amanda mcclements

Welcome to the Metrocurean Radar, an occasional look at the food and restaurant blips showing up on my radar. This first installment takes a look at the buzz of activity around the Logan/U Street/Shaw neighborhoods. First up, the 14&U Farmers Market kicks off its season on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Look for vendors (and reportedly lots of strawberries!) outside the Reeves Center. The producer-only market runs through Nov. 17. Down 14 th Street in the Matrix condo building, Artfully Chocolate and Kingsbury Chocolates are pairing up to open a chocolate shop later this summer. The shop will feature Kingsbury's housemade chocolates (and hopefully their fleur de sel caramels, which I love ). According to the Washington Business Journal , the shop will also serve cocoa drinks. There's a new liquor license application in the window at 1345 S St. NW, the former home of Las Marias , right off 14 th Street. Wisdom is the name on the application, which also mentio...

Between scarfing down burgers or sitting in traffic this weekend, see if you can't squeeze in time to cast your vote for this year's Rammy awards. Click here to vote and for more information on the awards. Voting ends May 29. The public will decide the winners in these categories: • Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year Ardeo Busboys and Poets Hank’s Oyster Bar Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar Willow Restaurant • Hottest Bar Scene of the Year EatBar Mate Oya Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar Zaytinya • Power Spot of the Year Bistro Bis Charlie Palmer Steak Georgia Brown’s The Oceanaire Seafood Room The Oval Room • People’s Favorite open vote Which restaurants and bars will you be casting a vote for?

Today's Five Bites come from Metrocurean reader Michael Brody (at right). 1. Japanese clam broth special at Sushi Taro 2. Take-out Greek salad at The Greek Spot 3. Roast chicken at Palena 's cafe 4. Imperia Vodka martini from the The Russia House 5. Sunday eggs Benedict at the The Mayflower 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.

Since the first shipments of Indian mangoes in almost 20 years arrived on U.S. shores earlier this month, people (including readers of this blog) have been scrambling to find them. If you've missed what all the fuss is about, this quote from Madhur Jaffrey's March New York Times op-ed should put things into perspective: "What America will be getting is the King of Fruit, Indian masterpieces that are burnished like jewels, oozing sweet, complex flavors acquired after two millenniums of painstaking grafting." So just where can you get your hands (or spoon) on one of these masterpieces? Rasika , my favorite spot for Indian food, was offering the mangoes last week for dessert, paired with cardamom ice cream for $8. The restaurant is currently waiting for another shipment, expected to arrive this weekend. And a story in today's Washington Post Food section mentions a few area Indian markets that have been selling the Alphonso mangoes — and the trouble they've ...

If you've been to Comet Ping Pong (5037 Connecticut Ave. NW), you know that the interior is a breath of fresh air after one too many downtown restaurant's resembling hotel ballrooms and lobbies. Now the space is being recognized by Hospitality Design magazine with an award for best casual restaurant design. Co-owner James Alefantis and Joseph Wills collaborated with chef and co-owner Carole Greenwood and CORE on the design. (CORE also includes the new Brasserie Beck and Cafe du Parc in its portfolio.) Comet is featured in the design magazine's May/June issue. Meanwhile, the buzz is building over Comet's new soft shell crab pie. The Express mentioned the crustacean topping recently, and on WETA's Dining Blog, Don Rockwell recommends mashing the crab into the pizza, "spreading the succulent drippings all over the crust, and then taking a little piece of shell in each bite." (Also note his proclamation that Comet has the best pizza in town.) Soft shel...

Check out some first impressions of the new Chan's Mongolian Grill and Tokyo Sushi Bar from Remaking Le Slum Historique. The two-in-one restaurant just opened in the Convention Center at 1207 Ninth St. NW, after teasing neighborhood residents with its coming soon signs for ages. The restaurant offers a $6.99 make-your-own-stir fry option as well as an extensive sushi menu.

Komi sommelier Derek Brown (pictured) offers up this week's Five Bites with, bien sur , wine and beer pairings. 1. Amuse of organic broccoli soup with salmon tartare served with Gaston Chiquet Champagne at Circle Bistro 2. Spicy sliced pig's ear with very, very cold Tsingtao beer at Bob's Noodle 3. Apple and curry mussels with any Belgian beer chosen by beer sommelier Bill Catron at Brasserie Beck 4. Kataifi soft shell crabs served with Heidi Schrock's 2004 Muscat/Sauvignon Blanc blend from Austria at Corduroy 5. Marinated Greek sardines with shaved carrots served with Bodegas Alvear's 2002 100% Pedro Ximinez "Fino en Rama" from Spain at Komi (of course) Five Bites loves drinks as much as food. So e-mail five of your favorite dishes or beverages and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com.

Time to trade the white beds and gauzy curtains for dark wood and Guinness signs. The Dupont Current reports that an Irish pub called James Hoban's has applied for an alcohol license to fill the space left vacant by the February closing of Cloud at 1 Dupont Circle. Cloud's liquor license was revoked after a stabbing on its dance floor. (Read the City Paper 's report of the suspension here .) The planned pub's name comes from the Irish architect who designed the White House. Cloud replaced Savino's Cafe and Lounge in February 2005. Italian restaurateur and chef Savino Recine, who also owns Primi Piatti and Finemondo , was behind both concepts. However, as of a year ago, Recine no longer included Cloud in his restaurant portfolio when addressing a group of food writers at dinner.

Metrocurean just received word that the deal for chef Eric Ripert's new bistro in the Ritz-Carlton at 22nd and M streets was finally, officially signed Monday. The restaurant will be called West End . Stay tuned for more details. A year ago, news surfaced that Ripert, the renowned chef of Manhattan's Le Bernardin , was planning to open a restaurant in the Ritz. In following months, however, it never became publicly clear whether the deal was a sure bet. Ripert will add West End to a portfolio that also includes Periwinkle and Blue in the Ritz Grand Cayman.

When I worked on Capitol Hill, lunch was often a depressing time. Would it bring a questionable Union Station food court specialty, the same ol' chicken salad from Cafe Phillips , maybe a bland salad from La Colline Express ? Why oh why couldn't Taqueria Nacionale have been around back then? The two-week-old taco shop from Ann Cashion and Johnny Fulchino, the owners of neighboring Johnny's Half Shell , replaces La Colline Express at 400 North Capitol St. NW. Start with a sweet, refreshing agua fresca in watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple or cinnamon-spiced horchata (made with chufa , not rice). The fish taco (at right), made with lightly fried wild pollock, and the pork taco, offering braised and shredded pork, scallions, onions, cilantro and Serrano chiles, are my personal favorites. Pour some of the three housemade salsas on top to add extra flavor. Taqueria Nacionale also serves breakfast tacos and daily American specials, which follow this schedule: Monday, made-to-o...

Today's Five Bites come from Metrocurean reader Stefanie Gans (at right), a development associate at the Business and Professional Women's Foundation . 1. Chicken fajitas at La Lomita Restaurant at 13th and Pennsylvania SE 2. Le Steak Maison, medium rare with fries and the perfect gravy-boat portion of Bearnaise sauce, at Bistro Du Coin 3. Dunkin Donuts coffee ("We need more in DC!" she says.) 4. Fettuccine Alfredo (add in broccoli) at Dupont Italian Kitchen 5. Marty baby burger (sub steak fries instead of the garden salad) at Marty's American Bar & Grill 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.

Congratulations to chef Michel Richard of Citronelle and Central for bringing home the prestigious Outstanding Chef Award at the James Beard Foundation Awards last night. Joining him in representing D.C. were Citronelle sommelier Mark Slater, who won the award for Outstanding Wine Service, and RJ Cooper of Vidalia , who was awarded Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Above, Thomas Keller (who won Outstanding Restaurateur) and Daniel Boulud join Richard in celebrating after the awards. Developing ... Did Frank Ruta of Palena also win in the Mid-Atlantic category? See the City Paper 's rundown of the confusion here . As of 11 p.m. Tuesday night, the Beard Web site indicated that Cooper and Ruta shared the honor in a tie. (Photo by Michael Birchenall.)

A column in the Sunday New York Times Style Magazine humorously confronts the all-too-common and obnoxious issue of splitting the check at a restaurant with a large group of people, especially when you don't even know half of them. Back in the day, when I still thought it was fun to drag 12 people to dinner for my birthday, I remember fretting for hours to find just the right priced spot so no one would feel robbed. The stress (and guilt) of it all finally broke my will, and I stick to smaller gatherings these days. But sooner or later, you find yourself at a table with a crowd, having to fork over way more than you anticipated. A split check among close friends is one thing. It all comes out in the wash. But among coworkers and casual acquaintances, the split check can create a lot of tension. After paying $25 for a sandwich and water time after time with coworkers (it's always someone's birthday, isn't it?), I started ordering with less frugality. Appetizer? Why n...

Thanks to my spies in the field, I was just notified that Rick of Rick's Picks (which I've mentioned before here and here ) will be at the P Street Whole Foods from 4-8 p.m. this evening. Stop by, meet the man behind the pickles, and don't forget to try the Mean Beans. Also thanks to several people who have written in with early raves of Ann Cashion and John Fulchino's newly opened taqueria, located right behind Johnny's Half Shell . The fish taco sounds like it's already a hit. Read more here . Finally, the farmer's line and flea market outside Eastern Market are reportedly on for this weekend. Stop by and show your support for the efforts to rebuild the market. And mark your calendar for Tuesday, May 8, when area restaurants will donate a portion of sales to the cause. Read more here .

Roganista from D.C.EAT submits a Five Bites list from a recent visit to Sonoma . 1. Amish chicken pate 2. Free-range lamb loin with cannellini bean puree, pea shoots and minted yogurt 3. Black risotto with calamari and prosciutto 4. Quail with wild greens and polenta cakes 5. "The Zin" from Cosentino Winery 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.

It'll be a conundrum for cocktail lovers come Saturday ... drink margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo or mint juleps to cheer on the Kentucky Derby horses? If it helps make your decision a little easier, Vermilion has created a triple crown of variations on the classic mint julep, using three types of mint from the Eastern Shore's Davon Crest Farms, a favorite of local chefs. The juleps, pictured above, are named for past Derby winners. Nepitella mint mixes with Basil Hayden’s bourbon in the “Affirmed” ($10) for a julep that's "more Earl Grey than whiskey," according to the restaurant. In the “Seattle Slew” ($8), mint julep mint partners with Van Winkle Special Reserve 12-year-old whiskey, which adds honey and light fruit flavor. And finally, the “Secretariat” ($9) takes the traditional Kentucky Colonel mint and pairs it with Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Now all you need is a supersized hat.