Don't Flip Out

Holiday shopping crowds and traffic have you down today? Rather than flip out, whip up a flip. You'll be glad you did.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you enjoy family and friends, and good food and drink today. If you are still scrambling for something to make to take to dinner, try the Zinfandel-Spiced Cranberry Sauce from Epicurious. I've been making it for years, and it's always a great alternative to the stuff out of the can:

Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Zinfandel

Courtesy of Epicurious.com

1 3/4 cups red Zinfandel (Kelly's note: plus a glass or two for the chef, of course...)
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 3x1-inch strip orange peel
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

Combine all ingredients except cranberries in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Strain syrup into large saucepan. Add cranberries to syrup and cook over medium heat until berries burst, about 6 minutes. Cool. Transfer sauce to medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

The Gibson

Last Friday evening I had the pleasure of trying some drinks at my friend Derek Brown's new "secret" bar The Gibson. It's located at 14th and U Street, next to Marvin. Only a black door and the address 2009 marks it--there is no sign. But the word is already out there. When we walked up, there was a party of 6 or 7 trying to get in. They were instructed to head next door to Marvin until a table was ready. Luckily, we were on the list and were ushered in to 2 prime spots at the bar--the perfect location to watch the magic happening behind the bar...

Another blogger posted the menu here. It's divided into sections for Vodka/Gin; Rum/Tequila; Whiskey/Whisky; Brandy/Other Spirits; Bubbles; and red and white wines. If you go, remember that the star is the expertly crafted cocktails, not just the "speakeasy" factor.

I started with the Salad Days Sour, which turned out to be our favorite drink of the evening, with Celery-Infused Macchu Pisco, lemon juice and celery bitters, topped with burnt ground cinnamon in a straight line going across the drink. It was fresh and frothy and perfectly balanced, and the cinnamon gave it a sweet/savory kick at the end. (It also smelled wonderful when they were burning it while making the drink.) My husband started with the Rhum Manhattan. Since we're not big whiskey fans, this drink was a nice alternative to the traditional Manhattan. But it still packed a potent punch.

For the second round, I tried the London Special Variation, with Beefeater gin, Ramos White Port, a Champagne float and bergamot syrup. The aromatics of the gin and bergamot partnered very well, and the Champagne added a refreshing effervescence. Mike was looking for something on the rocks (all the other drinks we tried were up), and opted for the Tequila Orchard--Partida Reposado, Domaine de Canton, apple juice, lime and aromatic bitters, served in a tall glass with crushed ice. Hit the spot perfectly--apple and ginger are a great match for the reposado.

The Gibson is strikingly beautiful inside, with countless attention to details. I especially liked the leather-topped bar, and thoughtful hooks on the underside of the bar for bags and coats. I look forward to seeing how the menu will evolve with Derek's libation inspirations.

Cool Tips

Don't let ice be an afterthought to your cocktails. Read some hot tips about these cool cubes in my Wine Enthusiast article online.

My wines weren't far off the mark...

On Friday night we went to check out the Old Ebbitt Grill's Oyster Riot, where 20+ stations of all different varieties of freshly shucked oysters were up for grabs, along with oyster hors d'oeuvres, shrimp cocktail, crab claws and all the wine you wanted. I was fortunate to serve as a judge a few weeks ago to help decide which wine pairs best with oysters (any winery was invited to submit bottles, and the top 20 turned out to be--not surprisingly--crisp whites, along with one sparkling wine. Many wines were NZ Sauvignon Blancs.)

The top vote getter was the 2008 Saint Clair Vicar's Choice Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. This wasn't one of my fave NZ SBs the night of the judging, but some of my other choices did land in the top ten. Here are the rest of the top vote getters, along with my thoughts/rank:

2. J Vineyards and Winery J Cuvee 20, Russian River Valley (as the only sparkler, it stood out. I ranked it 6th.)
3. 2008 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (This was my number one pick--balanced, crisp and not over the top fruity)
4. 2008 Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (I ranked this as number 3. I have always enjoyed Spy Valley's wines and had the pleasure of meeting the winemaker.)
5. 2007 Domaine de Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc, Gascone (This didn't make it into my top 10, but after retasting it at the Riot I thought it stood up well to oysters.)
6. 2007 Backsberg Chenin Blanc Paarl (I also discounted this one early one--I thought it left an odd aftertaste with the oyster.)
7. 2008 Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (this was my number 8. Nicely balanced fruit and acidity.)
8. 2008 Brancott Letter Series B Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (this was my number 4 pick, though during the blind tasting I mistook it for a Loire white.)
9. 2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (I gave this one a 5. Incidentally, Kim Crawford was last year's oyster riot winner.)
10. 2008 Babich Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (I didn't put this in my top 10. Though it was the 20th wine we tasted, so my palate may have been tired at that point...)

The wine I selected as 3rd best--a 2008 Nimbus Estate Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca, Chile, was one I had never heard of before. But I really enjoyed the lemony finish, which made it a nice match for the oysters.

For the judging, we tasted each wine with an Olympia oyster. They are small and manageable, but not my favorite variety. They sometimes left a funky aftertaste in my mouth which undoubtedly affected my rank of the wine I sipped with it. I would have preferred to sample the wines with a bivalve with a cleaner taste--Friday night, we really enjoyed the Blackberry Points from Prince Edward Island, and the Salt Aires, also from PEI.

No matter, I was grateful to have been part of this longstanding DC tradition.

You can read more about the wines and the oyster riot at

Cocktails for PB Lovers...

Love peanut butter? Then check out these 2 current cocktail offerings available at DC's CityZen and Central:

Rum, Peanut, Rum

St. Lucia's luscious Castries peanut rum liqueur is caught in a ménage à trois with Remy Martin VSOP Cognac and Godiva chocolate liqueur, sprinkled with salt and served up. If you're known to polish off the complimentary bar bowl of salted nuts, you'll discover that Castries savory, not-too-sweet flavor goes down way too easily. It's liquid dreams with peanut envy.

CityZen, 1330 Maryland Avenue SW, 202.787.6006

Hot Peanut Buttered Rum

Mixologist Justin Guthrie uses coldwashing—where liquor infused with some kind of fat (like bacon or butter) is then frozen to separate the solids from the tasty booze—with Bacardi rum and peanut butter. A fragrant buttered clove tea makes the resulting drink like a hot toddy, and the whipped cream and candied hazelnuts on top are a sweet surprise. “Usually in the beginning people say ‘peanut butter, no way,’” says Guthrie. “Then they take a sip and it’s total silence.”

Michel Richard Central, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 202.626.0015

I'm loving these glasses...

I make a lot of cocktails that are straight up, but sometimes I just don't want to serve them in a traditional cocktail (aka martini) glass. They are WAY too easy to knock over, and the slosh factor makes them clumsy for cocktail parties.

On the flip side, serving drinks over ice in rocks glasses is retro and classy, but sometimes a bit too boring...And if the drink isn't that large, volume-wise, serving it in this style of glassware can look chintzy.

Enter Crate and Barrel's Dizzy Cocktail Glass. It's perfect for cocktails straight up, those over ice and even warm coffee or tea libations. I picked up a bunch a few weeks ago before a dinner party at my house, and used them to serve the Eve's Plumb cocktail I blogged about awhile back. They are sturdy, attractive and sooooo inexpensive--the all clear ones I got are a whopping $1.95, while ones with a colored base are $2.95 (pick up some red and green ones, and you are ready to fete the halls this holiday social season...)

"Flat" Cava

Last night we opened up a bottle of Albet i Noya Xarel-Lo Classic. Astute wine drinkers will note that Xarel-Lo is the main grape in Spain's answer to Champagne--Cava. So it was no surprise that the wine tasted pretty much like Cava...without the bubbles or yeasty notes. It had some appealing citrus and crisp apple, light body and a clean finish that paired nicely with the pork chops in a mushroom/cream/wine sauce we made (we actually used some leftover Roussanne in the sauce, but the Xarel-Lo would have worked, too.)

Albet i Noya also happens to be Spain's largest producer of organic wines. You can see their entire catalog on their website.

Well-deserved "Video Buzz" for one of my fave drinks

Washingtonian finally picked up on the cool concoction that is Cafe Atlantico's Jill Zimorski's "Faux Syrah, Syrah."

Let's see? In how many articles have I featured that drink over the past six months? Wine Enthusiast, Cheers and Modern Luxury DC.

It feels good to know I scooped The Washingtonian. :-)

An energy bar with a glass of white, please

I'm always on the lookout for cool, interesting white blends. So I was super excited when I stumbled across Clif Bar Family Winery's "The Climber" 2007 white blend recently while dining at two DC-area restaurants: Redwood in Bethesda, and Urbana in DC. Yes, the same folks who bring us Clif and Luna Bars make some decent juice.

This wine is a blend of 81% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Pinot Blanc, 4% Chenin Blanc and 3% Muscat. So it's similar in profile to a Sauvignon Blanc with regards to the acidity, passionfruit and citrus flavors, but the other grapes do a great job of rounding out the blend with honeysuckle, peach and nectarine, and a fuller mouthfeel.

The best part is that it retails for around $14--definitely do-able as a house white. In Northern Virginia, you can get The Climber at Wegman's and Whole Foods.

Dishing it Out link...in case you missed it

In case you missed the Sunday morning broadcast of "Dishing It Out" with Nycci and David Nellis on Federal News Radio 1500 AM, here is the link (just click on the November 9, 2008 show link from this page.)

Nycci and David talk with Barton Seaver and Robert Eggers about the DC Central Kitchen and the Capital Food Fight, chat with Wolfgang Puck on the phone about the concept of the "celebrity chef", and I discuss "earthy" wines to pair with hearty, cool weather food.

You can hear Dishing It Out every Sunday morning at 11 AM on 1500 AM, or stream it on the internet.

Wines for Bivalves

Fresh Oysters + Crisp White Wines = Kelly's Culinary Heaven

I'm so excited to be serving as a judge for Old Ebbitt Grill's International Wines for Oysters Competition this evening, a precursor to the Ebbitt's hugely popular Oyster Riot next weekend.

During the competition this evening, wines entered from all over the world will be sampled with raw oysters judges (including myself) from the fields of politics, medicine, journalism and food. Each year a field in excess of 400 wines is narrowed through several rounds of blind tastings with the top 10 gold medal winners being announced and poured at The Riot.

To get an idea of the wines that typically perform well in the Competition, check out previous winners by clicking here. Usually crisp whites like Sauvignon Blancs, Sancerres and Muscadets are at the top--all of which are among my favorite wines...

The Oyster Riot itself is one of the greatest parties of each year in Washington. Always held the Friday & Saturday before Thanksgiving, the Riot is DC’s preeminent food and wine event. Each night, nearly 1000 people devour tens of thousands oysters while enjoying the worlds best oyster wines and ales backed by local blues band Mudcat.

If you didn't already snag your tickets to the Riot, forget about it--they typically sell out in less than an hour.

Kelly on the radio

I'll be appearing live on Sunday morning on Nycci and David Nellis' "Dishing it Out" radio show on WTOP radio Washington.

The show runs from 11 am to noon, and I'll be appearing during the last 10 minutes or so, discussing "earthy" wines that pair with the cuisine and cooking preparations of fall and winter. Those of you in the DC area can catch it on the radio on 1500 or 820 am. Anyone can also stream it live on the internet by going to http://www.federalnewsradio.com/ and clicking on the "Listen Live" button on the top section of the screen. If you miss it, you can listen to the show in .mp3 format once it's posted by clinking the link for the 11/9 show on the lefthand side of http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=1493006&nid=410.

Have a great weekend!

Come see me at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show!

On Saturday, I'll be doing a wine seminar at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show in DC. The 2-day show features cooking demonstrations; food, beverage and entertaining exhibitors; celebrity chefs like Giada deLaurentis, Paula Deen and Bobby Flay; and a beer and wine tasting tent (where I'll be.)

If you are at the show, stop by the beer and wine area on Saturday afternoon at 2 PM. Hope to see you there! For more info, go to http://www.metrocooking.com/2008DC/program/wine_beer.html.

Reston gets a dose of Passion

The restaurant scene at the Reston Town Center has slowly been improving, but it's still filled with too many ho hum chains for my liking. That's why I was excited at the recent opening of PassionFish, the newest restaurant from Passion Food Hospitality, whose owners, Chef Jeff Tunks, Gus Dimillo, and David Wizenberg, also run DC Coast, Ten Penh, Ceiba and Acadiana.

The look is sleek yet sea like, with lots of brushed metal, along with blues and tans. Bubble chandeliers hang from the light fixtures, and whimsical fish sculptures created from scrap metal dot the walls. (I saw one with a spatula for a tail, and the restaurant is waiting for the arrival of a much larger fish that will serve as more of a focal point.) One long blank wall will also have an abstract moving ocean or fish scene projected onto it. A second floor offers a bit more privacy--especially one cute romantic table just to the right of the top of the stairs. The back wall of the attractive bar has tiny multicolored tiles, and cute touches at the tables like flatware whose ends are shaped like fishtails keep the look casual and fun. PassionFish made its debut on October 25, and it was pretty busy last evening for a Wednesday night (maybe some of it was post-election celebration?)

The cocktail menu doesn't offer anything completely out of the ordinary, but there are classy choices like the French 75 (though the gin, sugar and lemon in mine could have served from 30 seconds or so in the shaker with ice before topping it with sparkling wine), along with a Caipirinha, Mojito, St. Germain cocktail and a handful of others. The wine list has a good selection of reasonably-priced wines by the glass, and for a restaurant that mainly offers seafood, they get it right--it's heavy on crisp whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet and Vermentino; and lighter reds like Pinot Noir.

A small raw bar overlooks the kitchen, and guests can select a la carte from the raw bar menu. Larger appetites can select the "Big Daddy", which at $69 offers clams, oysters, shrimp cocktail, crab claws and lobster. The other appetizers are divided into cold and hot. The hamachi crudo was fantastic. Thinly sliced over a piece of red grapefruit, and topped with olive oil, sea salt and a slice of jalapeno, the fish was a culinary lesson in balance. Crispy fried oysters were delicate and not at all chewy or greasy, and served on an interesting celery root and green apple slaw with tarragon aioli. Even those who proclaim not to like oysters would polish off these.

The highlight for me on the entree side was butter poached lobster done in a red curry sauce. I'm typically a lobster purist--just steam it and serve it with drawn butter--but this dish was really tasty--rich, buttery and savory, with a curry sauce that added flavor and seasoning, but not heat that would overpower the delicate shellfish.

Just as at their other area restaurants, donuts make an appearance on the dessert menu (thank goodness.) Here they take the form of donut holes, served with a coffee bavarian cream. While the cream was delicious, I preferred to enjoy the warm donuts on their own. Other choices like a key lime meringue tart with ice cream, mango and pineapple may better serve those who want a tart ending to their meal.

Since I live in the Reston area, I welcome the arrival of restaurants like PassionFish that give me a taste of DC with a much shorter drive...For more information about PassionFish, check out their website.

The Candidates' Cocktails

Check out some cocktails inspired by the election, the candidates and their spouses in my online Wine Enthusiast article. Whip up some as you watch the results tonight.

Get out the vote today!

Savory Sips

Need a break from all the election hoopla? Read up about some great savory cocktails at DC-area bars.