Top Five Eats to Beat the Heat

Posted on July 11, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

DC is at the height of swelter season and so we thought we’d provide some recommendations on five treats to eat in the heat. If you venture out in the humidity, head to the following five spots for these cool dishes.

1. Mari Vanna’s Cold Borscht

Borscht is the perfect chilled, colorful summer soup. Unlike its hot winter counterpart, laden with beef, potatoes and sour cream, this vegetarian version is light and refreshing. Just don’t wear your best summer whites to eat beets. For more on what to order at this charming Dupont Circle Russian establishment (besides vodka), click here.

2. B TOO’s Fried Orange Sorbet

This is like the tempera ice cream you would beg your parents for when they “dragged” you to a sushi restaurant to “expand your horizons” when you were little. Fried ice cream is back with a bang at B TOO. This temperature impossibility sits atop sweet, candied fennel and is surrounded by fried basil leaves. Quite simply, it’s summer on a plate. For more on this Top Chef-studded Logan Circle restaurant click here.

3. Sushi Taro’s Sashimi Omakase

You may not know the meaning of the Japanese word omakase, but chances are you’ve eaten a tasting menu or two in your time. Omakase essentially means you’re getting the top, chef-recommended selections of the day. And at Dupont Circle’s Sushi Taro, where they fly in a large portion of fish from Tokyo, you’re in for a wild ride. Sometimes, it’s far more fun to let the experts decide! There’s nothing steamy about sashimi, it’s light and fresh and the perfect summer eat. For more on Sushi Taro, click here.

4. Del Campo’s Grilled Scallop Sushi Ceviche

It’s sushi, no it’s ceviche, no wait, it’s both! Del Campo continues to turn out great grilled items and this one in particular is perfect for warm weather. The scallops sit atop nigiri sushi-like rice mounds and are adorned with a smoked uni sauce. A little bit of raw, and a little bit of heat. We just visited Del Campo in Chinatown and had the special opportunity to interview Chef Victor Albisu. Click here to hear his thoughts on the most popular, and most daring, menu picks.

5. Teddy’s Crab and Avocado

Teddy’s is a great second edition to the presidential-themed dining establishments in DC. We admit that Dupont Circle’s Teddy might be a little more fun in the winter, when it’s time to pack on the pounds by eating game meat, carbs from the heartland and rich desserts. However, there are a couple items on the menu today that are ripe for summer consumption. The best of which is their crab and avocado dish served with grilled corn and a sauce that’s worth soaking up with their homemade breadbasket. See our pick for Best Thing on the Menu here.

Agree/Disagree with our top dishes? Tell us in the comments section or on the BTM Facebook page.

Del Campo: Rolled Wagyu Skirt Steak

Posted on July 9, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

Del Campo is exactly what DC has been waiting for: It’s the answer to our cooped-up in-condos-without-a-grill gripes. At Chef Albisu’s South American asado oasis, flames have kissed everything from cocktails to dessert.

In a special interview with Best Thing on the Menu, Chef Victor Albisu elaborated on his grilled cocktail menu, grilled ceviche, smoked caviar and a very umami-tasting smoked uni sauce. In addition to adding smoke to almost every dish, he also pays homage to his heritage. His mastery of meat comes from observing butchers from Uruguay and Argentina at his mother’s shop in Northern Virginia; his perfect empanadas are an inspiration from his Cuban baker father; and the fresh and feisty ceviche is a gift from his Peruvian mother.

Chef Albisu pointed out some of the most popular picks including the octopus causa and wagyu empanadas. He said more daring guests order the beef heart anticucho, which contains both grilled and raw elements. However, the Best Thing on the Menu is the: Rolled Wagyu Skirt Steak.

He got the idea for this rolled flavor powerhouse from a dish in Argentina called Matambre. Tender skirt steak is stuffed with Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard and burnt onions and then rolled and braised. We noticed that the dish came with grilled veggies and a stick of bone marrow, just for fun. In our interview, the chef explained that the bone marrow is a gift from the kitchen that plays the roll of adding richness, like butter typically does, at American-style steakhouses.

You may need to run your mouth through the neighborhood car wash after dining at Del Campo, but the addictive chimichurri sauce, creative cocktails and ability to get the gourmet grill fix we crave will keep us coming back.

If it’s easier for you to visit Del Campo by day, Chef Albisu has launched Street Food Fridays, where he steps onto the street to cash in on the mobile cuisine craze to offer chorizo sandwiches called “choripans.”

We also look forward to visiting Chef Albisu’s Taco Bamba next time we ‘burb out in Falls Church, VA.

Rolled Wagyu Skirt Steak not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Teddy: Fox Hollow Fried Chicken

Posted on July 4, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

Happy 4th of July from Best Thing on the Menu! To celebrate America’s birthday and two of its greatest presidents, BTM visited Lincoln and Teddy in one night. We covered Lincoln back in May, but desperately needed to get our hands on a Gettysburg Address cocktail.

Congratulations to owner Alan Popovsky on a successful opening for Teddy & The Bully Bar. While the interior doesn’t scream Teddy as much as Lincoln screams Lincoln, with its copper penny floor and Mason jar ceiling installations, Popovsky and his team did a heck of a makeover, creating a historically hip space you’ll want to lounge in.

Keeping up with the times, The Bully Bar’s mixologist is certainly a mad scientist, but with an old-fashioned flare. You can indulge in barrel-aged beverages or down-to-party drinks like the “square deal shot & beer” consisting of a can of PBR, Milagro Silver shot and a green sangria backer.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Fox Hollow Fried Chicken with Buttermilk Brined, Pickled Okra and White Gravy is touted by Chef Michael Hartzer as a dish that Roosevelt would have loved because of his affinity for simple classic food. Other notables include the bison tartare, peaches & goat cheese and crab & avocado. There was great balance in all of the dishes (and the cocktails) and they put some TLC into their plating techniques.

But, small plate haters beware; these American tapas are even smaller than what we’re used to in DC. We’re anxious to see if they up the portion size over the next couple months. I doubt Teddy would want us leaving hungry.

Fox Hollow Fried Chicken not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Brainfood Burger Battle: Best of the Best

Posted on July 2, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

Sunday’s Brainfood Burger Battle was a quintessential summer activity that left us smelling of mesquite and sleeping sitting up. Ten of the DC area’s top chefs got sweaty and smoky in the Poste courtyard to compete for bragging rights, and a good cause. It was so hot that the chefs had more wardrobe changes than a magician’s assistant, but they still managed to flip fantastic burgers. Click here for photos from the event available on the Best Thing on the Menu Facebook page.

While three official awards were given out, People’s Choice (Poste), Chef’s Choice (The Source) and Judge’s Choice (The Source), BTM had its own take on the carne contenders.

Best Meat Blend: The “110% Burger” by Poste’s Chef Dennis Marron

This mathematically impossible sous vide burger was made out of brisket, chuck, short rib, beef cheek and bone marrow.

Best Lamb Burger: Firefly’s Chef Todd Wiss

Lamb is encouraging burger lovers to think outside the beef. Until recently, you could only get a lamb burger at a Greek restaurant. Thank goodness for the newfound popularity and sweet, gamey flavor. The aioli on this bad boy was amazing.

Best Bun: Granville Moore’s Chef Teddy Folkman

Teddy used a pretzel bun to house his beef bulgogi burger.

Best Schmutz: Ripple’s Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley

Marjorie’s California-inspired burger game with two colorful dollops to dip your burger in: smoked egg yolk yellow and avocado green.

Best Outside the Bun: Iron Gate’s Chef Anthony Chittum

There’s only so much brioche one can eat. Kudos to Anthony for going with pita instead. We can’t wait for Iron Gate to open this August!

Best Overall: Our pick for best burger went to Mad Fox Brewery’s Chef Andrew Dixon.

Andrew’s short rib burger was topped with crispy pork belly, beer cheese, relish, arugula, and a friend potato chip. It also came served on a pretzel roll.

Mad Fox Brewing Co. is located in Falls Church, VA. The best day to visit is Wednesday because they offer a uniquely concocted “Epic Burger” that continually changes. You can wash down your Epic Burger with another Wednesday special, the Crazy Cask. Mad Fox’s beer scientists go to work in creating a funky brew; a recent one involved Fresno chilies. The team at Mad Fox are fun, friendly and offer 10-12 of their own beers on tap. We can’t wait to make the trip.

All proceeds from the burger battle went to Brainfood, a non-profit youth development organization. The DC organization uses food as a tool to build life skills and promote healthy living. Local high school students participate in programs that include hands-on cooking classes, lectures, field trips and community service projects. Learn more at http://brain-food.org/.

Where can you get the best burger in DC? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Poste: Beef Cheek Bourguignon

Posted on June 29, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

Dining at Chef Dennis Marron’s Poste is a bit like a perfect trip to the zoo. If you go to Poste for dinner and dine al fresco, you are privy to a table on the upper patio where you can, with reasonable peace and quiet, observe the lower deck post-work antics and human mating rituals. There is no doubt that Poste’s happy hour is popular, but for those that want a great meal and to watch from afar, book a dinner table.

Set in the 1841 General Post Office building, Poste joins a host of other delicious Kimpton restaurants we have profiled on Best Thing on the Menu such as Zentan and Urbana. Like the other two, there is tremendous attention to detail in the cuisine and the boisterous brasserie atmosphere keeps us coming back.

Though we’re sure to hear disagreements in the form of truffle frites, BTM has selected Beef Cheek Bourguignon as the Best Thing on the Menu. The 72-hour braised short ribs are served with bacon, carrots, baby turnips and Dijon whipped potatoes.

Chef Marron accomplishes the impossible in this dish. Beef Bourguignon is typically a heavy, hibernation indulgence designed to warm you up in the winter. But at Poste, their bourguignon is light enough to enjoy in the summer and you don’t leave weighed down or covered in stew stains. The texture of the beef is divine and the seasoning, perfection.

After such a great meal, we might pull for Chef Marron in the Brainfood Burger Battle tomorrow! Tickets still available.

Beef Cheek Bourguignon not your BTM? “Poste” your favorites in the comments section.

Table: Ricotta Fritters

Posted on June 25, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

Shaw is becoming a more meaningful, flavorful place to dine, and Frederik de Pue’s Table is a big contributor to the trend. Everyday Washingtonians gained big time when Chef De Pue joined the commercial culinary scene after doling out delicious food in diplomatic circles for many years.

If there is one word to describe Table, it’s honest. The proteins are pristine, the vegetables fresh and local, the service knowledgeable and the menus handwritten. The flavors are not the only thing at Table that are neat and clean, the restaurant itself is recognized for its Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership (REAL). The décor makes you feel as if you’ve entered a rustic secret garden that only you, and close friends, know about.

For the first time ever, a dessert is debuting on Best Thing on the Menu. This first-ever featured sweet simply can’t be missed. Table’s Best Thing on the Menu: Ricotta Fritters with Orange Blossom Honey and Blueberry Port Compote is a stand out. Warm, gooey mini beignets are stacked high ready to be dipped in sweet and chunky blueberry preserves. No matter how full you are from appetizers and entrées, you can still make room for these. After all, some cultures say you have a second stomach reserved solely for desserts.

Table’s menu changes frequently, but we hope with all of our hearts, that they don’t touch the dessert offerings.

Other notable dishes included the scallop ceviche perched atop a sweet and succulent corn cake, the luxurious and rich duck roulade and their peculiar poultry options, which included guinea hen and squab. In need of some pretty pictures known as food porn? Table’s gallery is something special, and puts other food photography in its place (ours obviously included).

Ricotta Fritters not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Birch and Barley: Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread

Posted on June 21, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

There is much to be said about a perfect pair – bubbly and caviar, peanut butter and jelly (or bacon!), truffles and risotto…. But, there is even more to say about a triumphant trio that unites three flavors that cover every square inch of taste bud.

Birch & Barley’s Best Thing on the Menu: Fig & Prosciutto Flatbread Gorgonzola Cremificato & Caramelized Onions is just that. Figs, prosciutto and blue cheese of any breed go hand-in-hand-in-hand. The figs are sweet and caramelized, the prosciutto savory and salty and the Gorgonzola tart and funky. The onions are a nice addition to this threesome.

The Best Thing on the Menu isn’t the only reason to eat at Logan Circle’s Birch & Barley. In fact, here are five more:

1. Casual Meal or Fancy Dinner, It’s Your Choice

Your meal at Birch & Barley is what you make it. Go for pizza, Brät Burgers and beer or opt for a fine dining experience with menu items like grilled octopus and striped bass. They even offer a tasting menu, so you can put your meal in the hands of the chef and leave the task of decision-making in the dust.

2. Beer. Beer, Beer, Beer

Great news! Downstairs at Birch & Barley you are still privy to ChurchKey’s beer bible and daunting draft list. They boast having an arsenal of 555 varieties of artisanal beers. Wine pairings are a thing of the past when you enter these doors.

3. Two Words, Bread Board

You know you’re in for a good meal when the bread arrives. The steaming pretzel rolls get a special shout out. It’s hard to pass by sidewalk diners in the summer and not swipe one.

4. Built-in After Dinner Drink Plans

You’re done eating dessert and the question arises, where to now? How about just heading upstairs for a more boisterous atmosphere, where you’re sure to bump into friends, literally.

5. Reservations, Finally

With 14th Street becoming a lollapalooza of new restaurants, reservations are finally opening up at this highly coveted locale.

Fig & Prosciutto Flatbread not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section. More reasons to love Birch & Barley, share those too!

Rogue 24: Sugar Toad/Oyster/Nettles/Seaweed.

Posted on June 17, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

The Sugar Toads are not a skinny jeans-clad hipster band opening at the 9:30 Club Saturday night. Rather, they’re starring down the street (and down an alley) on the menu of Rogue 24’s new spring menu. Chef R.J. Cooper goes local and gets creative all in one dish with the Best Thing on the Menu: Sugar Toad/Oyster/Nettles/Seaweed.

Sugar toads are actually northern puffer fish native to the Chesapeake Bay, and in recent years they’ve been elevated to a delicacy. If a fried delicacy is hard to wrap your head around, you haven’t tried R.J. Cooper’s blowfish bites. Unlike in Japan where puffer fish (known as fugu) require a special license to slice and serve, these green-eyed ugly mugs are harmless.

Moments before the sugar toads arrive at your table, you are equipped with medical forceps, the perfect utensil for dunking fish sticks into gourmet green goop, or for playing a jumbo-size game of Operation.

Like many modern chefs, R.J. Cooper plays with texture just as much as he plays with flavor. So prepare yourself for a 24-course journey through crunchy, fluffy, gummy, foamy, gritty and beyond.

Rogue 24 is just one example of the recent trend of restaurants asking diners to put the menu away and put their meal in the hands of the chef. And at Rogue 24, you’re in good hands.

FOR A LIMITED TIME: WIN DINNER FOR FOUR

You and three friends can win a 24-course dinner at Rogue 24 – one of DC’s top 100 restaurants 2013. All it takes is a tweet and/or signing up for the Monthly Menu. The link will be released later today (6/17) through our friends at local blog PoPville. Click here to learn more and enter the drawing.

Urbana: Short Rib Cannelloni and Leeks

Posted on June 13, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

Southern France and Northern Italy meet for a unique date in a foodie dungeon in Dupont Circle at Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar. We knew we loved the luxurious lounge that locals have been happy to hunker down in for years, but what took us by big surprise was the food.

Urbana has truly upped the ante when it comes to refined flavor and artful presentation. The Best Thing on the Menu: Cannelloni – Rolled Pasta with Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib, Leeks and Truffled Pecorino is a knock out. The shape of the oversized leeks are a play on the shape of the tubular cannelloni and their pickled, tangy flavor goes perfectly with earthy, tender short ribs.

The leg of lamb was a close second, as were many of the other dishes we sampled. We’d love to see Urbana creep up to the upper echelons of cuisine and ratings in DC because they are most worthy.

Urbana has been celebrated as one of DC’s best bars for treating regulars like royalty (see DC Eater article). It’s not too often that you find a hotel bar (Kimpton Hotel Palomar) and restaurant as beloved or frequented by locals. Urbana has also been named as one of DC’s hottest restaurant bar scenes. So, next time you’re ready to dine in Dupont, take a turn down the other side of P Street for some great eats.

Cannelloni not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Best Thing at the Market: TaKorean Bulgogi Beef Tacos

Posted on June 10, 2013 by BestThingonTheMenu

The reimagined Union Market is a hipster oasis amidst otherwise gloomy, industrial surroundings. If you haven’t made the trip to NE, now’s the time. BTM recommends making a morning of it by renting bikes from Capital Bikeshare and heading over for a feast, corn hole and some outdoor adult beverages.

Though the outside of Union Market resembles a Home Depot with its white and orange color scheme, the inside is polished, vast and has a very Brooklyn vibe. Developers imagine a day when the surrounding area will feature “a vibrant mix of retail, restaurants, hotel, entertainment, incubator space for new food concepts,” and more.

The Best Thing at the Market: TaKorean Bulgogi Beef Tacos pack in the flavor, fusion and fun. Korean BBQ tacos have finally made their way east after many successful decades on the West Coast. DC native Mike Lenard’s TaKorean opened its food truck windows back in 2010. They offer bulgogi beef, tangy chicken and caramelized tofu tacos with two kinds of slaw, cool lime crème, sriracha, fresh cilantro and sesame seeds on corn tortillas. Their tortillas are impossibly warm and fresh, which propelled TaKorean past other contenders for Best Thing at the Market accolades.

TaKorean’s popularity prompted them to open a non-mobile shop out of Union Market. Several other food trucks have also set up shop at the market, allowing them to expand their offerings and bring in some cash over the weekend when food trucks would otherwise be dormant. You can mix and match tacos and toppings for a great meal on the go or at the market.

Also available at Union Market – Buffalo and Bergen, Curbside Cupcakes, DC Empanadas, Red Apron Butchery, Righteous Cheese and more.

Bulgogi Beef Tacos not your Best Thing at the Market? Post your favorites in the comments section.

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