FOOD: Bertrand Chemel 2941

By Kathleen Nixon

September 30, 2011

Falls Church Times Staff

 

Bertrand Chemel Executive Chef of 2941 will be the featured chef at tomorrow Falls Church Farmers Market Chef demonstration. Today he shares a little of his background and his love of preparing foods with fresh local and seasonal foods.

Tell our readers a little about your background? Why did you get into cooking? Who inspired you? What have been some of your challenges as your career has advanced? What is new on the horizon for you?

I was born in Montlucon about 80 miles north of Lyon. I grew up around farms. My parents always bought meat chicken, duck, pork, veal, and beef directly from farms. The only cans we used were my mom’s preserved vegetables, homemade pate, and jam. I had two grandmothers, one likes to cook only pastry and the other one only savory. At the age of 14 during summer break, I was looking for a summer job and my grandmother recommended me to her neighbor who was the baker in town. After two summers cleaning dishes and helping making pie and other small pastries, I decided to pursue culinary school.

After four years of culinary, I travelled to Megeve at the border of Switzerland and worked with this incredible chef, Michel Gaudin for about three years. He sent me to the South of France to work at the La Bastide Saint Anthoine a two-star Michelin restaurant. After two years Michel Gaudin asked me if I would like to travel and my first reaction was to go to New York City. He contacted Daniel Boulud and got me a job. I like to say that I have two mentors, one in France and one in New York. Daniel taught me a lot about how to run a restaurant, pleasing guests, working hard and respecting your employees.

Tell us a little about your restaurant, your staff and how you incorporate local producers into your restaurant purchasing?

2941 offers one of the most beautiful locations in DC and Northern Virginia. We serve innovative French American cuisine, using local and fresh ingredients. I always like to know where and how our animals were raised, who has the best berries around town, or who has the best lettuce at the market. Using produce and meats from farmers can be a challenge since restaurants use big quantities but that’s also the reason why I like to work with them.  They only giving you their best quality produce and it challenges us to be creative with our menu. At 2941, we change our tasting menu every week so we can feature the best produce and meats on any given week from seafood and meat to vegetables and fruits.

You work with many of the local producers? Who do you work with?

Tree and Leaf farm, Douglas Whipple from Whipple farms, Westmoreland farm for fruits and berries. In the summer, I like to go to the Falls Church Farmers Market and see what I can bring back to the restaurant.

As a customer, what changes have you seen in the local food landscape?

People want to know more about the produce they eating. If it’s organic, wild or farmed raised, they have more questions about where their food comes from.

When did you start using local ingredients in creating your menu and recipes?

Since I grew up around farmers, my grandfather was a farmer, I always ate farm fresh eggs, meat and poultry. My father had a year-round farm as well. When I worked at Café Boulud, I was always excited to go to the farmers market and buy vegetables, feta cheese and heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs and everything else from local farms.

Here I use the Mclean Farmers Market and Falls Church one because I live close to them. And my bigger purveyors always carry fresh produce from Virginia farms.

What ingredients has been the most challenging to work with?

This year it was the tomatoes in the late summer. Because it was very hot, then dry and then we had so many storms, the quality of the tomatoes changed.

Do you think your customers understand and appreciate your incorporation of local food into your menus?

I believe that if I’m proud of the ingredients and produce we’re using to create our menus, our guests will taste the difference. For example, in the summer until late fall, my cooks and I have our own herb garden at the restaurant to create cocktails or essences for our menu.

What local ingredients are not yet available to the local economy that you would like to incorporate into your menu?

Wild mushrooms, ramps and beef

How long have you been part of the Farmers Market Chef series?

This is my second year.

What do you like best about the Farmers Market Chef series? Any challenges or surprises?

I like to meet the shoppers and introduce 2941 restaurant to them. I like showing them new and creative recipes that they can do at home. It’s good to see the parents who come with their kids.  Everything starts when you are young and I believe introducing our kids to the farmers market is a big step to healthy lifestyle for them.

What will you be preparing for your demonstration?

We will be preparing two dishes that feature seasonal items. The first is butternut squash ravioli, sage brown butter, with smoked Savoy cabbage, and the second will be beet salad, slowly baked Gala apple glazed in apple cider, blue cheese marshmallow with walnut vinaigrette.

 

 

Halloween Storefront Painting, This Weekend & Next

It is time to pick up paint brushes and conjure up spirits, goblins and magical pumpkins as the Fourth Annual Falls Church Hallowe’en Paint-in arrives.

Artists of all ages can sign up to paint a designated Falls Church store window on Oct. 1^st and 8^th between 10 am and 2 pm, and on Oct. 2^nd and 9^th from 2 to 4 pm.

Paints will be supplied by the Falls Church Arts organization, in partnership with Falls Church Recreation and Parks, Creative Cauldron, the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce and the Business in Education Partnership.

Join in making this a festive occasion for merchants, shoppers and strollers in our city center.

To register, please send a sketch to Marty Behr, Falls Church Arts, 412 N. Cherry St.,  Falls Church, VA  22046, or behr_marty@yahoo.com.

Crime Report for September 20 – 26

By FALLS CHURCH POLICE DEPARTMENT

September 27, 2011

NOTE: This report is not a definitive list of all criminal activity and is subject to change upon investigation.

Graffiti, 201 S. Washington St. (7-Eleven).  On Sept. 20, graffiti was found on a wall with fresh black and white spray paint.

Graffiti, 100 E. Fairfax St. (Falls Church Jobs Ministry).  On Sept. 20, graffiti was found on a wall with fresh black and white spray paint.

Narcotics Violations, and Driving Under the Influence, 900 block N. Roosevelt St.  On Sept. 22, an officer conducted a traffic stop for a motor vehicle violation.  The driver, a 22 year old Falls Church man, was arrested for Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Marijuana, and Driving Under the Influence.

Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Submit to Blood or Breath Test, 800 block N. Roosevelt St.  On Sept. 22, an officer conducted a traffic stop for a motor vehicle violation.  The driver, a 24 year old Arlington man, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Submit to Blood or Breath Test.

Larceny from Building, 601 S. Oak St. (Thomas Jefferson Elementary School).  On Sept. 22, unknown suspect(s) stole a wallet and a mobile phone from an unattended purse.

Residential Burglary, 1000 block N. Tuckahoe St.  On Sept. 22, unknown suspect(s) forced entry into a residence and stole various items, including small electronics sometime between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Larceny from Building, 111 Gordon Rd. (Dixie Sheet Metal).  On Sept. 22, the unknown suspect(s) stole scrap electric motors from an unsecure storage area between 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Urinating In Public, 300 block N. Washington St . On Sept. 23, a 33 year old Arlington man, was arrested for Urinating In Public.

Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Submit to Blood or Breath Test, 800 block N. Roosevelt St.  On Sept. 24, an officer conducted a traffic stop for a motor vehicle violation.  The driver, a 28 year old Silver Spring, MD man, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Submit to Blood or Breath Test.

Destruction of Property, 435 S. Washington St. (Coleman PowerSports).  On Sept. 24, 7:23 p.m., an alarm indicated a window pane was damaged by unknown suspect(s).

Residential Burglary, 300 block Buxton Rd.  On Sept. 24, unknown suspect(s) entered an unsecure residence and stole various items, including small electronics, and a bicycle sometime between 6:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.

Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest, 220 N. Washington St. (State Theater).  On Sept. 25, an intoxicated man refused to obey an officer’s lawful commands while controlling traffic at an intersection.  While affecting the arrest for Public Drunkenness, the intoxicated man resisted.  A 28 year old Arlington man, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest.

Residential Burglary, 1000 block N. Sycamore St.  On Sept. 25, the victim reported that unknown suspect(s) entered an unsecured occupied residence and stole a TouchPad, sometime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Sept. 24.

Larceny from Building, 358 W. Broad St. (Chipotle).  On Sept. 25, 3:30 p.m., three suspects stole a tip jar.  The three individuals walked out of the store and were last seen in a blue Dodge van bearing Virginia tag XDW-7834.

Vandalism, 1230 W. Broad St. (Giant Foods).  On Sept. 25, unknown suspect(s) keyed the victim’s vehicle in the parking lot.

Residential Burglary, 1000 block N. Sycamore St.  On Sept. 25, the victim reported that unknown suspect(s) entered the victim’s residence by tampering a basement window and and ransacked the residence.  The suspect(s) left with a bicycle, cash, and various small electronics sometime between 10 a.m. on Sept. 23 and 6 p.m. on Sept. 25.

Domestic Assault, Attempted Destruction of Property, Public Drunkenness, 800 block W. Broad St.  On Sept. 25, a 31 year old City of Falls Church man, was arrested for Assaulting a Family Member, Attempted Destruction of Property, and Public Drunkenness.

Public Drunkenness, 917 W. Broad St. (El Zunzal).  On Sept. 26, a 32 year old Fort Washington, MD man, was arrested for Public Drunkenness.  He was also issued an extradition warrant to Maryland for failure to appear in court for DUI charges.

Narcotics Violations, 1000 block Ellison St.  On Sept. 26, an officer conducted a traffic stop for a motor vehicle violation.  A 19 year old Springfield man and a 19 year old Falls Church man, were arrested for possession of Marijuana.

Police Looking for Man Who Fled Traffic Stop

By STEPHEN SIEGEL
Falls Church Times Staff

Sept. 27, 2011

Falls Church CIty police on Tuesday were continuing to search for a man who fled a Monday night traffic stop.

The man, who was identified only as having a Falls Church mailing address, was pulled over by police about 10 pm Monday in the 1000 block of Ellison Street after he allegedly ran the stop sign at Parker and West streets.

Police say he told officers he didn’t have a driver’s license with him, and also gave two different names. When he was asked to step out of the vehicle, he did — and he ran.

An officer chased him to the 200 block of South West Street, where he lost the trail behind a house. The suspect remains at large, Police Capt. Rick Campbell wrote via email.

During the chase, the officer found baggies containing cash and suspected marijuana. They brought in a drug-sniffing dog to search the black Honda Accord, and also searched two passengers — Hassan Dib, 19, of Springfield, and Jose L. Ventura Herrera, 19, of Falls Church — who were charged with possession of marijuana and released.

Warrants have been issued for the driver’s arrest on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Council Divided on Proposal to Reduce Number of Wards

By GEORGE BROMLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

September 26, 2011

The Falls Church City Council this evening approved the first reading of an ordinance that would reduce the number of voting wards from five to three, but the vote was not unanimous.  Both Mayor Nader Baroukh and Councilwoman Robin Gardner opposed the measure, though for different reasons.

Ms. Gardner linked the matter to the issue of changing city election dates, which the Council first approved, then later reversed itself and called for the question to be resolved via a public referendum.

“I completely support the idea of what we’re trying to do here, but just because we have the ability to consolidate the wards doesn’t mean we have the right to,” she said.”  I don’t think it’s up to me, based on the decision of Council previously with regards to the election date.  I think this is something we should put out to the citizens of the community.”

Mayor Baroukh said the plan to improve service to voters was a worthwhile effort and complimented Registrar David Bjerke and the Electoral Board, but he questioned whether the action was a priority, given other pressing matters such as zoning, storm water management, and economic development.

“I’ve heard very loudly about other issues that the community feels that need to be resolved,” he said.  “This is extremely important and has to have a lot of education going forward, but the question is does it have to happen now, based on all our other priorities?  I’m not hearing that this is an issue for our voters right now.  This particular item is going to need a vast amount of education and effort.  Do we have the bandwith to do it?  I’m not sure.”

The other four members present had few reservations.

Councilman Ira Kaylin said he saw the matter as administrative, rather than political.  “I just don’t see this as such a colossal issue” he said.  “Falls Church has one of the most highly educated populations in the country.  Surely this isn’t going to overburden the citizenry to figure out that they have to go to a different polling place.”

Councilman Ron Peppe agreed.  “Changing the election date was fraught with all sorts of political considerations.  I don’t see how that compares to ‘Does somebody vote here or does somebody vote three blocks away?’ in a city that’s two miles wide.”

Councilwoman Johannah Barry called the proposal purely apolitical and said it would offer greater efficiency and effectiveness.  Councilman Lawrence Webb said he was supporting the measure on first reading, with the caveat that the officials provide a better rollout plan prior to the second vote.

If adopted on second reading, the ordinance would impact about half of the City’s voters.  Wards Three (Scout House) and Five (American Legion Hall) would be eliminated.  The plan would create three wards with nearly equal numbers of registered voters.

Other Business

The Council approved, 5-1, the first reading of a budget amendment that would use $36,000 of seized assets to purchase a police motorcycle, storage shed, and equipment.  Ms. Gardner opposed the ordinance, citing questions concerning future costs for operating the motorcycle.

The Council unanimously approved a resolution granting City employees an additional half day of holiday time the day before Thanksgiving, and an additional half day of holiday time for Christmas Eve, which will be taken on Friday, December 23.

Consent Items

The Council authorized the city manager to purchase of up to $150,000 in biodiesel fuel and to expend up to $185,000 to purchase water system meters and related equipment.

The following citizens were appointed to City or regional boards:

Kathryn Chandler to the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board – 09/01/11 – 08/31/14
Hunter Kimble to the Post-Employment Benefits Finance Board – 07/01/11 – 06/30/13
Jeffrey Tarbert to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority – 10/01/11 – 09/30/15
Kieran Sharpe to the Fairfax Partnership for Youth – 07/01/11 – 06/30/13

City Manager’s Report

Mr. Shields said that he and Mr. Webb would attend the annual Municipal League conference next week.  Falls Church has won a Green Government Challenge Award for the fourth year in a row.  The award, which will be presented at the conference, cites the City’s excess trash collection and green fleet policies, its bio-fuel purchases, and walk-able schools initiatives.

The Property Yard Open House will be held on Saturday, October 1, from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.

The City’s 23rd annual Fall Cleanup Day also will be held Saturday.  Citizens who have registered should report to the Community Center at 10:30 am.

Closed Session

At the end of the public meeting the Council entered into a closed session to discuss water system issues.

RETROSPECTIVE: The Great Flood of 2011

BY STEPHEN SIEGEL
Falls Church Times Staff

September 26, 2011

How will you remember the Great Flood of 2011?

You might still be repairing your house. Or replacing clothes, toys, or appliances. Perhaps you were fortunate, and you will just remember the pictures. Or vow to tell your young children or grandchildren they might not see anything like it again.

The Great Flood came on the heels of Hurricane Irene, which itself came at the end of a wet August. Caused by the remains of Tropical Storm Lee, which circled Falls Church City and the mid-Atlantic for days, it dropped as much as 13-15 inches on the area, depending on who’s doing the measuring.

In southern Fairfax County, around Ft. Belvoir, some were even calling it the 1,000 year flood. So prodigious was its output that it caused even normally placid streams to overflow, swamping City streets, filling basements like bathtubs, backing up sewer systems, and forcing the closure of several streets, including Lee Highway and West Street, where Tripps Run decided to go over, rather than its usual location under, the roads.

While that’s all rather unusual, Tripps Run is a traditional problem. The adjacent areas, along parts of Kennedy, Randolph, Spring, Lee, Oak, Sherrow, Cameron, Westmoreland and Maple long has been classified as a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood plain, and homeowners within those boundaries are required to purchase flood insurance.

Where Sherrow meets Seaton Lane, photos taken by area resident April Franklin show people wading through knee-deep water.

A house for sale at 421 Sherrow still has suspended showings two weeks later, because of severe basement flooding, said the listing agent, Steve Kennedy, who said it’s important to be upfront with buyers about the home’s condition.

Mr. Kennedy, who grew up on Sherrow, said he hasn’t seen flooding this bad in Falls Church since Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

Four Mile Run, along the City’s northeast boundary with Arlington, also is part of a FEMA flood plain. The creek lived up to its billing, overflowing its banks throughout the area, rising to the level of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail’s foot bridge in Benjamin Banneker Park and leaving back yards looking like lakes.

Adam Witzel of Falls Church knows that first hand, witnessing the raging creek and taking some stunning photographs on the night the storm peaked.

Perhaps more shocking was the overflowing of other streams that aren’t typically an issue. Some are so inconsequential they don’t even have widely known names.The stream that runs along the W&OD Trail behind the City’s Gordon Road property yard overflowed, sending water cascading down Ellison and Parker streets toward low-lying West, which is about 28 feet below the creek’s elevation where it intersects Parker, according to the City’s topographic map.

Water from the creek, apparently called the Pearson Branch, flooded a home at 1206 Ellison that sits below the level of the road, with witnesses saying water was up to the level of the first floor windows. The same wall of water flooded stores in the adjacent West End Shopping Center, where the rear of the building sits below the level of the rear parking lot.

Likewise, a sunken drainage area at Rite Aid, 1003 W. Broad Street, where water from the store’s parking lot and the Pearson Branch gather, reached the level of the nearby corner of Ellison and West streets, about five feet higher than normal, turning the normally grass-and-tree-covered pit into a small pond, and causing a water spout at a West Street storm drain.

The prodigious waters didn’t last long. Two hours after the water was knee deep behind Thomas Jefferson Elementary School it was all clear, reports the Falls Church Times’ George Bromley.

But that was plenty of time to do a lot of damage — damage and pictures that will be remembered for a long, long time.

FOOD: Dinner at Ray’s the Steaks

By Ra Chan

September 23, 2011

Special to Falls Church Times

On our way home, my husband, and I were trying to figure out dinner plans; after throwing out a few ideas, he wanted to take me to one of our favorite places for an impromptu date night. We’ve been a fan of Ray’s the Steaks since they were at their old location next to Hell Burger. What really attracts me to the new location is that they now take reservations and the space is much larger. In all actually, we’ve never had a tough time getting a table; we tend to get their before the peak of the dinner rush.

So after getting to our table and ordering a glass of wine, it was time to make that all important decision — which cut of beef did we want for dinner? I’ve never had a bad steak here, so I knew without a doubt, whatever we decided to go with, it would still be an amazing dinner.

I started off with the Caesar salad and got the crab bisque. I’m normally not a fan of bisque, I prefer more texture to my soup. But this one was outstanding with an amazing amount of lump crab meat! The soup was so creamy with the delicate sweetness of concentrated crab and just a hint of ground pepper.

I ordered the El Diablo steak, cooked medium with a side of the spicy piranha sauce. This steak was a top sirloin, grilled in a spicy sauce and topped with roasted garlic and sautéed onions. The garlic just melted over the steak; I even found myself spreading the garlic over the steak like butter! The sirloin was cooked to perfection. I normally love the piranha sauce, which is a spicier version of chimichurri sauce, but I didn’t really need this sauce since the spicy sauce that coated the steak gave it the perfect amount of flavor and seasoning.

My husband got the steak Bertolucci – NY strip served with roasted bone marrow, and served in a roasted garlic and red wine reduction sauce. The sauce really complimented the intense beef flavor and the bone marrow provided that extra punch, with its very smooth, creamy and buttery consistency.

This was definitely another successful meal at Ray’s. I love this place for so many reasons – the amazing cuts of beef, the completely reasonable prices, and the complimentary creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. I feel like I’m dining at a 5 star establishment and getting the best beef available, but I don’t feel out of place walking in with jeans and flip flops. As we lingered at dinner over a cup of coffee and some peanut butter truffles, I couldn’t help but just sit back and go over the meal in my head again. It was delicious and I relished every bite.

2300 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201

http://raysthesteaks.com/

703-841-7297

FOOD: World Fare- A Street Food Festival

BY Kathleen Nixon

September 23, 2011

Falls Church Times Staff

Want to enjoy International Food and Support a Good Cause? Join Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) as they present their annual World Fare: A Street Food Festival on Sunday October 2nd from 5pm – 8pm at Willow Restaurant. Stroll through the “World Fare” and enjoy fabulous street fare menu items while meeting the region’s top women chefs, sommeliers, farmers, bee keepers, cheese makers, food truck operators and more. You can sample beer, wine and craft cocktails from the best women brewers, wine makers and mixologists from our area. Nycci Nellis from WTOP’s Foodie and the Beast, and TheListAreYouOnIt.com and auctioneer, Carla Hall, Top Chef Finalist and co-host of ABC’s new show “The Chew” will be your hosts and emcees.

Stroll through the “World Fare” and enjoy fabulous street fare menu items including: Tamales de Camaron: Shrimp Tamales Spiedini Misti: Grilled Quail Sausage, Red Onion and Apple, SabaKalua Pork in Hawaiian Salt and Banana Leaves with Sticky Rice and Mac SaladDal wada( Fried Lentil Croquets)Oysters on the Half Shell with Ginger Sake Mignonette Farmstead Cheese Amuse-GueulesGrilled Octopus, Yogurt and Feta Pita Pockets Assorted Wood-Fired Oven Pizzas Lemongrass Chicken Skewers on a Green Papaya SaladRice Paper Shrimp Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce Crab and Lancaster County Corn FrittersRillettes, Pates and Chicken Liver Mousse with Breads, Crostinis, Cornichons, Pickled Onions, Housemade Mostarda Organic Pulled Pork BBQ with Healthy Slaw on a Sweet Potato Biscuit Masala Chai (Spiced Tea)Sweet and Savory Cookie Collection Caramel Corn Almond Fig Tartlets with Balsamic Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Sundaes Pineapple Orange Ginger Sorbet and more!

Willow Restaurant
4301 N. Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203

Sunday, October 2, 2011
5:00 to 8:00 PM

Tickets: $65 per person in advance, $75 per person at the door
(ticket prices are inclusive of all food & beverage)

To purchase tickets http://www.womenchefs.org/cde.cfm?event=360142%20

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