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NY Daily News

Spike Mendelsohn knows about the good stuff.He turns his own custard into hand-spun milk shakes, picks the best meat blends for his burgers, and uses tender-skinned Red Bliss potatoes for his fries.

Luckily, he's sharing the wealth: In his new cookbook, "The Good Stuff" (John Wiley & Sons, $24.95), the former "Top Chef" contestant divulges his secrets on reinventing American summer classics with a healthful spin.

Always Hungry NY

Spike Mendelsohn's new pizzeria, We, The Pizza is supposed to open to friends and family tonight.

This past weekend, plywood was up at the pizzeria adjacent to Mendelsohn's burger joint, Good Stuff Eatery, but the door was open. Inside was a glistening dining room with pizza boxes stacked from floor to ceiling.

We, The Pizza should make a run at the dominance of Capitol Hill's nearby pizzerias, Matchbox and Seventh Hill. At least, the opening solidifies this stretch of Pennsylvania as Spike's block.

The Hill

Spike Mendelsohn was born with a love of food in his veins. His parents owned and operated a restaurant in St. Petersburg, Fla., and, by the time he was 13, he was helping out around the eatery.

The former Top Chef contestant had aspirations to be a marine biologist or an actor as a child, but growing up in the restaurant business, he couldn't escape his passion for cooking."I'm 100 percent happy," Mendelsohn said. "I never thought I'd open a burger and pizza place in D.C., but that's the way the cards fell."

He's become well-known in the area as the owner "Good Stuff Eatery," - a popular Capitol Hill burger joint that's a favorite with the congressional lunch crowd.With "Good Stuff"'s overwhelming success, Mendelsohn chose to launch "We, the Pizza," a New York-style pizza place on July 23.

"We chose to focus on the number one selling product in America -- pizza," Mendelsohn said. "I wanted to own it, do something fun with it in our fast casual restaurant niche. People love pizza just as much as they love burgers."

Mendelsohn said he got the idea when, after work, he and his coworkers found it difficult to find a slice of pizza, which as something they did while living in New York City. With plans for "We, The Pizza" to expand into several franchises and delivery options in about 18 months, it seems Mendelsohn and his crew shouldn't have that problem much longer.

While running "Good Stuff" and working on the "We, The Pizza" opening, Mendelsohn has made his mark on the city, running "Spiked Sundays," gatherings at the rooftop pool of the Capitol Skyline hotel, and doing charity work like planting a rooftop garden at a local charter school.

"You know, I didn't know what to expect moving from a big city like New York to here," Mendelsohn said. "Now, I have no plans to go anywhere, I feel very much a part of the community."Mendelsohn loves D.C.'s work ethic and sense of inspiration.

"Everyone I've met down here is always so passionate and involved. It's very motivational and inspiring," he said.And Mendelsohn is always thinking of his next venture.One of the concepts the "Good Stuff" team has always wanted to try was a Vietnamese restaurant serving tapas either in the U Street or H Street area.

Mendelsohn described it as "Zaytinya gone Vietnamese."Mendelsohn's best advice for those interested in becoming a chef is to don't do it unless you're ready to work long days and devote holidays, weekends and most of your life to your restaurant."It really is the most rewarding business to be in," he said. "If you want instant gratification and being your own boss, go for it.

"If you like pizza, love and happiness, which are Mendelsohn's three words to describe "We, The Pizza," the restaurant opens July 23, 2010 at 303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.

- Kate Oczypok

Zester Daily

A pair of former 'Top Chef' contestants take on school lunch woes in Washington D.C.

Life after "Top Chef" doesn't always lead to fame or fortune (whatever happened to past winners Hung Huynh and Hosea Rosenberg?), but two former contestants are making a name for themselves on the school lunch front. Chefs Spike Mendelsohn and Carla Hall, finalists on "Top Chef" seasons four and five, are participating in Michelle Obama's latest initiative to combat childhood obesity, Chefs Move to Schools.

Ladies Home Journal

Love making burgers, but want to get more bang for your bun? Spike Mendelsohn, Top Chef Season 4 contestant and owner of D.C.'s Good Stuff Eatery (a Michelle Obama fave) gives us a glimpse of his new cookbook and shares tips for preventing boring burgers.

Design Sponge

We thought that in the height of the July heat, to accompany your outdoor parties, you might like a very cold treat.

To satisfy that craving, Top Chef favorite Spike Mendelsohn has offered us a recipe for an Almond Joy milkshake. (Well, for you non-Americans, an Almond Joy is a Bounty with one whole almond in it, and for the Americans in the crowd, a Bounty is a Mounds! Ah how intriguing is international candy bar language!)

Boston Globe

Former ‘Top Chef' contestant Spike Mendelsohn knows a thing or two about burgers

Q. You co-wrote "The Good Stuff Cookbook'' with your sister, Micheline Mendelsohn. Has cooking always been a family affair?

A. I've been raised in a restaurant family, my whole entire life. My grandfather was in the business, and all my cousins, and my parents.

Gluten-Free Girl

So, I'm going to go fast, in a list form, and tell you about the week we ate out of Spike Mendelsohn's The Good Stuff Cookbook: Burgers, fries, shakes, wedges, and more.

1. Do you remember Spike? If you watch Top Chef you do. He was the slightly cocky, slightly obnoxious, slightly loveable chef who tried to portray himself as Johnny on the street (with a tweed fedora) but actually had a whole raft of classical training and fine-dining experiences under his belt. I was sort of annoyed by him and sort of pulling for him that season. He seared frozen scallops, which turned to mush, and then he went home.

2. And then he opened this restaurant in Washington D.C. called Good Stuff Eatery. (Even when you lose on Top Chef, you get a lot of attention, particularly if you set out to make yourself a recognizable character.) From all accounts, it's fabulous. Burgers, fries, salads, sides, and shakes, made with fresh ingredients and classic techniques and little chef twists that make each one outstanding. He's gotten a lot of press for this place.

Houston Chronicle

We all have our favorite store-bought mayonnaises, and some of them are very good (hello, Hellmann's and cult favorite Duke's). But one taste of homemade mayonnaise - whipped up in your own Cuisinart or, old school, with a trusty whisk - and you will wonder why you don't make your own creamy slather. Summer foods such as lobster rolls, french fries, home-grilled burgers, potato salad, cole slaw, veggie dips and sandwiches all benefit from the delicious difference homemade mayonnaise can make.The hip kids at culinary camp say molecular gastronomy is so 2001. But let's not throw the baby out with the Bunsen burner. Molecular gastronomy as a cuisine may be a trend past its peak but the science of cooking - the chemical processes of cooking - is as at home in the kitchen as a good whisk.

Serious Eats

Most fans of Top Chef remember Spike Mendelsohn as the fedora'd fan favorite from season four. But since then Spike has been busy making a name for himself in the world of burgers with Good Stuff Eatery in D.C. Serving up a menu of burger, fries, shakes, and a few other comforting American classics, Good Stuff has quickly endeared itself to the Obama administration and D.C. burger fanatics.