Reston Town Center welcomed its newest restaurant this weekend as Passion Food Hospitality (who also run Acadiana, DC Coast, Ceiba & TenPenh) open their newest restaurant, PassionFish.  We got a sneak preview this past week of what Chef Jeff Tunks will dazzle his guests when they open their doors on Friday of this week.  Boasting a HUGE, window-laden dining area, guests will definitely feel the oceanic vibe as they enjoy creative and delectable seafood creations that include everything from smoked whitefish crostinis and goat cheese & beet empanadas to crab cakes and a fantastic sushi & raw bar selection.  Be sure to check out Passionfish, but the way we see it, we recommend a reservation.
 

We know you've been reading about him here on TheList - Alexander Bollinger, the new Exectuve Chef at Urbana restaurant in the Palomar Hotel in DuPont Circle.  Well, we recently had a chance to taste what the new chef is offering these days.  A Tuscarora farms beet salad was a great starter, with
a candied pistachio vinaigrette that balanced the beets nicely.  And if, like us, you've been hesitant in the past to try "rabbit", this may be your best opportunity.  Braised and served with a romanesco sauce and hand-cut pappardelle, the rabbit had a wonderfully mild taste - not at all gamey like we expected.

Washington himself would have been proud…We were at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate this past weekend, where the Mount Vernon Wine Festival & Sunset Tour took over, showcasing over 15 of Virginia's finest wineries.  We had a great time enjoying the live music & the relaxing scene overlooking the Potomac River.  Of all the wonderful wines from the "Old Dominion State", some remarkable reds from Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyards, as well as a surprisingly good cranberry fruit wine from Horton Cellars stuck out as our favorites.  All the display and serving tables from each winery were packed all night long.  We enjoyed the company of Martha and George Washington, as well as many of their colonial friends, who gave twilight tours of the Mansion.  Tours included a look into Washington's brick vaults, where he stored his wine, a part of the Mansion that isn't open to the public at any other time of the year.
 

What food is synonymous with football season?  WINGS! We brought our appetite with us last weekend to the inaugural Buffalo Battle in Georgetown, and boy did we need it.  All to benefit the DC Central Kitchen, Chef Darrell “Big Wing” Hughes from J. Paul's and Chef Richard “The Pit Master” Brooks from Old Glory faced off to see who would wow the crowd and judges most with their versions of the ultimate finger food. Our favorite category? The glorious classic wing, which was won by Chef Brooks and Old Glory. The event featured special guest judges, including a couple of Redskin Hog/hogettes, DC Councilmember At-large Kwame Brown, Chef Ris Lacoste and the founder of the DC Central Kitchen, Robert Egger.  Prizes were also raffled off, including a gift certificate to Georgia Brown’s and DC Improv tickets. We didn't win any prizes but it was like winning with all those wings on our plated and helping out a cause like DC Central Kitchen.

Pasternak Wine Imports recently hosted Argetinian winemaker Mariano DiPaola of Felipe Rutini Vineyards for a luncheon at Zola, and we were there to literally wine and dine. Rutini is one of the oldest and most celebrated wineries in Argentina and owns estates in 5 different regions of Mendoza - one being La Consulta, where many believe the best mendoza Malbec grapes are grown today.  To balance the wines, Executive Chef Bryan Moscatello sent out plates piled with lamb meatballs sliders topped with goat cheese aioli. His cherry glazed pork tenderloins, new, and now on the fall menu was perfectly paired with DiPaola's wines. With all that food and wine, the last thing we needed was dessert, but how could we say no to the debut of the chef's chocolate fudge cake with espresso ice cream? We didn't.

TheListAreYouOnIt.com joined Vermillion and Outstanding in the Field for a truly al fresco dining experience. The folks at Vermillion partnered with Outstanding in the Field, a California-based group that travels around the country promoting locally grown food through farm-to-table  dinners, for a five-course meal that was absolutely out-standing. Chef Anthony Chittum put together the menu of crab soup, whole grilled rockfish, cornmeal-crusted catfish, pickled okra, bison chops, and  peach-and-blackberry pie. All of the fare was locally sourced and paired with Virginia wines.

The Inn at 202 Dover – Once upon a time, Ron and Shelby Mitchell were the epitome of a DC power couple.  He was a high-flying ad agency CEO and she was a heavy hitting partner in a prominent downtown law firm.  On the side, Ron was a polished amateur chef.  And Shelby harbored dreams of owning a quaint B&B somewhere and of a slower, if no less busy and challenging, lifestyle.  So, they started searching for the perfect place. It took 10 years, but then they finally found a grand, old Victorian mansion in Easton, Maryland.  The once proud home had fallen into disrepair, and when Ron found it, it was a chopped up rental property.  Well now, about two years later, the Inn at 202 Dover (named for its address on Dover Street in the heart of Easton’s art gallery district) is completely restored after a top-to-bottom renovation that literally touched every inch of the building, inside and out.  It has luxurious, themed suites (we stayed in the Safari Suite, a handsome homage to Teddy Roosevelt) with all the modern conveniences, tasteful antiques, lush landscaping and, well, all the comforts of home, albeit a very luxurious home.  There is a full-service restaurant that serves up meals morning and night.  Cuban-born Chef Jorge not only prepares delicately flavored, artfully presented dishes, but he also can be counted on (with very little encouragement required) to treat the room to an a cappella aria. And, in the mornings, Ron Mitchell is in the kitchen, preparing breakfasts that include treats such as cold strawberry soup and egg shells stuff with scrambled eggs and topped with sour cream and caviar.

Zaytinya - We were at Zaytinya for their Modern Greek Festival, as they welcomed renowned Chef Christoforos Peskias of 48 The Restaurant in Athens.  Standouts included asparagus wrapped in Manouri cheese, pork belly souvlaki, Imam Bayildi (feta ice cream), and yogurt cigars.  Trireme Importers paired each courses beautifully with wines from various regions of Greece.

Nage - Executive Chef Kevin Reading offered a preview of Nage’s autumn menu, one that formally debuts on October 1. And, it was all good! Smoked acorn squash and apple soup was topped with maple marshmallows, and a lobster pot pie overflowing with root vegetables, succulent lobster pieces was topped with flaky puff pastry.  Mixologist/GM Galen Johnson created what could be our fall drink of choice: Eve’s Plumb Rocked Adam’s Apple – house-prepared apple and plum cider with tarragon and orange bitters and champagne. 

Aria Trattoria - We savored the first full day of autumn with lunch outside at Aria Trattoria. While listening to the sounds of one of their final weekday concerts of the season, we ate in a setting that brought back memories of Italian piazzas we’d visited.  If you didn’t take advantage of the summer concert series this year (shame on you), you still have a chance to redeem yourself – every Friday night, you can enjoy live music and cocktails at Aria Fresca – the Trattoria’s outdoor café.

Café MoZU - We hadn’t been to Café MoZU at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC in a bit, and, after a recent lunch there, wondered what had been keeping us from enjoying this scenic spot.  Taking advantage of the creativity in the kitchen, we went for the “spicy tuna pizza” – which had a sushi rice crust.  And, one of the best values in the city right now has to be their bento boxes.  With sashimi, sushi, miso soup, salad and more, we could barely finish.  Also check out the extensive iced tea selection – the honey ginger we tried was perfectly yum!