By Stefanie Gans
Is Polish food trending? “Not that I’m aware of,” says Chef Jim Jeffords, “but it’s something different.” The chef of Evening Star Cafe reopens the summertime pop-up, The Front Porch, tonight at 5 p.m. with a new menu of the Polish street food staple zapiekanka.
Known as zapi on the menu, Jeffords created six versions of what is essentially French bread pizza. A classic zapiekanka is simply ham and cheese with ketchup, but says Jeffords, “I just couldn’t bring myself to call that delicious and put it on the menu.”
Instead, there’s a Greek version with tzatziki, cucumbers, olives, feta and a red onion salad; duck zapi with pulled duck confit and brie; a vegetarian version with spinach pesto and carnival cauliflower; and a meat option with pepperoni, sausage, bacon and mozzarella.
The Front Porch, an outside space next to Del Ray’s Evening Star, will also feature hush puppies with harissa aioli, skillet jambalaya, pulled pork sliders and a double cheeseburger. For drinks, there’s a bourbon slushy, yuzu margarita and a Hurricane. Say Jeffords, it’s “a college bar situation for adults.” / The Front Porch, 2006 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
