Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 10th, 2009
What is wrong with people?!?!?!
–Warren
Rocklands Embraces Rib Tips, Bourbon Appreciation
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Barbecue aficionado John Snedden is turning brunch into a wood-fired bonanza this September 27, serving up all-you-can-eat smoked hog, snipped ribs and hand-crafted bourbons as part of Rocklands new menu roll-out.
Rocklands’ general manager Brad Yoder helped launched the restaurant’s nascent “Bourbon Club” (163 members and counting, including 16 folks who’ve sampled all 60 bourbons and one intrepid soul who’s completed the circuit twice) back in January and said the upcoming brunch would celebrate the natural attraction between charred meats and smoky booze.
Alongside the centerpiece swine (Yoder said Snedden is currently on the hunt for a 125-pound porker to slow-roast and lovingly dissect), guests will also be treated to a pair of new additions to the Rocklands carte–rib tips (those saucy snippets of cartilage and meat) and a peanut butter dessert pie.
Brunch attendees will also enjoy four, 1-ounce samples of different bourbons–Yoder said staff are still vetting the final candidates but suggested that Jim Beam Distillers Series, Booker’s, Knob Creek and Blanton’s were all strong contenders–as well as a trio of 8-ounce microbrew pours to be provided by Rick’s Wine and Gourmet.
Yoder suspects the new rib tips–”Some people think they’re the best part of the rib,” he stated–will likely reappear as some sort of weekly special at the Arlington store (possibly as another AYCE enticement on Tuesday nights?), while the peanut butter pie will become a static offering.
Tickets for the 9/27 brunch will run $55 per person. Reservations can be made by calling 202-337-1925 or emailing anne@rocklands.com.
–Warren
Hast du etwas Steins fur mich?
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Photo: Courtesy Rustico
When the air in metropolitan D.C. changes from an asphyxiating solid back to a breathable vapor, it’s time to dust off your dirndl, launder that lederhosen and fête the fall.
Yes, Gut Checkers, I am talking about the time of year devoted to German delights like beer, bratwurst and strudel: Oktoberfest.
No time to head to Munich? Thankfully getting your wienerschnitzel on in Northern Virginia is as easy as eins, zwei, drei. As you can see from the list below we’ve got three recommendations to get you started satisfying your inner Heidi or Hansel for this season’s Wiesn.
Euro Bistro – Sept. 10-13
Kick off the Oktoberfesten happening throughout the region at Euro Bistro in Herndon (this way your Alpine dance moves will be in full effect by the time October actually rolls around). Area favorites the Heidi and Heimat Echo band will perform oompah classics in all their embroidered suede finery, as well as polka veterans, The Continentals. If the Continentals’ motto “polka ‘til you puke” is any indication of the serious stein-swinging they’re likely to induce, the festivities will be one for the record books. A tri-fecta of traditional German beers such as Weihenstephaner, Hofbräu München and Paulaner will be on hand, and let’s not forget the requisite German festival fare: apple strudel, wienerschnitzel, the classic combo of bratwurst and sauerkraut, roast pork, German potato salad and pretzels.
Capital Ale House – Oct. 3
The festivities start in September at Capital Ale House locations in Richmond and Innsbrook, but the non-stop polka party that is Oktoberfest culminates October 3rd in downtown Fredericksburg.
As the host of this giant blocktoberfest, Capital Ale House is providing each guest (appropriate drinking age please) with a complimentary 1-litre, regulation- size Oktoberfest Capital Ale House stein! (Paulaner or Hacker Pschorr beers will be on draft.)
Too young for a stein? The Kinder can enjoy family friendly activities like the balloon twister and performances by The Hirschjager German dancers as well as music by Die Dorf Musikanten & a redux of the Continentals .
Fill your gullet with more German favorites including giant pretzels with sweet mustard, bratwurst, knockwurst, sauerbraten and dumplings with ginger snap gravy, roast chicken, German potato salad, red cabbage and sauerkraut as well as regular menu offerings from the Capital Ale House restaurant. The frolicking starts at noon and ends at 10:00pm.
Rustico – Oct. 10
Beer is the name of the game at this haven for hopheads, so if you’re still feeling the need to belt out a few German drinking songs, round out the Oktoberfest gestalt at Rustico. Honor all things Alpine and autumnal with 20 Oktoberfest-specific beers, not to mention tasty morsels you won’t find scrawled on the dry-erase board at the neighborhood “schnellimbiss,” like last year’s pumpkin ravioli for example. The event is free and food and beer can be purchased separately. Food prices range from 4-8 tickets (each ticket is $1); beer prices range from 5-8 tickets. It’s not just Deutscher debauchery at this event either. Kinder of all ages are welcome to come and enjoy the atmosphere, live music (no less than six bands) and a raffle drawing for a Harley. True to Rustico’s mission to serve as stewards of the community, all of the proceeds from this year’s raffle will go directly to the nonprofit, D.C. Central Kitchen.
–Amy Loeffler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, September 4th, 2009
(Image: Etiole)
As loyal Twitter users already know, at the end of every week many folks engage in friendly cross-pollination by branding fellow Tweeters they think everyone else should keep any eye on with the seemingly inescapable #FollowFriday tag.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m terrible at this.
Not because I don’t wish to promote the most clever/interesting/charismatic Tweeters among us. I simply believe the crux of the service is self-selecting the voices you wish to invite into your personal stream.
Granted, I understand the value of having your friends/colleagues/confidants recommend Tweeters you “should” enjoy/identify with.
But who am I to say if your stream (or mine, for that matter) has universal appeal?
Rather than simply regurgitating a meaningless soup of characters and hash tags into the online ether, I’m going to celebrate the Twitter-based food and wine commentary I find most engaging each week via this blog.
For this inaugural Tweat Cred column, the honors go to:
* Purcellville’s Hillsborough Wines (@HillsboroWine) – for settling the score sustainably;
* Government watchdog Eddie Kohan (@ObamaFoodorama) – for keeping food policy front and center;
* Austin food blogger James Francis (@jameseats) – for making me ravenously hungry; and,
* Tampa Tribune food writer Jeff Houck (@TheStew) – for the barrage of rat-tat-tat-tacular snark loosed during this week’s Top Chef.
Your words/thoughts/observations made my week.
And I can honestly say, you’ve all inspired me to become a better Tweeter.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Summer is waning and that is bad news if you’ve become addicted to the regular pleasures of the flesh. The luxurious nectars and succulent flesh of summer fruits that is.
Take heart, however. As the dwindling crop of summer’s stars (stone fruits like peaches, plums and cherries, or anything from the berry family) is mourned, you can always keep a little bit of the season nestled safely in a glass jar on your cupboard shelves to get you through the long, bleak winter.
By what sorcery you might ask allows you to cram all the sensory experiences of summer and its bounty into a stubby glass jar?
Nothing less than the wizardry of Charlottesville-based jam maker Daniel Perry (just FYI “jam maker” is the technical term). According to the tag line for his Web site jamaccordingtodaniel he muscles “one pound of local fruit into every jar” of jam that he crafts.
When you speak to Perry about the process of preserving fruit, it does seem more like an act of alchemy than mere cookery.
“I get to take a moment, freeze it, and put it in a jar,” he muses in regards to the ephemeral nature of working with seasonal fruit. He isn’t so much making jam the way you think of your grandmother dutifully filling infinite rows of glass receptacles as he is “preserving the fruit in its own essence,” which sounds much more philosophical.
Procure your own bit of seasonal wonderment through Perry’s Web site, at the farmer’s market in Charlottesville or at Blacksalt in D.C. His Web site states that his jam, “will last for up to a year in a cool dark place; once it has been opened, a jar can sit in the refrigerator for a very, very long time.” (A very, very long time is also a technical term.)
Perfect. We actually just need to sustain ourselves until next May when the summer cycle repeats itself and we can again indulge in the fleeting pleasures of the, ahem, flesh.
Photo: Daniel Perry
LoCo Works to Take Wine Kitchen Viral
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Leesburg’s Wine Kitchen gets some love from the Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association via a new web video:
(Video: Visit Loudoun HD)
I particularly enjoyed WK co-founder Jason Miller’s explanation of their reverse-engineered architectural vision:
“Parties always end up in a kitchen. So we’ll just build a kitchen and the party will start here.”
If you’ve not yet been, scoot on over for one of chef Chris Carey’s seasonally inspired ice cream sandwiches (homemade ice cream pressed between fresh-baked cookies) before he puts his summer desserts back on the shelf.
–Warren
Lunchtime Goes to Reform School
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
![images[5]](http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/wp-content/uploads/images53.jpg "images[5]")
If the folks behind the School House Rock interstitials were still going at it, there might be a high energy, toe-tapping ditty to add to their line-up of sing-a-long life lessons: a song about how to keep institutional noshing in schools tasty and healthy.
Keeping school lunches healthy and using sustainable products, however, are issues that have been on the back burner for far too long according to the Slow Food movement.
While pop culture provocateurs like Morgan Spurlock have helped to create ripple effects on the supply side of industrial food with films such as Super Size Me (and more recently Food, Inc.) Slow Food USA is hoping for a veritable sea change in regards to school lunches with the launch of the Time for Lunch Campaign this Labor Day.
“It’s about good, clean, fair food. It’s about sustainability,” says Ray Litman of Slow Food D.C.
Specifically the Time for Lunch Campaign is an effort to bolster the Child Nutrition Act, a federal law that governs the National School Lunch Program, an initiative that has seen funding dwindle as school budgets have been steadily slashed.
Citizens can show support for the campaign and its call for fresh and sustainable food in schools by hosting or attending an Eat-In. Eat-Ins are simply a potluck with a purpose where folks gather with neighbors, friends and colleagues in honor of the Time for Lunch cause. You can also show your esprit de corps by signing the petition on the Slow Food USA Web site, as well as contacting your local representatives to voice your concern about the state of the National School Lunch Program.
“What we’re trying to do is show that it’s all connected,” says Ray.
Which reminds me, isn’t that a song too?
Attend an Eat-In locally by joining the Alexandria Democratic Committee at Fort Ward Park (4301 W. Braddock Road, Alexandria) on Labor Day from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. The cost is $10.
–Amy Loeffler
D-A-V-E Spells “Free BBQ” This Sunday
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, August 28th, 2009
(Video: Famous Dave’s)
Barbecue baron David Anderson wants to reward all similarly christened Joe’s fellows with grilled goodies, so he’s rolling out the red carpet this Sunday with “Dave’s Day.”
Brothers-in-arms formally dubbed Dave, David or Davy–including celebrity gourmands David Duchovny (where did I leave that fresh fruit?), David Hasselhoff (best damn burger – EVER!), David Letterman (java-safety advocate extraordinaire) and David Cross (bottoms up!)–will enjoy a free entree (anything below $15, anyway).
Meanwhile, anyone who carries the Dave, David or Davy badge of honor as a middle name qualifies for $7.50 off an entree.
Those whose parents didn’t have the foresight to consider future food giveaways as part of their naming should still be able to enjoy the $1 spareribs and discounted beer specials Anderson has cooked up for his 15-year anniversary.
Participating NoVa locations include: Alexandria, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Oakton, Sterling and Woodbridge.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, August 27th, 2009
If summer’s last gasp has you fretting for ways to entertain your lil’ darlins until the sweet toll of the school bell beckons them back to class, get thee to Sully Plantation tomorrow for their Dairy Days event.
During the event young gastronauts learn how to make ice cream the old-fashioned way using nothing more than rock salt and their own elbow grease, as well as turn whipping cream into butter. Afterwards kids can enjoy games and a tour of the plantation itself.
“We do have a rule. If you want to eat you have to help crank,” says Tammy, a representative of the plantation.
Sure, the school year may not start until September 8th, but it’s never too early to squeeze in a life lesson or two about enjoying the fruits of your own labor. Especially if there’s ice cream involved.
–Amy Loeffler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
BGR: The Burger Joint founder Mark Bucher just confirmed (“today at 11 is ‘game day’”) that the second location at 106 N. Washington St. in Old Town Alexandria officially opens for business during lunch today.
Bucher’s award-winning creations–including the ominous 15+ pounder–have, so far, only been available to burger junkies willing to hike out to Bethesda.
But with his Virginia arm now fully operational–and plans to invade the District in the very near future–Bucher appears poised to make BGR a household name.
If anyone makes it out to the grand opening, make sure to share your thoughts/impressions in the comments section below.
–Warren