By Addison H
Courtesy of the author
The mid-Atlantic has recently come into its own in terms of winemaking, and the DC-area in particular has seen a resurgence in brewing, but (legal) distilling has been somewhat slower to follow. However, as consumer tastes have migrated away from mass-produced libations, more and more micro-distilleries have been established in the area.
By fedward
You may recall from previous years that July is Rickey Month. July’s over, but tonight the DC Craft Bartenders Guild wraps things up for 2011 with its Rickey Month Party at Jack Rose.
Finalists, announced via email on Friday, are after the jump, along with a few tasting notes from our team on the ones we tried.
Continue reading
By Tricia Barba
”
courtesy of ‘Jing a Ling’
Serendipity
Hopefully you haven’t missed it in the Shake Shack, Pinkberry, Luke’s Lobster craze…but Serendipity 3 is now open in Georgetown. There’s no way you haven’t heard of the NY based shop and its signature oversized Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and Foot-Long Hot Dogs, BUT you can also have the President’s Lobster Pasta here, a dish exclusive to DC. For the best opening story and pics head to Revamp.
Power
Can’t wait to see what the Young & Hungry team puts out for its Of Edibles and Eminence: What Makes a Powerful Restaurant? list on June 10th. They write “Beyond the ‘power lunch’ and the often elusive ‘power breakfast,‘ the places where we eat wield influence in a variety of ways. Some restaurants change our behavior. Some change entire neighborhoods.” Send Y&H your suggestions!
Jack Rose
Metrocurean tells us that Jack Rose, the new whiskey bar and restaurant from the team behind Bourbon, could open any day now. So if you’re looking for a place for whiskey, you might want to start walking towards 18th and Florida. It’s about time — we’ve been talking about this place forever!
Zaytinya, Bezu, Pizzeria Orso
In one of my favorite features, Best Bites Blog takes “the pulse of three area restaurants” in The Needle. Zaytinya and Pizzeria Orso do very well…Bezu not so much.
Happy Eating!
By Tricia Barba
”
courtesy of ‘Jing a Ling’
Get your credit cards out. Starting today, a series of donations will be auctioned off on eBay by more than 20 DC businesses. The money raised will support disaster relief in Japan.
Earlier this week, KAZ Sushi Bistro Chef Kaz Okochi, who was born and raised in Nagoya, Japan, reached out to the DC Chefs’ Club for help. The result? Chefs are auctioning off brunch, dinners, tastings, classes, and more on eBay. The auctions will last for one to two weeks, and the winning bids will be donated to the American Red Cross.
Starting off the auction is KAZ, offering a tasting menu for two people as well as KAZ private brand sake or beer. The bidding starts at $50. To bid go here.
Restaurants participating include:
The Tabard Inn
Restaurant Nora
Perry’s
Equinox
Bourbon
Four Seasons
Masa14
KAZ Sushi Bistro
BLT
Peacock Cafe
Ris
Food & Wine Co.
Dino
DC Coast/TenPenh/Ceiba/Acadiana/PassionFish
Jaleo/Zaytinya/Oyamel/Cafe Atlantico
Marcels/Brasserie Beck/Mussel Bar
Hilton Garden Inn, Downtown
By Corinne
Sign of the times at Bottom Line by Corinne Whiting
St. Patrick’s Day seems to fall at a good time of year—just after we’ve groggily “sprung forward” and just as we’ve been teased out of our winter hermit holes by the sweet promise of spring. Winter vacation seems a lifetime ago; Memorial Day beach treks couldn’t feel farther out of reach. Truth be told, we’re ready for some good craic.
This holiday always seems an ideal time to check in with Irish mates I haven’t properly caught up with since my last trip to Éire. I write friends based in happenin’ Dublin and off “busy” getting sunburned in fabulous places around the globe to wish them a happy Paddy’s Day. (Note: if you accidentally let slip “St. Patty’s Day,” prepare to be scolded for incorrectly feminizing the legendary saint!) This year I surveyed my friends’ March 17 plans, knowing that the night before would be the big night out thanks to a national holiday on St. Patrick’s Day. Over there March 17 seems a day, at least for my friends, to take it easy—catching up over pints and coffees, cycling into the country and, most importantly, avoiding the chaos of city centre. The downtown Dublin parade, it seems, can be saved for the kids and tourists.
So what then does March 17 (unfortunately not a holiday here) mean for Washingtonians? Perhaps the Obamas will dye the White House fountain green again (touch wood). And while the holiday will no doubt give venues an excuse to charge covers to droves of bar goers on a random Wednesday night, it will also give bar goers an excuse to spend a Wednesday night clinking glasses of green beer, downing Irish car bombs and flaunting real or feigned ancestry (“Kiss Me, I’m Irish” buttons, anyone?). It’s also a day when cultural traditions get a wee bit muddled here in the “melting pot” of America—Scottish and English customs become Irish; anything Celtic goes….
By Kirk
‘Elmer T Lee Bottles’
courtesy of ‘SauceSupreme’
Hello, and welcome to another edition of Friday Happy Hour, your single drink primer for the weekend.
Couple being gone for the holidays with a busy week at work and I feel like I haven’t been home in ages. Add in the cold and I’ve got a great incentive to stay at my house for most of the weekend. Accompanying me will be my favorite bourbon, Elmer T. Lee. This little known distillation from from small, Kentucky establishment has won accolades from many connoisseurs who’ve sampled it. It’s a sweeter, mellower bourbon, with a distinct, candied overtone. Some call it toffee, some call it caramel, some call it honey. It bears an understated complexity that reveals a new flavor with every sip. It’s an extremely pleasant and drinkable bourbon. Have it neat. You can buy Elmer T. Lee at Schneider’s of Capitol Hill.
By Katie
‘The Pour’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’
It’s a drink-focused round-up this week, but I think that’s because spring is in the air and all of us are practically clawing at our office doors to escape to grab a beer on the patio with friends. That said – Earth Day, jazz brunches, cocktails from the city’s best mixologists and a new team at Sonoma make up all the news that is fit to eat in the District this week. Continue reading