Last nights dinner included this lobster over black forbidden rice at Bryan Voltaggio’s Volt, in Frederick, MD.
Amazing!
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Best Week Ever’s review of Top Chef every week is so amazing.
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Lunchtime score! Apparently somebody hit up Graffiato for lunch (Restaurant Week visit, perhaps), and offered up he leftover pizza in the office kitchen!
(This is the only Jersey Shore-named product I approve of).
Culinary highlight from last weekend in Dallas (no, it wasn’t the fried beer). Quail with green beans and farro at craft Restaurant.
It made me understand what Tom Colicchio means when he goes on and on about letting the food speak for itself. The food sang.
Today’s (delicious) lunch at Graffiato. They’ve added a ton of chopped parsley to the Jersey Shore pizza, and I think it works quite well.
A delicious lunch at Graffiato this afternoon, with the pictured broccoli and smoked mozzarella pizza, which I loved, though I’m not usually a big smoked mozzarella fan—I think the fact that they stretch (and probably smoke) the mozzarella in house may help with the special smoky flavor they got. We also had a classic (melted tomato, garlic and oregano) pizza, and sweet corn agnolotti, which was so delicious it disappeared before the camera came out.
Seems like chef Mike Isabella has been reacting to the early reviews, too, because our server was as friendly as the last visit, but much less pushy in trying to upsell us.
Another weekend culinary highlight: sampling Top Chef alum Mike Isabella’s Graffiato.
The three pizzas are the Classic (just tomato and sea salt, surprisingly delicious), the Jersey Shore (featuring fried calamari but no Snooki), and last night’s special, which featured fresh peaches, arugula, blue cheese and ground walnuts.
Best thing we had, though, was the heirloom tomatoes with burrata. Yum!
Still some kinks to work out with the food and service, but this early taste was a promising start, especially since they found us a table for three at 6:00 p.m., with no reservation!
Mike Isabella’s Graffiato to open Thursday - Washington Post
The old 1940s-era print shop that he picked for his debut restaurant required a whole new electrical buildout — and about $300,000 more than estimated in his budget — but former Zaytinya chef and “Top Chef All-Stars” finalist Mike Isabella is finally in business.
Graffiato, his Italian-inspired operation with small plates and pizza and pasta, will officially open at 5 p.m. on Thursday at 707 6th St. NW in Chinatown.
I’m more looking forward to when the restaurant opens for lunch “in a few weeks,” but happy to have Graffiato finally opening around the corner from the office!
Top Chef Masters contestant, Hugh Acheson, puts out a challenge to pluck the mighty unibrow.
DO IT PEOPLE! Or rather, just raise $99,999 because I want the Hughnibrow to stay. (cc Dahl)Just interviewed Hugh Acheson regarding his appearance on “Top Chef Masters.” *****ALERT: Hugh said if Athens will collectively donate $100,000 to Wholesome Wave, “I’ll pluck my eyebrow.” ****
This story won’t run until next Wed., two weeks following his elimination from the highly entertaining show, which I will be watching till the end, rooting for both Floyd, who I love, and Traci who is clearly awesome (and Hugh speaks of her with the highest praise and respect).
Top Chef alum Mike Isabella’s forthcoming restaurant, Graffiato, seems to be rounding into shape, as seen on today’s post-lunch walk back to work.
The restaurant’s website says “Spring 2010” opening. Based on a quick peek inside, I’d guess it’s about 2-3 weeks out. I am very excited that this will be one of the closest restaurants to the office!
Spike Mendelsohnn, of Top Chef and DC’s Good Stuff Eatery and We The Pizza, gave his adopted hometown something between a backhanded compliment and a smack in the face, in a profile from the People’s District:
“With time, I have really come to love this city. New York is over saturated with too many concepts. You may be popular for two weeks, and then there is a new trend. Here, I opened one restaurant, Good Stuff, that developed my entire career. It is nice to be in a second-tier city where you can be a big fish in a small pond.”
The commenters on DCist have been having a field day with that last comment, with this one being one of my favorites:
Doesn’t matter what “tier” DC is, it is still more important to Spike than Spike is to DC.
Congrats, you cashed in on a little celebrity to open up a pizza and burger joint; the same thing former high school quarterbacks do every day in one stop light towns all over the country.
Or this one:
Spike’s not even a “big fish” among Top Chefs in DC, let alone DC chefs in general.. Voltaggio, Isabella and even Carla have more recognition, both professionally and popularly.
DC has some really great chefs, and some really great restaurants in a variety of price ranges and cuisines. What that has to do with New York, I do not know. Is it impossible for New Yorkers to grasp the existence of other
geographic locations unless they have analogs on the Subway somewhere?
The way I see it, while DC is not NYC, that line is a terrible way to market yourself in the city you’ve decided to call home. While he makes reasonably tasty burgers and pizza, Spike is a Big Fish only in the way that the Georgetown Cupcaker-ers are Big Fish. They’re primarily tourist attractions for people who watch reality TV.
Update: here’s Spike’s semi-retraction, via EaterDC:
People are misconstruing Danny’s interview and he would agree that my comments were not in the least bit disparaging to my DC.
This is my home and I have nothing but love and admiration for all of the people who have supported my family and restaurants here. There is nothing secondary about DC in my mind, if anyone thinks differently of me come down to restaurants for a hug. Im here all night.
It’s nice to see “We Are Georgetown” t-shirts popping up a lot in the news lately. (John Prendergast with George Clooney in Sudan, Top Chef alum Mike Isabella in an update on the construction of Graffiato, now this).
In the midnight darkness, the crowds gathered, chanting and cheering, waving American flags, outside the front gates of the White House. (Photo: Doug Mills for the New York Times)
Wiley Dufresne and Richard Blais have one heckuva forefather.
Jason Kottke points out the similarities between modernist cuisine and the infamous candy mogul!
(Source: infectedworldmind)
Tonight’s dinner — a quinoa and spring vegetable pilaf, recipe from this month’s Bon Appetit. It’s a great use of our farmers market haul from the weekend
It’s also decent for tonight’s TV on tap, though I suppose it’s more appropriate for Top Chef—given that it involves a pea puree (pea puree? pea puree!)— than for Extreme Couponing.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, well rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed, divided
- 5 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, divided
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup sliced shallots
- 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thickly sliced
- 1 14-ounce bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
ingredient info
Quinoa is a grain with a texture similar to that of couscous; it’s available at supermarkets and natural foods stores.Preparation
- Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil in small saucepan. Add quinoa and 1 teaspoon salt; return to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, 15 to 17 minutes. Drain if necessary.
- Puree broth, 1 cup peas, 4 tablespoons mint, and garlic in blender until smooth.
- Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and shallots; sauté until soft and light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, then asparagus; sauté until mushrooms are tender and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in puree and 1 cup peas; stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add quinoa; stir to coat.
- Divide pilaf among bowls; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon mint and serve.
Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2011/04/quinoa_and_spring_vegetable_pilaf#ixzz1K4A9gMAb
(And with this — I’ve reached 5,000 posts… yikes!)
‘Top Chef Masters’ Has a Leaner Look on Bravo - NYTimes.com
So a new Top Chef Masters starts tonight: some good and bad new in here.
GOOD: they’ve cut out the “feeder tournaments” and we’ll get to watch a field of 12 compete from the beginning.
GOOD: no more Kelly Choi
MEH: down to two regular judges
UGH: those judges do not include Gael Greene, but do include James Oseland.
GOOD: the 1- to 5-star scoring system is gone, instead going with the straight-up elimination by judges.
BAD: one of those judges is James Oseland
