Two nights after winning one of the most prestigious local restaurant awards, Tarver King is playing with pickle juice.
Technically, he says, he was “spraying brisket with pickle juice.” That’s because King, the recently crowned Chef of the Year at the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington RAMMY awards, is writing a menu for a possible forthcoming restaurant in West Virginia. He’s still looking for spaces in Shepherdstown and Charles Town (where he lives) but is thinking about the state’s own culinary culture, which he says and everyone probably already thinks, “has a really bad rap.”
This being King, a mystic of the kitchen, he’s not just throwing a chunk of meat on his smoker. He’s using kombu, a seaweed with naturally occurring monosodium glutamate, for an intense beefy flavor.
For now, King still reigns over the farm and kitchen at The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville, which last year took home the award for the Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year. King himself was nominated three times before and, he says, “was not expecting” the win. “It was a very intense thing. This time you get it; it’s a pretty humbling and proud experience.”
Like he said in his acceptance speech, this will only be the biggest moment of King’s life for a short time. King and his wife are expecting a daughter next month. “’Til then, this will do,” he said.
See the full list of winners below:
Employee of the Year: Joseph Cassis, PassionFish Bethesda
Manager of the Year: John Grace, The Hamilton
Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Ryan Ratino, Ripple
Regional Food and Beverage Producer of the Year: DC Brau Brewing Company
Favorite Gathering Place of the Year: Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Upscale Brunch of the Year: Convivial
Casual Brunch of the Year: Republic
Favorite Fast Bites of the Year: Cava Grill
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Proof
Casual Restaurant of the Year: Compass Rose Bar + Kitchen
Beer Program of the Year: Jack Rose Dining Saloon
Cocktail Program of the Year: Kapnos by Mike Isabella
Wine Program of the Year: Charlie Palmer Steak
Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year: Acme Paper & Supply Co., Inc.
Pastry Chef of the Year: Jemil Gadea, Masseria
Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: minibar by José Andrés
Service Program of the Year: The Source by Wolfgang Puck
New Restaurant of the Year: Hazel
Restaurateur of the Year: Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis, Ted Xenohristos, Brett Schulman, Cava Group, Inc
Chef of the Year: Tarver King, the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm