A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Mike Sindoni — the recently appointed executive chef of D.C.’s deluxe British Isles restaurant and Scotch bar, AGAINN — has always loved food. “Eating was always a big deal,” he said of family mealtimes. “I’m one of six kids, so we always had big family dinners. I still cook when I visit home.” Enrolling in Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts program, Sindoni spent his sophomore year abroad, studying in Florence, Italy, and decided his goal was to get a job in Italy after he graduated. “A friend was doing a study program there,” he said, “so I decided to tag along. I went into a Florence restaurant, Il Cibreo, and said I would work for free.”
Perhaps a real turning point in his culinary career, the volunteer job was, says Sindoni, a lesson in hard work. “It was a 15-hour day of prep work,” he says. “It was a good first real restaurant to work in. Everything was made from scratch daily.” He recalls how the walk-in refrigerator was always empty at the beginning of each day, except for prosciutto and Parmesan cheese.
| IF YOU GO |
| AGAINN |
| » Where: 1099 New York Ave. NW |
| » Info: 202-639-9830 |
| » Hours: Monday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to midnight; Sunday brunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
On a second trip to Italy, Sindoni worked briefly at a farm, Tenuta di Spannocchia, in Siena, where he was taught how to butcher pigs and to prepare traditional sausages and salumi. “That was a great starting point,” he reminisced.
When he moved back to the U.S., he spent a year in Syracuse before moving to San Francisco, volunteering at various restaurants to do prep work until someone hired him on staff. “I worked at a small seafood restaurant, a tiny place, owned by Aqua,” he said. “And then I moved on to work at the Navio at Northern California’s only AAA Five-Diamond resort, the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.
When he finally returned to the East Coast, Sindoni worked as the chef de cuisine with the opening of AGAINN. Now that he has taken over the restaurant’s kitchen, part of his early work involved some hefty training: “I went to London to do some research [about the cuisine] and just to eat,” he said. “I gained 11 pounds in six days. I ate all day long.”
Apparently the research has paid off, for Sindoni returned to D.C. with a cache of classic British recipes. “I was hugely inspired by that trip,” he said, and has turned this British-style restaurant into what he terms a “gastropub.” “The concept is necessarily British,” he said, “but it is just really good food.”
But not just the food.”We have 65 to 70 very rare Scotches,” Sindoni added. Very British, indeed.
Q&A
What is your comfort food?
Oh, man. Pizza definitely. In D.C., you can find good pizza, such as Seventh Hill Pizza and We the Pizza.
What has been the greatest influence on your cooking?
Being in Italy and travel in general. And going to New York one day just to eat.
What is your key ingredient?
Salt, if I had to pick one. You can’t do much without it.
Which is your favorite place in the world?
Really hard to pick one place. The top five would be San Francisco, New York City, London, Siena and Washington.
What’s in your fridge?
Beer, white wine, kim chee, and cheese. That’s pretty much it.
Recipe
AGAINN’s Mussels
Serves 2
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced shallot
1 tsp minced or microplaned garlic
1 tsp salt
1 pound mussels, preferably Prince Edward Island, scrubbed
1 cup dry hard cider, preferably Magner’s
2 Tbsp creme fraiche
1 1/2 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 Tbsp each minced parsley
1 Tbsp minced and chives
2 pieces grilled bread
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the olive oil, garlic, shallot, salt, and mussels. Increase the heat to high and toss several times. Let the pan heat for several seconds. Add the cider and cover the pan. After about 1 minute, the mussels will begin to open.
When the mussels have all opened, dump them into a bowl and quickly strain the liquid back into the pan. Whisk the creme fraiche, curry, and herbs into the cooking liquid; pour over the mussels. Serve with the grilled bread.
