potenza, 1430 h street nw, washington, dc

long overdue, this bit on potenza, italian food, bakery and wine. i'm super-conscious of that as i'm freezing my arse off now while remembering the frock i was spotted wearing that night [more on that below]. apologies to both of you for the non-blog of late, but i'm sure you've found more educational things to read in the meantime. plus, you know how i love shoes. and handbags. thus, work has taken primacy over the fun of the blahg.

so a veritable acquaintance of mine asked me via the wondrous wall of facebook if i'd care to have dinner with him. i love when people are just forthcoming and easy. and make a plan. and most importantly follow through with it. none of this "let's do dinner sometime" then you never hear from them again bull$hit. we're all busy people. does it really need to be difficult? seriously.

my cohort this evening is the brother of one of my clients. i've cooked for him at several parties hosted by brother over the past few years. he's a total coolcat so of course i'm gonna join for dinner. duh.

i should mention that he's a local bartender and an artist. in this town that's aka renaissance man. a couple of the girls and i went to one of his exhibits last year. fantastic, intriguiging. f i wish i had money for art. i have a soft spot for artists and their craft, i do. i wish i was artistic. and by that i don't mean creative; i covet the ability to construct physical art. i really want to share with you a pic of his 2D art right here and now, but i fear the laws of copyright [funny since i break several other laws, yes?]. rephrase: i respect my friend's copyright and so i shall ask and hope to gather this as a treat for you.

(yay. permission from the artist is granted. so cool of him. and yes, do i wish i could use impressive words that properly describe his art? duh, but i also don't want to sound like an art snob either. slippery slope and i like to remain the approachable girl you know me as. just lemme know if you want the artist deets - most friends on here prefer to remain anonymous for obvious.)

"south wall. oil on canvas. 36 x 60"

potenza's been on my ever-loving list of spots. i've heard mixed about it but i'm not gonna let that stop me. you know the location is fantastic. and on a summer evening with gorge weather, we opt to sit on the patio, beneath pellegrino umbrellas and some of the most architecturally imposing buildings in dc. if you didn't have the perfect view of the washington monument, perhaps you'd forget you were in dc for a sec. bad suits and poorly heeled pumps bring you right back to reality though [seriously - either wear flats or wedges or full on 3" or higher heels. any pump under 2 3/4" should be eliminated]. me, i'm dressed in a silk to-the-floor strapless ivory hippie beach dress from calypso. fabulously so happy to have an occasion to wear it before it gets too cold.

before i get to the food, lemme mention that the bar scene looks lively. it's thursday so that's a good sign i note to self. lots and lots of young single professionals sipping and they might even be unwinding more. you can certainly tell that $hit-tons of money have been spent on the design of potenza. it is striking and dramatic yet still has a coolly casual buzz. i think i wandered through 4 rooms altogether. bar: hopping. on-site bakery: impressive. waiting area/loungy sitting area: rando but lovely. back dining area near kitchen: i don't want to sit there. weird vibe and too much waiter traffic. patio: always in fashion for this girl.

i'm so happy when dudes don't even ask but order a bottle of bubbly. take note, people. girls love this. all girls love bubbly. period the end. period. you cannot go wrong. all caps. we started with a couple apps. i ordered the veal carpaccio because, as you know, i love raw meat [speaking of raw - they do offer raw oysters along with some additional frutti di mare]. my carpaccio was topped with white anchovies and mache lettuce and drizzled with truffle aioli. it was delicate and yummy. i think my companion ordered the mussels - and i think he thought they were just ok due to lack of flavor.

i have had for a long time a suspicion of pasta prepared outside of my kitchen. i eat everything in the world, save for overcooked pasta and that's usually what you get. this in mind, i crossed my fingers and ordered the orrechiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. orrechiette is my favorite shape and i felt like this would be the best bet to obtain the elusive al dente. i am happy to report it was cooked to perfection. the dish needed salt but i think i was so delightedly relieved it wasn't overcooked i was entirely pleased. to further indulge, we opted to share the wild mushroom risotto, which was nice and rich and creamy. salt, please.

after some research i find that potenza chef bryan moscatello won a food & wine best new chef in 2003 in denver. impressive, no? i noticed some unexpected attention to detail, including fresh and well-respected ingredients. then i read he was at indigo landing of alexandria during a period of time i definitely visited. and if you've been you know the low-country food served there is a complete disaster. mystifying. his last name sounds italian so i'm going with the theory he's now in his element.

you know, i think potenza is a likable option for a night out. is it the best resto in town? no way. it does have a fantastic patio and a bustling atmosphere [i'll totally check out the bar for happy hour]. the food's decent. the service was great. i'm not rushing back, but i'm all over it for a patio evening out and some yummy snacks with the girls.

mostly i'm thankful to have an evening out with an interesting friend. if you know dc, you know cool people are often hard to find.

vinoteca 11th & u streets, washington dc

after checking out a neighborhood art exhibit opening of a friend, the girls and i popped over to vinoteca for a snack and, of course, some wine. it's not my first visit to vinoteca, in fact i've come several times.

vinoteca has some notable characteristics and i'll give it a shot capturing them all.

it's an amalgamation of hippy, boho, chic, grunge, urban, laid back, neighborhoody, stylish, wine-snobbery, friendly, inviting, look-cool-without-trying-too-hard, hopefully you know a thing or three about fine food kind of place.

have i confused you? point is, all kinds of people will enjoy vinoteca and it's a not-too-intimidating place to learn about food and wine if you need it; otherwise, sit back, relax and enjoy its slow-paced nature. row house turned restaurant, this place feels like it's been decorated by your best friends but has a raw, inner-city sleekness to it, to boot.

i'm happy the patio is open for seating on this early october evening of 70 something degree weather. the view is urban and colorful and typical for the new spots on u street - being an area that's up and coming, you're used to seeing a mixture of new and dilapidated buildings and all sorts walking by. unfortunately you hear almost constant earsplitting sirens of firetrucks racing by. it's just what it is, you're in the city, and you know it.

don't let the vibe fool you - it may seem laid back but they're not playing around when it comes to wine or food. the wine list is lengthy and sophisticated and what's more, you can order a flight of wine for comparison or discussion or just plain enjoyment. they offer by the glass - a 2.5 oz taste or a 5 oz glass. pretty cool, no? they experiment with house-made charcuterie here; a respectable and risky endeavor as this takes time and effort like you wouldn't believe. the menu is composed of a few nice salads, sandwiches, panini. the entrees mostly include what i'll call classics like duck confit and sauteed rainbow trout with pommes puree and beurre blanc but is also sprinkled with these smart boys' more inventive ideas like salmon and cantaloupe or bison hangar steak with dill chimichurri and housemade "tommy sauce". what's tommy sauce?

i should preface the rest of this information by saying one of my favorite reasons to come here is because the three gentlemen running the kitchen are three of my former students. i'm not trying to take any credit for their astuteness in the kitchen because they were all talented in school. they shared a natural knack for cooking and care of food both of which cannot be taught. it was obvious to me that they worked hard, took school seriously and loved what they did (noteworthy because for every culinary school student who cares about the food, there is one who does not - and perhaps i will address this someday in another article). i digress. clearly these dudes were destined for this. in my opinion, culinary school breeds a couple of things hopefully: professionalism, knowledge, the drive to be a genuinely good cook and friendship. after their respective externships at highly-acclaimed restaurants scattered about dc, they quickly (and some would say, prematurely from an educational and experience standpoint) jumped aboard a ship bound for who knew where. risky? perhaps, but why not, they're young, smart, driven and proud.

anyway, back to the food and the experience.

after a quick hello to my friends in the kitchen, where i learned about a couple of new menu additions: bison steak tartare and shrimp and saffron grits wrapped in a crepe, i knew i wanted to try those. friends had already ordered the famous vinoteca beef sliders, little burgers with caramelized onions and cheese on top. i ordered a surprisingly good glass of 2006 hall vineyards sauvignon blanc. reasonable at $11 a glass. while the cheese flights seem like a flexible, common-sensical way to enjoy a cheese tasting, as a cheese aficionada, i found it to be rigid. why? because i wanted a few different kinds of cheeses (humboldt fog from the american tasting, the manchego from the spanish and my all-time favorite colston-basset stilton which was not available in a flight). well if you do this, as explained by our waitress, that is, if you order random cheeses you don't get the yummy little accoutrements you would if you ordered one of the cheese flights (like quince paste or walnuts, blueberries and whatnot). being gracious, i ordered the american flight because my friend wanted the humboldt fog. unfortunately something went awry though and we received two hard cheeses; i didn't mention anything - they were good but i'm pretty sure we were supposed to get pepato and it wasn't on the plate.

the food arrives and the burgers are not surprisingly muy delicioso, though i think a little more salt could have made them perfecto (just me). the bison steak tartare was good, it was spicy with fresh jalapenos and whole grain mustard. the problem for me here was the dill. i like dill; i love dill, in moderation. in here there was too much dill and it overpowered the flavor of the bison for me. poised atop the tartare were crispy delicate homemade potato chips that added a nice touch though. i must add that i did eat all of the tartare - the dill started to grow on me with every bite. the shrimp and grits in the crepe were quite nice. perfectly seasoned, beautifully presented atop a bouillabaisse sauce (learned later from chef seth as the waitress didn't know). the saffron was an excellent idea to add to the grits and i will be stealing the crepe idea from chef russell (thanks, russell).

all in all another enjoyable evening at vinoteca. service was a little slow on the refilling of the wine but our pixie waitress was charming and sweet nonetheless. i'm so impressed and proud of my friends seth, brennan and russell, who took such a chance. perhaps i'm secretly a little jealous. these gentlemen deserve a lot of respect and i wish them all the best.

cafe du parc - williard intercontinental washington

when i walked up the red-carpeted steps and entered the grand lobby of the williard, i was transported to another time and certainly another place. maybe paris. i know everyone says the williard is a washingtonian fixture, the dining room having served almost every president since the 1850's, but i felt like i was in a different city for the evening. adding to this was the fact that i was out with a french gentleman who speaks very little english. my french is limited to all things food related and though i've been studying, i can only remember how to say things like, "ou est la change mon bebe?" where can i change my baby? not so handy for a single girl on a date. we both had french-english translation dictionaries with us.

cafe du parc is a place i've wanted to try but i always forget about its presence. who, at my age, living in the area, thinks of grabbing a bite at the williard? the menu is designed by chef antoine westermann, a top-michelin starred chef who, as a matter of fact, dined at citronelle one night when i was working. i was in awe and quite frankly, scared, to be cooking for him as he ate at the chef's table situated in the kitchen, adding more intensity to an already high-pressure situation.

of course, antoine westermann isn't really working in the kitchen at cafe du parc, just like most famous chefs these days aren't working in the restaurants that extend their illustrious legacies. that aside, to be seated in the cafe du parc, from the grand lobby, you walk up a flight of stairs opening to the kitchen; a bustling, lighted, casual-feeling kitchen with several young (and good-looking) french chefs - supposedly all trained in france under the master, himself. a well-suited young expediter stands at the pass. it's evocative of a cafeteria, in a way (minus the chef's jackets, of course). and i don't mean that in a bad way, it's just right in your pathway the minute you reach the top of the steps.

well i only got a glance of the dining room (which had a good vibe) before my date and i were whisked back down the steps and out to the patio. it was a nice evening, and i always prefer to take advantage of the outdoors. i wonder, sitting just outside this celebrated hotel, who else has dined in this spot? dignitaries, famous, old-monied. yes, yes and yes. lucky me. i probably would not have taken my french date to such a french restaurant, truth be told, but the reservations were made for us by a lovely french gentleman who knows every chef in this city and perhaps in all the important restaurants in the world. it goes without saying that we were VIP tonight.

excellent.

we ordered a bottle of 1994 crozes hermitage, a syrah from the rhone valley. the very french menu was complete with all things you would expect to find at a bistro. no surprises here. therefore, i told my date in my broken english (evidently i speak broken english when i'm with with someone who doesn't speak english) that i'm going to order the charcuterie as my entree. i wonder what a french person thinks of the knucklehead ordering charcuterie as an entree. i don't really care, to be honest, that's what i want and that's what i shall have. in my defense, there are more things on this charcuterie board than most places offer. traditionally french. The waitress informs me that it's enormous - she might have to bring over an extra table to manage it. ok, do whatever you have to do; i'm to look a damn fool here, go for it. my date ordered the braised pork belly. alongside, gratin of potatoes. french people never tire of their own food. i guess we, as americans, don't either though.

the chef kindly surprised us with an appetizer of seared foie gras with sauteed chanterelle mushrooms and a wisp of frisee salad. it was sweet and slightly charred and pillowy. it paired perfectly with the wine, lucky for us. it's good when the food arrives because this is something we can communicate about.

my texas-sized charcuterie board came and it was, unnecessarily big. the waitress wasn't kidding but i did not allow a separate table for my 2x2' board.

we made room and two corners hung off the sides of the table and it was practically in my lap, like a study board from college (or a high chair seat and tray). everything was spaced out so much you could park (smart) cars in between each item. that's why it's so big - certainly not because i'm a piglet ordering way too much food. (well it was too much food - this bountiful platter could easily serve 4 people). anyway, the highlights included a creamy pork rillette served in a tiny mason jar, foie gras mousse (more foie gras - it was a good thing i worked out that day) and the pate. especially the foie gras mousse i think - it was my favorite. the board included prosciutto and saucisson (sausage) and crusty bread, whole-grain mustard and cornichons (the pickles tasted old though - a small thing to overlook but still....). i enjoyed a taste of my date's pork belly - that's all i needed though. the rich, layer of fat was crispy-seared and the meat i'm certain was braised for hours and hours. to me, it was still perhaps a little dry (i know but i have to say something!). i didn't try the pommes gratin.

dessert options were minimal and again, tres francais. no chocolate to be found was saddening. no creme brulee to be had was somewhat disappointing. this is why french people are skinny. we ordered a macaroon with rasperries and strawberries and a quenelle of raspberry sorbet. it was nice and i didn't need anything else. it was nice, what else can i say. the macaroon was flawless? it was.

this dinner, though simple, lasted for hours as we flipped through our dictionary over and over to communicate as normally as we could. we struggled with our conversation so much we only drank one bottle of wine. strange for me and i'm sure even more so for a frenchman. it was fun and interesting (and exhausting). i really need need need to practice my french. this all concluded with an espresso. well, two, because as a piglet american i have to have two. one isn't enough. i joked about this and this frenchman delightfully agreed and joined me in a second round of espresso.

if you made it this far through my story, you get a bonus. when you go to visit, be forewarned: valet parking at the williard is $29. try to find parking around the corner. it's a lovely view, this area of town, anyway, and a brisk walk after dinner (full of foie gras) does us all good. thank heavens i've been good about carrying cash lately.

proof

wine is proof god loves us and wants to see us happy
ben franklin

i really enjoyed an evening at proof thursday night. i hadn't been since february and, at that time i didn't enjoy it as much as i had several times prior.

even sitting at the bar alone for 30 minutes - which i never do - was liberating. bartenders were sweet.

i really, really, really like this place. it was so light and summery inside (i thought it was a cozy winter spot). i moved outside when friends arrived. i didn't eat anything but charcuterie and cheese as this is what i typically do at happy hour. ann, our server, was fabulous, as always. wine great. i can't say enough good things. it was a perfect night.