Virginia spring is such a tease. One minute she’s a blushing field of daffodils, the next she’s a total washout.

The mercurial weather can be a bit of a thrill, though, at least for chefs. “Spring is here and then it’s suddenly too hot,” says the Lobby Bar’s Executive Chef Felipe Bolivar. “We try to capture as much as we can in that brief moment.”

We caught up with Bolivar and three other area chefs to chat about their most beloved springtime offerings — and what you’ll start to see on their menus.

The Lobby Bar

Chef Bolivar says he works closely with local farmers when planning seasonal menu changes. “I talk every week with Cabbage Hill Farm, we use their arugula and spring mix and a lot of baby vegetables,” says Bolivar. “We’ll start to slowly incorporate these ingredients into what we’re already doing.”

Bolivar says while it’s still early in the season to feature all the big hitters, he’s currently excited about their ramp iteration, a roasted mushroom bruschette with homemade buttermilk ricotta and ramp salsa verde.

“We’ve also just put on a beef tenderloin, it’s a play on a tart with a phyllo tart shell, creamed Swiss chard, maitake mushrooms and a black garlic demi-glace,” says Bolivar. “It really hits all the notes.”

 

Kitchen Classroom

Spring’s fecund soil produces a bounty that needs little manipulation says Kitchen Classroom chef Warren Haskell. “In winter we’re doing so much braising to try to bring the flavor out of root vegetables,” says Haskell. “In the spring I just need salt, pepper and a grill.”

Haskell and his growing team of instructors at Kitchen Classroom teach six classes a week, with themes ranging from “Flavors of Portugal” to “Pasta from Scratch.”

As winter begins to thaw, Haskell says they try to incorporate as many fresh flavors into these classes as possible, using local when they can.

Haskell says he’s a regular at the St. Stephen’s and Birdhouse farmers markets when they’re in full swing, but early spring can be a bit tricky. Especially when you’re on the hunt for the elusive ramps.

“They aren’t the easiest thing to come by,” says Haskell. “It’s a lot of word of mouth—chefs will start to get text messages from foragers like ‘Hey I’m going to be in town Thursday with ramps.’ That’s why they’re special.”

Haskell says it would be futile to plan an entire hands-on cooking class around ramps, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see the wild plant pop up at Kitchen Classroom.

“Ramp pesto is a great way to use ramps and have them for longer, especially because pesto freezes so well,” says Haskell. *(Find Haskell’s ramp pesto recipe below). “It’s an exciting thing to add to a late summer dish because you did some work in the spring.”

 The Roosevelt

Executive chef Leah Branch says they’ve been “playing with nettles” over at The Roosevelt.

Right now, you can find Matheson Bonfire oysters topped with creamed stinging nettles and wild garlic, a play on oysters Rockefeller. “It’s nice to have a roasted dish since it’s still a bit chilly out,” says Branch.

Chef is also starting to feature a broad bean hummus plate with crispy white asparagus, pickled fiddleheads and Pullman challah, plus a new steak set with grilled teres major, garlic scape butter and a wild garlic mash. Branch will sub wild ramps into the mash when possible.

“It can be hard to get ramps, sometimes bigger distributors have them, sometimes we can get them from Digger Jays,” says Branch. For their Ramp Dinner last spring, Branch says they had to take to Etsy — pro tip: you can find all kinds of foraged goods on Etsy — to secure enough ramps to round out their menu.

Branch says they’ll host this year’s “West Virginia, family-style” ramp dinner May 15 — look for tickets to go on sale April 15. The dinner will include a bottle share, so attendees should plan to bring your own favorite wine.

 JewFro

Over at JewFro, chef Ari Augenbaum is also incorporating seasonal fiddlehead ferns and ramps into the menu.

He’s not sure exactly what application he’ll be using with the fiddleheads yet, but likely it will involve confiting in duck fat. “Because everything is better in duck fat,” says Augenbaum. Diners will find the ramps on a scallop dish featuring a carrot top and wild ramp chermoula.

The menu at JewFro is as mutable as spring itself, with changes happening “sometimes daily, sometimes in the middle of dinner service,” says Augenbaum. The dishes always reflect an inventive blend of Jewish and African flavors, but the cooking techniques veer classic.

When zucchini blossoms come out in late spring/early summer the JewFro kitchen will fill them with an herb labneh before battering and frying them, “Because it’s delicious,” says Augenbaum. “And we’ll probably do a pomegranate molasses drizzle over that…just because.”

April Dinners

—> Quarter Horse at Kitchen Classroom

Quarter Horse pops up at Kitchen Classroom Sunday, April 7 at 5 p.m. with a four-course menu, “Highlighting early Virginia spring bounty and forage paired with curated German and Austrian vintages.” Tickets are $100 and include wine pairings, taxes, fees and gratuity.

—> The Roosevelt Ramp Dinner + Bottle Share

Look for tickets to go on sale April 15.

 —> JewFro Passover

JewFro is putting on a four-course, wine pairing Passover Seder dinner in conjunction with Jewish congregation Kehilla. “We’ll be reimagining the classic seder plate as modern dishes, focusing on a lot of local and fresh spring produce,” says chef Augenbaum.

*Warren Haskell’s Ramp Pesto Recipe

Pesto

Gather

·     2 cups fresh well cleaned ramp leaves (no whites)

·     4 Tbsp Toasted Pistachios

·     1⁄4 – 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

·     1⁄4 cup freshly Pecorino Romano

·     Salt

·     Spider style strainer + Food Processor

Cook

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, prepare a bowl or cold/ice water.
2. Blanch leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds and then remove with spider to the cold water, let cool, then drain well.
3. Combine ramp leaves, pistachios, pecorino, a good pinch of salt, and 1⁄4 cup olive oil in a food processor and pulse to a coarse mixture. You should still see bits of pistachio and pecorino, leaves should look finely diced, not quite minced.
4. Add more oil if needed to get pesto to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, do not over blend/puree.

Ramp Pesto Pasta

Gather

·     1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks

·     12 oz fresh pasta or 8 oz dried spaghetti

·     1 oz of grated Pecorino Romano

·     1⁄2 cup ramp pesto

·     Clean & trimmed ramp bulbs from making pesto(don’t have to use all of them)

·     Fresh cracked black pepper

·     1 Tbsp olive oil

·     2-3 oz guanciale, pancetta, or bacon, cut into lardons

·     Large pot of boiling water + large Saucier or skillet

Cook

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. While the water heats, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, yolks, and pecorino. Season with a pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
3. In the saucier, heat oil over medium heat, add the guanciale, sauté until the fat just renders, and the edges crisp. Remove guanciale from the pan and reserve.
4. Add ramp bulbs to the pan with the rendered fat, gently saute until tender, try not to brown, lower heat if needed.
5. When ramp bulbs are tender and ready. Cook the pasta until just before it is done. Using tongs or a spider, remove pasta from water, directly into the pan with ramp bulbs. Stir for a minute or so.
6. Turn off heat and add 1⁄4 – 1⁄2 cup of pasta water, then stir in cheese mixture, stir until creamy and saucy. Add reserved guanciale and ramp pesto to taste, toss to combine.
7. Serve immediately, garnish with a bit of pecorino and pepper.