RSS Feed2020 James Beard Awards Finalists Include Two Penn Quarter Names
The James Beard Foundation recently named its 2020 award semi-finalists and finalists. Four Penn Quarter and one Shaw restaurants are among the nominees; two Penn Quarter restaurants will go on to compete as finalists. The James Beard Awards are given in many categories, including chefs and restaurants, books, journalism, and broadcast media, plus restaurant design, leadership, humanitarian work, and lifetime achievement. Chef and restaurant winners will be announced on September 25.
While all Penn Quarter/Shaw restaurants remain closed due to the nation-wide Covid-19 epidemic, these James Beard semi-finalists and finalists are offering creative take-out and delivery from a limited menu and during limited hours.
- Jaleo (480 7th Street NW), a finalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category, honors “a restaurant in business 10 or more consecutive years, demonstrating consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, service, and operations”. [How to order pickup/delivery]
- Vikram Sunderam of Rasika (633 D Street NW) was one of only 20 national semi-final chefs in the Outstanding Chef category to honor “a chef of at least five years who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals”. [How to order pickup/delivery]
- Amy Brandwein of Centrolina (974 Palmer Alley NW) and Cagla Onal-Urel of Green Almond Pantry (1314 9th Street NW) were two of the 20 semi-finalists for Mid-Atlantic Outstanding Chef, honoring chefs who “set high culinary standards and also demonstrate integrity and admirable leadership skills in their respective regions”. The Mid-Atlantic region includes Washington, DC; Delaware, Maryland; New Jersey, Virginia; and Pennsylvania. Amy will go on to compete as a finalist. [How to order pickup/delivery (Centrolina)] [How to order pickup/delivery (Green Almond Pantry)]
- Flight Wine Bar (777 6th Street NW) was a semi-finalist for Outstanding Wine Program, “demonstrating excellence in wine service through a carefully considered wine list and a well-informed approach to helping customers choose and drink wine”. [How to order pickup/delivery]
- Victor Albisu who runs Poca Madre (777 I St NW) was a semi-finalist for Best Chef category. They are closed during the pandemic and do not have pickup/delivery.
Learn more about DC’s other James Beard Award nominees here.
Established in 1991, the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards honor members of the American food, beverage, and hospitality industries who demonstrate excellence in their respective fields. Winners show exceptional talent and creativity in their craft and commendable leadership among their colleagues and peers. The James Beard Foundation is dedicated to promoting a strong, safe, inclusive, ethical food community, and these awards reflect those values. In consideration of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foundation will forego a physical ceremony and will instead issue a press release on May 27, 2020 announcing the winners. Restaurant & Chef Award winners will be announced on September 25, 2020.
James Beard (May 5, 1903 – January 23, 1985) was an American chef, cookbook author, and teacher and television personality. Beard was a champion of American cuisine who taught and mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. His legacy lives on in his writings and his foundation’s annual James Beard awards.
Do You Golf? Call On Mayor Bowser To Reopen Golf DC’s Three Public Courses
All U.S. states now permit golf courses to open to the public under set social distancing guidelines. One holdout, however, is the District of Columbia, which has not reopened its three courses. If you are a Penn Quarter/Shaw/Mt. Vernon golfer, Golf DC is seeking your support in asking that Mayor Bowser prioritize reopening golf in the District. GolfDC operates three courses on behalf of the National Park Service (East Potomac, Langston and Rock Creek). The National Park Service has deferred to the Mayor’s Order.
They ReOpen DC Advisory Group report released a few days ago will allow golf courses to open in Stage 1, possibly as soon as Friday, May 29. While the on-line feedback link to ReOpen DC is now closed, you may still call 202-442-4755 to leave further feedback via voicemail.
If allowed to open, GolfDC would modify its operations to adhere to strict COVID-19 preventive measures including mandatory social distancing and extra sanitation practices. As illustrated in other cities, Golf DC’s modified Customer Operations would include online greens fee purchases, self-service at the driving ranges and suspension of select services.
Police Week 2020 Is Virtual…The Coffee Is Real (And Free For Police Officers)
Every spring brings Police Week to Penn Quarter but this year’s events are all virtual due to the ongoing pandemic. If you haven’t witnessed the candlelight vigil in person we encourage folks to respectfully attend as it is truly an amazing event. Even though Police Week is virtual, police are able to avail themselves of free hot and iced coffee at Starbucks’ Liberty Place outlet (325 7th St NW) between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm from Mon, May 11 to Fri, May 15 as seen in the above photo.
Using birdNet To Bird In Downtown DC
The pandemic reduced street traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, significantly in the downtown neighborhood and that has brought nature into the foreground. Lots of birds frequent the trees that line our neighborhood’s streets and their chirping and song are now the soundtrack accompanying our walks and runs. Enter birdNet, a project spearheaded by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Chemnitz University of Technology that allowing s cell phones to act as ears around the world. Artificial intelligence (AI) powers the detection algorithm identifying up to 984 different species of birds.
We’ve been using birdNET regularly to learn about birds in the area. Some we can see such as Common Starlings and House Sparrows. Others we hear such as Mourning Doves. The free app is available for Android only (sorry Apple users) but they do have a Twitter bot that provides updates about bird observations. There is an app for Apple phones called Song Slueth that we’ll be checking out next.
