[DC in DC]

FYI-- This came in my in-box today:

Quote

TenPenh is offering an Asian Specials cooking class. Taught by Chef de Cuisine Cliff Wharton, this class will be held September 17, 2005, from 11am to 1pm at TenPenh (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW). Attendees will watch and learn as Chef Wharton demonstrates how to prepare recipes inspired by the cuisines of Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines). Participants will be presented with four course tastings paired with varied spirits, such as beer and sake. The cost is $75 per person.
To register or for more information, please contact Amy Allworth at 202-393-1510 or email amy.allworth@dccoast.com.

Chef Wharton and TenPenh have garnered consistently rave reviews. Cooking dishes familiar to him from his childhood and his Filipino heritage, Wharton builds his meals around fresh vegetables and grains, deftly seasoned with vivid spices.

I had an excellent RW lunch meal there a few weeks ago. The calamari salad was perfectly cooked and tender, and it had a kick to it. I had the kobe beef entree which was phenomenal-- it wasn't quite medium rare (though, I don't know if kobe beef is supposed to be cooked like steak?), but the saucing made up for it. I might have held up the table a bit by cleaning my plate. Dessert-- I don't remember now, but no one at the table was too inspired by any of the choices. Service-- a bit slow, but reasonable given that it was RW. Server was nice and competent.

[jm chen]

Yum. We made a last-minute decision to dine there on a Saturday night a couple of weeks ago -- it was on the early side, so we scored a patio table with no wait.

We split a "Feng Shui" cocktail, big $12 chilled combo of icewine and vodka. Sound weird? It is. Wouldn't really recommend it, although the frozen grape garnish was a nice touch.

Appetized on the short ribs and lumpia spring rolls. The rolls were good vehicles for the delicious sauces -- I must admit that these rolls have gone down in my estimation after I more recently tasted the meatier, less greasy version at Corduroy.

We split the smoked lobster as an entree -- partly a cost saving measure as market price was given as $38. A friend of mine said she had the same dish at DC Coast as part of the RW menu for only a $5 upcharge, so either a) the serving sizes are different, she got an insanely good deal, or c) we got screwed. Anyway, delicious as always.

Our two desserts were both recommended by the waiter and were both really, really fantastic. The coconut-dusted donuts are served warm with an ice-cold coconut ice cream (sorbet?) so if you get a bit of each in the same bite it is a temperature experience as well as a taste experience, and really nice. The other thing was a tart reminiscent of Key Lime Pie, both tart and sweet, and not too rich.

In the past I have really enjoyed their coconut chicken soup and the wasabi mashed potatoes. Both are still on the menu, or were, two weeks ago.

Jael

[Jacques Gastreaux]

FunnyJohn, on Jan 13 2006, 01:51 PM, said:

You know it's restaurant week when...
You show up for lunch at Kinkeads at 12:15 and the bar only has two seats left available.

I had lunch at Ten Phen on Wednesday and it was the same thing. We had no reservation, they were booked but said we coud eat in the bar. I went back to the bar and there were maybe 2 scattered spots. We were able to sit on the easy chairs in the lounge area and eat off of the coffee table. Service was good though. The piece of seared tuna I had was unmemorable.

[purplesachi]

this week (may 21-26) ten penh is celebrating the harvest or "pihayas" festival by having a special filipino 4-course menu ($40):

kinilaw (filipino ceviche)
chicken adobo ravioli
escabeche (fish with sweet and sour sauce on top)
leche flan

politburo went tonight to see if there should be any fuss. the service was a little off (wine being brought out late, 2nd couse brought out while we hadn't even finished the first course, etc), but the food was pretty darn good.

the standout dish was the escabeche. not sure what type of fish it was (grouper or snapper, perhaps), but the fillet was cooked perfectly and served with a sweet and sour sauce accented with julienned ginger, carrots, and red peppers, served atop of white rice. the sauce had the proper amount of heat to it, which i'm not normally accustomed to in this dish, but i was pleasantly surprised.

while the chicken adobo ravioli had much promise, i don't think the dish delivered what the chef(s) possibly intended. the chicken adobo was the variety with the coconut milk, and while the adobo was fantastic, i'm not sure the vehicle for carrying the chicken was proper. the ravioli (basically a small rounded wonton wrapper, which is totally fine), would have been a bit better had it been seared or browned on at least one side, to maintain its texture. while i was eating it tonight, i kept thinking to myself that there was really no point to have the ravioli shell, save for presentation for a second course (and to give me the idea of making chicken adobo lumpia..hehe ), especially because it was also served with a bit of white rice.

the leche flan was just like my mom makes it - strong hints of lime throughout. it was also served with a (almost bland) casava cake (coconut on top), but it was hard to notice the lack of sugar in the casava cake due to the fact that it was sitting in the caramelized sugar juices of the flan.

after talking with our waiter, we were disappointed more people weren't there to sample the special menu. in fact, our waiter said that we were the first to order the special menu, as he hadn't really seen it or know much about it. and, as i looked around the dining room, it was confirmed that people were ordering off the regular menu.

we briefly talked to cliff wharton, and he mentioned this might be something they would do again in the future. hopefully more people will take advantage of it, since filipino food has not yet become the new thai food (not that i'm hoping it does)...

[Simone Sez]

Connecting Cultures through Cuisine:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival and TenPenh Restaurant host a
Cooking Demonstration and Lunch on June 30th

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival and TenPenh restaurant have teamed up in celebration of the 41st Annual Folklife Festival showcasing unique flavors and ingredients of the Mekong Delta. As TenPenh embraces Southeast Asian food and culture, it is the perfect venue to present the rich heritage of the Mekong Delta. Join renowned chefs, Jeff Tunks and Cliff Wharton of TenPenh Restaurant, Washington, DC; Nongkran Daks of Thai Basil, Chantilly, VA; and Southeast Asian food and culture expert David Quang at TenPenh Restaurant at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW on Saturday, June 30, from noon to 3:00 pm as they demonstrate the traditional cooking techniques and dishes of the differing flavor methods that distinguish the foods of the Mekong River countries.

Drawing from the cuisine, feast on cuisine from the Mekong countries including Pad Thai of Thailand, Vietnamese Summer Rolls of Vietnam, Loatian Grilled Chicken with Green Papaya Salad of the Loas; Cambodian Spicy Stir Fried Beef of Cambodia and Yunnanese Steamed Stuffed Asian Pear with Honey and Dates of Yunnan. Prior to opening TenPenh, Chef Tunks spent three weeks in Thailand and Vietnam extensively researching ingredients and immersing himself in the customary Asian approaches through varied cooking schools and restaurants. “I am honored to be a voice for the festival because of commitment I made in bringing distinctive flavors and authentic presentation from those regions. My mission was to live and learn Southern Asian traditions and bring the best of what I was taught to Washington, D.C. With the festival in our backyard, I will have the opportunity to not only teach what I learned seven years ago, but to explore other traditions and customs new to me.

Vietnam’s fertile Mekong Delta is the large, intensively cultivated region in the southeast of the country where the mighty Mekong River branches out into nine distinct arms in its approach to the South China Sea. The longest river in Southeast Asia, the Mekong [whose name in Vietnamese translates as “the Nine Dragon River”] has its source in the Plateau of Tibet, and travels through six countries, including Thailand and Cambodia, on its way to the sea. The Delta itself is rich with agriculture from shrimp farms to rice paddies. According to legend, during the winter months a dragon appears to many of the region’s people, bringing them good health and wisdom.

The price for the event is $98 per person for Smithsonian resident members and $133 per person for non-members. All proceeds will go directly to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. For reservations and information, please call 202.357.3030 or visit the Smithsonian online at ResidentAssociates.org, CODE: 1B1-520. A two-week celebration, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will run June 27-July 1 and July 4-8.


TenPenh Restaurant
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202.393.4500

[Laura24601]

I wish I had visited Ten Penh before Saturday night (mid-October). It was fantastic!

We sat at the bar, after trying to get a group of four a table or at the bar at Central (no!) and then being offered an immediate seat at Ten Penh's lounge or a 45-minute wait for a regular table. I'm so glad we ate at the bar. The service was very friendly, the cocktails were top-notch (I had the Emporer's Geisha and the Beijing Blush, both unusual and beautiful), and the food was excellent.

We started with shredded pork empanadas, which were spicy, almost sweet, and perfectly lightly fried. I had the lamb potstickers, which were juicy and packed a lot of heat. Two of my friends split the whole crispy fish, flounder, which was again expertly fried. The white meat was so flaky and tender. My other friend had the glazed salmon, which I did not sample but which looked very good.

It was a very busy night at the bar, but our bartenders made great suggestions and were a lot of fun. I am sure I will be back to the bar soon.

[New Foodie]

Hit up Ten Penh for the first time last night for RW with a couple of girlfriends (yes, my second Passion Food restaurant in as many nights after a Ceiba visit on Monday). Both restaurants had identical RW menu offerings (as in 7-8 apps, any entree with only one upcharge and a choice of 3 desserts). I wish there were more dessert choices since none of the 3 really excited me, but the app and entree were fantastic, so it's only a minor complaint.

I started with the Wok Seared Spicy Calamari Salad (Tatsoi, Sriracha, Lime and Toasted Cashews). The dressing was excellently spicy and the calamari were perfectly seared/sauteed. My friends each got the Filipino Lumpia Style Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls with a Trio of Dipping Sauces. This was an enormous serving. The bit I had was a bit greasy, but the dipping sauces were a great addition.

We each had fish entrees Dashi Marinated Chilean Sea Bass (Wakame-Potato Cake, Sambal Beans, Pickled Ginger Sauce), Wonton Glazed Halibut (Nori Somen Noodles, Shiitake Mushrooms, Anticusho Sauce), Nori Glazed Tuna (Pickled Ginger-Cucumber Risotto, Wasabi Pepper Sauce) and a special of Turbo with steamed jasmine rice and a mandarin orange and spinach salad. Each were very large portions and all received raves. Despite my slight aversion to pickled ginger I thoroughly enjoyed my sea bass. The fish was cooked perfectly and the sambal beans were amazing with just a touch of spice. I could only eat about half of the potato cake due to the large serving.

Looking at the online menu makese me wish some of those choices were offered for RW. The German Chocolate brownie with caramom cream cheese icing and coconut panna cotta was decent, but not great. However, the dessert bite brought with the check (some sort of soft brownie type thing with a strong brown sugar taste) was much better and a good note on which to end.

[NolaCaine]

I dinned at Ten Penh today for lunch. The service, as always, was fantastic.

Lunch was fine: I started with fine steamed dumplings accompanied by fine dipping sauce. For lunch I had a thin fillet of telapia that was a bit over-cooked, over-oiled, and dry at parts. I really enjoyed the strip of green and brown yumminess that was on my plate. I think the green was cilantro sauce and maybe the brown stuff was related to soy product. There was also a bit of veggie salsa which was perfect. I would have liked that blended into a gazpacho and served in a big bowl (it's that time of the year).

The rice under the fish looked good but was quite dry so I didn't eat it.

[soapy]

Anyone been to the TenPenh on the patio? They serve a filipino style roasted pig on the patio with sides for 29 dollars a person. I'm intrigued but I wanted to know if anyone else has tried it.

[DonRocks]

soapy, on 15 July 2010 - 05:03 PM, said:

Anyone been to the TenPenh on the patio? They serve a filipino style roasted pig on the patio with sides for 29 dollars a person. I'm intrigued but I wanted to know if anyone else has tried it.

Cliff Wharton grew up in the Philippines, so at the very least, roast lechon is in his heritage.