Hurricane ruin your weekend plans? Try a SWEET escape!

Can't get out of town for the long weekend? You can still enjoy a night of friends, food, wine and fun at our BFF Night - SWEET ESCAPE on Saturday night!

During the class you and your friends will nosh on delicious, decadent dessert dishes paired with a tasting flight of wines. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy as Brad demonstrates each dessert, explains how he made each dish, ways you can recreate a version of it at home - plus he'll answer your questions about cooking, food, wine, and more.

A fun night out for friends who love food, with a fantastic menu featuring Chef Brad's signature Molleux au Chocolat (read: MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE!).

7-9pm; $39 per person includes demo, desserts, and wine tasting flight.

MENU

Red Wine and Port Poached Pears with Triple Spice and Vanilla Bean Caramel

Molleux Au Chocolat with Double Whipped Creme Anglaise and Sparkling Raspberries

Brie and Bleu Cheese Sweet Mousse with Sweet Braised Cherries

Can't make it Saturday? We've got two hands-on cooking sessions this Labor Day!

A Day at the Beach - beach inspired eats for families

Tailgating with a Twist - adult grilling class; you'll learn how to make gourmet versions of your football party faves

More food and fun for friends next weekend in our BURGERS & BEERS class with Chef Spates:

In this session our pro chef will create three gourmet, handmade burgers, then serve them with his favorite paired brews. He'll also discuss how to make fantastic and flavorful burgers at home: tricks of the trade, tips for buying the best ingredients, and more.

Saturday, Sept. 11 from 7-9pm; $49 per person includes demo, 3 gourmet courses, and beer pairings.

MENU

Herbed Burgers with Arugula and Olive Tapenade

Chili Lamb Burgers with Apple Slaw

Turkey Burgers with Fried Onions and Chipotle Ketchup

Cookology FAQ

Hello all you LoCo Foodies!

Thanks to all of you new foodie friends for checking us out in the Washington Post article. For those who are new to the blog and to our mailing list, we want to tell you a little more about ourselves.

Here are some of our most frequently asked questions:

Q: I see you offer basic skills, 101-style and beginner classes. Do you offer anything for those of us who have some experience in the kitchen?
A: Yes! Cookology has advanced skills classes as well. We have several offerings, including Mind of a Chef (to teach you about taste combinations, food and wine pairing, plating and creative dish conception), Advanced Gourmet Skills (like creating versatile homemade sauces and mastering French techniques) and Advanced Baking Skills classes (to practice tricky dishes like complicated pastries and souffles). These advanced courses are not only for adults but also for teens. (Oh and we do actually pair truffles with barolo wine!)

Q: Do you ever have "celeb" chef classes?
A: We host regular guest chefs at Cookology. Daniele Catalani, Exec Chef from from Panache (formerly of the Washington institution Galileo) came in to show students how to create five authentic pasta dishes from scratch in March, and has two classes in April. Steve Mannino (former Exec Chef at Olives in DC and Todd English protege) is teaching a Spring Pastas workshop at the end of this month. Mary Watson is our staff sommelier. She has 22 Wine Spectator Awards and was featured in The Sommeliers Guide to Restaurants in America. She joins us weekly for wine tastings, and holds special wine and food pairings courses every month. Read more about Mary and view her videos on tasting.

Q: Who teaches your regular classes?
A: We have two in-house chefs that teach our classes. Both are professionally trained (Ian Douglass at CIA in Hyde Park and Tabetha Martinez, valedictorian of her Le Cordon Bleu class), and have real restaurant experience in fine establishments across the country.

Q: Do you give out your recipes? What if I can't remember how to make the meal at home?
A: We will definitely give you a recipe at the end of each class so you can recreate your masterpiece at home. Even better, during each session our instructors breakdown the mystery behind the ingredients by showing you how to create simple variations on the dish and how to come up with your own great taste combinations at home.

Q: Do you offer anything other than cooking classes? What if I want to have a private cooking party?
A: Of course! We have a full professional kitchen and large dining area to accommodate nearly any special event. We frequently schedule private adult parties (including cooking classes and special menu and wine tastings) and fun birthday parties for kids. We also offer team building courses for your professional team. Also be sure to check out our retail section for great products from Chantal, Bambu, Revol and more!

Have more questions for us? Want to schedule your birthday party or corporate event? Shoot us an e-mail to info (at) cookologyonline.com or give us a call at 703.433.1909.

Date Night at Cookology!

This past Friday was Date Night at Cookology!

All the couples had tons of fun constructing their Eggplant Parmigiana Stacks, whipping up their own vinaigrette and dipping strawberries in chocolate for a sweet dessert.

After all the cooking was done all the couples mingled in the dining room and enjoyed the fruits of their labor as Chef Ian poured the wine.

Our next date night is THIS FRIDAY, March 6! We'll teach you how to make bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes and decadent chocolate brownies.

Date Night is $40/person and includes wine. No tipping necessary! Instead of the same old dinner and a movie this weekend, try us out! Not only will you get a delicious meal, you'll also learn how to create it so you can make it at home with your honey anytime.

Register online now!

New Classes at Cookology!

Hi Friends,

Thanks to all of you who have made it out to the store to take a class! We've had a great response. Our chefs have had fun teaching you how to make quick and delicious meals like Grilled Steak Salad in our Make it in Thirty class, how to mince and chop pesky onions in Knife Skills, and how to whip up a healthy and flavorful tilapia dinner in our Diet Cookbook Series.

Moving into March we're introducing even more mouthwatering courses. Sign up online for:

Chicken 101 - Chicken is a household staple. We're constantly using it in family dinners and bagged lunches, yet some aspects of this versatile bird remain a mystery. In this class we'll cover boning, trussing, butchering, stuffing, cooking, and of couse...eating! We'll also give you some great recipe ideas to get you out of your chicken rut and making interesting and exciting chicken dishes in no time.

Theme Nights - COMING IN MARCH! Join us for Couples Nights, Singles Nights, Guys Nights and Ladies Nights! In these fun classes you'll mix and mingle with other food loving friends as you create delicious dishes and sip on wine (or gulp beer, for you manly men). It's the perfect night out for you and your honey or a group of friends, and a great way to meet singles in the area who share your love of food!
We've got a great Date Night this Friday from 7-9pm. Bring your sweetie and make a decadent Eggplant Parm, salad with homemade dressing and chocolate covered strawberries. There are only a few seats left, so sign up today!

Restaurant Favorites - Ever been to a restaurant and had the most phenomenal dish? Are you constantly craving the perfect fried rice, a delicious Swedish meatball from Ikea, a light and sweet Dunkin' Donut or that fancy goat cheese tart from your favorite romantic eatery? This series will teach you how to make these dishes at home to save time, money and calories.

Our first class is this THIS SATURDAY! We're making General Tao's Chicken, Fried Rice and Crab Rangoon just like your favorite local Chinese Take Out place. SIGN UP NOW!


Have any more great ideas for classes? We'd love to hear from you! Leave us your thoughts in the comments section.

Happy Cooking!

Grand Opening Weekend!

We want to give a big thanks to all of you who came out this weekend and made our Grand Opening a success!

We hope you enjoyed all the delicious food from our Guest Chefs. Don't forget they'll all be in the Cookology kitchen in February and March to teach you how to make the great dishes you tasted. Check out our full schedule of classes and register online!

Here's a run down for those of you who missed the festivities:

On Saturday we had Rupen Rao, Steve Mannino and Dan Turner in the kitchen. Rupen made healthy and flavorful Indian Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice and Mango Ice Cream. Steve created exquisite Tuna Tartare, Hoisin Glazed Duck and Butternut Squash Soup. Dan Turner whipped up some delicious white and dark chocolate mousse in honor of Valentine's Day.

Here's Steve and Maria on Saturday.

On Sunday Tyler Holland joined us and made some delicious Vietnamese Egg Rolls. Mark Dietz came in the afternoon and made Fresh Fruit with a sweet and delicate Creme Anglaise.

Look at all those chefs in the kitchen!

We had a great time. Thanks again to all of you who checked us out. We can't to see you in a class soon!

Home Cooking Uruguayan Style

A couple months ago a friend invited us to a backyard barbecue in Arlington that was a post-mortem for a FIFA World Cup game. I thought, sure, I'll get the brooding Frenchman out of the house and have a chicken wing and a beer. For me barbecue's are usually a bunch of people standing around an outdoor Weber with a cold Corona, waiting for the barbecued-sauce-smothered chicken or ribs to cook, stuffing their face with chips and sides. Not this barbecue. This was Marco's Uruguayan Barbecue Theatre. What you eat is prepared with love, experience, pride and passion. Where the barbecue itself has been hand constructed, brick by literal brick. Where the coals are not Kingston coals with a gallon of lighter fluid, or fake gas coals. No. The source of heat is hot wood chips from a burning set of 8-10 logs piled on top of each other, and are retrieved by Marco hitting on the iron grate with a shovel so they fall off the burning logs. He then shovels the fallen, red hot wood chips underneath a grill rack. Everything was extremely delicious and we were fortunate enough to be asked to come over last Saturday. This time I was prepared. I took my camera and a bigger appetite.

Marco served us freshly made salsa, that he cooked for a few minutes to soften Safeway's best unripened tomatoes and marry the cilantro, onions and lime juice. Our hostess, 

Fernanda, heldthe chips and salsa long enough so I could take a picture and then it disappeared. (Notice the hand in the photo). There were almost six of us by then, but by the time the meat was ready, the guest count had risen to almost 15. Everyone from frien

ds and cousins to colleagues and neighbors were there. People were dropping in on their way to clubs to grab some dinner, give Marco a hug and leave.

For dinner, Marco served Picanha-cut sirloin steak, sweet breads, white sausages, blood sausages, rosemary potatoes with marinated red peppers, big bread rolls and plenty of Zinfandel.

American butchers don't sell the Picanha cut. It's a large roast with a thin layer of marbling in the meat that seasons as it cooks over the open flame. Sebastian, on the right, simply rubbed Kosher salt all over the Picanha and slapped them on the grill. Marco then turned to me and said, "in one hour we eat."  During that time we snacked on blood sausage sandwiches, the rosemary potatoes (when he wasn't looking), and again, plenty of Zinfandel. That's the beauty of home cooking: timing means nothing. It's all about the food, and the company.

The rosemary potatoes were easy to make. Marco covered potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters, in olive oil and let them fry on the grill until soft and brown. He added lots of Kosher salt and fresh Rosemary. Then he heated marinated red peppers in the leftover oil, and mixed it in with the potatoes.

The sweet breads were simply grilled. The flavor of the wood, which was just cut firewood logs, was the only seasoning, making them rich and delicious.

Marco is wanted all over town by some of the area's biggest restaurant chains. Javier Angeles-Baron, the executive chef for a Latin Concepts, who own Guarapo's in Arlington, joined us for dinner. He and I both agreed that Marco would be great as a chef, but it would be a waste to confine him to the kitchen. What Marco needs is a continuous pile of wood and a large audience. Thank you Marco and Fernanda!

If you want a real Uruguyan outdoor grill built on your patio, Marco does that too. He can be reached at bokajian (at) hotmail.com.