It's time for you, our dear readers, to weigh in with your thoughts on the strong and weak contestants.
We've been asking local Top Chef alumni to give us their thoughts every Wednesday on the upcoming episode. But we know everyone has an opinion about the show, and for this episode—about halfway through the season—we want to know what you think. Which contestants are making it to the finals? Who's a sure thing to pack his or her knives? Answer our polls below, then give us some more thoughts in the comments section.
Capitol Hill’s Acqua Al 2 (212 Seventh St., SE; 202-525-4375) has attracted a slew of Washington bold-face names in search of five-course pasta tastings and grilled steaks. Last Tuesday, Rahm Emanuel took a break from his White House duties to take in a meal at the intimate restaurant, which is a spinoff of the original in Florence, Italy. Emanuel wasn’t available for comment, but we caught up with several other diners who dish on their experiences.
In restaurant critic Todd Kliman's chat today, a reader said that he or she had recently splurged on a meal at Komi. "The food was amazing, the ambiance was great, and the service was impeccable," the reader wrote. "My only complaint? I was told the chef doesn't allow photos of the food to be taken."
We just heard that summer Restaurant Week is planned for August 16 through 22. It's a great time to try pricey restaurants on the cheap—three-course lunches are $20.10, and three-course dinners are $35.10—but seats fill up fast. We want to know: Where are you making your first RW reservations?
One of our favorite things about summer fruit is all the pies that come out of it. We're thinking about lattice-work crust over tart cherry or sweet blueberry filling, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Lately though, pastry chefs have been turning out deconstructions and "interpretations" of pie. And in restaurant critic Todd Kliman's chat today, he had something to say about it. "Pie is supposed to make you feel like a little kid," he wrote. "Leave the pie alone. We want pie. A full wedge. So simple. So good."
Where do you go for a slice of pie—a full wedge or a deconstructed version?
As one of the latest additions to Silver Spring’s dining scene, 8407 Kitchen Bar (8407 Ramsey Rd.; 301-587-8407) has people flocking to its tables for chef Pedro Matamoros’s house-made pasta and charcuterie. It has also attracted the attention of Washingtonian food and wine editor Todd Kliman, who back in April saw potential for the neighborhood restaurant to “grow into something good and maybe special.” Has it lived up to his predictions? We caught up with a few diners to get their take.
In restaurant critic Todd Kliman's chat today, we couldn't have been happier when a reader asked him for ice-cream and gelato recommendations. Kliman said he likes Milwaukee Frozen Custard for ice cream and Dolcezza for gelato. Where have you been getting scoops and cones during this heat spell?
Missed our Unveiled event? Watch all the action unfold in our snappy video recap.
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Ann Limpert
Though Ann Limpert graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in art history and creative writing, she spent most of her time in New England debating the merits of warm, buttery lobster rolls vs. cold, mayo-y ones. She spent two years covering the internet for Entertainment Weekly magazine (highlights include interviewing the Beastie Boys and dancing to "Livin' la Vida Loca" with Penn Jillette), then left to hone her kitchen skills at the Institute of Culinary Education. She has worked as a cook at several New York restaurants, researched and edited cookbooks, and now writes about food and restaurants for the Washingtonian.
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Kate Nerenberg
Kate Nerenberg started as an editorial intern at The Washingtonian in January 2008 and became an assistant editor in September 2008. A native of West Hartford, Connecticut, she spent the first half of her writing life as a sports reporter, and was the editor of the athletics section for the newspaper and student-run magazine while at Middlebury College. A joint Spanish and Art History major, Kate graduated in 2005 and took off on a year-long journey around the world. After tasting everything from fried crickets to lavish Turkish breakfasts, she realized she wanted to devote herself to writing about food, a lifelong passion. She lives with three roommates just east of Logan Circle in a house that's often filled with the smell of sauteed garlic, warm banana bread, or fried bacon and eggs.
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Rina Rapuano
Rina Rapuano's English degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond put her on the path to becoming a managing editor of a weekly business magazine; a freelance copy editor; and assistant managing news editor—and later the lifestyles editor—at a weekly paper in Maryland. But she realized her true calling when her descriptions of meals to friends and colleagues always seemed to end with the same statement: “You're making me hungry.” Frankly, it was making Rina hungry, too. She chucked her day job in 2006 to become a full-time freelance writer focusing mainly on food, and now works as assistant food and wine editor at The Washingtonian.
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