Five Bites on Friday

Michael Birchenall, editor of Foodservice Monthly (and a regular photo contributor to Metrocurean), offers this week's Five Bites. In the spirit of full disclosure, he writes: "My five are from a recent surge of media roundups (that means I didn't pay), but my experience in years of freebie food is that the odds don't necessarily move up in your favor in the hope that the food and/or service will dazzle. Not so here, I would gladly pay for these." He's pictured in the blue shirt at right in Nicaragua.

1. Nigiri-style wild sockeye salmon flown in fresh that day to McCormick & Schmick's F Street location

2. Any West Coast oysters at Brasserie Beck

3. The Belgian frites at Brasserie Beck with the mussels in curry and apple to accompany them. "Robert Wiedmaier serves them in a shallow casserole so you can get at the liquor on the bottom," he writes. "Best fries I've had forever and even better when tossed in the mussel dish and fished out with a fork and a swirl."

4. The bright, hoppy Peak Organic Pale Ale. "Brought to town by founder Jon Cadoux from Portland, Maine. He was showing it off to key bars for placement and I showed up for an interview at 4 that went past midnight. Many beers later I found a cab ride back to Maryland. It’s too good for a summer draft beer not to be picked up by someone."

5. Basil infused crème brulee at Zola served at an Operation Spy press luncheon


Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for you to tell Metrocurean readers which dishes you're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com.