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Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.

Category: Food Media

Tune Inn Headed for the Food Network

By Kate Nerenberg

More than six decades after opening, the Capitol Hill institution caught the eye of Guy Fieri and the Food Network.

Yesterday, we got word that the Tune Inn will be featured on an episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The filming on the floor of 63-year-old bar, a Capitol Hill institution, is closed to the public.  

In the recently spruced-up kitchen, the cameras will zoom in on chef Mike Tate, who will talk to Food Network producers today to find out what's on the menu. The Tune Inn, which is on Esquire magazine's top 100 bars list, is known for its burgers.

 So where does the bar fit into the name of the show? "We're a dive bar," says manager Susan Mathers. "We don't mind it. We revel in it."

>> What do you think Guy Fieri should eat for the filming? Let us know in the comments.

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Category Tags: Food Media

Who’s in the Early Running for a James Beard Award?

By Ann Limpert

Every spring, the food world comes together in New York to celebrate its brightest stars at the James Beard Awards. This year’s ceremony will happen May 3 at Avery Fisher Hall, and finalists will be announced on March 22. But who’s in the early running for a medal? Here are the Washington folks who have made the semi-final cut.

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Category Tags: Food & Restaurant News, Food Media

Chew on This: What Are the 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do?

By Kate Nerenberg

On the New York Times' You're the Boss blog, first-time restaurateur Bruce Buschel is writing "The Start-Up Chronicle," which documents the making of his Southampton, New York restaurant. Last month, he posted a two-part list of 100 do's and don'ts for his servers, and restaurant-industry controversy ensued.

The list runs the gamut from hygiene (number 12: Do not touch the rim of a water glass. Or any other glass.) to attitude (number 58: Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested.).

We know everyone has pet peeves when they eat out. So, we want to know your thoughts on the list: Would you add any rules or take anything off?  Servers, please chime in, too. Are Buschel's rules realistic or idealistic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! 

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Category Tags: Food Media, Feedback

Chew on This: Which Locals Should Try Out for 'Top Chef'?

By Kate Nerenberg

Tomorrow, look for a line of white coats outside the Occidental in downtown DC. The restaurant is one of seven national locations where Magical Elves, the production team behind Top Chef, is holding a casting call for the show’s next season. We want to know who you think should show up. Which Washington toques have the chops to join Carla Hall, the Voltaggio brothers, and Mike Isabella as cheftestants? And which pastry chefs would you want to root for on the forthcoming Top Chef spinoff, Just Desserts?  Let us know in the comments!

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Category Tags: Food Media, Feedback, Top Chef

Chew on This: Is Barton Seaver Chef of the Year?

By Kate Nerenberg

Seaver was awarded the title by Esquire Magazine. Does he deserve it? Let us know your thoughts.

Last week, Jane Black wrote this on the Washington Post’s All We Can Eat blog: “Congratulations to Barton Seaver. In its November issue, Esquire Magazine will name him ‘chef of the year’ and Blue Ridge, Seaver’s farm-to-table restaurant in Glover Park, one of the best new restaurants in the country.”

Seaver, who’s made his name synonymous with sustainability and local food, was the chef at Café Saint-Ex, then headed up the splashy Hook before leaving that Georgetown restaurant in June 2008, saying he wanted to spend his time as an advocate, not a chef. The Washington Post item went viral in the foodie blogosphere, and a number of sites questioned the ethics of Esquire’s food writer, John Mariani, who told Black he ate at Blue Ridge once for lunch and Seaver knew he was there.

As for us, The Washingtonian named Seaver one of 20 fabulous singles in 2006 and Washingtonian.com did a Favorites interview with him last year, so we know he loves Champagne, spells his name with all lower-case letters, and goes to early-morning spinning classes. As for his cooking talents, we want to know what you think. Does Seaver deserve to be anointed “chef of the year”?

Let us know in the comments.



Category Tags: Food Media, Feedback

Tweet Your Favorite Eats

On the Best Bites Blog’s Twitter feed, we give you reports of all the great (and not so great) dishes from around town. Now, we want you to be a part of our eating team too. Tweet at us (@bestbitesblog) with reports of any dish you’ve had that is utterly delicious, and—in 140 characters or less!—tell us why it’s so great. Post it with the hashtag #tweeteat, and every Monday, we’ll publish a roundup of your favorite eats. 



Category Tags: Food Media

Three for Washington on Top Chef

By Ann Limpert

Bravo just posted the cheftestant bios for its hit cooking competition/Glad ad Top Chef, and there are not one but three players with Washington ties. That’s big for a show that in all its seasons has given us only caterer Carla Hall to root for as a hometown prospect. (Spike Mendelsohn was living in New York during his stint on the show.) And Bravo’s thrown in another twist of novelty: Two of those three are brothers. There’s Bryan Voltaggio, longtime chef de cuisine at Charlie Palmer Steak, now chef/owner of the Frederick destination restaurant Volt, and little bro Michael Voltaggio, who impressed as chef at the Greenbrier’s Hemisphere and is now chef de cuisine at José Andrés’s many-starred Los Angeles restaurant, Bazaar. Also competing is Mike Isabella, chef de cuisine at another Andrés restaurant, DC’s Zaytinya.

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Category Tags: Food Media, Top Chef

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  1. Burger Brackets (34 Entries)
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What to Do This Weekend: February 9 to 12

Woo at the Zoo, the opening of “Genesis Robot” at Synetic Theater, and the Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival. more

Music Picks: Jack’s Mannequin, All Things Gold, Steve Aoki

Our recommendations for the best in live music over the next seven days. more

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. more

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. more

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. more

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