Last night’s James Beard restaurant and chef awards may have been filled with celebrity toques, but one of Washington’s hometown classics was also recognized: C.F. Folks, the 32-year-old Dupont luncheonette, was honored with the foundation’s America’s Classic Award. The title is given to those locally owned institutions with “timeless appeal” and a sense of community. As owner Art Carlson notes, “C.F. Folks is a lunch counter. Nothing more than a simple lunch counter.” Still, you’ll see in the video that it means much more to its guests and regulars. (Keep an eye out for The Washingtonian’s own Kate Bennett.)
Check out the other Washington nominees and winners from the 2013 James Beard Awards.
Happy Tuesday, food truck followers! It's a drizzly day, but the trucks are back and open in Farragut after yesterday's protest. Read all about the food truck fight in our earlier post.
A great cobbler recipe will serve you all spring and summer long. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
From a culinary standpoint, this time of year rules. Great produce floods the market, patios become a second—and far superior—dining room, and invitations to backyard barbecues start showing up in your inbox. To get you inspired, we’ve collected 20 excellent recipes for spring and summer fare, all of it courtesy of Washington restaurants and shops. There are fancy popsicles from Pleasant Pops, amazing grilled chicken from Estadio—even instructions on how to properly booze up a watermelon. It’s all in the service of making this your tastiest spring and summer ever, so go forth and make something wonderful.
Chef Johnny Monis won big at the James Beard awards on Monday night. Photograph by Scott Suchman.
The first words out of chef Johnny Monis’s mouth after he accepted his James Beard award on Monday night? “Anne Marler.” The Komi and Little Serow restaurateur thanked his wife and business partner, then offered appreciation to the staff and support teams that helped the couple achieve their successes.
Monis earned the honor of Best Chef Mid-Atlantic, a title he was also up for in 2012 and 2011. His competition this year: Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore; Vikram Sunderam, chef at Rasika; and repeat nominee Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve. The occasion also marks a victory for Washington following a complete shutout in 2012.
Other Washington nominees this year included CityZen, which lost Outstanding Wine Program to Frasca in Boulder, Colorado. Minibar's design scored a nom in the under-75-seats category, but that award went instead to Isa in Brooklyn. C.F. Folks received the honorary America's Classics award.
Monis, whose quiet demeanor contrasts with the stereotype of the bombastic, ego-fueled chef, has had a good run over the past months. In February, news came that GQ considered Serow, his tiny Thai spot on 17th Street, Northwest, the most outstanding restaurant of the year. The restaurant had already earned a spot among Bon Appétit’s Hot 10 eateries in 2012. Both Komi and Little Serow ranked among this publication’s top ten in 2013, snagging the second and seventh spots, respectively.
The complete list of restaurant and chef awards appears on the JBF website.
Sweetgreen salads are, naturally, among the food offerings you'll find at Sweetlife. Photograph courtesy of Sweetlife.
Make Mom’s day: Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 12, but you better get planning as soon as possible if you want to be as on top of things as Mom. Check out our 2013 Mother’s Day Guide, which includes a rundown of brunches plus our own editors’ picks for mom-day meals and a few fun suggestions for activities that go beyond the typical eggs Benedict.
Farragut lunch-goers learned what life would be like without their favorite four-wheeled restaurants Monday. Photograph by Anna Spiegel.
Seventeen food trucks parked around Farragut Square on Monday, but no tacos or cupcakes passed through their service windows, which remained stubbornly shut throughout the midday-meal hours. Members of the Food Truck Association staged the protest, billed as A Day Without a Food Truck, in opposition to pending regulations and to give customers an idea of the dining landscape—or lack thereof—that might result if said laws were passed.
The name plays on the satirical indie movie A Day Without a Mexican, which imagines life in California if all the Mexicans disappeared in a magical pink fog (spoiler alert: hell breaks lose). While the loss of food trucks may not result in societal breakdown, vendors see the most recent set of regulations proposed by mayor Vincent Gray to be as devastating as the film’s corrosive cloud. Truck owners and their supporters passed out informational packages on the streets to passersby, highlighting particularly harmful restrictions such as banning food trucks from areas with less than ten feet of open sidewalk—of which, they argue, there are few—and forcing them into a lottery for a limited number of assigned spaces. If passed, many vendors believe these new limits will effectively kill the food-truck industry in the District.
Detractors say food trucks reap economic benefits from the city without giving back, and hold an advantage over their brick-and-mortar brethren because they’re virtually free from taxes; an idea that the association actively disputes, citing sales taxes, vehicle taxes, payroll taxes, and taxes associated with the required brick-and-mortar commissary kitchens. The message echoed by many vendors is that their opponents’ arguments, like those from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington are designed to force out the trucks.
The chicken Parm sandwich at G. Photograph by Greg Powers.
With no opening date announced for the long-awaited Kapnos and G on 14th Street, many of us are getting anxious to sample the goods. Well, an opportunity has presented itself. The Jersey-bred Graffiato restaurateur and Top Chef breakout star will preview G’s menu of sandwiches at his Penn Quarter spot (707 Sixth Street, Northwest) May 13 through 17 from 11:30 to 2. In the same month, Isabella will launch G GrabandGo in Edison, New Jersey, in collaboration with his sister and brother-in-law.
In February, Isabella gave us the scoop on what to expect at G—there will be some familiar favorites from Graffiato, including the popular roasted cauliflower and the Caesar salad with cream-cheese croutons, four sorts of sandwiches, and, at night, a tasting menu featuring seasonal ingredients. The pop-up will showcase limited offerings from the full menu, including a roasted suckling pig sub, a chicken Parmigiano sandwich, and a Greek salad with red wine vinaigrette. You can check out the offerings after the jump.
Get this for free on Tuesday. Photograph by Scott Suchman.
No Tuesday lunch plans? Good news. DGS Delicatessen marks the official launch of its to-go lunch counter at 1317 Connecticut Avenue, Northwest, with free pastrami sandwiches for the first 50 customers on May 7. The pastrami is smoked in house and stacked between slices of mustard-slathered rye bread. Other options (check out the full menu after the jump) include whitefish salad on a Montreal-style bagel with tomato jam, fried capers, and thinly sliced radishes, and egg salad on pumpernickel with butter lettuce, harissa, and gribenes (chicken skin cracklins). The restaurant’s excellent matzo-ball soup is also available to go for $7.
Update: Per Food Truck Fiesta, the Farragut trucks are protesting proposed regulations by not serving any food today.
Happy Monday, food truck followers! Forget the gloomy weather and perk up your day with specials such as quinoa salad and empanadas from Peruvian Brothers, shredded barbecue beef at Chef on Wheels, and chicken tacos with fresh guacamole aboard District Taco.
Find lovely last-minute gifts for mom at Salt & Sundry in Union Market. Photograph by Andrew Propp.
Come Sunday, May 12, you’ll find practically everyone and their mother at brunch. Consider breaking from the norm with one of the following activities for the food-loving matriarch.
Meander through a market
She once guided your around the grocery store—now return the favor tenfold. As our latest issue attests, Washington markets are some of the most fun and exciting places to roam these days. For mothers who like their produce with a side of freshly shucked oysters, start at Union Market in the District. The newly built food lover’s paradise houses a variety of vendors. You’ll find plenty of tasty foodstuffs to take home, but we also love grazing and sipping on the premises. Recent favorites include freshly shucked oysters and buttery Old Bay shrimp with deftly crafted cocktails at Rappahannock Oyster Company, flights of fromage with wine or beer from Righteous Cheese, and Red Apron’s meaty sandwiches such as “porkstrami” accompanied by an on-tap G&T. If you haven’t picked a gift for Mom, just head to Salt & Sundry and let her go to town on the charming boutique’s tableware, aprons, cookbooks, candles, and more. Note: The market tends to hit its peak on the weekend around lunch/brunch time. To avoid the biggest crowds, go around 11 when it first opens, or in the early evening.
Mom more of an outdoors type? Check out one of the bountiful Sunday markets for ingredients, and then cook a feast together. Dupont Circle FreshFarm market is the largest in DC, with everything from meats and produce to fresh pastas and crabcakes for an easy at-home supper. Over in Maryland, the Olney Farmers & Artists Market debuts its spring and summer market on Mother’s Day with many items from local artists and craftspeople in addition to the edible offerings. Arlington, Virginia’s Westover Farmers Market is another stocked stop, with plenty of premade foods and fresh items to cook. Check out our online directory for times and locations.
