Last Saturday I was invited to an all-day birthday party in the form of a bus tour of Virginia wine country. Even though I’ve seen Sideways, I pictured something unnecessarily snooty and dignified. I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be the exact opposite. Our tour only went to two wineries (possibly because sensible vineyards try to cultivate an image that doesn’t include rehabbed orange school buses decorated with vinyl silhouettes of people dancing in bell-bottoms). Two proved to be exactly the right number for a reasonably paced introduction.

First up was the beautiful hillside Bluemont Vineyard. While there, I learned about a variety of grape called Norton that has been grown locally since the time of Thomas Jefferson. I found it to be well rounded and Bluemont’s best offering. Next up was nearby Veramar Vineyard. Their Cabernet Franc was my top pick for it’s pleasantly spicy flavors.

Loudoun County has a number of other vineyards. All are close enough to make a great day trip for any locovore/foodie in DC—so long as someone else is driving.

Fried avocado Mighty Cone = highly recommended

Austin is a great food city, but during SXSW I kept too busy to put as many delicious things in my belly as I should have. I did eat the above pictured and highly recommended “Mighty Cone” from an outdoor trailer / stand on South Congress Street. It is essentially a large soft taco in a paper cone. Inside the flour tortilla is cole slaw and yes, fried avocado topped with spicy mayo. Mighty Cone breads the avocado with a mix of sesame seeds, almonds, chili, salt and corn flakes giving it a flavorful and crunchy exterior when it comes out of the advertised “deep saute.” If you are of the meat-eating persuasion, you can have that same treatment applied to chicken or shrimp.

Columbia Room = Highly recommended

The newly-opened Columbia Room at The Passenger is an intimate speakeasy-style oasis custom built for a single purpose: impeccable presentation of cocktails. The space seats perhaps 14 in a two-tiered arrangement that puts all the focus on craft cocktail expert Derek Brown behind the bar. The Service by Brown and improbably-named fantastically-named sommelier Kat Bangs is personal and extraordinarily attentive.

Bangs and Brown both have worked at and helped develop some of DC’s best restaurants and in this intimate space their talents shine. Brown’s artistry and attention to detail are on display as he hand-carves ice to melt appropriately in each drink and methodically measures ingredients and tests temperatures.

A reservation at Columbia includes an opening glass of champagne, two cocktails and a light food pairing. I’ll leave deconstructing and geeking out over the particulars to experts like my coworker Matt, but the general outline of the evening is re-assembled after the jump. Highly recommended.

Cocktails: The Columbia Room at The Passenger, March 6

Champagne (A pleasantly crisp variety with hints of pear)

Cocktail 1 we were told was based on a Norse legend:
Calvados (apple brandy), sloe gin, buffalo grass vodka, peychaud bitters
…paired with: Apple and cheddar on bread with pickled fiddleheads

Cocktail 2 was selected by Derek based on our input of likes/dislikes:
Plymouth gin martini with citrus
…served with: (seriously decadent) garlic buttered popcorn

Cocktail 3 was not included in the reservation, but we elected to have another since the experience was too pleasant to bring to a close:
Scotch, orange bitters, chocolate bitters and orange peel between two architecturally stacked blocks of ice

Not the actual Georgian dumplings (Khinkali) I ate on Febgiving, but these look pretty similar

This past Febgiving was celebrated at my house with a delicious Georgian feast inspired by Darra Goldstein’s book on the subject. Celebrating Febgiving was my idea. The Georgian theme and most of the menu was Michelle’s idea (see that Tumblr link for a glimpse of some pickled cabbage that was brought to the table). She made these dumplings vegetarian-friendly by swapping mushrooms and Boca crumbles for the traditional meat filling. Finally, the Khinkali were topped with a wonderful garlic-walnut sauce (Bahze) not typically used on dumplings, but I doubt anyone in Tbilisi would complain about the delicious pairing.

Unlike Google Street View Day, it was a cold and blustery February Sunday at a nearly empty restaurant.

The best thing I ate since last report: truffle egg toast with bottarga during brunch at ‘inoteca on the Lower East Side.

I can’t say that this is a great brunch spot (it was a last-minute pick). It felt like breakfast was an afterthought tacked on to a (probably good) dinner spot: the menu is short on A.M. comfort food, and something as simple as morning coffee seemed foreign (you’ll get Lavazza espresso served Americano).

THAT SAID, the truffle egg toast with bottarga is delicious. Crunchy toast yields to perfectly soft eggs with a delightful hint of truffle oil. The optional bottarga adds a nice complimentary texture. Yum.

PS: In DC, Pizzeria Paradiso offers something very similar in pizza form.

Mandoo Soup at Java Green

The best thing I ate this week was Mandoo soup at Java Green here in DC. The broth is flavorful, the dumplings are pleasantly plump, and a nice mix of vegetables and rice cakes (with perhaps a touch of sesame) round out the soup. Highly recommended.

P.S. Eat is the second in a series of series I think maybe I can possibly post to this space regularly. Eat will highlight the most delicious things I eat.