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Showing results for tags 'John Wabeck'.
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The conversation before Christmas went like this: "Can I break it, John?" "Nah. Nobody cares." "Yes, they care a great deal, and they're going to want a chance to say goodbye." "I don't want to deal with all this stuff before the holidays." In typical John Wabeck fashion, his quiet, self-effacing demeanor denied the sad truth that DC was on the verge of losing what I consider to possibly be its greatest restaurant talent: there is no one single person that I'm aware of who is a better chef, sommelier, and front of the house presence than John Wabeck. Yes, some are his equal in one of those categories, and it might be the very rare talent who's his equal in two, but nobody is his equal in all three. In baseball terms, he would be the greatest utility player who ever lived, and an eventual Hall of Famer. January 31st will be John's final day at Society Fair, where he has quietly been cooking on Thursday and Friday evenings for the past few weeks. Thursday is "Steak Night," with both John and Cathal grilling cuts of beef; Friday is the Demo Kitchen - you can find more about these two evenings on Society Fair's website, and you'll have a few more opportunities (but only a few) to experience John's cooking. John and Melissa Horst are moving to Pittsburgh - Melissa (coming from Virtue Feed and Grain) is already there, and is the GM at what I think is (don't quote me on this because John wasn't quite sure of the name) the magnificent Salt of the Earth (take a look at my write-up there). Although I haven't been to some of the new guard, this was easily the best meal I've ever had in Pittsburgh. John will become sommelier at Spoon which has an excellent reputation. I asked him, "Will you chef there?" "Nope, their chef is Brian Pekarcik," and he's better than me." "Will you cook back-up?" "Nope." "Run the front of the house?" "Nope, I'm just going to be sommelier - it's a dream job." I wonder if Spoon fully realizes just what a talent they're about to pick up in John Wabeck. His tastes in wine have evolved so much in the 10+ years I've known him. He ferrets out these fantastic, obscure, inexpensive wines from around the world that are calibrated *exactly* to my palate, and he is as good at this as anyone. Spoon, if you're out there reading this, you have a truly gifted professional coming your way. Your win, our loss. Although John and I have lost touch in recent years (he is, after all, in a wonderful relationship with Melissa), he has never once lost my respect. I am well aware of what this city is losing, and although he has kept a quiet demeanor of late, he has kept getting better and better at what he does. "I've never cooked this well before," was one of the last things he said to me last night, as we were finishing our wonderful dinner at Society Fair. If anyone from dr.com wishes to pay homage to John, may I suggest organizing something in haste? Otherwise, it would be more than fitting for everyone to visit Society Fair individually, this month, before this great talent moves onward and upward to Pittsburgh. We'll miss you, John, more than you know. -
PREEEEEE-SENTING ... next Monday evening at 7:30 PM sharp at Society Fair's demonstration dining area ... "The Wines of France" by John Wabeck Charcuterie by Master Artisan Julien Shapiro Study Guide by Don Rockwell This is going to be a collaborative, team effort featuring five different French wines, all sniffed, sipped, gulped, and discussed in full-technicolor detail by John Wabeck. Five fabulous wines, white and red, from five major regions will be featured: Sparkling ... Bordeaux ... Chateauneuf du Pape ... Loire Valley ... Burgundy Not too shabby! I (yes, little old me - Don Rockwell) am personally going to be writing up a little study guide for all five wines that you'll be able to take home with you. Not only are you going to enjoy these wines while John is discussing them, fielding questions, and drinking right along with you, but you're actually going to learn and memorize what they are, why they're so awesome, and you'll remember them whenever you see them in the future. And! While you're enjoying the wines, you'll get to experience the artisan butchery of the great Julien Shapiro - our own Poivrot Farci. Look at these masterful works of art! Five great French wines, the ultimate artisan meats by Julien, an interactive tasting by one of our most talented wine experts, John, and an informative write-up written by Don (former wine columnist for Washingtonian Magazine, in case our newer members don't know me from back then). It's a party, it's food, it's a class, it's educational, it's going to be fun as hell, and it's only 55 bucks (plus tax and tip, please). Slots are very limited, and I mean VERY limited, as in ... sign up today if you want to be guaranteed spots. We're talking 10, maybe 12 people maximum. And there will be plenty of wine to drink. Next Monday, May 14th, 7:30 PM, Society Fair in Alexandria. Be thirsty, be hungry, and be ready to learn a lot about French wine. I have the list of wines, but I'm going to leave them as a surprise for people - if anyone signs up and wants me to send it to them privately, let me know. Although the members of donrockwell.com have first alert about this event, this is NOT going to be a donrockwell.com exclusive event, so get on the horn ASAP and reserve your slots. First come, first served. If you want to bring guests and reserve multiple slots, that's fine too - just make sure to do it soon! (The wines and charcuterie will also be available for purchase, so if you love something, you'll be able to take it home.) To make your reservations, send an email to demokitchen@societyfair.net ASAP, and give them a name, requested number of people attending, and contact phone number. Don't wait because this is going to sell out. First come, first serve! Go!
