#21: Tomatoes, pumpkin spice, and everything nice
plus some DC restaurant tea, a restaurant highlight, and exciting DC fall openings!
September is a conflicting time for tomato and pumpkin spice girlies alike.
Tomato girl summer embodies farmers market whimsy. Scrounging up rustic and seemingly effortless dishes with tomatoes of every kind: galettes, tarts, bruschetta, the works. The aesthetic is lived by a carefree host whose kitchen is filled with quirky, likely thrifted ceramics, equipped to host until that very late summer sun sets.
But as that sun starts to set earlier and earlier, the yearning for cozy pumpkin spice cannot be contained. From pre-Labor Day holiday ads, influencer fall hauls, and sneak peaks of Friendsgiving content, a lust for crispier weather looms over your mid-September tomato toast.
The magical thing about September is that for a few weeks, between Labor Day weekend and the last day of summer, we can have both.
Here’s how I tamed my two warring egos this month.
Tomato girl summer cocktail party
Every real tomato girl knows that tomatoes are best in late August and early September. Inspired by ’s ruby red tomato party, I had a cheeky Saturday afternoon cocktail hour (that rolled into multiple hours) testing all the tomato cocktail recipes saved over Instagram this summer. Each drink was bursting with quintessential savory, juicy tomato flavors, but an obvious ranking emerged:
Tomato jam negronis (cc: @drinksbyevie) - Bitter Campari mellows out overnight resting in a homemade tomato jam, developing incredibly cozy, sweet notes that complement the aperitif cocktail. Perfect for transitional fall weather.
Tomato gin & tonic (separate tomato shrub recipe, cc: @chefreillymeehan) - Olive oil fat-washed gin, homemade tomato shrub, and tonic with layers of basil and tomato wedges tastes like a sweet caprese spritz. A shrub is just a vinegar and sugar mixture that takes on the flavors of whatever is added in. The result: a sweet and zippy punch to any cocktail or non-alcoholic bevvy. I drank the shrub with some club soda over ice on some weeknights when I wanted a little treat!
Tomato-tini (cc: @drinksbyevie) - A fun take on the classic martini. Just muddle sungolds or cherry tomatoes with a bar spoon of your favorite vinegar and lemon juice, stir with gin/vodka and dry vermouth, and strain for a lovely surprise color of light red or yellow.
The cocktail hour wouldn’t be complete without ’s (i.e. @wishbonekitchen) heirloom tomato galette made by my friend Claire! We ended the night at Garden District on 14th street where we showed the bartender every single picture of the spread when he truly only asked how our day had been.
Pumpkin spice girl cold brew
I compare my identity crisis as both a tomato and pumpkin spice girlie to a brilliant episode from the PBS children’s show about Arthur the aardvark. I know it’s a deep cut but stay with me. This episode includes an incredible, perhaps feverish, Jekyll Hyde musical number. One of the characters, “The Brain,” dreams he creates and drinks a burbly potion, transforming him into Dr. Jekyll then devolving into the evil Mr. Hyde. In the end, he can’t resist from continuing the story and entertaining this alter-ego.
Obviously(?), you see the connections. I’m slightly ashamed of my pumpkin spice affinity, tempted to suppress it, but the all-consuming powers of nutmeg and cinnamon have a firm grip. How do I cope throughout September in DC when the daily forecast is still in the 80s? Autumnal iced coffee, my friends. These are two great options if you also live somewhere where the weather refuses to don its infinity loop scarf and beanie:
Iced pumpkin spiced latte (cc: ) - Will really dove into perfecting this iced latte with our espresso machine at home. One day I will learn how to use it. Until then, I’ll benefit from my in-home barista. This requires pumpkin spice extract to achieve that Starbucks-like flavor. Ever wonder why flavored extract is legal to sell in grocery stores even though it contains alcohol? Read ’s recent newsletter that reveals the answer.
Salted maple cold foam (cc: ) - like Claudia says, it’s a great excuse to have whipped cream for breakfast!
If you want to roll into fall cocktails instead, these are on my agenda:
Fall apple cider spaghett (cc: @join_jules) - Miller High Life, apple cider, Aperol or Campari with a lemon wedge and sprig of thyme. This is begging to be at the Friendsgiving table.
Honeycrisp apple enzoni (cc: @drinksbyevie) - A very cool, autumnal cousin to the negroni. Muddled honeycrisp apple with lemon and simply syrup is shaken up with gin and Campari for a delightfully crispy bevvy.
Some DC restaurant tea
About two weeks after my lackluster review on Bar Spero last month, the restaurant shut its doors. In a cryptic Instagram reel that’s since been deleted, Chef Johnny Spero announced the closing, sharing that the space struggled to operate in the post-COVID era. The business district didn’t bounce back they way they expected. Coincidentally, before this announcement and public coverage, a few of you sent me this Reddit thread about murmurs of suspicious unpaid wages to staff, which is really never a good sign.
Spero opened the restaurant while working on reopening his other, more fine dining focused venture, Reverie, which closed in 2020 due to a fire. I suspect Bar Spero was an interim project until he could turn his attention back to Reverie, which is more likely to regain the recognition it received before it had to close.
Although I don’t have any validated sources of the claims on unpaid wages, I’m not dying to support a chef rumored to have screwed over staff. Don’t think Reverie will be a priority visit for me!
Restaurant highlight: Cucina Morini
I was SO pleasantly surprised by this dinner at Cucina Morini with my parents in early September. This is a place that shows you despite a sea of seemingly similar options, modern Italian can be memorable. In typical fashion when dining with my parents, we ate so much through this Southern Italian menu, so there’s a lot to report out! These were the standout dishes:
Apps
Ricciola crudo // yellowtail, pistachio pesto, fennel pollen: First of all, I love that they have an entire section dedicated to crudo. We need more of that. This one was very bright and balanced with a nutty and citrus-y pesto. The fish itself could have been slightly more seasoned, but other than that, really lovely.
Polpo alla piastra // spanish octopus, smoked potato, celery, lemon yogurt, salsa verde: I am never going to be sad while eating an octopus dish, but this one was beautifully charred and brightened with a yogurt sauce, pickled veg, and herbaceous salsa verde.
Polpettine // prosciutto & mortadella meatballs: A combination that simply cannot go wrong. In this dish, everything is extremely correct. Very saucy meatballs doused in a lightly pureed red sauce. The slightly acidic red sauce cuts through each fatty bite.
Pastas - LOVE the option for a half or full portion that lets you try more bites
Spaghetti // mussels, saffron, leek, lemon: This was such a sleeper hit. Slightly aromatic spaghetti with saffron incorporated into the dough, briny but subtle mussels, all tied together with sauteed leeks and a lemony sauce.
Taglioni neri // squid ink, shellfish ragu, calabrian chili butter: Maybe I’m weird, but I was skeptical about shellfish ragu. I was very wrong. The rich and salty squid ink pasta really worked with the buttery and slightly sweet shellfish ragu. Loved the calabrian chili butter that lifted the salty and sweet notes with a bit of heat.
Main
Dentice al cartoccio // red snapper baked in parchment with saffron-garlic butter, chickpea, potato: The saffron garlic butter imparts gorgeous flavors onto the red snapper fillet, chickpeas, and potato. Everything was cooked to perfection through the parchment method that evenly steams each component of the dish.
Dessert
Torta caprese // hazelnut chocolate flourless cake, vanilla gelato: Despite being incredibly full, I pulled it together and couldn’t stop going back to this slice of decadent flourless cake. It’s served with a crackly granola-like hazelnut topping that I’d like to incorporate into every meal.
Exciting openings!
There’s a ton of new restaurants opening in DC this fall. I’m particularly excited about these three spots:
Cana (2412 18th St NW): This Brazilian bar and bistro in Adams Morgan has been a highly anticipated opening this year. The team planned to open earlier this year, but tragically lost one its partners and head chef, Chef Robert Curtis. The team postponed the opening until early September. The menu focuses on classic and contemporary interpretations of the famous Brazilian cocktail, the caipirinha, made of cachaça, lime, and sugar. The menu offers a wide range from snacks like croquetas stuffed with salted cod or duck leg, to heartier options like a full cornish hen or grilled flank steak. This is going to be a great spot for groups before a night out or a fun date night.
La’ Shukran (417 Morse Street NE): The bar and bistro (and rooftop!) concept continues with this new project led by owners of Cana, Albi, and Yellow. This place is just absurdly seductive. The doorway is hidden in the alley on Morse Street in the Union Market District, lit by one overhead light that leads you upstairs. The vibe seems like a nostalgic take on Levantine bars and bistros, where you can expect to enjoy Arabic hip hop and rock while crushing beautiful cocktails, wines, and inventive plates. With the kitchen led by Michael Rafidi from Albi and Yellow, the menu is bound to go crazy. Think various hummus options, falafel with trout roe, tuna tartare, lamb belly fried rice, steak kebab ai poivre, the list goes on and gets even more enticing. Needless to say, this is going to be a tough res for the next month, so be prepared to go with a +1 on a weeknight and hope for a walk-in.
Dogōn: Chef Kwame Onwuachi returns to DC to open an Afro-Caribbean restaurant inside the Salamander on The Wharf. The concept is reminiscent of his last DC venture, Kith/Kin, which also highlighted Afro-Caribbean dishes on The Wharf. Kith/Kin closed in 2020 during COVID, after which Onwuachi resigned. Onwuachi then opened Tatiana in New York City, as a tribute to his childhood in the Bronx, which was ranked as one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants last year. As one of the best dinners in the city, Tatiana is known for elevated nostalgic takes like the cosmic brownie for dessert. It’ll be really interesting to see how Onwuachi brings new life to The Wharf. I’m hoping that Dogōn attracts the same attention that Kith/Kin once did, and that Tatiana currently enjoys.
Before you go: What’s an heirloom pumpkin? Walking through Whole Foods in mid-September, I saw those bumpy lumpy pumpkins that come in different shapes and shades of light green, orange, and beige. You’ve definitely seen them on Pinterest as doorway decor. The sign labelled them as “heirloom pumpkins.” At first I thought this was a brilliant Whole Foods marketing scheme. But, upon a five-second Google search, I discovered that these pumpkins are all different heirloom varietals, similar to tomatoes. Who knew? Probably many people, but I didn’t. So, I hope you enjoy that factoid. You can also turn these cuties into dinner after you’re done with your Friendsgiving tablescape. How Martha-coded!
Thanks for reading! Next month’s newsletter is going to be jam-packed with some exciting travel updates from an upcoming fam trip to ITALY, so stay tuned!
Always happy to be mentioned in the content.
Merry, Your descriptions & insights are amazing. Loved the articlel
Gmom