Wacky and with a wonderful sense of the absurd as gastronomy, D.C. native and Executive Chef Greggory Hill of the offbeat David-Greggory Restau Lounge wins my vote as D.C.’s zaniest chef. His sense of fun encompasses menu selections such as his luncheon “3 Little Pigs” sandwich on black pepper biscuits and dessert “A S’more in Greek’s Clothing” plus his memorable but long-gone confection “Cow-over-the-Moonpie Goes Bananas.” And what about his own get-up: Saffron-colored chef’s coat with a jaunty pink neck scarf, loads of loop earrings and a gold pig pinned to his front?
After all, the pig and all its various parts are what Hill celebrates in his kitchen.
“I love pork,” he declares, dedicating dinners every Wednesday night to Pork and Pinot and the third Monday of every month to creating an all-bacon menu. “Swine is fine,” he adds, describing one of his creations of chocolate-dipped bacon.
But don’t be misled: Award-winning Greg Hill is a very serious, dedicated, and passionate chef, who seems to spend all his waking hours thinking about food and then creating truly sensational eats.
“I was always in the kitchen with grandma because she did all the cooking at our home,” he says.
He has worked in the kitchens of the French Embassy and at New Heights as grill cook, at Devon’s (the predecessor of Kinkead’s in the West End), at Fedora in Tysons Corner where he worked for five years, and at Carnegie’s as sous chef.
To hone his cooking skills, Hill enrolled in L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland, where he fell in love with French cooking, but he gave his cooking a Latin American twist.
“One of my passions is food with big, bold flavors,” he says fervently. “Intense flavors are the things that excite me Latinos and Asians produce dishes with the strongest flavors. These excite me,” he says, adding he once cooked for Julia Child, and knowing she didn’t like cilantro — a favorite Latino and Asian seasoning and herb — he created dishes working around that.
His successes spring from his obvious passion for his craft. As he points out, he spends more time with the people in his kitchen than they do with their own families.
“It’s 14 to 16 hours a day for me,” he says. “So you better love what you do. That makes it easier when you are passionate.”
Never one to rest on his accolades, Hill’s restaurant is undergoing a transformation shortly, with a name change — Hudson — a new look and new hours. When it reopens in early September, promises Hill, all the favorites and all the flavors will still be on the menu. And, of course, so will the pig.
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Hempler’s Black Pepper Bacon and Shiraz Glaze
Serves 4
Steaks
Four 1 1/2-inch-thick filet mignons
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
Granulated garlic
Glaze
8 slices black pepper bacon, cut into medium dice
4 large shallot, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bottle Marquis Phillips Shiraz
4 tblsps butter
2 tblsps chopped fresh tarragon
2 tblsps chopped fresh thyme
Salt
Sprigs of fresh tarragon and/or thyme for garnish
» Preheat the grill. Rub each filet with olive oil. Rub each filet with salt, black pepper and granulated garlic.
» Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and add the bacon. Stir to prevent sticking or burning. Cook for six to eight minutes, or until some of the fat is released. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and remove the bacon. Add shallots, and cook until translucent. Add garlic. Stir and cook about three minutes and increase the heat to medium. Add the shiraz and continue cooking until the shiraz has reduce by two-thirds.
» Add the bacon back into the pan and whisk in the butter. Once the butter is incorporated, add the chopped herbs and season with salt.
» Once the grill is heated, grill the filets three minutes on each side for medium rare, or to your preference. Place the steaks on serving plates, spoon the glaze over each filet, and garnish with sprigs of tarragon and/or thyme.
In Hill’s own words
How do you define your style?
I cook from the heart. It’s how and what I want to eat. I also have been doing half portions for forever, which lets patrons get many tastes. Nothing should be so structured. Why not three dishes?
Why are you obsessed with the pig? It’s my favorite meat. What don’t you eat? The oink?
What is your favorite food? Pork. Just pork. The divine swine. Comfort food? Bacon.
Where do you eat out? Where did I go last? Vidalia. Sometimes getting out is a problem. I need to see what’s going on in the city. There needs to be a balance. I should go out, but I work all the time. I live to work. … I spend more time with the people in the kitchen than they do with their families.
What’s in your fridge? Water. Three to four types of mustard. Sourdough starter, which I’ve had for 18 years. Champagne, for when there is time to celebrate. Hot habanero and chipotle salsas. There’s really nothing else in it. I’m only there on Sundays.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? Right here. Or sitting in my own little pigpen surrounded by bacon and pig’s trotters.
