I recently had the chance to have a wonderful trip home to New Orleans with my two boys, Kemp and Spencer. We had a great time visiting with family and friends, and of course, indulging in some great food! On Sunday we started the day with a tour of New Orleans and showing them how I grew up. We started with beignets for breakfast before 11 a.m. mass.
After mass, we were off to brunch. Forty years ago I used to go to the Rib Room at the Royal Orleans all dressed up. This time, it was Galatoire's with the boys' Aunt Alexandra and cousin Max.
Check out our table at Galatoire's! Do you think the boys had enough cherries? I stuck with my Soft Shell Crab Almandine. Yum!
Later it was off to Red Fish Grill to try every dessert in honor of the article by Brett Anderson highlighting Brett Gauthier as one of the best five pastry chefs in the city. He's a true wizard with the piping bag for Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group. He came straight from my neck of the woods at the Inn at Little Washington and you betcha, he's good!
After that we were off to the pool to cool down and rest. What a great day in NOLA, and a great trip home.
The simoneink team had such a blast at the second annual Bayou Gras Celebration at Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery (we missed our Miss Melissa though!)The day started out with the Fox 5 team and Annie Yu, teaching them all about the second line, Hurricanes, and the history of Mardi Gras. They may have been novices when they first walked in, but by the end of the day they were sayin’ “N’awlins,” “praah-leens,” and “ben-yays” like pros.
Next up, it was back to the office to get ready. After hours of cutting, Facebook posting, a few last minute trips to the eatery, it was time for CELEBRATING.Being able to throw beads in the Clarendon Parade and chow down on Raw Oysters from Rappahannock River Oysters, true Hurricanes from Masked Mixologist Gina Chersevani, Peppa-Weenies, Gumbo & more all made it feel like home. Already can’t wait til next year!
Flemish flair and fare are heading to the coast...the East Coast, that is! Chefs Robert Wiedmaier and Brian McBride are taking a gamble and bringing their popular Mussel Bar brand to the newest gem in Atlantic City: Revel. Belgian Boardwalk Empire, anyone?
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday was my BIG television debut..and my last! I had to do it though to support the Black & Gold for the Super Bowl. So check it out for my one and only on-screen appearance on NBC4 with Barbara Harrison! WHO DAT!
Chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery stopped by the National Honey Board to share his favorite back to school lunches, perfect for any brown bag (no matter how old you are!)
The Jefferson, Washington, D.C. recently hosted the ladies of CBS News as they did a photo shoot for CBS Watch! Magazine's January/February 2012 issue. Here's a peek at Norah O'Donnell, Chief White House Correspondent; Sharyl Attkisson, Investigative Correspondent; Jan Crawford, Political and Chief Legal Correspondent; and Nancy Cordes, Congressional Correspondent.
TenPenh’s landmark Asian-inspired restaurant closing June 30, 2011
Being unable to finalize a mutually beneficial agreement between the partners of TenPenh Restaurant [Jeff Tunks, Gus DiMillo, David Wizenberg] and the lessor, an amicable resolution has been reached whereby; the jewel-colored silk-upholstered dining room of TenPenh closes its doors at the end of this month. It will leave behind a legacy of sophisticated Asian-inspired cuisine and glittering memories – of delectable lunches, exotic dinner feasts, and festive suckling pig roasts right there on Pennsylvania Avenue just blocks from The White House.
Eleven years ago, following an intensive research trip to Asia, we brought authentic flavors and flair to our Asian inspired establishment. The interior made its mark with brilliant color, silk lanterns, antique Asian statuary, and servers in raw silk jackets. TenPenh’s menu introduced the Washington area to the joys of whole fish, taking the fear out of that dramatic presentation. It also gave a home to executive chef Jeff Tunks’ Chinese Style Smoked Lobster, which became its signature dish. During the tenure of Tunks’ longtime Philippine-born chef de cuisine, Washington learned to embrace upscale Philippine cuisine.
Praised in the press from Bon Appétit to The New York Times [and with a coveted listing in the late great Gourmet Magazine’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants under its glamorous belt] Not to mention, Esquire Magazine gave it the notable honor of being one of only twenty “Best New Restaurants 2000.” TenPenh’s high style and distinctive cuisine always attracted luminaries. The kitchen was honored by visiting chefs Cristeta Comerford [of The White House] and America’s master of Asian cooking, Susanna Foo. Its dining room was graced by the likes of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Dr. Ruth, Barack Obama and John McCain, U2 and John Travolta.
Although much discussion is whirling around about a possible relocation, we would like to simply focus our energy and time on our independent ongoing ventures and the two new independent endeavors poised to open on Washington Circle this August.
Gus, Jeff and David are indebted and thankful to their loyal supporters, distinguished press, friends and family for their continued commitment to TenPenh. And most importantly, they are sincerely grateful to their dedicated staff for all their efforts and hard work over the past 11 years.
“A fond farewell for now! Thank you for the memories,” says Gus, Jeff and David.
