Eating Around: Battle of the Toques

ALWAYS WANTED TO BE an Iron Chef? Brainfood, the nine-year-old organization that teaches D.C.-area high school students about nutrition, the food industry and practical cooking skills, hosts an opportunity to play the role to teams from the D.C. area at the Hotel Monaco on June 28.

During the Brainfood Grill-Off, teams receive a pantry of ingredients and will have an hour to create a meal with the assistance of a Brainfood graduate and a professional chef from Zola, Zaytinya, Matchbox, Jaleo, Butterfield 9, Equinox or Clyde's.

For those who would rather watch than compete, tickets are available for $75, which includes dinner and an open bar.

» Brainfood, 700 F St. NW; June 28th, 6:30-9:30 p.m, 202-667-5515.

» IT LOOKS GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT: Step foot in Johnny's Half Shell this week to admire its new acquisition, a painting from Mississippi-based artist Amy Evans. Evans, who was commissioned by Ann Cashion and John Fulchino to render the crab (detail at right) and oyster paintings that already hang in the restaurant, created the newest work after they had admired a painting of lemons on her blog, amycevans.com.

The first rendition of the painting was created in 2000, when Evans was inspired by the childhood memory of her grandfather's lemon drops. She revisited her work in 2005 after a trip to Sicily, adding the color and the number 21 — a reference to her experiences in printmaking as well as the numbered olive trees in a Sicilian grove she had visited. The acquisition at Johnny's Half Shell is the third in a series, created specifically for Cashion.

Evans, Cashion and Fulchino became friends through the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization based in Oxford, Miss., that chronicles the culture of Southern cuisine through writings, photography, film and symposia. Evans is a photo historian for the organization, and Cashion is on the board of directors.

» Johnny's Half Shell, 400 N. Capitol St. NW; 202-737-0400.

Photo courtesy Brainfood; Artwork courtesy Johnny's Half Shell