The Humble Gourmand - Victuals and Vittles

July 4th Fireworks Not Enough for You?

From the folks at Old Town's new Lorien Hotel & Spa:

"Lorien is celebrating Alexandria’s 260th birthday with a special fireworks viewing party on one of the hotel’s premier outdoor terraces on Saturday, July 11, 2009 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

"Party-goers can enjoy a night under the stars and a front row seat for Alexandria’s celebratory fireworks while sampling desserts and cocktails provided by BRABO by Robert Wiedmaier. Old Town’s newest hot spot, BRABO, is helmed by Chef Wiedmaier, who was just named Chef of the Year by The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.

"Tickets are $50 per person and include desserts, and an open bar featuring signature cocktails such as the blueberry lemonade, the white cosmo with dry ice, and house-made fruit sangria."

Call 877-856-7436 to reserve tickets.

Taking Sunday Dinner Underground

On a recent, warm Sunday evening I found myself sipping a pre-dinner cocktail and chatting about President Obama’s Guantanamo Bay problem. A not-altogether unprecedented Sunday evening, if you replace “cocktail” with “beer” and “President Obama’s Guantanamo Bay problem” with “homebrewing.” What was unprecedented, though, was what brought us all together: a once-monthly private restaurant known as Sunday Dinner. And the cocktail – a rare combination of gin, cinnamon, black pepper, and kumquat – was likely never before combined, and perhaps never will be again. Sunday Dinner is the creation of two DC residents with a passion for cooking. They planned an elaborate five-course meal for 15 – an impressive undertaking.

Before I go further, I should elucidate: what’s the difference between a “private restaurant,” a normal restaurant, and dinner for friends? Well, it’s in a household, like the dinner for friends, but you pay for your meal, so you don’t feel obligated to clean up after yourself. There are waiters, but you don’t have to tip them. You know the cooks (perhaps), and can see into the kitchen, and can occasionally hear the screams of the softshell crabs, so you know the provenance of your food. In sum, it is perhaps the best of all worlds.

Sunday Dinner proved itself to be as good as any restaurant in DC. The starter, a thimbleful of ramp-and-potato soup with a tiny truffled grilled cheese sandwich, was simply divine. Earthy and savory, the potatoes and truffle oil waltzed with the ramps to create a two-bite masterpiece. Had the soup been cold, like a vichyssoise for royalty, this would have been the best dish I’ve had in a year.

Ramp and potato soup with a truffled goat cheese sandwich

The meal went on in a similar way – well-paired fresh and local ingredients expertly plated, if perhaps with a bit of a lag (the meal lasted 5 hours! Hard to explain that one to the boss on Monday morning…) Red beet ravioli stuffed with golden beet and goat cheese, softshell crabs, a wonderful mushroom pastry with bitter greens. By the fourth course (ha! We were fooled – shouldn’t have counted the amuse-bouche as a course!) we were full and satiated, but who could resist cardamom-encrusted lamb? And then dessert – homemade strawberry ice cream and a 14-layer cake, no doubt modeled on the state cake of Maryland.

By now it was almost midnight and we were all stuffed. It was a big commitment, both for the night and to our wasitlines, but well worth it. Keep your eyes peeled – this sort of thing is now in DC. Check under rocks, in basements, behind locked doors – there are private restaurants, the speakeasies of the eating world, just waiting to be discovered.

July HG Visits Asheville, Grills Like Mad

With summer firmly upon us and the season's best produce popping up in farmers' markets around the country, we hope you'll dive into the July issue.

This one was a lot of fun to put together, since we decided to focus on fresh veggies and fruits with stunning, unadultered flavor.

I also did my best to describe one of the most fun culinary experiences I've ever had, visiting Asheville, North Carolina late last month with a tiny army of food blogger cohorts. These folks inspired me in a serious way -- my brain has been whirring a mile a minute since I returned. I feel very fortunate to have spent time with them at a key juncture, when I'm about to jump off a cliff!

More on the forthcoming cliff-jumping soon. For now, back to Asheville:

Our group, post-cookoff (see below)

From left to right: me, Brian from The Food Geek, Tami from Running With Tweezers, Diane from White on Rice Couple, Jaden from Steamy Kitchen, Todd from White On Rice Couple. Kneeling is Helen from Tartelette.

Hosted by the kind folks at Explore Asheville, we sipped, tasted, and wandered our way around town -- and far afield from it, in the case of our adventure to a trout farm in the Great Smokies. (Read more about the city's food offerings in this month's main feature, Ode to Asheville.)

I was blown away by the food focus there, and thrilled to find a range of farmers, chefs, and restauranteurs who truly walk the local/regional walk. To see a slideshow of the trip, head here.

We even battled it out in a mystery "CSA cookoff" that paired each food blogger with an Asheville chef. This was a TON of fun, with the first 15 minutes spent brainstorming uses for local ingredients that included fennel, summer squash, apples, radishes, potatoes, and the aforementioned trout. Then, we had an hour to craft a two-course meal for the judges.

The mystery bounty

It was close, but Chef Annie Pettky of Savoy and I pulled out the win! We were pretty thrilled (and surprised, given the excellent dishes turned out by our competition). Check out one of the winning recipes -- Pan-Seared Trout with Red Quinoa-Chorizo Risotto -- here.

Pan-Seared Trout with Red Quinoa-Chorizo Risotto

For a truly excellent set of photos and cookoff play-by-play, head over to Diane and Todd's recap on White on Rice Couple.

Wishing you an inspired and most enjoyable July. Let us know what you're grillin'!

Cheers,
Alison

July Issue to Publish Monday, July 6

Due to the July 4 holiday, our next issue will hit the virtual stands on Monday. See you then!

Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc: This is France

Dear friends,

Down on the illustrious south Jersey Shore, a beautifully peaceful setting, almost idyllic, but the general culture of food and drink leaves much to be desired. What happened en route to the new world? Why were we unable to import the priority of garden and farm fresh ingredients, the search for wines that are subtle and unique, enjoyed at long-lingering meals as a cultural standard? Since you read this letter, I can assume you are endowed with the grace to take an active interest what you consume and from where and who it comes.

In this instance, Bob (Mr. Millman) and I discovered and tasted these surprisingly excellent wines from the Drome Department (which is slightly north of Avignon in Provence), we debated, discussed, analyzed and we simply loved the outcome.

Dick Vermeersch, a former organic grocer in Antwerp, turned race car driver, then viticulturalist, has taken his former lives and brought them all into his winemaking philosophy. Having bought a farmhouse in the Provencal foothills of Mount Ventoux, he and wife Ann, who studied Oenology in Chateauneuf du Pape, have set about making the highest quality, most authentic, low yielded (sometimes 25 hl/ha), organic but sturdy wines as is to be found in this part of the world.

While there are many lovely wines coming from the winery, we picked their Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc. This is not your typical Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc (if you can even call CDR Blanc ‘typical’), but is alive, has real vibration and tension. From beautifully healthy vineyards, which Dick treats with great respect, the varietals in this white are Roussanne, Marsanne, and Clairette. Grown on limestone and clay soils, gently foot-pressed, and picked at just the right moment before it becomes over-ripe. The aromas are indeed delicious, as Bob reacted: “This is France;” you can smell the sun, and there are charming little hints of lime and white peach. Being a southern white, the wine is rich, but also balanced, neither hot nor clunky. The bottles are adorned with the winery's slogan: 'Powered by Nature.' Bravo, Monsieur Vermeersch.

Anthony Bourdain, José Andrés to Co-Host Capital Food Fight 2009

From DC Central Kitchen:

This November, Travel Channel host and author Anthony Bourdain will take a break from his No Reservations shooting schedule to co-host DC Central Kitchen’s Capital Food Fight with the dynamic chef José Andrés. Battling chefs Michael Mina (Bourbon Steak), Mike Isabella (Zaytinya), Tracy O’Grady (Willow) and Bobby Varua (701 Pennsylvania Ave.) will take on two-time winner Barton Seaver, now Executive Chef at Blue Ridge. Their best efforts in the 10-minute, on-stage battles will be presented to a top-shelf panel of judges, including famed chef and TV personality Eric Ripert, Food Network’s Ted Allen and Carla Hall, the oh-so-poised finalist from last year’s Top Chef competition.

Details:
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20004

Tickets: $175 ($150 before October 9) -- available online at http://capitalfoodfight.org

More than 50 of the region’s hottest restaurants will offer tastes of their signature dishes throughout the evening, showing their support for the Kitchen’s innovative approach to the complex problem of hunger in the Greater Washington area and around the country.

701 Pennsylvania Ave • Argia’s Italian • Aria • Bastille • Black’s / Black Salt • BLT Steak • Blue Duck Tavern • Blue Ridge • BOURBON STEAK by Michael Mina • BRABO • Cacao Fine European Chocolate • Café Atlántico • Cava / Cava Mezze • Chipotle • Co Co. Sala CommonWealth Gastropub • Darlington House • Dolcezza Argentinean Gelato • fyve • Fresh Start Catering • Galileo • Goodstone Inn & Estate • Hank’s Oyster Bar • Hook / Tackle Box • IndeBleu Indique • INOX • Jaleo • Kaz Sushi Bar • Kora • Lebanese Taverna • Mie N Yu • minibar by josé andrés • Morrison House • Murphy’s Pub • Occidental • Oyamel • Poste Moderne Brasserie • Proof • PS7’s • Ris Restaurant • Rock Creek • Ronald Reagan Building • Santa Lucia Estate Coffee • SEI • Spezie • Taberna del Alabardero • Tallula / EatBar • Teatro Goldoni • The Source by Wolfgang Puck • Vermilion • Vidalia / Bistro Bis • Volt • Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert • Willow • Zaytinya • Zengo • Zola

About DC Central Kitchen:

This year marks DC Central Kitchen’s 20th year of combating hunger and creating opportunity. The Kitchen serves as a central location to recover unused food, prepare and deliver meals to partner social service agencies, train men and women for jobs in the foodservice industry, and intellectually engage volunteers.

In the past year, 47 men and women, many of them ex-felons, gained jobs and hope through the empowerment of the Kitchen’s Culinary Job Training program. Nationally, the Kitchen expanded its network of Campus Kitchens to 20 university, college and high school campuses. Locally, the Kitchen partnered with area farms to strengthen food systems and make fresh, healthy produce more available to the entire community. For more information, visit http://dccentralkitchen.org.

Brew's Reviews: SAVOR 2009

I was nervous walking into the National Building Museum for the biggest DC-area craft beer event of the year.

I don’t know if it was the fact that I was about to be in the same building as Tomme Arthur, Adam Avery, Greg Koch, and Sam Calagione; the fact that I was wearing a bright blue press badge and had to represent myself as such; or the daunting reality that I had 4 hours -- and 68 breweries’ worth -- of beer to get through.

The sad truth was that my shaky hands were not up to the task of photographing the event:

I quickly relaxed, though, helped along by a private tasting of Avery’s and Koch’s (Stone Brewery) finest brews. They told of their conjoined history (California-based Stone is the number-one distributor of Colorado-based Avery’s beers … betcha didn’t expect that) and of their experiments. My favorite beer of the sampling was Avery’s Brabant, a barrel-aged wild ale that had all of the horse-iness one desires in a barrel-aged wild ale. It was malty, tangy, and surprisingly drinkable for its 9.3% ABV.

Above: Adam Avery (on right) and Greg Koch

I luckily was able to sneak into the tasting next door for a quick nip, and as if blessed by providence it was Tomme Arthur from Lost Abbey and Vinnie Cilurzo from Russian River. I had just one sip of Lost Abbey’s Cuvée de Tomme, a sour Belgian-style 12% ale, which was both enough and not enough. Enough because I just needed one taste to get sour cherries, whisky, vanilla oak, raisins, dates, and a punishingly thick mouthfeel. Not enough because I wanted more, more, more.

I considered myself primed for the main floor of the event at this point, and went exploring. Breweries from all across the country, many of which I’d never gotten to sample before, were laid out throughout the Building Museum like ripe blackberries, plump for sampling. I tried a handful of saisons, the new “in” beer (even Capitol City Brewery had one), a few English bitters, and enough overhopped IPAs to overwhelm even the hopheadiest of hopheads. I got to meet some fellow Vermonters – my beloved Rock Art Brewery was present, pouring a double IPA and a hefty barleywine.

The food pairings were various and plenty, though perhaps of not the highest quality. Crabcake slider buns were dry though their insides were flavorful; skewered beef was well cooked but not too interesting. The cheese selection was wonderful and well-paired. The high point of the food was the raw oyster bar – an ingenious addition to the night. Two-inch long oysters with sherry vinegar and shallots? Perfect – no stout needed.

The night would have been worth it for the oysters, or the samples of Russian River’s Consecration Ale, or seeing the throngs of people surrounding the gregarious Calagione. One highlight, though, stood out – speaking with Ken Grossman, the founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and the undisputed superhero of craft brewing. Mr. Grossman was homebrewing back in mid-1960s, 10 years before Jimmy Carter signed a law legalizing it. He told me about the early years of homebrewing, before you could go down to your local homebrew store and pick out your yeast, malt, and hops. Back then he would drive from California up to Washington state, where hops grew, and brought them back for himself and the small group of early homebrewers in the area to use. I was humbled and charged by his early dedication to the art of beer, and I am happy to continue in the tradition of homebrewing 50 years later.

All in all, the event was wonderful – enough food, beer, and company to round out a successful DC Craft Beer Week. Next year I won’t be so nervous. I can go in expecting more of the same: fascinating conversation, raw oysters, and enough new beers to send me home inebriated and inspired.

Wildfire Plans Virginia Harvest Dinner

Wildfire will play host to a "harvest dinner" next month that features a local menu paired with Virginia wines.

James Roth, proprietor of VA wine shop Red, White & Bleu, will discuss the wines and Renee Catacalos, editor/publisher of Edible Chesapeake, will talk about the local farmers, producers and growers that are changing the face of food in Virginia.

According to Wildfire, the July 21 event comprises a four-course dinner preceded by a cocktail reception. Seats are $65 per person, including wine, tax and gratuity. Check out the menu and wine pairings below:

Reception: tempura softshell crab roll with citrus ponzu dipping sauce
Ingleside Plantation Vineyards Sparkling Wine 2007

First course: seared rockfish with warm lobster potato salad and pan gravy
Lovingston Seval Blanc 2008

Second course: spit-roasted tenderloin with truffle spiked mashed potato and bordelaise sauce
Barboursville Vineyards Cabernet Franc Reserve 2006

Third course: selection of artisan cheeses
Rockbridge Dechiel Unfiltered Cabernet Franc 2006

Dessert: macerated peaches with vanilla bean pound cake with ginger caramel sauce Barboursville Vineyards Phileo, “Moscato Ottonel & Traminer Aromatico"

To make a reservation, contact Michelle Bringham at (703) 442-9110.

Amyana Sauvignon Blanc Leyda Valley 2007

Dear friends,

When I started the Thoreau Wine Society a few years ago, I winged it – my wine career had consisted of schlepping in stores for other people, writing auction catalogs, pouring La Landonne in other people’s glasses (about which I can’t really complain), yet I felt a genuine passion for wine – a passion that led me to France and beyond, during which I've spent a chunk of my life now meeting vignerons, tasting, eating, drinking with them in their world – gaining insight about the French perspective on flavor, timing, the simple art of each meal, the idea of subtlety and nuance, ideas that can be far from our framework. Nonetheless, I find many Americans who live by such passion, driving many of us together, quite a diverse global group indeed, compelled by this gift of excellent cuisine.

My dear friend Bob and I have tasted around the world together (he could be standing in Mounir Saouma’s cellar at this moment) – and we have similar (but not matching) palates, although he accuses me of liking a touch more French oak from certain producers than does he – I don't totally agree, but vive la diversite!

In my attempt to get organized and make this grassroots approach work, I have invited Bob to offer some of his tasting notes. He has far more experience than I and has volumes of opinions. Thus I hope you will welcome these missives, which will ideally come one to two times weekly. If you have arrived on this list and don’t want to be here, I welcome you to gently hit the unsubscribe option.

Here is Bob’s latest review (eventually, I will need not introduce him). Try some of his offerings, and some of mine, and compare.

CHILEAN SANCERRE?

Chilean Sancerre? Aren’t the vineyards of Chile and the eastern Loire valley in France about 9000 miles apart? How can a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile be anything like a S.B. from Sancerre? When it is made by Claudia Gomez from the Garces Silva winery in central Chile a mere 9 miles east of the Pacific Ocean.

Marketed under the label Amayna—which means the calm after the storm, by the way—this is simply the most Loire like wine from Chile that it has been my privilege to taste. Viña Garcés Silva is a family-owned winery located in the emerging Leyda Valley, a subvalley of Chile's San Antonio region. General manager and partner Matias Garcés oversees the project, which began in 1999, and was the first to commercially plant vines in Leyda Valley, where cool temperatures and arid conditions make viticulture virtually impossible without adequate irrigation. The winery has 370 acres of vineyards, of which approximately 100 are designated for the winery's own production; the remaining grapes are sold to Vina Montes, one of Chile's top wineries. The winery makes a full-throttle Chardonnay, an earthy Pinot Noir and a spicy yet elegant Syrah in addition to Sauvignon Blanc.

Attracted by the label and the bottle—all sales begin with the eyes—I walked over to the Amayna table at a very recent trade tasting of Chilean wines. The S.B. was the first and perhaps the best wine I tasted over the course of 2 hours. Never having tasted the wine before, I was immediately struck by the subtle, elegant, inviting bouquet of fresh herbs, grapefruit peel and the aroma of the sea. Tasting confirmed the attractive qualities on the nose. This was truly a wine synthesizing soil, fruit and ambient conditions. It smelled and tasted more like a good Sancerre than any other Sauvignon Blanc I have tasted from any other region than the Loire.

The lady in the purple pants pouring the wine was none other than the winemaker and vineyard manager Claudia Gomez. I told her that except for the warmth on the finish, served blind I would have said Sancerre. She smiled and told me that she had worked in Sancerre for almost 4 years, half of the time at one of the most famous estate in Sancerre, Alphonse Mellot. She has translated her experience from Sancerre to Chile brilliantly! With the price of good Sancerre moving into the $30-40 range, the price tag of $21 seems reasonable to me. There are of course many S.B.’s from various parts of “the new world” which retail for less. Frankly, the Amyana buries just about any New Zealand, South African, Austrian or American Sauvignon Blanc I have tasted. I can not recommend this lovely wine too highly.

Amyana Sauvignon Blanc Leyda Valley 2007

$19.99/bottle, applicable tax and delivery / shipping not included. Please reply to mary@thoreauwinesociety.com if interested in ordering.

Slainte and many thanks,

Mary Taylor & Bob Millman

Thoreau Wine Society

DIY: Roast Your Own Coffee

In a world where people have re-appropriated the production of household goods (Hey, I make my own bread! Cheese! Beer!), why do we still rely on major coffee roasters for our coffee? There are many, many options for coffee, from the international (Lavazza) to the national (Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks) to the regional (Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, Stumptown) to the local (fill in your local roaster here). The regional guys have a pretty good business – many do direct trade (working directly with coffee growers and collectives and often paying a better-than-fair-trade price) and offer beans from the coffee-growing regions of the world.

Completely disregarding all of this availability, I have chosen a different route. You can too. Just buy yourself a small coffee roaster (I use the iRoast2, $180) and some green coffee beans (online at Sweet Maria’s [http://www.sweetmarias.com/] or Seven Bridges Organic [http://www.breworganic.com/], or if you’re lucky, at your local Ethiopian grocer), and you’re ready to roast.

Roasting is quite the experience for the senses – smells, sights, sounds, and ultimately tastes. Coffee beans are originally brown-green, and smell like freshly-cut hay, or maybe tomato soup. Start to roast them and they go through a multitude of smells, from grass, to mulch, to rubber, to almonds, to corn tortillas, to chips and salsa, to popcorn, and ultimately, to coffee (maybe I’m insane, but I smell those things. That is, if you stop roasting in time – or else it will smell like burning, and you will have yourself French roast. (The French roasted their low-quality coffee beans dark so that they didn’t have to taste the bean, just the roast. If you’re roasting yourself, buy good beans and don’t overdo them!)

As the beans roast they expand and crack, with an audible popping sound, and they go from green to yellow to tan to brown. Wait a good 24 hours for the freshly-roasted beans to mature a little, and then brew some up in a French press or a Chemex. You’ll thank yourself, and you’ll never buy Starbucks again. I hope.

Postscript:
Yes, you’re probably right, and I’m probably being silly. Why would a person want to roast his own coffee (or grow his own garlic, or make his own ketchup) when it’s much easier and more time-effective to buy things at a store?

It’s a good question, and one I haven’t been able to completely answer myself. Is it because I think I make better ketchup than Heinz, which has been doing it for decades? Is it because I don’t want to support local garlic farmers? Or perhaps because I travel directly to coffee plantations, wasting fossil fuels by the planeload in order to get my freshly picked green coffee beans? Well, not the latter two, at least. I do think my ketchup is damn fine, though.

Why has DIY become such a trend? What kinds of things do you like to make yourself?