When President Obama was elected for the second time as President of the United States of America, Todd Kliman from the monthly “Washingtonian” wrote a piece entitled “Where Barack Obama Should Eat Out During His Second Term”. One of the recommendations was Eola:
“You and Michelle have done well in this category, having already logged meals at Citronelle (now temporarily closed), Tosca, Vermilion, and Komi. The next restaurants on your list should be two Dupont Circle-area gems: Eola and Little Serow. Both are independently owned, with kitchens that are—to put it in political terms—rigorously “on message.” Eola serves a rustic version of contemporary American cooking in a charming rowhouse; Little Serow (from Komi chef Johnny Monis) is a spicy and thrilling tour of northern Thailand.”
Annette Schiller from Ombiasy PR and Wine Tours selected Eola for a winemaker dinner with Co-owner Anne Cuvelier, Château Léoville Poyferré on May 1, 2013 and we went there for discussing the winemaker dinner with Daniel Singhofen and Sommelier Darlin Kulla, and had dinner ourselves, with our friend Gunther.
Château Léoville Poyferré in St.Julien, Boredaux, is a 2ième grand cru classé; the 2010 grand vin just got 98+ points by Robert Parker. The wine searcher average price is currently 155US$ per bottle.
See more:
Ombiasy Wine Tours: Bordeaux Trip Coming up in September 2013
Lunch with Didier Cuvelier at Château Léoville-Poyferré in Saint-Julien, Bordeaux
Eola
In a nutshell, at Eola expect to spend the evening dining on the cutting-edge at an innovative New American restaurant, where a $75 five-course prix fixe menu (no à la carte) is served at a leisurely pace in a quiet townhouse with beautiful aged wooden floors and sparsely decorated with exposed bricks and ochre walls.
Restaurants such Eola—intimate, personal spaces with driven and visionary chefs—are the exception in the United States, not the norm. Komi and Obelisk in Washington DC also belong to this group of restaurants.
Daniel Singhofen
Daniel Singhofen came to Washington DC by way of Orlando, his hometown, where he cooked at a couple of well-regarded restaurants before turning in his apron to follow his fiancée, an employee of the World Bank, north in 2007.
He trained at the Culinary Institute of America and was the sous chef for Kevin Fonzo at K restaurant in College Park, before opening Eola. Eola is owned by him and his parents.
The Place
Eola is simple and pleasant. The first-floor dining room is a relatively narrow exposed-brick affair with a yellow back wall. The kitchen, seen through an open window, adds a low hum to the room. Bare wood tables, simple candles, a wood floor of some vintage and a wall of exposed brick make it a warm and friendly place.
Eola’s Menu
Eola’s menu changes nightly and offers 5 prix fixe options: the main menu with 3 options, a vegetarian option and one of offal offerings. Gunther and Christian went for the regular menu, while Annette picked the offal offerings.
As for the offal menu, Daniel Singhofen said he didn’t create his menu to shock his guests. Rather, he is demonstrating his respect for ingredients. “If we’re responsible for taking life, then we need to be responsible with what we do with that animal,” Daniel Singhofen said. “We try to use as much as we can, as often as we can, and not waste anything.”
More generally, Daniel Singhofen said that he works to create a symbiotic relationship between the chef and his purveyors, like David Ober of West Virginia’s Cedarbrook Farms, who provides Eola with all things swine.
Turning to the wines, we picked the US$ 45 wine menu and did not bother to check the excellent wine card.
Our Selections
The Chef’s Welcome, a selection of small plates
We started with 4 amuse bouche:
Potato Roesti
Arctic Char
Duck Rilette
Deviled Quail Eggs
Wine: Naveran Cava Brut 2010
First Course
Christian:
Coddled Amish Egg, spinach, leek, gaunciale bits, sunchoke puree, crab froth
Castellar Rose Cava
Gunther:
Corona Bean and Rosemary Stew, parmesan, turnip, rutabaga, salsify, spinach
Mueller-Catoir Riesling 2011
Annette:
Confit of Gizzard and Heart, grits, mushroom, baby carrots, apple
Solluna Priorat 2006
Second Course
Christian:
Saffron Risotto, mussels, clams, crab, parmesan
Columna Albarino 2011
Gunther:
Hand Cut Fettuccine, fennel sausage, ragout, chard, parmesan
Mauro Molino Nebbiolo, 2010
Annette: Fettuccine, cured pig liver, coddled egg
Mauro Molino Nebbiolo, 2010
Third Course
Christian:
Cobia, lentils, root vegetables, blood orange, parsley root cream
Lioco Chardonnay 2010
Gunther:
Shenandoah Beef Loin, potato, wilted greens, jus
Chateau La Chapelle 2009
Annette:
Pork Jowl Confit, lentils, kale, radish, carrot and mustard jus
Vincent Girardin Bourgogne 2009
Dessert
We all went for the same:
Meyer Lemon Pudding, ginger anglaise, candied citrus
Kracher Beerenauslese 2008
Cheese Plate
We skipped the Artisan Cheese plate for US$ 15
Cookie Plate
A cookie plate full of choices like a crunchy chocolate hazelnut biscotti, a duo of soft brownie cubes, a bittersweet chocolate chunk cookie and a pair of ginger infused molasses drops was a comforting swansong.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Lunch with Didier Cuvelier at Château Léoville-Poyferré in Saint-Julien, Bordeaux
Ombiasy Wine Tours: Bordeaux Trip Coming up in September 2013
Bordeaux Trip September 2012, France
Bordeaux Wines and their Classifications: The Basics
An Afternoon with Owner Michel Tesseron at Château Lafon-Rochet, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, in Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
Château Léoville-Poyferré, Chateau Le Crock, Didier Cuvelier in Bordeaux and the Cuvelier Los Andes Wines in Argentina
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I love Eola!
ReplyDeleteJoin us for the winemaker dinner with Chateau Leoville Poyferre owner Anne Cuvelier on May 1.
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