Continuing the Knightsbridge Restaurant Group’s annual tradition, Founder Ashok Bajaj is pleased to announce the third season of his Tomato Festival. Each of his eight restaurants will embrace the arrival of summer and the return of its most popular fruit/vegetable, the vine-ripe tomato with a month-long special offering. Grown locally by eco-friendly farmer, Jay Faucher, Ashok Bajaj will be showcasing special dishes at his collection of popular restaurants which highlight the mighty gem. The tomato belongs to the nightshade family, Solanum lycopersicum, and the species originated in the South American Andes. While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes and is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects. beginning from July 11th through Saturday, August 13th.
701 Restaurant, Ardeo + Bardeo, nopa Kitchen + Bar, Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca and The Oval Room are rolling out tomato-centric, three-course menus with tempting choices of appetizers, entrees and desserts. The special tasting menus will be available during both lunch and dinner service, while The Bombay Club, Rasika, and Rasika and West End will offer a daily special tomato dish featured at lunch and dinner.
Ardeo+Bardeo and nopa Kitchen+Bar, The Bombay Club and Rasika West End will run the tomato menu through Sunday, August 14th and the sister restaurants will showcase their tasting menus through Saturday, August 13th as they are closed on Sunday.
Located steps from Capitol Hill and the White House, 701 Restaurant’s Executive Chef Benjamin Lambert three-course menu will be featuring appetizers such as a Chilled Cucumber Soup with tzatziki sorbet, heirloom tomato salsa, lamb sausage, and pita chips; Heirloom Tomato Tartare with green mole, masa cracker, and mustard caviar, and Tomato Funnel Cake with burrata, tomato sambal, confit Sun Gold tomatoes, and ramp powder. For the entrée course, guests will enjoy Smoked Duck Breast with green tomatoes, plantain, black bean, and aji amarillo sauce; Branzino with sour corn polenta, bulb onions, and tomato- chili dashi, and Cauliflower Shawarma with sesame hummus, heirloom tomato jam, Sun Gold tomatoes, and lavash. Dessert at 701 will feature Tomato-Tamarind-Honey Ice Cream with tomato honey and smoked pistachio streusel, and Peach Pavlova with confit Sun Gold tomatoes, meringue crisps, and raspberry. 701 Restaurant is located at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. For reservations or more information, please call (202) 393-0701 or visit http://www.701restaurant.com.
In Cleveland Park, Ardeo+ Bardeo will be showcasing a three-course tasting menu, and offering a glass of rosé wine for the $50 offering. The dishes, which will be prepared by newly appointed Executive Chef Kelly Bunkers, include a starter of Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Gazpacho with crispy prosciutto and goat cheese corn fritters, followed by Cioppino with king crab, shrimp, squid, grilled heirloom tomatoes, and grilled country bread. For dessert, guests can enjoy Genoise Sponge Cake with macerated cherry tomatoes and strawberry compote, basil gelato, and candied pistachios. Ardeo+ Bardeo is located at 3311 Connecticut Avenue, NW. For reservations or additional information, please call (202) 244-6750 or visit http://ardeobardeo.com/.
Those who visit nopa Kitchen + Bar, Ashok Bajaj’s American brasserie located in the heart of Penn Quarter, can looked forward to a three-course menu created by Executive Chef Matt Kuhn. Featured starters include Watermelon & Tomato Gazpacho with Fresno chili yogurt, lemon basil, and pickled watermelon; Tomato & Ricotta Gnudi with Carolina gold tomato conserva, basil puree, smoked pine nuts, and honey mushrooms, and Burrata & Arugula Salad with lobster terrine, marigolds, house Old Bay, Steve’s tomatoes, and tomato-buttermilk vinaigrette. The second course includes choices of Tomato Infused Spaghetti with Dungeness crab, Calabrian chili, garlic scapes, and bottarga; Pan Roasted Coho Salmon with heirloom tomato confit, patty pan squash, watercress, smoked corn puree, and basil emulsion, and Grilled Prime Coulotte Steak with braised chanterelles, crispy herbed farro, black cherry vierge, and creamed Tuscan kale. Dessert is a choice of Brandywine Tomato & Anson Mills Cornmeal Tart with fig vincotto and sweet corn ice cream, or Warm Black Cherry Tomato & Plum Pain Perdu with challah and lemon thyme sabayon. nopa Kitchen + Bar is located at 800 F Street, NW. For reservations and additional information, please call (202) 347-4667 or visit http://nopadc.com/.
Those seeking authentic northern Italian fare, will want to visit Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, where Executive Chef Jake Addeo will be offering a three-course menu starting with Pappa al Pomodoro, warm Tuscan tomato and bread soup with stracciatella and focaccia crostini; Polipo, grilled octopus with heirloom tomatoes, gigante beans, spiced arugula pesto, and olio primo, and Crostata Di Ricotta, house-made ricotta and green zebra tomato tart with watermelon “prosciutto” and guanciale jam. For the second course, guests can look forward to Costoletta alla Milanese, Milano style breaded bone-in veal chop with Roma tomatoes, peppercress, and shaved parmigiano; Risotto al Pomodoro, roasted San Marzano tomato “stained” risotto with ‘nduja sausage and ricotta salata, and Tonno “Palermitana,” one side grilled bigeye tuna steak with roasted ox heart tomato and sardine terrine. For the dessert course, guests can enjoy the Panna Cotta, milk panna cotta with lime curd, sweet wine poached tomato, grilled pineapple, and tomato water sorbet, or the Torta di Pomodoro, tear drop tomato cake with compressed strawberries, granola, balsamic reduction, and lemon gelato. Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca is located at 1100 New York Ave. NW. For reservations or more information, please call (202) 216-9550 or visit http://www.bibianadc.com.
At Ashok Bajaj’s three-star restaurant, The Oval Room, Executive Chef John Melfi will be featuring appetizers such as Chilled Tomato Gazpacho with watermelon, jalapeño, cilantro, and an olive oil crouton, and Heirloom Tomato Salad with mozzarella di bufala, balsamic caviar, basil sorbet, and smoked olive oil. For entrées, guests can look forward to Acquerello Risotto with aged pecorino, heirloom tomatoes, cinnamon basil, and olio verde novello; House-Made Linguine with roasted San Marzano tomatoes, crab, fresh chilies, and sea urchin emulsion, and Olive Oil Poached Cod with avocado purée, baby cucumber, green tomato jam, and heirloom tomato nage. For a sweet ending, guests can choose from Tomato Tiramisu with tomato ladyfinger, basil mascarpone, and tomato-basil ice cream, or Tomato Panna Cotta with red wine sorbet, rye croutons, and lemon basil emulsion. The Oval Room is located a block from the White House at 800 Connecticut Avenue, NW. For reservations or more information, please call (202) 463-8700 or visit www.ovalroom.com.