July 22

Washington D.C. Eat-a-Thon

I was just in the nation's capital last weekend, on a serious mission: to eat in as many places as possible in less than two days.  I managed to hit 10 places - from BBQ to high-end gastronomy - and lived to tell (although the food coma was pretty bad for most of the weekend).  You can hear more about my adventure on my podcast page: http://www.stevedolinsky.libsyn.com/  

Here are the details:

 Old Ebbitt Grill (raw oysters)

675 15th St. NW  

202-347-4801 

 Eat FIrst (Chinese)

609 H Street NW  

202-289-1703

 Blue Duck Tavern (Park Hyatt Hotel)

1201 24th St. NW  

202-419-6755

 Minibar (at Cafe Atlantico)

405 8th St. NW  

202-393-0812

 Good Stuff Eatery (burgers, fries, shakes)

303 Pennsylvania Ave., SE  

202-543-8222

Rocklands BBQ (ribs and chicken)

2418 Wisconsin Ave., NW  

202-333-2558

2 Amys (Neapolitan pizza)

3715 Macomb St., NW  

202-885-5700  

Hook (upscale seafood), 3241 M St., NW  202-625-4488 

Zaytinya (Mediterranean mezze), 701 9th St. NW  202-638-0800

1789 (old-school, fancy, in Georgetown), 1226 36th St. NW  202-965-1789 

July 15

Just Say Cheese, Mr. Hemingway

After some 18 months of wrangling, the legendary Marion Street Cheese Market is opening today, just a block from its original location in downtown Oak Park, IL.  Among the many upgrades: a cafe serving light breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, an assortment of a few hundred cheese offerings from all over the U.S. and abroad, jams, jellies and the usual cheesy accompaniments, and thanks to a new amended law for the town, an outstanding selection of local microbrews (Flossmoor Station, Three Floyds) and a ton of wine up front.  No longer can local boy Ernest Hemingway refer to his hometown as a place of "broad lawns and narrow minds."  Look for all kinds of classes, special winemaker/cheesemaker dinners and the like; the team is gearing up for the 25th Annual American Cheese Society conference in Chicago on July 26th, and will be knee-deep in fondue until the end of August, when it holds its official grand opening.  If you'd like to hear my interview with owner Eric Larson on the eve of the opening, just go to http://www.stevedolinsky.libsyn.com/.

July 10

A Perennial Favorite in Lincoln Park

I had a chance to check out Perennial earlier this week, the latest effort from the guys behind Boka and Landmark. This new modern American outpost occupies a busy corner in Lincoln Park, right where Lincoln Ave. dead-ends into Clark Street, and directly across the street from the prestigious Green City Market.  While I think Boka sometimes goes overboard on the number of ingredients in their dishes, Perennial seems to be happily suited to just offer a few stars on each plate.  I absolutely loved a starter of smoked sturgeon; apparently smoked for the restaurant somewhere in Mississippi, these two chunky slabs has me thinking of a long-forgotten Sunday morning nosh in New York City, where locals are just as apt to put smoked sturgeon on their bagel with cream cheese, as they are lox.  The lovely hunks arrived with a cylinder of fingerlings and purple potatoes, plus some needless greens, but I would have been just as happy to have had the sturgeon sans anything else.

A perfectly pan-roasted rainbow trout arrived with bits of lardons and Spring peas, and just a whisper of some mint foam on top (unnecessary) and sides of tomato-watermelon salad felt like jamming a fork into the heart of summer. Their "mac and cheese" is really orrechiette and edamame (?) which is something I recall having at Boka.  Hey guys, if the menu says mac, why not serve that?  The cheese sauce was underwhelming and the edamame add absolutely nothing but a hit of green color to an otherwise bland palette.  The same misprint occurs on the dessert menu: while I like the rum cake and thought the ice cream was just fine, the menu listed caramelized bananas, but instead, they arrived cooked sous vide (in a vacuum cooker) which, while cooking them to a nice, slow internal temp, turned them soft and limp, not the as-advertised carmelized, which would have made a nice textural contrast to the soft cake and soft ice cream.  I know these seem like quibbles; overall, a very good experience, and I will certainly head back for the comfy room, lively bar, good patio and of course, those silky, smoky, meaty hunks of sturgeon.  I might even sneak in a bagel or two.

July 7

L.20 Making A Run For Le Bernardin 

Everyone in the U.S. food world pretty much agrees that Le Bernardin is the place to go for sublime seafood.  A temple of fish, really, where they import from anywhere, at any cost, and then, under the guidance and creativity of chef Eric Ripert, transform creatures from the sea into four-star cuisine.  I had the chance to have lunch there a few years ago, and was simply blown away with the quality of the fish and the elegant presentation.  Fast forward to Chicago, a few weeks ago, where Lettuce Entertain You and Rich Melman (with obvious input from C.E.O. Kevin Brown) gutted the old Ambria space, and just opened L.20, another paen to seafood.  For this project, they recruited chef Laurent Gras, most famously from the Fifth Floor in San Francisco (but less-known when he was at Peacock Alley in the Waldorf in NYC, where, by chance, I had his food many years ago - it was stunning).

The "L" is a reference to the chef's name; the .20, a reference to water, and you know right away this is all about seafood, when the server presents you with a small glossary, to go along with your menu, listing the definitions of about a dozen varieties of fish you'll spot on the main menu.  Aori Ika is described as "squid, firm, mild, Japan," while Kinmedai is listed as "sea bream, dense, mild, Japan."  While many of the fish he flies in are from Japan, a few are from the U.S.  Gras has his own fish butchering room, and the kitchen is a stunner.  The dining room has also been updated (thank goodness) and again, soft tones, metal "curtains" and comfy, mod chairs make this room both elegant and hushed, thanks to the carpeting.  There are basically two options: a twelve-course tasting for $165 and a four-course for $110.  You can also add or supplement your tasting menu with a few specialty bites, like Ossetra caviar, wagyu beef or sea urchin, but additions are steep.  We thought portions were ample and presentation was elegant, but only half of our dishes reached the heights we were expecting.  A lobster bisque was definitely the finest I've ever had - chunks of fresh tail meat, ethereal bisque, a bit of heavy, foamed cream on top for good measure - and the black bass coated in brioche and served with Rhode Island mussels in an intense shellfish bouillon was spectacular, fish cooked perfectly.  But a lifeless warm app. of hamachi and foie lacked a seasoning or sauce of note, and the tuna, hamachi cold app. - while presented in a beautiful mosaic - was just that, fish; the promised yuzu, soy and olive oil were oddly absent.  Even my egg yolk with kampachi and Kurobuta pork belly was weak: a too-chewy skin and some meaningless green apple gelees reminded me of something I might see at Tru: very pretty to look at, but disappointing to taste.  

The praline souffle was spot-on, as was a creative rhubarb-raspberry-strawberry number with an intense Greek yogurt.  I wish some of the same intensity would have been found at the beginning of the meal.   One little quibble: I typically love a small splash of Lillet on the rocks at the start of a meal, and while they did serve me a small two to three-ounce pour with my ice, charging $15 for it just seemed like gouging.  Hey, this isn't the Upper East Side, folks! 

July 1

A Quick Bite In New York

For some reason, I continue to lag behind in my blog postings.  I'll go somewhere, eat something, and then forget to jot it down here on my blog.  Maybe it's because there are only 50 things to do everyday, and I still haven't managed to make this a daily habit.  Regardless, I was in New York last week, taping another episode of "Iron Chef America" for Food Network.  Obviously, I was thrilled to be back and glad they asked me to return.  The challenger was from the Chicago area, so that was kind of interesting, and the secret ingredient wasn't nearly as difficult as the Rabbit Battle I had last year.  Results from the show should be out in a few months; I believe it airs in the fall, but check here to find out for sure.  It's episode IA0721.

While I was in town, I did manage to have a few good eating experiences.  Dinner at Little Owl was just perfect: nothing too fancy, nothing overwrought and very straightforward food (cod, beets, sardines) with very little adornment. The gravy meatball sliders were a particular highlight. The space is oh-so-tiny and the fact it's in the West Village on a tree-lined street surely doesn't hurt its appeal.

I also stopped by City Bakery, where they always tempt with their thin, flat and gooey chocolate chip cookies; in fact, it's pretty difficult to escape a meal here without indulging a little bit.  I opted for a simple breakfast of yogurt, granola and fruit, but even on the way out, I couldn't help but snag a little something sweet for the road.  While I was downtown, I also checked out Murray's Bagels, for a quick Sunday morning nosh.  I typically think of heading uptown for H & H or something at Barney Greengrass, but by simply checking my iPhone location, then typing in "bagels" I found Murray's.  Their plain with smoked sturgeon, cream cheese and cucumber rivaled any Sunday morning bagel experience I've had in the city.