amanda mcclements

Mushroom leek spring rolls, a recipe from Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger restaurant, are a family favorite. Last week at the beach, I saw a sign outside a seafood restaurant heralding "redneck egg rolls." I didn't stop to investigate (like a good food blogger should've), but I hear they involve collards, ham and seafood. We don't eat out at the little NC beach we visit yearly, forgoing redneck egg rolls and previously frozen, deep-fried clam strips to cook at home with the wonderful local seafood and farm produce. Case in point, the night before spotting that sign, my dad had prepared a batch of mushroom leek spring rolls with mint dipping sauce, one of his go-to recipes for entertaining. Spring roll prep. Give the man a celeb-chef cookbook, and it's not destined for a dusty shelf. He's cooking out of it. And he's been making these delicious rolls since he got Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger cookbook years ago. They fry up beautifully in not much oil and p...

TenPenh chef de cuisine Cliff Wharton, who was born in the Philippines, first met up with chef Jeff Tunks in San Diego at the Loew's Coronado Bay. From there, he accompanied Tunks to the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans as his sous chef, and finally, they headed to DC to open DC Coast in 1998. Wharton was tapped to head TenPenh's kitchen when it opened in 2000. Here are his Five Bites: 1. Shrimp won ton dumpling soup at Full Kee 2. Double dip wings at Old Ebbitt Grill 3. Super grilled cheese at Stoney's 4. Half smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl 5. Pho at Pho 75 Previous Chef Five Bites: Cathal Armstrong , Dani Arana , David Guas , Josh Short , Michel Richard , Haidar Karoum , Ryan Morgan , Shannon Overmiller , Anthony Chittum , Jonathan Krinn & Jon Mathieson , Victor Albisu , Vatche Benguian , John Snedden , Nicholas Stefanelli , Travis Olson , Brian Robinson

CityZen's butter poached lobster photos by the Dapper Diner Five Bites just got its first three-peat! The Dapper Diner, who chimed in on Five Bites in September and again in February , is back to share more delicious dishes — but sadly, he's left us. "To celebrate finding a new job and moving back home to California, I stopped by a few of my usual faves in DC before leaving," he wrote. "DC offers a chance at amazing dining without the pretentiousness you get at other cities that are more well-known for their dining." Here's the latest culinary tour. 1. Butter poached Maine lobster with parsnip puree, matignon, applewood smoked bacon, and red wine bearnaise at CityZen 2. Fried chicken in the lounge at Citronelle 3. Chocolate hazelnut "flex" mousse, frozen praline and mint anglaise, chocolate caramel, raw organic cocoa at Volt 4. Parmesan egg with migas at Minibar 5. Special off-the-menu dessert sampler at Central BONUS material! The Dapper Din...

A yellow doll watermelon makes a colorful companion for summer tomatoes. metrocurean photo Ludlum's, the farm stand a few miles down the road here at the beach in North Carolina, almost always has a nice crop of yellow doll watermelons this time of year. The miniature melons are super sweet and a gorgeous shade of yellow. Kids really love them because, well, watermelons are supposed to be red. Mid-June is also when the first local tomatoes, grown out of the sandy coastal soil, have fattened up and turned flaming red. They're piled on our counter beside my Shenandoah Growers basil plant , which made the trip with me from DC. This cast of characters brings me to one of my favorite summer salads: a simple composition of chopped tomatoes, watermelon, basil and a sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese. Balsamic vinegar, salt, or a little olive oil is optional. Using a yellow melon makes it even more beautiful. You could of course reverse the color combo with yellow (or green or...

metrocurean photos While considering the perfect cocktail to make for a family birthday celebration at the beach, I had two requirements: It needed to serve more than 10 and I wanted a departure from the obvious margarita/sangria/daiquiri beach go-tos. I flipped to a page in Fine Cooking 's May issue featuring the story " Pleased as Punch ," and found my recipe. In case you've been living under a custom-cut ice block , punch is back in a big way. "Thanks to today’s history-obsessed mixologists, vintage punches are on the menu in some of the nation’s hippest cocktail dens, from San Francisco to Boston," writes the article's author St. John Frizell. DC's craft bartenders have been hot on punch, as well. The fleeting underground Hummingbird to Mars greeted guests with cups of punch from a more than 300-year-old recipe . Warehouse Theater's Punch Club has dished out some classic concoctions, as has 14th Street's neo-speakeasy The Gibson . Post...

Okra chips by the sea. I was about 5 the year I found a junk food oasis on the beach. My extended family was on vacation at Holden Beach on the North Carolina coast, a trip we make most summers, when my mom and I took an overly ambitious trek down the island. She'd given birth to my little brother only a few weeks before and thought a nice long walk would help burn off some baby weight. We made it a good ways from our rented house when mom got faint — maybe too soon for a post-baby beach marathon — and our beloved stretch of sand took on an ominous resemblance to the Sahara desert. That's when the oasis appeared. A massive Indian family (in number, not girth) was having a party under a few small tents on the beach (huge, magnificent tents to a five-year-old!!). We dragged our hot, sandy, dehydrated selves over to ask for a drink. There were probably some wonderful Indian delicacies on the loaded buffet tables I could have tasted for the first time, but my wide eyes zeroed in o...

click image to zoom I've been kickin' it at the beach this past week (shh, don't tell the blog), so Savory Style phones it in from the North Carolina coast with these sea-worthy kitchen and tabletop items. 1. You can't swing a home decor mag these days without smacking into a coral trend round-up . Overdone or not, I love the offset print on these melamine plates. Coral melamine salad plates , Vivre.com, set of four, $35 2. These pearly capiz shells are meant to be place cards, but I'm not much for assigned seats, so I'd sprinkle them down the length of a table for a little ocean glamour. Capiz shell place cards , PlumParty.com, set of 25, $8 3. Over the years down on the NC coast, I've waited vigilantly by sea turtle nests at night, flashlight in hand, for turtle hatchings. We caught one laying eggs once, which was amazing. This tray reminds me of all those memories. Thomas Paul sea life tray , Velocity, $18 4. These verdant glasses subtly suggest a swayin...

Brian Robinson, executive chef of Restaurant 3 in Clarendon, wanted to show his love for the neighborhood by sending in his five favorite area dishes. 1. Duck pad pong at Thai Noy 2. Pastrami sandwich at Thirsty Bernie 3. Cheese fries at Whitlow's on Wilson 4. The President (roast beef, brie, bacon, mayo, no guacamole) at Lost Dog Cafe 5. Cazuela de queso con chorizo at Guajillo Previous Chef Five Bites: Cathal Armstrong , Dani Arana , David Guas , Josh Short , Michel Richard , Haidar Karoum , Ryan Morgan , Shannon Overmiller , Anthony Chittum , Jonathan Krinn & Jon Mathieson , Victor Albisu , Vatche Benguian , John Snedden , Nicholas Stefanelli , Travis Olson

Leah Mercado writes: "I love people watching and just noshing with good company so here are my favorite places to go with my favorite people." She blogs about travel, restaurants and more at LiveLeah . 1. Tuna tartare at Tony and Joe's ("Perfect for a warm summer day with your girlfriends.") 2. Cheese and charcuterie plate at Cheesetique 3. Pomegranate margaritas at Oyamel 4. Fish and chips with curry sauce at Eamonn's A Dublin Chipper 5. Illy cappuccino at Belga Café Five Bites is a place for Metrocurean readers — and now DC's top chefs — to share all the delicious things they've been eating and drinking. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com. Stay tuned at noon for Five Bites from Brian Robinson of Restaurant 3 .

Chef Bryan Voltaggio of Frederick's Volt Melissa McCart of Counter Intelligence goes behind the kitchen line to see what's cooking at DC-area restaurants. Read more posts here . This past week, on a sunny morning post thunderstorm, I joined Volt chef Bryan Voltaggio at Whitmore Farm in Emmitsburg, Md., as owner Will Morrow gave a tour. Voltaggio, a new customer of Morrow's, was checking out the property, just a few miles south of the Pennsylvania border, as a potential spot for a farm dinner in the fall. Voltaggio nodded to a gorgeous, renovated barn atop a knoll as a possibility. On a sunny day with a view of the mountains, we could imagine it the perfect place for an elegant dinner. That day, doors on rollers exposed bales of sweet-smelling hay. The chef headed down the hill toward a chicken coop to inspect heritage hens that provide eggs for his restaurant. This isn't your average henhouse. The curtains framing each coop are denim. It's quaint and white, like...

Morton's ribeye Morton’s downtown and Morton's in Reston just launched a three-course $25 lunch menu. Start out with lobster bisque, baked five onion soup, or one of the restaurant's salads. Entrée choices include grilled prime ribeye with garlic butter and mashed potatoes, grilled colossal shrimp and sea scallops with grilled vegetables and buerre blanc over sauteed spinach, or grilled Northwest king salmon with sauteed garlic green beans. Polish things off with a mini cheesecake or double chocolate mousse. The lunch deal is available Monday through Friday.

Fluffy Thoughts' crab feast cake Father's Day press releases are flooding my inbox, but one from Fluffy Thoughts Cakes in McLean caught my eye with some mighty cute ... er, manly cakes. You can fete your dad with a custom sculpted cake inspired by pretty much anything — an alma mater, favorite sports team, hobby or ... favorite TV DJ . A few more ...

click image to zoom To wrap up Kids Week here on Metrocurean, Savory Style rounds up some darn cute kitchen tools for budding cooks. Plus, you can teach the kids a new word: anthropomorphism . 1. This serrated dog knife, complete with wagging tail, is sized for small hands. The blade is sharp enough to cut soft foods but not hurt little fingers. Kuhn Rikon kinderkitchen dog knives , Sur la Table, $9.95 2. Cute and eco-friendly, these reusable bamboo utensils bring out your kid's inner BamBam. Bambu Bamdino utensils, Hill's Kitchen (713 D St. SE), $8.99 3. Ice cream sandwiches just got even cooler with these animal-shaped molds. Tovolo ice cream molds, Hill's Kitchen (713 D St. SE), around $15 4. As they say ... monkey see, monkey do. Animal House monkey peeler, Home Rule (1807 14th St. NW), $8.99 5. This little army "staring" back at me kinda makes me want to get cooking. Head Chefs utensils , cheftools.com , $9.95 apiece Savory Style is an occasional wee...

Travis Olson, pastry chef at 1789 , was born in Arlington and attended L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda. He worked with pastry chef David Guas at DC Coast before joining the Clyde's Restaurant Group in June 2002. Olson joined 1789 last July and this year was nominated for a Rammy award as pastry chef of the year. Here he shares the spots where he likes to eat in his Arlington neighborhood. 1. Tongue taco at El Charito Caminante 2. Crispy honey roasted duck with basil at Thai Square 3. Saltenas at Pike Pizza Restaurant 4. Chapal kabob at Ravi Kabob 5. Grilled shrimp paste on sugarcane at Nam Viet Previous Chef Five Bites: Cathal Armstrong , Dani Arana , David Guas , Josh Short , Michel Richard , Haidar Karoum , Ryan Morgan , Shannon Overmiller , Anthony Chittum , Jonathan Krinn & Jon Mathieson , Victor Albisu , Vatche Benguian , John Snedden , Nicholas Stefanelli

The Saucy Apron , a mom to three kids under 4 and another on the way, sends in today's bites with a few date nights and kid-friendly spots. She also offers some food tips for parents here . 1. Squid ink pasta with soft shell crab on date night at The Tabard Inn (pictured above) 2. Beef tongue tacos for a cheap date night at Taqueria Distrito Federal 3. Fried oyster sandwiches, best eaten with a cold beer from trunk of your car while the kids are bewitched by live crabs, at the Maine Avenue Fish Market 4. Pizza and banana shakes at Palisades Pizzeria — sit by the fish tank for free kid entertainment. 5. Kiwi burger with a fried egg at Cassatt's — Great New Zealand wines, and the kiwis love kids. Five Bites is a place for Metrocurean readers — and now DC's top chefs — to share all the delicious things they've been eating and drinking. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com. Stay tuned a...

The husband-and-wife blogging team of Jason and Amy Storch offer some wonderful guidance on dining out with children. They should know — in addition to being parents to two boys, Jason is the founder and editor of DC Foodies , and Amy writes the fabulously candid mama blog Amalah . When Amy and I had our first son (Noah), we took four or five weeks off from eating out and did a ton of takeout and delivery. At the time, we lived in Cleveland Park, close enough to Heritage India for delivery, and their deliveryman knew us by name. When Noah was about 5 weeks old, we found a babysitter and went out for the first time and it was very unnerving. After a very long night, we decided to find places that we could take Noah. We started with louder restaurants like 2 Amys , but then we realized that Noah slept a TON. It was common for him to sleep through an entire dinner. One night, we actually got brave enough to take Noah to Komi ... and he slept almost the entire time. (Seriously, Komi is ...

Colleen Levine of FoodieTots offers 10 excellent tips for encouraging little ones to love food. The first thing people tend to ask when they hear I write a family food blog is, “How do I make my kids eat vegetables/anything but chicken nuggets/fill-in-the-blank?” Parents know it’s hard to “make” your kids do anything, but here are a few tips that I’ve found are helping encourage my nearly 3-year-old son (pictured) to be a more adventurous eater. 1. Set the table together. Kids who are too young to contribute much to the cooking can still feel a sense of ownership in the meal by taking on simple tasks like putting out the napkins and silverware. (Save the china and stemware for the older kids, of course.) 2. Encourage kids to play with their food. You may think you’re leaving the messy floors behind when the kids move from finger foods to silverware, but encouraging silly behavior — trying to stack new potatoes to make snowmen, for example — helps keep the mood light-hearted. 3. Kee...

Mrs. K's Tollhouse in Silver Spring just introduced a family happy hour. Free food! Not that kids' menus usually run to the big bucks, but here's a round-up of some great deals around the metro area. This is by no means a comprehensive list (hey, I'm just one woman), so please add on your favorites in the comments. • 2941 : Get the kids started early on fine-dining decorum with 2941's nightly $25 three-course kids tasting menu (kids 12 and under). A refreshing break from chicken fingers and hot dogs, the children's menu changes regularly and offers choices like warm pea soup with mousseron mushrooms, hanger steak and chicken breast served with home fries or vegetable fricassée. • Austin Grill : At this Tex-Mex chain's multiple locations, Tuesday is officially kids' night, when they eat free. • Kitchen : On Sundays at this Southern-flavored spot, the wee ones eat free from 5-7 p.m. Kids get free dessert Monday through Saturday from 5-7 p.m. • Mrs. K'...

Back in April, a rumor surfaced on donrockwell.com that Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro and Richard Sandoval of Zengo (and more restaurants around the country ) were partnering on a 14th Street restaurant. This afternoon over on the GOG Blog, Tom Sietsema got a green light from Okochi that the deal for the Latin-Asian-flavored Masa 14 is on. Which for this neighborhod resident is wonderful news. September is the target date, but the large space at 1825 14th St. NW is currently gutted.

Chef Teddy Folkman helps out a teammate at last year's Brainfood Grill-Off. Don't forget to get your tickets to Thursday's Brainfood Grill-Off at the Decatur House Museum , which I told you about back in May . I'll be there for the second year as a judge, and competing chefs include Teddy Folkman, chef and co-owner of Granville Moore’s and a finalist on the "Next Food Network Star," Anthony Chittum of Vermilion , Shannon Overmiller of The Majestic , Cedric Maupillier of Central , Jonathan Krinn and Jon Mathieson of Inox , Glenn Babcock of Nage , Bryan Moscatello of Zola and Potenza , and Daniel Guisti of 1789 . Individual tickets are $75. All proceeds from the event support Brainfood’s after-school and summer programs for DC students. For more information or to order tickets, click here .

Here's a look at some of the kid-focused food events this month ... June 13 - Kids' Restaurant Week Kickoff at Eastern Market To mark the start of Cookie and Gourmet Kids’ Restaurant Week , sponsored by Destination DC and Pure Via, this launch event at Eastern Market will offer kid-focused chef demonstrations, arts and crafts projects and presentations by market vendors from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Presentations include: 10 a.m.: Mike Bowers of Bowers Cheese on how cheese is made with samples 11 a.m.: Cooking demo by Travis Timberlake of Art and Soul 11:30 a.m.: Dan Donahue of Agora Farms on local farmers with samples of what’s in season Noon: Cooking demo by Greg Lloyd of Zola 1 p.m.: Cooking demo by Danny Bortnick of Firefly and his son Jonah Look for the action near 7th and C streets Southeast. June 14 - Dino Kids' Pasta and Polenta Cooking Class The flour will fly at Cleveland Park's Dino from 1 to 3 p.m. as kids learn to make simple dishes and cut their own pasta. Pa...

It's kids week here on Metrocurean, and I'll be dishing up tons of kid-friendly food events, tips and ideas from some fantastic parents/bloggers, and cool kitchen products to get your kids cooking. I owe the inspiration for this week to Cookie and Gourmet magazine's Kids' Restaurant Week , which runs from June 13-21. At participating restaurants , kids 11 and under pay their age for prix-fixe menus; grown-ups pay $29. The deal will be offered from 5-7 p.m. each night. Mie N Yu will be feeding the wee ones dishes including tandoori chicken skewers with mint yogurt, duck tacos, and shrimp and mushroom fried rice. At Firefly , kids can decorate their own cookie after dining on BLT sandwiches with veggie sticks and mac and cheese with sweet peas. Art and Soul will be serving PB&J hoecakes and turkey burgers with peas and carrots. Stay tuned for details on the Kids' Restaurant Week kickoff event at Eastern Market on Saturday.

For your Monday morning browsing pleasure, here are the winners of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's annual awards, which were announced last night in the packed ballroom of the Omni. A panel of judges chose the following winners ... • New Restaurant: Cork • Fine Dining Restaurant: Restaurant Eve • Upscale Casual Restaurant: Rasika • Chef of the Year: Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s , Brasserie Beck , Brabo and the Butcher’s Block • Rising Culinary Star: Anthony Chittum of Vermilion • Pastry Chef: Kate Jansen of Willow • Wine and Beverage Program: CityZen • Restaurant Employee: Juan Francisco Lopez of Marcel’s and Brasserie Beck • Restaurant Manager: Ryland Johnson of Zola The public chose these winners ... • Hottest Bar Scene: Co Co. Sala • Power Spot: Central Michel Richard • Neighborhood Gathering Place: The Liberty Tavern • Voters' Choice Favorite: Teatro Goldoni

Organic parsley, basil and mint from Shenandoah Growers. If you're not lucky enough to have space to grow herbs outdoors, check out these petite pots of organic culinary herbs from Shenandoah Growers . Set them on a sunny window sill or on your counter, and pluck off what you need for cooking. They're a better and fresher bet than cut herbs and they're nice looking to boot. They're sold in grocery stores around the DC area, and I've picked them up several times at the P Street Whole Foods in the produce section for about $3 apiece. What herbs do you grow at home?

Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar , a Cuban restaurant with locations in Philadelphia, Orlando and Atlantic City, is headed to DC. Co-owners Barry Gutin and Larry Cohen recently signed a lease for a space at the corner of Ninth and H streets ( 799 801 Ninth St. NW) and plan to open the fourth Cuba Libre next spring. The 200-seat restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, and plans include a large patio. The restaurants are under the culinary direction of chef Guillermo Pernot, a two-time James Beard award winner for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic during his time at Philly's ¡Pasión! and his cookbook " Ceviche: Seafood, Salads, and Cocktails with a Latino Twist ." "Like its sister locations, the restaurant will transport guests to Old Havana circa the 1950s with its open-air tropical ambiance, Latin rhythms and extensive selection of tropical cocktails and tantalizing fare," according to information provided by the company.

Mio 's executive chef Nicholas Stefanelli has worked under Roberto Donna at Galileo and Fabio Trabocchi at Maestro in the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. He accompanied Trabocchi to Fiamma in Manhattan to serve as chef de cuisine for a short stint, before returning to DC and taking over the kitchen at Mio. These are his Five Bites. 1. Red snapper with asparagus in Restaurant Eve ’s Tasting Room 2. Margherita pizze d.o.c at 2 Amys 3. Soft tendon and tripe at Pho 75 4. Burger and fries at Five Guys 5. Seafood pan-fried noodles for late-night dining at New Big Wong Previous Chef Five Bites: Cathal Armstrong , Dani Arana , David Guas , Josh Short , Michel Richard , Haidar Karoum , Ryan Morgan , Shannon Overmiller , Anthony Chittum , Jonathan Krinn & Jon Mathieson , Victor Albisu , Vatche Benguian , John Snedden

To coax you through this soggy day with thoughts of good food, Renee Sharrow, marketing communications manager for the Park Hyatt , offers her list of bites. 1. Yuzu Fresa cocktail at Zengo 2. Goat cheese Caesar salad at Central 3. Steamed mussels at Brasserie Beck 4. Greek fries at Cava 5. Tableside guacamole at Oyamel Five Bites is a place for Metrocurean readers — and now DC's top chefs — to share all the delicious things they've been eating and drinking. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com. Stay tuned at noon for Five Bites from Mio chef Nicholas Stefanelli.

The Capitol Lounge has announced that chef Teddy Folkman, a finalist on Food Network's "The Next Food Network Star," will become executive chef on June 8 and will launch a new menu featuring some of his dishes from Granville Moore's — including his mussels with blue cheese and bacon . Folkman is already one of Joe Englert's partners as co-owner and executive chef of Granville Moore's; Englert opened Capitol Lounge in 1994. Folkman's new menu for the lounge will feature those Moules Fromage Bleu that took down celebuchef Bobby Flay , as well as fried Tabasco oysters, goat cheese poppers, crispy tuna rolls, and made-to-order pizza. "It is really exciting to be able to take over the kitchen of Capitol Lounge," Folkman said in a release. "When I first moved to DC in 1999, I lived around the block. Because of that and my love for their pizzas and wings, it is a place where some of my best memories lie. I'm hoping to create some new memorie...

Via ZagatBuzz and HotelChatter comes news that the restaurant in the Donovan House hotel, which had been in celeb chef limbo, will open next week as Zentan and will be under the direction of chef Susur Lee (pictured) of Shang in New York. Back in April, I reported that Todd English had backed out of Cha , the original restaurant concept for the space. ZagatBuzz said Lee, who had already partnered with Thompson Hotels (creators of the Donovan house) for Shang, would likely take over. From Zentan's web site: "The restaurant will feature Chef Lee's bold and inventive approach to pan Asian cuisine, and the menu will feature favorites from Shang in NYC and his restaurant, Lee in Toronto. The menu will also feature a selection of sushi, sashimi and Asian crudos available at the rooftop lounge this summer." Zentan, located in the Dononvan House at 1155 14th St. NW, is slated to open June 8.

The dining room at Inox. Tysons lunch-seekers, take note: Sleek newcomer Inox is now offering a three-course lunch menu for $28 per person. Chefs and co-owners Jon Mathieson and Jonathan Krinn are giving guests the chance to try their cuisine at affordable prices. The prix-fixe menu is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The menu includes options like Maine lobster risotto; crispy Chesapeake soft shell crab salad with grilled romaine hearts, zucchini, squash and lemon vinaigrette; flat iron steak with hand-cut fries, red wine reduction and béarnaise sauce; and for dessert, bittersweet chocolate cake with espresso tapioca, cream sherry gelée and pine nut ice cream.

On Wednesdays, find steamed crabs and local beer on Art and Soul's patio this summer . There just aren't enough restaurants in the city where you can find steamed crabs, and when asked, I usually throw out Quarterdeck and Dancing Crab . (Others?) DC's favorite crustacean is now available at a more upscale spot, but you can still leave your fancy pants at home. All summer long, Art and Soul will host Crab and Beer Wednesday's on the patio. The special includes three super jumbo crabs, corn on the cob or seasonal vegetables, hushpuppies and potatoes. The cost will vary depending on the market price. And since you can't pick crabs without cold beer, the restaurant is pouring exclusively regional microbrews on tap, including Double Dog Double Pale Ale from Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland and Beach House Golden Pilsner from Old Dominion Brewing Company in Virginia. Buckets of six mini 7-ounce Buds, aka “nips,” are also available for $14. Crab and Beer Wednesdays will ru...

Blue Ridge opens today at 2340 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The restaurant, owned by Eli Hengst ( Sonoma ) and Jared Rager ( Redwood , Sonoma), gets chef Barton Seaver back in the kitchen after his departure from Hook last year. Menu highlights include fried catfish with sorrel aioli and chow-chow frisée herb salad; a pork chop with red-eye gravy and parmesan-potato salad; roasted butternut squash with poached egg and chorizo vinaigrette; and Piedmont pork meatloaf with buttermilk mashed potatoes and smoked tomato. Prices range from $5 to $10 for appetizers, and $12 to $20 for entrées. Despite what looked like a last-minute reprieve for Alexandria's Farrah Olivia , chef Morou Ouattara posted last night on Facebook: "Farrah Olivia will be closed tonight after service. See you at a new location fall 2010." Meanwhile, Ouattara will open Kora in the former Bebo space in Crystal City. Two of Matchbox 's owners will open Ted's Bulletin next year at 505 Eighth St. SE, ac...