Zagat Survey Discussions

• – A baguette dropped by a bird stopped the Large Hadron Collider. [Times]
• – Linking obesity and cancer. [MSNBC]
• – Scripps (which owns the Food Network) sets its sights on the Travel Channel. [EMD]

• – Jamie Oliver, upholder of justice. [Telegraph]
• – How wine became a "fast food." [Daily Beast]
• – Daniel Boulud sets his sights on London. [Bloomberg]
• – LA's Orso prepares for a final bow. [NYT]
• – A long chat with Gordon Ramsay. [Telegraph]
• – Not kosher: Ilan Hall's bacon-wrapped matzoh balls. [Jewish Journal]
• – 7-Eleven gets ready to roll out its own wine. [MSNBC]
• – Why Guinness can taste different in Ireland (and elsewhere). [Accidental Hedonist]
• – Will laser etchings replace fruit and vegetable stickers? [Gizmodo]
• – Portion sizes, then and now. [DivineCaroline]
• – How exactly does Jell-O work? [BG]
• – Meat, the fabric. [EMD]
• – Cookie monster cupcakes love cookies. [Leila Cohan]

As reported by the Washington Business Journal, Penn Quarter Italian fish specialist D’Acqua is closed. Chef-owner Enzo Febbraro is focusing his talents on Forno, his recently debuted pizza, pasta and grill destination in Ashburn, VA. D’Acqua Cafe, his casual panini concession inside the Verizon Center, remains open. Reportedly Febbraro declined to pay a steep rent increase for the fine-dining venture’s location and is looking for another DC restaurant space.

In other closing news, the Rock Creek location in Mazza Gallerie is now “Events by Rock Creek," and is available for private parties only. The original Bethesda location continues to serve health conscious lunches and dinners to the public.

• – Illy is making inroads into U.S. coffee shops. [WSJ]
• – Gordon Ramsay is planning to bring the popular MasterChef to the U.S. [THR]
• – Sam Kass: assistant White House chef, policy wonk. [NYT]

• – Related: Iron Chef America heads to the White House. [NYT]
• – After 17 years, Jean-Georges is shutting down Vong. Though maybe not for long? [Eater]
• – Learning to compost in Chicago's public schools. [Chicago Tribune]
• – More on the affect of calorie counts on menus. [NYT]
• – The Kogi Truck folks in LA have their own custom car now. [Mouthing Off]
• – Kids menus should grow up. [BG]
• – What does your beer choice say about you? [AdAge]
• – Yellow Tail isn't the only Aussie wine, y'know. [WSJ]
• – One 225,000-ton ship, more than 24 dining options. [EMD]
• – Grant Achatz stands sternly in front of an airplane. [GS:C]
• – Is it a steak house or a gay bar? [SteakHouseorGayBar]

The Tour de Champagne pops into DC's Ritz-Carlton on November 6, filling glasses with more than 50 different bubblies from Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger and other prestigious names. Et Voila, Inox and Westend Bistro are among the restaurants that will dish up their specialties at this walk-around gala, while guests scope out the silent auction benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. VIP ticket-holders can also attend “Fin de Soirée,” an after-party with desserts, cognac, music and more champagne (7–10 PM; Fin de Soirée, 9:30–11:30 PM; general admission $115; VIP $150; for information and tickets, go to www.tourdechampagne.com).

• – Talking with the troubled Ciprianis. [Vanity Fair]
• – The brewery behind PBR and Schlitz is for sale. [NYP]
• – Restaurants seek to better manage tip pools. [NRN]

• – Western foods are gaining in China. [ABC]
• – Where have all the Angostura bitters gone? [Bostonist]
• – Who gets all of those 7 PM reservations, anyway? [Between Meals]
• – The last days of Gourmet. [Last Days of Gourmet]
• – Nation's Restaurant News to go biweekly. [Food Writer's Diary]
• – Who needs to tip when you can buy the chef a beer? [GS:C]
• – 222.5 pounds? Now that's a big meatball. [MSNBC]
• – Could you eat 78 pieces of cutlery? Would you? [Daily Mail, via EMD]
• – The manually operated hamburger vending machine. [JapanProbe]

Pop Rocks get a shout-out at the new BGR

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

BGR The Burger Joint’s eagerly awaited Dupont Circle outlet opens Monday. The counter-serve setting is done up in psychedelic rock ’n’ roll decor with distressed brick walls painted electric blue and arty inlaid tabletops displaying pop-culture brands. In addition to the expected specialty burgers, shakes and fries (Yukon gold and sweet potato), grilled asparagus is offered at this location, possibly to assuage the guilt of customers waylaid by tempting burger smells on their way to Sweetgreen, the salad bar next door (1514 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-299-1071).

Jackie's

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Flying in the face of carbo-phobia, well-regarded chef Frank Morales (ex Rustico and Zola) is obsessed with  bread and beer, which come together at his latest gig refocusing the modern American cuisine at Jackie’s in Silver Spring.

Zagat Buzz: Tell us about your interest in bread, and how it's related to beer.

Frank Morales: Well, you can think of beer as bread in a glass. They share many of the same components. There is a fermentation process in both. So, I thought, why not try to blend the lines.

ZB: How did you do that?

FM: About four years ago, I created a sourdough starter with grapes. One day, I began feeding it beer and flour, instead of water and flour. In choosing a brew, I went to the fundamentals of great beers – choosing a Trappist-style Belgian to intensify the taste. I discovered that the resulting bread had a terrific flavor profile – a great sour flavor, caramel in the crust and a weblike texture. This bread pairs with grilled cheese and country ham, and it is on the menu at Jackie’s.

ZB: What other breads have you developed and will they be served at Jackie’s?

FM: We have a malty, darker bread made with Westmalle Duvel that goes with my pork and tomato dish. A lighter bread gets its spicy sweetness from Achel Eight Degrees Trappist Tripple. It pairs well with a cheese platter. Not only are these served at Jackie’s, but we will be selling them retail.

ZB: How else are you refocusing the menu?

FM: We are looking for more seasonal and local products to use.

ZB: Since you have to feed a starter every few days – can you ever go on a vacation?

FM: I have a starter sitter.