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Custom cocktail and Chartreuse tasting at Rasika
Here are a few things on my foodie radar right now:
RAMMY Awards
Nominees for the RAMMYs were announced this week and several of our neighborhood favorites are in the running.
Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
The Ashby Inn & Restaurant
Bourbon Steak
Marcel’s
The Oval Room
Rasika
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
Bibiana
Birch & Barley
BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant
Oyamel
Proof
Casual Restaurant of the Year
Bar Pilar
C.F. Folks
Hank’s Oyster Bar and Lounge – DC
Mitsitam Native Foods Café
Room 11
New Restaurant of the Year
Elisir Restaurant by Enzo Fargione
Fiola
Graffiato
Hill Country Barbecue Market
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Chef of the Year
Anthony Chittum – Vermilion
Tony Conte – The Oval Room
Haidar Karoum – Proof
Kaz Okochi – Kaz Sushi Bistro
Vikram Sunderam – Rasika
Rising Culinary Star of the Year
Justin Bittner – Bar Pilar
Logan Cox – Ripple
Claudio Pirollo – Et Voila!
Adam Sobel – Bourbon Steak
Ed Witt – 701 Restaurant
Pastry Chef of the Year
Cicely Austin – The Oval Room
Fabrice Bendano – Adour
Peter Brett – Blue Duck Tavern
Alison Reed – Ripple
Susan Wallace – BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant
Wine Program of the Year
Adour
Cork Wine Bar
Dino
Marcel’s
Plume
Beverage/Mixology Program of the Year
Bourbon Steak
EatGoodFood Group
Estadio
Neighborhood Restaurant Group
Room 11
Manager of the Year
Anna-Marie Ashe – Smith Commons
Daniel Bortnick – Firefly
Reagan Corbett – Jackson 20
Alex Munoz – Hill Country Barbecue Market
Javier Velazquez – Taberna del Alabardero
Employee of the Year
Julie Albert – Brasserie Beck/Marcel’s
Ting Forester – District Commons
Teo Leiva – Fiola
José Alex Medrano – B. Smith’s
Paris Twyman – Founding Farmers – DC
Restaurateur of the Year
José Andrés & Rob Wilder – THINKFoodGROUP
Meshelle & Cathal Armstrong – EatGoodFood Group
Michael Babin – Neighborhood Restaurant Group
Ashok Bajaj – Knightsbridge Restaurant Group
Jeff & Barbara Black – Black Restaurant Group
From April 12-29, you can cast a vote to name the winners in the following categories:
Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year
Bastille
Bistrot Du Coin
Café Saint-Ex
Et Voila!
The Majestic
Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene of the Year
Black Jack
The Hamilton
Hill Country Barbecue Market
Mad Fox Brewing Company
Marvin
Power Spot of the Year
701 Restaurant
Founding Farmers – DC
The Oval Room
The Source by Wolfgang Puck
Tosca Ristorante
Votes may be cast on Washington City Paper, the finalists’ web sites or at RAMW.
Fresh and Local
The first day of Penn Quarter’s Famers’ Market last week could not have been more beautiful. Everyone was out and about enjoying the beautiful weather and fresh produce, including local chef favorites like Jose Andres.
I was excited to see a few new stalls, including:
Neighborhood Events
America Eats Tavern (405 8th St. NW) and Paso Robles Wine Dinner – April 10
Jaleo DC (4800 7th St. NW) re-opens after a major renovation – March 28
Mad Men
With the return of Mad Men, I’m once again looking for places to try custom cocktails and a sexy martini. Here are a few of my favorites:
Rasika – Jason has been one of my favorite bartenders for a while and I’m sad to see him leave at the end of the month (although excited for his new venture, more later on that). I rarely order off the menu because his custom cocktails are always so perfect for my ever-changing mood.
America Eats Tavern – The menu is great for trying some unusual classic cocktails and Chris is fantastic for conversation.
Bibiana (1100 New York Ave. NW) – Beverage Director, Francesco Amodeo, and bartenders Milton and Will, know how to keep a girl happy. From a great cocktail menu to homemade digestifs, there’s something for everyone.
Passenger (1021 7th St. NW) – a no brainer, Derek Brown et al know how to make a great cocktail!
On another note:
One of my all-time favorite exhibits opens this weekend, March 30, at the Natural History Museum. The Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Winners are not to be missed, and, thankfully, the exhibit will be up for almost eight months. The photographs are always incredibly inspiring, so go check it out.
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