For a young man, Eric McKamey has sure earned his stripes in local kitchens. A Northern Virginia native, McKamey has worked with some of the area’s leading chefs: Michel Richard of Central, Eric Ziebold of CityZen, Frank Ruta of Palena and Jonathan Krinn of 2941.
Small wonder, then, that the owners of Arlington’s the Curious Grape Wine, Dine & Shop has selected McKamey as their executive chef. There, with the wonders of America’s growing passion for fine foods and wines, he gets to supercharge his dishes so that from soup to nuts, food flavors marry happily with those flavors of paired wines. What a lucky guy!
McKamey — as with many of his contemporaries — started cooking as a young child, baking with his mom and grandmother. “That was just before the Food Network explosion,” he said. “I knew I wanted to work with my hands, and I thought of carpentry.” He admits that his mom’s cooking was simple, but all of it was home-made every night. “We had no fast food,” he said. “I never thought about it as a kid.”
| If you go |
| The Curious Grape Wine, Dine and Shop |
| Where: 2900 S. Quincy St., Arlington |
| Info: 703-671-8700 |
| Hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Closed Monday |
Lured into the kitchen when he was just 16 to work in a local restaurant, he says that at first he thought of cooking as just a job. That was with the former Hero’s American Restaurant in Manassas, where McKamey worked on the salad, fry and grill stations. “Their chef was trained at the Culinary Institute of America,” he said, “and from him I got my first insight into the professional restaurant environment.”
He then thought seriously about going to culinary school, but by the time he was just 18 years old, he was hired by the fashionable Falls Church restaurant 2941 on their fish station. Before long, McKamey had worked every station in the restaurant before moving on to the other metro area kitchens. “I have worked with some of the best chefs in the D.C. area,” he said. “I picked up the most from Frank Ruta at Palena … Frank’s flavors are very soulful. He is an awesome cook, and I love all that he does.” He also gives high praise to Eric Ziebold at CityZen, whom he describes as “a technician.”
After several other stops on his way to the Curious Grape, McKamey finds himself with a perfect fit. “This [job] appealed to me because of the wine bar,” he explained. “This will have its own identity, and not just be part of the restaurant group. We offer high-end quality food.”
His successful career has earned him kudos from his own family, he says. “Both my parents are proud of me and love coming to eat at the restaurant,” he said. “My dad has eaten here three times already and we just opened recently … my sisters are also big fans.”
Q&A
What is your comfort food?
A bowl of cereal or a burger. Or, Oreos or chocolate chip cookies. I like eating simple food.
Which is your favorite cookbook?
I have thousands. I have gone back to “The French Laundry Cookbook,” it is very well-worn in my collection. My wife got me the “Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking.” It is a six-volume set and great for food nerds.
Which is your favorite restaurant?
Palena. I like it because when I go and spend from $30 to $150 dollars, and each dish is awesome. I have never had even a mediocre plate there. Then 2 Amys.
What’s in your fridge?
Eggs, milk, mostly condiments, yogurt, cheeses, beer, cottage cheese
What is your must-have ingredient?
Salt. I am pretty picky about that. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, because I like the feel in my hand. It is good for seasoning. Also a mid-range olive oil so I put just that little bit on when dressing a salad.
Recipe
Lemongrass Shrimp With Cucumber, Roasted Peanut, and Tamarind Vinaigrette
Serves 4 to 6
Lemongrass Marinade
6 stalks lemongrass, chopped
4 cloves spring garlic or regular garlic
3 sprigs Thai basil
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
Combine all in blender, and puree until smooth, thinning with water if necessary.
Shrimp
2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 ounces rice stick noodles
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed by mortar and pestle
1 cucumber, sliced
1 carrot, sliced thin
2 radishes, sliced thin
Handful of mint leaves
Handful of Thai basil leaves
Handful of buckwheat shoots or other lettuces
4 tablespoons lemon-flavored oil
Marinate shrimp with marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Before serving, soak noodles in very hot water to soften.
Seasoning Sauce
(Nuoc Cham)
4 cloves spring garlic or regular garlic
2 red finger chili or Serrano
Juice from 5 limes
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
Combine all in blender and puree until smooth.
Tamarind Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
Combine all.
To serve, sear the shrimp with 2 tablespoons of lemon-flavored oil; toss the soaked noodles with the crushed peanuts and seasoning sauce to taste. Toss the cucumber, carrot, radish, mint, basil and shoots with the seasoning sauce to taste. Arrange the vegetables over the noodles, and arrange the shimp of the vegetables. Before serving, drizzle the platter with the tamarind vinaigrette and any remaining lemon-flavored oil.
