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alan7147

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    Scotch

    in Help Needed

    Posted

    Need help.

    My brother in law is turning 50 next month and my wife and I are thinking of getting him some Scotch, but know nothing about the stuff. So, we'll go with one of two general options/approaches --

    Option A -- Get X # of bottles of 'good' scotch (single malt I assume)

    OR

    Option B -- Get a single really great bottle of Scotch

    Any tips/suggestions/guidelines/sources?

    THANKS!!!!!

    Yum!

    Available at Wine Specialist and Ace

    Hop Hop Hoppity?

    in Beer, Wine, and Cocktails

    Posted

    Is the giftee from the DC area? To the list already submitted I'd add:

    Clay Pipe Brewing: Hopocalypse (seen recently at the P St Whole Foods)

    DFH: 120 Minute (well beyond your regular ol' Imperial IPA)

    Three Floyds: Dreadnaught (not distributed in our market any more, but I've heard tales of shops that are still able to get it; worth seeking out)

    Bell's: Hopslam (just showed up over the weekend and will probably be gone before long; small production this year)

    Edit to add Victory's Hop Devil, one of my favorite "every day" IPAs.

    Dreadnaught is awesome although not seen at any retailers. Birreria Paradiso has had it on occassion when Greg U-hauls it back from Indiana. His roomate Tim is the beer buyer at Wine Specialist and has had 3F beers in the past (Alpha King, Gumballhead, Pride and Joy and Alpha Klaus), but no Dreadnaught.

    P.S.- Port Brewing Hop-15 is not available locally, but if you ever see it while on the west coast, grab it.

    Hop Hop Hoppity?

    in Beer, Wine, and Cocktails

    Posted

    Hi all -- I need some expert advice. I don't drink beer, but need to spend about $40-50 buying someone some beer. I was thinking of trying to get him a mix of brands. He likes really hoppy beer. Does anyone have some suggestions for some brands to look for? I'm looking for some types that maybe aren't that easy to get or are kind of unusual -- he's made his way through most of the traditional hoppy brands.

    Thanks so much!

    Anne

    Good time to be asking as one of my favorite beers has just become available albeit for a very short time. Bell's Hopslam which retails for around $15.00 a six-pack. You can find it at Rodman's on Wisconsin in Chevy Chase and other fine retailers around the city.

    Other favorite hoppy beers available around here include:

    Double or Imperial IPA's

    1) Weyerbacher Double Simcoe

    2) Avery Maharaja (I have only seen it in 22oz bomber bottles)

    3) Moylan's Moylander (22oz bottles)

    4) Lagunitas Maximus

    5) Lagunitas Hop Stoopid (might be available in DC although I have only seen it in bottles in Baltimore)

    6) Stone Ruination IPA

    Standard (more restrained) IPA's

    1) Bell's Two-Hearted Ale

    2) Green Flash West Coast IPA

    3) Dogfish Head 60 Minute

    4) Goose Island IPA (not normally available here, but Rodman's has it in stock since the it is a Chicago beer)

    5) Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

    Guests' Dietary Restrictions/Preferences

    in Shopping and Cooking

    Posted

    Well, Dan-o, it seems that you were blithely skipping along there, having fun, yukking it up and expecting the crowd to be entertained as usual...and then you tripped and fell into an ethical gravel pit. But you didn't specify in your first post that you know that this friend's "keeping kosher" is just his explanation for not eating pork because he doesn't want to come out and say he doesn't like it, an analogous tactic to the one other picky eaters use, of saying that they are allergic to things that they merely don't like to eat. So it is understandable that many people reading your first post were not amused. They are right that it is really not okay knowingly and surreptitiously to feed people food that they are proscribed from eating because of reasons that may be religious, medical or arising from personal conviction. In the case of the vegetable chili with chicken stock in it, I probably would have taken the vegetarian guest(s) aside, one at a time and owned up: "I screwed up and put some chicken stock in the chili. I wanted to let you know so that you can decide whether or not you want to eat it." And leave it at that. Maybe they won't care, or will decide to eat it anyway. Or maybe they'll stick to their guns and just eat chips and salsa. I believe in the principle that it doesn't necessarily kill people to experience the consequences of their choices or their limits. It's important to be honest with your dinner guests, even though it may mean that someone is disappointed or upset. Even if there is nothing that they can eat that you have prepared, you can find something in your pantry or refrigerator, in consultation with them, that they can eat. I was once invited to dinner at the home of Russian friends and neglected to remind them that I was allergic to apples and walnuts. Every dish they served had one or the other, or both: Waldorf salad, Georgian chicken with walnut sauce, apple tart. So, I ate bread and butter and drank wine. I survived.

    On the other hand, knowing the person well may allow for some liberties to be taken. My daughter is a "pescaterian"--she eats fish and shellfish but not meat or poultry. However, this does not seem to stem from deep ethical considerations, like the folks who won't eat anything that has a face. She decided that she doesn't want to eat meat. Okay. She makes an exception when it comes to the presence of lard in certain Mexican dishes, like refried beans and tamales. She says that she loves them too much to forego homemade beans and tamales. And she loves the marrow in osso buco--not the veal, however, just the marrow. She doesn't seem to care if a vegetable soup, either minestrone or a pureed soup, is made with chicken stock, as long as there are no chunks of meat in the soup and it doesn't taste primarily of the stock. So, with her, I know what I can and can't do without asking her. If any of her vegetarian friends come to dine with us, I am more strict about avoiding meat, unless she has told me in advance something like: "Erin doesn't care about chicken stock." Before she went to live with a family in Cuenca, Ecuador, she decided that it would be an unacceptable burden to expect them to make separate vegetarian meals for her, and that while she was there, she would make an effort to eat what they served for family meals. Which turned out to be boiled chicken, potatoes and moté (giant corn kernels) almost every night. After she returned, however, she resumed her previous eating preferences.

    My cousin, a clinical psychologist, brought his college-age vegan daughter along to a family reunion I was organizing, with a catered meal at a hotel. I discussed the available menu options with him, all of which had eggs, dairy or meat in them. Should I try to arrange for a special vegan entree to be brought in for her? He nixed the idea: "She can eat bread and salad. When you limit your diet like that, there are consequences." Tough love, but reasonable parenting.

    Well said. Maybe all the Laphroaig and Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds he eats have gotten to his head. :P

    Wine Left at House Parties

    in Beer, Wine, and Cocktails

    Posted

    I have rarely been disappointed by a CdV, maybe it is because of the price, but at its worst they are drinkable and cheap, at its best it is best well they are still nothing life changing but it won't set you back as much as a burger at Central. I guess that is just a long winded way of saying that I generally keep at least a case of it around the house as an easy drinking house wine (ask a certain someone on New Mexico avenue about The Bishop).

    I love the Bishop, in fact I have bought a case of it from Riley before. I used to buy the LVF in Mags for parties, but I just think the Les Agapes (from Addiss)blows away the others I have tasted.

    Wine Left at House Parties

    in Beer, Wine, and Cocktails

    Posted

    If the CdV were a bit younger I would drink it with pizza, a 2006 might be a little over the hill.

    I think La Vieille Ferme is the wine with the chicken/rooster on the label. If so, it should be fine, but not anything to write home about. Not in the same class as some of my favorite CdV's like DDB Les Agapes.

    Bellissimo, Downtown Fairfax

    in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining

    Posted

    The switch sales tactics were on display with the specials. Look at their menu, which has only two dishes over $30 (the tenderloin, and the lamb chop), with everything else in the teens and twenties. Yet, after our server recited a long list of specials, and was ready to take our order, one of us asked how much the ravioli special was.

    "All the specials are $30," he said.

    "You should have said that earlier," I told him.

    The special ravioli, it turns out, was $30.95.

    Sounds a lot like Al Tiramisu in Dupont

    Miami, FL

    in The Intrepid Traveler

    Posted

    Prime 112 on Ocean is a great "modern steakhouse" in the Brown's hotel. Awesome steaks and hip vibe.

    Regarding Joes, I think it is totally worth it to eat there for the fun old-school feel of the place. In addition to the Stone Crabs, the sides, Manhattan Clam Chowder and salads are great. Yes, there are a lot of tourists who go there, but a lot of locals as well and as a native South Floridian, it is a must stop when I am down there as long as it is season.

    Pork Slap Ale and Moo Thunder Stout

    in Beer, Wine, and Cocktails

    Posted

    Another odd find at Cairo (first showed up about a month ago, got a second six pack last night): Porkslap Ale from Butternuts brewery in upstate NY. Billed as a farmhouse ale, but not at all in the traditional sense. Just a solid American pale ale with a touch of added spice.

    Oh, and it's in cans. I'm really digging good craft beer in cans these days.

    I am seeing their beers popping up quite a bit around DC lately. I recently tried the Moo Thunder Stout and was not impressed. Tasted very watery to me.

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