Being born into a family in which both parents loved to cook — and cooked abundantly every night — certainly provided the proper background for executive chef Orlando Hitzig of Dupont Circle’s edgy Mark and Orlando’s restaurant.
“We had good food, and a sit-down dinner every night,” the Baltimore native says. “I always helped them out, but I never thought of cooking as a career.”
But that changed after studying computer sciences at the University of Maryland, when Hitzig realized drinking and eating well were more fun than attending class.
“I decided to find a career where drinking was socially acceptable,” he says. “So I enrolled at the Culinary Institute of American (CIA) and graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts in 1995,” he says. The first after-graduation job he landed was in the kitchens of Aureole restaurant, a Charlie Palmer power place in New York City.
But Hitzig really yearned for a return to the D.C. metro area, and ended up working at Vidalia with Jeff Buben, and subsequently moving to 1789 restaurant to work with Ris Lacoste and finally to the classy 701 restaurant as executive sous chef for 6 1⁄2 years. But Hitzig’s career path took a jog from the big-restaurant scene to something very different: his very own kitchen.
“Mark (Medley) and I had known each other for about 16 years,” he says. “We had always wanted to open our own restaurant, and we decided ‘We are doing it.’ My parents are both ecstatic about the direction and quality of my career.”
Mark and Orlando’s was nominated as the Voter’s Choice Best Neighborhood Restaurant for this year’s RAMMY’s awards (the annual awards presented by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington to deserving local restaurants).
As for what has influenced his straightforward “clean and soulful” style of cooking, Hitzig harkens back to his dad.
“He came from a family of seven, and could look back at generations of good food and of getting good ingredients,” he says, all of which has served the younger Hitzig well in his culinary career. You can see that influence in the way Hitzig approaches his kitchen creations.
“I define my style as contemporary American,” he says, “and my inspiration comes with the food, which should not be complicated. Food is a sustaining property meant to keep us alive. And for flavors out to impress, I keep it to three to four ingredients on the plate, otherwise all the flavors get muddled.”
As he summarizes it, Hitzig believes food generally has plenty of flavors in its natural state, and to bring those flavors forward requires not covering them up with extraneous add-ons and heavy sauces. But has he found his perfect dish yet, a memorable recipe that defines his style?
“I haven’t gotten to that yet,” he says, “or I would still be doing it constantly. There’s always room for improvement.”
Q&A with Chef Orlando Hitzig
Do you cook at home?
Yes and no, depending if the mood strikes, otherwise I may order out. … It would be the same food as I cook here (at the restaurant), such as barbecued beef ribs.
What is your comfort food?
I like tacos and quesadillas, I love peas and beans and any Mexican or Tex-Mex food, grilled cheese. Anything that I can make in less than 10 minutes.
What are your pantry staples?
Butter, shallots, garlic, good chicken and very good extra virgin olive oil. Anything else can be played with, but you need a good base for good food.
Where do you eat out?
We rarely do. But we try to hit one every other month. Equinox is my favorite. Then 701 and the Oval Room.
What has been your luckiest moment?
Having a neighborhood restaurant. Dupont Circle is so eclectic, and they’ll let me do everything. Liver? OK …
From the Chef’s Kitchen
Tomato lager soup
5 whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped
One (12-ounce) bottle lager-style beer
1 Spanish onion, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch basil, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Basil crème fraîche (see recipe below)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and roast the tomatoes until well-caramelized. Remove from the oven and pour the beer into the roasting pan to deglaze it, loosening any bits of tomato stuck to the pan.
In a large pot, sweat the onion in the olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic, increase the heat to medium and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the tomato and beer. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken. Add the chicken stock and cook until reduced by half. Add the cream, cilantro and basil and cook until reduced by half. Purée in a food processor and season to taste. Serve with the Basil crème fraîche.
Basil crème fraîche
2 bunches basil
1 cup crème fraîche
2 Tbsp. chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Blanch the basil in boiling water, then shock it in an ice bath. Purée the basil with the crème fraîche and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper.
If you go
Mark and Orlando’s
2020 P St. NW
Washington, D.C.
202-223-8463
Hours: Lunch — 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner — 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
