MelGold

FALL WINE FESTIVAL Presented by Planet Wine Saturday, November 19th 1:30 to 4:30 PM Tallula Restaurant Main Dining Room 2761 Washington Blvd., Arlington (www.tallularestaurant.com) $25 in advance, $35 at the door RSVP by calling Planet Wine at 703.549.3444. Spend the afternoon sampling wines from around the world and nibbling on suggested food pairings at Planet Wine's Fall Wine Festival. Some of our favorite wine distributors will be on hand pouring more than 25 wines from Italy, France, California, Australia and South America. This is the perfect opportunity to stock your wine rack for the holiday season and get an early start on gifts for the oenophiles on your list! HOLIDAY TASTERS Italian Wines - Bill McKenney of Michael Downey Selections French Wines - Nicolas Dornic of Elite Wines California Estate Wineries - Eric Hauptmann of Potomac Selections South American Wines - Billington Imports Australian Wines - Harry Taitain of Roanoke Valley Wine Company

Tallula was recently received the All-Access Award from the Arlington County Disability Advisory Commission. During the application/interview process for the award, I spoke with a gentleman who suggested having a few Braille menus on hand. Supposedly they aren't too expensive...we're looking into getting a few, just in case.

buttered toast made from the last few slices of homemade cinnamon swirl bread

Fess up people, there were several "snarky" posts today...who submitted some of the more interesting quibs from today's chat?

This was possibly the most fun I've had at a tasting event - either working or at play. Chefs from across the country were there and pulling off some amazing presentations of shrimp, grits, a bit more shrimp, pork, duck, lamb, and did I mention shrimp? We were situated conveniently between jparrot's "The Wild Grape" offerings and Andy Husbands from Boston who was serving a lacquered duck breast with cajun ragout & rosemary biscuits. Oceanaire's BBQ shrimp were exceptional, and Thrasher was looking especially stunning a few stations away in his Jose Andres tribute jacket & apron! Needless to say, I didn't end up skipping dinner (dessert or an after-dinner aperitif). All in all: Great food, great personalities and a great cause...I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

I'll be working with the chefs from Evening Star Cafe & Vermilion tonight. The theme for tonight's tasting is Southern, so prepare yourself for Cajun delicacies, BBQ and something with grits in it! Hope to see you all there!

It's a bit confusing when the chat thread lists the most recent submission first. The chat peeked my curiosity about the November issue...can't wait to see what he does to the food & wine section!

Los Tios (not to be mistaken for Los Amigos which is across from Evening Star) is a favorite destination for Monday lunches when the kitchen's closed - fantastic, authentic, fresh food at extremely reasonable prices. Next time you're on the Avenue, drop by! The restaurant is on the same side of the street as Cheesetique just before you get to the intersection of Commonwealth & Mt. Vernon heading toward Arlandria.

Corn dogs from Tallula and a pint of Shiner Bock...dessert was the Texas Longhorns spanking ou 45-12 (and a few more Shiners)! I LOVE football season!!!!!

What I need is a bar that allows me to bring a very needy, sweet, separation-anxiety-stricken Great Dane. Alas, I'm going home to a salad and Friday night TV with the pooch.

Fine...go ahead and blast me...see if I care! I stand by my tastebuds!!! Just for the record, honeybuns, spaghettios and Hubba Bubba (which I don't think exists anymore) are sacred. Not that I indulge (often) anymore.

I think I have to add Juicy Fruit bubble gum to this list. I used to love it (it was a flavor of gum sure to annoy my mom to no end - second only to anything grape related). A co-worker just offered me a piece, and I have to admit my mom was right...this shit is nasty!

The Mango Mold Recipe Spray (grease) a medium/large ring mold and set aside. Puree: 30 oz. can of Mango puree 8 oz. softened cream cheese In a separate bowl, combine 3 packets of lemon flavored Jell-O and 2 packets of Knox plain gelatin with 2 cups boiling water. Blend til slightly syrupy. Combine jello mixture with mango/cream cheese blend...pour slowly into mold and place in the refrigerator until set. Presentation: Remove from mold and garnish with fresh berries. ** If you don't have a mold, pour the mixture into individual ramicans.**

I'll be on my perch at the bar partially working, but mostly enjoying the firkin festivities.

Firkin Thursday at Vermilion Featuring the Northern VA Premier of Clipper City Brewing's Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale Thursday, September 29th 6:00 pm This month’s Firkin Thursday features a cask of Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale from Clipper City Brewing Company out of Baltimore, MD. Clipper City is Baltimore’s largest brewing facility that produces hand-crafted boutique beers. Tonight's Firkin Thursday is the unveiling of Loose Cannon - the brewery's newest addition to the Heavy Seas line of big beers dedicated to the true aficionado. Vermilion’s kitchen will be offering special plates during the evening and throughout the weekend – even after the firkin is finished. Come early – stay late! Menu Citrus-marinated Pulled Pork Nachos $4 Duck Confit with Stilton Cheese & Apricots on Brioche Toast with Lavendar-Honey Drizzle $6 Grilled Bistro Filet with Shitake Orange Sauce $7 Vanilla Malted Frozen Custard Balls Rolled in Dark Chocolate $3

WORDS & WINE RECEPTION TALLULA Wednesday, September 28th 7:45 - 10 PM The inaugural reception in the Words & Wine series commemorates the release of author Andrew Wingfield's novel, Hear Him Roar. The celebrated wines of Renwood Winery from the California Sierra Foothills, where the novel is set, will be paired with hors d'oeuvres that feature ingredients from the region. Come enjoy this opportunity to meet the author after his reading at the Clarendon Barnes & Noble, and mingle with other fans of good wine, good food and good writing! PASSED HORS D'OEUVRES Porcini-Crusted Lamb Loin with Garlic-Herb Aioli & Chickpea Fritter House-cured Pacific Salmon with Pickled Red Onion & Crispy Potato Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese Fritter with Cherry Compote & Truffle Honey Crispy Yukon Gold Potato with Walnut Creme Fraiche & Fresh Oregon Black Truffles Cost of admission is $20, which includes passed hors d'oeuvres, tastings of four Renwood wines, and a signed copy of Andrew Wingfield's novel. Admission may be paid at the door (cash only). If you'd like to pay with a credit card, please PM me prior to the event. RSVP by emailing events@tallularestaurant.com. Hope to see you all tomorrow night!

Maple Brown Sugar Nature Valley Granola Bar with a big cup of coffee and a gala apple chaser.

I have some flour tortillas from HEB in Texas in the freezer. I'd be happy to contribute.

I'd be up for that!

I'd be up for that!

I second Barbara! The only thing this group would scoff at (for picnic purposes only) is anything that came directly from a box (ie, break seal and eat)...the least we ask is to make something that is "Semi-homemade"! For anyone out there who wants to come & isn't quite sure they want to flex their culinary muscles for fear of being found wanting (which you won't, promise!), come anyway and bring some plastic cups & a bottle of coke. We'd love to see you!

I went to The Irish Inn at Glen Echo last night with friends to celebrate the guest of honor's 31st birthday. The restaurant was chosen (not by me) based on experiences in the Pub downstairs - which seemed to be a relaxing corner of the world if you're looking for a professionally-poured Guinness (with noticeable shamrock stamped in the foam) and authentic Shepard's Pie. Unfortunately, the group chose to dine aloft in the more formal dining room to properly pay respect to the auspicious occasion. The restaurant seated our party of 10 in a semi-private niche in the corner of the dining room. Somehow they stuffed a large table with chairs in the space, so to call it intimate is an understatement when you add 10 fully grown adults. Our server was quite green...if he knew the wine list, he certainly didn't show it very well, and it would have served him well to familiarize himself with the correct pronunciation of the daily specials ("chorizo," while perhaps not ubiquitous in Australia from where our server hailed, it certainly is not a hard word to pronounce - or shouldn't be). Regardless, the entire staff was quite attentive and patient with us. Two of our party got lost on the way to the Inn, so we took our time ordering to buy a bit of time for them to find us. We finally ordered appetizers - I opted for the potato-leek soup (~ $10) as I'm in search of a restaurant that does it well. It was a comfortable bowl - nothing that made me want to break out a roll to soak up the remainder at the bottom. Others had the salmon carpaccio which came with hard boiled eggs, capers and marinated cucumber salad, and caesar salads. Appetizers ranged from $15 to $8. Entrees came in a timely manner (maybe they were trying to speed us along but we weren't paying attention)...I chose the Roasted Salmon with herb gnocchi and sautee of early fall vegetables Nicoise ($25). The salmon was cooked to a medium/medium rare and presented over a beautiful array of colorful veggies. Unfortunately there really wasn't much flavor on the plate except the gnocchi which were good - nice consistency, fresh and full of herb. Veggies included cherry tomatoes, baby zucchini, carrot, green beans, and olives - flavorful for the eyes, not the palatte. The surprise on the plate was a generous dollop of caviar...surprised mainly because I have no idea what the chef thought the caviar would add to the dish. Those who ordered the rack of lamb seemed content with the generous portion, the steak eaters seemed slightly disappointed (although they were at the far end of the table and couldn't get specifics), and the fish of the day (a Wahoo? served with potato latke and a grilled tomato coulis) fell just short of expectations. The one highlight I could find was the mashed potatoes. If they had offered a side plate of the mashed Boniato potatoes, I would have gotten two - they were smooth and creamy with a hint of rendered bacon. YUM! The woman to my left was generous enough to share a spoonful or two with me. We skipped dessert, opting to finish drinks and order a few glasses of scotch. Finishing around 10 PM, we were the only remaining diners upstairs (and at least a third of the remaining patrons in the entire restaurant & pub. While dinner wasn't horribly expensive (about $70 per person), I didn't feel the quality of food lived up to the price tag. If I lived nearby, I'd opt to travel down MacArthur Blvd. to Blacksalt or skip up the road to Old Angler's Inn where I could spend the same amount (or a tad bit more) for a much more memorable meal. Bottom Line: it wasn't worth the gas but the company was phenomenal!

I'll bring the forks/knives/spoons, trash bags and containers for leftovers...and if I get to the carwash this weekend, there'll be room in the car if someone needs to be picked up from the metro or is coming from NOVA.

Will you be demonstrating your arsenal of water fowl calls for us at the picnic, JG?

I'm going to have to pass this week - a friend is celebrating his birthday tonight at the Irish Inn at Glen Echo (anyone been?). Have fun!