Rustico (Ballston, Arlington, VA)

Check us out on Facebook!

*****

Post number 100!

Rustico, being located just a short walk from my apartment, and possessing a superlative beer list and interesting looking menu, has been on my short list of places to go since I first moved some of my stuff down here in late July, and I was not disappointed with my first visit.  While I did not have anything to drink, since my accompaniment was not partaking, I did have both a delicious entree and a spectacular dessert.

The menu includes several very clever appetizers and "snacks," including fried deviled eggs, "risotto tots," and the ever delicious fried green tomatoes.  While I did not partake in any of these this trip, I will definitely be trying them all in the future.  This time, I was waffling between the grilled rainbow trout and the Pea and Mascarpone Ravioli, but upon asking the waitress which I should go with, she immediately and without any hesitation answered to go with the ravioli.  Served with shrimp, snap peas, toasted pistachios in a buerre blanc, the ravioli themselves were quite well made, with fresh pasta cooked properly, and the filling was creamy and delicious.  The buerre blanc was also well made, did not separate, and had just the right consistency to cling to the peas, shrimp and ravioli, but not so thick as to be clumpy or become oatmeal-like.  Shrimp are often overcooked, and these were not, and the peas were delightfully crisp, maintaining that "snap" that gives them their name.

For dessert I broke my custom and went overtly sweet, with a Peach Crumble Sunday.  Using homemade cheesecake (I thought it was vanilla, to be honest, but that's okay, it was delicious) ice cream, clearly homemade bourbon whipped cream, peach compote and a cornmeal crumble, this was incredibly good, possibly even more successful than the entree, which I had really no major complaints with other than that I wish they had given me more.  The ice cream had the perfect smooth texture, without any obvious ice crystal formation despite not being, as far as I could tell, liquid nitrogen frozen.  The whipped cream was delicious, with just a hint of flavor from the bourbon, while the compote was sweet but not cloying, with some crunch from the peach, which did nothing to detract from the crunch of the cornmeal crumble, which was the perfect counterpoint to the ice cream and whipped cream.

I'm on Facebook!

I have decided to join the modern world, and now have a Facebook page.  Please check it out, feel free to share it, and as always, thanks for reading!

The Good Stuff: Now on Facebook!

Two Years Later

I began this blog with a post about my favorite beers, whiskys, and food.  The end of this month will mark two years of posting, and I have enjoyed it immensely, as I have used it as an excuse to try new foods, beers, and other things that I may not have experienced over that time.  So, below you will find my favorite things from the last two years, as well as ones that I want to try in the coming year.  Some of these are new, some are places I have enjoyed for years but reviewed over the life of this blog, and some have not quite made it here yet, but will in the near future.  I hope you enjoy, and as always, I welcome suggestions on the next thing(s) I should try!

Restaurant:  Bouchon Bistro

Short ribs at Bouchon Bistro

My family went to Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro for my mother's birthday in 2012, and it was a sublime experience, with food to die for, impeccable service, and an atmosphere as comfortable and enjoyable as any I have ever been in, which is surprising for a Las Vegas restaurant.

Honorable Mention:  Tacos Lupita and Julian Serrano

Local Restaurant:  Curtis' BBQ, Hope and Olive and of course, Manna House

Before the end of this year, I hope to try more than a few new restaurants, but Neptune Oyster in Boston's North End, and Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, are the two that I most want to try.

Beer:  Maine Beer Company's Lunch IPA

A flight of beers at Maine Beer Company; Lunch is back left

A perfect IPA, this is my favorite iteration of my favorite style.  I love the citrus notes and complexity of this beer's hops, and it is an easy drinking brew despite a 7% ABV.

Honorable Mention:  Sam Adams' Tetravis and Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA

I am hoping to get my hands on one of the Sam Adams Utopias for a reasonable price (or split one with someone), and of course try anything new from MBC, Ballast Point, or Great Divide.

Whisk(e)y:  Glenfiddich 18 Year Ancient Reserve

The far too tiny bottle of Glenfiddich

This is a ridiculously smooth, powerful and complex Scotch, and while I only had a small "nip" of it, it was tremendous and I cannot wait until I have an opportunity to try it again.

Honorable Mention:  Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel Bourbon and Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year Family Reserve Bourbon

There are not really any specific whiskeys that I want to try over the next year, but I think I would like to get more into ryes and some of the whiskeys from countries outside the normal list we think about, like India and Japan.

Bars, Coffee Shops, and Other "Not Quite Restaurants":  The Dirty Truth

A burger and fries at Dirty Truth

With great food, an incredible beer list and a knowledgeable staff, this is sort of like a mecca for people like me.  Try the french fries with white truffle oil, the Pulled BBQ Duck Nachos, and of course the Mac and Peas.

Honorable Mention:  La Fiorentina

Anywhere with good coffee will be on my list to try over the next year; any suggestions would be appreciated!

"Other":  Sweetfern Farm

A very inquisitive looking sheep

My friends' farm, it truly exposed me to the wonders of fresh eggs, and it is just so relaxing there (at least for me; I don't have to wake up absurdly early to feed the sheep and all that) that even spending a few hours there makes me feel like a whole new person.  Plus, cute furry animals.

So, I hope you have had as much fun over the last two years as I have, and I hope that everyone gets to experience just as much as I have!



******

Check us out on Facebook!

Welcome!

Welcome!  I never really intended to have a blog, but I figured since there are so many out there, one more couldn't hurt.  This is not intended to be some stuffy, distant examination of food, whisky and beer; rather, all of those things are, in my mind, fun, so why shouldn't reviews of them be the same?

Food is a required part of our lives, sure, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be discriminating in our tastes.  This isn't 1740, when you pretty much just ate what was there; with the massive abundance of food available to us as Americans, we can generally find a way to eat good food every day.  This blog will include my reviews of restaurants that I go to, some recipes of my own invention, and occasional rants against the idiots who tell us that we MUST eat organic/vegetarian/insert your own adjective.  I'm not knocking the people who do choose alternative diets to my beloved omnivorous lifestyle, I just don't like the increasingly haughty and entitled attitude that often comes along with it.

Whisky...ooooh, whisky.  Hell, even whiskey sometimes!  Whisky, for those who don't know, refers to Scotch, or whiskies based off of Scotch, such as Canadian, Japanese, etc etc.  I will focus on Scotch, mostly single malts, other than the occasional critique of a particularly good (or bad) blend that someone gives me as a gift.  I'll occasionally delve into Irish whiskey or Bourbon as well.


And finally, beer, that most cherished of all alcoholic beverages; from the cheap (PBR draft for a dollar anyone?) to the, well, not cheap (I've spent $18 on a four pack of Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale before), beer is virtually omnipresent.  Stay out of Iraq, Iran, and a few other countries where Sharia or similar legal styles ban it (and I suppose there are other reasons to stay away from Iran and Iraq too...but do you really need any?) and you can get beer; hell, people even plan trips around it, and who can blame them?

So, I hope you'll keep reading in the future, and if anyone has any suggestions of beers, whiskies, restaurants, recipes, or anything else, feel free to throw it out there, I'd love to hear what you've got to say.  On occasion I may also throw in some unrelated posts about sports, books, politics, television, or whatever else gets stuck in my head on any given day; feel free to ignore them.

******

Check us out on Facebook!