Aug 26, 2008
Restaurant Revisit: Hook
We all know the adage “all good things must come to an end.” But when it comes to Hook Restaurant we didn’t realize how quickly the “end” would arrive. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but by now we’re all aware that the restaurant has hit a major bump in the road with the sudden departure of its founding chef, Barton Seaver as well as the recent departure of Chef Joshua Whigham. It seems…
Mar 03, 2008
2008 DC Wine Expo Left its Mark
After pouring in Boston and now moving onto New York, the traveling Wine Expo was held this past weekend here in D.C. A full line-up of wine tastings, food demos, and seminars filled the halls of the Ronald Reagan building all weekend long. Wine lovers, consumers, people in the trade and some miscellaneous drunk people all came out in the name of wine. The entire weekend kicked off Friday night with the Grand Cru tasting….
Dec 27, 2007
Buyin’ Oeno: All that Fizz
Believe it or not, it’s that time of year…. again. A time to sit back and reflect, but also to look to the future. But speaking in wine terms, it’s the time of year to pick out that bottle (or bottles) of bubbly to ring in the New Year. As much as we love our champagne, vintage champagne no less, it’s not always the practical choice. Unless you plan on not drinking what so ever…
Nov 28, 2007
Buyin’ Oeno: Holiday Shopping Extravaganza
As wine professionals, this is the time of year when we go into overdrive helping you, the consumer, fulfill all of your wine needs for parties and gift giving. As wine lovers, we relish being able to share our love of wine with others. We know that buying wine anytime can be an overwhelming an experience, but possibly more so now that you have to cover your family, friends, co-workers, and a mystery person whose…
Nov 07, 2007
Buyin’ Oeno: Planning for Turkey Day Edition
We know it’s not quite Thanksgiving yet, but our mouths are already watering with the thought of all that turkey and stuffing goodness. Alongside those thoughts are ones of what wines to pair with our cornucopia of delights. With all the different flavors and components on the table it may seem impossible to choose just one white and one red. But do you really want to get into the intricacies of pairing different wines with…
Oct 24, 2007
Buyin’ Oeno: Oddball Regions
Nowadays, it seems like every place under the sun is producing wine. Indeed, it’s probably because they are. Whenever someone says that they have a bottle from North Carolina or Mexico or China, there is no second guessing them anymore. Whether or not these odd regional wines are actually drinkable is another story. We’ve made it our mission to always give a bottle try- no matter where’s it from- because you never know when or…
Oct 17, 2007
Eating In: Pick Your Own Apples
Eating In is back, after a brief hiatus, just in time to take advantage of fall ingredients. Now that it’s cooled off, at least a little, we are finally in the mood for pumpkin, squash, apples, and cinnamon spice. Rather than just going to our local farmers’ market to pick up our produce, we decided to go straight to the source — the orchard. Within a one-hour drive from the city, you can find some…
Oct 10, 2007
Buyin’ Oeno: What’s For Dinner?
For some, finding that perfect wine and food pairing can be an overwhelming and intimidating task. Sure, you can always fall back on that “trusty” rule of white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat, but is that really the best that you can come up with? How about replacing those two thoughts with two new ones that are just as easy to remember? Next time you are trying to pick a…
Sep 26, 2007
Buyin’ Oeno: California Dreaming
California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has declared September “California Wine Month” for the third consecutive year. Since September is almost over we thought we would get into the spirit and raise a glass to the California wine industry (not that we think they need their own month). We would have celebrated sooner but we were busy getting tipsy off our own local Virginia Wines, as you may recall. The Wine Institute, a.k.a. the self-proclaimed “Voice for…
Sep 12, 2007
Buyin’ Oeno: Virginia is for (Wine) Lovers
Virginia’s love for wine is no secret. It dates back centuries with Thomas Jefferson’s personal endorsement of wine as a suitable beverage. However, when you mention “Virginia Wines” to anyone, you are met with one of two reactions: an overwhelming expression of excitement and testament to how fabulous they are or an exasperated eye roll that says it all. Whichever one you fall under is fine with us, but as avid wine drinkers we feel…