Food
Chocolate and Wine Paring Class
I love this idea. I often find myself having a piece of chocolate for desert while I am still drinking a glass of wine having put no thought into how a particular piece of chocolate would taste with whatever wine I’m drinking. I recently met with Eric Nelson, the owner of Artfully Gifts & Chocolate, and he told me about this class. What a fun thing to do with a group of girls! The classes are limited to 20 so make sure you sign up in advance. Chocolate/Wine Pairing Class Learn the complexities of pairing wine and...
read moreSociety Fair Open
The much anticipated Society Fair is now open. Society Fair is the creation of Restaurateurs Chef Cathal Armstrong and his wife and business partner Meshelle. The concept, according to the Old Town Patch, is a wine bar, demo kitchen, cafe, butcher shop, food market, and bakery. Delicacies include assorted cheeses, spices, pastries, and ingredients used by the EatGoodFood Group—a finishing oil Chef Armstrong uses at Restaurant Eve Todd Thrasher’s dirty martini mix, and the group’s favorite Irish butter, to name a few. I...
read moreTurkey Time
Our Neighborhood Butcher, Let’s Meat On The Avenue, is taking orders for Amish raised Thanksgiving turkeys. I just ordered mine. Take my “Shop Alexandria Holiday Challenge” and purchase all of your Thanksgiving ingredients locally! If you visit Let’s Meat be sure to tell Steve that Alexandria Lifestyle sent...
read moreEveryone Needs a Treat
I recently hosted a trunk show and needed some sweets to serve my guests so I called none other than Alexandria favorite, Treats By Erica. Highly sought-after for events and parties around town, Erica whips up some pretty sinful sweets. I have no idea what she puts in her bon bons but they are my absolute favorite (and I’m pretty picky about my sweets). Not only do her treats taste delicious but they arrive artfully arranged on a platter so its ready to go for your event. As nearly every guest arrived and passed by the platter of...
read moreWine 101
Grab some friends and sign up for this series of classes at Le Tastevin. It sounds like a lot of fun! Le Tastevin will be launching Wine 101 starting Wednesday, November 2nd at 8 pm with an exploration of the Vine-to-Wine process. Subsequent classes will explore the nuances of grape varietals, geography, pairing and tasting! The In-Depth Wine Appreciation classes will begin again on Thursday, November 3rd. In the fall of 2011 we will focus on France, taking you from Bordeaux to Champagne. Berets are optional but...
read moreAh Love Oil & Vinegar
Olive oil boutiques are popping up all over the country and our area is no exception. Yesterday I was driving through Shirlington and saw a rare opportunity for a parking spot right on the main drag in front of Ah Love Oil & Vinegar. I’ve been meaning to go there especially since my post about Olio Tasting Room so I decided to check it out. (Yes Shirlington is technically Arlington but it’s right on the border). Ah Love Oil is well organized with high quality oils from small batch producers around the world. Similar...
read moreWest End Art & Wine Festival
The Hadeed Carpet Alexandria West End Art and Wine Festival will be held in Cameron Station and Ben Brenman Park on October 8-9, 2011. It kicks off with an official ceremony held at the Gazebo on Cameron Station Blvd., where the mayor of Alexandria will recognize local businesses and others sponsorting the event, as well as Festival planners and its Cameron Station host. A check will be presented to Capital Caring, the Alexandria charity chosen to be a beneficiary of this inaugural festival. Visitors will enjoy a number of festival activity...
read moreNew Wine Bar near Alexandria
A week ago I posted about Cafe Caturra opening and last weekend I had the chance to spend an entire evening there. We arrived at 6:30 and the place was hopping. At first we thought there were no seats at the bar until we realized the bar is an oval and the whole back side was free. To my husband’s college football loving delight it turned out that the flat screens are also on that side of the bar. We were greeted immediately by friendly and extremely attentive bartenders. Yes, multiple people were waiting on us so we were never...
read moreMediterranean Bakery & Cafe Alexandria
In the far left corner of the Home Depot shopping center on Pickett lies a hidden gem. The Mediterranean Bakery and Cafe offers everything from hundreds of imported olive oils and difficult to find spices to packaged goods and specialty cheeses. The Bakery features fresh cakes and Middle Eastern pastries. The counter in the back offers about 10 varieties of imported olives and feta cheeses. The Bulgarian feta is the smoothest, creamiest feta I’ve ever tasted. It is delicious crumbled into a salad. The bakery sells everything from baklava and...
read moreOlio Tasting Room Alexandria VA
The Olio tasting room isn’t just a shop; its an experience. After hearing so much about it I stopped in to check it out. When I was immediately greeted by Robin who enthusiastically told me she was the official “mixologist” I knew I had stumbled onto something good. She gave me a detailed explanation of all of the different olive oils and balsamic vinegars. There were so many different varieties and infusions. The olive oils are organized by category and contained in small, shiny steel vats. The ideas is that you take a...
read moreLet’s Meat has Kobe Burgers
If there is one thing I love its a good cheeseburger but I’m a bit of burger snob. If it’s overcooked I have to send it back. If its a “Bubba burger” (from Harris Teeter) I’d rather not bother. I prefer high quality meat cooked medium rare. That’s why I love the Kobe Burger from Let’s Meat in Delray! I first tried a Kobe burger at Mandalay Bay in Vegas. It was the juiciest most tender burger I have ever tasted. It was like a burger made of tenderloin. Known as being one of the most succulent and...
read moreCheesetique Coming to Shirlington
According to the Shirlington Village Blog – Cheesetique is expanding and coming to Shirlington! This is great news! According to the “Social Media Buzz, ” the popular specialty cheese shop, charcuterie and wine bar is opening a location in the Village at Shirlington. The Curious Grape is apparently moving? The details are yet to be finalized but owner Jill Eber announced that the new location is slated for this fall. We are so fortunate to have great gourmet food shops and wine bars in Alexandria! 2411 Mount Vernon...
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