PRESS: RAMMY Nomination Article by DC Dining

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Maple Ave Restaurant

Family and Friends,

Excited to share that Tim was nominated for RAMMY under the category Rising CulinaryStar of the Year! The nominee is an “up and coming” chef who demonstrates exemplary talent, shows leadership and promise for the future. The nominee must have been based in the Metropolitan Washington area for a minimum of two years. Winner will be announced at the RAMMY Awards Ceremony on June 23rd.

RAMW Announces 2013 RAMMY Award Nominees

Mar 19,2013 – by Lisa Shapiro 1

Hundreds of the Washington, DC metropolitan area’s restaurant industry players gathered tonight at The Hamilton as the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) announced the nominees for its 31st Annual RAMMY Awards, which honors the exceptional ability and accomplishments of the DC area restaurant industry. The nominations party is a highly anticipated yearly event, second only to the restaurant awards gala, The RAMMYS, where winners are announced which will be held on June 23, 2013 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

“We’re pleased to be able to honor the individuals who work hard to provide area residents and visitors with exceptional, world-class hospitality,” said Kathy Hollinger, RAMW’s new President. “Their dedication to the world and work of food and beverage adds an incredible vitality to the entire Washington Metropolitan Area. This year’s theme – ‘Restaurants in Bloom’ – acknowledges their creative contributions to the region’s burgeoning restaurant scene, and credits their talent which has earned DC recognition as a dining destination.”

The RAMMY Awards recognize excellence in 16 categories, including “Casual Dining”, “Chef of the Year”, “New Restaurant of the Year” and “Beverage/ Mixology Program of the Year”. Selecting the RAMMY nominees, and ultimately the winners, involves two separate panels of judges, the voting public and, for just one award – the Joan Hisaoka Associate Member of the Year – the RAMW Executive Committee. Any RAMW member is eligible for nomination as long as they meet the qualifications of any given category. The nominees are then reviewed by the appropriate anonymous panel of judges comprised of food/restaurant writers, educators and HR professionals who ultimately select the five finalists in each of the categories announced tonight.

For complete DC Dining article, click here.

Press: Washingtonian, February 2013 “The 100 Very Best Restaurants”

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Maple Ave Restaurant

The MAR crew is excited to share with you that Maple Ave was included in the 2013 Washingtonian’s Top 100 Very Best Restaurants. Also, thrilled to be included in this years Top 10 HOT LIST. This is what they said:

Who wouldn’t be skeptical of a suburban restaurant that charges upward of $20 for entrées and looks to be housed in a ’60s-era doughnut shop? And the menu’s crazy quilt of influences—Korean, Thai, Americana, Mediterranean, and Moroccan—doesn’t do much to convince you to chance it. But you should. Chef/owner Tim Ma doesn’t take shortcuts and puts his heart into everything he sends out. His rendition of shrimp and grits could persuade a Louisianan that the chef grew up in Bayou Country. A bowl of mussels in a saffron-coconut broth bests the work of most Thai kitchens. And pork-fried rice tastes like what a Chinese or Korean chef whips up when he’s off his shift. Don’t miss:Crème fraîche chicken wings with Korean chili paste; scallops with coconut-scallion risotto; braised beef cheek; whole branzino; beer-battered fries; chocolate dumplings; yuzu-lime pie; mochi.

For complete article click here.

PRESS: NOVA Magazine, March 4th “The Ultimate Macdown”

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Maple Ave Restaurant

“For the Perfectionist: Maple Ave. Vienna is packed with great, local restaurants, one of which serves some serious mac. Maple Ave‘s baked mac comes with Gruyere, Vermont cheddar mornay, fusili, and herbs de Provence panko crust. Though the pasta, in writing, looks very similar to Cheesetique’s mac and cheese, the al dente noodles are larger and the dish—noodles, cheeses, crust—are thrown together and then baked. It’s glorious. /147 Maple Ave., Vienna.” Lindsey Jenkins, Northern Virginia Magazine

For complete blog post click here.

PRESS: The Hungry Muse, February 2013 “Five Things: Turning 24″

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Maple Ave Restaurant

“This is one of Chef Ma’s latest creations. I have my brunch go-to’s at Maple Ave, but Maple Ave is one of the few restaurants in NoVA with rotating dishes you won’t regret taking a chance on. The basil ice cream melts into the creamy risotto when the dish arrives, creating a rich, gold-colored sauce that bonds the sweetness of coconut to the saltiness of the seared scallops, and creates the image of an oozing egg yolk on a sunny-side up egg.” Jennie Tai, The Hungry Muse

For complete blog post click here.

PRESS: The Hungry Muse, January 8 2013 “The Ma’s Third Baby”

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Maple Ave Restaurant

9 Things To Love About Maple Ave by The Hungry Muse

1) Indian In The Cupboard At the Maple Ave Market, you’ll find boxes of fresh produce, shelves of local honey and peanut butter, refrigerated glass cases of cheese and meat; and much more. Around the corner, by the freezer of Trickling Springs ice cream–you’ll find an old cabinet full of various hand-crafted spices made by scientist-turned entreprenuer, Deepa Patke, owner of Aromatic Spice Blends in Vienna. Inside the cabinet, you’ll find packs of garam masala (one of the basic spices for Indian butter chicken), dhansaak, and vindaloo.2) Sous Vide Magic “It’s kind of like our third baby,” Joey–Chef Ma’s wife–says of Chef Ma’s beloved sous vide machine, “If there’s one thing that gets ‘babied’ in the kitchen, it’s this!”After taking his first bite of the short rib (mentioned in #7), my boyfriend looked over at me and asked me what it was, how Chef cooked it, and told me to take notes. Unfortunately, I don’t own a sous-vide machine, so it wouldn’t matter anyway–but the point is, Chef Ma didn’t braise short rib (like the rest of the world would) and made it even more delicious.	3) Words of Wisdom Maple Ave Market makes it easy for shoppers who want to pick up groceries from local producers at a one stop shop that’s open seven days a week–not just on Saturday mornings!
	4) Daily Farmer’s Market As mentioned in #3, Maple Ave Market brings together all of those favorite things you wake up to grab from your local Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning in one little shop in Vienna. They even allow you to pre-order different meats ahead of time (like organic turkeys for Thanksgiving).
	5) Naked & Delicious Sometimes, a simple salad of incredibly fresh ingredients is worth savoring slowly, like a bowl of lobster bisque. Chef Ma claims he lightly dressed the salad in a simple vinaigrette, pepper and salt–but fellow diners and I couldn’t believe it. Sliced carrot, radish, spinach and pomegrante seeds never had us wanting a salad to never end before.
6) Farm To Table I know, I know… I’ve mentioned the term several times now–but farm-to-table doesn’t just mean eating dishes with farmed ingredients. Sometimes it also means being able to share a connection with someone else who values the same things you do when it comes to delicious, responsibly sourced food from growers you can actually chat with. At Maple Ave’s ‘Meet The Farmer, Meet The Chef’ dinner, it meant being able to eat food cooked by someone who could talk to you about how it was prepared, and someone who could tell you where each ingredient came from.
7) Short Rib Double-Take As mentioned in #2, Chef Ma didn’t braise short rib like most people would, and instead cooked it in a vacuum packed sous-vide machine that sealed in all of its flavor as it cooked slowly over time. As a result–the sliced short rib was soft, flavorful and unforgettable… just ask this guy.
8) Four Squash Soup And none of the four were butternut! The four squash soup was made of peanut, seminole, and acorn squash with a savory spoonful of chopped spaghetti squash at the center to pair with the sweetness of the soup. No fancy pomegranate seeds or popcorn toppings here–just simple, delicious flavors from the market’s selection of squash that day.	9) Praline + Persimmon Candy, crack and cream, actually. The peanut-brittle like praline crackers were so addictive, I would have stole my neighbor’s piece if he hadn’t gobbled it up so quickly. The salty praline brittle, slices of mildly sweet persimmon and mellow vanilla ice cream was perfect for a salt tooth like me. It was another dish of the meal I really didn’t want to end.

For complete article click here.

PRESS: Northern Virginia Magazine, Top 50 Restaurants 2012

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Maple Ave Restaurant

50 Best Restaurants 2012

By Stefanie Gans / Photos by Jonathan Timmes / Illustrations by Matthew Hollister

Maple Ave – Ranked #6

Modern American | $$
147 Maple Ave. W, Vienna; 703-319-2177; mapleaverestaurant.com

The doctrine of today’s urban kitchens managed to zip around the Beltway, 30 miles out and around and into a humble space on Vienna’s main strip.

The menu can stay grounded in classics, like a baked mac and cheese, but finesses the outcome with nutty (Gruyere) and sharp (cheddar) cheeses with longer, funkier, twisting noodles and salty panko crumbs that tear into the creaminess below.

Firey, little wings (this is what a chicken wing looks like without growth hormones, by the way) bathe in creme fraiche and chili paste for a bar snack that belongs nowhere near unappreciative drunkards.

Larger plates can offer delicately spiced scallops with an overlay of barely wilted peashoots or a leg of lamb, inspired by Morocco, that arrives deboned for eating ease.

A tangy yuzu (Asian citrus) key lime pie-in-a-round delights with singed housemade mini-marshmallows.

The room is tight—with an even more snug parking lot around back—and provides little atmosphere, but Vienna is better for the arrival of this scrappy mom-and-pop shop with an eye toward honesty and ingenuity.

MUST TRY: Crème fraiche wings

For complete list, click here

Press: Washingtonian, October 2012

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Maple Ave Restaurant

TOPS FOR FOOD

“If your idea of brunch is a hopscotch among stations to load up on waffles, omelets, and steamship roast beef, you might look askance at Chef Tim Ma’s menu, which at times seems to turn breakfast into dinner. Fortunately, his eclectic and playful sensibility is backed up with attention to detail, whether a soulful plate of shrimp ‘n’ grits or scrambled eggs with kimchee and sticky rice. Desserts are virtuosic and fun: fried dumplings, oozing chocolate, a tangy-sweet lime-yuzu tart, and a marvelous sampler of delicate mochi.”

We are honored to be included in the “Tops for Food” of the 50 best restaurants for brunch recently published in WASHINGTONIAN (Oct 2012). We serve our brunch menu every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm. After 3pm our dinner menu is served. Thank you all for the love and continued support!

Press: Washingtonian, August 2012

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Maple Ave Restaurant

CITY COOL

At the tiny, glass-wrapped Maple Ave Restaurant chef/owner Tim Ma—who studied under bad-boy chef David Chang at Momofuku Ko in New York City—has created a locally sourced menu that nods toward Asian, Latin, and French cuisines. Moroccan-spiced chicken leg gets a creamy swoosh of cool saffron, shrimp and grits is made new with blueberry-studded venison sausage, and bitter greens and Vidalia onions crown a sandwich of braised beef cheeks.

Washingtonian – August edition

Maple Ave made the “Best of Vienna/McLean” issue. Thank you all for your continued support and for spreading the word about our tiny restaurant. Best of Vienna – Washingtonian

Press – The Washingtonian

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Maple Ave Restaurant

6 Places to Eat Soft-Shell Crabs This Month

Suppliers say the season will last into September.

Here’s where to try some.By Jessica Voelker

Maple Ave Restaurant

This little Vienna spot loves to deep-fry stuff, and soft-shells are no exception. Two crawlers are quartered, fried to a crisp, and served with a tasty yellow curry, crunchy slaw, and a side of jasmine rice. A fine lunch if you can get it.

Click here for full article

PRESS – EATER DC

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Maple Ave Restaurant

DC’s Finest at CityEats Tasting Event

Thursday, June 14, 2012, by Cristina Cerullo

On Monday night, 100 lucky Eater readers gathered at the Adams Morgan hotspot Mintwood Place in celebration of the launch of CityEats, the newest online destination for restaurant reservations. iPads were on-site for guests to book tables directly through CityEats, while a crew of celebrated chefs turned out an exclusive tasting. Some highlights? Beef cheek sliders from Tim Ma(Maple Ave); chilled spring Irish pea soup from Ryan Miller (Virtue Feed & Grain); braised lamb shank sliders from Jeremy Kermisch (Granville Moore’s); Todd Gray’s (Equinox) watermelon and arugula salad; and bacon & onion flammekueche from Mintwood Place’s own Cedric Maupillier.

For full article and more photos please click here