are available by calling 202-556-2044.
"You know what I'm so sick of?" tweeted Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport earlier this month. "Sliders."
Ouch, I thought. Not a great PR moment for the miniburger. But thinking back, I can recall several occasions on which an influential food-world person expressed disdain for very small sandwiches--a once seemingly trendy snack item that has demonstrated surprising staying power over the past few years. (I like to compare them to cargo pants: Just when you think they're on the outs--bam!--some Fashion Week model saunters down the runway with pockets jutting out at her knees.)
Intrigued, I started asking some of the foodie types I know what the problem was. The words "bad value" came up a lot--sliders may seem inexpensive, but ounce for ounce, the argument went, you're paying through the nose for that hit of juicy beef. The sheer ubiquity seemed to bother a lot of people--from the catering world to bar menus in chains and neighborhood bistros alike, some foodies see baby burgs as a lazy fallback when something more creative was called for.
But the anti-slider argument I've heard the most is that sliders simply aren't tasty. Fresh buns are a rarity, meat tends to be dry . . . they're just not good. As when you see the word "gyoza" on a mid-priced, contemporary-American bar menu and know those dumplings likely came straight from the Sysco truck, the word "slider" can also indicate something slapdash and industrial, a throwaway item designed to distract you from the cost of your cocktail. But for every rule, an exception, and in this case five. Here, a list of sliders that show a small sandwich can be a thing of beauty. Even if it's not that cool anymore.
By Anna Spiegel
Happy Monday, food truck followers! It's a little damp out there, but your favorite food trucks are pushing through the rain to bring you lunch at spots like State Department, Union Station, and Farragut Square.
Ann Limpert, food and wine editor
• This week, GQ food writer Alan Richman--most recently the controversial winner of a James Beard Award for restaurant reviewing--was mercilessly roasted at the hands of Eric Ripert, Sam Sifton, David Chang, and Frank Bruni. Of course, it was Anthony Bourdain who lobbed some of the sharpest barbs of the night: "Now, when you Google 'Alan Richman,' you see the word 'douchebag.' You have been Santorumed." And, "At least you're not John Mariani." The 25 Best Lines From GQ's Roast of Alan Richman
• Think pink slime is bad? A recent gory find in a Michigan teen's Arby's sandwich leads NPR to put together A History of Human Fingers Found in Fast Food.
