You’ve got to admit it: 901 Restaurant in Penn Quarter is about as sophisticated an eatery as any in D.C. It even offers patrons self-lighting menus, a definite advantage in the wee, dark hours when nightclubbers hang out to eat. With executive chef Thomas Hall overseeing the kitchen and its crew, patrons will find food with flair: he creates a rather unusual menu, one that has a section for shared dishes, as well as one for regular offerings meant for you and you alone. A native of Maryland, Hall recalls his first kitchen job at the age of 16, when he announced to his boss that he was leaving to go to college. “You’ll be back,” his boss said. That pronouncement was wise: Hall did come back to the kitchen, though not necessarily to the one in that particular restaurant.
A member of a family in which cooking for large gatherings was commonplace, Hall says his parents cooked well, but did not make elaborate meals. It was his grandmother and her 14 children that elicited great food memories of meals that brought many relatives to large dinners. “We were interviewed on TV,” he said, “and there were 60 of us all together. They filmed us.”
| If you go |
| 901 Restaurant & Bar |
| Where: 901 Ninth St. NW |
| Info: 202-524-4433 |
| Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday; dinner 5 to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday to Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday; brunch will start in March 2012 |
A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Hall did his externship at D.C.’s hip-Southern restaurant, Acadiana, and was hired back after his graduation. He ended up working for three of its sister restaurants — DC Coast, Ceiba and TenPenh — all of which are part of the Passion Food Group. “I worked all the stations at all the restaurants,” he says, “And I worked with Jeff Tunks (executive chef and co-owner of the group) and with all the other chefs in the restaurants.”
Acknowledging that all his Passion Food colleagues influenced how his cooking developed and became refined, he points to a singular chef/friend from Frederick: Chris Smallwood, who is the executive chef at Alexanders, a small dining room in an inn in the nearby suburbs. “My cooking style,” he explained, “I have mirrored after him. It is that I am definitely an American kind of chef. I like to make food that tastes good, but is not artsy. It just tastes good. I also learned a lot from the chef, Cliff Wharton, at TenPenh (the now-closed Asian-style restaurant once part of the Passion Food Group).
His cooking stints at TenPenh left its mark, as patrons discover on the 901 menu: Thai rice paper rolls, Japanese tuna tempura, and Hong Kong grilled chicken showcase his Asian influences. But Hall comes up with truly all-American eats: grilled chipotle chicken sandwich, the 901 bacon burger, and the Caesar salad with Parmesan crisps are part of his all-American repertoire.
Q&A
What is your comfort food?
I love pizza and anything pork. I love the swine! And I love a home-cooked meal.
What is your must-have ingredient?
Smoked paprika. I love bacon and I sneak pork into everything.
What is your signature dish?
My passion is barbecue and I like to showcase pork, beef, chicken, and mussels.
Which is your favorite restaurant?
Bourbon Steak, Roacoe’s in Takoma Park, Victoria Gastro Pub, Zentan, and Ping Pong.
What’s in your fridge?
Milk, eggs, bread, and beer.
Recipe
901 Whole Roasted Chicken
Serves 2
The cumin can be toasted in a dry saut? pan over low heat until aromatic or on a sheet pan in a 325-degree oven until aromatic. The slow roasting of the chicken will help prevent the chicken from getting too dark from the marinade and render more of the chicken fat out.
3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon ground cumin, toasted
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 ounces light soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 (2 1/2 -pound) whole chicken
Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl and mix well to create a marinade. Cover the chicken with the marinade inside and out, using all of the marinade. Wrap the chicken tightly in plastic to seal in the flavors and juices, and refrigerate overnight.
