Appalachian Root Beer

Tonight's bottle is Appalachian Root Beer from the Appalachian Brewing Co. in Harrisburg, PA. Caffeine free, and made out of cane sugar, this one is refreshing without being overly-sweet. Notes of vanilla are present, but not overpowering, nor is any other flavor particularly strong; the blend is smooth and palatable. Tempted to try their ginger beer soon too. Got this one on sale for $1.29 in the to-go fridge at Wegman's in Columbia. Again, craft soda, cheaper than the regular soda? Granted, it's not when you figure price-per-ounce, but seriously...who needs a 20 oz. soda anyway?

The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book

At the moment am thoroughly enjoying reading The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book, by Joy Perrine and Susan Reigler. Picked it up as a souvenir of my Bourbon Trail vacation earlier this month...attracted to the lush photos more so than the interesting recipe concoctions - at first! It's a small gift-book size collection of cocktail recipes involving, um....*surprise* bourbon, from one of Louisville's premier bartenders, Joy Perrine, at Equus & Jack's Lounge.

Excited to try a couple of the variations on Manhattan cocktails soon! Will keep you posted.

Tortilla Coast

If you live in DC or visit often, you'll know there is an appalling lack of places to eat near The Mall. Apart from museum cafe's, (the best being the American Indian Museum) which are often overpriced and close at 5:30pm, there really aren't a lot of options that are family-friendly or low-to-mid range in price. Enter Tortilla Coast.

While there's no hiding that the Capitol Hill ("Cap South") establishment on 1st and D Streets SE (Be advised, there is also a NE junction by the same name just a few blocks away!) is not much more than a happy hour joint, it is family friendly, and the parking and seating is usually never hard to come by even during peak times. The food is okay, but the margaritas, the fresh guac and house-made chips are fabulous!

What I usually tell people who live in the area and have frequent tourist-friends or family visit them, is to have lunch at Tortilla Coast, get a pitcher of margaritas($20 - $28), and enjoy the Mall and the 27th trip to the museums and monuments in an infinitely more entertaining way! It's great year-round, but especially so in the summertime, as they remove the windows and give the corner restaurant more of a patio feel.

The Library of Congress is right next door, too, which is one of the most underrated attractions in the DC area, in my humble opinion.

It's also right across the street from the Cap South Metro station, which is convenient to take to the Smitshsonian stop just two hops away. Your mother-in-law will thank you for saving her the walking pains.

PX - Alexandria, VA Speakeasy

Two of the best people I know took me out to Alexandria, VA last weekend for my birthday, and where do all cocktail nerds love to go? Of course. Speakeasies. I had never heard of PX before, and as evidenced by the ridiculous amounts of press, obviously I am just out of the loop. It has most assuredly made the repeat list. A 1920's influenced cocktail bar, PX stands for "person extraordinaire" ...the French term for VIP. Entirely appropriate...get your swank on, cuz this place requires cocktail attire! The atmosphere really would be spoiled by anything less.

We tried a few different libations, but were impressed enough with the Peachy Bourbon Rickey to order it twice. Words cannot describe the awesomeness. Try it yourself.

Reservations are not required, but highly recommended. They were accommodating for us, however, as we were given an approximate time to skedaddle in order to make room for the upcoming reservation holders. The waitstaff was superb, and highly knowledgeable about the extensive menu, giving details not only on how the drink flavors were intended to compliment each other, but providing historical anecdotes about how they came into being. There is no food to be had, but it's sister establishment, Eammon's is a fish 'n' chips Irish-style pub downstairs that is perhaps a bit more casual than the swank speakeasy, but does not disappoint the taste buds. (Plus, they also have Bullmers hard cider there. Yum.)

Mojitos at Cubano's

 

 

Fresh sugarcane, sweet leafy mint, all muddled with a delicious rum elixir. For the best mojitos in town, Check out Cubano's in Silver Spring!

 

[Taken from their website 21 Sept. 2012]

 

3:00-6:00pm "Cuban Time" Happy Hour Specials Include:

Half Price House Drinks

(Mojitos, Caipirinha, Margaritas, Sangria,

House Wine and Rail drinks)
 

Tapas menu from $ 3.00 to $5.00:
Chorizo Asado
Gambas al Aillo
Mini-Cuban Sandwiches
Empanaditas
Ham Croquettes
Spanish Omelets



French Apple Bourbon Birthday Cake

Birthday time!!! One of my favorite cakes to make as late is Amanda McClements' (a local DC blogger) French Apple Cake from Metrocurean. So simple to make! Fabulous buttery vanilla mixed with rum gives just the right amount of sweetness and moisture to the batter. The ingredients list is simple, and you're likely to have everything on the shelf already save maybe the fresh apples. Reminds me of some of the 'tea cakes' in Europe.

With my latest focus on bourbon (and recently aquired treats from bourbon country), I decided to experiment some with the recipe (marked with changes below). Happy to report the results were more than just edible...they were om-nomalicious. #omg #joygasm


French Apple Cake
serves 6-8

1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 sweet baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (such as honeycrisp, fuji or golden delicious)
Bourbon (granulated)sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Using a handheld mixer with beaters or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffly, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla and bourbon. Don’t worry if the batter looks grainy. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in chopped apples.

Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake cake for about 40 minutes, or until cake is lightly golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool until just warm. Run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove sides of springform pan if using. Dust with sugar if desired. Cake can be served warm or room temperature, with or without lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Blueberry Smoothie Recipe

So I'm no GreenSmoothieGirl, but frequently this is breakfast for me when I'm on the go (Yes, there is a noted objection from a concerned friend that smoothies are not breakfast. Whatever. At least I'm not skipping it.):

1 C. Frozen blueberries
1 C. Plain or vanilla yogurt (greek or regular)
1 whole bananna

Technically it doesn't matter what order you put the ingredients in the blender, but it is a little easier/faster to add the yogurt first. Also, recently I started adding 'protein boost' powder to the smoothie - which doesn't seem to affect taste OR consistency at all!

This recipe is super easy to modify, too - put in a cup of frozen mixed berries, raspberries, or blackberries or try them fresh (just turns out less cold) - it's great. Not enough yogurt? You can get by with about as little as 2/3 Cup.

Our Daily Red

Tonight's 'bottle' is Our Daily Red from the Orleans Winery in California. Actually, that is misleading - what I had was boxed wine. *Gasp!* I know. Hard to believe, but it is making a comeback; both as economic times are pinching everyone's pockets, and as science improves, there's more evidence to suggest that screwtops and boxes are better at keeping the oxygen out of the wine in the long run, which is important for organic varietals, as the folks at LovetoKnowWine will tell you (and the vinters at Orleans).

Our Daily Red is a blend of a couple varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, making for a deep ruby-colored table wine with a smooth finish. Pairs well with pasta I would imagine, but it got lost a little when I drank it with a spicy beef stew my dinner host made. There wasn't much boldness to the wine that I could taste, but that is to be expected from blends. Drinkable, but I'm not really a fan. If you're in the market for something similar, try French Rabbit Pinot Noir (available at Corridor Wine for $7.99), or some of the others that are more notable.

If you're still not convinced, MomAdvice lists out some of the positives of boxed wine too...(read: it's not just for 90s theme parties!) they know best, you know.

*Pho Dat!*

Sooo...a friend & I have started a regular habit of going out for "pho and fro-yo" that usually is a progressive meal starting at Pho Dat Thanh in Columbia, MD for Vietnamese beef noodle soup (pho), and ending at the Tutti Fruitti near Target on MD 175 for deliciously addictive frozen yogurt (fro-yo). The combination is perhaps non-traditional but whatever. Suits us well enough that we now know that the expression "dinner tonight?" is assumed to mean "7pm, Pho Dat."

Not a place for typical Liquid Culture source material, I will say that Pho Dat has a full bar (sadly not available on the take-out menu) with about 8-10 "specialty" cocktails they list for $4.95 a piece. (!!!) Long Island Iced Tea and Sapphire Martini actually make the list along with a couple more nebulous ones. Like the "Eastern Star" I had. Pure curiosity got me...there was definitely pineapple juice and something very stiff in it (thanks, barkeep!) but wow it was like mystery punch. Not quite sure if I want to know the secret behind the potion...and not really tempted to order again since 'jungle juice' does not really sit well with spicy pho.

Unfortunately I didn't think to take a happy snap of the super-awesome porcelain tiki glass my drink came in, but trust me, it was tack-a-licious tacky. Chipped even. It made me smile. Especially the bendy-straw they used.

Virgil's Root Beer

Tonight's bottle is Virgil's Root Beer, made by Reed's, Inc. Discovered this bottle at the Wegman's grocery store in Columbia, MD near the to-go section refrigerated drinks for $1.49. Not bad for a boutique bottle when you consider the average consumer soda bottle (albeit 20 oz.) is running about the same price. The flavor is creamier than most, with strong vanilla and nutmeg flavors; so much so that I almost mistook it for cream soda. There are a few notes of anise in the mix and a pleasant level of carbonation. Might be too sweet for some people, but I found it decent enough when paired with a savory hamburger.

Kitchen Sink White Table Wine

Tonight's bottle is Kitchen Sink White table wine from Adler Fels winery in California. Typically I don't go for blended wines, but I will admit to some superficiality in getting a kick out of the brand name, the label, and the cheap price. Pleasantly bowled over, this one paired nicely with a pasta carbonara dish I had for dinner, and was much more crisp and dry than I was expecting. Composed of chenin blanc, gewürztraminer, and chardonnay, it's quite fruity but balanced - great for everything from cooking to a fairly neutral offering for guests. 90 pts. from Wine Enthusiast! As the folks over at Recession Wines point out, it's a fabulous wine for the price, but I can't say I got the deal they did, having paid $9.99 for it at my local liquor store. Online retailers appear to have it for $5.99-$7.99 as well.