SeanMike

Given its size, it seems to be a popular corporate place for a "nice" lunch. At least, that's where my bosses have taken the 20-some of us the last few times - and I can't imagine anywhere else in Rosslyn able to really handle a group that sized at lunch. I didn't thin it was horrible but to be honest, I was busy trying not to laugh at the look on my one coworker's face who had missed the key word "sweetbreads" next to "veal" and took a huge bite of his entree... (And since I usually have a very small breakfast and lunch was late, I was more in just a "food oooo nom nom nom" mood.)

Homemade things like that were the theme of this month's Mixology Monday -- which, since it was yesterday, I don't think it's been recapped yet. I've been thinking of making something recently, probably with the extra bottle of Ri 1 I'll end up with, but we'll have to see.

I think the biggest thing I remembered about the spruce gin was just how "spruce"-y it was - it was enough to be kind of a one-hit wonder, which is why I don't own a bottle right now. Then again, I just bought a bottle of Zirbinz pine liqueur, so maybe I should get a bottle and make a forest of a drink. I haven't had their other stuff, but I have been enjoying some of Rogue's cheese lately thanks to Red, White, and Bleu down the street from me.

As a counter-point, when I've been there, our appetizers were brought out by a different waiter/server. Our "main" waiter brought us our entrees, however. So it *might* not have been *completely* his fault. (Admittedly, our server was clearly still getting the hang of things when we were there, too, but it wasn't as bad as your experience.)

I had been looking forward to this one but the timing doesn't work for me, unfortunately.

Michael Crichton. Enjoyed many of his books when I was younger...

An "On Top of the Sheets" -- 1 1/2 ounces Vizcaya VXOP rum, 1 1/2 ounces Cointreau Noir, 3/4 ounce lemon juice

While I love Bourbon something fierce, and Owen and Patrick are both darn fine bartenders, I've had less than stellar experiences with some of the others in the past. One distinct memory was asking for a specific bourbon and being told "we're out of it" when the bottle was right behind him. (This was months ago, mind you; I couldn't tell you who it was that said that at gunpoint today.) When Bourbon is on, it is on. When it's not - it seems to me when it's a slow day without a lot of oversight - it can be frustrating.

As mentioned other-where, I am an obsessive collector, so after seeing it on the shelf at VA ABC I bought a bottle at Ace. Errr, yeah... It's really very nice as an after dinner drink. It has a complexity to it that regular Cointreau lacks, I feel, but a kind of weird cloudy tan color when poured over ice that I felt detracted from the drink overall if you pay attention to such things. I don't know how it'd work as a mixer as it's almost - and I hesitate to say this word - too luxurious on its own. Maybe I'll mix it the Vizcaya rum...

Being the sucker...errr...obsessive collector that I am (you will see that phrase again here soon once I find a certain other topic) I picked up a bottle of this last week. Yummy. I don't even know how to describe it as a rum - I can't imagine, right now, mixing it. But just sipping it, or even just savoring its aroma, is fun. I feel like making a ti' punch with it would be doing it a disservice. Maybe I'll just enjoy it straight with my next cigar...

That's what I use it for a lot...

Nice music. Thank goodness for AdBlock! I'm going to do my best to hit it this weekend.

Oh, sorry. Crystal City. Original one as far as I know.

If "Who's Nailin' Paylin?" isn't on PPV election night, then Hustler is missing out on a HUGE money making chance.

Ahhh, memories. Domino's in Morgantown, WV, used to give free pieces of pizza to kids in costume. Mom took me in my Buzz Aldrin costume and Matt in whatever he had but we were too early - they wouldn't give us anything. In High School I put a lab coat and goggles on our golden retriever and took him around trick-or-treating. In college I tried to go as a cyborg assassin using a Phantom of the Opera mask with red cellophane and silver paint - but I wore glasses, so it was awkward. We were gathering food stuffs for a local charity, so we had to dodge the self-righteous dorm RAs and RCs at UVA to gather the stuff, then left it at some charity (can't remember who). Then got really drunk. But that's most Halloweens.

After the weekend I had, that detail was blasted out of me head. My apologies.

On a side note, I'm a big fan of the wine events here at Vero. They're usually around $100 or so and on Monday nights. That aside... I went here Tuesday night. After a long weekend in Pittsburgh I wanted somewhere nice, somewhere quiet, and somewhere delicious. It hit the spot on all three counts. Being a fairly early (around 7 PM) Tuesday night, it was pretty darn empty. I got a glass of Trinitas Old Vine Cuvee' ($11) from Contra Costa County, California. I like wine, but I'm not the guy to ask about the individual flavors, etc., but it seemed to me to be a nice between-point red - not too heavy or spicy, but not too light, it hit me on all the right notes. I ended up having a second glass of it with my entree. The bread came out first. There was a crusty farm bread (it might not be exactly that but it's how I always think of it and I think it was the same as the one with the mussels) that was good with the olive oil they provided, but the thick squares of another kind of more peppery bread were AWESOME. I could've had a whole meal of that bread and the delicious olive oil. Still, I started with the Prince Edward Island Mussels ($10), listed as "PEI mussels in coconut curry sauce with crusty farm bread". The top ones were a bit lacking in sauce (which I could've remedied but alas, did not) but all in all they were quite tasty and hefty portion. It made me glad that I was alone - I don't have to share. Nyah! My entree was the Tuscan Marinated Pork Ribs ($21), listed as "Tender ribs marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and olives. Served with potato, leek and red pepper gratin and asparagus". The ribs were excellent and tasty, though a bit hard to eat with a butter knife and fork (I should've asked for a steak knife). The asparagus and gratin were delicious. I finished with a Warre’s Otima 10 Year Old Tawny ($17), as I wanted some port and wanted to try a tawny (I usually drink vintages). My waitress hadn't had it but heard a lot of recommendations for it and I was very glad I tried it, it was delicious. The night hit the spot just about right. The only thing I'd change about Restaurant Vero, I think, is that I would love if they had some good custom cocktails to go along with their beer and wine selections, instead of just the plain old regular cocktails listed on their site (most of them just straight liquor).

Just had lunch there. Friendly if a bit scattered service (it was after lunch, so that's probably why, but it took a bit of persistence to get the check). Had the NYC style daily pizza, which was pepperoni and onions. Quite tasty, if a bit greasy - I expected that, it's okay, it's what you get off fresh tasting meat and cheese. Price was quite right, too. Glad I went, will have to go there more often. Definitely one of the best pizzas I've had in quite a while.

Lemon wedges are all the solids you need with that.

Do you know something about me that I don't know you know? That was one of my all-time favorite bourbons in college, and I've always assumed it was teh suq 'cause no one else agreed with me. As for Cuervo Tradicional - yes please. For the price, it is way worth it. For a little bit more - no, it is not, but still.

To be honest, learning to love Scotch isn't necessarily a bad thing! (Not saying a THING about the circumstances...I'm looking for a "it's fun in private but you don't want to do it in public" reference that would fit, and my EqualLogic addled brain is not letting me find one...) (Me? I'll be drinking. Whiskey, probably. Or wine. Or beer. Or all of the above.)

I'm glad to see I had some of the same suggestions as got printed in the column. Joe's been pushing the Ancient Age lately - at least, he gave me the spiel on it when I was over at Ace on Friday morning. I haven't had it yet, but I tend to keep to Maker's for my cheap bourbon, or Evan Williams if I'm going really cheap.

In terms of the Ashburn area, Pho Bistro ain't bad. My coworkers and I went there on a regular basis. It's very good for the neophyte pho eater - the wait staff was always very nice and helpful and I found the pho to be, well, fine. It's not jump up and down great, and it doesn't match Pho 75 here in Rosslyn by a long shot. But it's friendly and close to my office and one of the kind of places I can eat at on a regular basis when I'm working in Ashburn. I couldn't recommend the drive to get there, but at least a couple of my coworkers regularly get their take-home portions for dinner.

We stayed at the Omni William Penn. I have to admit that their chicken wings looked fantastic, but the "Tap Room" was so overcrowded (mostly by Giants fans) that it took us forever to get even a round of beers, we never got our waters, and one of the beers was wrong. We paid the $5 and change for each of our beers and other than at Heinz Field that was the most we paid for one all weekend. However, the breakfast they brought to our room on Monday morning was rather good. We hit Carson City Saloon on Southside on Saturday night was pretty good - though, mind you, we'd started drinking hours before in another state. I had the grilled balogna with a fried egg, while most of the other guys had the Pitts-burger or something like that. Beers were only $2, and dropped to $.26 when #26 on the Penguins scored a goal. We made it to Primanti bros. later that night but alas, didn't eat. However, overall we were impressed with how cheap most everything was and how friendly everyone was.

I would have so bought those for my brother's bachelor party this past weekend. Since we're the epitome of maturity 'round these parts. Instead we got stuck with 1 ounce packets of rum, amongst other things...