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Last year's Share Our Strength event
Photo: courtesy of Share Our Strength
You better bring a big appetite to this year's annual Taste of the Nation event, held on April 16, when more than 60 restaurants (including heavy hitters like Bibiana, J&G Steakhouse, 2941 and Volt) and wine sellers will be filling the National Building Museum with tempting specialties. Meanwhile, in the VIP lounge, mixologists led by Derek Brown (Passenger) will devise cocktail pairings for the creations of featured chefs like Vidalia’s R.J. Cooper and Top Chef finalist Bryan Voltaggio. And it's all for a good cause too, as the event benefits Share Our Strength nationally and Capital Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions and Mary’s Center's local efforts to end childhood hunger (7–11 PM; $85 per person; VIP tickets are $125 and include 6 PM entrance; 401 F St. NW; for tickets and details, click here).
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During Talbot Restaurant Week, which runs from March 21–28, more than 20 restaurants on Maryland’s Eastern Shore will serve two-course lunches for $20.10 and three-course dinners for $30.10. It’s a chance to kick off spring in a maritime locale while exploring picturesque towns like Easton, Oxford, St. Michaels and Tilghman Island. Sample Chesapeake Bay specialties and much more at dining spots like Bistro St. Michaels, Scossa, 208 Talbot and more. Local museums are offering free admission, and there are music and film events as well. For more information, click here.
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- – Why all the food giveaways lately? They're good for business. [WSJ]
- – New York restaurateurs are nonplussed that the city is really going to force them to display health-score letter grades. [Eater]
- – Fallout from Florida's winter freeze won't stop until mid-April. [NRN]
- – Praising the restaurant critic. [Time]
- – Starbucks will soon offer the ability to completely customize their Frappuccinos. [WSJ]
- – Related: the Times' exclusive deal with the coffee chain is over. [AdAge]
- – The potato industry is ready for America's decreasing taste for french fries. [The Star]
- – Calorie counts loom in Illinois. [S-T]
- – Foodies on food stamps. [Salon]
- – Restaurant trends that have to go. [Eater]
- – What goes into your OJ might surprise you. [Culinate]
- – Top Chef's Marcel Vigneron is getting a show on SyFy. [EMD]
- – Not content with a menu in Toronto, Wilco gets a beer too. [The Stew]
- – One woman's dream to weigh 1,000 lbs. [Gothamist]
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Rosa Mexicano's macaroon ice cream sandwich for Passover
Photo: Gail Albert Halaban
Passover begins at sundown March 29, and local restaurants are offering amped-up versions of gefilte fish, matzo ball soup and brisket, along with Mexican and Italian takes on the holiday.
Dino: At his Cleveland Parker, chef-owner Dean Gold improves on his mother’s recipes for chopped liver and chicken soup, and offers Jewish-style Tuscan fish and meat choices during a four-course dinner offered from March 29–April 4. By request, seder plates are provided during the first two nights, but it’s strictly BYOH – bring your own Haggadah ($55 per adult; $25 per child; 202-686-2966).
Hudson: This New American in the West End welcomes groups who want to hold seders March 29–30, providing Haggadahs along with favorites like gefilte fish, potato latkes, roast chicken and leg of lamb as specials (202-872-8700).
Mon Ami Gabi: The Bethesda location of this Gallic stronghold will embrace Yiddish tradition March 29–April 3 by offering a six-course prix fixe (alongside the regular menu) with chicken soup, chopped liver, gefilte fish, brisket and potato pancakes and matzo ($34.95 per adult; $14.95 per child under 12; 301-654-1234).
Rosa Mexicano: Celebrate early at both the Penn Quarter and National Harbor locations of this Mexican, which from March 24–April 5 are offering Latin-inspired Passover specials including tropical haroset; banana leaf–wrapped brisket with dried fruit tsimmes; red snapper gefilte fish with spicy tomato salsa and pickled vegetables; and emparedado de helado, a macaroon ice cream sandwich. On March 27, a free cooking demo and tasting will be offered at the Penn Quarter branch (10 AM; 202-783-5522).
Tragara: Countless seders are held each year at this Bethesda Italian, which offers an extensive Passover menu throughout the holiday with Sephardic dishes like baked artichokes with olives and garlic and grilled rockfish with escarole and lamb. No one leaves without sampling one of the specialty desserts – notably the haroset gelato in a meringue shell with honey caramel sauce, or the roulade with strawberry cream (301-951-4935).
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Photo: courtesy of Northside Social
The long-awaited opening of Northside Social, a coffeehouse and wine bar filling the historic Clarendon building that once housed Murky Coffee, is now slated for March 28. The talents from nearby Liberty Tavern have fitted out the rustic, two-story space with laptop-friendly communal tables and window-side counters, as well as sofas and love seats.
There’s also an imported Italian espresso machine (dubbed the “Maserati”) and a downstairs java bar serving Counter Culture Coffee, teas and freshly squeezed juices, along with affordable sandwiches, soups, salads, house-baked breads and pastries.
Upstairs, Alison M. Christ (ex Willow) will preside over a wine bar, where vino by the glass or bottle can be paired with light fare (housemade charcuterie and cheeses), as well as the sandwiches and salads served downstairs. Christ is an artist, as well, who will curate the rotating art on the walls, which is also available for purchase (3211 Wilson Blvd.; no phone yet).
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From March 12–27 (aka World Water Week), the UNICEF Tap Project is coming to a restaurant near you, offering diners a chance to give water to children in need while enjoying a nice meal. Here's how to get involved: during that time, donate $1 (or more) for the tap water you normally drink for free at hundreds of participating restaurants. By doing so, you'll be helping provide children around the world with safe, clean water. You can also donate online or by texting "TAP" to UNICEF (864233) to contribute $5. Before you head out, be sure to peruse our handy guide to participating restaurants, complete with ratings and reviews. To learn more about the Tap Project, click here.
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- – Gordon Ramsay, always in the news, is picking up the pieces of a bad year – and owing the taxman. [Guardian, DR]
- – The Chilean wine industry continues to take stock. [WSJ]
- – Oh, no! Gloucestershire's annual cheese rolling has been canceled due to health and safety fears. [Guardian, via EMD]
- – The anti-HFCS campaign hits success with the return of sugar in products like ketchup and Gatorade. [Ad Age]
- – It isn't just about making healthy foods cheaper – you have to make the junk more expensive. [NPR]
- – NYC restaurants are turning their expansions toward DC. [WBJ]
- – For love of shad roe. [WSJ]
- – Bobby Flay heads to prime time. [Eater]
- – Gross: 13,780 lbs. of spaghetti. [KTLA]
- – How to annoy your server. [CNN]
- – A McDonald's that doesn't serve food? [Jaunted]
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Horrible waitress, awesome nachos!
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Funxion
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
At Funxion, an ultramod Downtown juice bar, health-conscious (salt- and oil-free) renditions of pizza, burgers and tuna melts are ordered at a counter and then enjoyed at perches along a colorful wall, or taken upstairs to a loungey, LED-lit balcony; at night the scene morphs into DysFunxion, where the menu is accompanied by cocktails mixed with exotic, housemade juices and a DJ spinning on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
1309 F St. NW; 202-386-9466
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Zagat To Go for the Palm webOS
Zagat released its mobile application, Zagat To Go (ZTG), for the Palm webOS. Similar to ZTG for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, the webOS application works with the Palm Pre, Pixi and Pre Plus and includes the ability to use GPS to find nearby restaurants; sorting by food, decor, service and cost; instant reservations; and browsing top-rated lists. Zagat To Go is available through the webOS app catalog for $9.99.
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- – Another week, another story on how to make a food celebrity. In this case, Katie Lee. [NYT]
- – It isn't just tomatoes suffering – the cold in Florida means OJ prices are about to rise. [Reuters]
- – The LA restaurant accused of serving whale meat admits to the charge. [LAT]
- – Related: ever wonder what whale tastes like? [Slate]
- – The next season of Top Chef will shoot in Washington, DC. [WP]
- – Related: Bravo has another cooking show up its sleeve, Around the World in 80 Plates. [Bravo]
- – Just like New York, Paris has fancy restaurants popping into its museums. [NYT]
- – A Boston bar is selling the right to sit during Red Sox games. [Deadspin]
- – Is the butcher backlash on? [Salon]
- – Make a sandwich with Lady Gaga in her latest video. [GS: B]
- – Breathable chocolate. Want a hit? [BH]
- – Top Chef gets the porn treatment. [Eater]
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The Cherry Blossom Festival is almost here.
Photo: courtesy of the festival
Now that the croci and jonquils are sprouting through the vestiges of winter snows, it won’t be long before the flowering cherry blossoms herald that spring has sprung. From March 27–April 11 the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival has scheduled a bevy of activities to celebrate, culminating in the April 10th parade down Pennsylvania Ave. NW and the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Festival – an extravaganza of food stalls, beer gardens, sake tastings, sumo wrestlers, J-pop music and a Ginza-style shopping arcade. The breathtaking floral display along the Tidal Basin and the Mall is not to be missed.
To complete the day, stop by one of the many nearby dining spots offering cherry-inspired cocktails and dishes, notably: Asia Nine, Charlie Palmer Steak, iCi Urban Bistro, J&G Steakhouse, Sou’Wester, TenPenh, Zentan and Zola. Or, any day during the festival from 2:30–5:30 PM, head to the Willard Hotel’s elegant lobby and Peacock Alley promenade, which will be festooned with live blooms and serve a themed tea with a live koto player ($39 per person; $49 with champagne or a cocktail; 202-637-7350). For details about all of the events as well as food and drink specials, go to nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.
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Like most journalists, we get a lot of press releases here at Zagat Buzz. Every once in a while we get one that just, well, needs to be shared:
What do Gerard Butler and the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City have in common? Big packages! And an undying love for one another. In fact, Butler and leading lady Jennifer Aniston filmed several scenes of their new comedy, The Bounty Hunter, at the Borgata and “got to know each other” off-camera while frequenting the hotel’s restaurants and hot spots.
Really, that's how the release started. Want more? The whole thing is after the jump.
What do Gerard Butler and the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City have in common? Big packages! And an undying love for one another. In fact, Butler and leading lady Jennifer Aniston filmed several scenes of their new comedy, The Bounty Hunter, at the Borgata and “got to know each other” off-camera while frequenting the hotel’s restaurants and hot spots.
In celebration of the film’s release and the couple’s budding romance, The Borgata incorporates Butler and Aniston’s favorite accommodations, spa treatments and dining experiences into one bang-up package so guests can experience the hotel just as these A-listers did (paparazzi free!).
The ‘Follow the Bounty to Borgata’ Package is available from March 12 through April 10 and includes:
Accommodations in a spectacular Hideaway Suite at The Water Club at Borgata
- Spa treatment from Immersion Spa’s Bounty-Inspired menu, including the Ultimate Oxygenating Facial by Intraceuticals (Jennifer Aniston is reportedly a fan) or a Men’s Deluxe Facial
- $200 Food & Beverage Credit redeemable at any of Borgata’s fine restaurants, including Bobby Flay Steak or Seablue by Michael Mina where Jennifer Aniston and crew dined while filming
- $100 Retail Credit for any Borgata boutique - perhaps to buy sunglasses for those staying incognito to escape their own bounty hunters?
- VIP Entry and Complimentary Admission to MIXX and mur.mur nightclubs to glide pass the velvet rope like any A-lister
- Complimentary use of the Fitness Center during stay to keep guests buff and toned Hollywood-style
Package price is $1,499/night and is available weekends only (Friday through Sunday) at The Water Club. For more information about packages at Borgata, visit www.theborgata.com or call 609.317.7555.
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Carla Hall back in her Top Chef days.
Photo: courtesy of Bravo
It’s no secret that, thanks to the many international talents that have opened restaurants here, one can dine around the world without leaving the DC area. And on Thursday, March 18, foodies can graze globally at 2010 Embassy Chef Challenge, held in the breathtaking Embassy of Sweden on the Georgetown Harbour waterfront.
Guests will sample hors d’oeuvres from 11 diverse culinary traditions including Bahrain, Belgium, Ghana, Korea and Serbia (whose ambassador, Vladimir Petrovic, will personally prepare its entry) and vote for a People’s Choice award. Meanwhile, professionals including Top Chef finalist Carla Hall, Nora Pouillon (Nora) and Michel Richard (Citronelle) will cast their ballots for the Judges’ Choice winner. The event, which also includes a silent auction, benefits Cultural Tourism DC, a nonprofit organization that publicizes DC’s culture and heritage (6:30–10 PM; $225 per person; 2900 K St. NW; click here for tickets).
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- – Anti-obesity efforts are now all about the kids. [Slate]
- – From the department of terrible ideas: a New York lawmaker wants to ban salt from all restaurant cooking preparation. [NRN]
- – Not content with their Oscar, the team behind The Cove managed to help bust an LA eatery for serving whale meat. [NYT]
- – Evaluating Chile's wine industry after the quake. [Bloomberg]
- – Restaurants are embracing professional foragers when seeking hard-to-find ingredients. [NRN]
- – Is decaf coffee cool now? [NYT]
- – Related: we are now in coffee's "third-wave." [Time]
- – Tap water is so hot right now...enter the fancy filters! [WSJ]
- – Florescent lights are good for plants like spinach. [Mail]
- – Meet a mushroom farmer. [SE]
- – Lox, not kosher? [NYP]
- – P&G has recalled Pringles flavors "Taco Night" and "Cheeseburger" due to salmonella concerns. [Salon]
- – A New York chef is serving (but not selling) cheese made from his wife's breast milk, and the New York Post can't get enough of it. [NYP]
- – Listing restaurant design flaws. [The Stew]
- – With a bacon rocket, pigs really do fly. [SE]
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