WASHINGTON -- Looking for a sweet fix? Cleveland Park's farm-to-table restaurant and bar, Ripple, on Thursday opened its storefront market, Sugar Magnolia.
On the menu are a selection of artisanal ice cream sandwiches, including off-the-wall varieties like mini-waffle sandwiches with maple bacon ice cream, ginger cookies with beet ice cream and chocolate cookies with coconut coffee ice cream.
Also in the mix: sandwiches stuffed with upscale ingredients like hand-sliced prosciutto, porchetta, liver parfait and smoked mackerel. Other snacks include potato salad with aioli and tarragon, vinegar potato chips, pâtés, terrines and bacon-roasted pecans. Top it off with more sweets like cookies, brownies and granola. There are also craft sodas to wash it all down.
Running the show is pastry chef Alison Reed, who came on board at Ripple in January. The Culinary Institute of America grad had previously served as Café Saint-Ex's head pastry chef for the last four years, and has also held positions with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in D.C. and now-closed Indebleu restaurant.
In a release, owner Roger Marmet said he hoped patrons would be inspired to pick up foods for a picnic at the nearby National Zoo.
“The vision for Sugar Magnolia involved extending the Ripple experience by expanding our daily menu to items that could be eaten on the go,” said Marmet. “Chefs Alison Reed and Logan Cox elevate simple foods by staying true to Ripple’s commitment to source local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients to make high-quality products. Now some of Ripple’s signature items are available on the run.”
