WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2010
TOM SIETSEMA First Bite
In the Atlas District, a new spot on the map
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Restaurants GOOD TO GO
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PHOTOS BY JUANA ARIAS FOR THE WASHINGTON POST The intimate dining area at the Atlas Room, which opened last month onHStreet NE, has only 30 seats. T
he dining possibilities on HStreet NE now run to German, Ethiopian and
Japanese plus gimmicks as offbeat as indoor miniature golf (on the second floor ofHStreet Country Club, which serves tacos, black bean soup and tres leches cake).Until recently, however, a diner looking for a sophisticated plate of food and serious cocktails under the same roof was more or less obliged to head to another neighborhood. Then the Atlas Room crept
on the scene last month, tempting customers with an intimate 30-seat dining room, a Sazerac that summonsNew Orleans and not one, but two chefs whose resumes add up to a pocketful of stars. Co-owners Bobby Beard, 37,
andMatt Cordes, 36, met 13 years ago while both were employed at Vidalia downtown. Since then, Beard has cooked locally at Bourbon Steak, Vermilion, Pesce andMichel Richard Citronelle; Cordes counts time at Evening Star Cafe, the late Colvin Run Tavern, Gerard’s Place (now closed) and 701, among other restaurants. The Atlas Room is dressed
with shimmering green curtains, handsome maps and a gently lit bar with a slate-stone veneer. The start of the fancification of bohemianH Street? “We’re not trying to
Clockwise from top left: grilled beef loin with Indian spices, flatbread with pork, vegetable pot au feu. You’ll find them on the innovative menu grouped according to their main ingredient.
change the neighborhood, just give it another option,” says Beard. The chefs’ menu is novel.
Instead of grouping dishes by course, it lists food types.Under the heading “Pork,” for instance, you’ll find a flatbread arranged with shredded pork, another plate featuring pork loin, and a stewmade with the meat. The dishes are priced at $9, $13 and $19, respectively (think snack, appetizer and entree).
The early hits include a
meatless pot au feu chockablock with chickpeas, lentils and other beans, enlivened with a pesto made with the herb savory and crushed walnuts; juicy pan-roasted chicken with herbed gnocchi; and beef loin served with a fine mush of eggplant and yogurt and a rim dusted with toasted cumin and other zingers. That flatbread was underbaked yet nicely chewy, and it gained more flavor
DISH IT’SALIVE! IT’SALIVE!:Order
theElderflowerRoyal atQuill, the plush lounge tucked into the JeffersonHotel downtown, and what you get is one of the city’s more animated cocktails. Some of themovement comes from bubbly prosecco,which ismixed with St-Germain, the aromatic French liqueurmadewith elderflower blossoms.But waving fromthe bottomof the
Cranberries and Ginger 8 servings
Here is a lovely and flavorful NOURISH
way to prepare this fall-winter vegetable. By shredding the sprouts as you would cut cab- bage for a slaw, you change their character: Their cabbage taste is muted, they re- tain a wonder- ful texture and
the tastes are fresh. Candied gin- ger and dried cranberries add a seasonal touch, and a little but- ter rounds out the flavor. Though this dish cooks
quickly, it involves a great deal of cutting and chopping. The good news: That prep work can be done in advance, and the dish can be served at room tempera- ture.
Crystallized ginger is avail-
able at Whole Foods Markets and specialty shops and is a holi- day-season item at many super- markets. —Stephanie Witt Sedgwick
INGREDIENTS · 2 tablespoons unsalted butter · 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 3 to 4 medium shallots, finely chopped (3/4 cup) · Salt
· 11/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut in half, then cut into thin shreds
· 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, coarsely chopped
· 1/4 cup (11/2ounces) crystallized ginger, chopped
· 1/2 cup low-sodium or homemade chicken broth
STEPS · Heat the butter and oil in a large, shallow skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat.
· When the butter has melted, add the shallots and the salt to taste; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shallots soften.
· Add the shredded sprouts, MICHAEL TEMCHINE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Shredded Brussels SproutsWith
flute are reddish-purple fronds with the texture of gelatin and the flavor of black currants, or what the fall drinkmenu refers to as “molecular cassis.” The science behind the
elegant, edible streamers?Head bartender LucaMarcellin,who created the festive drink to bridge an unseasonablywarm autumn and a chillierDecember, says he cooks cassiswith gellan,
a gelling agent (used by ElBulli in Spain, amongmany other avant-garde restaurants).The resulting goop is poured into a mold the size of “three iPhones put together” and cooled.When a patron orders his twist on a kir royale,Marcellin uses a special zester to shave long strips from the jiggly-firmbar. The drink, though popular right up untilThanksgiving,
when I encountered it, didn’t make the jump to the brand-new wintermenu.However, Marcellin says he’ll continue to honor requests for the lively libation,which costs $15, through January. Included in the price:Quill’s fat green Italian olives and fancymixed nuts— snacks almost as quick to disappear as the sips. —TomSietsema
with a slather of butternut squash puree and glossy parsley. In all, the food makes me eager to return. Although both men now cook
together, Beard comes in earlier in the day to clean and prep. Cordes stays to close the place: “He has a newbaby,” says his business partner.
1015 H St. NE. 202-388-4020.
theatlasroom.com. Entree-size plates, $17 to $22.
JAMES M. THRESHER FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
The kebap joint is a departure for JaffarNeamatollha, here with a platter of mezze; his other eateries are pizzerias.
Turkshish Kebap House In Turkish, kebap, which
means “roasted meats,” is spelled with a P, a distinction I learned after calling Jaffar Neamatollha at the Turkshish Kebap House in Columbia to see if his Web site contained a typo. The owner of a handful of pizza parlors in How- ard County (including the wildly popular ColumbiaWaterloo at an Exxon station) and a native of Iran,Neamatollha lived inTurkey for a fewyears and has worked as a translator, so there’s no reason to doubt him. The no-frills Turkshish, with
seating for 16 as well as carryout (and delivery within an eight- mile radius) in a Little Patuxent Parkway strip mall, serves gener- ous portions of Middle Eastern dishes made with fresh ingredi- ents. The menu is divided into four
sections; five if you include the listing of boat-shaped pizzas (or pide, $7.50 to $7.99) loaded with such cargo as ground lamb, egg- plant and peppers, or Turkish sausage; six if you count the des- serts, baklava and kadayif ($4.99), both sweet with honey between layers of buttered filo. There are mezze, familiar ap-
petizers including a generous portion of hummus made with fresh chickpeas and drizzled with a sharp olive oil, and acilli ezme, a tangy spread of diced tomatoes and peppers with pomegranate sauce. The accompanying bread consists of large, chewy wedges dusted in flour, with the occasion- al black char. Soups and salads include red
lentil soup with garlic and dried mint ($3.50); a fresh diced salad of tomatoes, green peppers and
TO DO SATURDAY
GUMBO ANDMUSIC: Sauce Boss, a guitarist who makes gumbo onstage, will perform/cook at Madam’s Organ Blues Bar. Chicken and shrimp gumbo will be served after the performance. $5 cover. 10 p.m. 2461 18th St.NW. 202-667-5370 or
www.madamsorgan.com. HOLIDAY SPARKLER TASTING: EatBar will hold a tasting of champagnes and sparking wines from around the world. $36. Noon- 4 p.m. 2761Washington Blvd., Arlington. 703-778-9951 or
www.ticketleap.com.
SUNDAY
cranberries, ginger and broth; cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring and turning the sprouts until they are barely tender yet still slightly crunchy.
· Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed; serve hot or at room temperature.
NUTRITION | Per serving: 130 calories, 4 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 65mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar
Recipe tested by StephanieWitt Sedgwick; e-mail questions to
food@washpost.com
CARIBBEAN FOOD HISTORY CLASS: Doreen Thompson, founder of the National Caribbean-American Foods & Foodways Alliance, will discuss the origins of Caribbean food. Free. 2:30-4:30 p.m. Meeting Room A, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda. 301-320-6979 or appetite@
kousoulas.com. PASTA COOKING CLASS: Chef Carmine Marzano of Luigi’s Restaurant will teach how to make pasta by hand. Class includes lunch. $65. 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 1132 19th St. NW.
www.tastedc.com. PASTRY MAKING TIPS: Roland Mesnier, cookbook author and formerWhite House pastry chef, will demonstrate holiday desserts and sign books. $75. 1-3 p.m. Inn at Little Washington, Middle and Main streets,Washington, Va. 540-675-3800 or
www.theinnat
littlewashington.com.
Meet 250 Artisans in Person
WEDNESDAY
ITALIAN CHRISTMAS FEAST:Chef Bryan Moscatello of ZolaWine & Kitchen will teach how to cook traditional Italian food for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. $90. 6:30 p.m. 505 Ninth StreetNW. 202-639-9463
or
www.zolawinekitchen.com. —Timothy R. Smith
SEND NOTICES to: To Do, Food, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, or
food@washpost.com, 14 days in advance.
COOL CRAFTS
parsley, sprinkled with pome- granate sauce ($5.50); and aMed- iterranean salad with feta, arti- choke and stuffed grape leaves ($6.99). In the Specialties section,
you’ll find doner kebap ($11.50), a mix of tender meats sliced from the vertical spit, served with yo- gurt and rice. The chicken pirzola ($11.99) is grilled meat that falls from the bone, sprinkled with paprika and herbs. There are sev- eral shish kebaps: chunks of lamb, beef or chicken on a skewer with vegetables, or the vegetables alone ($9.99 to $11.99). You might find the falafel dry,
but that’s because here it’s made with ground-chickpea flour; the results are crumbly and densely flavored. Most of the dishes that appear
in the Specialties section also can be found in sandwich form as smaller portions wrapped in flat- breadandaccompaniedby spiced fries and yogurt sauce ($7.50 to $9.99). While waiting for a carryout
order recently, I watched as a meat truck pulledupand a butch- er in a stained white coat strode in with half a fresh lamb slung over his shoulder. When Neama- tollha decided to open his kebap restaurant, he sought out vendors — including a halal butcher — and a Turkish-born chef to help the place live up to its authentic name.
—Martha Thomas
Turkshish Kebap House 10840 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, 410-730-7900.
turkshish.com. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.- 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Jazzy Jewelry • Hot Handbags • Creative Clothes • Gourmet Goodies • Family Fun
ƒ DEC 10, 11, 12, 2010
Dulles Expo Center Chantilly, VA (RT. 28 AT WILLARD RD.) Fri. & Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5
Admission $7 online, $9 at the door - good all three days Children under 12 and parking are FREE
DISCOUNT TICKETS, show info, exhibitor lists, directions and more at:
SugarloafCrafts.com SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN WORKS, INC. • 800-210-9900
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