The Sibling Rivalry Experience

Salmon and spinach wrapped in puffed pastry, served with rosemary tomato coulis

Warm parmesan garlic flan with wild mushroom and garlic confit in lemon brown butter

Try it Two Ways

When cooking there are so many ways to use the same foods and produce entirely different dishes, as Iron Chef shows. Cooking contests have become all the rage, especially with the popularization through television programming on the Food Network and Bravo's hit show Top Chef. The appeal is in the unpredictability, and the chance for chefs to show their creativity and delve into a gastronomic world of infinite possibilities.

Sibling Rivalry in Boston's South End took the concept of culinary competition and turned it into a happening restaurant, as brother chefs David and Bob Kinkead created a "dueling" menu that showcases their talents with different interpretations of the same seasonal ingredients. The dinner menu literally has two columns, one for each chef, to show the parallels and variations between each's selections. For example, while one will have duck agnolotti (a kind of ravioli) in a sage marsala sauce, while the other will make crispy pressed duck with cipollini onions and sour cherries - same bird, different takes. They also experiment using ingredients in different courses, as Chef David makes a Moroccan style lamb appetizer, while Chef Bob does a grilled paillard of lamb with rosemary as an entree. Alternatively, they also use similar cooking techniques to different ingredients as well, such as the Asian tuna tartare with pickled ginger and spicy aioli and the ancho chile steak tartare with pickled cabbage, a Southwestern-inspired version of the dish. Never lacking in creativity, Sibling Rivalry's menu changes regularly depending on what's in season, so the specials are always exciting.

Sibling Rivalry offers a pre-fixe menu to give diners the chance to experience three courses of culinary genious, which I highly recommend. Described as "modern American cuisine," Sibling Rivalry demonstrates the melting pot effect of U.S. culture - and food - blending different ethnic cuisines with a selection that includes mussels in Thai curry, Southwestern scallops, Korean style short ribs, classic Italian gnocchi, Vietnamese crispy fried squid, and Alaskin halibut, to name a few. Every single dish is well-executed, with a classy presentation to match the restaurant's posh atmosphere and swanky location, and of course cocktails to match. Yet Sibling Rivalry doesn't overdo it, because they know they don't have to. Minimalist decor, a good (yet not too lengthy and overwhelming) wine selection, top-notch (but not snobby) service, and most importantly, good food.

Who wins the rivalry? The diner, for you can't go wrong with a meal here.

4.5/5 stars.

Culinary World Tour - The Best ... I Ever Had

The Best ...

Breakfast: Stockholm, Sweden

Croissant: Barcelona, Spain

Crepe: Montreal, Quebec

Caffe latte: Madrid, Spain

Cappuccino: Venice, Italy

Tea: Fez, Morocco

Wine: Tuscany, Italy

Beer: Brussels, Belgium

Bread and cheese picnic: Paris, France

Fresh fish: Essaouira, Morocco

Shrimp: Shreveport, Louisiana

Paella: Valencia, Spain

Indian curry: Brick Lane - London, UK

Malaysian food: Penang - Washington, D.C.

American (cheeseburger, milkshake, fries): Cheeburger Cheeburger - Sanibel Island, Florida

Nachos - my dad's

Fajitas: Cozumel, Mexico

Enchiladas: New Mexico

Pizza: New York City

Calzone: Rehoboth, Delaware

Souvlaki: Athens, Greece

Falafel: Paris, France

Sushi: San Francisco, California

Vegan food: Moosewood - Ithaca, New York

Gelatto: Rome, Italy

Ice cream sundae: Charcoal Pit - Wilmington, Delaware

Tiramisu: Florence, Italy

Cannoli: North End, Boston

Pastry: Prague, Czech Republic

Chocolate: Azrou, Morocco (from Switzerland)

Best Falafel I Ever Had

From a stand in the Marais

Good Food Enjoyed in Good Company

The motto of the growing restaurant chain Lebanese Taverna in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is "Good Food Enjoyed in Good Company." For me that is certainly the case, as I have returned to this restaurant when visiting family over the years. The Abi-Najm family immigrated to the U.S. during the Lebanese civil war and opened Lebanese Taverna in Arlington in 1976, and it grew steadily from there, evolving from a small family-owned restaurant to a regionally-known name. They now have locations in Washington D.C., Pentagon City, Baltimore, Silver Spring, Rockville, and the most recent in Bethesda, Maryland. In the 90s they opened the Lebanese Taverna Market, which sells authentic Lebanese food and specialty products, expanding to include catering and cooking classes to teach the art of Lebanese cooking to an American audience.

The Bethesda location is prime real estate in the newly-developed commercial district Bethesda Row, with a pedestrian walkway to foment foot traffic. The restaurant decor jives with this escalating sense of sophistication, simple and modern with Middle Eastern decorating touches, such as the wall of large colored lanterns to accent the otherwise muted tones of the dining room, with cedar and ceiling-high windows overlooking the street. I came during one of the heaviest tourist weeks of the year for the area, as early April is primetime season for when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Accordingly Lebanese Taverna had a "Cherry Blossom Special" of the week, a rack of lamb, marinated with garlic, rosemary, and zaatar over a morello cherry cabernet reduction with fava beans and grape tomatoes - the pink lamb meat and red cherry sauce and tomatoes to celebrate the blooming trees! The dish uses holistic, prime Elysian field rack of lamb, and the Lebanese chefs know their lamb. The menu includes lamb done many ways: stewed lamb, braised lamb shank, lamb loin, lamb chop, spicy sausage, and in casseroles. Now that's options.

In a proper Lebanese meal you begin with the mezze, which in Arabic means snack and in the Eastern Mediterranean is a selection of appetizers or small dishes, similar to the Spanish tapas concept. The mezze menu includes the crispy spicy sausage, which was too charred for my taste and used to fatty a cut of meat, stuffed grape leaves, and m'saka, eggplant ratatouille cooked with chickpeas and tomatoes, my personal favorite. The falafel was decent (but I've had better - I've had some fabulous falafel) but needed more cumin and less green onions. The complimentary pita was stale.

The service was poor; though the server was friendly she messed up the order, and the food preparation was poorly timed and brought to the table irregularly, so the grilled vegetable side dish came out with the mezze and had grown cold by the time our entrees arrived. There was a particularly long wait between the courses - though perhaps a cultural difference as non-American patrons are used to taking more time to digest, it was still problemmatic with the parking meter running. When the main meals finally came, it was worth the wait, as they were all well-executed. The mouzat (braised lamb shank) was slow-cooked in a hearty tomato sauce with burghul pilaf so that it fell off the bone, and the sharhat ghanam (grilled lamb loins) were tender, juicy cuts of meat served in a tasty three-green herb sauce with a crisp aftertaste with a hint of mint to cleanse the palate. The kasteleta (the dish's lamb chop version) was also well-executed; no part of that lamb was spared. The fatteh, warm yogurt casserole with chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, and pine nuts, could be made with eggplant, chicken, or lamb (of course), and though plated attractively it had too much yogurt and not enough pomegranates,in my opinion the best part since they literally explode in your mouth. The same dish is better at nearby restaurant Bacchus. For the seafood friendly, the salmon meshwi, grilled with vegetables and served with tomato salsa and (undercooked) burghul pilaf, was also well-received. The menu is also family-friendly, catering to the young families in the Bethesda clientele, with a "Little Ones" selection with pita pizzas for the kids. This doesn't help the restaurant noise level, however, as the spacious dining area already creates a cacophony when the place is at full capacity. On a Friday night in Bethesda, it's always full - and for good reason.

Food: 4/5 stars.
Ambience: 3.5 stars.
Service: 2/5 stars.
Experience: priceless.

Dinner at the Plaza

Had Eloise lived in Boston, it would have been at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel. A symbol of Boston's long history of high society, the regal Fairmont holds catered events from weddings to conferences, so the banquet food is top-notch. The menu selection for events has butler passed hors d'oeurvres, both hot and cold options and demitasse soups to choose from; as well as a salad course; dinner entrees ranging from fish, fowl, lamb veal and pork, and vegetarian; and of course an assortment of visually stunning desserts. Despite the challenges of cooking for hundreds at a time - any caterer can tell you it is no easy feat - the Fairmont Copley Plaza chefs execute it well, making it one of the tastier hotel meals one can find in Boston.

At our annual Gala Tuesday night we began with a reception in the Venetian Room, which is decorated with crystal chandeliers and bronze marble columns to create a stately atmosphere. The passed hors d'oeurvres selected for the event were the frenched baby lamb chops with tumeric cucumber raita (a unanimous crowd favorite), spanikopita, jumbo gulf shrimp, and vegetarian spring rolls with sweet chili plum dip. While the shrimp and spring rolls are typical appetizers for these sort of receptions, the Fairmont also offers more adventurous options, such as seared foie gras with Indian pudding, spiced cake, pomegranate syrup and crispy fried shallots, and tuna tartare served in a spoon with a lotus root chip (a glorified potato chip but sounds so much more glamorous, doesn't it?) And of course you can choose caviar - with the "blue-blood" philanthropist guests, the menu selection is an indication of the sponsoring organization's financial standing, and even the food at the Gala signifies standing and sends a message. With the recent economic downturn, foundation and nonprofits are stretched financially even more and a new wave of "modest cuisine" has risen in popularity, as venues find more interesting ways to present the stereotypically boring chicken dinner (at $75 a head in comparison to the $95 rack of lamb, it's understandable and even expected.) The Fairmont Copley Plaza has responded to this trend with "rustic" themed meals, such as the grilled chicken breast with basil, Tuscan white bean and plum tomato stew, which years ago would have appeared dowdy but is increasingly in vogue. The passed hors h'doeurvres, likewise, include some topically provencal choices such as cream of cauliflower soup with morel mushrooms, or crispy polenta and oyster mushroom brochette with red pepper almond pesto. Though I found this considerably more interesting than the blase crab cakes and shrimp cocktails, ultimately we opted for the more "safe" appetizers, to please the masses rather than take a chance on a more risky dish. In the past we've chosen the field mushroom tartlet with marscapone creamed leeks, which had grown cold by the time it circulated the reception (unlike shrimp it does not keep well at room temperature), and the Vermont maple cured salmon bar with lemon and caper remoulade, which frankly was a bit slimy. The lamb chops, on the other hand, are reportedly good every year.

The Gala dinner was held in the Grand Ballroom, the elegant thirty-foot high room with balconies, mirrors, and gilded columns, creating a supremely luxurious atmosphere. The wait staff provides excellent service, well-trained in managing large-scale events and maneuvering serving and clearing while the program, including speeches, films and live performances, goes on during the meal. The salad was the picturesque California field greens with roasted yellow and red peppers, kalamata olives, hearts of palm and shaved parmesan with a light fresh herb and champagne vinaigrette; the dressing is served on the side (for all the calorie-conscious) and the salad was presented in a lovely bouquet-style formation, as charming to look at as it was to eat. In past years we've selected the salad with young spring mixed greens, Belgian endive with roasted baby beets and crumbled goat cheese, which is also excellent, using only fresh vegetables - no wilted lettuce in your salad at the Plaza.

For the dinner entree we had the chicken and mushroom wrapped in puffed pastry with a bordelaise sauce, served with steamed asparagus and carrots that added a nice touch of color to the plate. Though bordelaise (a French sauce made with dry red wine, bone marrow, and demi-glace,) is traditionally served with beef or steak, the rich flavor created a heartier effect that brought out the mushrooms and buttery puffed pastry, so it was incredibly filling. Though I would have preferred sliced mushrooms to the ground mushroom layer with the chicken, the steamed vegetables on the side were perfect, not overdone like so frequently happens, and married well with the bordelaise as well. The vegetarian option, wild mushroom ravioli with fennel puree, sauteed organic mushrooms and and sauce vierge, was also delectable. The hint of fennel accented but did not overpower the dish, as I find raw fennel often does, and the large mushroom-filled ravioli had an almost meaty texture. What made it truly exceptional was the sauce vierge, (which in French means "virgin sauce"), made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, and freshly chopped basil. This rendition had thyme and chives, nicely infused into the oil to permeate the dish and create a real zing in combination with the lemon, for a light and savory effect. The secret ingredient: a hint of crushed coriander seed adds a certain "ooh la la!" and there you have a mouth-watering meal.

For dessert we had the seasonal berries with mousse served in a chocolate tulip cup, which is surprisingly light as it is mostly strawberries, raspberries and blackberries (I honestly would have preferred even more chocolate mousse), and of course comes in a charming presentation for this springtime Gala. The Fairmont dessert menu also includes such tasteful dishes such as the apricot and peach trifle, the lemon pyramid with raspberry, and the lavendar peach tart. Of course they also have the classic individual Boston cream pie, in honor of good ole Beantown. With their desserts you really can't go wrong.

After the Gala we went for drinks at the bar of the esteemed Oak Room, hailed as "a brilliant gemstone in a magnificently restored antique setting." The dark interior of the oak-paneled room creates an essence of a former era - honestly it feels like dining on the Titanic - with classical piano playing for the patrons' entertainment. A glass of beer from the bar comes with a "complimentary" soft pretzel, (aka the prices are jacked up even more than a typical overpriced hotel bar), so even beer on tap or a glass of wine there can burn a hole in your wallet. Still, the cocktails are first-rate, such as the heavenly espresso martini that's a whole dessert in a glass, in my opinion. Definitely not a grungy dive bar. The Oak Room is the perfect place to relax - with a cigar and a glass of scotch if you really want to fit in - after a long night at the Plaza.

The Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel epitomizes the luxury of Old Boston, from its decor to the fine dining, making it an excellent venue for holding an event.

4/5 stars.

On Gastronomy

"Gastronomy: the intelligent knowledge of whatever concerns man's nourishment. The subject of gastronomy is whatever can be eaten; its direct end is the conservation of individuals; and its means of execution are the culture which produces, the commerce which exchanges, the industry which prepares, and the experience which invents means to dispose of everything to the best advantage."

Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Physiologie Du Gout, 1826