amanda mcclements

Hank's in Gourmet Dupont newcomer Hank's Oyster Bar won the attention of Gourmet magazine this month. The September issue features the popular oyster bar on a list of restaurants across the country that "we're talking about—and making reservations for—this month." If you haven't checked out Hank's, run, don't walk, and when you get there, don't miss the lobster roll (pictured) or the fried clams. Hank's is packed most nights and doesn't take reservations, but you can call ahead 30 minutes and put your name on the list. Congrats to Hank's on the well-deserved national recognition. Town Hall Opens Glover Park's newest restaurant, Town Hall , opened last weekend and DCist provides a preview from the soft opening. A Metrocurean source says the new bar/restaurant is drawing quite a drinking crowd after hours. With owners also involved in Smith Point and Adams Mill Bar and Grill, that's no surprise. Joe Englert Takes On H Street NE ...

I finally made it over to Tabaq for dinner and drinks on Saturday, and chatted with one of the owners, Melih, about all the attention the dress code has received. The official word is jeans are a-okay. Shorts, flip flops and athletic wear are not. He said he'd like the standard to be loosely based on business casual attire, but I saw plenty of people in jeans. Also, there's no specific dress code during weekend brunch. (But leave the pajamas at home.) We arrived around 8 p.m., and there were no doormen yet. We sat on the roof and enjoyed the ginger and roma martinis. The former was a refreshing blend of vodka spiked with plenty of spicy ginger, the latter a subtly sweet pomegranate cocktail. Meals at Tabaq start with warm braided bread and pesto oil for dipping. We ordered the hummus à la Tabaq (studded with sausage), the mushroom crepe and crispy duck borek to start out. Highlights included nicely seared scallops served with tomatoes and tender lamb shank atop eggplant puree....

Today's Washington Post Style section has a fitting tribute to Stoney's, the 37-year-old dive on L Street that will most likely be closing soon, a victim of downtown development. "Soon there will be one less place to come as you are, and one more rocky crater downtown, one more construction crane where once there was the foundation of a neighborhood," Post staff writer Dan Zak wrote.

As Hurricane Katrina bears down on the Crescent City, my thoughts are with the people of New Orleans as they brace for potential disaster. My brother, who lives there and rarely heeds evacuation warnings, is heading to Texas to ride out the storm, but I'm still extremely distressed. In my humble opinion, New Orleans is one of the greatest cities in the world, and I'm hoping the storm will have some mercy. In honor of New Orleans and in hoping for the best, I'll be mixing up a batch of hurricanes this evening from a recipe I found on gumbopages.com : 1.5 ounces light rum 1.5 ounces dark rum 1 ounce orange juice 1 ounce fresh lime juice (NOT Rose's or RealLime) 1/4 cup passion fruit juice, or 1 tablespoon passion fruit syrup 1 teaspoon superfine sugar 1 teaspoon grenadine Cherries with stems, and orange slice to garnish Ice cubes In a cocktail shaker, mix the rum, passion fruit juice or syrup, the other juices and the sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add the grenadine, an...

Although I initially somewhat wrote off Creme 's menu, I checked it out for a quick bite Tuesday night, and I have to say I think I underestimated the place. We started off with tangy margaritas, served up (neighboring Alero could use a few tips). I'm extremely skeptical of anyone who messes with the beautiful simplicity of a well-made crab cake, but throwing caution to the wind, we ordered the "no bread crumb" crab cake—Creme's version wraps crab salad in a crisped spring roll wrapper. The combination worked nicely, with a mache salad and small dabs of dijon mustard accenting the dish on the side. I was extremely curious about the "nine dollar hot dog," made from ever-so-trendy Kobe beef. Served on a soft, browned pretzel roll in a diner-style basket, the juicy dog comes with a plate of nearly 10 condiments, including two kinds of mustard, pickled onions, kim chee, tomato marmalade, chopped tomatoes, pickles and peppers. It was fun getting to dress up e...

This just in from DCist on a major fire at Capitol Lounge. Sounds like the inside is destroyed...

The dress code at the new Tabaq Bistro, as discussed by commenters in this post , caught the attention of Post food critic Tom Sietsema when he checked out the place. He noticed people in shorts and/or sneakers being turned away at the door. I would've liked to hear the owners on the record explaining the exact standards of the dress code. (Sietsema notes the doorman was wearing jeans.) When dress code lines get blurred, people get mad. I worked at Eighteenth Street Lounge about five years ago and had to listen to constant griping about the unfairness of the seemingly random dress code. Early in the night, guys with backpacks and shorts got in; later in the night guys in jeans were turned away. For a place like the lounge, where exclusivity is part of the appeal, burly bouncers making up rules as they go seems expected, albeit "unfair." But for a restaurant, it seems harder to implement, especially a relatively casual tapas restaurant. Tabaq may have to reconcile its dua...

The opening party for Acadiana is set for Sept. 10, and the new Louisiana-style seafood house will open to the public a few days later. In September's Washingtonian , restaurant critic Tom Head offers an enticing preview of the new spot. Among the highlights, Head reports that Chef Jeff Tunks and crew, in a quest for authenticity, will import "genuine New Orleans French bread" for Acadiana's po' boys from the 90-year-old Leidenheimer Bakery in New Orleans (a trick also used by Johnny's Half Shell). Louisiana oysters will be shipped from P&J Oysters , also of New Orleans. And "finding snapping turtles [for turtle soup] was no problem," Tunks told Head. (Good to know if you ever want to cook up some turtle.) Many of the restaurant's recipes are inspired by Louisiana's dining institutions. On the menu, Head writes, will be a muffuletta inspired by the Central Grocery (pictured); fried catfish à la Middendorf's ; and barbecue shrimp in ...

It's always nice when an off-the-beaten path D.C. spot garners national attention, and a celebrity chef hawking cheap sandwiches in his upscale restaurant is certainly noteworthy. Galileo Chef Roberto Donna's egalitarian lunch grill got a mention in the September issue of Frommer's Budget Travel magazine . The article asked famous foodies where they turn for no-frills, affordable meals. Former Washington Post food critic Phyllis Richman spoke for the District. "One of the most upscale restaurants in town, Galileo, has a bargain lunch in the lounge. If you see the charcoal grill out front, it means that they're grilling sandwiches in the back. The best is the pork sandwich. It's $5 for a huge one with a green sauce and fried onions. Also, they have the best cannoli on the East Coast for $2.50. You'll see limousines sitting outside waiting for someone who's gone in to get his lunch," she told the magazine. Chef Donna fired up the grill last summer a...

As predicted, the prevalence of chains in the Washington Post's reader's choice awards ruffled more than a few feathers. The Going Out Gurus posted this rundown of the controversy, reminding readers that they designate their own personal favorites with "editor's choice" labels. I apparently wasn't alone in my trouble with Starbucks winning best coffee shop. "Readers were upset by a number of things, but what seemed to raise the most concern was the near-ubiquitous Starbucks usurping Adams Morgan-favorite Tryst as 'Best Coffee Shop.' Tryst, a winner in previous years, fell to second place." One commenter suggested that the votes chains receive be divided by the number of locations. Seems like a great idea, but the gurus weren't going for it. "These corporations tout a consistent product in a consistent setting, so it doesn't make sense to break down the results to include every single branch." Eliminating chains altogether...

On a completely un-epicurean note, Joel Achenbach's column in today's Washington Post magazine is a great read for anyone who's felt like a slave to the blog. And for any journalist bloggers, this rings oh so true: "In the old days, the age of print, a journalist had very little data on how many people read a particular story. Now I can track readership second by second, eyeball by eyeball."

The new U Street spots are comfortably settling in, with crowds each night looking quite happy to have some new neighborhood choices. There's been some grumbling over Tabaq's dress code, and I'm planning to ask Melih about it next time I see him. So what's next in the 'hood? A commenter tipped me off to the Cue Bar , which should be opening soon on U Street between 11th and 12th. I'm assuming, from the name, that the place will be a pool joint and not a barbecue hut, but stay tuned for more details. The new bar will take the place of Between Friends , which closed last year after someone was murdered inside and after "ANC Commissioner-elect Dee Hunter discovered that the club was operating while bankrupt," according to a DCist post about troubled clubs. Brown Sugar , a soul food restaurant also near 11th and U, has had a coming soon sign up for a while now and may or may not be one to watch. Meanwhile, one to definitely keep an eye on in Penn Quarter...

While preoccupied with a puppy pick-up in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Metrocurean missed out on what Don Rockwell teased earlier this week as "a major announcement ... that will ripple throughout the Washington DC food world." That announcement was that Todd Kliman, the Washington City Paper's erudite food columnist, has been named Washingtonian 's dining editor. Kliman, who won a James Beard award in May for newspaper column writing, will work with Tom Head and Cynthia Hacinli, the magazine's primary restaurant critics. "I'm looking forward to bringing the same energy, zest and wit to Washingtonian that I tried to provide in my weekly column," Kliman told Rockwell. This is indeed a big move—the City Paper and Washingtonian are polar opposites in the range of D.C. coverage—and a great loss for the City Paper. It will be interesting to see how much freedom Kliman will have to infuse Washingtonian's coverage with the keen observations his columns b...

The more casual replacement for Nick and Stef's steakhouse in the MCI Center will open Monday, reports Tom Sietsema. In Wednesday's Weekly Dish , Sietsema reports that drinx will begin serving lunch Monday at 601 F St. NW. "The long-vacant space has been recast as a more casual place to eat and drink -- look for fried calamari, hamburgers and fruit punch on the menu -- but with enough twists to make those familiar restaurant staples interesting. The calamari will wear a coat of Parmesan cheese, for instance, while the burger will sneak in heirloom tomatoes. As for the punch 'Martiniquese,' the drink is glammed up with passion fruit and sweet spices," Sietsema writes. The drink list doesn't stop with punch. "[B]artenders will shake and stir more than 25 choices, ranging from a signature martini (made with sherry) to the 'bee's knees' (Tanqueray #10 swirled with honey and lemon juice)," Sietsema reports. The chef, Brian McPherson, has ...

Each year, the Washington Post holds a reader's choice contest to rank the best of D.C. restaurants, nightlife and recreation. And each year, the winners in most categories read like the strip mall signs in Generic City, USA. And each year, people whine and complain about how chains shouldn't be allowed to win and how Maggiano's can possibly be considered the best Italian restaurant in the area. Well, allow me to bring up the clichéd topic of Starbuck's bashing. The winners, which were announced Monday, include Starbuck's for best coffee shop. And for some reason, that one got to me more than any of the other generic winners. The mega-chain has a clear advantage, being located on every other street corner in the city, and voting is a matter of sheer numbers. In fact, a May DCist post reported on Epodunk.com data that showed that among small cities, Falls Church, Va., has the most Starbuck's per 10,000 people with 7.7. But what was going through the minds of ...

Bangkok Joe's , the stylish dumpling bar and Thai restaurant down on Georgetown's waterfront, had a visit from the hottest woman in the universe last Wednesday. According to a PR tip-off, "Miss Universe 2005, 23-year-old Natalie Glebova of Toronto, Canada, arrived at the Georgetown restaurant around 8 p.m. for a delicious Thai dinner with her four friends, who she was visiting while in town. After enjoying Chef Aulie Bunyarataphan's Pork 'n Crab Shu Mai, Pad Thai, and sipping a Mango Margarita, the outgoing Glebova signed autographs and posed for a photo with Proprietor Mel Oursinsiri." Glebova (pictured at Bangkok Joe's) was crowned in Bangkok, Thailand. She "was very complimentary and said she has been captivated with Thai food and culture, since her visit to Thailand during the pageant," Oursinsiri said. "We were very honored to share our Thai cuisine with her." Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones have been spotted recently, al...

The Washington Post reports in tomorrow's paper that first lady Laura Bush today announced that she has appointed the White House's first ever female executive chef. What's more, Cristeta Comerford also becomes the first minority to hold the post; she is a native of the Philippines. Comerford has worked in the White House kitchen for 10 years, and the Post reports that "it was her performance in the past several months, including an official dinner in July for 134 guests in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that helped the first lady make her decision." The decision is great news to the women's groups who lobbied for a female appointment, including Women Chefs and Restaurateurs . Cheers to Comerford for her history-making, glass-ceiling breaking selection.

Capitol Hill institution La Brasserie closed its doors last month, after 27 years of serving French food to Hill neighbors and a procession of VIPs, but the space certainly won't stay empty for very long. "The restaurant enjoyed a long history: on February 15, 1979, a pair of enterprising French-men—Raymond Campet and Gaby Aubouin, who had honed their culinary skills at the French Embassy—unveiled La Brasserie, which had previous[ly] been a little café called La Ruche," wrote Voice of the Hill . "With Raymond running the 'front of the house' and Gaby supervising the kitchen, La Brasserie became a neighborhood favorite." The Washington Times reported on the famous faces who dined there over the years: "It served such politicos as the late Sen. Daniel Moynihan, New York Democrat, former Vice President Al Gore and the late Rep. Sonny Bono, California Republican, as well as actors like Jimmy Stewart, Paul Newman and Jane Fonda, said Lynne Campet, a ...

The opening party last Friday at Tabaq was packed, and I didn't get to try any of the food. (I got there too late.) But Tabaq is officially open and serving a full menu on the main floor. Here's a glimpse at what's on the menu: Small plates priced at $4.25-$13.95 are divided into spreads, vegetarian, meat and seafood options. • Spreads include hummus, babaganoush and a roasted red bell pepper spread with walnuts called muhammara. • Vegetarian tapas include zucchini and cheese fritters, dolma, spinach cigar borek (spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo), and a vegetable tart with onion, tomato and zucchini set in a puff pastry with a basil emulsion. • Meat choices include pan-seared foie gras with roasted figs and port wine sauce, braised lamb shank with eggplant purée and Turkish-style beef ravioli with red pepper, garlic and yogurt sauce. • Seared scallops, mussels stuffed with rice and herbs, and grilled tuna with caramelized baby onions and pomegranate dressing are a few of...

Tom Sietsema dropped this exciting bomb during today's dining chat : "You heard it here first: Michel Richard is going to open another restaurant -- but not until NEXT summer. It will be called Central by Michel Richard and feature the French chef's takes on American classics. 'Totally different to what he is doing now,' says my source, Carl Halvorson, the director of food and beverage at the Georgetown destination. "Central will be located on the corner of 11th and Pennsylvania, hence the name: The restaurant is 'central' between the White House and the Capitol. "Look for a bar with cheese, meat and sushi platters; seating for more than 200 people; an outdoor terrace and ... fried chicken!" Seeing how playfully the chef reimagines certain dishes at Citronelle —his signature breakfast for dessert is made up of sweet brioche toast, chocolate pastry "bacon," and a cream cheese topped with apricot purée "egg"—I can't wai...

As part of the restaurant renaissance in Silver Spring, Ceviche opened its doors today. The List reports that new Latin spot will serve South American and Andean style dishes, along with, as the name suggests, a variety of ceviche. A Peruvian version will showcase rocoto peppers, and a Honduran version will use coconut milk. The restaurant is located at 921-J Ellsworth Dr. The number is 301-608-0081. And speaking of new Silver Spring spots, congrats to Warren Brown of Cakelove for snagging his own show on the Food Network. The show, "Sugar Rush," will feature great desserts around the country. DC now has its very own Food Network star! I'd like to say watch your back, Rachel Ray ... Brown will open his second Cakelove in Silver Spring soon.

More on Willow : This coming soon spot now has a Web site up, which describes the cuisine as "combining the finest available American ingredients with traditional French and Italian techniques in an artful, yet straightforward 'Modern Continental' style." That's quite a mouthful. Also, in keeping tabs on a hometown girl, The Buffalo News (via a donrockwell.com post ) reported that Willow will open Sept. 6, "the same day that ... O'Grady will be married to Brian Wo[l]ken, director of operations for the new restaurant ... . After the ceremony, she'll change from her bridal gown to chefs' whites and prepare dinner for 500 customers." Talk about having a lot on your plate ... Restaurant Week Extensions: If you missed the chance to take advantage of Restaurant Week , check out the few places that are extending the deal. Please comment if you know of others. • Oya: Lunch and dinner Sundays through Thursdays until Sept. 1 • Corduroy: Lunch throug...

One of the more ambitious restaurant projects under way in the city, Busboys and Poets is poised to open in the next few weeks at 14th and V streets NW. The vast space, located on the ground level of the new Langston Lofts, will house a restaurant, a bookstore, a full service bar, a coffee house (with Wi-Fi of course) and a fully equipped stage for performances. The windows are still covered with paper, so I only got to peek through a tear, which revealed floor-to-ceiling dark wood book cases (with copies of Toni Morrison's "Remember" on display), a tiled bar and an enormous projector screen behind a stage. There's already a series of events booked for the space, including film screenings and book readings. According to the Web site, Busboys and Poets will serve "American cuisine with an eclectic twist, including many vegetarian and vegan options." But beyond feeding people, the new spot is aiming to be a community resource space. Owner Andy Shallal (also ...

Attention gentlemen: The best way to woo a woman this summer just might be to order up a bottle of pink wine. A Chicago Tribune story last week delved into the reasons men are wearing pink these days and cited research published in Men's Health last year on what colors attract women. "Pink came out on top," the article reported. So if wearing pink attracts the ladies, why wouldn't sipping on a glass of rosé? It surely proves a certain level of comfort with one's masculinity, and as DCist food writer Kanishka proclaimed last week , pink (as in wine) is in again. Furthering the cause of the pink drink is Firefly chef and oenophile John Wabeck. He's a fan of rosés and just launched the restaurant's third rosé festival, which runs through September. Breaking down pink vino's negative stereotypes one bottle at a time, the knowledgeable staff at Firefly is happy to explain the nuances of each wine. During last summer's festival, a waitress guided my ...

I always meant to try Saveur restaurant when I lived in Glover Park, but it seems my window of opportunity has closed. A new restaurant called Town Hall has taken over the space at 2218 Wisconsin Ave. and will welcome friends and family this Monday and Tuesday for a preview of the food. On Tap reports that the new space is the brainchild of "five owners, all but one affiliated at some time with party place Adams Mill Bar & Grill in Adams Morgan." Chef Paul Madrid, late of Paolo's in Georgetown, will head up the kitchen. A peek at the menu reveals some interesting dishes, like fried brie with boysenberry jam, homemade turkey pot pie with vegetables in white truffle cream, and shrimp with coconut ginger risotto. The sandwich line-up looks pretty good, too. A few months ago, controversy was sparked over the new restaurant's proposed closing hours. Seeing the rowdy crowds that Adams Mill brings in, I'm not surprised the neighbors were concerned, but it seems ...

The newest venture from the talented team behind DC Coast , TenPenh and Ceiba is set to open for dinner Sept. 13. Acadiana , located just off Mount Vernon Square at 901 New York Ave. NW, is being billed as a Louisiana seafood house, mirroring the other three restaurants' focus on coastal cuisine. Named for Louisiana's Acadians, a group that migrated to southern Louisiana from Nova Scotia in the 1700s, the restaurant will serve dishes that "represent various cooking techniques from the richly ethnic areas spanning southern Louisiana, serving up the rich and complex flavors - the roux, the remoulades, the bisques, and the étouffées for which the region is known and savored," according to press materials. Look for classic turtle soup, gumbo and po' boys and traditional cocktails like hurricanes and Sazeracs . According to co-owner Gus DiMillo, the interior will be a "nice blend of traditional and modern," reflecting New Orleans influences with chandeliers...

Last night I had the chance to preview Tabaq Bistro , which I previously wrote about here , and I'm predicting this place is going to be big ... very big. The new spot, which partially opens Monday at 1336 U St., offers five stories of restaurant and lounge space and a menu of Mediterranean tapas. The biggest attraction, however, will no doubt be the roof, with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the city (top photo), a full bar and plenty of seating. But here's the best part: With the touch of a button, the glass roof rolls back to reveal the open sky. So whether it's sleeting and cold (hard to imagine right now) or warm and breezy, the candle-lit roof will be open year-round. The modern and sleek main floor (bottom photo) boasts a spacious bar and snazzy red banquettes and chairs. Low tables and cube ottomans line the walls in the small basement lounge, and the second and third floors will eventually house two VIP club rooms, with limited access and views overlooking U Stre...

At the ripe old age of two days, Al Crostino seems ready to win over the neighborhood and fill the void that the closing of Kuna left in my heart. On Monday night (the restaurant's second night of business), a small crowd clustered around the bar and about half the newly painted restaurant was full. Besides a coat of bright yellow paint, the only differences from Opera/Kuna are a few recessed shelves displaying wine glasses and bottles and an extended bar that's more inviting than the cramped few seats offered before. Once my eyes adjusted to the yellow glow (I was partial to Kuna's dark chocolate walls and dim lighting), focus shifted to the Italian wine list, which offers several bottles just under $30 and a healthy selection of wines by the glass, most priced about $6 or $7. Al Crostino's menu starts off with a selection of small plates, such as beef carpaccio, grilled shrimp and calamari skewers and buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes. We opted for the delightfully s...

If you don't have reservations for Restaurant Week yet, you've pretty much missed the boat. But it's apparently not too late to get reservations at some participating restaurants. Relative newcomer Notti Bianche still has a few tables and is adding a thoughtful twist to the standard $20.05, $30.05 deals. The restaurant is also discounting its wines. As posted by the restaurant's general manager, Danny Boylen, on donrockwell.com , a few wine specials include "Turley White Coat, regular price $80/bottle, RW price $50; ZD Abacus, regular price $250/bottle, RW price $150; Chateu Yvonne Suamer Blanc, regular price $50/bottle, RW price $35." Know of any other restaurants going above and beyond this Restaurant Week? On the other hand, if Restaurant Week seems like a worse idea to you than dining out on Valentine's Day, here are a few (non-participating) places I'd recommend to avoid the crowds: Komi , Palena and its café , Firefly and Little Fountain Café ...