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TREVOR CORSON HAS spent a lot of time frequenting traditional Tokyo sushi bars as research for his 2007 best-seller "The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice," and in the process discovered a dining experience foreign to most Americans.
"Rather than sitting at a table and ordering items off a menu, you sit at the sushi bar and the chef serves you one item at a time, depending on what he wanted to serve you and what the best stuff was that he had to offer," he said.
Over time, Corson developed a reputation among friends as an expert sushi bar guide.
"Everybody wanted the real, authentic thing. and that's hard to get, because chefs won't serve you the real deal unless you're Japanese or you know them," he said.
ON "HELL'S KITCHEN," irascible chef Gordon Ramsay once said that a sure way to size up a chef is to taste his or her risotto. If you've ever stirred up a batch of the creamy Italian dish, you'd understand why. Risotto isn't difficult to make, but like Ramsay, the rice concoction demands constant attention.
"You can't really turn your back on it," says Nicholas Stefanelli, executive chef at Bibiana (1100 New York Ave. NW; 202-216-9550). "For one-pot cooking, it's great, but you have to properly care for it."
The secret to risotto's gooey goodness: the alchemy that occurs when short-grain rice's natural starches dissolve during cooking, creating a creamy texture that binds the rice while preserving its al-dente-ness. But the time you must spend coaxing out that effect means relentlessly stirring (typically about 20 minutes), which has given risotto a risky rap.
Continue Reading "Cause a Big Stir: Risotto Tips and Tricks" »
THIS SPRING, THE past seems to be alive and well as several museums are offering shows with a historical slant. Galleries are keeping things more current, with artists exploring generic spaces of the contemporary world and the impact of the natural one. Taken together, this art season promises to be one of reflection and inspiration.
MATTHEW SUTTON: IT'S ART, BUT IS IT TMI?
At Conner Contemporary Art right now, Matthew Sutton plays with sound in "Sounds a Grown Man Shouldn't Make." An artist with Conner independent venture Gogo Emerging Art Projects Sutton offers a selection of sounds he makes on a regular basis that meet with disapproval from friends, family members and co-workers.
» Conner Contemporary Art, 1358 Florida Ave. NE, through March 6, free; 202-588-8750.
SUNDAY: We had high hopes for the National Christmas Tree this year. The last few years, it's been a very brightly-lit mess, but we thought "Michelle has taste! Michelle can fix it!"
Except Michelle cares about the planet or something and wanted to re-use last year's ornaments —so we'll stick our lot in with the National Menorah, which will have its first candle lit Sunday afternoon. Show up for the pretty lights, stay for the live music and hot latkes that will be on hand.
» The Ellipse, Sun., Dec. 13, 4 p.m., free but tickets required; 202-332-5600. (McPherson Square)
Photo by Israel Bardugo
ONGOING: Phil Nesmith is here to remind us that simply owning a digital camera does not make you a professional photographer.
The "Flight Patterns" exhibition at Irvine Contemporary shows off his photograms — images he created without a camera. These photograms do not necessarily show what Nesmith chose to capture, just whatever interrupted the light shining on his glass plates (his form of photo paper). Now that's what we call old school.
» Irvine Contemporary, 1412 14th St. NW; through Dec. 12, free; 202-332-8767. (McPherson Square)
Written by Express' Janice Leary
Photo courtesy Phil Nesmith
A NEW RESTAURANT, wine bar and lounge on L Street NW hopes to take diners around the world with "international tapas." The Reserve, which opened a month ago, is the brainchild of owner Moe Hamdan, who worked as a promoter in D.C. for years.
"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."
Continue Reading "Make a Reservation for Cool: The Reserve" »
NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT GROUP co-owner Michael Babin believed that Washingtonians needed more places to sample the ever-growing array of craft beers, without any more ubiquitous flat-screen TVs, dingy lighting, chicken fingers or frites. So he and his partners dreamed up such a place — a pair of them, actually.
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.
Continue Reading "Why So Serious?: Sexy New Two-in-One Craft Beer Hot Spots" »
WE HAVE TO ADMIT, it was a little bit shocking. Even in our fair and security-minded city, we'd never been asked to go through a metal detector at a farmers market before. And are those snipers perched atop a farm truck? We were excited for the opening of a White House Farmers Market, but this was definitely not organic as usual.
But it turns out that the intense security is only present today — and it makes sense, since Michelle Obama and Adrian Fenty were on hand to talk about the importance of local food. We're going to predict that you won't have to wait in lines or get patted down next week.
You'll see the same vendors here that you see at every other farmers market in D.C. — they're all run by the FreshFarm collective, after all. Try the Keswick Creamery chocolate pudding and the bread for the Ovens at Quail Creek Farm, then go crazy with the produce before peaches go out of season and our lives are cold and dark once more.
» White House Farmers Market, Vermont Ave. and I Street NW; Thursdays through Oct. 29, 3 p.m.-7 p.m.; 202-362-8889. (McPherson Square)
Photo by James M. Thresher/The Washington Post
IF YOU'RE SEARCHING for tasty Korean food, the logical place to go would be Koreatown.
For more than a decade, Annandale in Northern Virginia maintained a stronghold on local Seoul food (sorry, we had to go there). But with Korean food gaining popularity, restaurants have appeared throughout other parts of NoVa and D.C. The range in style of these eateries caters to a range of patrons. Whether you grew up with Mom or Dad pickling baechu (napa cabbage) or you're completely new to Korean fare, something is bound to strike your fancy.
Our kimchi trail begins in Annandale at the 24-hour Korean barbecue joint Ye Chon. Whether it's noon or 3 a.m., this place is always full of hungry customers and fantastic fragrances. The kalbi, beef short ribs, is soaked in a sweet, smokey marinade and grilled right on your table. The finger-licking-good beef is lean, making for the perfect texture — you can chew freely without worrying about unnervingly bulbous chunks of fat in your teeth.
Continue Reading "Trip on the Korean Side: Korean Restaurants Attract Spice-Craving Diners" »
THIS WEEK: Documentary films might offer a glimpse at the squalid living conditions of children in some developing countries, but an exhibit at the National Press Club presents their struggles as tangible reality. "The Power to Play: From Trash to Treasure" features individual toys created by children out of the only materials available to them. Their work is unfailingly creative, often beautiful and always heart-rending.
» National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW; through Aug. 28, free; 202-662-7500. (Metro Center)
Photo courtesy ChildFund
Addison Road