Del Campo Adds Pizzas, Pisco Bar & Brunch
Del Campo at 777 I St. NW is expanding its offerings with a South American brunch, Argentinian pizzas, a patio pisco bar and a new lunch deal.
Beginning Mother’s Day, the restaurant will serve a Sunday brunch featuring South American breakfast dishes like bacon, egg and cheese empanadas, and chorizo and egg hash as well as Del Campo’s take on brunch classics like smoke scrambled eggs and cast iron pancakes. $20 bottomless mimosas let diners add a touch of the asado to their brunch libations with options like grilled grapefruit and smoked pineapple alongside the classic orange juice. There is also a selection of Bloody Marys, including a black pisco Bloody Mary that uses Sol de Ica Acholado pisco, squid ink and Applewood smoked tomato juice. Brunch will be served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
On May 21, Del Campo’s wood fired ovens will begin turning out Argentinian-style pizzas. The square pies will range in price from $18-$22 and feature styles like smoked tomato and mortadella, fugassa — a white pizza with onion, chorizo and burnt rapini. Along with the pizza’s, Del Campo will open a pisco-focused bar on its patrio. Open Thursdays from 5 p.m.-closing through Labor Day, it will serve pisco cocktails as well as pisco tasting flights that will highlight the breadth and depth of the South American spirit.
Finally, the restaurant will highlight street food with a lunch deal available on the patio and at the bar. Diners can order any sandwich with a glass of house wine or a beer for $12. The lunch deal is available from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
City Burger opens in Chevy Chase
City Burger, from the owners of Food, Wine & Co. and Fish Taco, will open at 7015 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase on Wednesday.
The 4-ounce griddled burgers at the fast casual burger joint on the Bethesda/Chevy Chase line will cost about $7 and be made from all-natural, antibiotic- and hormone-free Midwestern beef.
Not as fancy as the burgers at Food, Wine & Co., the signature burger with lettuce, onion, tomato and a chili-mayo “city sauce” will cost $4 while no burger will cost more than $7. Others include the Pit Stop, which will come with cheddar, pepper relish, bacon and barbeque sauce; and the Pali Highway, which includes pineapple, ham, spicy pickle and “city sauce.”
Other menu items include hot dogs and half smokes, grilled cheddar cheese and French fries. Milkshakes will also be a staple with flavors like vanilla and chocolate custard as well as the High Rise — a combination of vanilla custard, Heath bar crumbles, salted caramel and fudge brownie or the Presley mixed with caramelized bananas, peanut butter and bacon.
The restaurant seats 15.
Vinoteca serves “adult kids meals”
Vinoteca at 1940 11th St. NW brought back its “hot dogs & bubbly” and “burgers & beer” combos in adult kids meals on Thursdays from 5 p.m.-close as of Thursday.
Appealing to the inner child in everyone, the combos will pair either a house-made hot dog with a glass of sparkling wine or a burger with a draft beer plus a side of house-made chips and a “toy” – a pair of Vinoteca-branded wayfarer-style sunglasses to sport around the plaza for only $11.
Diners can mix and match their own combos ranging from a boudin pork red onion-topped Who Dat Doggy paired with a glass of house sparkling wine to an O.G. Bocce beef burger with basil aioli and fresh mozzarella paired with a Lagunitas IPA.
Toro Toro launches weekend brunch and Bloody Mary bar
Toro Toro, located at 1300 I St. NW, will begin serving weekend brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on May 17.
The menu will include a selection of hot and cold savory plates and desserts, plus Toro Toro’s “rodizio experience,” a selection of carved hot-off-the-spit meats. There will also be side dishes as well as four bottomless mimosa cocktails and a create-your-own Bloody Mary bar.
Pan-Latin small plates that showcase South and Central American cuisine, including seasonal salads, meats, raw bar and assorted breads and cheeses, will be on the buffet. Then diners will enjoy Toro Toro’s “rodizio experience,” with choices that include picanha steak, chorizo sausage, achiote chicken or chef’s daily selection. Hot sides include papas bravas, tortilla Espanola, chorizo & potato hash, chipotle-agave bacon; Mexican-chocolate waffles with Nutella and bananas, and chilaquiles verdes.
The cost is $39 and must be ordered by the entire table.
Bombay Club takes guests on an Indian culinary journey
On Sundays between May 18-June 14, diners can at the Bombay Club at 815 Connecticut Ave. NW can explore dishes from different regions of India. Executive chef Nilesh Singhvi, who previously worked for the Taj Group of Hotels, a luxury hotel chain in India, will prepare a three-course menu for Sunday brunch highlighting the regions of Goan on May 18, Punjab on May 25, Dakshin on June 1 and Mughlai on June 8.
Located along India’s West Coast along the Arabian Sea, Goa is India’s smallest state. Known for its seafood, fresh coconut milk, rice and local spices, Goa has a tropical climate and the cuisine is influenced by its Hindu origins, Portuguese colonialism and modern techniques. Goa dishes will include mushroom karwari with onion, ginger and lime; goa fish curry with coconut, chili pepper and coriander; lamb vindaloo with onion and peri peri masala; cashew mushroom xacutti with cashew, shitake, roasted coconut and spices; and dal with yellow lentils, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Tender coconut caramel pudding or elaichi kheer will be the dessert choices.
Punjab is a vast region that includes large territories in Eastern Pakistan and Northern India. The Punjab region is the largest producer of wheat in India and agriculture is its largest industry. Indian Punjabi cuisine is most often known for its use of a tandoori oven. The menu will include lamb chops masala, aloo gobi, fish amritsari and dal makhni. Desserts will include gulab jamun or kheer.
Dakshin, meaning “South” or “Southern,” cuisine is comprised of the five regions of Andhra, Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. While each has its differences, Dakshin chefs and households use rice as a staple ingredient as well as lentils, dried red chilies, coconut and various spices. One of the largest differences in each region’s cuisines is the spice level. Dishes will include cauliflower bezule with garlic, chili pepper and curry leaves; chicken chettinad with onion, coconut, fennel, tomato and curry leaves; mirch baigan ka salan with eggplant, jalapeno, sesame, coconut and coriander, and tamarind rice with lentils, sesame, fenugreek and mustard. For dessert guests will have the choice of khubani ka meetha with stewed apricot or pal payasam with milk, rice and jaggery.
Mughlai is a style of cooking used in the Northern Indian regions of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The cuisine is influenced by the Muslim, Persian and Turkic cuisines. The tastes of Mughlai cuisine can vary from extremely mild to spicy. Dishes have a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground and whole spices. Menu highlights include shami kebab with lamb, caramelized onion and clove; dum ki dulma with fish-roasted gram flour, yogurt and cashew; subs roganjosh with fresh vegetables, onion, tomato, cinnamon and clove; awadhi murg with chicken, yogurt, onion, almonds and mace, and buranni, a smoked yogurt. For dessert, choices include phirni with rice, milk and pistachio or seviyon ka muzaffar with vermicelli, milk and almonds.
The regional brunch costs $25 per person ($35 with Champagne) and will be available as a replacement for their bottomless brunch menu.
Park Hyatt Washington sets Masters of Food & Wine event
The Park Hyatt Washington and Blue Duck Tavern, 1201 24th St. NW, will their next Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine on June 21 from 10 a.m.-noon saluting the ingredients, flavors and talents of local chefs, regional artisans and sommeliers. This installment of the Park Hyatt Masters event will include a heart-healthy brunch prepared by Blue Duck Tavern executive chef Sebastien Archambault and include chef Jeremy Bearman and culinary nutritionist Kristy Del Coro of New York’s Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate.
Priced at $75, the menu will highlight carefully sourced, nutritious items from local farmers. Brunch will be served market-style allowing guests to walk around and interact with Archambault, Bearman, Del Coro and Blue Duck Tavern pastry chef Naomi Gallego, who will be serving healthy brunch pastries and sweets.
Guests will be able to see their food being prepared at each station and will learn why Rouge Tomate is one of the first and only restaurants to employ a chef and culinary nutritionist who collaborate on each dish. Additionally, local farmers will be present to educate guests about their products and the importance of buying local.
Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.giftrocker.com/secure/Order/?h=1f77ba08.
Ted’s Bulletin plans restaurant in Gaithersburg
Ted’s Bulletin announced a fifth location will open at Crown Farm in Gaithersburg in early 2015.
The first Ted’s Bulletin in Maryland, will be located a short distance from the Shady Grove Metro station, east of the intersection of Washington National Pike (Rt 270) and Sam Eig Highway (Rt 370).
The restaurant will be similar to its sister restaurants in Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia with around 180 seats, equipped with diner-style counter seating and a bakery that will produce Ted’s homemade Pop-Tarts and other nostalgic bakery treats.
“We never expected to have even one opportunity to expand Ted’s, a concept born out of the memory of my father, but to have built the concept in the region is truly amazing,” said Ty Neal, principal partner of the Matchbox Food Group, which owns the local chain. “Crown Farm will be an amazing destination, and we’re excited to be a part of the grand opening.”
Located on 182 aces, the suburban neighborhood will follow the current trend in housing, creating a space for people to live, work and play without having to travel to the big city. The development will include four separate neighborhoods, six parks, retail, restaurants, a grocery store, a fitness center, a community swimming pool and clubhouse. Though still under construction, Crown is expected to open this spring. 2014.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.