Eric Fergus McKinzie Erickson
@ Dupont Circle
Q:If your dog was a celebrity, who would it be?
A:"Lindsay Lohan. My dog is popular for no good reason. "
WHAT DOES A chef do when he's left a restaurant and cooks so much that he fills his house with sauces and jams? For Stefano Frigerio, who used to be in the kitchen at Mio and the now-closed Maestro, the answer was to start the Copper Pot Food Company and sell his products at area farmers markets.
"Basically, after I left Mio, I was at home with my kids with nothing to do," he says. "We would go to farmers markets to buy food and keep myself busy, and my sons loved it."
As a result of those visits to the market, Frigerio acquired lots of fruits and vegetables and started using them in sauces and jams.
"I use local farms, mostly from farmers markets," he says. "There's a stand in Dupont Circle where we go for our shopping, and because we developed a relationship with them, they know we use their stuff and they call when fruits and vegetables are ready, and we come pick them up."
Continue Reading "Condiments to the Chef: Copper Pot Food Company" »
FOR NINE YEARS the National Gallery of Art's summer concert series Jazz in the Garden has been a Friday favorite for D.C. locals and visitors alike. This summer, guests lounging around the grand central fountain can take their picnicking to the next level with "The Great American Picnic Basket."
Inside the basket, Jazz in the Garden goers will find all the necessities for a picnic fit for two including sparkling water, fresh-baked breads with gourmet spreads, seasonal fruit, summer sausage and cheese from the American heartland, and dessert. Wines by the bottle may also be ordered with the basket at an additional cost.
Along with the yummy eats, small tokens from the gallery, such as a current calendar of events, are included. Offered in celebration of the now reopened American paintings galleries, the basket is available inside the Pavilion Cafe or by preorder. Advance orders must be placed by the Wednesday prior to the Friday concert and be pre-paid online.
» National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW; 5 p.m., $25; 202-289-3360.
Written by Express' Catherine Ahearn
Photo courtesy Doris Alston
THERE IS ONLY ONE unbreakable rule for the new wave of frozen-yogurt stores: You cannot use uppercase text in your logo.
Beyond that, there is a tad more flexibility.
Most of these stores seem to spring from the same basic template, generally offering four yogurt flavors and a far larger selection of toppings. All seem to accept that the frozen yogurt will serve mostly as a vehicle for the add-ons. While I did encounter a few flavors that could hold their own (notably Tangysweet's pomegranate and Iceberry's honeydew), for the most part these yogurts are slightly tangy, slightly sweet, but not excessively flavorful. That works fine if you want to savor your blueberry, gummi bear and chocolate chip combo, but if you're a fan of taste and not textural novelty you may just want to stick with gelato.
Below are six takes on the local milk-curdled-by-bacteria-and-then-frozen scene:
A CRUNCHY, FLAVORFUL COLESLAW can serve as a topping on barbecue sandwiches (a Neely favorite) or as a colorful side dish at a picnic.
Ingredients:
» 1 small head green cabbage
» 1 small head red cabbage
» 4 carrots
» 1 medium yellow onion
» 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
» 1⁄4 cup prepared yellow mustard
» 2 tsp. apple-cider vinegar
» 1 cup sugar
» 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
» 1⁄2 tsp. cayenne pepper
» Kosher salt
Serves 6-8
Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the cores. Peel the carrots and onion, and slice them into pieces that will fit through the feed tube of a food processor. Fit the food processor with the large-holed grater attachment, and push the cabbage, carrots and onion through the feed tube to grate. In a large bowl, toss the grated cabbage, carrots and onions to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, black pepper and cayenne (whisk until the sugar is dissolved).
Toss the dressing with the coleslaw, and season with salt and additional pepper to taste. Cover the slaw with plastic wrap, and chill for at least two hours before serving.
» Talk Chef: Read our Q&A with dynamic duo Pat and Gina Neely.
Courtesy of "Down Home with the Neelys" (Knopf, $28)
MOST COUPLES DRIVE each other crazy in the kitchen, but not Pat and Gina Neely. The high school sweethearts — who went their separate ways after graduation but reconnected at their 10-year reunion and married soon after — like to divvy up the cooking duties both at their Memphis-based barbecue chain and on their hit Food Network show, "Down Home with the Neelys" (Sat., 11 a.m.). The show returns for a fifth season July 4.
» EXPRESS: After four seasons, is it hard to come up with new recipes?
» GINA: We still have so much you guys haven't seen yet.
» PAT: We're just warming up! If you ask me to tell you what we'll be showing six months from now, I couldn't tell you. We let it free flow — there's no script or set direction. It's as if you were having dinner with us. What are Pat and Gina going to talk about tonight?
» EXPRESS: There are so many barbecue sauce types, from Tennessee tomato sauce to Carolina vinegar-based. Do you have an allegiance?
» PAT: Memphis is known for a tomato-based sweet barbecue sauce. But we're more than just a one-barbecue family. I'll sometimes do a Kansas City-style barbecue sauce or a North Carolina kind.
THIS WEEKEND: Mmmm, meat. This weekend, some of the best grill masters from around the country will be heading to the District to see whose regional barbecue will be judged the greatest of all time. What this means for you is endless amounts of top-notch brisket, pulled pork, chicken and ribs.
The National Capitol Barbecue Battle is a D.C. summertime tradition, right up there with August recess and tourist invasions — but so much tastier. While the event is mainly a competition to see who has the best 'que in the country, it has grown into a giant block party of sorts taking up four city blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition to all the free meat one could possibly ever eat, there will be cooking demonstrations, NBA basketball players showing off their court skills and a musical performance by D.C.'s own Godfather of Go-Go, Chuck Brown. Bring your appetite and leave your vegetarian best friend at home.
» Pennsylvania Avenue between 10th and 14th St.; Sat., June 27, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sun., June 28, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m., $5-$10; 202-828-3099. (Federal Triangle)
Written by Express' Brian Austin
Photo from The Washington Post
SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Let's be honest, is there anything better than a day of beer and live music? Well, yeah. Two days of beer and live music.
Northern Virginia Brewfest returns to Morven Park with their "celebration of American beer." Here you'll find ice-cold beers from more than 50 of America's breweries, good food and good music from The BlackJacks (winners of the 2008 DC101 Chili Cookoff Last Band Standing), Lloyd Dobler Effect and more.
So drop by, grab a cold one and even replace your old standby brew. You'll need a little refreshment in this hazy, hot and humid month.
» Morven Park, 17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg, Va.; Sat. June 27, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. & Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., $20 advance, $25 on-site; 703-923-0800.
Written by Express' Nicole Ocran
Photo courtesy Northern Virginia Brewfest
FOODIES AND CRAFTERS rejoice, because Eastern Market, which was damaged in April 2007 in a fire, reopens in a newly renovated space this weekend.
Built in 1873, Eastern Market is a spot to find daily produce, meat, cheese, bakery vendors and craft vendors, as well as a weekend farmers market. During the $22 million renovation, many vendors continued to set up shop outside the building, but displaced vendors are eager to move back inside during this weekend's opening celebrations.
Kim Downes of Aurora Bath and Jewels has been a vendor at Eastern Market for 15 years. She sells a variety of items, from bath products and jewelry to Capital Cherry Blossom soaps and candles. "The windows were plastic and melted in the fire, so now there are beautiful huge new windows," she said. "And the streetscape is all cobblestone. It still looks like Eastern Market, but Eastern Market with a face-lift."
This Friday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open the new space, and Saturday will feature an opening celebration. Activities on Saturday will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and there will be four musical groups playing over the course of the day, along with regular vendors, face painting and mehndi artists. The North Hall will feature an exhibit tracing the market's history and highlighting the impact of the fire and the reconstruction.
Other renovations included adding modern heating and air conditioning, new restrooms, sprinklers and access ramps. In the North Hall, there will be a movable stage and gallery walls.
Besides work on the buildings, renovations included the construction of a new streetscape in front of the market with upgrades of the roadway and roadbed, new brick sidewalks and granite curbs.
» 7th Street & North Carolina Avenue SE. (Eastern Market)
Written by Express contributor Amy Cavanaugh
Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post
IT'S BEST KNOWN as a refined summer sip served at Wimbledon, but lately, bartenders have been pairing Pimm's, a gin-based spirit whose recipe is known by only a handful of people, with more than the traditional lemonade and strawberries.
If you've never had Pimm's, start with a Pimm's Cup, which is topped with lemonade (in Britain) or Sprite/ginger ale/club soda (in the U.S.), and dressed with strawberries, cucumbers, and other fruits and vegetables. One place to go for a classic Pimm's Cup is Acadiana. The drink is popular at New Orleans' Napoleon House, and Scott Clime, wine and beverage director at Passion Food Hospitality, said he amended the Napoleon House cocktail for Acadiana's menu. Clime's version uses ginger ale instead of lemon-lime soda.
"Pimm's is a gin-based liquor, and has a bunch of herbs and spices in there, so it can be somewhat heavy," he said. "I thought that the spiciness of ginger ale made it more refreshing."
WHEN IT COMES to the Fourth of July, two things are guaranteed: fireworks and barbecues. But fun in the sun doesn't have to mean the same old dogs. Local eateries offer high-end, to go bites perfect for the Glorious Fourth.
» For a treat that scores a bit higher than the average Oscar Mayer, pick up some Red Apron hot dogs. The dogs will be sold in packages of five for $10 per pack. Place an order for this cookout must-have by June 30 by e-mailing cparker@neighborhoodrestaurantgroup.com. A limited supply can also be found at Planet Wine (2004 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-549-3444) throughout the week.
» Butcher's Block (1600 King St., Alexandria; 703-894-5253) will offer its gourmet sandwiches, wine, beer and snacks in a portable picnic basket. The meal-to-go is a perfect companion for relaxing by the waterfront and watching sparks fly.
Continue Reading "Patriotism on a Plate: Foods for the Fourth" »
Addison Road