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!
Even if your Halloween treats tend to come in the form of frosty beer mugs instead of fun-size Snickers, don’t try to tell us that you don’t love tearing into chocolate bars, candy corn, and boxes of Mike & Ike (does anyone actually like those?) this time of year. When you dip your hand into a plastic pumpkin bucket of candy, what do you go for? Let us know in the comments. And make sure to check out our full Halloween guide.
G Street Food (1706 G St., NW; 202-408-7474) is a different kind of lunch spot. Featuring a menu that rotates daily—with not only a soup of the day but also a sausage, tartine, and pancake of the day—the eatery focuses on street-cart fare from around the world. It comes courtesy of bread master Mark Furstenberg, founder of the renowned Breadline and Marvelous Market.
Can Furstenburg’s new restaurant live up to his reputation? We set up our cameras outside the door to find out.
In dining editor Todd Kliman’s chat this morning, he got the following question:
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DC TV: I love your chats and wonder what television you watch regarding food/cooking? For me—I have found PBS to be top notch. Between Lidia and America’s Test Kitchen—I have found a great balance between recipes, tips, tricks, and great equipment. Lidia’s food is shockingly similar to my family’s Italian cuisine plus more variation, creativity, and imagination. ATK provides great advice.
Ever notice the awkward balance btw Christopher and the Chefs? The more you watch it is funny. Martha Stewart’s 2 shows are interesting with great recipes but her hosts seem like robots. I am not looking for more Rachael Ray action. But a bit of off the cuff could be welcomed.
As for FOOD NTWK, I only enjoy Ina/Giada/Tyler. TK, Hope to hear where your interests lie with food and TV? Readers?
Todd Kliman: I’m with you—PBS all the way.
Food Network, back when it started, was not nearly so slick, not nearly so much an all-about-the-production-values sort of thing. Now, it’s basically just models with sauce pans. I enjoy Alton Brown, the exception to the rule, but otherwise I hardly ever tune in.
If you want to learn anything, if you want to not be played, then PBS is a great place to turn. And I agree about America’s Test Kitchen—it’s very unintentionally funny. You really do get the impression that Christopher Kimball is an imperious patrician grouch, and that all the staffers indulge him while surreptitiously poking fun at him behind his back.
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We want to hear what you think of the current state of foodie TV. Do you agree with Todd that PBS is the way to go? Do Paula Deen and her doughnut-and-bacon sandwiches make you want to be gluttonous . . . or gag? Does it matter that the Food Network is more about entertainment than cooking? Do you rely on any shows or TV chefs for actual recipes or cooking advice, or do you find yourself pining for Julia Child reruns? Let us know in the comments.
Everyone knows Washington has reached the big leagues when it comes to gourmet pizza, and rookie SeventhHill (327 Seventh St., SE; 202-544-1911) is looking to make a name for itself in the brick-oven game. Opened by the owners of the French bistro Montmartre, right next door, SeventhHill is taking on a pizza style dominated locally by the likes of 2 Amys and Pizzeria Paradiso. Barely three weeks old, the Capitol Hill restaurant was brimming with lunchtime pizza lovers when we stopped by with our camera to see what diners think of Washington’s newest pies.
Last week, a reader wrote in to food and wine editor Todd Kliman’s chat to get his feedback about a bad experience waiting at a restaurant. The reader had a 9 PM reservation and wasn't seated for 50 minutes. “I’m wondering what your guidelines are on what’s considered a reasonable wait for a table when you have a reservation and when you should just cut your losses and leave?” asked the frustrated customer.
“I think 2 minutes or fewer is a reasonable wait if you have a reservation. I’m not being facetious,” Kliman said. “Actually, I’m being charitable and forgiving. I think no-wait-at-all is what is reasonable if you have a reservation. Or two minutes and the restaurant buys you a drink. Fifty minutes? Fifty minutes and the meal ought to be comped.”
In Kliman’s chat today, lots of people wrote in with opinions on how the restaurant should have handled the situation. What do you think? How long is an acceptable wait for a table when you have a reservation? If you have to wait, should the restaurant do anything to make up for it?
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”?
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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