amanda mcclements

Today's list of comfort food bites comes from Lisa, at right, of the food blog Dish-trict . 1. Merguez sausage and piquillo peppers over creamy polenta at 1905 2. Lamb meatball sliders with grilled romaine and pepper slaw and goat cheese aioli at Zola 3. Blue cheese twice baked potatoes at 2941 4. Buttermilk pancakes, bacon and coffee with cream and sugar at La Fourchette 5. Sticky toffee pudding at CommonWealth Five Bites started in 2006 as a place for Metrocurean readers 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.

Potenza is slated to open in the historic Woodward building in early March The new year is shaping up to be a good one for Italian food in DC. Posto is serving its wood-fired pizzas and rustic Italian fare to big crowds near Logan Circle, Roberto Donna may resurrect Galileo , and in March, the owners of Zola will unveil Potenza , a spacious Italian restaurant and bakery at 15th and H streets Northwest. The Star Restaurant Group, which operates Zola and the new Zola Wine and Kitchen , has renovated and restored a 10,000-square-foot space in the historic Woodward building for Potenza, which is named for CEO Dan Mesches' grandmother. The 175-seat restaurant will feature a salumi counter, raw bar, 6,000-pound pizza oven, a roomy bar and a bakery with a separate entrance, creating breads, pastas and desserts for the dining room. Bryan Moscatello, the group’s executive chef/partner, traveled extensively in Italy to work in restaurants and develop Potenza's menu. Dishes will include...

Gummy bear chandelier by artist YaYa Chou , via Al Dente The real question here isn't why make a chandelier out of gummy bears (obviously because it's a stunning thing of beauty) but are those Haribos ? The best gummies out there? Click here for a close-up.

I've been wanting to take a stab at making dumplings at home, and these handy videos from Epicurious may just get me there. Click here for the complete DIY dumpling series. In the meantime, I'll satisfy my dumpling cravings at The Source , where the pork belly dumplings with black vinegar sauce are swoon-worthy. Go budget-friendly and order some in the restaurant's lounge. Or if you're up for a splurge, check out chef Scott Drewno's five-course Chinese New Year menu, available through Friday for $100 a person. The menu features pan-toasted lobster pot stickers, braised oxtail soup and whole roasted garlic chicken.

Chef Rick Bayless served an Obama favorite, tortilla soup, at a charity dinner in DC Photo from rickbayless.com A mere 10 hours before I found myself shivering and sandwiched in the doomed silver inauguration ticket line, coincidentally enough with Chicago chef Rick Bayless , I was slurping down a bowl of his fantastic tortilla soup in the warm kitchen of a home in Chevy Chase. I had the pleasure of volunteering on the eve of the inauguration as a server for Bayless and his crew at a charity dinner, part of the Art.Food.Hope events last Monday that benefited D.C. Central Kitchen , Martha's Table and FreshFarm Markets . The next morning, my ill-fated group of inauguration pilgrims — all volunteers from the night before, as well — ran into Bayless, his wife Deann and Topolobampo chef de cuisine Brian Enyart on our way to the festivities. They too had silver tickets, and they too bailed before making it through the silver gates. But since we're hearing plenty about the plight...

Via The New York Times ' Well Blog comes this video chronicling the efforts to grow food on the White House lawn, a topic of recent discussion among local food proponents.

Inox is slated to open in early February in Tysons Corner The cliché "too many cooks in the kitchen" couldn't help but spring to mind when I heard about Inox , a modern American restaurant slated to open the first week of February in Tysons Corner. To start, there are two head chefs/owners running the kitchen— Jon Mathieson and Jonathan Krinn. Add another chef (and a third John) in John Wabeck, who gave up his days behind the stove to be the restaurant's wine director. And tag on a fourth when you count Rissa Pagsibigan, a formally trained chef who will be Inox's general manager. But as Mathieson and Krinn explained during a recent tour, with a restaurant the size of Inox — 14,000 square feet — offering lunch, dinner and a sizable private dining room, it really makes sense. "We all excite each other," Krinn said. "The pieces fit together really well and hopefully the guests see that, too." Added Mathieson, "As chefs, we sort of gravitate t...

Cowgirl Creamery's triple cream Red Hawk cheese Photo from cowgirlcreamery.com Metrocurean reader Blair, a Hill staffer and part-time foodie, arranged her Five Bites into one leisurely meal. 1. Gin cucumber martini from the lounge at The Source 2. Red Hawk cheese from Cowgirl Creamery 3. Short ribs from BLT Steak 4. Michel's chocolate bar (aka the Kit Kat bar) from Central 5. Flight of ports, "Ports of Call," from Enology Five Bites started in 2006 as a place for Metrocurean readers 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.

Washingtonpost.com's GOG Blog is reporting that chef Gillian Clark's General Store will open in a limited capacity — carry-out only for now — on Saturday.

This winter's Restaurant Week will take place Feb. 16-22. Start dialing for those high-demand reservations. Noteworthy newcomers on the list include Alain Ducasse's Adour (lunch only), Art and Soul and PassionFish . Where are you making reservations?

The Internet Food Association has the scoop on " Top Chef " judge Tom Colicchio's heroic act last night during a celeb-studded shindig at James Beard award-winning cookbook author Joan Nathan's house. In short, he saved Nathan from a rogue piece of chicken. But Ezra Klein's account is a great read, so I won't attempt to rehash it. Colicchio is just one of the many talented chefs participating in the 12 Art.Food.Hope dinners, taking place across town tonight to benefit D.C. Central Kitchen, Martha's Table and FreshFarm Markets. I'll be volunteering as a server for Chicago chef Rick Bayless . (Hey Obama, you should really stop by to say hello.)

Still looking for a plan for Tuesday night? The crafty cocktail minds behind the semi-retired Hummingbird to Mars are hosting a Secret Service Ball, upstairs at Bourbon in Adams Morgan, starting at 7 p.m. Derek Brown, consultant for The Gibson , Justin Guthrie of Central and Owen Thomson of Bourbon will be serving classic cocktails and punches, backed up by featured bartenders Chantal Tseng of Tabard Inn and Gina Chersevani of PS 7's . Tickets are free (drinks will be served at a cash bar), but to get one you'll need to visit Bourbon in Adams Morgan, Tabard Inn or Bar Pilar and with your round of drinks order a "Sherry Cobbler." That's the code to get a ticket for the ball. And no, you won't get a cobbler of any kind. At the ball, there'll be a suggestion bowl for Obama's official cocktail. Yours truly will announce the winner and give a "State of the Cocktail" address. Dress is casual, but organizers say feel free to go all out.

Beautiful beaches and local beef are draws at the Four Seasons Costa Rica After the holidays, I have no use for winter weather. All those travel ads teasing turquoise water and palm trees have me obsessively searching for airfare bargains to whisk me closer to the equator. I was one lucky dog to get to spend a recent birthday milestone in Costa Rica at the fabulous Four Seasons . The resort and its stunning beaches were phenomenal, but the icing on the cake was the great food, an all-too-often elusive element when you enter tropical resort land. Hotels once played it safe with food they thought American tastes required — Maine lobster in the Caribbean, anyone? — but the warm weather culinary landscape is changing, as resorts step up their game and the islands become the next frontier for celebrity chefs. Jean-Georges Vongerichten , Eric Ripert and Bobby Flay are just a few of the enterprising chefs who've thrown their names behind restaurants in the Caribbean. The foodie shift fo...

This week's edition of Five Bites is from Ben Gilligan, chef and part owner of the forthcoming wine bar Room 11 in Columbia Heights. Look for Room 11 to open at 3234 11th St. NW around March. 1. Salt cod croquettes at 2 Amys 2. Octopus Santorini at Zaytinya 3. Banh Mi sandwich at Banh Mi DC Sandwich 4. Costilla Puerco (baby pork rib) tacos at Taqueria Distrito Federal (at right) 5. #15 Pho Tai at Pho 75 (Remember to ask for it rare.) Five Bites started in 2006 as a place for Metrocurean readers 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. Photo from mid14thstreet.com

Ok, so clearly the Obamas are not homebodies. And at some point, the Obama spottings may get old. But not yet! Last night, Barack and Michelle Obama celebrated the soon-to-be first lady's birthday at Todd Gray's Equinox . Everyone in the restaurant sang happy birthday, and Michelle received a special dessert from the chef.

These chocolates from Jason Andelman of Artisan Confections may just be the most stylish of the inauguration-themed foods I've spotted. The Obama-inspired sweets are decorated with the words "change" and "hope" in several languages, a design created by William Knight, artist and co-owner of Biagio Fine Chocolate . Obama's background informed the flavors. Tart pineapple pâte de fruit and dark chocolate passion fruit ganache make up the "change" bonbons, and lightly roasted Kenyan coffee beans flavor milk chocolate ganache, paired with a layer of hazelnut praline, in the "hope" chocolates. You can find them at Artisan Confections' retail shop (4815-B Lee Hwy. in Arlington) and at Biagio (1904 18th St. NW).

The dining room at Urbana in Dupont's Hotel Palomar Dupont Circle's Urbana is now offering a deal dubbed the urban lunchbox. For $11.95, diners get a choice of salad or soup of the day, a choice of any sandwich or personal pizza, and dessert and coffee to go. A dollar from each lunchbox sold will be donated to Arc of DC , a group that helps improve the lives of people with mental retardation. Previous Wednesday deals (please call to check continuing availability): • Art and Soul • Vermilion • Restaurant 3 • Proof • Mio • Vidalia

With the inauguration of Barack Obama next week, national media are shining a light on DC's dining scene. Today's New York Times has two great stories: • " Chefs Settle Down in 'the Real D.C.' " • " Rearranging the Tables in Washington: Can Obama's Coattails Reach To Restaurants? "

Two of Rasika's new bottled sauces Achieving the complex flavors of great Indian food at home can be difficult. It's a task your average dusty spice rack just isn't up for. Which is why I was so thrilled to get my hands on a few jars of Rasika 's new bottled sauces. Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj launched the take-home product this month. The three sauces — Makhani, Kashmiri and Goan curry — are based on recipes from Rasika head chef Vikram Sunderam and are available to buy at the restaurant. “We wanted to provide quality sauces the public can enjoy at home that offer up the distinctive flavors found in our restaurant,” says Sunderam. The 16-ounce jars cost $6.50 and come with recipe cards. I topped some red snapper with a few spoonfuls of the Goan curry, which packs nice heat with coconut, tamarind and chili. The Kashmiri is flavored with fennel seeds and ginger and is suggested with lamb. The Makhani is suggested for use with poultry.

The owners of Oya officially unveiled Sei today. The sleek 50-seat sushi spot is located in Penn Quarter at 444 Seventh St. NW. On the menu, diners will find sushi from chef Noriaki Yasutake and a selection of small plates from chef Avinesh Rana, both formerly of Perry’s in Adams Morgan. The sushi menu offers standards along with creations like a fish and chips roll with flounder, malt vinegar, french fries and wasabi tartar and a Caesar salad roll with romaine, crunchy tofu, anchovies and Caesar dressing. Small plates include Asian pork tacos with yuzu hoisin, black pepper chicken wings with teriyaki glaze, and sake-cured cod with braised daikon, asparagus and cranberry sake. Also look for an extensive list of premium sakes, compiled by sommelier Andrew Stover.

This just in from The Washington Post 's Reliable Source: Soon-to-be-prez Barack Obama visited Ben's Chili Bowl this afternoon around 1 p.m. What!? I was walking to the gym just a few blocks away at the time, instead of enjoying a chili dog for lunch, like any sensible food writer who lives in the neighborhood should have been doing on a rainy Saturday. Damn.

Next week, a new restaurant will fill the space vacated by Gerard Pangaud Bistro , which closed last summer. Chef Martin Lackovic, formerly of Galileo , I Matti and The Caucus Room , plans to open Siroc Restaurant on McPherson Square next Friday, Jan. 16. Lackovic is partnering with brothers Keram and Mehdi Dris, who will work the front of the house. Siroc's seasonal menu will feature cooking inspired by Italy and the Mediterranean with housemade pastas, charcuterie, salads and entrées. The new restaurant, located at 915 15th St. NW, takes its name from a wind that blows from northern Africa to Italy and the Mediterranean. Siroc will be open for dinner Monday through Saturday and lunch Monday through Friday.

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Georgetown Cupcake's red velvet cupcake Today's bites come from Metrocurean reader Katinka. 1. Red velvet cupcake at Georgetown Cupcake 2. Farmer Joe cocktail at Founding Farmers 3. Tater tots at Tonic in Foggy Bottom 4. Portobello panini at Italian Pizza Kitchen 5. Sticky buns at BlackSalt 's jazz brunch Five Bites started in 2006 as a place for Metrocurean readers 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.

The always enthusiastic José Andrés was on Martha Stewart's show this morning, cooking a few dishes from his new book, " Made In Spain ." Andrés' ThinkFoodGroup operates Jaleo , Zaytinya , Oyamel , Cafe Atlantico and minibar in DC. Here are the recipes: • Fish stew with clams • Potatoes Rioja-style with chorizo • Wrinkled potatoes with mojo rojo and mojo verde

In case you haven't seen this video tearing across the Internet (I've gotten several emails about this and spotted it on Ezra Klein and Young & Hungry ), here is our next president, in 2001, being as diplomatic a restaurant critic as you may expect.

Art and Soul's baby cakes come packaged to go to get diners in and out in 45 minutes for lunch Delicious deals keep rolling into the new year, and with today's bargain, time is money. Capitol Hill's new Art and Soul restaurant is offering a three-course “Filibuster Buster” lunch for $24, and diners will receive their bill and dessert within 45 minutes of being seated. So they can get back to their important web surfing ... er ... office duties. First course choices include Brunswick stew, the pantry hoecake (a cornmeal cake topped with blue cheese, grapes, arugula and pickled onion) or Capitol Hill salad. For entrées, choose from butternut squash ravioli with trumpet mushrooms and spinach, Maryland-style fried chicken ( holla !) with buttermilk mash potatoes and sausage gravy or grilled trout with roasted beets, fennel and horseradish cream. The restaurant's baby cakes, five miniature seasonally flavored cakes, arrive packaged to go at the end of the meal. Previous W...

I had a dream about fried chicken last night. Not sure what that means exactly, but I got to thinking, "When was the last time I even had fried chicken?" I have no idea. Bad Southerner. So New Year's resolutions be damned, I need some fried chicken. And since comfort food is a hot restaurant trend , I figure I can get some in an actual restaurant. You know, with waiters who don't wear headsets. CommonWealth serves fried chicken on Mondays, and the crowd on donrockwell.com approves . Art and Soul serves it during lunch. Then there's the U Street chicken and waffles spots ... Creme , Oohhs and Aahhs , Marvin . So help me out here. Where's your favorite fried chicken?

The Obama hot chocolate at ACKC President-elect Barack Obama is in good company at 14th Street's Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections . He's joined divas like Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Ginger Rogers as a muse for the shop's hot chocolate menu. They're promoting the Obama hot chocolate, a blend of 60 percent Belgian chocolate topped with peppermint, I guess because Obama's so cool .

Chef Peter Smith's Penn Quarter restaurant PS 7's announced two big hires today: mixologist Gina Chersevani and pastry chef Leon Baker. Chersevani has gained national recognition for her cocktail creations and developed a local following during her time behind the bar at Rasika and most recently Arlington's EatBar . Her move to Virginia a year ago caused quite a stir with fans. Baker has collaborated with chef Morou Ouattara at Farrah Olivia and Signatures and appeared on "Iron Chef America" with him. Baker first worked with Smith at Vidalia .

As Five Bites enters its third calendar year (wow!), Metrocurean is kicking off 2009 with a list from Kassie Rempel , at right, the owner of SimplySoles , a fabulous online shoe boutique with a new store in Columbia Heights. Check it out online or at 1438 Park Rd. NW. 1. Favorite breakfast for dinner: waffles at Marvin 2. Favorite decadent dessert: vanilla bean soufflé at Olives 3. Favorite entrée: halibut at BlackSalt 4. Favorite pasta dish: gorgonzola gnocchi at Pasta Mia 5. Favorite happy hour: Half-price burgers and draft beer at Tonic Five Bites started in 2006 as a place for Metrocurean readers 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.