Food

The Wrap-Up: The Week in Food

Ray's the Steaks's gets new digs, the Tony Bourdain/Food Network kerfuffle continues, White House chef Cristeta Comerford's gives an e-tour of the presidential kitchen, and a local chef heads back to New York.

Ray’s the Steaks proprietor Michael Landrum announces that he’s packing up his pirate flags and moving his indie steakhouse to bigger Arlington digs. So now the line will snake around the bar, not out the door. He’ll also open a bake shop and keep the original Ray’s space for his “real dream” restaurant…

…The Virginia exodus continues: Outposts of both Busboys and Poets and Cakelove will open in Shirlington this Spring. And speaking of cupcakes, Cakelove just unveiled a make-your-own cupcake bar this past week. So you won’t be able to blame anybody but yourself… 

…Time to find a new spot for happy hour burgers: Dupont restaurant 21P has closed…

…Chef Chris Bradley is leaving Ardeo/Bardeo and going back to New York …

…Anthony Bourdain’s hilarious takedown of a handful of Food Network personalities (Sandra Lee, “This frightening Hell Spawn of Kathie Lee and Betty Crocker seems on a mission to kill her fans, one meal at a time.”) is still rippling through the blogosphere

…More proof that the Food Networkers are taking over the world: White House chef Cristeta Comerford gives Rachael Ray fans an online tour of the White House kitchen and lets us in on POTUS’s chex mix addiction… 

… The Falls Church News Press checks out Cafe Rose, formerly the Rose Restaurant, in Falls Church, and now reopened in Vienna with a full roster of Persian kabobs, stews, and breads. The Maust-o-Khiyar, a yogurt with mint, cucumber and onion, sounds like a must-get…

…Ramon Narvaez, the sommelier at Marcel’s, talks to the Georgetowner about his love, not just of Bordeaux, but of rums and brandies. They pronounce him “Romantic Ramon.”…

…Carniphobes at the City Paper post an “open letter” to the owners of M’Dawg Haute to air their grievances about the “steep” price of the “creepy” Virgin Dog and invite the week-old restaurant to “address our concerns.” Meanwhile, Tim Carman weighs in on the fried Twinkie sundae at Urban Burger, a dish resembling “the male genitalia at rest” that “I keep shoveling forkful after forkful into my mouth.” 

Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.