A trial by fire

Andrew Harnik/Examiner
Driss Zahidi is the executive chef at EVO Bistro in Mclean.As an amazing success story, consider how this young Moroccan chef who started out his adult life with a master’s in physics has ended up cooking for one of Northern Virginia’s hottest, hippest wine bar and tapas place.

That is the tale of Driss Zahaidi, who never attended culinary school and arrived in the United States about 10 years ago. If y’ve crowded into EVO Bistro in McLean, you quickly grasp that his culinary formula is a winning one.

Take, for example, the fact that this 2-year-old place has expanded to almost double its original size (the remodeling to be completed this month) and that the rave reviews have poured in, many of which are colorfully posted on the restaurant’s walls. Add to that the continual buzz surrounding and filling the place, with seating sometimes nonexistent. (Try late-lunch hours for an easier time of it.)

 What you’ll find is a flush wine cellar/wine bar to amplify happy hours and mealtimes and appealing lunch and dinner menus replete with tapas, salads, soups, and especially in the evening, some very approachable entres of paellas and a Moroccan-inspired tagine of lamb shanks served with couscous. (Hint: perhaps the most popular dish here is the butternut squash ravioli with sage cream. “We got slammed when we tried to remove it from the menu,” says Zahidi.)

Well, Zahidi may not have attended culinary school, but he admits that cooking has always been an activity he pursued just for the pleasure of it. “My mom,” he says, when pushed to say where this passion started. “I was the first child, who is always the one who is helping, and that’s the tradition. So I helped my mom peel potatoes. And after school, I went to my grandmother’s and she is really a good cook.”

 Early on, he learned the specifics of various traditional Moroccan dishes, including how to make stews and couscous from scratch. “That was the beginning,” he says.

In high school, he worked in several local restaurants as a line cook. After he had earned his master’s degree, Zahidi spent a year in France working as a chemical engineer, and during that time, worked in some local restaurants, a perfect setup for getting to understand the cuisine. “I learned from one chef and then another,” he says.

When he moved to the United States, Zahidi got a job with the now-defunct Le Petit Mistral, also in McLean, where he learned about running the front of the house. And, he quickly adds, he learned a lot about what kind of food Americans like. So when the owners planned to open the Corner Bistro (also now defunct) a few doors down, Zahidi joined in to help open the place. A few years later, however, he and his partners moved on to open their own place, and the rest is McLean history.

Throughout his career, Zahidi has kept his culinary skills and imagination sharpened by reading plenty of cookbooks and by experimenting in the kitchen.

“I play around with Moroccan spices,” he says, “and cook dishes that I like for myself.” Among those he singles out are the spinach-infused crepes stuffed with crabmeat, the Spanish anchovies served with orange segments, and the lamb meatballs with goat cheese.

Now securely in place as a successful chef, Zahidi answers that his family is pleased with his success. After all, he points out, even though he is not a chemical engineer, he finds that cooking is a bit like mixing chemicals, only more fun. And he keeps his mom involved. “Sometimes I check with my mother about spices,” he says. “And when she comes to town, I cook with her classic Moroccan dishes.”

Q&A

Which is your comfort food?

Anything grilled. Just simple food, no sauces. And when I am in a good mood, classic Moroccan dishes.

Which are your favorite restaurants?

Restaurant Eve in Alexandria; I’ve been there a few times. And Coastal Flats in Tysons Corner.

Which are your favorite cuisines?

Moroccan and then Spanish. I am in love with Spanish food. My mom used to cook paella. We used to have it twice a month.

Who are your favorite chefs?

I’ve a few, not just one. When I first got here, I watched Bobby Flay and Emeril. They are still my favorites. I like that Bobby Flay challenge.

What’s in your fridge?

Lots of vegetables and maybe a piece of meat, such as a lamb chop or steak. In Morocco, we eat mostly vegetables with just a little meat.