PLNT Burger’s Save the Bay Fillet

Dare I say it, but Spike Mendelsohn’s PLNT burger has debuted its best veggie burger yet which definitely qualifies as one of this summer’s best vegetarian dishes. The Save the Bay burger is a vegan fish burger that is crunchy, meaty, and features a distinctive seafood flavor profile. Made with Good Catch Food’s crispy fish-free filet, the burger comes on a butter-toasted potato bun with house-made tartar sauce, pickles, and shredded lettuce. It is a satisfying, crispy dream. Be sure to get some onion bloomies or tarragon dusted fries on the side, and a cool strawberry milkshake to wash it all down!

Oyster Oyster’s Corn Soup

This is no ordinary corn soup. The sweetest of baby corn, combined with filet beans and potato, come swimming in a gorgeous chilled peanut broth. It’s cool, it’s refreshing, and it’s brimming with the sweetness of summer. Everything at Oyster Oyster is a dream, whether you are vegetarian or not! It’s definitely one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in DC. Swing by for a meal that is designed around the season’s best ingredients.

Makan’s Pineapple Curry

Nothing says summer like pineapple, and one of D.C.’s best Malaysian restaurants, Makan, is serving up a savory vegetarian dish where this tropical fruit is the star. You may imagine this dish to be super sweet but in fact, with the addition of warm spices like cloves and cinnamon, and aromatics like ginger and garlic, the dish is heady and savory. Crunchy shallots provide a great texture in contrast to the soft chunks of pineapple, and white rice is served on the side as an accompaniment. Enjoy it with one of Makan’s summery cocktails!

Centrolina’s Ravioli

It is no secret that I love everything Amy Brandwein makes, but her summer dishes are truly my favorite. Her corn and ricotta ravioli, adorned with chanterelle mushrooms and soaked in heady truffle butter, is what heaven tastes like. Centrolina’s menu is full of vegetarian summer dishes, featuring heirloom tomatoes, figs, basil, and other seasonal ingredients.

Karma Modern Indian’s Pesto Paneer

Karma has not one, not two but three paneer dishes on the menu. All three are vegetarian; one is with paneer and saffron, another is with heirloom tomatoes, and the third is with a bold, bright emerald green pesto. I personally love them all but the one with the pesto I order every time. Chewy chunks of paneer come in a doused in the basil pesto, and served in a puddle of sweet and spicy dipping sauce. It’s perfect for sharing, or you can have it all to yourself!

Colada Shop’s Corn Empanada

Sweet and savory at the same time, Colada Shop’s seasonal empanada is a summer corn empanada. This vegetarian dish will keep you happy all summer. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the outside, these empanadas are seriously addictive! Have one with one (or more!) of Colada Shop’s famous pina coladas. Try one at any of Colada Shop’s spots around D.C., Maryland, or Virginia.

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The Scene:  As you enter the space, with its grapevines intertwining in the patio, you can immediately see this place is an oasis in the middle of the city.  Even in a hot muggy day,  you can catch people sitting on the patio catching up over coffees or beers. During the day, the cafe is filled with creatives typing away on the laptops and neighborhood folks coming in and out for coffee. However, there’s a time when the laptops are stowed, the baristas slow down, and food takes center stage:  dinner service.

The Food:  My breakfast favorite is a savory everything bagel with lox and cream cheese.  Their lunch menu changes often.  My favorite, the pastrami is no longer on the menu, but their grilled cheese is just as delicious.  This is the part of Big Bear Cafe that everybody knows.  That being said, I am going to move on to share our recent dinner experience there.

Although I lived around the corner of Big Bear Cafe for over two years and had countless bagels and sandwiches, I never tried their dinner menu.  It took to move a few neighborhoods over to try it.  The kitchen at the cafe is tiny and the daily, date stamped menu has limited items, which truly reflects the vision of using locally sourced products (I once spotted the chef at the farmer’s market buying the greens for the restaurant).

We started with soft shell crab and mussels, two of my favorite seafood items. The soft shell crab was the perfect consistency as you bit into the juicy and salty legs.  The mussels were large and plum and perfect with the accompanying bread.  The dishes were deliciously simple, devoid of any crazy garnishes or presentations.  The main courses were the stars of the dinner: a beautifully juicy pork chop sitting on top of potato puree, mushrooms, and asparagus.  The Dutchman raved about his free range chicken served with fresh sauteed greens and rice.

The verdict:  I believe Big Bear Cafe deliberately does not serve dessert because the main dishes speak for themselves.  All you need to conclude your evening is a nice macchiatto or an espresso and take a stroll on First Street to indulge in real estate porn.  As any special place, one has to share it with the masses.  The dinner service provides a more intimate setting for a date night or a catch up session with friends.  Whether you’re visiting DC or a local, this is a must-eat spot. Have you been to Big Bear Cafe? What’s your favorite time of the day to go? Tip: make reservations for dinner, you can do it via Open Table.

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Q&A WITH CHEF/OWNER TIM MA OF TIM MA RESTAURANT GROUP:

Water & Wall, Gather + Feast, Chase the Submarine (Opening September 2015), & DC Restaurant (Fall/Winter 2015)

You were an Engineer before becoming a chef. Do you find that your prior career has helped you become a better chef?

Yes, my prior career definitely helped me become a better chef, but even more importantly, a better owner and overall businessman.  Especially when it comes to the organizational aspects of running a business.  Mise en place is one thing, but to understand the business inside and out has truly helped me be more efficient with my time because being a chef and an owner are two separate things.

You mentioned you and your wife, Joey Hernandez-Ma wrote your first menu in St. Thomas while you lived there.  How did travel inspire your creative process?

Watching beautiful fresh fish constantly come through the back door of the kitchen I was working at while in St. Thomas is something I will never forget.  It was witnessing the ultimate level of freshness.  Looking back on our experiences in St. Thomas, I find that most people are creative in times of quiet and being in St. Thomas is very creatively quiet.  We didn’t have much to overthink while we were there because there were no other distractions.  It was peaceful, quiet, and an important time for us to reflect – especially for me after completing culinary school in NYC.  We didn’t really have to worry about anything—designing menus, raising kids, etc. We would just show up at the restaurant and work.

Your parents are Chinese and you grew up in a Chinese restaurant.  Tell us more how you incorporate that into your modern American menu.

I really enjoy taking aspects of the food I ate growing up and the restaurant that my parents ran and further elevating the dishes into creative new twists that my parents and uncle roll their eyes at.  I think that is the best way to put it actually. Not as a dishonor or anything to them, but more as a way for me to push myself and create something completely new and unique and explore it in my own way instead of ways that are dictated to me.

If you could open a restaurant outside the United States, where would it be? Why that location?

Definitely St. Thomas. It’s the place that inspired what we have built restaurant-wise here in Virginia – our home. It’s a chapter in our lives that’s very nostalgic. The calm before the culinary storm. Who doesn’t want to cook on an island! It was pretty wild to see chefs from some of the most celebrated restaurants all over the world showing up in kitchens throughout St. Thomas for so many reasons – some to take time off, some to refocus, some to reconfirm their love and passion for the culinary arts, and some like Joey and I looking to create a new culinary chapter.

Water & Wall has partnered up with Fortessa to raise funds for Capital Food Bank. Can you tell us how you became involved in the charity?

We have been such big fans of Fortessa since it first launched — and we’ve have literally grown as Fortessa has grown throughout the past few years. It started as a hidden gem and now it has become such a significant staple in the hospitality world. They are growing outside their box, which is exactly what we are doing, so we look forward to continuing our relationship with this exciting brand. It was also Fortessa that put us in touch with Capital Area Food Bank through this initiative.  Joey and I have always believed in the importance of giving back to our community, and Capital Area Food Bank is such a worthy and important cause. Anything we can do to bring additional attention to their mission of giving communities access to quality and healthy food, is something we take very seriously and are honored to be involved in.

This post was a sponsored by Fortessa in order to promote their #FindingFortessa campaign.  Fortessa is a maker of restaurant grade tableware and works with many restaurants nationwide.  Fortessa is donating $5 to a selection of regional food charities such as Capital Food Bank for each photo tagged #FindingFortessa from participating restaurants. 

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The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian encompasses all of the Americas in their exhibitions and this is also reflected in its food.  From the seafood of the Pacific Northwest to Peruvian dishes, the food reflects the multiple indigenous cultures of the Americas. It covers five key areas of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere such as the Northern Woodlands, Mesoamerica, South America, Northwest Coast, and Great Plains.

I entered the massive adobe colored museum, walked past its cafeteria and took the scent of all the flavors at the café until I made it to the kitchen of Mitsitam.  There, I met Jerome Grant, a young, creative and energetic chef who is passionate about the menu served at the café.  The menu is strictly seasonal and the chef and his team come up with a new menu every season.  He emphasizes that Native Americans have a deep connection to the earth and he translates that into making menus with sustainable fresh ingredients.

I had the opportunity to see Jerome and his staff prepare very creative dishes at the kitchen of Mitsitam café.  He began his tour with a demonstration on how he made fresh octopus from Washington State in a bed of colorful cauliflower puree. The colors of the dish were beautifully vibrant.  Jerome also walked us through a delicious cut of elk with seasonal vegetables.  I have always been hesitant about game, but this medallion of medium cooked elk was juicy and flavorful.

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Focaccia at Lupo Verde DC

For those who have spent time in Italy, you know that pancake and bacon is not their idea of breakfast. I felt the restaurant does a great job of translating classic Italian dishes into a solid brunch menu. We started our brunch with a delicious focaccia (so good I asked for more to take home) and blood orange bellinis. I went with the intent to try more cocktails to write about, but this cocktail was too good to change. We started our brunch with a delicious fruit plate and charcuterie and cheese platter. The charcuterie and cheese are cut in house and are available for purchase to take home. 

Uova in camicia

From there, we moved on the the main course. The Dutchman choose an egg dish, Uove in Camicia (Eggs in a Shirt).  The recipe is quite simple: poached eggs in a tomato sauce with olive oil. The dish is quite simple but delicious. You definitely want to dip the focaccia in the tomato sauce. The Dutchman found it good but without the bread it was not filling enough (then again he’s 6’9″, man can eat!).

Parppadelle with Mushrooms

Pasta for brunch? Why not? I loved my freshly made parpardelle pasta with mushroom and topped with a delicious burrata. One of the things I like about Lupo Verde is that they stick to genuine Italian portion sizes. In Italy, pasta is usually a starter, hence primo piatto.The portion size is big enough to fill you up but it’s not one of those massive pasta dishes. The veggies taste fresh and you can tell the pasta is handmade.

Bar at Lupo Verde DC

Verdict: We enjoyed both dinner and brunch, the cozy atmosphere, and good service. Looking forward to returning again. Tip: to work off the calories, go for a walk down T or S Street (Eastbound) for beautiful architecture. 

Charcuterie Plate at Lupo Verde DC

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That Apple Pie

 The Blue Duck Tavern in photos:

Oven Roasted Bone Marrow

The Roasted Pork Rack

Roasted Squab

Chef LaRoche

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Carrot Salad

The name Lavagna comes from a commune in the Liguria region of western Italy. There, slate is produced for chalkboards.  Naturalmente, chalkboards in Italy are known as Lavagnas. Steve told us he chose that name because his objective is to make everything from scratch at the restaurant. We started our meal with a charcuterie plate made from meats cured in house accompanied with pickled veggies and jams made at the restaurant as well. We indulged in homemade prosciutto accompanied by savory homemade mustard and sweet apple butter. We followed with delicious carrot salad and bruschetta.  I am not usually fond of raw carrots but the ones in this salad tasted as if they were freshly picked and we also fell in love with the sweet crunch of the candied walnuts.

Corzetti

We made a tiny space in our stomachs to share the Bells and Evans Chicken.  The chicken is as delicious as it looks. Steve explained to us it was cooked in the sous-vide method, where it spends hours cooking in a water bath with spices in order to retain moisture and flavor. It was tender and juicy. The chicken is perfectly accompanied by brussels sprouts with bacon. Thankfully, we had to make a little space for dessert for Panna Cotta which had the perfect consistency and taste.

Bells and Evans Chicken

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