Masa 14 is big, and it's noisy. The bar is 65 feet long and crowded with young professionals, many from the neighborhood. Tables are filled even on weeknights, some with not-so-young diners. Everyone has a good time drinking, trying to talk above the music and supping on some very ...
Publ.Date : Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:45:00 -0400

DESIGN: Porcelains with a French accent

Along with Faberge eggs and Aubusson rugs, cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post collected Sevres porcelains, not all of them completely authentic. A gilded ice pail displayed inside the Hillwood estate, Post's home-turned-museum, turns out to be an English interpretation of the French ceramics.

"Look at the dull ...
Publ.Date : Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:45:00 -0400

White House chefs check lists twice

Christmas at the White House isn't for sissies. Take quantities that might work in a private home -- guests, cookies, parties, cards, whatever -- and add some extra zeros to get a feel for a White House-sized holiday season.

As in 50,000 guests, 28 parties and open ...
Publ.Date : Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:45:00 -0400

ART: A drive through garage designs of past and present

"House of Cars" at the National Building Museum proves that the parking garage can be an urban asset, even a beautiful structure to behold. This fascinating exhibition traces the history of the prosaic building type, from horse stables used for auto storage to a pool-topped car shed at the ...
Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:45:00 -0400

ART: Matisse's ideas reframed through works on paper

BALTIMORE | Henri Matisse, the French painter known for his vivid colors, is being represented in black and white for two more weeks at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This comprehensive exhibition of 170 works refreshes the typical view of Matisse through one of the least known sides of ...
Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:45:00 -0400

This twist on a classic dessert has quickly become one of the restaurant's most popular sweets.

At our Best of Washington party last night, restaurants pulled out all the stops, serving everything from octopus carpaccio (2941) to lobster salad (the Palm) to an Indian spin on Scotch eggs (Rasika). While we were very impressed with the entire spread, some dishes really shined. Here’s a roundup of our favorites from the night.

>>For a slideshow of more dishes from the night, click here.

Best version of a low-brow dish by a high-brow restaurant: Citronelle’s fried chicken rounds with a Dijon dressing were a far cry from Mickey D’s nuggets with honey-mustard sauce.

Best use of summer corn: Chilled Silver Queen-corn soup with crab, tarragon oil, and crispy tarragon leaves from Charlie Palmer Steak.

Best way to beat the heat: Masa 14’s mixture of St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon/basil simple syrup, ginger liqueur, and Dos Equis beer.

Mired in a summer-barbecue rut? We asked area chefs to tell us everything from their favorite burgers on the grill to summer wines. Your back-yard party will never be the same.

Darren Norris, chef/owner at Kushi in DC. 

Favorite burger on the grill: "A mix of 75 percent beef and 25 percent pork on Martin’s potato rolls with Stubb’s barbecue sauce: “Pork makes the burgers juicy.” Best burger beer: “Sapporo out of a huge can.” How I like my corn: Cuban style—rolled in chili mayo (mayonnaise with chopped chipotles and lime juice) and then rolled in queso fresco. Weird things I’ve grilled: “I wrap prosciutto, garlic, tomato, and mozzarella with outer romaine leaves. It’s my version of a grilled summer salad.”  Favorite summer wines: St. Supéry’s Pinot Grigio for guests (“I don’t really drink much white wine”)—and Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Best way to eat summer fruit: Strawberries on grilled pound cake with basil simple syrup.

“I think every neighborhood should have something like this,” says Justin Abad of his A.M. Wine Shoppe in DC’s Adams Morgan. The three-month-old gourmet grocery has all the makings for a casual European meal: salumi, cheese, bread, and wine. Abad, co-owner of the nearby Cashion’s Eat Place, fills most of the shelves with a changing collection of about 75 wines, which he says are curated primarily for value—many are between $10 and $20, and most nights the staff opens a few bottles for samples. He also stocks a small but well-edited selection of cheese and artisanal charcuterie as well as bread from the local Lyon Bakery.

There’s no kitchen in the basement-level shop, but a deli counter acts as a sandwich station where sliced meats are layered with provolone for the Italian-style AdMo, pulled pork is pressed with mustard and pickles for a Cubano panino, and olive-oil-poached tuna is mixed with olive tapenade for a pan bagnat.