amanda mcclements

The fire that swept through historic Eastern Market early this morning most seriously damaged the South Hall, home to numerous food vendors and the popular Market Lunch. According to The Washington Post , Mayor Adrian Fenty said the city will try to find the cheese, meat and produce sellers a temporary home while the market is repaired. Footage from Fox5 shows charred food display cases, black debris littering the floor and damage to the ceiling. Luckily no one was in the building at the time of the fire, according to reports.

Metrocurean reader Kate Moomau says she enjoys plenty of the D.C. area's upscale restaurants, but her cravings are most often for simpler food pleasures. 1. Napoli sub with everything at the Italian Store 2. Noodles from Heaven (order it spicy) from Thai Terrace 3. Peaches from West Virginia (in season) at the Eastern Market 4. Crabcakes from the Carlyle 5. Low Country shortcake at Southside 815 With so many new restaurants , there are so many opportunities for new favorites! Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for you to tell Metrocurean readers which dishes you're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com.

Just a month ago, I listed some of the restaurants expected to open in April. And thanks to a flurry of activity in these last few days of the month, it looks like we could be about six for nine from that list. Now open are Brasserie Beck , Casa Oaxaca , Hook and The Liberty Tavern , and the first of three Vapianos (in Ballston) is expected to open today. Washingtonian 's Best Bites blog has an inside look at Georgetown's Hook, including the menu, which will no doubt change often given chef Barton Seaver's focus on local, seasonal and fresh products. And washingtonpost.com's GOG Blog has more juicy details on some of our newest restaurants, including a new steakhouse called Rarely Legal in Bethesda. Meanwhile, midtown's Mio and Alexandria's "casually swank" Majestic are just days from opening their doors. Keep an eye on May 1. And look for Proof to open sometime in May.

Days like today make it painful to sit in front of a computer, with daydreams wandering to cocktails by the waterside. One of the best spots for sipping and supping al fresco is Indigo Landing on Daingerfield Island, thanks to its spacious deck and outdoor bar (pictured) overlooking the water. To usher in summer, chef Bryan Moscatello will offer buckets of seafood (like fried oysters and clams), hushpuppies, shrimp corn dogs, fries and beers on ice starting in May. Prices for the buckets will range from $6 to $18. You'll just need an excuse to leave the office early. Here's a whole list . (Photo courtesy of Indigo Landing.)

A special Metrocurean PSA... Earth Day is Sunday, and yeah, yeah, we know, "green is the new black." Every magazine sitting on my coffee table is packed with tips like use compact fluorescent bulbs (check), buy a $7,000 eco-friendly mattress (not gonna happen) and wear organic cotton clothing (ok). Metrocurean's jumping on the bandwagon. I've already professed my love of Rick's Picks Mean Beans. Now I offer a thrifty recycling tip, inspired by a suggestion on Rick's Web site . Once you've crunched your last pickled bean, save the brine and the jar and toss in a new vegetable. The company suggests carrots. I went with the traditional cucumber (pictured above). I've always aspired to make my very own pickles, but every time I read instructions, I lose steam at the part about sterilizing, and visions of giving my loved ones botulism scare me off. With this cheat, I had spicy cucumber pickles in a few days. I love a good shortcut. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle y...

Sarah Romer (at right), Washingtonian.com 's director of sales and marketing, sends in this week's Five Bites. 1. Hummos special topped with spiced ground meat, pine nuts and almond at Lebanese Taverna 2. Sweet and tangy calamari salad at Matchbox 3. Hunkar begendi (braised lamb shank with eggplant and kefalograviera puree) at Zaytinya 4. Buffalo shrimp with blue cheese sauce at Logan Tavern 5. Mediterranean pide (feta and mixed cheeses with spinach, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes and Turkish black olives and two eggs on top) at brunch at Rosemary's Thyme Bistro Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for you to tell Metrocurean readers which dishes you're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com.

Starting today, Cleveland Park's Dino will offer flights of three selected wines, complemented by three appetizers, for $25 per person each Wednesday. Valpolicella wines will kick off the weekly event tonight. The Italian restaurant is known for its wine program, having been recognized by Food & Wine for great value and praised by numerous local publications. Owner Dean Gold is also expanding the popular "Wine Madness" promotion, during which all wines priced at $50 or more are a third off, to Wednesday nights. The offer was previously only available on Sunday and Monday nights. Check the Web site for the Wine Wednesday schedule and more information.

Circa opened its doors today at 1601 Connecticut Ave., which formerly housed WrapWorks . Stop in for coffee and pastries in the morning, soup and salad for lunch, and small and medium-sized plates and pizza into the evening. Late-night hours run to 2 a.m. The corner space offers a variety of seating options, including a tall table that runs down the center of the room and stools at the well-stocked bar with a flat-screen TV. And if it ever gets warm, there's also a patio. The cafe is owned by the same company that operates two area franchises of Greenberry's Coffee and Tea Cos. in McLean and Leesburg. Two more Greenberry's are planned for Rockville and Frederick, along with, according to the company's Web site, an additional twenty stores in the next five to seven years. Also joining the casual dining scene is the P Street Whole Foods' new Asian diner, Izakaya . The menu includes sushi, dumplings, vegetable tempura, fried rice, salmon teriyaki...

Executive chef Arnel Esposo will be leaving his post behind the stove at Palette restaurant as of Sunday to join his Maryland National Guard unit for active duty. The chef is planning to spend some time with his family before being deployed in mid-May. Esposo served in the first Gulf War and participated in a 45-day mission in Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. He was named head chef of Palette in February 2006 after several years as sous chef. He has also worked under Michel Richard at Citronelle and Morou Ouattara at the now-closed Red Sage . Metrocurean wishes him well, and I hope he gets back home and in the kitchen again soon.

Metrocurean reader Cara offers this week's Five Bites. 1. Hummus and olive oil at Zaytinya (at right) 2. Kobe beef dumpling soup in chili-ancho kaffir lime broth at Zengo 3. Gyro from the Greek Deli 4. Garlic fries at Gordon Biersch 5. Nutella ice cream at the Tabard Inn Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for you to tell Metrocurean readers which dishes you're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com. (Photo by Maxwell MacKenzie.)

There are plenty of ways a restaurant can be a good neighbor, like keeping their alleys clean and noise levels down. But donating money to an important local charity is even better. Jack’s Restaurant and Bar has been raising money for the Whitman-Walker Clinic since it opened in January. During the month of April, the restaurant is upping the ante with a $1 donation from every Jack Daniel’s cocktail going to Whitman-Walker. Customers can also add $1 or more to their bill for the charity. In the past two months, Jack’s raised more than $1,000 for Whitman-Walker. So keep the good deeds flowing, and tip up a glass of Jack's lemonade spiked with Jack Daniel's and triple sec or a Black Jack martini with Jack Daniel's, Chambord and a splash of Sprite (pictured above) on the spacious patio. Jack’s Restaurant and Bar 1527 17th St. NW 202.332.6767 (Photo by Moses Hart.)

WasabiSito , the first of many planned offshoots of downtown's Wasabi , opened today at 3129 Lee Hwy. The new sushi spot is primarily a takeout restaurant but also offers limited seating. On the modern Japanese menu: a variety of sushi rolls, salad boxes, hot dishes like chicken teriyaki and a few fusion items that reflect executive chef Miguel Choy's Asian/Latin American background, such as salmon anticucho. A kids menu includes vegetarian sushi and fish nuggets. And we can expect to see more Wasabi offspring popping up. The Washington Business Journal 's Erin Killian reported back in January that Wasabi CEO Bo Davis was planning four more establishments in the D.C. area, including Arlington's new outpost, Adams Morgan and possibly F Street Northwest. Davis plans to take the contemporary sushi concept national, according to the story. Look for WasabiSito's delivery to start in mid-May. To read more about Wasabi, which opened in July 2006, click here . WasabiSito 3...

Since it opened earlier this year, Grape Legs , a new wine shop on Ninth Street Northwest, has been winning over customers with generous sample tastings and an affordable selection. (Read more on Counter Intelligence , FreeRide and Daily Candy .) And the owners have more in store for the neighborhood. Bouche Bistro is scheduled to open June 1 above the wine shop at 1905 Ninth St. NW. The 55-seat restaurant will feature a curved copper-topped bar, cowhide bar stools, church pew seating, chandeliers and candles. As an extension of Grape Legs, the bistro will waive the corkage fee for wine purchased in the shop. (The fee will be $8 for outside wines.) Furthering what already sounds like great value — most of Grape Legs' wines are priced from $7 to $15 — the bistro will offer quarter-bottle pours of wine, guaranteeing you won't fork over more than the full price for a whole bottle. The owners have planned an eclectic menu, featuring dishes such as quiche Lorraine with Westphal...

This week's Five Bites comes from Bill Rollins, a father of three who plans to run his first Ironman race in August. He's using the opportunity to raise money for the Fisher House Foundation , a nonprofit that helps families of injured U.S. military men and women. The organization builds homes on the grounds of military and VA medical centers, allowing families to be close to loved ones during treatment, often free of charge. Check out his Web site , where you can donate to the cause. His Five Bites include lunches he enjoys after a week of hard training. 1. Two giant slices of pizza, a great salad and a drink at Faccia Luna 2. The lunch portion of the steak or chicken fajitas (hold the cheese and sour cream in an attempt to be a little healthier) at Rio Grande Cafe 3. Anything at Sweet Water Tavern 4. The chicken shish kabobs over rice and fresh flatbread at Kabob Bazaar 5. A coffee reward after a hard workout at Java Shack Have five dishes that get you through a tough workou...

Congratulations to Komi chef and owner Johnny Monis for today being named one of Food & Wine 's Best New Chefs for 2007. He follows a talented group of D.C.-area chefs who have also been honored with the award, including Restaurant Eve 's Cathal Armstrong (2006), CityZen 's Eric Ziebold (2005) and Maestro 's Fabio Trabocchi (2002). Look for Monis in the July issue.

Thanks to Tom Sietsema's chat this morning for the tip that an outpost of Silver Spring's Ceviche will fill the void where the original Austin Grill once stood at 2404 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The space has been empty since Austin Grill closed its doors last year. Ceviche is part of Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld's Latin Concepts, which also comprises the stylish Chi-Cha Lounge , Guarapo , Gazuza , Maté and the forthcoming Santo Pecado and Yaku . (Read more on the last two here .) A representative for the restaurant tells Metrocurean that the space will receive a makeover, including flattering lighting, leather chairs and a palette of reds and browns, from the same designers who created the look for the original Ceviche and Maté. Executive chef Javier Angeles-Beron will oversee the South American menu, which of course includes a variety of ceviche. Also look for some new Peruvian/Asian influences. The bar will pour Ceviche's signature cocktails, like the Amor Prohibido, made w...

Chef Robert Wiedmaier (at left) is preparing to open the doors to his second restaurant later this month. Brasserie Beck (1101 K St. NW) "has been over a year in the making with a considerable investment," Wiedmaier says in a release, "and I'm so delighted to see it all come together just in time for spring dining in Washington." The new restaurant is named for the chef's second son; his first son lends his name to Wiedmaier's French and Flemish accented restaurant, Marcel's . The chef, whose father is Belgian, is planning a menu that weaves that country's culinary influences with French cooking. Look for dishes like choucroute "en croute", chicken waterzooie and coq au vin. I peeked through the 165-seat restaurant's glass windows last week. The space is large and airy thanks to 22-foot ceilings. Old fashioned clocks, a generously sized marble and walnut bar and a separate raw bar anchor the space. Inspiration for the design report...

It all happened so suddenly. No sooner had rumors begun flying that Alexandria's Majestic Café was closing than chef Cathal Armstrong, wife Meshelle and partner Todd Thrasher jumped at the chance to rescue it. The trio already run Restaurant Eve , Eamonn's A Dublin Chipper and PX , with sights set on further expansion. According to the latest update, the team is about a month away from unveiling the revamped landmark, which opened in 1949 at its current address, 911 King Street. Armstrong's menu will take inspiration from the Virginia seaboard and countryside. “I’m looking forward to items that would never appear on Eve’s fine dining menu, the polar opposite of Eve," Armstrong says in a release. Also look for a thoughtful kids' menu. Thrasher will expand his cocktail platform at The Majestic with classics like mint juleps and sidecars, along with some down-home thirst quenchers like a slushy of the day, NeHi Ginger Ale and homemade lemonade. On the wine front, Th...

Share Our Strength’s annual Taste of the Nation is the preeminent tasting event in town, and if you've never been, you owe it to yourself to go. It's coming up April 9, and for the price of one big meal on the town, you can eat and drink yourself silly with samples from more than 50 area restaurants and around 20 wineries. The event will run from 7-10 p.m. with a VIP preview from 6-7 p.m. at the Hilton Washington (1919 Connecticut Ave. NW). Tickets are $75 for general admission, $110 for admission and access to a VIP lounge, and $200 for VIP ticket area admission. All proceeds from ticket sales go directly to Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger. Chef Barton Seaver, who recently left Caf é Saint-Ex to open Hook , will serve as honorary chairman, and Charlie Palmer Steak sommelier Nadine Brown will serve as beverage chairman. The VIP "tiki lounge" will offer sushi from Oya and cocktails from some of the areas top spirits specialists, including Todd...

Congratulations to chefs Jos é Andr é s, Katsuya Fukushima and Ruben Garcia for defeating Bobby Flay on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" Sunday evening. The team put in a stunning performance, handily beating Flay and his team 55 to 48 in Battle Goat. Andrés turned the secret ingredient into goat tartare wrapped in thinly sliced avocado, topped with caviar and paired with egg yolk, tomato "caviar" and caper foam; goat "cous cous," the cous cous fashioned from cauliflower florets; barbecue goat ribs and "corn on the cob," served in a dome of applewood smoke; goat tenderloin with Serrano ham and mashed potatoes; and finally, goat milk sorbet with red wine capsules. Pictured above, Andrés and Fukushima prompted a series of bong jokes from host Alton Brown as they funneled the smoke into the dome for the goat ribs dish. Judges for the battle were Tim Ryan, president of the Culinary Institute of America, Rene Syler, anchorwoman for CBS' ...