City Perch

Posted on January 16, 2015 by melsmosaic

There are some new restaurants/bars opening in the area and I was lucky enough to check one out courtesy of a client. We visited City Perch in North Bethesda/Rockville, MD at Pike & Rose (outside of DC).

Quite the diverse menu, from drinks to food. With several of us there, we covered the menu quite well. I started with the Montgomery Blues — Greenbrier Small Batch Gin, Blueberries, Rosemary, Jack Rudy Tonic. Delicious and the fresh rosemary was a nice addition.

Some of the others at the table were Dark + Stoutly — Stonewall American Rum, Ginger, Flying Dog ‘Pearl Necklace’ Stout. It was very similar to a black & tan. One of them enjoying it stirred it to see if it would combine but it separated again.

Another at the bar was the Forbidden Garden Margarita — 100% Garden Margarita — 100% de Agave Reposado Applejack, Apple Cider, Applejack. I tried some of that — very nice. Was there really alcohol in that? That is what can cause some problems.

We also had some of the appetizers — olives, nuts, fries. Addictive. If you’re in the DC-area, totally check this place out.

Whisk(ed)y Away…

Posted on January 4, 2015 by melsmosaic

I’m not a huge straight, hard liquor drinker. But am usually up for trying something new. The latest inquiry/offer was if I drink scotch/whiskey. My answer was not really; I have a bottle of Jack if I want a Bourbon & Ginger.

But now I have been introduced to the true (aka good) scotch (whisky) and was blown away.

The first one I sampled was Laphroaig Single Malt Quarter Cask. Ok, I love Pinotage because of the smoke. That varietal has nothing compared to this. I know I’m comparing apples to oranges here but wow, wow, wow. I was taking beyond baby sips of this stuff because I have never really been a hard liquor drinker but from what I had, it was unbelievable. I know I’m being repetitive but SMOKE with a bit of sweet.

The second one I tasted was Lagavulin. It was smoother than the first but not as smoky — initially. After it had ‘breathed’ for a bit, wow, the notes definitely came out. It also had a longer finish. Very different but still on the same stream of overall taste. So unique.

I will say, you definitely learn something new everyday. This was quite different from my normal tastings and I will see how much I continue to explore this beverage. Cheers!

Baby Eggplant

Posted on December 29, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was roaming around the produce section at Sprouts the other day and saw these random purple, oblong-ish things that I didn’t recognize at first. Stopped and then determined what they were. Whoa — baby eggplant. So neat. They were 1.5″-2″ long and just too good to pass up. And, they were a whopping 5 for $1.

To cook, decided to slice them in half, longways, season with some Italian herbs, drizzle with olive oil and put on the grill.

Cooked for 10+ minutes, turning once. So good. You could eat them in one bite, scoop out the middle, pop the inside out by pressing from the skin. They had just a bit of a different taste from regular eggplant. They would be perfect to serve as appetizers because they can totally be finger food.

Honey Smoked Salmon

Posted on December 26, 2014 by melsmosaic

Keep hearing these non-stop, repetitive ads for this smoked salmon. I have worked in radio marketing/advertising and will say they are quite effective. I also can’t even imagine the cost of them. Well, the exact brand that is being advertised is Honey Smoked Fish Company ‘available at (all local stores),’ mostly in Colorado. Was at Costco and had to look for it. Reasonably priced so decided to pick some up.

You have the normal lox, you have smoked salmon, but I will say, there was something about this stuff. Totally worth the ads getting stuck in my head swaying me to pick some up. Could not stop nibbling on it! Hopefully you live where it’s available and can grab some. It is available to order on their site, but much more expensive than in store.

Tomato and Arugula Pasta Sauce

Posted on December 24, 2014 by melsmosaic

Got to enjoy a pasta sauce I hadn’t had for awhile the other night. It has tons of veggies and is super simple to make — Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Rocket (Arugula) or Spaghetti con Pomodori e Rughetta from The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed.

Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti

10 oz red ripe plum tomatoes — I use a lot more

4 cloves garlic

2 oz rocket (arugula) — about 1/3 cup chopped — I used about 2-3 times this much

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & Black pepper

Directions:

Skin the tomatoes by first plunging them into boiling water for a few minutes (I have always skipped this step).

Chop finely (I keep them in chunks) and place in a large bowl together with the finely chopped garlic and coarsely chopped rocket (arugula). Add the olive oil and S&P to taste and leave for at least 2 hours.

Post 2-hours:

I was in charge of the sauce…got to enjoy some nice homemade pasta.

Cook the pasta as usual, drain and stir in the sauce.

Ahh…Caesar

Posted on December 22, 2014 by melsmosaic

And the taste goes on. Love salad, love Caesar. There was apparently a recipe from the 70s or 80s in The (Washington) Post that had no dairy in it for the mouth watering, delicious Caesar Salad. It is great that I can make this recipe and enjoy it!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed (or jarred garlic, if needed)
1 tin anchovy fillets with capers, coarsely chopped, reserve oil (if you can’t find these, just remember to add capers, chopped later)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
S&P

Directions:

In a jar with tight lid (tupperware works wonders too), combine olive oil, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, capers, anchovy oil, and lemon juice.

Screw lid tightly on jar (or snap on lid) and shake vigorously. Taste and correct seasoning to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to serve, tear romaine and dress salad with as much dressing as needed. Season with additional S&P to taste.

Pour me, pour me, pour me…another G&T

Posted on December 22, 2014 by melsmosaic

The name of the blog makes me thing of two songs:

“Pour me, pour me, pour me, another shot of whiskey.” –Trick Pony (yes, I’m a country fan)

or much more appropriately

“A Malibu & Coke for you, a G&T for me.” — Barenaked Ladies

So, get to where I’m staying in Ft. Collins and that evening it’s happy hour! Of course the family’s liquor cabinet is never under par (where do you think I learned to provide info about food & alcohol)?

Several members of my family love martinis, super dry. I can’t stomach them. But, I love a Gin & Tonic. Well, apparently a new gin was recently purchased that was definitely not martini material but perfect for a G&T! My new taste test — Few Standard Issue Gin.

Found out it’s a special release spirit. Ok, 114 proof (57% alcohol by volume), wow. Very unique — it’s thick/syrupy (more so than a ‘regular’ gin). Great flavor, definitely the nice juniper and some fennel notes. Perfect way to start the evening. More cheers and happy holidays.

Avery Brewing

Posted on December 22, 2014 by melsmosaic

So, Colorado for the holidays, can’t go wrong. Side note: I’m not doing my blogs in order of what I consume (it is not influenced by what I’m consuming), but more because of the bliss of the food and drink. The first place I checked out when I arrived the other day was the Avery Brewing in Boulder, CO.

Nice small place, makes you feel very welcome. And I love what some of the info on the site says (reading it now) — “We are dedicated to making beer from the inside out: we brew what we like to drink–with utter disregard for what the market demands– and search out fans with equally eccentric palates.”

Did a read-through of the menu and was of course overwhelmed. So many choices! My friend highly suggested the Winter’s Day IPA. I’m sometimes worried that the winter brews are a bit darker than I truly enjoy. He told me it’s not too dark, more of a copper color. And, based on the description it has a unique spice, beer-wise, in it — “Created with Kyle Hollingsworth of String Cheese Incident, this IPA is spiced with rosemary.” The ABV is 6.5%. WOW! Great brew. You can get a slight bit of the herb on the nose and then just enough when you drink it. Great, great beer. My other friend had the White Rascal Belgian-Style Wheat Ale. After the sip I had, very nice traditional white Belgian beer. Of course my two friends can come here any time because they live a few miles away. If you’re in Boulder, check this place out.

Daikaya

Posted on December 7, 2014 by melsmosaic

Checked out a new restaurant in DC the other night after various suggestions and trying not to go for the tried and true that I’ve had. So, I have now check Daikaya in Gallery Place-Chinatown off my list.

I was told that it has two levels and be sure to go upstairs. I naturally picked the wrong place to go at first. Their lower level is a noodles restaurant for quick, easy meals. It’s perfect to grab before a game (this place is right next to the Verizon Center, so ideal for Caps or Wizards game night) or at lunch. So, I had to ask where to go. An obvious common question based on the quick answer. Immediately next to the bright-light was a hidden black door with the Daikaya name on it. Upstairs we go.

This non-ramen portion of the restaurant is based on how “the cuisine is freestyle and adaptive in nature and each izakaya in Japan puts its own touch to their menu items. In this spirit, we also like to put our twist on our dishes and drinks and embrace our role as an izakaya in DC, with international and American influences as we feel inspired.”

It’s very similar to a tapas restaurant. Everything on the menu was small plates and you might need 3-4 per person, if not more. They also had quite the drink menu, from beer to sake.

For the drink, I opted for a red beer, in a bottle — Echigo Red Ale. It was hilarious because they bring you a glass that is the size of a juice glass at breakfast. I guess it makes you feel like you’re drinking a lot from the 12oz bottle. Very unique and nice beer.

For food, opted for a few different tastes. There were so many choices on the menu, it was honestly hard to pick!

-fried garlic
-grilled avocado
-tuna poke
-cold steamed chicken breast

This picture doesn’t do the food any justice. The flavors were incredible! I wish I had room for more food to taste for options from the menu. Will definitely have to go back again. If you live in DC or are visiting, definitely add it to your list!

10 Reasons Wine is better than Beer

Posted on November 21, 2014 by melsmosaic

Some of these reasons are far too funny!

The Wine Wankers

Craft beer – for those that have not seen it 🙂

Over at the Wine Wanker’s head office we are very committed to promoting the virtues of wine, but we don’t often criticise the alternatives. This blog therefore corrects this glaring omission from our line-up of posts, and demonstrates the superiority of wine over it’s poorer cousin beer. Why beer? Well in Australia anyway (Downunder for our American friends), it is the most consumed alcoholic beverage, and as such some ground needs to be made up by the wine fraternity to correct this travesty.

We have a craft beer revolution going on here at present and it has been interesting watching beer swillers becoming refined craft beer nerds. Conrad and Neal recently went to a craft beer brewery that has sprung up in Enmore and it was hilarious watching this cultural shift. Deadset there were beer wankers everywhere. Good idea…

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