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Atlanta's Coffee Deficit
Squishable.com Launch Party: Drink, Dance, Hug an Alligator Hej Hej: May 22 A Not-Dark Dark Beer Cookies & Booze - The Breakfast of Champions Vegetarian Sauce Provinçial Chocolate that's hot - This is not about DC, nor Fud...discuss. Baltic Porter Rice you can drink Recent Comments
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Atlanta's Coffee Deficit
The coffee at San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co. in Virginia Highlands is really good - rich, hot, and not all burned like it’s been there too long or has been over-roasted to generic Starbucksness - but that thing on my plate was not a scone, by any definition. It was a biscuit which, in addition to overcooking it, someone has shoved a great deal of refined sugar and a small handful of sulfury currants. It’s mostly too dark in the large, otherwise comfortable shop to read happily, but the jazz standards, while uninspired and generic, are piped in at a volume which allows enjoyment but does not interfere with conversation. The patio out back is small and fine enough, except the view is of a parking lot. My large iced coffee was about $2.00. Decatur’s Java Monkey has a few comfy chairs, some slightly awkward bar and counter seating, and lots of tables that could do with some de-wobblifying. It also has the nicest patio of anyplace I’ve been down here. The coffee’s pretty good - all fair-trade and often organic for those in to such things - and the food is on the better side, with tasty paninis and fair hummus and tapenade. They also have wine and beer, which helps. The people-watching is pretty good here, as is the eavesdropping. The downside, which keeps me from Java Monkey rather more than I’d like, is that every night seems to be open mic night. I’m all for supporting local artists and such, but there is only so amateur slam poetry one’s mind can handle. The same would go, I suppose, for professional slam poetry, should such a horror exist. Plus, open mic night is LOUD: it’s not the cheering or the moderate extra crowd, but the bloody mic is turned up all the way and the performers (especially, but not exclusively, the slam poets) tend to shout. This makes working, reading, and often conversing rather impossible. Outwrite has geography, and books. The coffee is atrocious, but the tea is pretty good and enough sugar makes the espresso passable, so it’s easy to maintain your buzz while watching the scenery strut down 10th street. Seating is limited inside, but enough of the patrons are sufficiently friendly that sharing tables is a norm, which is helpful not only in comfort but also in learning all about that hot blonde walking by on the arm of a much older (and…homelier…) gentle(?)man. Sadly, outdoor seating is a no-go: the ‘patio’ is a nine-by-four-foot deck occupied by dedicated smokers and those willing to shout over the too-loud music. Inside, the music isn’t too loud, but it is often crap.
Finally: the Majestic. Not a coffeeshop but a diner, with crap coffee and greasy food and all manner of sketchiness, it’s comfortable enough for late night reading or to take that cute boy who’s been chatting you up for the last four hours at Outwrite, after that’s closed and you’re not ready to say goodnight just yet. It’s open after midnight, as so few Atlanta institutions are. Java Monkey’s great during times when it’s not a performance space, but Outwrite is my favorite for sitting and reading and for socializing (plus it’s a bookstore, which adds a certain something of its own), and San Francisco is just a walk-by for good coffee. If Atlanta wants to grow into a proper city, it’s going to need a few (or a few dozen) proper independent coffeeshops/cafés, or at least some better-appointed Caribou Coffees or (shudder to think) Starbuxae. My demands: a large (but not sprawling, Atlanta has enough of that) place, preferably with a nice patio, better-than-Starbucks (or, ideall, actually good) coffee, good snacks/food, and free Wifi. Books and magazines would be nice too - and I mean books, not bestsellers, and magazines that are less than 25% ads, not just Cosmo. Oh, and it should be open well past midnight. San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co. Java Monkey Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse The Majestic Diner
Squishable.com Launch Party: Drink, Dance, Hug an Alligator
What's a squishable, you ask? It's a huge, fuzzy, squishable stuffed animal. Why are we telling you this? Because we're blatantly advertising them, that's why. Haven't you figured this out already? Check out www.squishable.com to pick out your favorite squishable. (We'll even deliver it to you at the launch party!) Then come out Wednesday night to celebrate to launch of the new site. Uber-cool DJs Natalya and Melissa (Hej Hej), Your Favourite Asian, DJ Yum Yum (Crap DC) will be on hand spinning really good tunes. So join us at Felix, at 2406 18th St NW, 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18th. Of course, you don't have a buy a squishable to come to the launch party. In fact, we'll have a bunch of them on hand if you'd rather just come by and hug one. Otherwise, you're welcome to order one and we'll deliver it to you Wednesday! More adorable Squishable pictures after the jump. See everyone Wednesday night.
Hej Hej: May 22
Enjoying a nice Viking beer at D.C.'s best Scandinavian D.J. night, of course. Check out Hej Hej, DJed by our own DJ Natalya and DCFUD-friend DJ Melissa, who also writes excellent food reviews for the Washington Blade. There will be lots of cool Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, and Icelandic music that we've never heard of but is all very good and very dance-able. And, even better, there will be drink specials on Reyka vodka. How can you say no? So come to Cafe Saint Ex, downstairs, on Tuesday, May 22 at 10 pm. We'll be there. You should be, too. A Not-Dark Dark Beer
The pretty bottle depicts members of Louis XIV’s Carugbab-Sallières regimen, presumably marching off to slaughter the Iroquois, but don’t let that detail put you off. Similarly, don’t let the thick black color of this brew put you off, if you’re not usually a dark-beer person (and don’t expect a “Dark” beer either). Unibroue’s Chambly Noire is surprisingly light in body and refreshing in flavor, despite its coloring. The head is a wispy caramel, more like a crema than proper head, hinting at what’s below – a subtle caramel-coffee nose with hints of citrus and hops, followed by a beautiful, subtle, medium-bodied drink. The sweet caramel flavor dominates the palette at first, but dissolves soon to a citrusy flavor and a spicy, nutty finish. A special treat for those who might never have tried it (“it’s not available in Georgia”), but for those in more civilized areas, it should be a delicious staple. Unibroue recommends drinking it with grilled fish or smoked meats, and it did go wonderfully with my burger!
Cookies & Booze - The Breakfast of Champions
Faretti Biscotti Famosi makes a liqueur that tastes like a mixture of Anisette and Frangelico, which gives it a perfect blend of hazelnut with fennel overtones, making it taste like an alcoholic version of biscotti. As such, it is very drinkable on its own, and it also pairs very well with coffee. Unfortunately, I can't find either a web site for this cordial, or a list of who carries it, but it's definitely something worth keeping an eye out for!
Vegetarian Sauce Provinçial
According to Wikopedia an aperitif is an alcoholic drink usually used as an appetizer before a large meal. Though I usually eat light, I’m sure the folks at Wikopedia won’t mind me saying I had one before I went vegetarian hog-wild on my small course. For my first culinary feat I sought out the cheapest bottle of white wine that I could find at Giant. So for $4.99 I picked up a bottle of Funky Llama chardonnay, which hails from Argentina, a country actually known for its wine. According to the company that makes the wine, its wines “are a clean expression of our land, lively, fresh, and flavorful.” To see if Funky Llama is what the makers say, I poured about six ounces of the chardonnay in a wine glass then added a pinch of Cassis. The result is a drink with a sweat and tangy taste all rolled up in one. It was, well, it made me want to go back to Argentina to see La Boca, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires with multi-colored houses. Unfortunately I missed this attraction last time I visited. Kir (aperitif) Squash Con Nada Pre-heat your oven to at least 350 degrees F. Cut the washed squash into half-inch rings. Cover a pan with tin foil and spray it with Pam. Put the squash rings in the pan. Let the squash heat for a half an hour or until it’s ready. Naked String Beans Remove the ends from the washed string beans. Place them in a steamer with boiling water. Let the string beans heat for 15 –20 minutes, or until they are ready. Drain the water. Sauce Provinçial a-la Tofu Add olive oil and chopped onions to frying pan. Allow the onions to sauté for an hour. Add garlic, vermouth, black olives, and tofu. Sauté the items until they are heated and blended. Don’t forget to put in the olives like I did. They’re the best part. This post is by Guest Bogger Jay D. Krasnow from www.hyperactivestyle.com. Thanks Jay!
Chocolate that's hot -
Chocolate tea is usually made from a mix of ground, black tea, usually Ceylon, and various additives. Sometimes one of those additives is chocolate or ground cocoa beans, but a lot more often the source of that chocolocity is chemicals, chemicals, chemicals. When you're reading the description, pay close attention to where the commas appear. You have to hand it to a PR department who can word something as slyly ambiguous as 'This black tea is blended with Bavarian chocolate and raspberry flavors'. As anyone who's tried the new 99% cocoa bar from Lindt knows, cocoa flavor without some sort of sugary uplift can be an sharp, metallic thing. So some chocolate teas use natural sweeteners like liquorice root or cinnamon oil, and some simply include the instructions "Add sugar". Connoisseurs of loose chocolate tea suggest using it as the starting point for blends instead of naked; and manufacturers are way ahead of them in terms of turning out mixes with coconut, rose, mint, caramel, and whatever else chemical happens to be lying around on the mixing floor that day. Still not convinced to just break out the Swiss Miss? Then give these a try. They're actually pretty good if you're on a diet: Stash as any number of chocolate teas, from macadamia flavored to caramel. Adagio makes a pure version good for mixing. Reviews say don’t let it steep too long Canada Creek is what you want if there's a connoisseur you're trying to impress SpecialTeas also seems to know what they're doing, and they may very well have the most organic versions of the bunch. Or then again, it may not. Chocolate teas are shifty things. Incidentally, this in no way discounts the pure awesomeness of Chocolate that has tea in it. Try the Dark Chocolate and Earl Grey Version from Neuhaus over in Union Station.
This is not about DC, nor Fud...discuss.
Breaux Vineyards, Leesburg--it's a long drive from DC, but completely worth it, even if you, ahem, get lost. Breaux is a gorgeous vineyard, with a rather stately-looking tasting house on a hillside, where picnics are welcomed and playful jazz music is played. There are two tasting menus: the house tasting, which includes eight wines, and the more exclusive "library" tasting, which includes five more mature, complex vintages. The library tasting also includes the Nebbiolo, a truly fantastic experience of red. I haven't yet been to the Piedmont in italy, where the Nebbiolo is a noble grape, but I can hardly imagine it being any more noble there than it is at Breaux. There are also two crisp, fruity, and very different Chardonnays, and a blue-ribbon Merlot. The staff is relaxed, but eager to answer questions. Breaux is open for tastings year-round Fridays through Mondays from 11-5 (but call before you go, just to be sure.) Hillsborough Vineyards, Purcellville--this might be an even prettier vineyard than Breaux, and it's a little homier and more charming. There's a goldfish pond, a spaniel, and a jaw-dropping sunset view. Their wines are all named for stones, and the "Opal" (named for the vintner's grandmother) is one of the best--a beautiful, bright blend of viognier and chardonnay. They also have a red called "Bloodstone," with seductive earthy notes, which I was mocked for trying to describe. But this wine really does taste like life and death, and sex, and power, and the change of seasons. Hillsborough is open Friday-Monday from 11-6 for tastings. Breaux Vineyards Hillsborough Vineyards
Baltic PorterLike with food (and almost everything else, for that matter), I tend to go through phases in beer. The shifts can be subtle, like earlier this summer moving away from my staple hefeweizens to full-wheats and eventually to Pilsners, and brought on by environmental changes like visiting the Czech Republic (home of many awesome Pilsners). Or, they can be quick and dramatic and brought on just by trying something new. Just before leaving DC, I visited the always entertaining Brickskeller, and sampled the Ukraine’s Obolon Porter. I was duly impressed by my ancestral land’s meaty, dark and very flavorful brew, and have since discovered the wonderful world of Baltic porters. The other night, at Atlanta’s answer to the Brickskeller – the Brick Store Pub, a rather nice venue, but nowhere near approximating its apparent (possible?) namesake – my eyes shot directly to a Finnish offering, the Sinebrychoff Porter. Yes, beer from Finland. Good beer from Finland. Sinebrychoff Porter pours like hot molasses, with a thick mocha-colored head, and develops slowly in the mouth. The first taste is bitter toffee, with hints of chocolate, but as it slides over your palette you notice coffee, chicory, and smoky flavors, with a subtly spicy finish. Beneath all that, there’s a slightly sweet taste (but it’s not a sweet beer at all). I like beers that fight back. This one might even win. The Brick Store Pub
Rice you can drink
Ooooh that toasty nuttiness. That sweet starchiness. That warm, brown aroma of chestnuts and smoke. It's possible that this is the most perfect of liquids. But first, the evidence. The Japanese word Genmaicha technically translates as Popcorn Tea and I don’t know why. It's definitely made out of green tea (bancha) combined with roasted rice grains (genmai) ...maybe they were being poetic? It's lower in caffeine, and of course, it tastes awesome. But for those of you unwilling to spend the $1.75 for a box, here's what to do: Roasted rice green tea Put the kernels into a small pot. Add 4 cups boiling water and two teaspoons of good quality green tea- two teabags work too. Simmer for 1 minute. Cover, and turn off the heat. Let the tea steep for 3 minutes, then scoop the liquid off. Or strain- whatever floats your thing.
Sam Adams' Future Beers - Reviewed by the Five Paragraph Bitter Beer Critic
We were approached by a marketing rep from Sam Adams who asked if we'd like to sample a few of their future beers. We said "Yes!" faster than Jennifer Lopez accepts a marriage proposal. The rep poured us samples of the classic Boston Lager and their Light to get us started. A wise move, as none of us were drinking a Sam Adams' product beforehand, and the small samples would get us prepared for the brands' general taste. She then poured us Type A and Type B - two potential beers that they'd release next year. "A" was a Honey Porter, and "B" was a Smoke Ale. "A" was delicious, with ZAF summing it up that "(we) could get along nicely." It's a nice, smooth beer, not terribly heavy, and the honey notes add a softer touch. Amazingly, it doesn't taste sweet, but a little less acidic than the standard Sam's. "B, " however, was an alcoholic travesty. Comments from the table ranged from "it tastes like smoked ham" to "it tastes like smoked gouda" to "it tastes like they added that Liquid Smoke stuff." As a rule, beer should not be described as tasting like a barbecue sauce. The best we could say is that it would make an excellent marinade for the Thanksgiving turkey. In the interests of full disclosure, The FPBBC used to work for Harpoon Brewery in Boston, and has always been partial to his former employer. The Sam Adams' rep said that a survey found that over 72% of Bostonians preferred Sam Adams over Harpoon as "the" Boston beer. The FPBBC calmly pointed out that Leno has higher ratings than Letterman, proving that popularity has no bearing on taste. Murphy's
To your health
Pomegranate! It's seedy and fashionable! It comes in a crazy shaped bottle! I mean, even without the health claims, who wouldn't want a liquid that stains everything it touches? Try this medical wonder: Pomegranate Martini: Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glasses. Pomegranate seeds as garnish, or use a bit of lemon. Health benefits:Vitamin C, antioxidants, and a rich source of folic acid and vitamins A and E. Pomegranate helps with heart disease, cancer, skin cancer, osteoarthritis, and, technically, unborn babies tho I guess you should distill out that pesky 'alcohol' part first. Green Tea Over the years, green tea's been purported to do everything from curing cancer to slimming your ass. It will also do your laundry and make your kids move out of the house. Slurp this, for health reasons only of course. Green tea martini: Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist. Health benefits: This prevention list includes heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease , infection, and impaired immune function. Carrots Your mom promised you it would help you see in the dark, and she was never wrong, ever, about anything. Drink to her health while propping up yours Carrot Martini: Shake with ice and strain into a cold martini glass. Garnish with a celery stick Health Benefits: We got antioxidant compounds and vitamin A to guard against cancer, emphysema, blood sugar regulation, and, yes, to promote good vision. And Heart Disease. Incidentally, the tobacco sauce will spike your metabolism, help with arthritis, high blood pressure, depression, migraines, flu, ulcers, muscle pains and um, herpes. It's practically your duty to drink this stuff.
I Punish My Liver So You Don't Have To
But, just like every Chris Farley has his Rob Schneider, and every Empire Strikes Back has its Phantom Menace, Abita's Purple Haze is like that dumb kid in college who brought down the bell curve. It's full of raspberries - that fruit can kill a beer, as Oxford's Rasperry Wheat comes to mind - and this New Orleans' brewer uses way too much. It tastes like a torte without the cream cheese. Of Abita's roster of fine brews, this is their weakest. I worked for Harpoon Brewery of Boston during the `90s microbrew boom, and got to taste-test the competition. Sounds like a post-college dream job, but for every quality Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber or Boulder Brewing Company product I enjoyed, I had about 10 lousy, overwrought, overbrewed, overhopped beers from hell. It seemed every craft brewery in North America wanted to out-do each other with exotic flavors, especially with their seasonal brews. I still get the cold sweats thinking of Pumpkin Ale, Cinnamon & Nutmeg beers, Strawberry and Creme lambics. Sam Adams and Rogue both made Hazelnut beers, which sounded a lot better than they tasted. Frederick Brewing Company made an almost undrinkable hemp beer. My rule of thumb became - "If you can make a pie or hippie shoes from the ingredients, I won't drink the beer." So, it was with a healthy bit of trepidation that I approached Dremo's Chocolate Donut beer. Beer's not exactly health food as it is, and adding an ungodly amount of sugar just seems unwise. But Dremo's home brews are usually quite tasty, and while I don't suggest dunking this Chocolate Donut into a cold glass of milk, it's a good, sweet beverage. You can definitely taste the rich, almost fudge-like chocolate. It smells like chocolate donut, and is thicker than many porters and some stouts. This would be a fantastic dessert beer. Consider Chocolate Donut the port of beer. Dr. Dremo's
Voyant II: Going to the source
Robert Says: Thanks for the write up on Voyant. I formulated Voyant to be different - I spent 15 years doing flavor development for the alcohol industry and my flavors are in some large brands currently in the market - I hate to admit it, but I am responsible for quite a bit of the flavored Vodkas & Rums out there. I got upset that the alcohol industry was merely putting out flavor extensions. That and the fact that my wife is a huge Chai drinker compelled me to try and formulate a Chai liqueur. Voyant is the result of over a year of trial and error. The thought process was to use the real spices and tea and to use the highest quality alcohol so that you do not get the annoying alcohol burn you get with most liqueurs. I happen to be partial to aged rum and the lovely people at the same company that makes Cruzan gave me a rum that was second to none. Now that I had the rum, spices and tea, I worked on the cream base as this was an essential part of the product. Most (OK - ALL) cream liqueurs are so thick that you need to drink them with a fork & knife. I made Voyant light so that it could be enjoyed all year round. You were right about making desserts with Voyant. At the Sensi restaurant in the Bellagio in Vegas, they are making Chai Ice Cream with it and you can put it over ice cream, brownies or use it to make Tiramisu or Bread Pudding. Thanks Robert!
A good idea or horrible mistake?
What really caught my eye was Voyant Chai Creme Liqueur, a relatively new entry in the market. The website describes it as: Aged Virgin Island Rum, Fresh Dutch Cream, Black Tea from India, Premium Spirits from Holland and a Distinctive Blend of Spices from Asia give Voyant Chai Cream Liqueur the Rich, Creamy Smoothness that you should expect from a Premium Liqueur. Other than an Annoying Habit of Randomly Capitalizing Letters incorrectly in a Sentence for No Reason, the stuff sounds prettty good. In three hours, give or take, I will be partaking of this new beverage. The Voyant website offers some recipes, a few of which sound pretty interesting, but definitely a little heavy on thicker liqueuers and milk. The stuff sounds perfect for a cold winter day; in fact, I can already picture using this in a rum & coffee mixture to keep warm at football games and ski lodges. Has anybody tried this stuff, and have some tips to share? I'll do some experimenting tonight...all in the name of research and service to you, dear readers. Behold the effort...nay...the sacrifices I make for you. ***UPDATE*** July 20, 2006 - So, Voyant is pretty good. It tastes just like chai, but with a bit more fun. Think of a spicy Bailey's Irish Cream. It's sweet, and has the look and feel of those hazelnut coffee creamers. The aftertaste of ginger and black tea is awfully pleasing. I initially drank a small snifter of the liqueur, and then began mixing it with other alcohols. I made a simple vodka martini using 1 oz of the Voyant, 3 oz of Skyy vodka, and that was good. Using vanilla vodka made it a bit too sweet for my taste, but I could imagine that replacing the Appletini as a sweet introduction to the world of vodka martinis. Perhaps a 1/2 vanilla vodka, 1/2 Voyant shot could be called "The Ginger Snap." It mixes well with coffee and milk, as I guessed it would. As for desserts, I could see it punching up anything from an apple pie to a bowl of oatmeal. I've got an ice cream maker that's begging to be used, and a chai ice cream might not stink. However, that will take a backseat as my first dessert with this stuff will be a tiramisu-like concoction, substituting the typical espresso-soaked lady fingers for a dip in alcoholic chai. If it's good, I'll post the recipe. If it's not, well...you're best off not knowing!
Stay Cool and Get Plowed
1) When it's scorching, nothing does the trick quite like a good sour mix or fresh-squeezed limes. Most sour mixes are made up of limes, some lemon and an ungodly amount of sugar. However, that dose of vitamin C can really recharge your batteries on a crazy hot day. The margaritas at Lauriol Plaza, Oyamel and the Banana Cafe' are all winners, though Oyamel is closed on Mondays. Now I know how The Boomtown Rats felt, if not Brenda Ann Spencer. 2) Fizzy drinks cut through dry mouth like emo kids listening to Death Cab for Cutie. Drinks made with tonic or soda waters, or ginger ale can keep you sane. Tonic water contains quinine, a potion that helps treat malaria and leg cramps - who knew gin and tonic could classify as medicine? Excuse me while I go self-medicate... Some bartenders freely swap ginger ale and Sprite, and that's one of my pet peeves, along with people who wear sports gear unrelated to the teams or the sport they're watching. You know what I'm talking about - the dude who wears a Portland Trailblazers NBA jersey at a Washington Nationals/New York Mets basketball game. Gawd I hate that. Along that line, ginger ale is slightly spicy, and should be used to contrast overly sweet alcohols or mixers. Sprite can smooth over strong, sharp drinks with its citrus base. A well-stocked bar will contain both beverages, and the wise mixologist knows the difference. A Jack-and Ginger would taste like refried hell with Sprite, though a splash of Sprite in a margarita made with a sharp tequila like Sauza Hornitos can make it more tolerable for those who like lighter drinks.
I prefer lighter, fruit-based frozen drinks on days like today. A Banana Nutbread is an awesome drink but is heavier than Beltway traffic. I'd suggest an old standby - the pina colada - and a tolerance of the Rupert Holmes' song. (For the record - I had no idea that guy had a greatest hits collection, and if I had to guess, it would have come out on cassette single. I figured he did that one song, realized he'd have to play it EVERY SINGLE DAY OF HIS LIFE and just ended it all Budd Dwyer style. Nah, he's a famous writer, playwright and seems to have weird taste in eyewear. Learn something every day...) There's nothing wrong with adding crushed ice to an old favorite. A frozen Cuba Libre - a.k.a. rum and coke - is awesome, as is a frozen Cape Cod, Fuzzy Navel and Long Island Ice Tea. A frozen Mai Tai is like drinking an adult Slurpee but without that weird spoon-straw thing. 4) Malternative - the term used by the industry to identify drinks like Cider Jack or Bacardi Silver, these beverages, besides having more sugar in them than the Nintendo 64 kid, can really cool you down on a hot day. A Mike's Hard Lemonade usually doesn't suck, and to make them a little more palatable and colorful, pour a shot of a colored liquor like Chambord, Midori or Key Largo Schnapps. Watch the whole beverage change color and provide a bit more kick! 5) Combine them all and make the ultimate summer drink - The Frozen Tom Collins. Sour mix, a good gin like Beefeaters or Gordons, a splash of tonic and fresh lime juice - prevent malaria AND scurvy, get refreshed. I make mine served over crushed ice, and then float a layer of Grenadine, blue curacao or Midori for fun. Using a little umbrella is up to you. What do you folks like to drink on a hot day? I'll be glad to do some research.
Milk in the Raw. Part 1
What do you do with it? Well, I do got seven kids… How about I pay you for a reeealy expensive chicken, and you give me the milk as a present? I c’n do that… In southern Virginia there has been an unlikely meeting of the minds on the subject of organic farming. The hippies do it to live a natural lifestyle and to take power away from the man. The far right does it for the same reason they homeschool: ‘ I jus’ wouldn’t put that stuff they sell into my kids.’ Raw, organic, unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk may not be for kids or pregnant folks, and of course, technically it’s illegal. As a rule of thumb, drink without guilt if you’re comfortable eating chocolate mousse; the infection risk is about the same as that posed by raw egg whites (tho the diseases can be worse). This is what we did with the raw milk of Louisa the Jersey cow: We drank it. Raw milk tastes like a thin, sweet, milkshake.
Then we skimmed off the top layer of cream...  ...and yeah, we whipped it up and stuck it on pie and in some coffee and stuff, but mostly, we made butter. Here’s how it’s done. All-natural, organic, silky, wonderful butter Pour about 2 pints...or as much as you want really, into a blender. I found out the hard way that using regular beaters doesn't cut it. Blend on high for about 7 minutes. First it will whip up, then it'll deflate back down and start getting all grainy-looking.  Use a Pulse setting to keep churning until the grains are blobby and fully separated out into yellow butter and white buttermilk.  Now wash it! Take a bowl of ice water and stick your hands in it till they're totally cold. Scrape the butter in, and pat the little blobs into...a big blob. Don't worry, it won't dissolve in the water. I mean, it's butter.  Wet down a cheesecloth or some similar, stick the butter in and twiiiiist. Gently. That'll get rid of the extra buttermilk and water.  That's it! stick it in a dish. cool it down. put it in your mouth.
 Oh, and we also made some Flan. Lots of Flan. Recipe in Part 2.Thanks Louisa! Recovering from July 4th? Hit Up Bluestate!Looking for a place to dance away three days of hard, post-July 4th work? Head over to Bluestate this Saturday, July 8th. Your favorite local food bloggers (okay, maybe just us) will be there. Good music, good beer, good fun. What else do you need?
Yerba MateThe last mate post was in January 2005, so I am going to renew the buzz...
I started by buying a bag of Guayaki (tea bags) from Whole Foods in Chicago out of curiosity (I am addicted to buying different teas), and have since purchased my own gourd and bombilla straw, along with loose mate leaves from Teavana at Tyson's Corner mall. I love being able to relax at home, drinking mate. It's so great. I am considering planning our next vacation to Argentina just so I can sit around with some locals in a village and drink some traditional mate. I enjoy drinking mate over coffee anyday, because I feel more energy without feeling jittery or nervous (like I'm having a panic attack) when I OD on coffee. It's better than tea to me, because it's a better stimulant. Plus, it's rumored to be an appetite suppressant as well, but I haven't noticed too much of that lately. I did notice it more, when I drank it on a more consistent basis. Today, I received my shipment of 2lbs loose leaf mate from Nativa. I recommend this company, my order came quickly, and the products (mate and herbs) are delicious! Another great site to order from is EcoTeas, and Aviva. Also, for more local suggestions, check out the January 2005 archive. Enjoy!
A little buffalo in your cup
This stuff is lower in cholesterol, has more proteins and minerals, and more lactoferrin, lysozyme,and lactoperoxidase than cow milk. And who doesn’t want more lactoperoxidase! But the best thing about buffalo-excretion is a lower water content. Remember how good it tastes when Thai restaurants use condensed milk? Now imagine that, but thicker. Incidentally, it’s what makes Buffalo Mozzarella so nifty. But what about processing? Well, it isn’t, and that means that buffalo milk is so fatty and thick that you could practically stand a spoon up in it, the entire surface covered with globules like chicken soup. My point here is a recent realization that all Chai I’ve ever had is wrong. Real Chai is thick and rich with fatty buffalo milk, not the thin, limp-tasting white-liquid-with-cinnamon that passes at Starbucks. But no fear! Here is how to thicken your chai, buffalo-style (without a handy buffalo) Buffalo-esque Chai Boil three cups of water and add 4 Assam teabags. Then add the spice mixture and simmer for 20 mins. Now here’s the tough part. Add 3.5 cups of cows milk. Bring everything to a boil and then immediately turn down the heat. Then bring it to a boil again, and turn it down. Repeat that maybe 3 or 4 times and the result should be just as thick and creamy as if you were swimming in buffalos. Sweeten it with honey, strain, and serve. Buffalo-rific
Free Wednesday Morning Caffeine
From 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Wednesday, March 15, most Starbucks will be hosting the first annual "National Coffee Break", giving away a free tall (12 oz, or small, to the rest of the world) cup of brewed coffee. WIth 62 Starbucks in D.C., you've got plenty of choice. In fact, if you're vigilant, you could probably hit up at least 15 or 20 of them during the two hours of free coffee. So go out and get your free caffiene dose! Link from Starbucks Gossip.
Have some coffee with your caffeine
Depending on where it’s from, tea has between 40 and 60 milligrams of caffeine. Now true, this is more than a coke (34) or a pepsi (37), but it’s less than your average drip coffee which comes in at up to a heart-racing 175 for the same sized cup. A can of Red Bull contains a paltry 80, despite being banned in France for it’s negative effects. But what of milk, I hear you say. Popular notion says that it bonds with the caffeine and makes it less painful. Well, drinking milk can prevent caffeine-instigated bone loss, especially for the ladies, but I’m not sure where I heard the other stuff. Anyway, it’s not true, and now I owe MAW a beer.
Brickskeller: The Place for a Beer...or Several
Brickskeller is an institution, but it's not quite like the normal drinking places in D.C. You don't generally go to Brickskeller for a drink. It's not akin to Mackey's or Sign of the Whale. In general, when you go to the Brickskeller, you're going for a night of drinking. You may say you're going for just one drink, but in four years of going, I've never succeed in ordering just one beer. Once you end up at the Brickskeller, you're not leaving until a) you've tried at least two beers you've never had before, b) you're worried about missing the last metro out, or c) they're closing the bar and threatening to chuck you next door into the Fireplace unless you pay your very large bar bill. In fact, my three largest bar bills (one of which topped $600, although it was on a company cc and involved 14 of us) have occured at Brickskeller. So why do you go to Brickskeller? Two reasons: 1) The Beer. They really do have some of the best beer in the city. Check out zaf's favorite, the Dogfish Head Rasion D'etre, my new favorite, Schneider & Sohn Aventinus, or one of the hundreds of Mexican, Belgian, Chinese, Italian, Russian, or about eighteen other country's beers. Drink and be merry. 2) The Waitresses. I'm not sure how they do it, and it really can't be legal, but the Brickskeller has the most attractive waitresses in town. They are all very cute and they all know it, which makes spending $75 for beers for three people siginificantly less painful. Order a Dunkelweiss and you'll understand why. So, next time you're looking for a real night of drinking -- no happy hours here -- head to the Brickskeller. It's a place to catch up with friends, have a couple of beers, and wander out at 3 a.m. wondering what the heck the Scandinavians put in their beer to make them worth $8.50 a bottle...and you'll always go back. The Brickskeller Dining House and Down Home Saloon Image blatently borrowed from beerblog.motime.com.
Yep, it's cursed
If you've lived in D.C. long enough, you know the story of 1801 Columbia Road. In what should be a good location to open a business, right at the top of the 18th Street corridor on the way to the Metro, the large storefront cycles through businesses every few years, with each owner chastened by the experience, proclaiming the truth of the curse rumors. As the legend has it, there was nothing wrong with 1801 until the early 1970s, when the storefront was occupied by a pizzaria. A killer worked there, tossing dough in the air when he wasn't terrorizing Greater Adams-Morgan. Ever since the pizza place closed, no business has ever been able to succeed, perhaps due to the ghosts of the pizza man's victims. Strange things happened to businesses in 1801. During a short-lived turn as a tapas joint, I went in for sangria, lured by the big sign advertising a special on sangria. There were out of sangria on a Wednesday night. Right now, 1801 is occupied by a Starbucks, which has survived longer than the average business, probably due to support from the head office, which does not have a history of shutting down branches. No matter how much money they lose, Starbucks is not going to shut this place down. The ghosts have other plans. Yesterday morning, I went into the cursed Starbucks and ordered a venti coffee. Shouldn't be a problem, right? If they can make an iced quadruple-venti soy nonfat caramel white mocha with whipped cream, they can fix me a cuppa joe. "We're sorry, but the coffee machine hasn't been working all day. We don't know why and we're still trying to fix it." It isn't an urban legend if it's true, you know.
Hong Kong Holidays
Candy Cane Martini One shot Sky Vanilla Vodka
Wines of the Barossa
Actually, no joke- it probably is tough. A recent study showed that 50 % of Australians consider drinking till they pass out to be an indelible part of their national character, right up there with playing footy and beating up minorities. And the Barossa valley police, operating as they do in Australia’s most prolific wine growing region, rake in a steady stream of moolah from day-trippin’ drivers who’ve indulged in their patriotism. This can’t be easy for a van-driving winery tour guide, but it’s great for us. A sizable chunk of the Australian wines that end up in the US start in this hilly area just outside of Adelaide on the Southern coast. Except for the wallaby roadkill it looks a lot like Provence: tiny stone villages, blue mountains in the distance, and carefully manicured vineyards. Quite a few of them are pruned by under-the-table backpacker labor, paid minimum wage and all the grapes they can steal. On this particular day our long-suffering guide drove us from cellar door to cellar door until we loved everyone in the world. You’ll be surprised how many of these wines end up in Calvert-Woodley Liquors (and everywhere else too). Richmond Grove actually owns vineyards in other Australia regions too, but its Barossa Shiraz is some tasty tasty stuff. The stone chateau would look great if everything else in the valley wasn’t made out of corrugated tin. Vinecrest is famous for Its huge black dog that lazes around in front. The Semillons are sweet and fruity, the Shirazes are nifty (that’s a technical term). Bethany wins for the prettiest view, and has really really tasty everything: Great fortified that don’t kick your rear with sugar,and big spicy shirazes and shiraz mixes. I think there was a good Semillon here too, but I was way to gone to tell exactly.
If you can't beat them....
Well, when he wakes up, there's more than a sad head waiting for him. Jacinda and Jerry over at Siren Song have taken it upon themselves to visit, yes, every single Starbucks in DC, and they do it better than he ever could. They have detailed pictures, reviews of the location, and critiques of the clientele. Which just goes to prove that bitching about Starbucks does not make you alternative. But really liking them does make you intriguingly eccentric.
Why can’t you do it like in San Fransisco?
I can see the cup of frothy liquid steaming from here- I’d love to give this ridiculous hag a stern lecture on the specific heat for evaporation of various liquids, but Annelies is way ahead of me. Apparently, what it comes down to is the heat at which coffee starts to burn. The shot of expresso has to be between 70 and 90 degrees Celsius to keep it from developing that rancid bottom-of-the-office-coffee pot taste. The milk has to be 130 to 150 degrees Celsius to bring out the sweetness, but anything above it might scorch the coffee (which is, when you get down to it, just some woody pulp distilled into water). It seems, from Annelies’s frantic gesticulations th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Where will you be Wednesday night? At the Squishable.com launch party. 
Where should you be tomorrow night?
When the menu at your local beer-house proclaims: “Not available in Georgia [insert your home state/town/country here], but we got some,” with no further description, you kinda have to try it, especially at $5 a bottle. 
A few weeks ago I decided to treat myself to my own version of Mom Krasnow’s Sauce Provinçial – minus the meat. Instead, I added something that every vegetarian loves (provided you mix it with something that actually has a taste) Tofu. Also added a few side dishes and an apéritif. 
It smells like hot chocolate. I mean, it's hot, and it's chocolately. Hot chocolate, right? Noooo, chocolate tea. This stuff has been around forever, but it still has me totally confused. I had always assumed if someone wants watery, dirty-looking hot chocolate they'll just use half a packet of powdered stuff; But no, there is a more tannic alternative. 
In anticipation of the Virginia Wine Festival (coming up this weekend, September 30th and October 1st), allow me to sing the praises of two DC-area wineries. These came recommended to me by Chris over at 
Such precious first memories: the first class of 7th grade, the first guy you turned down, the first time you heard the White Stripes. If you're young enough, they may have all happened within the same hour. And yet, all these pale in comparison to the first time you drink Roasted Rice Tea.
When the news of wine's health benefits first came out, alkies the world over grabbed their closest critic, pointed them at the research, and said, "See?". But if you still aren't enthused at the idea of shooting your daily dose, try taking your medicine the old fashioned way: In a martini glass.
When fishing for drinkers last week with 
‘Th’state says I can’t sell that to you’
I absolutely LOVE yerba mate. I've been drinking it for about 3 or 4 years now, and I still just love the taste. According to 
Milk gets squirted out of a cow, whittled down to 2%, and poured into my tea. Or a bowl of cereal, or a batch of mac and cheese, but the point is, it comes from a large female cow and gets processed. But it doesn’t have to. In India, neither cow, nor processing are any part of what ends up in my Earl Grey, and it tastes fabulous. And why is that? Unpansteurized, Roamin’ Buffalo Milk. 
I owe MAW a beer. Why should this be? Because last night in a moment of drunken musing I bet him that tea had more caffeine than coffee. So the real question is, why did I believe this odd piece of urban legend? I’m not sure, but it’s wrong wrong wrong.
Somehow, in all our postings, DCFUD has neglected the best place drinking in DC: The Brickskeller. I'd say I'm unsure how we missed posting about The Brickskeller, but I'm fairly certain I know why. Everyone reading DCFUD knows about Brickskeller. In fact, everyone who has ever lived in NW DC knows about Brickskeller. It's the pub/restaurant (whith a heavy emphasis on pub) up on 22nd that holds the Guinness world record for most beers. And it's a great place to go when you want to have several very good and very large beers. 
Greetings from Honk Hong where they take their Christmas shopping more seriously than any Macy's ever did. So when you've been salivating over Prada and Versace, all day, stop in at Isobar overlooking Victoria 
It’s a tough life for a Groovy Grape tour leader. Every day he gets tourists really really drunk on Barossa wines, eats some Kangaroo, and then drives everyone home snoring in a big white van. 
Perhaps this sounds familiar to you. It's a late night at the back room of the Black Cat, and some art student is going on and on about how Starbucks has taken over the world. In fact (he mumbles into the counter) there are so many bloody Starbucks in DC, he shoo...he should...should try to visit every single one. Then he probably passes out in a pool of his own self-righteousness. 
The poor girl behind the counter at Gloria Jean’s today is a Midwesterner named Annalies. She’s been trying to explain why it’s impossible to boil a latte to a middle aged raisin who’s already sent the cup back twice. ‘Look, I know you can do it hotter because I have them hotter in San Francisco. I live in San Francisco. Why can’t you do it like in San Francisco?’