Good ol’ St Patty’s Day arrived, and Dan and I decked ourselves in green, downed a couple of beers, and made our merry way to Old Town Alexandria for the St. Patty’s Day parade.  After an hour or two of watching resentful children being paraded by their parents in bright costumes, large old men riding vehicles that barely fit their itty bitty bums, and Irish wolfhounds stealing doughnuts from the kids watching the parade, we decided it was high time to celebrate with some good ol’ Guinness and Irish fish & chips at Eamonn’s Dublin Chipper.

Atmosphere:  With four communal tables with benches and rich wood paneling, Eammon’s is reminiscent of a cozy Irish pub.  It’s usually pretty packed in here, but everyone is willing to let you squeeze into a table with them, and with the Guinness flowing, you’ll feel down right sociable.

Food:  Eamonn’s offers the best fish & chips in the DC metro area.  In fact, that’s really all they offer aside from their horribly decadent FRIED sweets.  Yes, they practice the somewhat insane version of dessert where they take an already sweet goodie (i.e. Snickers, Milky Way, Mars) and deep-fry it for extra fattiness.  Is it good?  If you’re brave enough to try it, it’s sublime.  Our friends like to get it every time their there, but as Dan and I are watching our weight a bit, we tend to focus our fat intake to the fish & chips.  They offer a variety of fish for frying, but my favorite is the classic cod.  The flesh is fresh, flaky and moist, and the batter is crispy and not too thick.  The fish alone tastes so good that you don’t really even need the sauces that they offer.  And that’s really saying something about the quality of their fish since their sauces are good enough to eat on their own.  The curry sauce is a favorite of mine as it lends a deliciously exotic flavor to the familiar and comforting fish.  I recommend you try at least 2 different sauces with your fish, since each sauce, like a fine wine, brings out a different flavor of the fish and definitely enhances your eating experience.

Service:  Eammon’s is a self-serve restaurant where you order your food at the bar, and carry it back yourselves to the communal tables.  The servers at the bar are always friendly and cheerful, even when the restaurant is jam-packed with customers vying for attention.

Summary:  Eammon’s is a great place to come for a pint of beer and the best fish & chips in the DC metro area.  Come on over, take off your coat and hat, settle down with a nice hearty brew and imagine the rolling green hills of Ireland as you consume one of the most classic dishes of all time.

Restaurant information:

• Address: 1600 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314
• Phone: 703-894-3440
• Website: http://www.eamonnsdublinchipper.com/
• Price Range: $9 - $20.

Dan and I, being such debonair socialites, hob nob with the cream of the crop, the foam on the latte, the princes among men.  Our friends are distinguished members of the talented elite, and to celebrate our general greatness (along with our friends’ successful publishing of their latest game for the iPod, Little Red Sled), we decided to meet up at Old Town Alexandria’s Brabo Tasting Room for drinks and merriment. Did I mention that our friends are uber talented and that they actually admit to knowing us?  Yes, yes, we’re that special.

Atmosphere:  You enter Brobo Tasting Room, and the first thing you see is a giant wood burning stove.  High ceilings, white tables, and metal accents, along with the wood burning stove provides an air of modern coziness, fashionable but intimate.  There are a handful of sit-down tables, a bar, and a stand-up table in the middle of the room, encouraging the feel of a cocktail party where people can take a glass of wine and mingle while grazing tasty goods.  The only complaint I had is that the high ceiling seemed to amplify the noise in the room, and it was hard to hold a conversation.

Food:  The Tasting Room offers a selection of wood-fired tarts (pizzas), mussels, sandwiches, salads and meat & cheese plates along with their selection of beers and wines.  The food was a bit of a hit and miss.  The braised pork belly tart was dripping grease and not enough flavor, and the meat plate was an unimaginative collection of similar tasting salamis (all too salty) that had everyone at the table sorely disappointed.  However, the mussels were a real treat.  We had both the classic white wine mussels and the tomato and parmesan mussels, and both had rich creamy broths packed with flavor that fully complemented their excellent complementary bread.  We didn’t try the sandwiches, but they looked large enough to feed two adults, and the cheese plates looked promising.

Service:  The service is casual and friendly.  The night we went was busy, so you might have to wait a bit for service.  It’s also a bit loud, so it’s hard to know if the waiter heard your order correctly or not.  In fact, we got an extra plate of mussles without asking for it, but they made sure we weren’t charged extra.

Summary:  Brabo Tasting Room is a great place for drinks and snacks, and you’ll be forced to have truly intimate conversations if you want to have conversations at all.  If you’re not in someone’s personal space, there is no way you’ll be understood, so it may be good if you’re on a first date, and you just want to gaze at each other while smiling and nodding.  Definitely try the mussels when you’re here, but stay away from the meat plate!

Restaurant information:

• Address: 1600 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314
• Phone: 703-894-3440
• Website: http://www.braborestaurant.com/
• Price Range: $9 - $20.

 A gorgeous new house and wedded bliss… What more can a newlywed couple ask for?  Well, certainly not for the dreaded WDI aka Wood Damaging Insects aka GAAAAA.  Not only were we blessed with wood-born beetles in our living room, we were also the landlords of carpenter ants in the study and termites in the basement.  The full WDI triumverate all wanted in on our fun.  Well, what can I say?  I’m a new bride, and I’m jealous of my husband’s attentions.  After a call to pest control and going Demi Moore (from GI Jane) on their sorry asses, I felt we were entitled to celebrate… outside of our house.  Hence we found ourselves at the oh so tasty Nava Thai.  Nothing can heal the soul like good food.

Atmosphere:  Nava Thai recently moved from being a rather charming hole-in-the-wall behind a supermarket to a new much larger location.  It looked like they bought the spot from an old Irish tavern.  There are faux-brick and real-brick walls playing tricks with your mind, an unused lovely fireplace, and of course, a full Cheers-style bar area, replete with a television tuned into the sports channel.  There are some touches of Thai decor sprinkled around to give it an eastern flair amidst all the Irish heartiness.  Despite it all, the restaurant looked polished and clean, and although I missed the homey and cozy earlier location, I can now say that Nava Thai is a place to which you could bring a date; I certainly couldn’t say that before (unless it was past your tenth date, and you knew your date was going to stick around with you even if you threw a couple of curve-balls).

Food:  There is a reason I chose to come to Nava Thai after my ordeal.  When you’ve been distressed, what you need is good, warm, curl-your-toes tasty food that will slap you back into shape like a stern mother, and Nava Thai definitely delivers.  I have gone to many a Thai restaurant in the DC area, and without a doubt, Nava Thai is the best one.  This is no Sala Thai or Thaiphoon, where you’re timidly eased into the exotic flavors with a helping hand of mildness.  Nava Thai is an explosion of flavor, pulling back nothing, bellowing, “I am Thai Food, here me roar!”  If it’s your first time here, order their Pad Thai and their Panang Curry, and you’ll taste the difference.  The flavors are straight forward and alive, blazing with pride, and henceforth, every other Pad Thai or Panang Curry you eat will taste like a mere shadow of the truth you glimpsed at Nava Thai.   If you’re feeling adventurous, go for the Floating Market Soup.  The broth is exceptional, but the taste is quite exotic and strange to the tongue, so it may take some getting used to.

Service:  In order to service their larger restaurant, Nava Thai has hired new staff.  The old staff is friendly as can be, and you’ll receive nice and cozy service.  The newer staff seemed to be a bit more gruff around the edges.

Summary:  If you want to experience authentic Thai food with bold, uncompromising flavors, Nava Thai is the best place to go.  Not only is the food just amazing, the price is unbeatable, and now with the more grown-up atmosphere, you can even bring a date. Eat up and be merry!

Restaurant information:

• Address: 11301 Fern Street, Wheaton, MD 20902
• Phone:240-430-0495
• Website: www.navathai.food.officelive.com
• Price Range: Appetizers $5-$8, Entrees $8-$12

Dear readers, after a long hiatus, the discerning eating duo are back!  What took us so long?  Well, we were busy getting ourselves hitched in a whirlwind romance, involving no less than six jars of fine Russian caviar, ten boxes of Sky vodka, copious amounts of pickled herring, musically phenomenal Russian relatives dressed as very good looking gypsies, and lots of respectful Korean bowing.  Of course, so much romance will turn your brain to mush, so we goo’d and gaa’d over each other during our honeymoon, then went into hibernation until our brains solidified into a more solid mass, and voila, you see us here again!

What better way to celebrate our return to intelligent living than by gathering our dear friends and marinating our still-delicate brains in complex wine and gorging ourselves on fatty meats?   Enter the perfect spot for recovering honeymooners, Vinoteca.

Atmosphere: Vinoteca has a bar.  Vinoteca has a dining area. Vinoteca has a sidewalk patio (and they’re building a patio out back as well).  Vinoteca is building a plush lounge upstairs.  In short, Vinoteca is a place for every occasion.  Do you want to stop by after work for a fabulous glass of wine and some munchies?  Check.  Do you want to have a romantic dinner with your sweetheart in the great outdoors of U-street DC?  Check.  Even the menu is flexible and allows you to either order a full meal or to make the drinks the main course and have the food as tasty accompaniments to enhance the flavor of the wine.  Cozy and chic, Vinoteca is a snazzy hangout.

Food: The appetizers and entrees are a tad small in size, a little expensive in price, and a shot short of fabulous.  The real treasure of Vinoteca is their cheese and charcuterie boards and their extensive selection of wine.  Dan, my darling Russian husband, is somewhat of an expert on salted meats (the Russians are forever preserving their meats for their super long winters).  In every restaurant we have been to, if a charcuterie board is part of the menu, we have ordered it.  And we can say, without any doubt in our minds, that the charcuterie board offered at Vinoteca is the best charcuterie board we have ever had.  The selection and quality (and quantity) on the board is unmatched by any other restaurant.  Let’s give you a taste of the meaty divine:

• Whisper thin slices of prosciutto di parma (pork from Italy),
• lomo (cured pork loin from Spain),
• smoked speck (cured ham smoked over beechwood from Germany),
• sopressata (spicy dried pork salami from the US),
• duck prosciutto (rich, decadently creamy and powerfully flavorful duck breast from the US),
• bresaola (eye of round from the US),
• jamon iberico (an astonishingly delicious and expensive rare pork ham from Spain),
• duck and pork country pate,
• and a rediculously luxurious truffled deviled egg

All of the above laden on a rustic wooden board and brought to you with hot crusty bread, and mmm mmm mmmmm, you have entered meat lovers’ paradise.  A couple of bottles of wine and a giant charcuterie board from Vinoteca is all you need for a night out with your dearest friends.  Good wine, good food, good friends, ahhh, la vie en rose.

The cheese selection  at Vinoteca is not something to be sneezed at either.  A wide selection of some bold and daring cheeses match their intriguing assortment of wines, and if you’re not too full from the charcuterie, by all means, order the cheese!   If you want something hot and toasty, their plate of sliders (2 oz mini burgers) are quite satisfying.

Service: Vinoteca is quite popular and usually very crowded.  I highly recommend making a reservation, especially if you have a larger group.  If you have to wait though, their bar is an excellent spot, especially from 5-7pm when you can get their happy hour $5/glass wines.  I’ve been to Vinoteca a couple of times now, and their service has always been friendly and efficient.  There are times when you may have to wait a bit for your waiter, though, as the restaurant does get crowded.

Summary: Vinoteca is a great place to bring your friends, date, coworkers and make merry.  Bring a blind date, and if all goes well, order a meal.  If not, grab a quick drink and move on.  Flexibility is the name of the game.  But whether you’re out for a meal or for a dignified glass of cabernet sauvignon, don’t forgo the delights of the charcuterie board and its magical meats.  I guarantee you’ll be back for more.

Restaurant information:

• Address: 1940 11th St. NW, DC 20001
• Phone: 202-332-WINE
• Website: http://www.vinotecadc.com
• Price Range: Appetizers $8-$10, Entrees $15-$19, Wine by the glass $5-$15
  

Delight of delights, Restaurant Week has finally come back to the DC metro area! From the old-world charm of Baltimore to the sophisticated polish of Bethesda and the vibrant streets of DC, Dan and I have explored and will continue to explore the native vegetation of restaurants to unearth the delectable gems of fine cuisine. We kicked off our Restaurant Week extravaganza in Bethesda. A little black dress, a couple of good friends, many bellies full of expectation and a small quantity of well-concealed drool, and voila, the scene is set! Entrez, mesdames et monsieurs!

Atmosphere: With their walls painted in hues of spicy mustard and richly aged ketchup, the restaurant is a warm and welcoming traditional space with hints of sophistication.

Food: The entire menu was available for Restaurant Week, a rare but much appreciated gesture. Excitedly, we carefully read through the entire menu to make sure we chose just the right things. The dishes that arrived at our table, however, were wildly inconsistent. A smoked trout spring roll, while intriguing on the menu, was completely boring on the plate. The taste of smoked trout was nowhere to be found, and all that was left was some chewy texture and nagging regret at having used part of my daily calorie intake on this bland disappointment. The sauteed calamari with nicoise tomatoes, pumpkin seed pesto, and rosemary polenta was delicious and well-executed, but the balsamic vinegar overpowered the pumpkin seed pesto and made it difficult to taste the pumpkin flavor. Dan’s entree, the Pecan Crusted Barbecued Rack of Lamb, was a solid performer but failed to stand out of the crowd of lamb dishes devoured by us through the ages; and my entree, the Atlantic Bouillabaisse with Saffron and Red Pepper Aioli, consisted of fresh, high quality seafood, but the flavor was less memorable than the bouillabaisse at Bistro Francais in Georgetown despite the obviously more expensive ingredients in the dish.

Service: The service was friendly and polished. Even though we lingered at the restaurant after the last customers had already left, the staff remained solicitous and kind.

Summary: Persimmon is a solid restaurant with well-prepared albeit a tad unimaginative dishes.

Restaurant information:

• Address: 7003 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
• Phone: 301-654-9860
• Fax: 301-654-9272
• Website: http://www.persimmonrestaurant.com
• Email: goodfood@persimmonrestaurant.com

• Price Range: Appetizers between $9 - $14, Entrees between $20 - $28.

My dear readers, you may (or may not) be excited to hear that Dan and I are finally homeowners! After weeks of exploring over 60 houses, we found a gorgeous home in Silver Spring that even includes a spacious tree house (Dan wishfully calls the tree house the “in-law suite”; I call it by it’s true name, “the dog house.”) The moment the movers finished bringing in all our boxes, we immediately rolled up our sleeves and got down and dirty to accomplish the most important task facing all new homeowners: Explore the local food scene! Hand-in-hand, we skipped down the tree-lined lane to Downtown Silver Spring. A bird or two may have sung along side us during our journey, but we were thankfully not pooped on. The fates smiled down upon us that glorious day.

Atmosphere: Ghar-E-Kabab is located in the heart of Downtown Silver Spring, right across the street from the Washington Sports Club. When you get to that corner, you may always have to fight the internal fight of food versus exercise. Needless to say, the victor was unambiguously clear for us. We headed straight for the food. The interior of the restaurant is small but cozy and sophisticated. Simple decor and candle-lit tables lend an air of class. As the restaurant is popular, more tables are squeezed into the space than would fit comfortably, but you are definitely not in a sardine-zone; you are more in a pickle-zone, where if you turn around, there’s a pickle right next to you, but you still have some of that delicious dill brine separating you from the other pickles. It’s a great place to bring someone on a casual date.

Food: The food at Ghar-E-Kabab is Nepalese Indian. You’ll find some unusual Nepalese dishes among the appetizers, such as the Momo (Nepalese dumplings with a nutty and slightly sour dipping sauce) and Cho-e-la, a boneless duck marinated in Nepalese spices then baked in a clay oven. We got both of these appetizers and were absolutely delighted! If you’ve never had Nepalese before, definitely order these dishes when you’re here. What about the entrees, you ask? Well, the Nepalese influence is evident in every delectable bite. Instead of the heavy creams and butter usually found in Indian dishes, Ghar-E-Kebab’s dishes are flavored with olive oil and fresh spices, so you can indulge in your favorite Indian dish without feeling like you have to run out to the gym across the street. Every familiar Indian dish like Chicken-Tikka-Masala and Chana-Masala have slimmed down and spiced up for incredible flavors that pop in the mouth. Dan and I usually share our dishes, but by the time I looked up from my own dish, Dan had wiped his clean with a piece of garlic naan.

Locally grown organic produce are used for the dishes, the chicken is free-range, the wine is made from organic grapes, the yogurt is home-made, and the take-out containers are all bio-degradable. A place where you can indulge in decadent Indian food but still feel light and green?  What more can you ask for?

Service:  The service at Ghar-E-Kabab is warm and friendly.  The owners and staff clearly love their restaurant and are proud of their offerings, and it shows.  Our waiter, beaming with pride, described in detail the Nepalese style of cooking and their commitment to being environmentally friendly and bringing fresh local ingredients to the table.  Every aspect of the restaurant, from the decor to the dishes to the service is executed with utmost care, and it was a true pleasure to dine in this positive atmosphere.  An extra bonus was finding out that our waiter is actually one of our new neighbors!  What a deeeelicious neighborhood.  We’ve definitely chosen our home well.

Summary:  Ghar-E-Kabab offers a healthy twist to traditional Indian food.  The Nepalese influence is subtle but intriguing and very flattering to my belly.  With it’s cozy interior and fabulous service, and of course it’s delicious dishes, Ghar-E-Kabab is a winner.  I’ve been there twice already, and I’m actually taking my friends there this Friday.  Now if only I can make it across the street to the gym as often as this…

Restaurant information:

• Address: 944 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring MD-20910, Map of 944 Wayne Ave Silver Spring, MD 20910-4428, US
• Phone: 301 587 4427
• Fax : 301 5874428
• Website: www.gharekabab.com
• Email: info@gharekabab.com
• Price Range: Appetizers between $4 - $6, Entrees between $9 - $20.

When I was single and man-hunting, I would carefully adorn myself in the hottest fashions (Orange was and is the new Pink) and strike out into the DC streets alert for prey. Alas, my meticulous grooming, sharpened nails and glistening teeth were wasted as no eligible bachelor was to be found. It was as if they knew I was lurking around the corners, waiting to catch them off guard and sink my teeth into … well, I’ll just leave it at that. So where had all the good men gone? Dear readers, I discovered the answer two weeks ago when I ventured into Poste Moderne Brasserie with Dan and our friends. From the quiet main street, we walked through a historic carriage portal which opened up into a magical wide courtyard brimming with young bucks and lasses, all dressed to impress and definitely on the tipsier side of tipsy. Jackpot!

Atmosphere: The wide courtyard and bar area was lush hunting ground for bachelors and bachelorettes.  Folks milled around the courtyard, drink in hand, inhibitions in pocket, and struck up conversations about anything and everything with willing participants.  As Dan and I were on a double date, our friends being an adorably married couple, we felt no need to partake in the festivities. The seated area of the restaurant was actually much more quiet, and the eclectic interior, with its 16-foot cast iron ceilings, soft lights and sumptuous booths, adds an air of sophistication to the vibrant atmosphere.

Food: The food was hit and miss. Dan had the Kona Kampachi (Hawaiian yellowtail, grapefruit, green onions and crispy ginger) for his appetizer. Although the yellowtail itself was fresh and delicious, the grapefruit’s flavor was a tad overwhelming for the thin slices of yellowtail. The Green Gazpacho was a complete disappointment and waste of money. We passed the gazpacho around the table and we still couldn’t finish the bland, slightly salty concoction. I barely tasted any tomatoes. However, the red wine braised rabbit with caramelized fennel and mushroom dumplings was an intriguing challenge to the taste buds. In this dish, not only was the rabbit and the dumplings individually cooked to perfection, the multitude of flavors and textures came together in beautiful harmony.

Service: We were seated for what seemed like an eternity before we were finally served some water and our order was taken. The reason for this slow service was because our rambunctious waiter, henceforth referred to as “Massimo,” insisted on providing each and every customer with his charming smile, sexy Italian accent, and spunky commentary on the menu. His lingering service slowed him down considerably, but he more than made up for this with his vivacity, and he actually added some personal touches to his service by giving the men at our table a good pat on the back and a wink every time he stopped by. At last count, our friend had received one more pat than Dan, and he was deemed the winner of the waiter’s affections. You’ll get great personal service, but just remember to be patient as service can be slow.

Summary: Poste Moderne Brasserie is a great place to stop by after work for a couple of drinks with your friends and co-workers.   The courtyard is great for mingling and socializing, especially when the weather is nice, as you can breathe some fresh air and actually hear what people are saying to you.  The food is daring and imaginative, the chef unafraid to experiment with combinations of ingredients and textures; the results are often phenomenal, but be wary of the couple that may fall flat.

Restaurant information:

• Website: http://www.postebrasserie.com/
• Address: 555 8th Street, NW, Washington DC 20004
• Phone: 202-783-6060
• Price range: Appetizers $10-15; Entrees $23-30 (Pre-Theater menu $30.08 three course meal)

Saturday was a beautiful day for wine tasting. Mid seventy’s, light breezes, mostly sunny. The crowd was the largest I’ve seen in 4 years. We hit almost all the wineries this year, with very little waiting. As I attend more and more wine festivals, I’m really thankful for the number of volunteers per winery that WitW has. On to the wines!

The Good: Fiore Winery was a treat. I spent some time talking with Michael Fiore, the winemaker. Much better than some random volunteer called in for the day. His ‘06 Cab Franc was one of the best of day. This is a grape you might not know much about, but it’s a Bordeaux grape that normally is <20% in your typical Cab Sav Bordeaux-style wine. It adds a peppery, spicy flavor with medium body when mixed. Maryland and Virginia must have great growing conditions for this grape, because our winemakers produce a lot of Cab Franc varietals. I also tasted his Gelata, a dessert wine. It’s easy to make a sugary sweet dessert wine that uncritical palates enjoy, but it’s pretty special to back off the sugar and let the fruit speak. Here, apricot and honey came through beautifully. He didn’t have his prosecco at the faire - so maybe a trip is in order.

Sugarloaf Mountain was another highlight. Another tasty ‘06 Cab Franc, but two I enjoyed the most were blends. The ‘06 Comos is their premier showcase wine. I found it highly drinkable, drier than most MD wines, with a smooth finish. The wine was pretty young, showing some less blended fruit flavorings, though they claim it’s ready to drink now. I think it’s designed to be aged a bit, but I’m not sure whether time will improve it. The wine I came home with (3 bottles) was the ‘06 Circe, a different blend of the typical Bordeaux varietals. This wine has the typical MD spicy side, with good fruit and a clean finish. This is a fun wine, meant to be drunk now, without the pretense of being great. A fantastic expression of what MD wine can be.

Elk Run was advertising their sparkling wine as Champagne on their tent. I was prepared to be completely unimpressed, considering that a) savvy buyers know that champagne refers to wine from Champagne region of France, b) almost no one in the us actually riddles their wine anymore, a critical part of méthode champenoise. The only people I knew that hand riddled their wine was Schramsburg in California. Well, make that two US winemakers. While still not forgiving them for calling their sparkling wine Champagne, they do in fact use méthode champenoise. The wine was very tasty and we even purchased a bottle for consumption on site. Lots of apple, tine bubbles, crisp finish. However, they face pretty stiff competition at their price point ($25/bottle), so shop carefully.

The Bad: Let me start by pointing out that, in the past, I have purchased wines from Loew Vineyards. This years offerings left something to be desired. The Seyval Blanc ($10/bottle) is listed as “Crisp; clean; apple and pear in the bouquet”. My notes say “dry & abrasive. not corked, but off-smelling. puckers the cheeks.” This is pretty typical of the base-line MD whites. Their Cab Sauv tasted of prunes and strawberries. Can’t saw I’ve tasted prunes in my wine before, and based upon this experience, I’d like to keep it that way. The finish was terrible and left me looking for water to rinse the taste out.

Other wineries were similar. A new bad one this year was Terrapin Station. They promote a fun, fresh image where wine isn’t snooty. Unfortunately for them, their wines are just badly made. It’s box wine (in 1.5L boxes!), and frankly their stuff is pretty much undrinkable. They must have really young vines, or a poor growing season, or something, because I think it was embarrassing to try to serve those wines at any price. I hope they do better next year.

The Ugly: Ok boys and girls, lets talk seriously for a moment here. I can respect Terrapin’s offerings, because they are trying (however unsuccessfully) to use the grape varietals and produce wines that express their flavors. So they are merely ‘bad’. It’s time to talk ugly. It seems that many MD wineries, instead of owning up to terrible grapes, feel the need to mix in strange flavors to hide terrible wine. I spent some time Saturday trying to find some redeeming qualities in the flavored offerings. I could not. Some lowlights: Boordy offers their JezzBerry, a concoction made from raspberries and strawberries. I had to choke this down as some perfectly lovely older ladies were telling me how much they Absolutely Loved! it and “don’t you agree dear?”. Almost as bad was the TangoPeach. This adds peaches and a whole bunch of residual sugar to hide the awfulness. Drinkable, but why would you?

But a special place must be reserved for Solomons Island. In years past I would have classified them as merely bad, similar to Terrapin. But this year they have elevated their game and earn an indelible black mark for their mist collection. A Green Apple Riesling could maybe be forgiven. But Exotic Fruits White Zinfandel? Isn’t white zin a pretty uncritical wine to begin with? Or maybe Black Raspberry Merlot? Didn’t try it, but I can’t imagine it’s good. The one I did try was the Blueberry Pinot Noir. I wish I had a video of my face as I tried this special treat. It was awful on every level. The nose was rotten blueberry, thick with bad fruit. That pretty much previewed the taste, which as far as I could tell was designed to abuse your taste buds so much that they cannot taste anything further. The finish, once I could taste again, was god awful. Unforgivable.

So there you have it. Wine in the Woods ‘08 was a success. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed writing about it.

Hello DC Flavors readers! DK was kind enough to invite me to do an occasional column on the liquid side of dining in and around our city. I’ll be posting my thoughts on restaurant wine lists, wines I’ve had recently, or just old favorites I think you might enjoy. In addition, I typically attend or host wine tastings in the area. My plan is to take my notes from such events and type them up here.

As a kickoff event, I’ll be attending Wine in the Woods tomorrow. This will be my 3rd year attending this event. MD wines range from truly awful (I’m looking at you, blue/rasp/strawberry wine makers) to the everyday drinkable. I’m still holding out hope that one day I’ll find a MD wine that I want to open with a really nice meal for my wife and I, rather than pulling them out as party wines for uncritical crowds. Come out and see if it’s possible! And if you cannot make it, I’ll be posting a report later this weekend.

Finally, Dan and I have reached the singular point in our lives where we may indulge in a most sacred and unassailable right to eat cake. No longer do we have to fear the gnarly fingers of society matrons pointing in our general direction in condemnation and disgust as we shovel mounds of sugary frosting into our mouths with our bare hands. Those same gnarly fingers now gently pat our backs as we engage in the same activity, perhaps even wiping a wistful tear from their eyes as they reminisce about sweet young love. Yes, my dear readers, we are planning our wedding, and one of our tasks (mandated by bridal magazines everywhere) is to eat lots and lots of cake in the quest to find and order the wedding cake of our dreams. Our quest landed us at the doorsteps of the most romantic time and place in the world, Le Matin de Paris. Ahh l’amour!

Atmosphere: Le Matin de Paris is a Korean-style French bakery in Annandale, VA. The bakery is decorated in bold yellows and blues, evocative of a French country home. Now imagine taking the quaint charming colors, and giving the decor a modern face-lift. Voila, you have Le Matin de Paris, charming and cozy yet sophisticated and young at the same time. This is a great place for a first date, or second, or third… It’s generally pretty quiet, so it’s also good for catching up with friends or casual meetings.

Food: Mango mousse cake! Mocha cake! Dark chocolate and strawberry cake! Gaaa! There are so many tasty treats, and they’re all scrambling in my head to get out. The desserts at Le Matin de Paris are truly unique. A soft Korean twist to traditional French desserts leaves you with delightfully light, not overly sweet creations that melt in your mouth like a piece of heaven. Try any dessert with mousse, and you won’t be disappointed. They are master mousse makers.

If you want to try some traditional Korean desserts, they have them too in the form of Bing-Soo’s. These are shaved ice treats with sweet red beans, a mix of fruit toppings, and a dollop of ice cream to boot. A truly refreshing dessert for the summer that will leave you satisfied instead of thirsty.

And don’t forget to pick up some breads and goodies to take home with you when you leave. There are fluffy breads in various flavors like whole grain, milk, or brown rice (sandwich breads that received luxurious spa treatments and came out somewhere slightly short of decadent pastry, so you can feel good about eating a lot of it). And there are of course some traditional Korean sweets like An-Pang, sweet breads filled with red bean paste.

Everything I’ve had here has been delicious, so go ahead and experiment!

Service: Le Matin de Paris is a bakery, so you order your goodies and take them to tables yourselves. The staff is very friendly, and they speak English, so no worries there!

Summary: If you’re ever in the area, you should definitely stop by, either after a meal or even for a meal. You can make a meal out of desserts (yes, it is possible), and there is no better place to do that than here. I think the desserts are slightly pricey here, but I can’t tell you that for sure. I’m always too busy eating here, and I’m usually in a coma afterwards, so Dan always has to pay.

Restaurant information:

• Website: http://www.morningofparis.com/
• Address: 7236 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA
• Phone: 703-914-0088
• Price range: ?? I think slightly pricey, but well worth it.