America's Classic: C. F. Folks

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

1225 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 
Owner: Art Carlson

Art Carlson’s weekday-only lunch haunt on Dupont Circle, open since 1981, is a 600-square-foot temple of honest cooking and goodwill. (The name combines the initials of Carlson and his business partner, Peggy Fredricksen.) The vibe is loud and scrappy, and the food is delicious. Art Carlson, the ever-present host, is one of the last of a dying breed: a hands-on owner who schmoozes and teases his customers, often at the same time.

The place, with its 11 counter stools, is comfortable in its age. Behind the long Formica counter, racks of cookbooks from Julia Child and fellow titans share space with scribbled postcards, a rattletrap stereo system, a collection of old political campaign buttons, and a jumble of knickknacks including a Presidential Barbie and dusty cans of Alpo and Cheez Whiz.

The cooking is in the hands of George Vetsch, a veteran o... Read more >

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Gala Chef Q & A: Melissa Perello

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

Melissa Perello, Frances, San Francisco

What’s your go-to guilty-pleasure food?

Ice cream and doughnuts.

Describe the last great meal you ate.

Some memorable dishes of late: tiger salad from Mission Chinese, chicory salad with dates and crispy chicken skin at Rich Table, smoked potatoes with pickled ramp mayo at Bar Tartine,a guinea hen dumpling at State Bird Provisions, yogurt at Manka’s Inverness Lodge, and a Meyer lemon semifreddo that my pastry chef made.

What’s the dish you’re most proud of?

I like to think that I dominate in the whole soup category.

What’s your favorite movie snack?

Salty buttered popcorn (homemade when possible).

What’s your earliest food memory?

My grandmother’s peanut brittle.

What do you eat for breakfast?

Does coffee count?

What’s your f... Read more >

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America's Classic: Frank Fat's

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

806 L Street, Sacramento, CA 
Owners: the Fat Family

Frank Fat’s is a political landmark in California, once known as the “Third House” and one of Sacramento’s oldest restaurants. It serves Chinese-American food and is renowned for honey- walnut prawns; Frank’s-style New York steak (grilled, sliced, and smothered in sautéed onions and oyster sauce); Fat’s brandy fried chicken; and banana cream pie.

Kevin Hefner, writing about the restaurant’s 70th anniversary in 2009 in Capitol Weekly, said: “The restaurant often was the site of political meetings that, according to some, sometimes accomplished more than those in the Capitol. The most notable of these deals was the “Napkin Deal” of 1987, written on the back of a napkin by the participants that defined a multimillion-dollar pact between the lawyers, insurers, doctors, and business interests over tort reform.”

Willie Brown, former assembly Speaker and San Francisco mayor, recalls that it was the place legisl... Read more >

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Winner Recap!

by JBF Editors on May 06, 2013

Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America Inductee: Eric Asimov, Author and Journalist, NYC

Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America Inductee: Dorothy Kalins, Editor, NYC

Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America Inductee: Barbara Lynch, Chef and Restaurateur, Boston

Best Chef: South: Tory McPhail, Commander’s Palace, New Orleans

Best Chef: West: Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA

Lifetime Achievement Recipient: Cecilia Chiang

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