My! How Vinolovers has grown? It feels like not too long ago, I was attending the D.C. startup's launch party at 1776 (see pictures below) and now they're throwing VinoFest DC, a huge wine and music festival at a venue so cool I haven't even heard of it yet. Let me backtrack... Vinolovers is a DC-based personalized wine subscription and delivery service and this is their second year hosting VinoFest DC actually. Last year's event was held at Union Market, and on Saturday, May 9, wine producers, musicians, DJs and of course, vinolovers, will take over Storey Park in NoMa. If you've been in the city for a while like I have you may remember that place as the former Greyhound bus station. ...
Liquid Diet
Equal Pay Day at DCanter & Around D.C.
There's not much to cheer about the fact that, in America, women still earn 78 percents of what their male counterparts do. Equal Pay Day illustrates this inequality by marking the point at which women’s earnings finally equal those of men’s from the previous year. This year, that's April 14, symbolizing that woman must work 3 months and 14 days into the next year to make as much as a man. To call attention to the Gender Pay Gap, a number of local businesses are offering a 22% discount for women (and their advocates) on Tuesday. One of these is DCanter, a wonderful Eastern Market wine boutique owned by Michael and Michelle Warner. To shed a light on the 22% pay disparity between men and ...
Wine Wednesday: Introducing Truvée by the McBride Sisters
It's not unusual to refer to wine making as a family affair, but Andrea and Robin McBride are far from your typical winemakers. Their newly launched wine label, Truvée, is a nod to how the sisters, in fact half-sisters, found (get it, trouvée... truvée...) each other despite growing up continents apart. "We found each other, now we want people to find a wine that matters to them,” Andréa shared at a luncheon I recently attended to introduce Truvée to Washington, D.C. In addition to sampling great food (the luncheon was hosted at BToo afterall) and tasting good wine, I also got to hear firsthand the amazing story of how these long-lost sisters met and got to where they are ...
Sip Into Spring with RAMW’s Spring Wine Fling
I don't really need a reason to drink wine on a regular weeknight, but if you do, here's one for you: it's Spring Wine Fling!!! During this week-long (March 23-29, 2015) celebration of wine programs across the Washington, D.C. region, participating bars and restaurants are offering special flights, tastings and/or parings of seasonal wines. Last night, I sat down at Boss Sheperd's, in part because I had never been and I figured it was a good excuse, to check out their spring wine fling offering. For $15, you can order a flight of three wines, sparkling, white, red or a mix from either category. I opted for the mix, though if you go, I recommend the sparkling wine flight that includes my ...
Drink the District’s Cloverfest Returns to Yards Park on March 14
Obviously, I'm more into celebrating the Gallic than the Gaelic, but it is Saint Patrick's Day and it is a big deal around here. Never one to miss toasting a big holiday, Drink the District is back with its second Cloverfest at Yards Park. The beer-centric event will feature unlimited sampling and full pours from over 20 breweries and cider houses like Sam Adams, Lancaster Brewing Company, Atlas Brew Works, Brewery Ommegang or Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery. And of course, since it's Saint Paddy's Day there will be a very special green beer ;-) Hopefully, the weather will be nice because there will also be dueling piano shows, giant Jenga, beer pong and other backyard games ...
A Year In Champagne at the Angelika Film Center
With its reserved seating, gourmet concessions and interesting mix of blockbuster and special interest films, the Angelika Film Center & Cafe at the Mosaic District is one of my absolute favourite movie theater in the Washington area. Keyword: Washington area. It’s nowhere near the city and pretty inconvenient to get to if you don’t have a car. So I was thrilled when a smaller, albeit temporary version, of the art-house movie theater popped up behind Union Market. It became pretty handy when I was trying to catch up on my Oscar nominated films, showing Whiplash, Still Alice and a couple of other nominated flicks. Eventually, the pop-up Angelika Film theater at Union Market will transform ...
Oyamel Tequila & Mezcal Festival Returns March 2-15
Oyamel's annual Tequila & Mezcal Festival is back with a new theme this year: Mexican chiles! Since it's almost March and we're still getting hit by snow, I'll take a little heat wherever I can get it... and that includes in my cocktails! At last Tuesday's preview party, I got to sample the drinks and dishes that will be served during the festival's opening party on Monday, March 2 . Let's start with the food. It was great, it always is at Oyamel, with various chiles highlighted in every dish, including dessert (chili-infused Mexican chocolate cookies)! If you enjoy the Nopalitos salad on the restaurant's regular menu and enjoy a bit of spice, you'll love the extra kick added to the ...
Made-in-DC: Vodka & Whiskey at One Eight Distilling
One Eight Distilling is the second distillery to open in Washington, D.C. since prohibition. It happened to open on my birthday, so I thought a little local vodka and whiskey would make for a fun celebration. I wasn't the only one who had the brilliant idea to check out the distillery that day, and the 2,000 square foot tasting room in NorthEast's Ivy City neighbourhood was packed! For now there are only two spirits that can be sampled: the rye-based District Made Vodka and the Rock Creek White Whiskey. We tried both in small One Eight Distilling branded shot glasses while waiting for our tour of the adjoining 7,500 square foot production space to start. Like Green Hat Distillery, One Eight ...
Melt for Raclette: Throw a Raclette Dinner Party
Raclette is a hearty dish, meant to be enjoyed after a day on the Alps slopes. Even without the skiing, it's a fun meal to share with friends and requires very little actual cooking. That makes it ideal for the busy hostess, so I love hosting raclette dinner parties in the winter. If you don't already know raclette, let me introduce you to one of Switzerland's signature dish. Raclette is four things really: A pungent washed rind cows milk cheese. The dish you make with that cheese. The grill you use to melt the raclette (cheese) for the raclette (dish). The dinner party where people get together to eat the raclette (dish) made by melting raclette (cheese) on the raclette ...
French Movies at the 2014 AFI-EU Film Showcase
The 2014 AFI-EU Film Showcase opens today at AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland. Presented by the American Film Institute (AFI) in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to the United States and EU Member States, the festival showcases the best in current European filmmaking and this year's selection includes more than 50 films shown throughout the month of December (the 27th edition of the festival runs from December 3-21, 2014.) French and French-language films are well represented, as always: The Dardenne brothers' "Two days, one night" (showing Fri, Dec 12, 7:30 and Sun, Dec 14, 3:40), Belgium's official selection for the Oscars Girlhood (Thu, Dec 4, ...