dbortnick

Hi everyone-

FYI - All of the Kimpton Restaurants will be open as we are lucky enough to be able to house our staff in the adjacent hotels. This includes:

Firefly

Urbana

Poste

Zentan

Jackson20

Brabo

Grille at the Morrison House

ETA - Am I seeing things, or does the website say Chef de Cuisine Todd Wiss?! Todd's probably a very good fish cook too (reminder: before Radius, he was at Black's Bar and Kitchen), so there you go. Are you still on the line?

Great catch! (no pun intended ) Earlier this year I was promoted to the regional Director of Operations position, so I now oversee the 7 Kimpton Restaurants between DC and Virginia! (Who knew there was a job where I would work even more hours than as a chef?) Needless to say, I recently hired Todd to the Chef de Cuisine position at Firefly. He is running the day-to-day of the kitchen and collaborating with me on the menu (I am still the Executive Chef after all ). I am extremely lucky to have such a passionate and talented individual in the kitchen making sure every dish emulates the Firefly standard.

Thanks for stopping in! Glad you like the new bar program, we are super excited as well! Don't sweat the bar stool height, they came in too high and we are getting them cut down to normal height. FYI, over 1/2 of the dinner menu are new dishes, and also, be on the lookout for bites to be passed out of the kitchen windows.

This is a riff on BattleBots?

I have actually always thought that I would excel at BattleBots.

Chef Danny Bortnick of Firefly will partner with Chefs Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac of Birch & Barley ...

Not intentionally written in the third person, I just simply copied and pasted from our event page. Anyways, this night is going to be a lot of fun and I figured this was the best forum to drum up some interest. Hope to see some DR peeps there.

Chef Danny Bortnick of Firefly will partner with Chefs Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac of Birch & Barley to prepare a five-course fundraising dinner benefiting the Susan G Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure™, which Bortnick and his wife will participate in this fall. Chefs Bailey and Bortnick will prepare two courses each, encompassing cuisine which both of their neighborhood restaurants honor: American comfort food with a modern twist. Award winning pastry chef, Tiffany MacIassac will prepare fare for a sweet ending. As well, you will be welcomed with champagne and seasonal bites.

This however will not be your ordinary multi-course tasting menu. With a special appearance from San Francisco, Kimpton Restaurants’ Master Sommelier, Emily Wines, will select her perfect varietal for each course, while Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Greg Engert will pick his favorite beer pairing. In a true test of what pairs best, two of the industry’s most notable beverage experts will go head to head in a “bottle battle” of beer vs. wine. Guests will enjoy five dually paired courses before “electing” their favorite: beer or wine. A lively discussion of each pairing will be detailed by both competitors. In the end, votes will be tallied and either Engert or Wines will be crowned as winner. A silent auction will also be held, including hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates, wine and jewelry.

Cost is $150 per person, all inclusive.

bottlebattle.eventbrite.com for more information

My wife and I have been in for dinner twice in the past couple months and have enjoyed everything we've had (and we are admitted food snobs). We've also gone on Monday nights, so it says a lot when restaurants run smoothly on Mondays.(certainly not the same case for where we went this past monday). You should go check it out.

My current sous chef is moving onward and upward. So I need a new sous chef. If you want to work hard, and learn a whole bunch, send me your CV.

Thanks, chef. This is (part of the reason) why this board is so great. I would never have guessed that chicken is your second most expensive protein. Maybe next you'll tell us how to make a great roast chicken. . .

OK, here goes:

First off, you need to start off with a great bird. We either buy Organic Poulet Rouge from Bev Eggelston of EcoFriendly Foods or Organic Chickens from Eberly Poultry. The key is that with an organic chicken, you get a lot more flavor right off the bat. This is from the fact that they have plenty of room to exercise and that their feed is high quality. You will also get a nice thin skin on an organic chicken.

Secondly, The chickens are brined for 48 hours. The brining process, via osmosis, allows for the cickens to absorb a highly seasoned solution. Our brine consists of salt, sugar, fresh thyme, garlic, and cayenne. I would give the recipe here, but it is actually a bit confusing to ensure the proper salt concentration relative to the amount of chickens you wish to brine. Any math whiz out there want to put the recipe into an algebraic formulation?

After the chickens are brined, they are strained out and set up on racks overnight so that the skin can dry out a bit. I should point out that we do not season the chickens after this point, the brine is all the seasoning that the chicken needs. The next step is the one that has the greatest effect on the outcome of your chicken; COOKING IT! .

We cook boneless half chickens at Firefly and we cook them in HEAVY iron pans. We also have iron presses to weigh down the chickens and "force" the skin flat, so that there is sufficient surface contact with the pan. The pan should be heated up to the point in which a small amount of olive oil in the pan just begins to smoke. At this point, add the chicken, skin side down to the pan. We do not cook more than one half chicken in a pan at a time. That way the chickens do not bring the temperature of the pan down too quickly and the chicken has the opportunity to sear, rather than steam. Once the chicken is in the pan, we put the weight on top, and turn the heat down to a medium flame. This allows the chicken to cook a bit slower, and the fat to render so that the skin gets crisp. Once the skin starts to get a nice light golden brown, we remove the weight, turn the chicken over and place the pan into a 450 degree oven to finish roasting. When the chicken is finished cooking, we blot it on a clean towel to remove any excess grease.

And there you have it.

Good luck,

Danny

I took it to mean that Danny truly loves a great chicken, and that it should be given status equal to anything on the menu. That having been said, note that it's a (clumsily written) paraphrase, as I don't remember his exact quote (and it's possible I'm misconstruing his thoughts as well) - maybe he can chime in and clarify?

Yep, a clumsy mis-quote, but well-intended none-the-less What I had said was that I belive that chicken should be the best dish on the menu, a lesson taught to me by Rob Weland. The point is, that if a chef puts that much emphasis on their chicken dish, it's bound to be a reflection of the entire menu. Often, in many restaurants, chicken entrees are treated as afterthoughts, included "only to appease the restrictive" diner....a fucked up perspective for any chef that takes themselves atleast a little serious.

As a side note, the chicken is our second highest cost protein, after the pot roast (boneless beef short rib). It costs more per portion than wild alaskan king salmon and halibut, Elysian Field's lamb shoulder, or all-natural hereford teres major steak.

Here is what we are doing for New Year's Eve at Firefly:

In addition to our regular menu, we are offering two special entree's:

db meatloaf - A mini meatloaf stuffed with foie gras and braised shortribs, with yellow carrot fondue, parmesan tater tots and "F-1" steak sauce $45

Maine Lobster & Alaskan King Crab "Royale" - A Lobster & King Crab Cake with salsify veloute, brussels sprout petals, black truffle hollandaise, shaved fresh perigord truffles, and american caviar $45

Firefly Restaurant in Dupont Circle is seeking a qualified Sous Chef. Minimum requirements are; Culinary School Graduate, 3 years experience as a Sous Chef, Fine Dining, Pastry, and Strong Computer Skills. This candidate will actively assist in creating menu items, ensuring consistency, and inspiring their coworkers. If you understand what initiative, dedication, determination, finesse, and focus mean please contact Chef Daniel Bortnick at daniel.bortnick@firefly-dc.com.

I'm still looking. PM me if you think you may be a good fit. This is a great opportunity.

Firefly Restaurant in Dupont Circle is seeking a qualified Sous Chef. Minimum requirements are; Culinary School Graduate, 3 years experience as a Sous Chef, Fine Dining, Pastry, and Strong Computer Skills. This candidate will actively assist in creating menu items, ensuring consistency, and inspiring their coworkers. If you understand what initiative, dedication, determination, finesse, and focus mean please contact Chef Daniel Bortnick at daniel.bortnick@firefly-dc.com.