Tag Archives: Mike Isabella

James Beard Celeb Chef Tour Hosts Local Dinner on 19-City Nationwide Event Series

Posted on August 18, 2011 | 1 Comment


The James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour made its eighth annual stop in Washington on Tuesday night at the Source by Wolfgang Puck, for a seven-course meal prepared by 10 noteworthy local chefs, including Mike Isabella, Haidar Karoum from Proof, and Scott Drewno of the hosting restaurant. The tour expanded by three cities this year, to 19 stops, adding Houston, San Diego, and Birmingham, Michigan, to its yearlong calendar of events, aimed at promoting the foundation and chef who started it.

“A lot of people don’t know who [James Beard] was or how he got this whole crazy chef thing started, so we wanted to introduce people to him and the foundation [created by Julia Child after his death],” said tour president Jeff Black. The foundation recognizes noteworthy members of the food and beverage community with its annual award presentation in New York.

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Black works with the hosting restaurants in each city to plan the local events, which draw crowds of 100 to 130 people. The participating chefs personally plate each course on the menu. Washington’s event swelled to 145 people this year who purchased the $200 ticket.

When it comes to choosing the participating cities and restaurants, Black relies on word of mouth and the tour’s track record to draw interest. “It’s become popular enough that chefs want to be a part of it and restaurants call us and ask to come to their city,” said Black, who added that a James Beard-recognized chef will be flown to a city if the hosting restaurant doesn’t have one, as was the case with a dinner in Hawaii on January 20.

Tuesday’s event began with a cocktail reception, with passed hors d’oeuvres like Woodlands mountain ham on country bread, topped with bourbon peach chutney from Bourbon Steak and branzino tartare from Graffiato. Five local mixologists also created signature cocktails for the evening. The dinner menu included sashimi of fluke served with heirloom tomato and basil vinaigrette from Restaurant Eve, lamb carpaccio with Caesar salad ice cream from the Inn at Little Washington, and Chinese duck with Queen Anne cherries and lo mein from host chef Scott Drewno. Birch & Barley provided dessert, preceded by a pastry amuse from Dolcezza.

The tour continues on to nine more cities, including Minneapolis, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago, before wrapping up in Seattle on November 17. Visa Signature, Mercedes-Benz, and Stella Artois sponsored for the third year.

**Photos: Paul Kim

(Originally published 8.18.11 in BizBash Washington)

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Posted in Dinner Parties

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Pink Line Project Stages Unconventional Dinner With Barton Seaver, Storytellers

Posted on August 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

White parasols dotted the dining area.

The Pink Line Project, a Web siteand lifestyle company focusing on the underground arts and culture of Washington, hosted the second installment of its Cuisine Contra dinner series on Monday night at the Textile Museum. The event began as a way to bring a different form of dining and culture to the city.

“We don’t always have to eat food in a traditional way and know where we’re going or what the menu is. We just go because its fun,” said Philippa Hughes, the project’s so-called “chief creative contrarian,” who noted the event’s location had previously been kept secret until it had to be delayed from its originally planned date in June. “It makes you think in a different way [about food and life].”

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The contrarian dinner experience launched on Valentine’s Day with chef Mike Isabella. The company tapped another local chef, Barton Seaver, to participate this time, with his signature eco-friendly and sustainable dishes prepared by 42° Catering Services. The night began with a private reception and book signing in the museum’s garden for 38 guests who purchased the $125 V.I.P. tickets. Bartenders served the party’s signature cocktail, the Honestly Naked Truth, made with sponsor Nude Vodka’s spirit and guests’ choice of four Honest Tea flavors.

An additional 32 guests joined for dinner, which took place on the museum’s back lawn. JML Marketing and Communications designed the dining area with round tables draped in white linens and topped with small lanterns and succulent plants in the center. Tiki torches lined the perimeter of the space.

Various entertainment acts took place between each of the courses including folk band BanjerDan’s Danger Band and the Glade Dance Collective. In an effort to promote discussion among guests, Hughes enlisted two storytellers to each share a favorite food memory from their lives. Seaver also spoke to guests about his perspective on sustainable food and how he’s helping to preserve the world’s oceans.

A portion of the proceeds from the evening were donated to DC Greenworks, a nonprofit that provides eco-friendly roofs on residences and businesses in Washington.

**Photos courtesy of Ben Droz

(Originally published 8.10.11 in BizBash Washington)

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Graffiato: ‘Top Chef All-Stars’ Mike Isabella’s First Restaurant

Posted on July 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

(Originally published 7.18.11 in BizBash Washington)

Seating on the first floor is composed of booths and high-back chairs at the main bar and pizza bar.


Top Chef All-Stars runner-up Mike Isabella has left his post as the executive chef of Zaytinya in favor of opening his first restaurant, Graffiato. The 5,000-square-foot, bilevel space opened on June 23 in Chinatown, serving a menu of Italian food made with locally sourced ingredients and accompanying cocktails.

The industrial-style space features exposed brick walls and wooden booths on both floors. The first level can seat 21 in its dining area with an additional 13 at the main bar. The steel-covered wood oven is the centerpiece of the space, surrounded by a cinder-block pizza bar with seating for 11.

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The second floor is home to a ham bar serving cured meats and fresh mozzarella, with seats for six. An additional 89 guests can be seated amid the wooden four-tops and booths. The floor can also be booked for private receptions for 125.

The menu is formatted for shared dining, with a selection of small plates, personal pizzas, platters of ham and local cheeses, and hand-cut pasta. Graffiato also offers drinks from local sources like DC Brau Brewing, Flying Dog Brewing, and Port City Brewing, and ventures into new territory by offering Montelvini Prosecco served on tap. The restaurant’s house red wine is bottled at Breaux Vineyards in nearby Purcellville, Virginia.

**Photos: Greg Powers

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Corcoran Adds V.I.P. Element and New Award to Artini, Sells Out for Third Year

Posted on April 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

(Originally published 4.4.11 in BizBash Washington)

Lite-olutions used colored lighting matching the cocktail station linens to illuminate the gallery.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art’s young professionals fund-raising group the 1869 Society hosted the fourth annual Artini cocktail competition, which enlists local mixologist to create martinis inspired by a work in the gallery’s preeminent exhibit, on Saturday night. The benefit sold out for the third year in row with more than 700 people in attendance. With the addition of a new Critic’s Choice award and panel, organizers held a V.I.P. reception for the first time to draw extra attendees.

“We thought that if we decided to do a panel of judges, a V.I.P. ticket would give the guests a chance to really interact with the mixologist and engage with them and the judges,” said Diana Kaw, the gallery’s member programs officer who helped coordinate the event.

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Priced at $125 for 1869 Society members and $150 for non-members, the V.I.P. ticket gave 150 guests entry to the event an hour early with subsequently shorter lines at each of the 12 mixology stations. The six Critic’s Choice Award judges included Top Chef All-Stars finalist Mike Isabella, last year’s Artini winner Justin Guthrie, and Sophie Gilbert, assistant editor of Washingtonian magazine. Throughout the V.I.P. reception, the judges walked to each station sampling the cocktails and discussing each mixologists’ inspiration. The reception also provided guest the chance to sample the drinks before lines began forming at each table.

In the weeks leading up to Artini, each of the mixologists’ establishments hosts a Feature Night party to showcase the cocktail they’ve created and gain votes in the Fan Favorite competition hosted by media partner Washingtonian.com. In the end, Ronald Flores from Art and Soul won both the Fan Favorite and Critic’s Choice honors.

DJ Neekola played up beat music throughout the night for the primarily younger crowd, which overtook the atrium dance floor as the evening progressed. The benefit raised nearly $75,000 for future programming at the gallery.

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