Take the Cannoli
The guys behind the pizza-and-pasta destination Stellina have opened Annaré (1309 Fifth St., NE), a pop-up dessert stall inside Union Market. We get in line for filled-to-order bomboloni (it’s a tossup between the Nutella and vanilla-pastry-cream varieties), cannoli, and fresh-fruit tarts. The team will also open a second location of Stellina (508 K St., NW) in Mount Vernon Triangle this summer.
What We’re Reading
In a culture obsessed with fast cooking, a book dedicated to the humble bean seems charmingly old-school—that is, until you dive into Cool Beans, Washington Post food and dining editor Joe Yonan’s modern celebration of lentils, legumes, and more. The collection of international vegetarian recipes runs from classic (perfect hummus courtesy of Little Sesame) to comforting (we can’t wait to try an Indian black-lentil stew). Good news for speed demons: Canned is fine.
Gimmick of the Month
Diners at El Cielo in La Cosecha food hall (1280 Fourth St., NE) start the modern Colombian tasting menu by washing their hands . . . with chocolate. Chef Juan Manuel “Juanma” Barrientos has been offering the “chocolate therapy” for more than a decade at his Bogotá restaurant, claiming that the act “awakens” primitive and emotional parts of the brain. “That gets you to be more empathetic with the people at the table and with the food,” he says.
Matcha Fix
Matcha lattes. Gold-leaf-topped matcha soft-serve. Matcha tiramisu. You can find all things green-tea-powder at the new Kyoto Matcha cafe in Rockville (33 Maryland Ave.). Our fave? A delicately layered matcha crepe cake.
Spinoffs to Watch
Two Chinese-inspired mini-chains have opened in the last few months, both worthy of a visit. New York’s Kung Fu Kitchen (3221 Duke St., Alexandria) is serving soup dumplings and duck-stuffed buns in Alexandria, while Ellicott City’s Hot Pot Hero brings its DIY soups—with conveyor-belt ingredients for dipping—to Gaithersburg (100 Paramount Park Dr.).
This article appears in the March 2020 issue of Washingtonian.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
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.
