Welcome to the first edition of the Weekend Warrior. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Borderstan welcomes new contributor Katie Andriulli. Email her at katie[AT]borderstan.com and follow her on Twitter @kandriulli.
So, hey guys. I’m Katie, and I’m new here. I’m not sure how I managed to pull this off, but I’ll be writing a weekly column about some of my favorite weekend things, which (hopefully?) are some of your favorite things, too.
Things like cocktails, food, and (mostly) lowbrow culture. Please be advised that in addition to these aforementioned topics, there are likely to be several obscure TV and movie references in each installment, as well as an overuse of parentheses (see what I mean?) and probably animal gifs, too. But enough about me, let’s talk about you and what you’re up to this weekend:
Thursday
I’ll be scaring my co-workers with my white girl dance moves at my office holiday party tonight, but you should definitely head over to Scion for their “Secret Stash” beer night from 5 pm to 11 pm. They’ll be featuring over 50 rare and off-market beers, including something called “Three Floyds Artic Panzer Wolf,” which I’m pretty sure is a creature that lives on the other side of The Wall. Check out all the offerings options here, and get there early because the good stuff is sure to go fast.
Friday
Run directly from your desk over to U Street tastemaker Ginger Root Design, which is hosting a festive get-together from 6 pm to 9 pm, complete with cocktails by Bourbon Outfitters, gluten-free snacks and a raffle. It’s free, but make sure to RSVP so you can be eligible to win some cool stuff.
Since you’re only one metro stop away, you might as well hop on over to the brand spankin’ new venue 9th and Beats (1219 9th Street NW), which Borderstan profiled earlier this week, for what promises to be a delightfully odd variety show, “Who in the Whatnow?” tonight at 8 pm. Pick up your tickets here ahead of time and save two dollars off the door price.
Saturday
It looks like it’s going to be unseasonably warm again this weekend, but consider taking a break from the fresh air, and head over to the NPR fire sale taking place at their headquarters (635 Mass. Avenue NW) from 10 am to 4 pm. All things considered, I’d say that this is shaping up to be the talk of the nation.
Cap off your nice little Saturday at The District Holiday Gala, which starts at 8 pm at the Whittemore House in Dupont (1526 New Hampshire Avenue NW). The black-tie optional benefit packs in 4 hours of open bar, gourmet hors d’oeuvres and some sweet tunes, all to benefit Horton’s Kids, a local organization that provides tutoring and other support services for children and families in DC’s Ward 8. Tickets are $85 in advance, and can be purchased here.
Sunday
Brunch is happening, so don’t try to fight it. If you’re willing to brave the crowds, the new Matchbox on 14th started serving brunch last weekend, or, better yet, head over to Drafting Table to sample that 64-degree egg we’ve been raving about.
Bonus! Katie’s Netflix Hangover-fix
Nurse your mimosa-addled brain with some TV. The Forsyte Saga miniseries (currently available on Netflix streaming) stars my favorite British ginger, Damian Lewis, and it’s a great lead-in to tonight’s Homeland season finale. Downton Abbey fans will especially dig the awesome hats.
See you back here next week for what could be the second (and last!) Weekend Warrior column ever if the Mayans are right. I’ll be breaking down Borderstan’s finest 12/21/12 festivities, so if you know of anything fun, or if you have an extra spot in available in your doomsday bunker, please don’t hesitate to tweet me @kandriulli.
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A recipe for 64-degree Celsius eggs. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Aparna Krishnamoorthy. Email her at aparna[AT]borderstan.com. Follow her on Twitter @aparnakris.
I like my eggs scrambled, poached, over-easy, as an omelet, with a runny yolk, boiled and every which way possible. You get it, I love eggs. But then, I see this thing called a 64-degree egg popping up on some menus. Or in some cases a 63-degree egg. Huh? Say what?
What is a 64-degree egg? A 64-degree egg is an egg slow cooked in the shell in a water bath of 64 degrees Celsius. (For those of you who don’t remember Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion, that’s approximately 147 degrees Fahrenheit).
What’s the big deal, you say? According to this experiment, cooking eggs at slightly different temperatures in a water bath makes a huge difference. A 64-degree egg has a custard-like white and somewhat solid yolk. With a 63-degree egg, the whites are a bit runnier although still custard-like and the egg yolks are gooey and rich, but fully cooked.
The 64-Degree Egg Recipe
- Place an egg in a 64 degree C water bath for 45 minutes.
- Monitor the temperature constantly – and adjust the water bath by adding hot water if the temperature drops, or scooping out water if it rises. Keeping the lid on helps conserve heat.
- Once the eggs are ready, crack the shell and remove it under a water bath to prevent stress to the delicate egg.
- Use a spoon to remove the egg
- Enjoy atop a sandwich, break it into a salad or pasta!
Disclaimer: If your thermometer is off by a few degrees, the perfect egg might be elusive.
If you want to read about the science behind the 64-degree egg, go on here. For you handy DIY types, build your own cooking apparatus. Does that seem like too much work? No problem! Head over to Drafting Table instead, where they will top anything on their menu with the perfect 64-degree egg.
To me, an egg is an egg, 63 degrees or 64 degrees. But maybe that’s just me. Does the 64 degree egg fascinate you?
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Saturday, Soccer Brunch at Drafting Table. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Finding a place that shows weekend morning games for some of the District’s die-hard soccer fans can be a bit tricky — Almost as tricky as finding someone to get up at 7:45 on a weekend morning to watch the game with you.
Drafting Table is taking some of that stress away with its soccer brunch, beginning Saturday, December 1.
At 8 am, Drafting Table will show West Ham United vs. Chelsea followed by Arsenal vs. Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur vs. Fulham at 10 am.
Those fans who pack the bar between 9 and 11 am will receive a complimentary Sexy Egg Sandwich (you know, fuel to get you yelling GOOOAAAALLLLL and singing songs so early in the morning), as well as $5 Bloody Marys (for when your team misses that goal).
For more information, visit the Facebook page.
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Drafting Table at 1529 14th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Kim Vu. He also has his own food blog, DC Wrapped Dates. Follow him at@dcwrappeddates or email him at kim[AT]borderstan.com.
Unless you’ve been off gallivanting around the world, you, dear Borderstan reader, know that 14th Street is about to experience a veritable onslaught of new restaurants in the coming months. We popped into Drafting Table, the first of this wave, to see if it stacks up to its new neighbors.
The Ambiance
If you knew that Drafting Table took over the old ACKC space on the corner of 14th and Q NW, you will recognize some of the pieces: the ramp leading down from the front door, the bar to the restaurant’s right side, the generally open layout. But gone is the red and gold color scheme with fanciful embellishments. That has been replaced with a much more modern charcoal gray and slate and honey brown that is displayed everywhere, from the aforementioned 15-seat bar, to the bright wood paneling that charmingly lines part of the walls, to dark brick tile flooring.
Seating follows the open layout: to one side are three communal bar tables, a 14-seat one with numbered-cube light fixtures above it, the others six/seven-seat tables lying perpendicular. The rest of the space takes its cue from the restaurant’s namesake, with the eponymous drafting tables making up the rest of the tables.
In all, the space is nothing if not cool. The aforementioned cubed light fixtures are balanced out with gaslight incandescent bulbs that provide an orange flow to the dim space. Framed blueprints (reminiscent of Meridian Pint’s downstairs) hang on the walls, as do black and white portraits, while two flat screens play playoff baseball at the bar. There’s a sizable buzz, and you can’t escape the feeling that this place fits in very well with what it aims to be: a neighborhood hangout place. Borderstan food editrix Alejandra described it as nice for a first date, nice place to sit and wait for friends. Stole the words out of mouth.
The Food
The food offerings fit in very nicely with the gastropub description. Or at the very least, fancied-up diner. On this trip, we go for the server’s recommendation and the most-interesting-thing-on-the-menu, the kaya toast. It’s apparently a Singaporean/Malaysian thing, which makes it an odd blend at first glance given the rest of the dishes. The snack, toast sandwiches of coconut jam meant to be dipped in fried eggs and soy sauce, was very reminiscent of a breakfast of French toast and eggs. Sweet and salty and fun.
Our fried chicken and pickles, and draftsman burger entrees were much of the same. The former eschews the traditional, battering its chicken much like you would fish and chips, encasing it in a solid crisp rather than say melding it directly onto the skin. The portion is also surprisingly generous: a leg, a thigh and a breast. The draftsman burger (a blended patty of beef and beer braised brisket, crispy blue cheese, apricot chutney, bacon-onion jam) and fries was well-cooked, juicy, and punched with decent flavor, with no one ingredient overwhelming any of the others. With the brisket intermixed, the whole patty had a much more grounded, gamey, earthy flavor to it, augmented by the tang of chutney and the onions.
For dessert, the homemade snickers pie is enjoyable, sweet without being overly heavy.
Overall, Drafting Table projects very much like what it’s ostensibly aiming for: a nice place for friends to hang out, a relaxed spot for the game or a first date, a reliable restaurant for a late night brew and bite.
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Drafting Table will have a soft open on Thursday and Friday with a grand opening October 10. It will be at 1529 14th Street NW, former site of ACKC. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
Drafting Table will have a soft opening this Thursday and Friday, October 4-5, with a grand opening on October 10. The new restaurant by Aaron Gordon, owner of Rabbit, Red Velvet Cupcakery, and Tangysweet frozen yogurt, is at 1529 14th Street, where ACKC used to be.
Eater DC has the details: “This is Gordon’s first full-service sit-down restaurant…” The owner’s aim is to create a place where patrons can go and enjoy a drink or a meal as well as discuss projects in a relaxed atmosphere. The dinning area is a reminiscent of a studio with 62-seat area and a 22-seat bar.
The opening menu (check out Drafting Table’s menu on their website) will include a Charcuterie plate, Pear and prosciutto salad, Kaya toast, Falafel, burgers, egg sandwich, braised brisket, fish and chips, fried chicken and pickles, mussels, duck confit and Mediterranean meatloaf. A selection of 16 beers will be on tap and 20 different types of bottled and canned beer will be available, as well as a wine list by the bottle and glass.
The 14th Street corridor is also waiting on the opening of a long list of Italian restaurants as well.
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