Image: Rosalind Solomon, Bananas – Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (1980).
Activity picked up on our site this week. Alas, traffic did not, but such are the vicissitudes of the current algorithmic era. A few interesting data points about the emerging economy on both the tipping and supply chain front popped this week. Also, who shamed the National Restaurant Association into supporting restaurants? Which is all to say we suggest a perusal of the rest of this post may be worth your time.
Updates to D.C. Recommended Restaurant List
Destino – The sibling of Las Gemelas Taqueria and the cousin of Espita packs big flavors into Mexican-ish dishes.
L’Ardente – A grand space serving up robust Italian with style.
D.C. Dining News
A Hole in Dupont: Bethesda Bagel, which took over a spot that has been a furniture story, Burrito Brothers and Johnny Rockets (if memory serves) on Connecticut Ave in Dupont, announced that failure to comes to terms on a lease means its run in the space ends this weekend.
Drink
Chemical Swing: New Zealand wineries started to embrace sustainable practices in the 90s. Now, 99% of vineyards use non-chemical methods for managing pests and diseases.
Other News
The Emerging Economy: Farmers can’t get crops to foreign buyers because the supply chain is prioritizing other products. “Traditionally, carriers unload containers arriving from China at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and then ship empties up to Oakland, where they are reloaded with almonds and other agricultural crops. But in recent months, the carriers have put growing numbers of empty containers back on ships immediately. The companies can make more money sending the valuable containers directly back to Asia, where they are refilled with goods destined for American consumers.”
We Don’t Pay Enough for Dining: The Times does a standard piece with random “man-on-the-street” quotes about the “fatigue” of tipping options and tipping prompts at check-out, but then gives a real stat: “In April 2020, the average tip at a quick-service food business was 23.5 percent, up from 19.6 percent the previous month. But that figure has steadily fallen since then, to 19.8 percent last month. (At full-service restaurants with Square systems, the decline has been less sharp, to 20.7 percent last month from 21.3 percent in April 2020.) Mr. Solar said that in general, the new touch-screen technology encourages tipping.” So maybe the fatigue is not so bad?
17° Assignment Desk: The National Restaurant Association annual public affairs conference kicks off tomorrow where members go to Capitol Hill to push an agenda that originally did not include replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, but now apparently does. That seems like a story? Also, we note that for members attending, “Attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide a negative PCR or antigen test taken within 72 hours of the event.“
Apron Strings: Hannah Good, writing in the Post, talks about finding a bond in the kitchen with her southern mom as they figured out how to do vegetarian meals together: After all, my mom and I have learned, the essence of Southern cooking isn’t what you make. It’s the labor of love sweating over a hot stove; it’s the joy of peeling back tinfoil on a porcelain casserole dish and saying, “Fix yourself a plate.”
Bride Gets in the Weed: A wedding reception guest asked the kitchen staff why people were feeling funky. “Well, there’s cannabis in the food.”
Shocking: Japanese researchers have developed electric chopsticks that send a charge to activate sodium ions and increase the saltiness of the taste of food. The intent is to then allow a decrease in sodium intake, but not sure that is what it will be used for in the end. The same team came up with a lickable TV scream.
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That is it for this week. Be sure to check in next week for more updates and keep your eyes open for more restaurants being added to the site. Our D.C. dining guide has 300+ recommended restaurants. You can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and current operating status (dine-in and/or take-out, etc. – though things are in flux currently so check before you go!) in either LIST or MAP format.
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Be kind and safe. Tip big. Support what you want to see survive.