News
Tres leches cake recognized in Bethesda Magazine
Tres leches cake—that creamy Latino confection soaked in three kinds of milk—is hard to find on area dessert menus. But Blue 44 chef James Turner devised a welcome, spot-on rendition, and came up with an Instagram-worthy presentation, as well. He sprinkles a mixture of cinnamon and Read More »
Customer leaves generous tip at DC restaurant
WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — A regular customer at a D.C. restaurant left a $2,000 check for the staff.
Blue 44 owner Chris Nardelli says the patron came in on Monday to have some gumbo, which he particularly likes and the staff had waiting for him. He ordered a couple of quarts to-go and his bill would have been $93, but because he was such a loyal customer the restaurant workers offered it to him on the house.
The customer, who remains anonymous, left a $2,000 tip instead, and instructed the bartender, chef and owner on how to share the gratuity. One thousand dollars was to go to Chef James Turner, $500 to bartender Laura Daly and $500 to the owner, according to Nardelli.
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Featured In: Eater’s Ultimate Fried Chicken Picnic Guide – Eater DC
Credits: Eater DC
It’s the season for outdoor picnics and backyard barbecues. Fried chicken, a timeless classic and one of the top picnic foods of all time, can be a cornerstone of these spring and summer outings.
Just in time for July 4, Eater presents a roundup of D.C.-area restaurants that not only specialize in the comfort food but also offer it up for take-out, satisfying those fried-chicken needs for the holiday weekend, picnics, lunches in the park and more.
Blue 44 serves fried chicken dinners on Monday nights only. The one-day special is $19 and includes three pieces of the award-winning chicken, a starter salad, sauteed green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, a buttermilk biscuit and a housemade dessert which varies from week to week.
Generous Tip Makes News International News at London’s paper, The Telegraph
The generosity of one of our guests made headlines all the way to the UK! Here is the story written in the London Telegraph.
Source: The Telegraph, UK
Here in Britain, most of us will leave a nine per cent tip after a meal, but one American diner has put us to shame.
A satisfied customer ignored the US’s unspoken 15 to 20 per cent tipping agreement and left a $2,000 (£1,300) tip on a $93 (£60) bill.
The regular at Blue 44, a restaurant specialising in American cuisine, left the tip for owner Christofer Nardelli, bartender Laura Dalley, and chef James Truney after enjoying the restaurant’s fried chicken, gumbo and Old Chub Scotch Ale.
The tip included details of how the money should be split between the three co-workers – $1,000 for Turner and $500 each for Nardelli and Dally.
Zagat’s list of 12 Fried Chicken Nights in DC
Our Fried Chicken special is on another great list! We are honored to be a part of Zagat’s list of 12 Fried Chicken Nights in DC. Among great company here and we do it every Monday!
Source: Zagat.com
Like cash and the little black dress, fried chicken never goes out of style. But we’ve noticed a recent uptick in fried chicken nights around town, signaling that this blue-plate special is experiencing a bit of a trendy surge. Here’s where you can sniff out fried chicken deals throughout the week, particularly on Sunday and Monday nights:
Readers Poll Voted Best of DC 2015 – Best Fried Chicken – 3 years in a row!
Each year, Washington City Paper readers choose their favorite people, places, and services in over 300 categories. This event celebrates those winners.
As a result, Blue 44 DC was voted as DC’s Best Fried Chicken 2014!
Previous awards: Best of DC- Fried Chicken 2012, Best of DC- Fried Chicken 2013
2nd Place at City Paper’s 30 Beers for 30 Years, Event!
Source: Fetching Foodie
Did you know…
It’s the 30th Birthday of Sam Adams’ Beer?? Celebration = totally necessary.
As part of DC Beer week, the Washington City Paper hosted 30 Beers for 30 Years last Tuesday. The event featured 30 different Sam Adams Beers, paired with food from 30 DC area restaurants. Party-goers got to vote for their favorite, and a panel of judges also selected top 3 winners.
That said, let’s dive right in!
The Winner:
Bar Pilar’s Smoked Lamb Belly with Bone Marrow Apple Butter!! I had two dishes of this. It was THAT good. Unique, distinct, and super flavorful. I’d order it in the restaurant in a heartbeat. Worthy win!!
In second place:
Blue 44 made this delicious dish– Pork Belly and Grits. Pork belly? Outstanding. Grits? So creamy.
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Voted Best of DC’s New Restaurant of 2012
At it’s first year of opening, Blue 44 made headlines on Best of DC’s Readers Poll of 2012. The Pittsburgh inspired menu made it on top, ahead of DC’s popular H Street Toki Underground and Chinatown’s New Italian tapas spot, Graffiato’s.
Source: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bestofdc/poll/foodanddrink/2012/best-new-restaurant