Photo by justgrimes.Drink of the Week: Locally brewed kombucha tea
Where: Pleasant Pops Farmhouse Market and Cafe, Each Peach Market, Glen’s Garden Market, Heller’s Bakery on Saturday mornings, Whole Foods
Kombucha, long popular among crunchy, Earth mother-types, has started to go mainstream. Two summers ago, I was surprised to find it on the shelf at a corner bodega in Brooklyn. But when it popped up at my parents’ suburban Target in Minneapolis, I knew this stuff had arrived. Tart, fizzy, and shrouded in all manner of unfounded health claims (probiotics!), kombucha is a polarizing beverage. It’s is made from sweetened tea that has been allowed to ferment, creating mild carbonation, a sour flavor, and trace amounts of alcohol. Store-bought brands usually have added fruit juice, but I would liken the flavor of pure kombucha to a tangy sparkling apple cider. If you like the taste of shrubs or prefer some of the funkier flavored hard ciders, you might like the taste of kombucha.
Like many mass-produced comestibles, kombucha has D.I.Y. roots. In fact, you can make it at home, so it’s not surprising that a craft kombucha brewing movement has sprung up to compete with national brands. There are now several kombucha producers in the D.C. area. Capital Kombucha, founded by a trio of George Washington University b-school grads, was the first and is the easiest to find. You may have seen the slender bottles at local grocers like Each Peach (3068 Mt Pleasant Street NW) and Glen’s Garden Market (2001 S Street NW), or on the menu at Pleasant Pops cafe (1781 Florida Avenue NW).
This fall, I also happened upon two more local brewers. Barefoot Bucha, operating out of Virginia, is available on draft at the Foggy Bottom and P Street Whole Foods stores. You’ll need to bring your own glass bottles to fill up, as their business model relies solely on keg-style distribution to cut back on environmental waste. And Craft Kombucha, operating out of Mount Pleasant, has a rotating cast of flavors for sale every Saturday morning at Heller’s Bakery (3221 Mount Pleasant Street NW).
Small Bites
This gives new meaning to the term “whole hog”
Calling all amateur butchers: Three Little Pigs (5111 Georgia Avenue NW) will now teach you how to butcher a whole pig. The only catch? You’l need to buy it yourself. The piggies are from Polyface Farms and run $375 for a half pig or $500 for a whole one. The classes are only available on the weekend and must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. Aside from the pig, participants will also get lunch for themselves and two guests. If that all sounds like a little too much carnage, Three Little Pigs is also offering a bacon making workshop next Friday for $100.
Vinoteca closed for a makeover
Vinoteca (1940 11th St NW) is taking a short hiatus in order to do some redecorating. The U Street wine bar will be getting a revamped bar area and some very of-the-moment exposed brick. Vinoteca reopens next Friday.
Another day, another new restaurant on 14th Street
Lupo Verde (1401 T Street NW), the latest addition to 14th Street’s exploding restaurant row, will open on Monday night. If it wasn’t obvious from the name, Lupo Verde will specialize in Italian dishes like wood-fired pizzas, homemade pasta, and whole roasted fish. But if you can’t stand the thought of waiting for two hours for a table at yet another buzzy 14th Street spot, Lupo Verde has got you covered. Seventy percent of the menu will be available to-go, including items like fresh pasta, house-cured proscuitto, and house-made cheeses.
