Two new books—“1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die” by Mimi Sheraton and “Where Chefs Eat” edited by Joe Warwick—map out the world according to meals.
Sheraton, a longtime food critic, uses her six decades in the industry to compile an encyclopedic tome detailing the world’s signature foods, from the recognizable cannoli of Italy to the lesser-known bunny chow (curry scooped into a half-loaf of bread) of South Africa.
She taps into Virginia’s culinary heritage with references to Brunswick stew, corn fritters and peanuts, and she notes Peter Chang’s restaurants (locations in Fredericksburg and Arlington) to sample specific authentic Sichuanese dishes like sijidou chao rousi (string beans with pork) and zhangcha ya (tea-smoked duck).
Surveying the insider knowledge of over 600 chefs worldwide, Warwick assembled an almost 1,000-page guide, a thoroughly sourced, though quite heavy, companion to a globe-trotting trip.
Restaurant Eve’s Cathal Armstrong puts Northern Virginia on this curated list with tips to grab grub at Elsie Magic Skillet (Alexandria), Lotte Plaza’s food court (Ashburn), Capital Grille (McLean) and Gamasot (Springfield). José Andrés, the owner of restaurants all over the world, including Crystal City’s Jaleo, recommends the famed Inn at Little Washington, saying Chef Patrick O’Connell “is able to enjoy success in the most unlikely location because this restaurant is a destination in the heart of America.” —Stefanie Gans
(April 2015)
