Tag Archives: Best Thing on the Menu

Teddy: Fox Hollow Fried Chicken

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Teddy's Fox Hollow Fried Chicken

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

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Mad Fox Brewery Co. Burger

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

Poste's 110% Burger

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

Firefly's Lamb Burger

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

Granville Moore's Beef Bulgogi Burger

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

Best Schmutz: Ripple’s Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley

Ripple's Burger

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

Iron Gate's Lamb Pita Burger

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.

Mad Fox Brewery Co. Burger

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.

Table: Ricotta Fritters

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Table's Ricotta Fritters

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.

Win a 24-Course Dinner for Four at Rogue 24

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Photo credit: Washington Post

Photo credit: Washington Post

You and three friends can win dinner for four at one of DC’s hottest tables. You will make your way through 24 colorful, surprising and delicous offerings including our Best Thing on the Menu: Sugar Toads.

BTM teamed up with local blog powerhouse PoPville (Prince of Petworth) to bring you this opportunity (a $540 value). Click here for more information and to enter.

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

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Rogue 24 Sugar Toads

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

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Urbana Cannelloni

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

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TaKorean Bulgogi Beef Tacos

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.

Out of Town Edition – Zahav (Philadelphia)

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Zahav: Crispy Haloumi

In this out of town edition, we take you to an edgy Israeli restaurant perched atop a plaza overlooking the historic Old City neighborhood of downtown Philadelphia. James Beard Award Winning Chef Michael Solomonov, born in Israel, also pulls from Morocco, Turkey, Yemen, Lebanon and Egypt to create a memorable feast of small-plates style dining.

Zahav, which means gold in Hebrew, leaves a great first impression by bringing out a selection of Middle Eastern salads known as salatim. The selection ranges from smoky eggplant to spicy fennel and is a bit reminiscent of the “banchan” snacks you receive at the start of a Korean BBQ meal.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Crispy Haloumi with Golden Raisins, Carrots and Pine Nuts appears in the “Mezze” section and can’t be missed. Haloumi dates back to the Medieval Byzantine period, originating in Cyprus. Made from sheep and goat milk, this cheese was born to be grilled (or fried) because of its ability to withstand high heat without melting.  It’s traditionally served with watermelon or mint, but the possibilities are endless.

At Zahav, very salty crispy haloumi is paired with a sweet, golden raisin compote. The sweetness and the saltiness together are a match made in heaven, much like the salted caramel craze sweeping the nation.

It’s important to eat the BTM immediately when it arrives at the table or else face a significant change in consistency.

Zahav is fine dining at its finest, but with reasonable prices and a lot of personality. For $39 you can feast on salatim and hummus with fresh pita, two selections from the “Mezze” section, one grilled dish from the “Al Ha’esh” category and finally, a creatively concocted dessert. We recommend the Halvah Mousse with Chickpea Praline, which is made from tahini and has a nutty taste. Paired with berry jam, this dessert is an adult peanut butter and jelly sandwich that even those with nut allergies can eat!

Crispy Haloumi not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section

Ah love: Bacon & Smoke

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Cary Kelly

Q & A with Ah Love’s Cary Kelly

Boutique olive oil and balsamic vinegar store, Ah love, is bold, playful and full of flavor. Their boldest move? Putting bacon back on the table for vegans and vegetarians, a food magic trick that left us stunned.

Best Thing on the Menu was given the exclusive opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Ah love Owner & CEO, Cary Kelly, who is as innovative and sophisticated as her store and products. Her primary passion lies in supporting small producers that she has personally met at food shows, through her travels or over the internet.

For example, Cary’s main olive oil producers are 5th generation olive farmers from Southern Greece that have a connection to the greater DC area (two sons went to Virginia Tech). Cary works closely with the producers on developing new flavors and each March, they come together for a harvest party at the store.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Bacon Olive Oil is subtle, smoky and just short of a miracle considering it is flavored solely with herbs and vegetables, making it 100% vegan. While Cary admits that olive oil purists cringe at the thought of putting such a spin on one of the purest products on the planet, customers keep coming back for more. Ah love is hosting a Bacon Bonanza on Thursday, June 6th from 5:00-9:00pm at Ah Love’s Shirlington Village location. The party is open to the public and will feature treats like bacon brownies and bacon mousse. All bacon related products are 15% off, so it is the perfect time to pick up a gift for dad.

Also on the shelves of Ah love is President Obama’s favorite olive oil, The Smoked Olive. The president was so sold on this cold-smoked concoction that he ordered it for the Inaugural Ball. The Smoked Olive and Cary Kelly were featured in the Washington Post. You can also see Cary on WJLA.

Other best sellers include the 25-Star Balsamic Vinegar (stars are indicative of how long a balsamic vinegar has aged), the fig balsamic and an addictive spice blend called Olive Oil’s Best Friend.

Ah love can make your life better in hurry. Here’s how: Cary’s oils and vinegars pack so much flavor that they’re all you need to make an impressive, quick dish that’s suitable for entertaining. In addition to being quick and easy, the oils and vinegars are easy on your waistline and your wallet. Our favorite at-home recipe involves drizzling honey ginger white balsamic vinegar on roasted salmon. Click here for recipes.

One last tip from Cary: Have a spoonful of balsamic after a big meal despite feeling full. Balsamic vinegar has been around since the 10th Century and was originally used for medicinal purposes. It is known to level blood sugar and can counter even the biggest meal. Learn how balsamic is made.

Ah love opened a second location this past November, so you can also visit them in the Mosaic District.

Tell us about your favorite Ah love products & recipes in the comments section.

Top Five Dates in the District

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Bacon-wrapped dates at Jaleo

Sorry Match.com members, this is a different kind of date.

Dates, or in most cases “dátiles,” have made a comeback on the capital culinary scene in the past couple of years. You can find them on big-name menus like Jaleo and Komi but also at Wholefoods, enabling you to take your dates on the road.

Here’s a round-up of Best Thing on the Menu’s top five dates in the District:

1.     Jaleo: Dátiles Con Tocino Como Hace Todo El Mundo – Fried dates wrapped in bacon served with an apple-mustard sauce

2.     Komi: Dates stuffed with mascarpone cheese and dusted (generously) with sea salt

3.     Boqueria: Dátiles con Beicon – Dates stuffed with almonds and Valdeón, wrapped in bacon

4.     Founding Farmers: Bacon-Wrapped Dates – Dates with blue cheese filling and balsamic glaze

5.     P Street Wholefoods: Dates stuffed with a mild cheese and topped with candied walnuts

Bacon-wrapped dates are also known as “Devils on Horseback.” They were quintessential cocktail party appetizers in the 1960s and 1970s when daring and exotic finger food was in demand.

However, the name of the dish and the dish itself actually dates back to the late 19th century with its close sibling – “Angels on Horseback” (oysters wrapped with bacon).

Their origins are somewhat mysterious, but most accounts stem from Cornwall in the south of England at the turn of the last millennium, where Norman raiders would disguise themselves is suits of armor made by layering rashers of bacon.

The best part about Devils on Horseback, besides the sweet and smoky flavor, is that they can be made very quickly and with only a simple set of ingredients.  Yet, we guarantee they will impress your dinner guests.

Discovered other tasty dates in the District? Share your favorites in the comments section.