EAST COAST PALATE

      Yesterday I finished running around the city and was ready to unwind while I waited for a couple friends who were meeting me in Georgetown.  I happened onto a bar called Bodega, with dark black and red décor that was 2 parts sultry to 1 part soothing.  In the mood for tapas I ordered some overpriced tomato-bread with manchego cheese (you toast bread, rub it with garlic and then with a half a tomato, letting the juice and pulp of the fruit soak into the bread...top with olive oil, salt, and cheese, and voilá).  I also indulged in one of my all time favorites: bacon-wrapped dates that are breaded, seasoned, and fried. 
      I bypassed the wine menu and went right for the coctails and this concoction jumped out at me.  A caipirinha, for those who haven't yet tasted this pleasure, consists of Cachaça (a sugar cane based alcohol), sugar, and muddled limes.  This redition was a blueberry twist on the original, but honestly I prefer the original.  This is a drink that I love because of the acidity.  It is a grown-up's, 80-proof, Sourpatch Kid Slurpee.  The blueberrys are too soft and, now I sound like a cocktail snob, they clog the straw.  Whatever, it was refreshing and good. 
      If you make caipirinhas from time to time, try throwing in a wedge of grapefruit with the lime when you muddle them.  The end result is a Greyhound-esque dose of refreshment.

As a fan of both Tom Robbins' writing and the timeless tradition which is Beer, I was happy to spend a few hours over the weekend reading the latest book by señor Robbins.  Saturday afternoon I managed to sip away the time while reading the first half of the 120-page story that is a self-proclaimed children's book for adults (or vice versa).  My first drink was a North Coast Brewery "Brother Thelonious," a full-bodied, dark dubbel fashioned in the Belgian style, but hailing from the West Coast.  It was tasty, in deed, and chased down with a smooth belly-warming mouthful of Jameson Irish whisky.
This was all at the Quarry House down in Silver Spring, a place that always offers refuge from the rain, and plenty of suds and strong drink to quench your thirst. 
I finished the book on Sunday morning over coffee and a crossword puzzle.  The tale relates a young 5-year-old girl's introduction to beer, her travels with the beer fairy, and the ever-present philosophical lessons that can be extrapolated from a kid's book about booze. 
In short, I loved this book... Almost as much as I loved the 2004 Muga Gran Reserva after it had been decanted for an hour and a half.  This is a quick read, and if you have kids, maybe a fun, if not exploratory venture out of the realm of normal bedtime stories.  Go buy a sixpack of North Coast brewery's finest.  Support your local bookstore.  This is a great way to spend a few hours of your life.

The second red we opened was a 2000 Château Mondorion Grand Cru from St. Emilion, France.  I actually chose this bottle because while I studied abroad in France, some friends and I took a road trip that led us through the town of St. Emilion, where wine has been produced for about 13 centuries. 
This wine was replete with funky odors that may be offputting for some, but behind the musty, barnyard stink there were hints of chocolate, plums, and cherries that emerged more as we let it breath.  One observation around the table was very fitting: the wine smelled like carnations, sort of stinky, but in a good way...
The wine has a solid structure, a good balance of acids and tannins, and a chalky texture that adds to the feel of the wine in your mouth.  This was a B+ kind of wine, completely overshadowed by the excitement created by the Muga Reserva.  
This wine was also on special, costing only about $10 more than the retail price for a bottle.  I'm excited about the basement wine scene at Mrs. K's.  They have a half-price happy hour deal from 5 to 7 on wines by the glass, their food and wine menus both offer some fantastic flavors, and there is something about the cellar's ambiance that makes one forget that downtown Silver Spring is only a minute away.  The next time I want to be transported a European cellar, I'll go to Mrs. K's basement.
Oh yeah, for dessert that evening we also enjoyed a bottle of 1985 Burgundy and a bottle of Moët & Chandon Impérial.  I won't even score those bottles.  They were simply a decadent icing on my birthday party's cake.

The first snow of the season fell on Saturday and I was in D.C. pouring wine at a YES Organic Market, where the wine and dairy sections share an aisle.  Needless to say, I was cold on that frigid day, and when my sampling duties were done, I went down a block to Busboys & Poets.  This was my first time here, but I'm planning on heading back this weekend.  The ambiance and noise and warmth were just what I needed.  It seems like a good place for a first date, but I could tell a lot of people were there for the food and drinks.  I, however, sat at the bar, opened a book, and thawed out.   A glass of Côtes du Rhone turned out to be the perfect wine for my brief visit.

The 2006 Côtes du Rhône by Jean-Luc Colombo is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre that has some dark cherry aromas mixed with a spicy, woodsy smell.  The alcohol adds its own spiciness to the nose, but the wine's structure is solid.  There is a good deal of acidity to balance out the tannins.  The dark berry flavors come through, but at the same time this wine isn't overly fruity.  The finish is lengthy and on the tart side, which I like.  This wine would be able to stand up to some duck confit or a hearty steak, but it's made well enough that it does fine on it's own.  A glass at Busboys & Poets costs $8, so I'd guess this wine runs about $13-$15 retail.  I'll be looking for it for my own wine cellar.

After all my pouring and taking sips of wine, I went to check out Lima (www.limarestaurant.com) in downtown D.C.  Having only eaten an apple all afternoon, I arrived with an appetite and was glad to hear that the kitchen stays open until 11 on weekends.  With a Tanqueray and tonic in my hand I tried to decide between ceviche or a ropa vieja hoagie.  I opted for the sandwich, which came with a side of delectable sweet potato fries. 
Soon more people arrived and barstools were taken away as the DJ started his set downstairs.  The energy rose.  Lights dimmed.  My friend Sunny came down and I met some of his lovely friends (Happy birthday, Jen).  The next few hours were spent amongst a throng of beautiful people and the deep pulse of house music on the first two floors and hip-hop and R&B on the top level.  I finally left around 2, and when I got home I just wasn't sleepy, so I had a nice one-hour session of drinking Jameson and watching Wine Library TV (link it up: www.winelibrarytv.com).  Anyway, red eyed and sore, I awoke today with a headache and no plans to go out or drink wine.  It's a low-key kind of Sunday...some leaf-raking, a sad, but not uncommon Redskins loss, an apple and lot of water.  More wine mañana...

Today for lunch I met my friend Jennifer for some Cuban cuisine in Burtonsville, MD.  Cuba de Ayer is a small restaurant with a simple, medium sized menu, but everything I have tasted here has been a treat.  Jennifer decided to try a quintessential Cuban plate: Ropa Vieja, a shredded beef entree served with maduros (fried ripe plantains), rice, and beans.  This time I chose the Picadillo, a dish consisting of ground beef, potatoes, raisins, onion and garlic.  It was spicy, but not picante spicy.  The seasoning was perfect, and later when I looked down at my clean plate I only wanted more.
The only other time I visited this restaurant I ate fricase de pollo,  which was a tender skinless  1/4 chicken with a succulent sauce.  Also I sampled some fried yucca served with a garlic dipping sauce that were amazing.
The list of cocktails on the menu was inviting, featuring Mojitos and a few variations on the Margarita, but it was noon and I still had some things to do later, so I sipped on water.  Later on though, I opened up one of the best $8.50 bottles of wine I've ever had: the 2007 Goats do Roam red blend. 
Visit Cuba de Ayer's website at www.cubadeayerrestaurant.com and if you're anywhere near Burtonsville, MD, stop in for a taste of true Cuban cuisine.