Brightest Young Things

UPDATE: Just got word that IRON CHEF is coming to the White House. Details are below.

This week we have TOP CHEF CASTINGS, Twitter lists, D'Acqua closes, Souk opens, Metropolitan Cooking Show this weekend, a look at The Reserve, dim sum news, Tryst loves laptops, 100 things a restaurant shouldn't do and the sad news about Nori Amaya of Coppi's.

• FUCKING TOP CHEF CASTINGS ARE TODAY AT THE OCCIDENTAL. Go down there and tell me who is auditioning. Make out with the cute ones and tell me how it is. For more detail, the Internet Food Association has a great interview with Casting Director Dan Cutforth, where they get into the question of "when the hell are you filming in DC?!?"

• Twitter has lists! And lists beget lists of lists. So, want some lists of DC food people? Here's a few. @Cityshopgirl's DC foodies and restaurant list, @metrocurean's DC chefs and restaurants, @DCBrit's DC food list and @goldstandardpr's food media list.
• D'Acqua on Pennsylvania Ave has closed. Rents were raised, so the owner is now looking for new smaller digs.
• Souk has opened on H Street. Yummy, inexpensive Mediterranean food - yay! No liquor license - boo!

• This weekend is the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show. Be on the lookout for Giada DiLaurentis, Guy Fieri, the Neely's, Tyler Florence, Richard Blais and Paula Deen and her sons.
• The Reserve on L Street opens, and I find their website to be mesmerizing. Washingtonian has a nice look at the restaurant, glad to see they kept the original Ollie's kitchen location. I must say I'm impressed with their lunch prices.

• Tryst does not hate laptops. From the release: "Tryst recently launched its "Don't Camp Alone" campaign with the goal of encouraging Laptop Users to share their tables with other patrons...Guests who typically leave after looking but not finding a seat are now offered the option of joining a Laptop User's table." More initiatives are planned from the coffeehouse.
• Soon, so soon. Ping Pong Dim Sum will open in December. WBJ says each one of these restaurants makes 30,000 items of food a day. And they have flowering teas, which are just pretty and I wish I had around when I was doing  raver afterparties.
• The New York Times offers a part one of their list -"100 Things Restaurant Staff Should Never Do." My favorites are: Never refuse to seat three guests because a fourth has not yet arrived and if a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche.
• On a more solemn note. Nori Amaya, one of the owners of Coppi's on U Street, was found murdered in her apartment on Monday. Our thoughts are with her family and the entire team at Coppi's. Take care of each other, all of you.

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UPDATED NEWS (Partial info from release) and a write up from the New York Times.

FOOD NETWORK’S IRON CHEF AMERICA GOES TO THE WHITE HOUSE

First Lady Michelle Obama Challenges Chefs to Use The White House Kitchen Garden’s Produce to Create a Meal for America

NEW YORK – November 4^th, 2009 – Food Network stars Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse travel to the White House to take part in an unprecedented culinary competition in Super Chef Battle, a special two-hour episode of Iron Chef America. Greeted by First Lady Michelle Obama, the chefs are joined by White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and receive their challenge: create a meal for America using The White House Kitchen Garden’s produce as their secret ingredients. The special episode premieres Sunday, January 3^rd at 8pm ET/PT.

Iron Chef America commentator Alton Brown explains that the Chairman has sent the three Food Network chefs to Washington, D.C. for a very special battle and introduces Chef Cristeta Comerford, who will also take part in the competition. The group is then greeted by the First Lady, who explains that the chefs will be allowed to use anything found in The White House Kitchen Garden to help them create their meals.