The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

We give you the run-down on what happened in this week in food.

• It appears that McCain campaign interns have goofed again. In April, Cindy McCain blamed one of the unpaid peons for posting “family recipes” on the campaign Web site that were actually from Foodnetwork.com. But the culprit didn’t stop there. When Family Circle’s July 2008 issue ran a contest to compare cookie recipes from the spouse of each candidate, someone was smart enough to check her sources. The blonde’s submission, attributed to “a good friend,” was—perhaps not surprisingly—lifted from Hersheys.com. Stay tuned for the next episode of Recipegate.

• Following Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Frank Winstead’s YouTube exposé of customers playing ping pong (and actually having fun?! shock! horror!) in front of Cleveland Park pizza joint Comet Ping Pong, Monday night’s ANC 3F meeting was a flurry of shouts and jeers. Comet owner James Alefantis proposed that the ANC lift its voluntary agreement with him to, among other things, close the restaurant at 12 AM. Good thing we have neighborhood watchdog Winstead, who said Alefantis could possibly incite “murders and rapes” with two small paddles and a plastic ball. The commission awarded Comet a narrow 4–3 victory, but future meetings will outline the new provisions.

• To his long list of accolades, Farrah Olivia executive chef and Ivory Coast native Morou Ouattara can add recognition as a pioneer in the new African-food movement spreading across the country. The Detroit Free Press cited the restaurant’s most popular dish—lamb chops brined in African spices and topped with a palm-nut barbecue sauce—as evidence of Ouattara’s ability to prepare his native flavors for American palates.

• Iron Chef is coming to DC—sort of. Two former L’Acadamie de Cuisine instructors will open CulinAerie, a school for recreational cooking classes with an emphasis on foodie events for corporate or private parties. Options include everything from mimicking the popular TV show to hosting a birthday celebration. In their Thomas Circle location, Susan Holt and Susan Watterson will also offer classes in basic cooking techniques, wine tasting, and food writing; prices range from $45 to $140 per person.

• From the wine-bar trend that’s brought you Proof, Cork, and Vinoteca, now comes Enology, a sibling of Veritas, yet another small-plates and vino outpost in DC’s Cleveland Park. After a Neopolitan pie at the bar’s across-the-street neighbor 2 Amys, finish the night with a glass of California red and a Vermont chevre; the week-old place is devoted to sourcing solely American products.

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