You can read Lisa Shapiro’s post about this.
-JAY
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Exerpt:
On Friday, September 3rd, guests are encouraged to stop by Café Atlántico to enjoy a rum tasting featuring rums from top producers including Rhum Barbancourt, Mount Gay and Appleton Estate. The tasting is free to the public and runs from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM. Guests must be 21 or older to participate and will need to present valid ID. For information, guests should call (202) 393-0812.
3 Trucks were at the DC State fair today: DC Slices, Curbside Cupcake and the Sweet Flow Mobile (Sweet Green’s frozen yogurt). I didn’t get to Sweet Green’s truck, but I’ve tried their product at the storefront.
I tried a slice ($4) and it needed more cheese (and to be served hotter)–it was alright for having come from a truck, but not great. The sauce was it’s strength. The person with me didn’t like the crust. I’d try it again. They were also out of everything but plain slices.
I tried the lemon cupcake ($3) from Curbside and it was good…with the lemon cupcake and lemon frosting bringing different flavors and textures. Thumbs up.
In other food truck news…The Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck will be at Chinatown Coffee this Thursday evening 9/2 for a happy hour from 630pm-830pm. That is…lobster rolls at 5th and H NW! Chinatown coffee will be offering $3 Lagunitas IPA and Dale’s Pale Ale. I’d love to see more events like this.
Absinthe preparation at Chinatown Coffee
BTW, Chinatown Coffee has several varieties of absinthe which they mix with water, sugar, and fire…it was like watching a ritual. 
What’s a little toxin and psychoactive substance among friends? BTW, I like anise…and I still didn’t like the absinthe I tried at Chinatown Coffee, but the variety I tried was herbal. Next time Ill try the Swiss one.
-JAY
In my inbox. Full info and a video can be obtained here.
-JAY
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Vintage Crystal Returns with Latin Flavor: Wine, Tequila & Tapas in Crystal City
Sunday, September 19, 2:00-6:00 p.m.
What:
Crystal City BID’s fourth annual signature wine-drinking, salsa-dancing, tapa-tasting festival.
Who:
25 local restaurants and over 30 delicious wines from Chile, Argentina and Spain.
Where:
220 20th Street South, Arlington, VA 22202
Tickets:
Tickets will be available to purchase on-site the day of the event for $20 (CASH ONLY) and include all sips, tastes, twirls and a commemorative wine glass.
Food-only tickets can be purchased for $10 and admission for kids is free.
In My Inbox.
-JAY
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Come to the DC State Fair Kick-Off Shindig and Homebrew Contest – August 27! (Click there for the active links.)
dcstatefair | August 18, 2010 at 4:03 am | Categories: dc state fair | URL: http://wp.me/pZQTt-2z
Thanks to The Black Squirrel for sponsoring the DC State Fair Homebrew Contest!
What: DC Homebrewers Contest
When: Friday, Aug. 27, 7:30 – 10 pm
Where: 1314 Kenyon St. NW
To Enter: Fill out this entry form by August 23.
DC’s become a paradise for beer lovers in the past few years, and we had to give DC homebrewers the chance to prove who brews the best brew at the DC State Fair.
Join us on August 27th from 7:30 to 10:00 pm at 1314 Kenyon St. NW for a kick-off party and homebrew contest, sponsored by The Black Squirrel (the fabulous neighborhood beer bar in Adams Morgan). The judging begins at 8:00 pm sharp – you won’t want to miss it!
If that’s not enough for you, Fat Man After Dark, another fair sponsor, will be broadcasting live from the Contest.
Do you have a passion for homebrewing? There’s still time to submit your beer to the contest, so enter now. The deadline for homebrew entries is August 23.
Good luck to all the homebrewers out there! We know you’ll make the District proud.
KITCHEN SINK SANGRIA
I was at the beach last week. My friend arrived, toting a lambrusco he had found in New York and was all excited to try. And while I rolled my eyes at visions of a syrupy, sugary, sweet Riunite type beverage, my friend assured me that this was no ordinary lambrusco, but instead was a dry, subtle sparkling red wine. And he wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm. Eric Asimov has written two pieces in the New York Times elevating the sparkly red stuff. So I wrinkled my nose and took a sip. It wasn’t bad. But as an ode to the lambrusco of my youth, I decided that this venerable version could still serve as a great base for some Sangria on the beach.
Kitchen Sink Sangria
Pour the lambrusco into a pitcher. Add the orange juice, rum. Squeeze lemons and limes into the pitcher (straining out the seeds). Cut the lemons and limes into small segments. Drop them in. Cut apricots into cubes and add to pitcher. De-stem strawberries, slice, and add in. Stir and chill for one hour. Enjoy!
-LMB
$1 Dollar Smoothie Day at Robeks Fruit Smoothies and Hea
lthy Eats today from 3:00 to 6:00pm! Get energized with a delicious, all natural smoothie (12 oz.) today for only a BUCK at all 20 DC area Robeks locations. Visit http://www.robeks.com for store addresses in DC, VA and MD.
What an event! A text from my eating companion says it all, “This is heaven!” Zoofari, a fundraiser at the National Zoo, happened last night. With over 100 D.C. restaurants in attendance, it’s all a blur to me. I do remember fish was the most fashionable ingredient of the night. And that Blue Moon was the beer of choice. Oddly enough, I spent two hours at the zoo and saw no animals, unless, of course, you count the woman with 5 Georgetown Cupcake morsels on her plate. (And I’ll freely admit I’ve argued against boutique cupcakes in the past, but those were pretty damn good cupcakes!) If I can remember correctly, I’ll share some highlights of the evening. But again, I rolled out of the zoo last night like a Violet Beauregarde blueberry.
Mike Isabella of Zaytinya and Top Chef fame offered a melon popsicle. Too bad melon isn’t in season yet. Shouldn’t he know that? The Source, sans Wolfgang Puck, served delicious dumplings – just one more tasty tidbit that reaffirms its place as one of the best restaurants in D.C. BLT Steak had mini-burgers. Mini-burgers that made me crave White Castle instead of their big brother. Rocklands roasted a whole pig. Belga Cafe had a few variations of a Belgian waffle. I opted for the traditional topped with chocolate and whipped cream. The waffle was warm. Morton’s was a let-down. Sure, there were a lot of soups topped with crab and various foams that I passed on, but a steakhouse, and a famous one at that, should not be serving teeny tiny slices of beef on a huge potato roll. Tail gaiters can do better!
I wish I could remember everything. It all became a blur after a while. And unlike a top news reporter or blogger extraordinaire, I was more concerned with not dropping my food and drink rather than taking notes and pictures. But trust me, there were rows and rows of restaurants, beverage stations with wine and beer, and musical acts interspersed a long the way to keep the people happy. Sure, Central, Chef Geoff and his offerings, and Zola are all a blur. But it’s a good blur, and one I’d be happy to experience again. But next time, I’ll be sure to pace myself. One can’t eat so much delicious food so quickly! It makes for gastro-intestinal mayhem and foolishness.
Oh, and I almost forgot, I don’t remember who it was, but someone was serving what was essentially bacon juice soup topped with a goat cheese foam. Yes, my friends, heaven it was.
AEK
Good old George Washington is well known to have loved his wine. And so it becomes mildly appropriate to have scores of people descend on Mt. Vernon for the annual Wine Festival and Sunset Tours. Let me first declare this a lovely event. I’m sure members of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association are secretly decrying the misuse of the Washington Estate, however, there is something very, er, historical, having hundreds of drunk people listening to music on the back porch of Mt. Vernon. It’s almost as if the house comes to life, as it must have been during the parties and banquests of the 18th century.
Here are two secrets I learned. 1) Get in line to be let in by 6 p.m. – when the doors open. You’ll be able to get the best seats. 2) People stop hoarding the wine tasting area at about 8:00 – cause they’re either drunk or have decided to purchase a bottle of wine and drink on the lawn. Also, I would definitely go with a group of people. You are allowed to tour a candle lit Mt. Vernon, but this requires having someone to watch you picnic area, full of purchased bottles of wine and uncorked delights a plenty. If you’re planning on attending in the future, act fast as the event sells out for all three days.
There are only 16 wineries represented at this event. I’ve been to many of them before so I’ll only touch on some stand outs. I’ve written about them previously, but Narmada has a fantastic red “Midnight” worth a quick freeze and a slow sip on the veranda. It was our bottle of choice when the lines and excess crowding became too much. (I’ve never seen people at a winery come up to a table and ask to specifically try one unique wine and then walk away.)
The wines of Gabriele Rausse were gross. A malbec from Virginia? Let the Argentines do what they do best, besides tango. We purchased a bottle of “Symphony” from Miracle Valley Vineyards. I love the idea of dessert wines although I never drink them – hence my collection of about 10 sitting in the wine fridge. But this one tasted of concord grapes and is a mix of 6 wine varietals. Pleasant. And I swear I’ll break it out at some point!
All in all, this was a great event. The views are sweet, sheep are eating in the fields, the house looks historical, and the wines, along with the music, are entertaining. The only thing missing from the experience was the smell of burning wood – a Williamsburg staple. Perhaps, next year, we will be treated to a lovely mulled wine!
-AEK
I recently went on a wine tour through Virginia. Gray Ghost here and Rappahannock Cellars there. (P.S. the pourer at Rappahannock is against health care reform – hello Virginia – I almost spit out my Norton…almost.) My binge journey through the Rappahannock Valley, which I heartily suggest you take as it’s only two hours away, was awakened by a new, and unique, winery of choice. Narmada.
Narmada is new. It’s most fun attribute, without sounding like the newest installment of Sassy Gay Friend, is that it is owned by an Indian family. Having planted a few years ago, the wine has finally come of age. Apparently, however, the chicken tikka masala hasn’t.
They serve food. Yes, a winery that serves food. It’s smart, and god bless someone for coming up with the idea. But the masala, hello, cardboard. You would think, simmer the chicken in the sauce all day. Well, that isn’t the Narmada thinking. But the wines are good. And there was live music! Oh, and did I mention there was food?! Other wineries need to catch on to this craze. A quick appetizer with your tasting can seal the deal. We asked if the varietals planted were meant to compliment Indian foods but received a questionable, if not full no, response; a missed opportunity.
Right now in my wine cellar, I have Midnight. I also bought a shirt in their gift shop. While it might seem a little kitschy, and the front door is oddly placed, it’s refreshing to see a completely new concept push in to the, errr, established Virginia winery scene. The food has promise, I like the live music, and I like the grandmother and father sitting on the couch. It’s a new atmosphere. And every other winery we visited would mention Narmada and insist we go. It was also packed with people – by far the most out of the six wineries we visited. I wish them success as they continue to refine their menu and perfect their blends.
AEK
I’ve tried a new restaurant tonight – a kitchen bar . And armed with both a kitchen and a bar, it lives up to the name stupendously. (By the way, is kitchen bar the new phrase?) The interior is great. There is a bar on the first floor, swanky and hip, and there is a wonderful open space upstairs with another bar and a gorgeous exposed beam ceiling. The lighting, to be real, is a little dim. And they need some blinds on the windows asap. There is a wonderful, large community table in the center of the space, and the party occupying it was moved because of the setting sun.
The cocktails are good. We tried everyone on the menu. **Warning – they love ginger. The Ginger Lime Martini has both ginger and lime, in excessive amounts. While delicious, I may need an esophageal transplant after the lime juice, but in a Thai restaurant it would have been sublime. The hit of the night was the 8407 Pimms, with an exceptional balance of lime, cucumber, and…ginger. Delicious. We ordered a few. The Clementine tasted like a bathroom air freshener, but if you love a fruit/flower flavor, it’s meant for you.
The food was hit or miss, or a little in between. We started with the Pickled Potted Rabbit Truffle Rillette. Pretty darn good (my partners favorite of the night), but the consistency was that of a white bean soup – not the most appetizing when you know you’re eating meat. It was served with some toasted bread that over-powered the flavor of the rabbit, and some cumquats that over powered the toasted bread. We also ordered sardines – fresh and tasty, but the bones were a tad much, and they were served with some golden raisins on the side. I sit here, still wondering, what were those raisins for? For the final first taste, french fries cooked in duck fat with rosemary. Most definitely flavorful, but limp. And I hate a limp fry! But if flavor is your name, then this potato is your game.
For our second round, we started with the sauteed greens in an apple cider gastrique. Perhaps the best item of the evening, sweet and bitter. The asparagus salad with poached egg and salad was a complete miss. It came out luke warm and no body, and I mean no body, wants to eat cold, semi-solid egg whites. Blah. (As an aside, the table next to us ordered the same thing as was very displeased with the egg as well). We ate one bite and gave the rest to Jesus. The house burger, we ordered medium rare. I’m a firm believer that if a restaurant can nail a hamburger, they can cook anything before them. The burger, good, came out on the heavily rare side. But, the good foodie I am, the rarer the better, and it was tasty. The bacon on top was cooked well (still crisp) and the seeded bun helped add the perfect amount of salt to the dish.
Overall, in my best Gael Greene voice, I give 8407 three-and-a-half stars. There is room to improve but I had a delightful first impression. The pieces are all present, and they need a slight nudge to get them into alignment – and being opened for only a few weeks, no doubt they will put the pieces together. To be honest, we tasted none of the main entrees – and starting at $19 (up to $30), I’m happy to keep to the appetizer and sandwich menu for now. A certain price scale requires a little reputation to run along side it. But please, taste, eat, and enjoy.
AEK
