The cure for a hot summer day
Mint Juleps are a favorite of mine. Many bars serve them, but many bars also do a terrible job of preparing them. I have not been to the Scotch Bar at Round Robin, but they seem to be an authority on the subject - and obviously the intended aim of this video is not to teach me mixology as much as it is to make me want them to mix up their signature cocktail for me. I think I owe them a visit or two.
Personally, I'm also a huge fan of new, creative and unique cocktails. After all, the mint julep has been around for two hundred years. If you're not interested in a place like Round Robin, the late-night speakeasy feel of the Gibson, on U street, may appeal to you. Most importantly, the Gibson has established itself as one of the city's top cocktail bars. Having lived in Chicago, I've been spoiled when it comes to cocktail bars (and I highly recommend the Violet Hour and hipster favorite the Whistler if you're ever in the Midwest), but if I find more bars like the Gibson, I'll be very happy here in DC.
Bavarian Washington
We have been focusing a lot on local wine in recent months, but of course the DC area is a great place to find delicious beers as well. Fans of German beer (like myself) have been very excited about the new H street spot, Biergarten Haus. Finally, there is a place to buy liter pitchers of Franziskaner and Warsteiner Dunkel, not to mention a generous menu of hearty Teutonic foods like spätzle and a variety of sausages - although sadly, they don't carry Käsekrainer, a staple of my Munich beer garden memories. I forgive them, though, because their Jägerschnitzel sounds tasty.
Naturally, this makes for the perfect environment for watching this Saturday's World Cup match between Germany and Argentina. All games will be screened on huge HD TVs and outdoor projection screens, and it should be a great game.
I am very excited to try this spot, so check back soon for a more comprehensive review.
BrewDog Tasting at ChurchKey
If any beer lovers you know aren't familiar with BrewDog, they should be. This Scottish brewery is famous for having some of the most insanely strong beers ever - at 41 percent ABV, their Sink the Bismarck is more alcoholic than rum. But they also make some incredibly tasty beers, and this Wednesday (the 9th), brewmaster James Watt will be visiting ChurchKey at Birch & Barley in Logan Circle to show off ten of his best-sellers, including their famous Paradox, aged in whiskey(!) barrels. These beers are hard to come by in the Washington area, and for serious beer lovers, this will be a rare treat.
Swedenburg
Swedenburg Winery is one the most disappointing wineries in the area. Its only saving grace? It is remarkably easy to find. Seriously. And with our drivers you don't even have to worry about that. The location is average and the wine - we'll let the customer speak about that: "I come from a long line of non-discriminating wine drinkers - and I couldn't drink it. Three steps below box wine." She continued, saying "the tasting was quickly over, with the vintner talking about it as little as possible."
There are tables on one side of the winery that you can relax at and eat something on, but are basic wooden affairs. They did sell jewelry and a murder-mystery writer set in the winery.
More Virginia Wine
Given the huge number of wineries in the state of Virginia, it may not be practical for the average connoisseur to visit each and every one. This is why this weekend's (June 5th and 6th) Vintage Virginia festival is such a treat. Fifty of the state's top wineries will be presenting their offerings, showcasing a wide variety of wines from Virginia's five distinct growing regions. In addition, local artists and craftsmen will be selling their wares, and there will be a variety of local foods - you'll want something to eat after all that wine.
If you can't make it to the festival, the Washington Post also has a great guide to the best wineries and vineyards to visit in Virginia. We've already written about Chrysalis, but until we get to write about more, we encourage you to check out the places on the list.
Piedmont vineyard
The second and last of the wineyards, Piedmont is supposed to be renowned for their Chardonnay. Sadly, as a driver I could not try the Chardonnay, but would love to hear about it in the comments.
The clients observed that this vineyard - Piedmont - is smaller and only had 5 wines to try all told. At half of Chrysalis Vineyard's selection, the choices were a bit limiting. The smaller vineyard did have some friendly, homey touches, with a chocolate lab running around and more of a barnyard feel to it.
It also had great places to hangout in a rural setting. You could relax under a tree near the house with a bit of privacy, and the tasting house itself was well sized and air conditioned. On the day we went the weather was great, but the outdoor seating is definitely on the rustic side here.
This vineyard works as either a nice Chardonnay-motivated stopover with its proximity to Middleburg and Boxwood Vineyard, Swedenburg, and Chrysalis, or a rustic relaxing spot for people that enjoy the barnyard feel.
Chrysalis
Although the wine gets mixed reviews, Chrysalis Vineyards is one of the most convenient wineries in the area, blessed with a great location, and offers some of the best amenities
This vineyard has a large stone grill, perfect for grilling burgers while enjoying a bottle of their Rubiana. There are some nicely shaded options in a slightly more developed vineyard than other options.
One customer described the wine as very drinkable but another said that she couldn't find anything she liked here. Fortunately, as a larger vineyard, it has a bigger variety to choose from. The pour, however, was described as small.
Inside line - grill on from 10-4. Mixed wine reviews, with a better selection than most. Perfect lunch stopover with concrete pads for the tables and lots of outdoor tasting booths.
Vineyards Tour Today – Reviewing the wineries!
We are proud to support Virginia's wineries, an up-and-coming set of wineries in the fabulouly beautiful rolling foothills of the Appalachians. Today we are conducting a tour of some of these vineyards. We will be blogging about the individual wineries, helping you and your drivers to be experts in local wine and culture.
Our base for the today will be Middleburg, VA. One of the most wealthy and beautiful places to visit in the Mid-Atlantic, Middleburg has a fabulous collection of historic free-stone walls. These free-stone walls are built without mortar, created by simply stacking stones on top of each other. It seems straight out of Macchu Picchu. They make a wonderful architectural detail, lining route 50 and most of the older properties in the region.
We currently have Chrysalis, Piedmont and Swedenburg vineyards on the list, and will put up individual posts as we visit each one.
Great News – Written by a guest contributor
So I went to my ASAP class on Saturday and my class will not be extended the extra two weeks as a result of the snow days. Thanks to scheduling issues, we will be making up the two missed classes on Sundays. This means that the class will only go for the allotted eight weeks and not ten.
This is great news for me - it means I will get my drivers license two weeks earlier than expected. I can't wait to be on the road again.
Drinking and driving is just not worth the hassle.
A snow day – written by a guest contributor
So it snowed on Saturday. I really wish it hadn't. I called the ASAP place Friday night and there was a message saying that all classes were scheduled as usual.
The next morning I had a family member drive me to the office. On the way, it was snowing pretty heavily and I decided to try the ASAP number again. The message was thoroughly confusing. It said that classes on December 20th were canceled, but that normal classes would resume on Monday, December 21st. Since it was late January, they had obviously made a mistake. I decided too keep going and make sure the class was canceled in person.
During the first class orientation, they had stressed upon me the very strict attendance policy. After driving out to Fairfax in the middle of a snow storm, a note on the door told me that the day's Drunk Driving class was postponed.
Not only did this mean a wasted day. It also meant a wasted week. The ASAP class consists of 8 classes but is scheduled for 10 weeks. This is to account for any snow days or holidays. This just means another week before I can get my Drivers License back
