Happy Anniversary to us!

We’re one year old and to celebrate, we’ve moved to a new home on the web! Please sign up and follow us here. It should be easier to keep track of us now! Welcome!

On the Road and Off to a Fox Hunt

Ah summer, time to kick back, relax or in our case, hit the road. Nick and I recently returned from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a little bit of R & R. The majority of my family has just moved there so it was also a time to catch up and see all the nieces and nephews and enjoy the spectacular weather. We were glad to be on the beach when the temps soared to 100+!

Myrtle Beach is like many other coastal towns, filled with hotels, tourists and kitsch. It’s also filled with food. There are the usual chains that you see everywhere and a few local chains specializing in seafood and bar-b-que. What’s big down there is a type of seafood cooking called calabash. Originating in the nearby town of Calabash, North Carolina, it’s a traditional method of cooking fish and seafood – very lightly battered, usually in cornmeal, and flash fried so it’s still moist and juicy and no speck of grease. In Myrtle Beach, however, it’s grown to mean huge, buffet style seafood houses that welcome busloads of tourists and feature early bird specials. Sigh, a nice tradition blown out of proportion.

To truly enjoy calabash for what it is, we decided to find a smaller venue. A quick trip down the highway led us to Murrells Inlet, a historic fishing village on a gorgeous salt marsh. It boasts an extraordinary amount of restaurants for such a little place. We settled upon the Divine Fish House. When we got there we discovered they had a little outside Tiki hut called Wahoo’s, that offered a stunning view of the marsh, live music and the ability to enjoy the same food from Divine’s menu while soaking in the salt air. We enjoyed perfectly crisp and meaty fried green tomatoes with fresh cherve, one of my favorite old Southern treats, as well as a delicious tuna tartare, with a cucumber martini, which was a perfect foil. Nick enjoyed a Maisel’s Weisse Kristall, a nice German Wheat that complimented the freshness of the seafood.

Of course, I am a sucker for sushi and we discovered that we could order sushi while at the bar, so we ordered some pristinely fresh salmon, tuna and local crab, all of which was divine! We washed them down with some refreshing sake martinis. We completed our evening with a walk along the marsh listening to all of the great live music spilling out of the other restaurants along the way. So, no we did not have calabash that night, but we did manage to have some on another night. We picked another small restaurant called City Bar which specialized in tapas-style dishes and a great martini menu. Nick enjoyed an amazing fresh grouper cooked calabash style and it just melted in my mouth. I enjoyed my beloved tuna tartare again but this time with a seaweed salad. We started off with some tasty mini raw tuna tacos sparked with lime crema and cabbage and enjoyed a delicious lobster pot sticker with a fiery chili sauce accompaniment.

Another day we had the typical steamed seafood at Joe’s Crab Shack (yes it’s a chain) and also spent a day at the Myrtle Beach Gordon Biersch which featured an agreeable seafood menu so I indulged in a crab and lobster salad. For our last lunch, we ended up at the Liberty Tap Room, a local craft beer restaurant that featured local/regional beers as well as a couple of their own brews on tap. Nick enjoyed Terrapin Brewery’s Rye Pale Ale and Liberty’s own IPA. No tuna for me this time, but I did have a fantastic crab cake, moist, barely any filler and meaty. Yum!

I do love the beach and all of its seafood delicacies, as well as my sister-in-law’s world- renowned spaghetti and meatballs (fondly referred to within the family as Spags and Balls)! She had made a large pot of it and it was simmering on the stove as we arrived from a long journey from Virginia. I could have eaten the whole pot myself, but I reluctantly shared.

Now we’re home and missing the salt air and family, but we’re not short of great food and beer options. And a new one just opened! The Mad Fox!

Nick and I were the very fortunate guests of Doc Roberts and his wife for the soft opening on Friday night. Mad Fox is located in Falls Church in a new shopping development along Broad Street. It’s owned by Bill Madden, local brewer extraordinaire who got to build his dream microbrewery on the spot and build a gastropub around it. Fronted by an open, light-filled bar and dining room in rustic colors, there’s a fireplace in one corner and a view of the brewing system in the dining room. The bar is long and features five beers on tap and three casks. On tap it’s the Kölsch, an American Pale Ale, a Saison and a Porter. On cask is the Porter, the Ale and an 80 Shilling. Mad Fox also features two ciders on draft and two meads from Fox Hill Meadery in North Carolina. It also sports a decent wine list, some of them local, as well as a modest liquor collection and some very nice single malts. As a bit of background, Bill made his mark on the D.C. beer scene with his award-winning Kölsch at Capitol City Brewery. He then was involved with some other local craft brew houses, settling at Vintage 50 for a few years in Leesburg. Mad Fox is truly his baby (or kit, as a baby fox is called). It’s a play on his last name and his wife’s maiden name as well as a nod to the creativity and guts it takes to launch such a venture.

The kitchen is led by Texan Russel Cunningham, formerly of Agraria and Jurys Washington, D.C. The menu features seasonal and local foodstuff designed to compliment the beer. A wood-fired brick oven turns out Neapolitan and New York style pizzas and crusty bread featured in several of its sandwiches. Another house-baked favorite is the soft pretzels with house-made mustard and smoked sea salt.

Our server confused the wives’ wine choices and the spacing of food was a bit off; we waited a half hour for our appetizers and our entrees came before we had finished the first course. Some of the food had kinks too, my heirloom tomato-mozzarella salad was overwhelmed by the giant plate it came on and the shrimp and grits would have been more properly served over rice; the sauce was too thin and the grits too soft, as noted by Mrs. Roberts’ true Southern roots. The Cioppino Nick had needed a little more seafood and was overcooked. I once again had my favorite tuna tartare and I wasn’t disappointed. It features a nice seaweed salad with wasabi and chili oil decorating the plate. Nick also enjoyed the meltingly savory Virginia pork belly and Doc Roberts’ “Mob” pizza sported artisanal pepperoni, salami and ham over a nicely wood-kissed, chewy crust. The rest of the menu features mussels three ways, sandwiches, burgers and a cheese and charcuterie plate. There’s the fun addition of frickles (fried pickles), onion rings, and a nice eclectic selection of toppings for your pizza. There are vegetarian options as well, the Veg sandwich loaded with lots of fresh veggies looks delicious, and the fried green tomatoes were great, its tomato jam was a keeper. I am also happy to see fried tofu!

It was nice to see Bill and his business partner Rick Garvin walking around shaking hands and saying hi. The servers were knowledgeable and friendly and the atmosphere was very warm and inviting. Just what you want in your new “home away from home” as Doc Roberts calls it. Once the fireplace is up and running, I’m sure it’ll be hard to pry him out of a seat nearby.

Mad Fox will make its grand opening very soon and Nick and I are looking forward to continuing the hunt between the food and beer menu. Congratulations Bill! We’re so happy for you!

To put you in a celebratory mood, here’s a champagne cocktail to toast with:

Summer Sun

1 shot Canton Liqueur
1 shot lemoncello

Fill with champagne and garnish with a fresh berry and/or a lemon twist.

Art Appreciation

Another year has wrapped up for that institution on the hill. It’s gone by fast, but what’s made it fun is that Nick and I have enjoyed several wonderful shows put on by our students. We’ve seen great jazz, great drama and great alumni musicians play. Hey remember Mr. Magnet and Steel and Mr. Afternoon Delight – they’re alums, so is an up and coming band Honor By August!

We’re also fortunate to call Miss Fierce Sonia a friend; she just had her first solo art show at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town and is now in a show on Capitol Hill where she’s just won Best in Show by the Capitol Hill Art League.She is quite amazing, so is her art!

There is artistry in food too.Last weekend Wegmans in Sterling had a sushi fest.They flew in chefs and fish from Japan and it was fun to watch them create simple, satisfying food with just a few fresh ingredients. The fish was pristine, it melted in our mouths. They also featured Japanese mixed grills of vegetable, fish and meat that is cooked on tableside and dipped in a delicious soy sauce that hinted of sesame, orange and ginger. It was fun to watch the chefs effortlessly fillet a huge tuna and dole it out to the crowd. Wegmans also had fresh wasabi rhizomes. I wish we could get them here in the States at a not prohibitively high price. They look like knobby green ginger. To use them, you grate it and let the strands set for a moment, then lightly crush them together to release the juice and the pungency. It’s a far cry from the stuff that comes in a pasty little hunk on your sushi plate. To begin with, that’s not pure wasabi, it contains hot Chinese mustard, that’s the element that makes your nose catch fire. Fresh wasabi has more of a sweet heat to it, you can taste the wasabi essence, but it’s not as assertive. I much prefer it over the paste. Nick is going to make a Bloody Mary tomorrow and use it along with some Shochu we found at our local ABC store.

Artistry is also at home on your dinner plate. There’s a certain skill that comes together to create a memorable meal. I look at what I have in the fridge and plan a meal based on what I’ve got and how it works together with the meal as a whole. For instance, if I am going to make pasta with asparagus, I am going to pair it with lemon and some white wine and go for a light salad that incorporates some more lemon and keep the flavors simple and light. I want my meal to harmonize, not be dissonant with too many clashing flavors and ideas. Plus, take a moment to create a visually appealing plate, arrange the pieces just so, throw on a little garnish, dab some sauce here and there and you’ll have something pleasing to the eye. It also serves as a visual cue to slow down, eat thoughtfully and savor all of the flavors coming together on your plate.

Artistry also lives in your beverage glass. Take that glass of wine you’re drinking with dinner. The winemaker has selected the grapes for their flavor and character and how they work in your glass and on the palate. You want it to work with what you’re eating, so pay attention to what’s written on the back of the bottle; the food suggestions aren’t random ideas, they’re chosen because the two will enhance one another. Do be a little bold though, branch out and try an unusual wine from time to time. We love our friend Doug Fabbioli’s wine, his luscious Rosa Nera-Black Raspberry Wine is a fun one with fresh deep berries and earthy grapes. It’s fun on its own, but try it with grilled duck that has a blackberry marinade and it’s a whole new taste! Try it too with my friend’s Wicked Good Treats – she’s got a delicious raspberry brownie that’ll go perfectly with a glass of this stuff!

You can watch the bartender pull his various ingredients together, mix them with a bit of flair and pour them into a glass chosen especially to highlight the beverage you’re about to enjoy. Nick and I just scored some ridiculously cheap coup glasses that make our 20’s inspired drinks all the more authentic.

Our latest quest for art in a glass has taken us to the beach. Now that it summer we’re busy exploring Tiki drinks. You might recall that Tiki drinks were popular in the mid last century when everyone became enamored of Hawaii and other exotic tropical locales brought home by returning World War II vets. Tiki bars sprouted up everywhere, some good, some bad. Heck, D.C. had two great ones – the venerable Trader Vic’s right down the street from the White House and the famously divey Honolulu on Route One in Alexandria. Too bad both are gone, Vic’s a sign of the times and Honolulu thanks to the new Wilson Bridge.

We’ve been amusing ourselves with Beachbum Berry Remixed. It contains every imaginable Tiki recipe plus stories and legends about the drinks. Our favorite so far has been the Singapore Sling. His creation is nothing like the sickly sweet slag you get at Chinese restaurants, it’s more subtle and not too sweet. It also a lovely pinkish hue from the Cherry Heering and pineapple juice. Of course we’d be remiss without mentioning other favorites like the Mai Tai and Royal Hawaiian. While most people assume rum is the base for Tiki drinks, you’d be surprised to learn that there are ones made with gin, vodka and bourbon. We also discovered an exciting new beverage – St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram. It combines the wonderful taste of allspice, nutmeg and clove with dark Jamaican rum. It’s especially good in such classic cocktails as the Lion’s Tail or Jasper’s Jamaican Punch.Plus, Tiki drinks have an added bonus, you get an ample serving of fruit in your glass with all the artistic garnishes – pineapple, cherries, oranges, mint or any combination of the bunch. The fancier the presentation the better!

There’s art in the vessel to hold your Tiki drink. Vintage Tiki mugs can be hard to come by, but they’re fun, I especially want to find Mr. Bali Hai. Yes, you can get those cheap plastic ones from Party Source, but scour thrift stores and the internet and you can find much more interesting ones. This summer I think we shall be holding a Tiki fest and will turn the Puritan Pub in to a grass-skirted shack complete with menacing Tiki masks and little pink parasols.

I am hoping to have artistry in my garden this year. I just got my plants from Cross Country Nursery and they look great, I can’t wait to get them in the ground. I bought plants by color this year. I have white eggplants, black cherry tomatoes, lavender bell peppers. They’ll look as lovely as the roses I have blooming in my yard right now. I’ve also got a bunch of Stargazer lilies that I need to plant. Stargazers come in yellow, salmon, white and pink so I can’t wait to see how they’ll look in full, glorious bloom!

Nick’s latest artistic adventures have been on the grill. Last night he made a fabulous ribeye steak with a lovely Southwestern-style rub with hints of orange and cumin. Last weekend he created a delicious pork tenderloin featuring a Jamaican Jerk rub and grilled sweet potatoes. He also has a tasty homebrewed Oatmeal Stout on tap that’s a perfect blend of rosty malt and creaminess that tastes great with the last bit of smoked cheese we have left.

Spring is probably the most artistic season here in Washington, from the cherry blossoms to the azaleas and dogwood in bloom, it’s quite lovely and very photogenic. We just went out to our CSA last week and enjoyed how vibrant and green everything looked against a bright blue sky. It also helped that we went to the Winery at La Grange again and had a lovely not-sweet rosé on the lawn overlooking the vineyard.

Summer will be here before you know it and with it comes the triple threat of Hazy Hot and Humid, so enjoy the weather right now and have this drink while you’re doing it:

May Fair

2 oz. Magellan gin (note the lovely blue hue)
1 oz. Kirschwasser
Dash of orange or mint bitters

Shake, pour into an iced martini glass and garnish with an edible flower or a nice juicy strawberry or fresh cherry.

Happy Spring!!

Something New and Sweet!

Hey – check out this newcomer for sweet treats!!

Visit this website for info: http://www.wgtreats.com/index.html

Where There’s Smoke There’s Food

Here in Washington, we’ve been blessed with perfect Spring days, the kind you wished would stick around permanently – sun, no humidity, no bugs and no sweat. I’d gladly sell my soul for more of these. After such a harsh winter, we’re eager to greet Spring. In the mornings we get in our car, turn on the heated seats and grumble at the brisk wind coming off that hilltop where we work, but by the evening, we’re opening the sunroof and cranking tunes. Students at our esteemed university have been out on the front lawn in bikinis and popped collars, yet not far away looms one of those ugly snowbanks, grey, forlorn and refusing to go away. Although it probably will soon if this weather continues.

The Puritan Pub has opened its back deck at least a month early, it’s still covered in pine needles leftover from Christmas and in need of a good hosedown but nonetheless here I sit outside with my laptop. The cats are curled up in chairs sleeping in the sun. It’s good to be a cat on days like this.

It’s also good to have a smoker on days like this. Our good friend Foghorn Leghorn recently came to town bearing woodchips, cheese and Tennessee whiskey. We’d inherited his Brinkman Smoker so he was eager to show us what it could do.He copiously unwrapped at least 10 pounds of extra sharp white cheddar cheese; Wallace and Gromit would have been thrilled. As far as I’m concerned the only color cheddar cheese should be is white, none of that so-called yellow or orange stuff that’s popular in Wisconsin and Oregon. I always gravitate toward the white stuff that’s from Vermont, New York, Canada or Ireland. To me, the yellow stuff tastes different, milder yet slightly funky from the annatto used to color it. Yes, call me biased at least when it comes to cheese.

Foghorn placed the cheese bricks together and lightly loaded the smoker with a small amount of charcoal and chips.The secret he said was to “let the smoke do the work.” It’s not about the temperature, it’s about smoke and time.It took nearly four hours to smoke the cheese, and when it emerged it bore a lovely mahogany rind and a still-white center and smelled redolent of hickory.

Meanwhile, Nick prepared a pork shoulder with a brown sugar-paprika (and other secret herbs and spices) rub and set it to smoke over pecan wood. Pecan wood pairs nicely with pork and those spices since it lends a sweet, nutty note.Nick also prepared a side of rockfish basted with oil, salt and pepper and put it on the smoker about three hours later. Next came some hot Italian sausages from Gianelli, a traditional Italian sausage made out of Syracuse, NY. They are suppliers to the New York State Fair and the world-famous Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Once the meat came off the grill I had Nick throw on some vegetables for me, garlic, jalapenos and tomatoes which smoked for about an hour. I set those aside for later use in sauces, chili and garlic bread spread. Sublime!

Doc Robert joined us and brought beer from Rock Bottom and Sweetwater breweries. Since everything was smoked, why should the beer be any different? To that end, Doc Robert brought a Rauchbier, a dark German beer which features malt smoked over beechwood. It’s kind of like the Lapsang Souchong of beer.

We sat down to our feast with more good friends and plenty of food.Foghorn had meticulously pulled the pork apart and we doused it liberally with a North Carolina vinegar sauce. We got some creamy coleslaw and buns for messy but yummy sandwiches. We also pulled out another famous barbeque standby, baked beans .Not just any beans mind you, but Grandma Brown’s. No, she’s not any of our grandmas, but she was somebody’s grandma back in Mexico, New York and she makes the best canned beans ever. They’re thick, hearty, well-seasoned and a taste of home that I am so glad our local Wegmans carries. They don’t need much adornment, but I like to add extra chopped onion, brown sugar and bacon. Yum! If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, (we didn’t) they’re excellent cold the next day in a baked bean sandwich.

With all this smoked food, my fridge smells like woodsmoke, everything I take out of it has a slight tang of hickory. Fortunately the smell dissipates so not everything tastes like smoke which is good; I was worried the ice in my cocktail would taste smoky. I only want smokiness in my cocktail if I’m drinking scotch, not a cosmopolitan.

We turned some of friends into smoked cheese fiends. One friend brought some into work so the office fridge smelled smoky, which made us laugh.She also created a smoked macaroni and cheese that was amazing. Nick brought some to a real ale fest; people couldn’t believe he’d made it himself. He also brought out a new keg of beer, Seven Gables Oatmeal Stout that is quite delicious. We are sad to say our keg of cider has finally kicked as well as his Nut Brown Ale. Nick needs to get brewing again!

Now that the weather is good it’s time to start hosting parties. We held one at the end of March to celebrate Spring and we were pleased to see a lot of our old friends who’d been in hibernation. Soon it’ll be time to host our Friday afternoon fests where we invite whoever’s around to come over and hang out. The door is always open here at the Puritan Pub!

Soon it’ll be time to start thinking about gardening and the bounties of summer.We just solidified our CSA membership at Bull Run Mountain farm and can’t wait for the first harvest. My tomato, eggplant and pepper plants should be arriving in the next month. So should my flowers. I am itching to get into the garden but I think it still may be a bit early. Don’t let this beautiful weather fool you; we can still have frost in April!

To go with the sunny weather, I offer this sunny cocktail: Liquid Sun

2 shots citrus vodka

½ shot Canton Ginger Liqueur

¼ shot Lemon simple syrup

Dash Lemon bitters

Shake and pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon peel. Lately I’ve become enamored of Meyer lemons, they are a vibrant yellow orange color and slightly sweeter than the average lemon. The peel is very soft and they are very juicy. I think they’re lovely and I know you will too! They’ll definitely put you in the mood for Spring!

Bakesale for Haiti This Weekendl

From Washington City Paper‘s Young and Hungry Blog:

Thrifty DC Cook, Adventures in Shaw, Not Derby Pie, and One Bite At A Time have organized nearly 20 bloggers and/or local foodies to contribute sweets to a bake sale on Sunday at Zorba’s Cafe on Dupont Circle. The sale will run for two hours only, from 9 to 11 a.m. on Sunday. Proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders. Leftover baked goods will be donated to N Street Village.

Please come and eat for a worthwhile cause!

The Excitement of Fresh Beer

We’d like to give props to our friend and fellow brewer, Wendell Ose, better known to our readers as Finchy. He’s got a great post today on the excitement of Cask Conditioned Ale. As defined by CAMRA this means: Beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide. To sample a good cask ale locally, check out Churchkey or Rustico, they always have fresh ones on hand.

Doc Robert was supposed to hold his Real Ale fest this weekend but thanks to Snowmageddon he ended up cancelling the affair. He’s hoping for next month. So are we.

We went to Food Matters for Mardi Gras last night and definitely got fat on their addictive Boudin Balls, Andouille sausage corn dogs, and spicy deviled eggs. We also sampled their takes on traditional foods like red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee and chicken and sausage jambalaya. They were quite delicious. We of course, could not pass up their homemade Hurricanes and Sazeracs and they were also wonderful. What impressed Nick was that they did in fact use Absinthe and Peychaud’s Bitters in the Sazerac. It’s hard to find a bartender outside of the French Quarter who knows that these two ingredients are essential to the cocktail!

We leave you with another authentic New Orleans drink, the Vieux Carre:

1 ounce rye whiskey
1 ounce Cognac
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 teaspoon Bénédictine
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Mix all ingerdients in a Collins glass with ice and enjoy!

The Groundhog Was Right

So we are emerging from a long winter’s nap only to find that it’s still snowing. Sigh. It’s enough to drive one to drink. Not that we needed much help with that.

But here we are and it’s still winter so thoughts turn to warming, cozy, foods that make the house smell good and make you feel loved. Thoughts come to mind of chili, stews, homemade bread, and chocolate chip cookies. I also turn to potatoes, squash, and noodles, anything thick and hearty to get me through.

Fortunately, I also froze some of the summer bounty from our CSA so I have frozen tomatoes for my Bolognese sauce, broccoli for soup, and fruit for tropical cocktails to make me feel like I’m in the Caribbean when I’m not.

We are also drinking a lot of tea to keep us warm. Our latest enjoyment has been a jade oolong which my mother says smells like old feet so she won’t touch it. Admittedly, it does smell a little pungent, but once you brew it, it takes on a floral almost sweet quality that makes for a soothing cup. We’ve also been enjoying a lavender tea that’s fun to drink; it makes me think of summer fields in France.

And lest you think we’ve abandoned our goal of getting through the 100 cocktails, we have still been steaming through, we’re up to 60. With this cold weather, we’ve been focusing on the warming kind – featuring brandy, whisky, and bourbon. Of course, we had to have a Sazerac to celebrate the New Orleans Saints winning the Superbowl. Who dat fo sho! I have also been delighting the neighborhood shovel patrol with hot toddies. Here’s my version:

1 c. Scotch

½ c. Bourbon

½ c. brandy, cognac or Benedictine

¼ c. vanilla sugar (throw broken vanilla bean into a cup of sugar and let it sit for a few days)

Handful of cloves

Broken cinnamon stick

I orange cut into wheels

¼ c. of water if desired

Heat it all to a near boil and serve hot with additional orange slices in the mugs. You’ll feel it all the way down to your toes, which is what you want when you’re shoveling this mammoth snow!

Nick has been brewing despite the weather. He’s made a traditional Nut Brown in anticipation of the upcoming Real Ale Fest at Doc Robert’s house. It’s currently conditioning in the keg. It’s had a long tough road since Nick got very sick halfway through the brew process and had to have me and his good friend Finchy finish it for him. It then sat for more than a week in the fermenter where it blew the seal twice because of nice healthy yeast. We thought for sure it would be contaminated, but tasting it before we kegged it showed it was still good. Nick pitched the priming sugar and we’re on pins and needles to taste the outcome next weekend. He’s also been enjoying some winter-style beers we have stockpiled such as porters, winter ales and strong, dark stuff to fortify even the most winter-averse.

We recently welcomed the comeback of an old friend with the return of Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ale. We said hello to Bob and Ellie Tupper at Columbia Firehouse and toasted their success with DC’s own beer guru Greg Engert. The beer is still as good as remembered, and excellent on tap. Seek it out if you can. Rustico, Churchkey and other restaurants in the area have it on tap. It is available in bottles at some stores like Norm’s in Falls Church and some Wegmans. However, be prepared for sticker shock for the price of a four pack!

Despite what the weather is looking like outside it is time to start to think about the Spring and Summer. My mailbox contains the latest catalog from Cross Country Nurseries, home of chileplants.com. They bill themselves as having the world’s largest selection of chile and sweet pepper plants. In the catalog you can find everything from the benign Blushing Beauty to the deadly Bhut Jolokia. Cross Country also has a great selection of tomatoes and eggplants too. They will ship you little live plants when the time is right and I’ve always had good luck with them.

It’s also time to start thinking about CSAs. The Washington Post recently published a list of all the local ones. There are many to choose from and CSAs can offer more than produce. For instance, Polyface Farm offers meat and poultry shares and some farms offers bread, cheese and other dairy items. These tough economic times coupled with a desire for sustainable, local eating, a CSA is the way to go: it helps you and the farmer. Besides, look forward to the summer where you can get away from the city and visit the farm you’re investing in!

Looking out the window reminds me rudely that we are still in winter. What baffles me is the people that run to the store right before something hits and wipe out eggs, milk, bread and TP. Shouldn’t you already have this stuff on hand in your home? I will admit that I was part of the frenzy and went to the store the night before the first blast hit, but I really did need cat food. Ok, so I threw in some human sustenance like chocolate and wine. I am worried about the fact that our alcohol supplies are running low. We’re almost out of gin and vodka! Horrors! But I am happy to report I have a good supply of things like meat, eggs and bread. And yes, TP.

Last night I warmed us up with homemade potato leek soup. Since I had those frozen summer veggies on hand I made a good veggie broth for starters and went on to make a yummy, hearty soup. Tonight looks like a chicken and sweet potato stew. I have apples and am planning on making an apple cake, but I haven’t quite got up the gumption. Hopefully the power will stay on long enough for me to get it. We have a gas stove so we can continue to cook, which was great when the power went out over Thanksgiving weekend. My sister-in-law made the family’s world-famous “Spags and Balls” recipe by candlelight and we made garlic bread colonial-style in the fireplace. The kids got a big kick out of that!

Nick and I are snuggled up with our cats watching the snow continue to fall. I do actually own a Snuggie, it was a great Halloween costume, but I have lost control of it to the cats so I’m layering up and hunkering down.

Dream of Spring and have this cocktail to put you in the mood.

Spring Fling

1 shot Buffalo grass vodka

¼ shot Crème de Violette or Parfait Amour

¼ shot Lillet Blanc

Shake and pour into an iced cocktail glass. If you’re lucky enough to find it, float a fresh flower in it and hope for gentle Spring breezes.

Haloween Treats!

Ok fans, here’s a chance to do something fun and foodie!

Adventures in Shaw is organizing a “Food Bloggers’ Spooktacular Bake Sale” to take place this Saturday at the 14th & U farmers’ market, with the proceeds benefitting Martha’s Table. Come to the 14th & U Farmers Market Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm and pick up some treats from your favorite DC food bloggers. Plus, there will be a costume contest at the market with prizes including gift certificates from Biaggio Chocolates, Cork Market and Mid City Cafe and many, many more.

Hope to see you there!

Birch and Barley is Finally Open!

Last night Nick and I, along with our friends Miss Garnet, Mr. Cinq and Mr. Bunyan, had the honor of attending the soft opening of the long-awaited Birch and Barley/ChurchKey restaurant and bar.

Nestled along 14th Street, the restaurant proved to be a little hard to find at first; its sleek wood and metal sign was easy to miss. But once we did find our way there we were greeted warmly by the hostess into the intimately lit Birch and Barley. We then made our way upstairs to ChurchKey. What a sight to behold with soaring ceilings, brilliant red walls and lighting evocative of a church itself. But what really grabs your attention is the bar that runs the length of the room – a beer lover’s heaven with 50 taps and five beer engines. Four massive refrigerators are also stocked with a countless array of bottled libations. Beer director Greg Engert promises 555 varieties of beer and the bar can certainly handle the capacity. We also looked in wonder at the array of kegs looming over our heads in the temperature-controlled coolers. It’s a feat of engineering as the beer upstairs is also pumped downstairs through an array of copper pipes that beautifully resemble a church organ down in Birch and Barley.

Last night there were only eight beers on tap: Victory Prima Pils, Allagash White, Brooklyn Lager, Stone Pale Ale, Smuttynose IPA, Green Flash Hop Head Red, Climax Nut Brown Ale and Schneider Aventinus. We’d also like to thank Greg for letting us sample a delicious bottled beer, Defumada. Brewed in Brazil, it’s a smoked beer with an odor faintly reminiscent of smoked Gouda cheese, but it doesn’t taste like that, instead it’s a nice malty beer with just a hint of char. Greg also treaded us to one of Mr. Pliny’s favorite bottled beers – SSS, a triple stout from the Netherlands. It has a deep reddish-brown color, nice creamy head and a roasty, malty taste with slight hint of fruity sourness. It’s well worth seeking out.

The bartenders were great – very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the beer they are serving. I talked to Kevin who told me they will have a full bar service as well, featuring classic cocktails made from top-shelf ingredients. He has worked with the Brown brothers (Cork and The Gibson) so I have no doubt his cocktails will be wonderful. The wine list will feature about a dozen available by the glass and at least 50 bottles to choose from. Last night they were featuring Falernia Pedro Ximenez Reserva (white) and Domaine Des Roy Gamay (red). I wished the servers were as well versed in the wines as they were with the beer.

The bar also features some interesting snacks including house -made tater tots, its decadent cousin foie tots (Nick and I felt they needed to have more foie and less tater), sweetbread poppers, and mac n’ cheese sticks. Miss Garnet and I were especially enamored with the green eggs and ham: three of the most perfectly hard boiled eggs with a spicy herbally-green filling and pancetta chunks on top. The charcuterie platter was cut to order with a crusty house-made bread to accompany it.

At last, we were called downstairs for dinner and were seated in the small back room right near the kitchen, behind the burnished copper beer organ. The floor is a lovely wood pattern evocative of birch bark and the tables are small and white with striking crystal-clear acrylic chairs. It’s softly lit by birch bark candles and ethereal hanging glass oil lamps. There’s seating for three people at the kitchen counter and Greg is planning on hosting beer dinners there, similar to the ones he offers at Rustico.

Our server, Katelyn, was very gracious and attentive. Unfortunately the kitchen service was less so. We experienced several very long pauses between courses, but given the crush of people all at once I think it could have been a lot worse. What struck Miss Garnet and I was that despite the very busy atmosphere in the kitchen, we could hear no yelling or talking, everyone seemed to work very well together.

The food was very good. I think there could be more salads on the menu and a little more spice in the dishes. Some of the sides were near misses, the spatzel that came with the whole chicken was doughy and the wild rice that came with my duck lacked the dates and radishes the menu promised, but Nick did like the green beans that came with his cod. Desserts were ok, we liked the apple beignet, but the French toast stick tasted too cakey and seemed more suited for breakfast than dessert. We also liked the hot bacon and sage rolls as well as the hot pretzel rolls; thank you for serving them with room-temperature butter!

One of the funniest things on the menu was the afore-mentioned chicken with spatzel, it is supposed to be for two people and once it’s cooked, the server comes out and presents the chicken to you as if it were a fine bottle of wine. Miss Garnet took the opportunity to christen hers Powoli. In Polish this means slowly, and it was apt since it took nearly 20 minutes for it to reappear carved and plated.

It was nice to be considered friends and family of the latest NRG restaurant experience since everything was gratis. We did leave generous tips as everyone worked hard to make it a great night. Yes there are bumps to be smoothed over, but on the whole I think Birch and Barley/ChurchKey are going to be fantastic additions to the D.C. restaurant scene. We can’t wait to go back and enjoy it once more!