TMFIII

Hey Folks,

This sunday from 8:30am - 11:00am at Zorba's Cafe in Dupont Circle, the DC State Fair will have having a bake sale to raise money for this year's event. If you're in the area or want to come down to support a good cause, come get some tasty treats.

Here is some more information.

Cheers,

Marshall

Well . . . damn.

Now where am I going to get a great (proper!) cocktail in Clarendon? Out the door go the main reasons I went to Eventide, and honestly, why I recommended them so highly to friends, family, and those in the circle of cocktail geekery.

Eventide was, yes was, a place I could walk to from my apartment after a long day on a Thursday or Friday, pass by all the preening d-bags and d-bagettes (although some of the dresses the d-bagettes wore were nice to . . . ahem . . . admire) who populate all the other locations around and sit in a great bar, talk to great bartenders named Steve and Amy, and have a great drink or three.

Good luck to Shaggy, Steve and Amy. I, selfishly, hope you land along Wilson Blvd. again to ply your wares. If not, I hope an establishment recognizes you all for your talents and provides you with a canvas on which to shine.

To begin with, go with a 100% agave tequila. If it isn't 100%, it's crap. If you're looking to spend $200, I'd go to Ace Beverage and see what Joe has. My first thought would be to get a few bottles in the $50-65 range, maybe a good quality plata, anejo, and reposado. This way he gets three levels of age and taste profiles and high quality tequila. In this vein I'd recommend the Tequila Ocho Single Estate tequilas and I know Joe has them.

Another option would be to get a really good sipping tequila in the $100 range (anejo or reposado) and a bottle of Del Maguey Mezcal.

Went to Eventide for brunch on Sunday with the +1. It was the first time I've been in the dining room proper, usually opting for sitting at the bar and chatting with Steve when I come in. The dining room was beautiful and I love the brick everywhere. I had the fried chicken and biscuit with a side of grits and the +1 had the corned pork belly hash. Everything was delicious and wonderfully seasoned. I think the chicken won the best dish award but nothing was a miss at all. And though a small part of the overall meal, the coffee deserves a separate mention because it was soooo good!

Keep up the good work! Cheers!

Awesome! I'm going to do my damnedest to make it . . . gotta see what work holds for me this afternoon.

Think Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise

One of my favorite bands! Saw them live in college and got to hang out with them afterward. The food, Steve's cocktails, and Robert Bradley . . . jeez this will be tough for me not to be there more often!

Anyone know offhand which steaks are available for her? I want to manage her expectations before we get there. I know this isn't a hard-core foodie question but thanks for helping me play host.

I know they will butterfly the fillet and cook it WD.

I guess I'm not sure that this type of person would even understand why RTS is better than other steak joints because the meat all winds up tasting the same to me when MW or Well (read: overdone). Ray's quality shines through for me when you can still taste the actual meat, which happens in the Rare to Medium range.

I think the key is determining what "Ray's quality" means to a person. When my mom comes to visit, she loves going to Ray's and she will only eat her steaks WD. The ambiance, the location, the great service from Mark and the staff, and the quality of each item on the menu all show "Ray's quality." If you're basing it solely on the taste of the steaks, you can go to a great butcher and cook the meat yourself, then why even go to Ray's in the first place?

Looks like good ole Yelp needs to defend itself against extortion in a court of law!

The real question is, would anybody actually notice?

I would because you'd be taking up my seat!

I would have bought blueberry vodka and made a lemon simple syrup, but someone already bought plain vodka so I am trying to work with that. I have a thing for lemons, so I always planned on making the lemon element fresh, it never occurred to me to do that with blueberries.

If you can get the vodka a few days ahead of time, infuse it with the peels of 3 lemons. That will get you some of the fresh lemon flavor you're looking for. And blueberry and lemon scream for a hint of mint to me. Maybe a smacked mint leaf garnish?

Cheers!

Awesome! Thanks!

The duck was the best duck dish I've ever had. And the Tartar with the quail egg puts me in a happy place.

Saturday night a group of us went to Vidalia for dinner prior to the Repeal Day Ball. We started with drinks at the bar and had a chance to talk to RJ who suggested a tasting menu.

I'm so happy to say that this was a fantastic meal. Everything was delicious and built to an amazing dessert course where we all had something different and the plates were passed around like a church collection. After about the third or fourth course I realized I forgot to write down any of the dishes or take photos, but the joy of the food and company made this a fleeting disappointment.

RJ, Ed and Mike were wonderful hosts and really got our night off on the right foot. Just wanted to give a public thanks and express how good everything was.

Cheers!

I'm pretty sure I saw a bottle or two at Ace. Hmmmm. . . sensing a theme here . . .

Also, if anyone is in Virginia, ABC carries "Captain Applejack" which is Laird's Bottled-in-Bond Apple Brandy relabeled for VA ABC.

Had the Moo Thunder last night at The Passenger. Wow! I'm not a huge beer drinking, but this stuff was fantastic!

Exciting news - beginning Sunday, November 1st, the "Apartments at The Gibson", will be open for business.

I got all excited because I thought they were finally taking me up on my request to put a cot upstairs. Guess I'll just make do with the extra seating.

I know it isn't NW DC, but the VA ABC store on N. Quincy in Arlington (Ballston neighborhood) carries Amarula.

Cheers,

Marshall

By far, Ace Beverage is the best in the city.

You can't beat the knowledge of spirits, cocktails, and wine from one Joe Riley. I'm happy to send anyone who asks to Joe for their imbibing needs.

Cheers!

Went to the cart at 14th and New York Ave. today. Got two jerk chicken tacos, one with smoke sauce and one with fire sauce. Not bad. The smoke sauced one was better because I could taste all the individual components. Biggest complaint was some of beans in each taco were still on the hard side. But for $5 for the two (plus .50 for a bananannanna) definitely a good addition to the lunch options at a good price.

Cheers!

Hey folks,

I have a co-worker who is looking for lucuma. Any clue on whether this is sold fresh or in powder form, anywhere in the area?

Cheers! And Thanks!

A second location just opened on 15th Street, NW, across from Le Bar & Ici Urban Bistro. Happened to walk by there today and saw the "Grand Opening" sign, but didn't go in.

Interesting. That's less than half a block from my office.

Yes - they told me as much at Central when I asked.

Looks like Justin will be at the forthcoming W Hotel rather than Blue Ridge . . . (according to Washingtonian)

Heading to Ray's tonight with some co-workers. One guy has never been and is pretty excited about going. We plan on hitting Mark up for some suggestions. I'll report back on what the newbie thinks.

I love introducing new folks to Ray's! If anyone else is there around 6, look for my shiny bald head and say hello!

Cheers!

Yeah, I think I was with Sean on this trip to OPH. Agreed that the service and food were way below grade. I don't dislike IHOP per se, but would gladly go to IHOP over OPH any day of the week.

Hey Everyone!

I've decided to hold a contest on Scofflaw's Den for original spring-inspired rye whiskey cocktails. Head over to The Den for the official rules and such. Official post here.

I'll (and maybe SeanMike if he wants to help judge) be picking the top three submissions.

Third place will be featured on Scofflaw's Den.

Second place will be featured and will receive a 50ml bottle of "Marshall's Mountain Moonshine Bitters."

First place will be featured and will receive a 100ml bottle of "Marshall's Mountain Moonshine Bitters" and a bottle of Templeton Rye.

Cheers!

Went to RTS for dinner Saturday night with my Mom for her birthday. It was a belated birthday dinner but I promised to take her out next time she came a-visiting. We both had the crab bisque which was as fantastic as ever. I was a little worried because mom likes her steaks well-done. As in no pink what-so-ever well-done. She ordered the petit fillet (one of her favorite cuts - it's the perfect size for her and she loves fillets) well done and it was cooked perfectly for her tastes. I had the hanger steak, medium rare with the horseradish cream. We had grilled onions for the table and the always scrumptious mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.

We finished the meal by sharing a slice of the key lime pie and was brought out some complimentary hot cocoa. Delicious! Mom loved the meal and was really surprised with how busy the place was at 6:15 (there were about 15 people milling about on the sidewalk when we showed up!)

Another awesome trip to Ray's. I seem to fall in love with it even more each time I go!