On Nothing Much
|
The Red Zone
Chef Anthony Chittum
|
Chinese Red For several months now, I've been longing to visit Vermilion, one of King Street's more popular eateries. Vermilion the color is a vivid red to reddish-orange hue, sometimes also referred to as cinnabar or Chinese red. For nearly three years now, Vermilion the restaurant has served as Executive Chef Anthony Chittum's culinary playground. Chittum, who was raised on Maryland's Eastern Shore, previously worked at San Francisco's Elite Café and Washington, D.C.'s Equinox, Notti Bianche and Dish. He is the 2009 RAMMY "Rising Culinary Star" winner, one of 13 annual awards handed out by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. Chittum beat out up-and-coming chefs Cedric Maupillier from Central Michel Richard, Daniel Giusti from 1789, Shannon Overmiller from Majestic Cafe, and Mike Isabella from Zaytinya. Isabella, by the way, was one of the favorites to win this year's Top Chef competition on Bravo TV. À Table It was my cousin Kathy's birthday, and I wanted to take her somewhere new (for us). Even though Vermilion is a tough place to snag a last-minute reservation, I called the red zone around 4:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and asked whether there were any tables available that night. The earliest the restaurant could accommodate us was 9:45 p.m., but the person with whom I spoke told me that he was about to confirm the evening's reservations by phone and offered to call me if there was a cancellation. A half-hour later, I had an 8:30 p.m. start for a prime window-side table on Vermilion's second floor. This bode well for the meal to come. Chef's Choice, Our Pleasure At the table, we chose the chef's wine-paired four-course tasting menu. What a treat! Four fried Dragon Creek oysters perched atop a ziggurat of fennel slaw comprised the first course, which was served with a 2008 Pinot Gris from A to Z Wineries in Newberg, Oregon. This dish was a revelation. The Chesapeake Bay shellfish were perfectly cooked, the batter light and crispy. The slaw - prepared we believe with spearmint, dill, flat parsley, buttermilk, mayonnaise and vinegar - was creamy and dreamy. It wasn't a minor component of the dish. It was an equal and vibrant partner. We would have happily traded bowls-full of the slaw for the remaining three courses. And the Pinot Gris was a perfect match - crisp and tart. We both gave the course a "10." Next was a pan-seared wild salmon filet astride a potato latke with horseradish cream, grilled onion and sautéed apples. Like the oysters, the salmon was faultlessly prepared - the skin was crusty and crackly, and the flesh was flakey and moist. Because the fish was wild caught and not farm raised, it had a rich sweetness and complex nuttiness to it. The salmon was served with a 2007 Jean-Luc Colombo Viognier from Vin de Pays d'Oc, France. We each had a glass of the Viognier as an aperitif before dinner at the bar, not knowing it would be served with the meal, and we both agreed that the wine's flavor was much improved when partnered with the fish. The acidity of the Viognier was a bit aggressive on its own. Batting third was a Vande Rose Farms hanger steak, served with diced roasted beets, crumbled buttermilk blue cheese, and a single beer-battered onion ring. Cooked medium-rare, the Hereford beef was juicy, flavorful and tender - it could have passed for a sirloin in texture, but the trace aroma of kidney reminded you that the cut was an onglet. Success is often rooted in attention to detail, and the onion ring soared. I love using all parts of a root vegetable, and wouldn't have minded if the kitchen had served some of the sautéed beet greens alongside for added pungency, earthiness and color. The chosen wine was a 2006 Luigi Bosca Malbec from Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina. Dark ruby, with highlights of toasted coffee and bing cherries. Malbecs are special, and this one was deep and brooding the way I like them. Dessert arrived in the form of three bite-sized discs of orange meringue topped with small dollops of cantaloupe ice cream "floating" on a honeydew "soup" flecked with tiny melon balls the size of small capers or large peppercorns. It was refreshing, and a nice palette cleanser after the salty steak and cheese. The course was matched with a 2007 Graham Beck Brut Rosé from Robertson, South Africa. Kathy loves blush bubbly and was very pleased with the wine selection, even though it clashed a bit with the gourd fruits three-ways. For my part, if we are venturing beyond the classics, I prefer the deep red tannic sparklers from Australia, but then you would need to serve a bittersweet chocolate confection to go with it. Folks at the table next to ours ordered the bread pudding and a cheese plate for dessert. Orthodox, but both looked terrific. Something to look forward to, along with several other dishes I saw on the à la carte menu. If you seek one great meal in Old Town this year, go to Cathal Armstrong's Restaurant Eve. If perchance two, then try Vermilion. Upcoming Old Town Restaurant Reviews Jeff Armstrong's Jackson 20 at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, and Robert Wiedmaier's Brabo at the Lorien Hotel. And Around The Metro Area Volt,
Bryan Voltaggio's new American restaurant in historic Frederick, Maryland. |
|
|
Brian
Lam On Nothing Much is a periodic feature of this website that considers life about us. I wish to thank those of you who are reading these postings and sending me notes of encouragement, gentle criticism, or otherwise. |
