Restaurant Nora
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Restaurant Nora | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1979-2017 |
Head chef | Nora Pouillon |
Food type | Local/organic |
City | Washington, D.C. |
Country | United States |
Website | noras |
Restaurant Nora was a restaurant owned by chef
Opening and early years
In 1979, chef
The early reviews for Nora's were mixed, with Robert Shoffner of the Washingtonian less than enthusiastic about Pouillon's food.[3][4] In 1980, The Washington Post's Phyllis Richman noted that "the cooking has matured," calling Nora's "a sophisticated return to old-fashioned home cooking, with dishes from here and there but ingredients only from impeccable sources that raise their meats without chemicals."[5]
By the early 1990s, Nora's became a destination for D.C’s media and political elite, particularly in the administration of President Bill Clinton.[4] In 1996, Chef Nora was named U.S.A. Chef of the Year by the American Tasting Institute, and she published a cookbook, Cooking with Nora : seasonal menus from Restaurant Nora : healthy, light, balanced, and simple food with organic ingredients.[6]
Organic certification
In the mid-1990s, Chef Nora began to investigate how Restaurant Nora could become an organic-certified restaurant and learned that no certification process existed. She decided to set about creating those standards.
Later years and closure
By the early 2000s, the restaurant had become a fixture in Washington's dining scene, and was named among Washingtonian magazine's "Very Best Restaurants."[8] In 2016, Nora's was one of the approximately 100 restaurants reviewed in the first Michelin Guide for Washington, D.C.[1]
Upon Chef Nora's retirement in June 2017, Restaurant Nora closed its doors.[9] Prior to her retirement, Chef Nora received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Beard Foundation, celebrating her career at the restaurant.[10]
Notable patrons and events
Restaurant Nora has held lunches, dinners, and events for dignitaries, congressional members and White House administrations, and was a favorite of Hillary Clinton.[11] In 1993, President Bill Clinton held his first inaugural party at the restaurant.[12] Many of Clinton's cabinet members and staff ate at Nora's in the 1990s, and Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore celebrated her 45th birthday at the restaurant.[4]
President Jimmy Carter and Nancy Reagan also ate at Nora's. When asked about her Presidential patrons by The Washington Post, Pouillon was reported to have said: “Neither of the Bush presidents ever set foot in Nora’s, but Laura Bush came, along with her two daughters, [...] Good food, it seems, is also bipartisan.”[2]
In January 2010, President Barack Obama held a surprise birthday party for First Lady Michelle Obama at the restaurant.[13][14]
References
- ^ a b c d Judkis, Maura (October 18, 2016). "Organic pioneer Nora Pouillon plans to retire, sell her eponymous restaurant". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Reese, Jennifer (April 21, 2015). "The story behind the woman who helped make healthy eating cool". The Washington Post.
- ^ Mundy, Liza (April 9, 2015). "Nora Pouillon's Memoir Reminds Us How Rotten DC Food Used to Be". Washingtonian Magazine.
- ^ a b c Sugarman, Carole (September 22, 1993). "Nora's Moment". The Washington Post.
- ^ Richman, Phyllis (September 21, 1980). "Dining 1980". The Washington Post Magazine.
- ^ Slung, Michele (March 10, 1996). "Book Report". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b "Organic Certification, Organic Farming -Oregon Tilth". Oregon Tilth.
- ^ Head, Thomas (September 7, 2006). "Restaurant Nora: Nora Pouillon's all-organic fine dining room". Washingtonian Magazine.
- ^ Carman, Tim (April 20, 2017). "The closure of Restaurant Nora, a trailblazer in natural cuisine, will reduce the number of certified organic restaurants by 14 percent". The Washington Post.
- ^ Koenig, Debbie (May 1, 2017). "Nora Pouillon: 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner". James Beard Foundation.
- ^ "The home of organic dining". The Hill. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ Hodgson, Moira (April 10, 2015). "Horrified by Wonder Bread". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Akers, Mary Ann (January 17, 2010). "Michelle Obama's surprise birthday bash at Restaurant Nora". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ Belenky, Alexander (2010-01-17). "Michelle Obama's Birthday Surprise Party At Restaurant Nora (PHOTOS)". HuffPost. Retrieved 2013-12-05.