A Look in the Kitchen: Dishes From Our Cover Chefs

The Chef: Angel Barreto, Anju

The Dish (pictured at top of article): Saengsun Gui

The Ingredients: Pan-fried branzino filet, braised radish, yangnyeomjang

“This is my take on a traditionally simplistic dish, combining elements from different Korean dishes into one dish. This sums up what Anju is: an amalgamation of many ideas into one. Saengsun gui is a branzino filet pan-fried and served on a bed of spicy, braised radish wheels in a pool of yangnyeom ganjang, which is an all-purpose, flavorful Korean soy sauce seasoned with garlic, ginger and scallion sugar. There is an herb salad consisting of shaved fennel, basil, mint and fresno peppers atop the branzino. When eaten all together, it is a symphony of flavors.”

Anju: 1805 18th St. NW, DC; www.anjurestaurant.com

The Chef: Paola Velez, Compass Rose + Maydan

Paola’s Dulcey de Leche Dona. Photo courtesy of the chef.

The Dish: Dulcey de Leche Dona

The Ingredients: Coconut, malt vinegar, Valrhona dulcey chocolate and nutmeg

“A play on words, this nontraditional dona (donut) is made by using my favorite toasted white chocolate from Valrhona (Dulcey), recreating the iconic dulce de leche flavors of my childhood, and kickstarting them with coconut and malt vinegar to add layers of depth and intrigue. The fluffy brioche is double proofed overnight to create a delicate honeycomb structure that perfectly carries umami bomb Dulcey de leche glaze. This dona is available at La Bodega Bakery located inside of Compass Rose, along with a long list of rotating weekend flavors.”

Compass Rose: 1346 T St. NW, DC; www.compassrosedc.com

La Bodega Bakery: @labodegabakery on Instagram

Maydan: 1346 Florida Ave. NW, DC; www.maydandc.com

The Chef: Johanna Hellrigl, Mercy Me

Johanna’s Colombian Egg Arepas with Hogao. Photo courtesy of chef.

The Dish:Colombian Egg Arepas with Hogao

Arepas Ingredients: masa harina, warm water, kosher salt, ground annatto powder, eggs, salt and black pepper, lime wedges

Hogao Ingredients: roma tomatoes, sunflower oil, garlic, chopped green onions, ground cumin, salt and pepper

“When I was in Cartagena, Colombia doing [research and development] for Mercy Me, I fell in love with the flavors of Caribbean South America. From unique tropical fruits to seafood preparations, there was so much I was drawn to come back and explore after being their nine years before. One of those items happened to be the egg arepas that were the perfect way to start your morning. Arepas are commonly found in Venezuelan cuisine and cooked on a griddle rather than fried. These Colombian-style arepas are filled with a fresh egg before frying. At Mercy Me, we have them on our brunch menu. We make them fresh every morning for our guests and serve them with a tomato hogao sofrito, some crema and a lime wedge. Either come to brunch at Mercy Me or make these at home. The hogao is delicious and can be used outside of the arepas!”

Mercy Me: 1143 New Hampshire Ave. NW, DC; www.mercymedc.com

The Chef: Johnny Spero, Reverie

Johnny’s Crab, Egg Yolk, Roasted Pear. Photo courtesy of chef.

The Dish: Crab, Egg Yolk, Roasted Pear

The Ingredients: King crab, butter, egg yolk with white soy and shio koji, hollandaise made with clarified juice from reserved crab and crab fat butter, pear, breadcrumbs

“This is the dish I think really speaks to how I view the food at Reverie. The ingredients sound simple and the dish is presented in a way that doesn’t seem over-the-top. But hidden under that simplicity is a dish full of complexity. It all depends on the season and what is available, but for this picture, I was lucky enough to get a live king crab in. It’s steamed, not all the way through, and then finished by putting it in a pan with some butter to get some caramelization. It’s glazed in a sauce of gently cooked egg yolk with white soy and shio koji, with a hollandaise made from all the clarified juice from the reserved crab and crab fat butter. We roast pears and apples depending on what’s available, slowly cover them in butter and then blend them until smooth, which goes underneath the crab. It’s then topped with breadcrumbs left over from our focaccia that has been toasted in rendered Edwards Surryano ham and confit garlic.”

Reverie: 3201 Cherry Hill Ln. NW, DC; www.reveriedc.com

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