Posts Tagged ‘Mike Isabella’
Getting’ Piggy – Cochon 555 DC 2015
Cochon 555 Is the Pigging Party That Never Stops Giving!
Making Old Fashioneds 
Whistlepig Cocktail
Mr. Piggy Says “Hello”
Mike Isabella Being Piggie!
Mandu – the Piggie Winners! 
Yona Piggie! 
Piggie Pieces (Heritage!) 
Piggy Heart (Actually, Beef Heart – but REALLY Good!) 
Piggy Jowl with Spike Mendelsohn of Bearnaise 
Ummmm…Bacon!
Glorious Whistlepig! 
Punch Competition (Taha Won!) 
Ommegangness! 
There was wine too – Washington State Wines 
More Oinky Deliciousness! 
Did I mention there was PLENTY of Booze?? 
Charlie Adler Taking A Shot from “Say Hello to My Little Friend” Mojito Gun
Tequila’s in the Details – My 5-Course Tequila Espolon Dinner at Bandolero
Espolon Tequila Dinner at Bandolero
The Tequila Journey Begins..
I hadn’t been to Top Chef Mike Isabella’s newest restaurant – Bandolero at 3241 M St., NW in Georgetown, so I decided to try it out at a special 5-Course Espolon Tequila Dinner offered by CityEatsDC “Exclusive Eats”. The Thursday, November 8th, 2012 pairing dinner was a chance for me to attend my 2nd Tequila Dinner ever – the first one had been in Aspen, CO many years ago as part of the Aspen Food and Wine Festival. This time, all I had to do was make the Reservation and walk about 5 blocks from my townhouse which is also in Georgetown!
Master Distiller of Espolon Tequila – Cirilo Oropeza Hernandez
Actually, this event was more of a Cocktail Pairing Dinner because all of the Tequila was served in 5 separate cocktails that were paired with the meal. Tasting events like these are no longer unique and unusual – in fact, I guesstimate that DC has at least 20 dinners every week with pairings of craft beer, wine, whisky or other spirits. What they all tend to do is have a quality speaker – and Phil Piper of Skyy Spirits/Gruppo Campari which owns the Tequilas (Espolon and Cabo Wabo) spoke and also introduced the Master Distiller of Espolon, Cirilo Hernandez who spoke about the differences of Espolon’s Silver, Reposado and Anejo. Cirilo was a really charming guy and very authentic – his English was pretty good, but his spirit and passion (over-used, but true this time!) really set the tone for the event – it felt very much like this Master Distiller enjoys making his product and taking pride in ownership. I hope the Campari people bring him to more tasting events – he really had an energy to him that just plain seemed “Real”..
As sort of a side note to this event – I sat next to Tom Brown who with his brother Derek Brown own The Passenger/Columbia Room in Washington, D.C. which is a haven for serious Cocktail aficionado’s. Tom told me that they are planning to open a Tiki Lounge concept nearby – still a bit hush,hush, but he confirmed that the lease had been signed..more details soon. Derek wasn’t at the event because he as in China doing some kind of drink promotion – which tells you how much the cocktail culture has become part of the international scene – food and drinks are hot – I guess everyone has to eat and drink!
The 5-Course Tequila Dinner Menu:
First Course:
Big Eye Tuna Ceviche w/Roasted Pumpkin, Pepita Brittle and Orange
El Bandolero – Blanco Tequila, Citronage, Blood Orange, Grand Marnier Float
Second Course:
Tamal Classico: Grilled Foie Gras w/Charred Pineapple Salsa & Corn Tamales
Luna & Sol – Cabo Wabo Anejo Tequila, Orange Combier, Lime, and Ginger Beer
Third Course:
Seared Scallops w/Pomegranite and Chestnut Mole
Hecho in G-Town – Reposado Tequila, Aperol, Luxardo and Lime
Fourth Course:
Fried Cow: Crispy Skirt Steak, Blackened Tomatillo Salsa and Rice
Pero Viejo – 2.0 Blanco Tequila, Tomato Juice and Coronita Beer
Dessert Course:
Spicy Churros with Guava Sauce
Southern Exposure – Reposado Tequila, Averna and Cinnamon
Chefs For Equality – a Cause Worth Eating For!
I have really great news for DC Fundraisers and Foodies in our Nation’s Capital – DC has reached Foodie Destination! OK, so maybe there are still quite a few events with poor food and bad drinks, but after recently attending the Capital Food Fight, the Washingtonian Brunch & Bloody’s event and Wednesday, October 24th’s Chef’s For Equality event, I noticed many of the same restaurants and chefs showcasing different sides of their culinary ability. The bad news is I didn’t get a list of dishes from last night’s event – I was spending too much time tasting, drinking and a bit of hobnobbing – but let’s just say there wasn’t a bad dish! What made this event extra Foodie was that there was also a Cocktail focus and some of the top Mixologists in our region like Todd Thrasher and Adam Bernbach went all out to impress the crowd.
The Evening’s cause was to raise awareness and votes for Same-Sex Marriage Rights in Maryland – since I support same-sex marriage but I’m really focused on Food and Drink Events, here are the details on the politics of the event from the Human Right’s Coalition. Also, Washingtonian had a nice article with some Chef gossip and the details on the political cause. Other Articles include the Washington Blade which mentions MD Gov. O’Malley’s speech at the event, Tim Gunn from Project Runway was a speaker at the event as well, you can read more at MyFoxDC’s Coverage. I’m all for political causes and fundraisers, but I feel it’s my duty to stay focused DC’s culinary experiences.
-
- Georgetown Cupcakes
-
- Chef Michel Richard
-
- Dean Gold, Dino’s Restaurant
-
- Todd Thrasher, TNT/PX Restaurant/The Majestic/Society Fair/Virtue Feed & Grain
-
- Chef Alli Sosna, Allison Sosna Group / Microgreens
Below is a list of participating chefs and Mixologists as well – I was able to copy the links to most of the restaurants so it’s also a nifty way to find out more about each establishment. I’ll try to update the dishes if I can get a list of them, but alas, this is mostly a Publicity post right now – I REALLY like to include more food information – Cheers!
Participating Chefs
Find out more about DC’s top culinary chefs participating in this special event.
- Victor Albisu, Taco Bamba – is currently holding Pop-ups at
- José Andrés, ThinkFoodGroup
- Sebastien Archambault and Peter Brett, Blue Duck Tavern
- Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve
- Jon Arroyo, Founding Farmers
- Kyle Bailey, Birch and Barley
- Ian Bens, Juniper
- Justin Bittner, Bar Pilar
- Jeff Black, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
- Danny Bortnick, Firefly
- Devin Bozkaya, Westend Bistro
- Amy Brandwein, Chef AmyB
- Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground
- Jeff Buben, Woodward Table
- RJ Cooper, Rogue 24
- Logan Cox and Alison Reed, Ripple
- John Critchley, Urbana
- Travis Croxton, Rappahannock River Oysters
- Noah Dan, Pitango Gelato
- Scott Drewno, The Source
- Enzo Fargione, Elisir
- Teddy Folkman, Granville Moore’s
- Mark Furstenberg, Bread Furst
- Georgetown Cupcake
- Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen
- Dean Gold, Dino
- Todd and Ellen Gray, Equinox
- David Guas, Bayou Bakery
- Thomas Hall, 901 Restaurant
- Scot Harlan, Green Pig Bistro
- Michael Harr, Food, Wine & Co.
- Jerry Hollinger and Zena Polin, The Daily Dish
- Mike Isabella, Graffiato
- Jim Jeffords, Evening Star Café
- Haidar Karoum, Proof / Estadio
- Billy Klein, Café Saint-Ex
- Ris Lacoste, Ris
- Jamie Leeds, Hank’s Oyster Bar
- Andrew Little, Sheppard Mansion
- Tiffany MacIsaac, Buzz Bakery
- Jody Manor, Bittersweet
- Dennis Marron, Poste Moderne Brasserie
- Jon Mathieson, BLT Steak
- Cedric Maupillier, Mintwood Place
- Aaron McCloud, Cedar
- Harper McClure, The Federalist
- Raynold Mendizabal, Fujimar
- Clayton Miller, Wit and Wisdom
- Mary Lee Montfort, Mary Lee’s Desserts
- Wes Morton, Art and Soul
- Terry Natas, Carmine’s
- Kaz Okochi, Kaz Sushi Bistro
- Nelson Paz, The Ritz-Carlton, DC
- Padua Player, Susan Gage Caterers
- Christophe and Michelle Poteaux, Bastille
- Nora Pouillon and Todd Woods, Restaurant Nora
- Leslie Poyourow, Fancy Cakes by Leslie
- Beau Ramsburg, Rettland Farm
- Michel Richard, Central
- Kimberly Robinson, Makin’ Whoopie
- Omar Rodriguez, Oyamel Cocina Mexicana
- Craig Rogers, Border Springs Farm
- Lara Stuckey, Fluffy Thoughts Cakes
- Peter Smith, PS 7’s
- Alli Sosna, Allison Sosna Group / Microgreens
- Emily Sprissler, Mayfair and Pine
- Nicholas Stefanelli, Bibiana
- Vikram Sunderam, Rasika
- Zoe Tsoukatos, Zoe’s Chocolate Company
- Jeff Tunks, Passion Food Hospitality
- Bryan Voltaggio, Volt
- Rob Weland, Cork Wine Bar
- Robert Wiedmaier, Marcel’s
- Paul Yeck, Jaleo DC
- Steve Yoon, Sushi Rock
- Demetrio Zavala, Lincoln
Featured Mixologists
- Adam Bernbach, Proof / Estadio
- Derek Brown, Passenger / Columbia Room
- Gina Chersevani, Hank’s Oyster Bar
- Jeff Faile, Fiola
- Matt Ficke, Columbia Room
- Jon Harris, Firefly
- Corey Polyoka, Woodberry Kitchen
- Michael Searles, Virtue Feed & Grain
- Rachel Sergi, Jack Rose
- Andrew Shapiro, Green Pig Bistro
- Colin Sugalski, Toki Underground
- Bryan Tetorakis, Rogue 24
- Owen Thomson, Volt
- Todd Thrasher, TNT/PX Restaurant/The Majestic/Society Fair/Virtue Feed & Grain
- Ari Wilder, Fujimar
- Rob Yealu, The Federalist
Charlie “I Drink on the Job” Adler
