Reviews and Press
Buzzed: Chantal Tseng's Sazerac
Welcome to Buzzed, in which local bartenders show us how to make their favorite drinks—and let you in on their recipes. This week, Chantal Tseng of the Tabard Inn shows us how to make a Mid-19th Century Sazerac. Heard of the Sazerac? It’s one of the oldest cocktails on record in the United States. The drink, credited to apothecary Antoine Peychaud, is made with absinthe and named after an imported cognac, Sazerac de Forge et Fils, once used in the making of the drink. Just recently, the Sazerac was named the official drink of New Orleans. Neat facts, but do they ring a bell? If not, we recommend a visit to the Tabard Inn’s bar, pronto. It’s there that you’ll catch Chantal Tseng crafting interesting variations on old classics. Digging up old, almost forgotten cocktail recipes is a passion of Tseng’s, and she’s constantly featuring old drinks on the bar’s menu as well as introducing playful reinterpretations on staples such as the Bellini or mimosa. During our visit, her knowledge about the history of cocktails impressed us just as much as her skills behind the bar. But don’t take our word for it. Have a look at Tseng making the Sazerac for yourself below and get the recipe for the drink!
World Cocktail Week Celebrated at Proof in Washington DC
Launched in 2006, World Cocktail Week celebrates the anniversary of cocktail’s first print appearance in 1806. Many cities have begun their own World Cocktail Week celebrations, but this year none were more enthusiastic about the event than Washington DC, home to a budding cocktail culture. On May 12, more than 100 people flocked to Proof, in DC’s bustling Chinatown neighborhood, to take part in a very special event. In addition to celebrating World Cocktail Week, the evening also served as a fundraiser for the Museum of the American Cocktail, which is scheduled to return to New Orleans in July. On hand were ten of DC’s best-known bar chefs, each of whom contributed an original cocktail to the evening. Included were Adam Bernbach of Bar Pilar, Derek Brown of Komi, Tom Brown of Cork, Gina Chersevani of EatBar, Justin Guthrie of Central Michel Richard, John Hogan of Hudson, Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve, Chantal Tseng of Tabard Inn, Rico Wisner of Poste, and Proof’s own Sebastian Zutant.
2007 Fall Dining Guide
** 1/2 (out of four stars)
Like an old friend, I can always rely on the Tabard to be there for me. In fall and winter, its comfortably worn, fireplace-lit lounge is one of the first places I head for a warm-me-up; in spring and summer, I can count on the brick-walled garden to impress any visitors. A talented parade of chefs has marched through the kitchen over the decades, and the latest, Paul Pelt, follows the inn's long-standing recipe for fresh and contemporary American fare. Pelt's croquettes, sweet with shrimp and nutty with Manchego cheese, whisk me to Spain, though their cayenne-shocked tomato jam is very New World. And his twin barbecue duck sandwiches are both adorable and scrumptious, refreshingly paired with a light slaw of thread-thin shredded jicama, mango and cilantro. There's something to appeal to every hankering on the daily-changing script: short ribs bedded on polenta and ringed with chimichurri, grilled quail that evokes the Caribbean with its peppery jerk spices, a crab cake here and a hanger steak (with bernaise sauce) there. Huw Griffiths's desserts - cappuccino pots de creme, lemon meringue pudding cake, carrot cake lavished with coconut - bring up the rear, and you need to know going in that they are very, very hard to resist. So save space. And bring some cotton balls for your ears, because this decades-old charmer is as clattery as it is cozy.