Executive chef Kyoo Eom and his team are giving us a taste of their delicious Dirty Habit (555 Eighth St. NW, 202.449.7095, dirtyhabitdc.com) with the late-summer menu. Here, the dish on four of our faves.
Black Oleander
Head bartender Drew Hairston transforms the flower into an enticing sip. “The ingredients evoke exotic and tropical flavors, while the mysterious color adds... curiosity,” says the mix master. The use of acai with subtle acidity and herbal qualities from bergamot in the Earl Grey tea has us feeling like we are on an island. It’s best paired with something rich, like Eom’s pork belly.
Summer Tartine
Eom’s tartine is the stuff of vegetarian dreams. “This summer, I am adding a fresh basil pesto as well, which [brings] elements of salty, creamy, nutty and richness to the tartine,” he says. Then there’s the pickled green strawberries, beet, radish, cucumber, arugula, balsamic, feta mousse and the puff pastry on which it arrives on your plate.
Broccoli Soup
This veggie-heavy slurpable redefines
the namesake ingredient. “I use every part of the broccoli,” says Eom. “I peel the stems and make the base vegetable stock. Then I cook the flesh of the stems with the stock and blend in the broccoli florets. It makes the soup especially delicious, but also eliminates any sort of waste from the ingredients.”
Tuna Tataki
A slice of whimsy: “When I created this dish, I thought about tuna sushi, but I wanted to make it unique,” says the chef. It serves lightly seared tuna, crispy sushi rice and sweet-and-salty fish sauce. “Instead of regular sushi rice, I make a rice cake that is crisped for extra texture.” And Vietnamese fish sauce is used in lieu of wasabi. “It packs a lot more flavor without overpowering the fish,” he adds. But the wasabi mayo finishes things off with zip.
Photography by: raquel sharma
