{"id":1760,"date":"2011-10-03T15:07:02","date_gmt":"2011-10-03T15:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/?p=1760"},"modified":"2011-10-03T15:07:02","modified_gmt":"2011-10-03T15:07:02","slug":"world-fare-at-willow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/world-fare-at-willow\/","title":{"rendered":"World Fare at Willow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Restaurant Nora\u2019s Southern-style pulled pork with health slaw sliders on organic wheat circles. Is there a better smile? All photos Socotra.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had the best of all food worlds this weekend, though Fall sort of got lost in the mix. It started with happy hour white after work on Friday- and Tracy O\u2019Grady, Willow\u2019s vivacious owner- stopped by the Amen Corner to have a glass of wine with Old Jim, Mary, Jake and me.<\/p>\n

She mentioned that she was going to be open on Sunday, a highly unusual happening, since Tracy is a hands-on executive chef, just as her partner Kate Jansen is a totally engaged baker and pastry chef. They like to get the staff (and them) at least one night off a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the occasion?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the Fall event for the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. We are calling it \u201cWorld Fare: a Street Food Festival.\u201d. We are going to have almost forty vendors here- women brewers and vintners and cheese-makers and chefs and restaurant owners. It is going to be a lot of fun.\u201d She pulled a flier with the specifics and how to order tickets from her chef\u2019s coat and handed it over.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a lot of work?\u201d I said. \u201cSo, I think I have to see it. Five on Sunday?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cKate and I try to support the DC chapter of WCR, so we are throwing the place open. It is going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jake decided to get home before he got in trouble, and I thought that the work-week was thoroughly done and did the same. I had some prep cooking to do for the tailgate at College Park on Saturday, and the weather had reported that there might be rain. I recalled the last time I tried to cook out there- in the monsoon- and this time we conned Jason into providing his easy-up tent and folding grill.<\/p>\n

The Agency Jake used to run had a gala that night, and with a three o\u2019clock kick-off, even if it rained, we would get the tailgate and then see whether or not we would actually go to the game.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, it rained a steady chill gray right through, and it was the best of all worlds- slow-cooked BBQ, saut\u00e9ed peppers and onions and beer and chilled clear liquids. Then, at the appointed moment, half the party started the wet trudge to the stadium and we packed up and left, due to Jake and Jason\u2019s commitments elsewhere.<\/p>\n

I did my research for the World Fare event that night, and in the morning before running the deferred errands and cat support mission to the farm. Tracy\u2019s WCR was formed in 1993 by eight marquee-named women in the culinary business, and now number in the thousands, supporting women-owned ventures and training the next generation of chefs and restaurant operators. The top women chefs, sommeliers, farmers, bee keepers, cheese makers, food truck operators and mixologists would be gathering through the afternoon.<\/p>\n

I deliberately kept myself hungry all afternoon, and was surprised to see both the Lions and Redskins win. By the time cocktail hour rolled around, I was read and willing to hit the Street Food at Willow.<\/p>\n

The drizzle continued, but not intrusively, and I could see the food tracks parked at the curb as I drove up Fairfax Drive in Ballston. I could see Tracy and Kate and Deborah managing their chaos in their customary effortless manner, and I decided to park at the office and walk over.<\/p>\n

The nice lady at the gate to the patio checked my name against The List, stamped a red star on my right hand, and I wandered past The Willow station to my left, featuring a thinly-sliced porcetta dish with black beans on the side.<\/p>\n

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It is a guy, but he works for Tracy!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nora\u2019s was to the right, pulled pork country American, and the culinary institute of the Paint Branch High School was serving Cuban tamales on authentic corn leaves.<\/p>\n

These are nice, hard-working people with real passion in their lives.<\/p>\n

Inside, I did the circuit. There were three kinds of beverages available for sampling along the bar. In the Bistro area was the silent auction for a variety of delightful food-related products and activities.<\/p>\n

But the main event was in Willow\u2019s main dining room and the private salons in the rear. Willow\u2019s tables and bar stools were all pulled out and stowed somewhere, and it was no wonder that Kevin, Willow\u2019s estimable sommelier, looked tired. His wife Megan was dispensing hard cider- not too hard- bubbly in The Cave.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Megan serves up a complex, dry and bubbly cider from downstate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Whatever it was, this oriental dish frHank\u2019s Oyster House table was an immediate winner- I peered over the divider and watched a real artist shucking away.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

om Equinox in yam-flour wrappers had tasty shrimp.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Fat Tire Ale and Hoctober seasonal brews, from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Master of Ceremonies Nykki Nellis explains the Silent Auction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Quail and vegetable kebabs, anyone?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"\"<\/a>
The Majestic contributed sun-dried tomato sliders and sweet potato fries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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<\/dt>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Paradiso Pizza from Dupont Circle looked too pretty to eat\u2026but I did anyway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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This particular empanada featured chorizo in a spicy mix in a light pastry crust.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a bit overwhelming, and I went back outside to sample the fare from the food trucks. The first was Anna\u2019s Emapadas, OMG, delicious!<\/p>\n

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Anna. Her rig serves up Meso-American themed and she told me she parks down around L\u2019Enfant Plaza. She is a neat lady.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
\n
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Mikala Brennan gives me the \u201cshaka, Bra,\u201d sign as she whips up real Honolulu plate lunch. The chop-sticks are dispensed from Spam cans, for Island freshness.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The other truck is driven and cooked by haole lady- Mikala Brennan. She channels Zippy\u2019s from Honolulu from the window of her Hula Girl truck. This afternoon she was serving up completely authentic mini-plate lunch treats: mac salad, Kailua pork and white sticky rice.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
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Clockwise: Kailua pork and cabbage, white sticky rice and mac salad from Hula Girl.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It really took me back, to when we lived in the Islands and the the kids were little, and dim-sum or plate lunch was what was cooking.<\/p>\n

Talking to Tracy Friday night, in this economy (granted we are in an artificial hot-house here in Arlington) she supports a payroll of fifty jobs. That is a real contribution to the community- and the thirty-eight other folks who came to show off their wares are doing the same thing.<\/p>\n

Small business is a tough racket- but I am proud to support Tracy and Kate, and an organization like WCR. See you at the Halloween bash?<\/p>\n

Do you have your costume yet? I understand the food is going to be dynamite!<\/p>\n

Copyright 2011 Vic Socotra
\nwww.vicsocotra.com<\/p>\n

2011 Women Chefs and Restaurant Fall Street Food World Fare
\nat Willow Restaurant:
\nNycci Nellis, Master of Ceremonies
\nLibations by:<\/p>\n

Laurie Bell, Great Falls Tea Garden
\nGina Chersevani, PS 7’s
\nAlison Christ, Northside Social, The Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall
\nMegan Coyle, Hank\u2019s Oyster Bar and Lounge
\nDaedulus Cellars Company, Oregon
\nHolly Grove Vineyards, Virginia
\nNew Belgium Brewing, Colorado
\nPuriri Hills Wine of New Zealand
\nSt. Francis Winery & Vineyards
\nStreet fare by:<\/p>\n

Marianne Ali, DC Central Kitchen
\nBeverly Bates, Vidalia
\nAmy Brandwein, Casa Nonna
\nMikala Brennan, Hula Girl Truck
\nSomchet Chumpapo, L\u2019Academie de Cuisine
\nVaishali P. Chitnis, Stratford University
\nRita Garruba, 8407 kitchen bar
\nRuth Gresser, Pizzeria Paradiso
\nEllen Gray, Equinox Restaurant, Todd Gray\u2019s Watershed and Todd Gray’s Muse at the Corcoran
\nCarla Hall, Alchemy by Carla Hall and co-host of ABC\u2019s The Chew
\nAnne Hutchinson, Hank\u2019s Oyster Bar and Lounge
\nSusan James, Stonyman Gourmet Farmer
\nKate Jansen, Willow
\nRis Lacoste, Ris
\nJamie Leeds, Hank\u2019s Oyster Bar and Lounge
\nAna Leis, DC Empanadas
\nJanis McLean, 15 Ria
\nSue McWilliams, Paint Branch High School
\nTracy O\u2019Grady, Willow
\nShannon Overmiller, The Majestic
\nMelanie Parker, 701 Restaurant and Bar
\nZena Polin, The Daily Dish
\nMichelle Poteaux, Bastille Restaurant
\nNora Pouillon, Restaurant Nora
\nSusan Soorenko, Moorenko\u2019s Ice Cream
\nAllison Sosna, DC Central Kitchen
\nLinda Vogler, DC Central Kitchen
\nSamantha Weigand, L\u2019Academie de Cuisine
\nSupporting Sponsor:<\/p>\n

American Roland Food Corporation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had the best of all food worlds this weekend, though Fall sort of got lost in the mix. It started with happy hour white after work on Friday- and Tracy O\u2019Grady, Willow\u2019s vivacious owner- stopped by the Amen Corner to have a glass of wine with Old Jim, Mary, Jake and me. She mentioned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-socotra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1760"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1784,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760\/revisions\/1784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}