Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post

"I recently got married and had a little boy," he says. "I got tired of not being able to have a place to take my wife out and have dinner, a cocktail and relax."
He also wanted something with a lounge feel.

"In Los Angeles, New York, Miami, lounges are more a sit down, have conversations with friends over food and stay for drinks kind of thing," he says. "Here, every place describes itself as a lounge, but it isn't that."

Frederik De Pue, a chef from Belgium who also runs 42 Degrees Catering Services, is helming the kitchen. "I've reworked classics and have a number of vegetarian options," De Pue says. "The entire menu will change seasonally, but I'll keep a couple classic dishes."

This new, two-part endeavor opened last week in the former Dakota Cowgirl space in Logan Circle. The ground floor houses the fine-dining Birch & Barley (exposed brick, bamboo floors, earthy hues), while the upstairs offers a hip bar and lounge, ChurchKey (D.C.'s longest bar, decadent accents). Both floors will feature executive chef Kyle Bailey's contemporary American cuisine and beer director Greg Engert's formidable beer list: 500 bottled brews, 50 drafts and five cask-conditioned ales.

The craft has gone from hobbyists tinkering in their garages with Internet-bought kits to home artisans brewing award-winning concoctions that combine passions for science, history and a really good beer.

Last week, the D.C. Homebrewers Club held an "Iron Mug" competition — basically, an "Iron Chef" for beer. The secret ingredients were white-wine concentrate and woodruff, a flavor substitute for hops. The winners, JT Thomas and Will Kohudic, both 40, made an innovative version of Berliner Weisse, a sour wheat beer whose recipe dates back to 16th-century Berlin.

SPICED CHIANTI FIZZ
Ingredients:
» 1.5 oz. Chianti good enough to drink on its own
» 1/2 oz. citrus- & ginger-infused grappa or Cointreau (Cointreau adds orange tones to the drink without being overly sweet like Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.)
» 1/4 oz. spice-infused simple syrup (Use any combination of spices — cardamom, cloves, white pepper, star anise, bay leaves — to infuse equal parts water and granulated white sugar. Heat 2 cups each sugar and water in a saucepan until sugar dissolves, stir in spices and let steep. Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with bitter lemon soda and garnish with a fresh orange slice.)
» Dash Fee Brothers' orange bitters (Fee Brothers' bitters are available locally at Pearson's and Ace Beverage; there are also several online sources.)
» Bitter lemon soda (Dino's Scott Palmer likes the Fever Tree brand) (Fever Tree Bitter Lemon soda is available at several locations including Connecticut Ave. Wine & Spirits. Commercial brands like Schweppes or Canada Dry will work in a pinch.)

TenPenh has the most elaborate Halloween cocktails, as Brennan Adams has three special drinks — the Jack O'Lantern (a persimmon cocktail served in a pumpkin filled with dry ice), Candy Corn (it doesn't taste like the ubiquitous treat but is made with sake and orange, and layered to look like the waxy little bites) and Candy Apple (spiced apple cider with a stick of cotton candy). The $10 cocktails are available through Saturday.

"When you go towards fall, with heavier foods come brown liquors, like scotch, bourbon and dark rums," Adams said, adding that herbs and spices are popular for fall beverages. "I take a cooking approach to cocktails and go for balance. ... I also use blood oranges, which go well with brown liquors."

Preparation:
Peel plantains. Cut them into inch-thick slices and fry in oil over medium-high heat, until golden brown in color (remember to turn over the slices). Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, bacon, onion powder and garlic powder together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add the garlic mixture to the cooked plantains; mash until well combined.

Indeed, when you drive around Puerto Rico, you'll see signs for "cocina criolla," which literally translates as "Creole kitchen" (but has nothing to do with the Creole cuisine of Louisiana). Rather, it refers to typical Puerto Rican fare, with its influences from both Spanish colonizers and Caribbean Indian natives: the prevalence of plantains and rice; the rich flavor base called sofrito; and adobo, a combination of spices used to perk up meats and add tang to sauces.

It's customary in Mexico to honor the deceased by bringing their favorite food to an altar, and as usual, Oyamel is staying true to the holiday. They're decorating the place in traditional fashion — including an altar covered in candles and marigolds — and making food that would lure the dead from their graves.

Well, not really. Everyone knows that after death, we only crave braaaaaaaaaains.

A full menu of tasty tamales, butternut squash soup and avocado salad will be available only for this celebration. The restaurant is also brewing up a special cocktail of Plymouth Sloe gin, Presidente Mexican brandy, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice and an egg white, aptly named Sloe Dead Fizz.

» Oyamel, 401 7th St. NW; Mon., Oct. 26-Sun., Nov. 1; 202-628-1005. (Gallery Place)

Written by Express' Janice Leary
Photo courtesy Darko Zagar

» EXPRESS: The competitors on "The Next Iron Chef" are good cooks, but what will make one of them win?
» CORA: They have to wear a lot of hats. They have to be a great chef and an entertainer. We have to be able to cook under pressure but also talk on camera and talk to Alton [Brown] and direct the sous chefs. It also has to be someone with media skills — someone who has an overall great persona.

» EXPRESS: If you could give an aspiring "Iron Chef" any other tips, what would they be?
» CORA: Come in with some fantastic ideas. If one cuisine is your strong point, that's great, but bring it in fresh every single show. Try to do something new and different and exciting. And then, put tennis shoes on. You can't wear clogs and be an Iron Chef! Put sneakers on, because you're going to be running.