GAITHERSBURG Inferno Pizzeria

We are lucky to have a top-notch pizzeria in our backyard. Chef-owner Tony Conte was the former executive chef at the Oval Room in D.C. After a stressful year running two fine dining restaurants (Oval Room and 701), chef Tony decided he had reached his limit and made a drastic change. He moved away from fine dining and returned to his roots in Italy with the opening of Inferno Pizzeria in October of 2015. He wants to be known for making authentic Neapolitan pizza, and his Margherita pizza is one of the best in the D.C. area.

About once a month, Chef Tony turns over the six-seat counter and eight-seat communal table into a "pop-in" Chef Tasting Series. His tasting menu rivals the fine-dining fare that he showcased at his former post at the Oval Room.

Chef Tony had a special New Year Eve Supper Club on Saturday 30 December, and we jumped at the opportunity. The six-course tasting menu was amazing, and beautifully presented. We had a wine pairing with the meal.

Chef Tony and sous-chef Andrew served up an amazing six-course tasting menu

Recommendations: Highly recommended. Amazing pizza on any night. Tasting menu that rivals high-end fine dining, with the convenience of easy parking and close to home. Get on their mailing list to get notified of their pop-in Chef Tasting Series. The Chef Tasting Series are by reservations only, and require pre-payment. Reservations go fast. Tasting Menu prices vary from $80 for the Pasta Tasting Menu to $150 for Chef Supper Club.

GAITHERSBURG P&T Top Chef Dumplings Competition

We had such a fun time Chez Robert and Tiffany that we stole their idea for a Top Chef Competition with a twist of our own.

We asked our friends to come to our party bringing their own dumpling fillings. We used natural food coloring to make dumpling wrappers to differentiate between the dumplings. We had green (Cat & Mat), purple (Grace & Dougie), orange (Sean & Libby), and reddish (P&T).

A few of us helped make the wrappers and the owners of the dumpling fillings wrapped their own dumplings. The Top Chef dumpling competition was based on taste, wrapping style, and originality.

Dumpling Making Contest

Celebrating Cat

 We also celebrated Cat's birthday, graduation, and her first job offer at APL.

The second part of the Top Chef competition was the Blind Tasting contest. We had categories like apple types (Gala, Fuji, Cosmic Crisp, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp), chocolate (dark from 90% to milk), cheese types, cereal, flavored water, dark soda. Our tie-in to the holidays was to name the famous male and female artists who sing Silent Night.

Blind Tasting Competition

At the end, we played Qwixx Sheet, a dice game, and Two Rooms and a Boom, a social game of hidden roles and deduction.

2023 Top Chef Dumpling Competition

Top Chef Dumpling Competition Winners: Sean & Libby

Bling Tasting Contest Winner: Cat

Honorable Mention: Dougie, for attempting to beat the dumpling eating record of 62 dumplings, and topped out at around 40 dumplings.

DC Sushi Nakazawa

Once again, we mention the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. If you have seen this, you would remember the apprentice who spent the entire film trying to master the art of tamago, and crying over it in the process.

The apprentice, Daisuke Nakazawa, is now the head chef of the very successful Sushi Nakazawa in NYC. In 2018, he opened a second location in the former Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., to much controversy. Finally, the Trump hotel is gone, and boycotters are ready for their long-awaited omakase splurge.

As our Christmas gift, Ricci and Amy took us to Sushi Nakazawa in D.C., currently the city's only Japanese spot that has a Michelin star.

We all ordered omakase, and a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne.

Omakase with a non-alcoholic champagne

The best melty fatty tuna ever

Dessert

Recommendations: Highly recommended. Very expensive. We are so happy that there is a fine-dining sushi place close to us. This one rivals the Kashiba Sushi in Seattle, and may even have the best tuna flight we have ever had. You should definitely splurge and come here for a special occasion.