JMac

Capital Beer & Wine, Bethesda

No offense intended, especially to local artisinal producers, but I just don't get vodka. Isn't vodka by definition a neutral distilled spirit? That being said, my drinks of choice are beer, wine and the infrequent single malt so perhaps I have missed the boat on vodka. I do like gin from time to time because it seems that a well thought out gin, such as Jin from Dogfishhead, is a neutral distilled spirit with very interesting aromatics added. Can someone clue me in? Cheers!

Capital Beer & Wine 7903 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda is now open. It's across from Rock Bottom Brewery and a short walk to the Bethesda Metro station. I am managing the store and I chose the inventory. We opened a week ago so things have been a little hectic with huge deliveries, getting things into the computer etc. I think I have most of the kinks worked out so I am starting to do some marketing. In a nutshell, the focus is on craft beer and boutique wines. I also have the national brands sprinkled in as well. Just about every wine region is represented. The products will be regularly rotated and the prices range from $8.99 to $200.00+ per bottle. Most things retail between $12.00 and $22.00 but I have a display in front of twelve bottles under $12.00. I am working with trusted importers such as Simon N Cellars, Siema, Bacchus, Dionysus, Winebow, Kacher and others. I have about 180 wines in stock with room for perhaps 30 more. I have about 80 beers in stock with room for another 40 or so. Please stop by.

Here is some more from Tom Wark today about proposed Maryland direct shipping legislation. For a guy who lives in California, he sure knows a lot about Maryland. He does not seem to be very optimistic about a decent law getting passed this year.

Hope this is not old news, I just spotted this in Bethesda Magazine. Looks like Ren's will open in Wheaton in the next month or so.

Thank you for the note. I passed it along to our front office. Yes, Benoit Germain's passing is a big loss, the Chorey wines are wonderful. Didier Simonin, the owner of Simon N Cellars did send an e-mail about Benoit's passing to our in house list and I tweeted/Facebook posted about it but it is not mentioned on the web site. I will see if we can fix that. Thank you again,

Tom Wark has a posted a lot of information on this topic at his blog Fermentation. He lives in California but I think that he has testified in a number of state legislatures, including Maryland's, on this issue. This is a link to one post, but there are others.

Is there a thread on this already? It seems as though I posted to it earlier but I did a search and did not find it. If there is another thread Don then I apologize for the duplication. Anyway, lots of discussion about the Brickskeller sale all over the place especially on the beer boards and blogs of course. WTOP gives credit to Mr. Carman for breaking the story and IMO he did the best coverage. Still, there are many details that have not been confirmed such as the exact closing date and where the name will be used. It seems to be a safe bet that the name will be used at RFD. I wonder what will happen to the inventory. I guess they will take most or all of it to the new digs. It would be interesting if they auctioned off some of the collection. --- This is also being covered in the Brickskeller thread in Restaurants and Dining.

I can't help you but I just came across this on Craigslist. Good luck.

Guarardos is a nice little tapas gem. Can handle ten but would take up much of the place. Not sure if there is a thread on it already. I think that there is a Jaleo connection.

Thank you for the compliments. Bastide St. Dominique is the heart of our lineup so to speak. Cheers!

I drove around RTC today as I was on Rockville Pike and I read this thread last night. Just my 2¢ and I am probably stating the obvious but . . . things don't look too promising there. Lots of for rent signs at RTC and nearby. Bobby's and Gifford's are probably the most discussed ones on this board but there seem to be pretty many other vacancies along North Washington Street not in RTC. Also note that Harris Teeter is now at 270 and Montrose Rd. in a place called "Park Potomac Luxury Community". This is a relatively big store, relatively close to RTC with easy access and parking. At the risk of overstating the obvious, I tend to think that the Rockville area in general is overbuilt right now and it will take some time before there is enough demand for all of the shops and restaurants at RTC. Personally, I have always enjoyed the two Asian grocery stores which have been near RTC for a pretty long time. One is on 355, the other is on N. Washington. Also a little further up 355 is a nice place called Mama Wok & Teriyaki. It has been there for a very long time and has a sister store on 28 which I have not visited. The one on 355 is next to a gun store, but I am probably getting way too far off topic.

Might be a little off topic but I want to explain the Montgomery County alcohol pricing. I think I have posted it in another thread on this board so I am sorry if this is a duplicate. Montgomery County has a monopoly on the distribution of beer/wine and spirits (with minor exceptions for brew pubs and small wine producers which are allowed to sell directly to the restaurant or retailer all over Maryland). Every beer/wine/spirit has to be sold to the Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control (DLC). The wholesaler of the beer/wine/spirit delivers the product to the DLC in Gaithersburg. The DLC buys the beer/wine/spirit at wholesale. The DLC then does a 25% mark up on their cost and sells the beer/wine/spirit to the restaurant/retailer. Simple example - a bottle of wine that wholesales in DC for $10 gets sold to the DLC for $10. The DLC then has to pay $.08 state excise tax on the bottle. The bottle therefore costs the DLC $10.08. This is marked up by 25% which works out to be $12.61 - but the DLC rounds up the .61 to .65. So a $10.00 bottle in DC costs the restaurant/retailer 26% more in Montgomery County. Couple this with the high rent at the Mussel bar and you get some pretty expensive beer even if it weren't Belgian beer which can be fairly expensive anywhere it is sold. Also note that the DLC delivery trucks are loaded the day before delivery. If it is 95°F outside in August in Gaithersburg, then it is well over 100°F in the truck as it sits in the late afternoon sun. I am a fan of slow food/slow cooking, but slow cooked beer and wine do nothing for me. If I am not mistaken, the trucks are refrigerated but that doesn't help if they are turned off! Full disclosure/shameless self promotion - Marcel's, Beck and Brabo are Simon N Cellars' customers. However, Mussel Bar is not a customer (but would like to have them as a customer).

Dave McIntyre wrote nice things about Linden Vineyard's dessert wines in today's Washington Post. Linden has a late harvest Petit Manseng and a late harvest Vidal. Very small quantities were made. Both of them are terrific, but don't take my word for it, see what Dave McIntyre has to say. They come in elegant 375ml bottles. The wines are great with dessert and are also great to have instead of a dessert. They also make nice gifts. I can't sell them directly, but ask your local retailer to place an order through me. Cheers!

Sounds like a good place and I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but if the NFL ever catches wind of a Super Bowl restaurant then the NFL will probably send a cease and desist letter pretty quickly My link. Perhaps it could be called the Really Big Game Bowl.

Tim Carmen/Y&H is reporting a Brickskeller sale is in the works. Nothing official yet from the owners. Lots of speculation about what will happen to the name and space. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Tasting this weekend at Cork & Fork Bethesda. 7110 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 841-7204 Drop by between 3:00PM and 7:00PM this Saturday 9/25/10. We will be tasting Domaine Vincent Ricard, Touraine white Le Petiot '09, 100% Sauvignon Blanc it is highly praised in another thread on this site, excellent with sea food Domaine Vincent Ricard, Touraine red Vilain P'tit Rouge '07, 80% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc, also mentioned elsewhere on the site, perfect for steaks Bastide St. Dominique Côtes du Rhône red '07, 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah, great year, great producer, the '07's will probably be gone by the end of this year, get 'em while you can! Domaine Brusset, Cotes du Ventoux "Les Boudalles" ‘09 60% Grenache, 15% Carignan, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Clairette, another gem from the Southern Rhône. This is lighter bodied, perfect for pizza. Cheers!

Mark your calendars, on October 13, 2010 Bistro Francais is having a wine dinner featuring the wines of Georges Vernay. The dinner is sponsored by the Vineyard in McLean. Georges Vernay founded his domaine with just under four acres in Condrieu. In the late 1940s he recognized the danger that the appellation was in, with under 20 acres remaining under vine in the appellation there was a serious risk of the appelation disappearing. Due to his efforts to replant and promote the beautiful wines of the Condrieu, Georges Vernay became known as the "savior of Condrieu." His daughter, Christine, assumed winemaking responsibilities in 1997. After a few years honing her craft, she began to fashion some of the most distinctive wines coming from the Northern Rhone, showing a deft touch with both reds and whites. The menu: Aperitif: Gougeres mini lump crab cakes 2009 Vin de Pays des Collines Rodhaniennes Viognier "Le Pied de Samson" First course: Seared coquilles Saint-Jacques, saffron risotto 2008 Condrieu "Les Terrasses de l'Empire" Second course: Roasted Squab, shallots and red wine braised cabbages 2008 Cotes du Rhone red "Sainte'Agathe" Third course: Veal loin, truffles juice, roasted potatoes with French green beans 2007 Saint-Joseph Rouge "La Dame Brune" Fourth course: assorted cheese 2007 Cote-Rotie "La Blonde du Seigneur" $80 per person. Please call Bistro Francais at 202.338.3830 to make your reservation. Cheers!

I agree with the whole post and should have read it before I posted above. Anyway, I really enjoyed the Oktoperfests I have had so far this year including Dogtoberfest from Flying Dog and Harpoon's. Plus, you can get the Marzen from Heavy Seas which is the same style as an Oktoberfest and available all year long from them. I had the Marzen at FedEx Field Gordon Biersch and was not favorably impressed though.

I like fruit beers, or in this case vegetable beers, from time to time. I usually try at least one pumpkin beer every autumn. I never have gotten a pumpkin flavor. I get the pumpkin pie flavor of cloves, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon, but no pumpkin. This is OK for me as an after dinner beer, but I am not really sold on any of the pumpkin beers that I have had. I have tried some of the ones mentioned in this thread but not Shipyard.

Simon N Cellars has donated some wine for the contestants and judges at the American Institute of Wine and Food I Love Crabcakes event on Sept. 20, 2010 at Phillips Flagship. Also, a magnum of 2007 La Bastide Saint-Dominique Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Hesperides will be auctioned off. This would be a great addition to any red meat centered holiday meal for this year or the next ten years. It is 50% Grenache aged 18 months in stainless steel tank, 25% Syrah aged 18 months in oak barrels , 25% Mourvedre aged 18 months in oak barrels. 120 cases made of which Simon N Cellars bought 100. Come on over to the event, great food and wine will be there. It is for a good cause and you will rarely see so many luminaries of the DC food scene in one place at one time. Cheers!

Wine Specialist at 22nd and M seems to be in trouble if not closed for good. People on another board said a seizure notice from DC was posted on the door. People speculate that the reason appears to be unpaid taxes but this has not been independently confirmed. Makes sense though. I also heard from a colleague that it was closed. The website is active as of now anyway.

The Loire Valley Wine Bureau is sponsoring a trade tasting on September 21, 2010 from 2:00PM to 5:00PM at the Newseum. Simon N Cellars' owner Didier Simonin and I will be showing his distinguished Loire Valley portfolio. The event is free but it is only open to qualified members of the trade and press . You can register at the sponsor's web site . Didier and I will be tasting a total of eleven wines from the following Loire Valley producers: Domaine Crochet (white Sancerre), Frederic Mabileau (Cabernet Franc/Chenin Blanc), Robert Serol (Roannaise - Gamay), Vincent Pinard (red and white Sancerre), Domaine Ricard (red and white Tourainne), Domaine de La Chauviniere (Muscadet) and Château de la Roulerie(Chenin Blanc). I hope to see you there.

Psyche Delly Bethesda. Saw Tex Rubinowitz and the Bad Boys there on my 18th birthday when it was legal to buy beer and wine at age 18. Drank Red Stripe beer from Jamaica. Great live music there, Nighhawks, Root Boy Slim, Nils Lofgren, Danny Gatton and on and on and on. On Cordell Ave. right across from WHFS studio in the Triangle Towers building when 'HFS actually played great music. It was the Tex Mex Cottonwood Cafe for a while, then a kosher steak place that did not last long and now it is Harp and Fiddle which used to be Flanagan's on Old Georgetown Rd. Harp and Fiddle is a pretty good local pub, especially for Bethesda. Don't go for the food though.

Wholefoods Fairlakes has growlers. It is a pretty amazing set up. I was there for the first time a few weeks ago. They had about nine very good beers on draft. You can bring your own growler or buy one from them at a nominal charge. They are the screw top growlers like cider jugs so nothing fancy. I brought my own and got a growler of Stone IPA for $9.99. I am used to paying a little less for the beer at my local Rock Bottom but it is still a pretty good deal. The beer stations are at the raw bar, the barbeque bar and the cheese bar. Overall it is a great store but not in my neck of the woods so I will probably never go there regularly but if I am anywhere near there and I have an extra half hour to spare I will definitely go there for the prepared foods alone. The regular wine and beer selection is pretty good too but I would not go very far out of my way for them.