Wine and restaurant reviews
Tuesday was an amazing event, as anyone who was in DC or watched on television knows. Two special, long-time friends were in the city for the Inauguration festivities, and Gabriele and I met them for dinner after a thrilling and busy day. They brought some local friends we had not met before (and who we…
This Saturday Gabriele and I spent a fun day in New York City. We were staying in Stamford, Connecticut for the holidays so it was a short train ride into Grand Central. We saw a very funny play on Broadway that had been recommended to us, Avenue Q: http://www.avenueq.com/about.html After the play we went for…
For the Thanksgiving holiday Gabriele and I drove up to my hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. On Friday night we went to dinner at Cafe Silvium, an Italian restaurant with a strong local reputation. http://www.cafesilvium.com/default.asp The restaurant is in the Shippan area of town and only seats around 40 people at a time. The restaurant does…
Overwood has become one of our favorite local places in Alexandria. It opened in 2007 and offers something for everyone. The food is good, the decor is pleasant and bright, and the atmosphere is lively. We’ve been there maybe half a dozen times this year, and its time for a post. Overwood is a few…
When Gabriele and I eat out we almost always order wine. But except for a very fun evening at Evo Bistro back in April, we haven’t checked out any of the wine bars popping up around the DC area. So when the October Washingtonian magazine gave Cork its highest “four glass” rating (along with Evo…
Gabriele and I recently had an excellent dinner at the Majestic, in the heart of Old Town. Last year Cathal Armstrong and his wife Mechelle took over the Majestic, along with a few other partners that include former Governor Mark Warner. The long time landmark delivers good food, strong service and a fun vibe: http://www.majesticcafe.com/maj_new.html…
Most of us enjoy expensive wines for special occasions, but most of us have mortgages as well. My wife Gabriele and I are always on the look out for wines that deliver value as well as enjoyment. This weekend we found two such wines. Saturday we had dinner at Rustico, one of the restaurants of…
This weekend Gabriele and I got back from a short vacation at Whistler Mountain, in British Columbia. It was a bit of a family reunion, with a lot of aunts, uncles and cousins I don’t see enough of — can’t wait until next year everyone! We flew into Vancouver, and then drove about 2.5 hours…
For a couple of years Gabriele and I have frequented a cheese shop in the Del Ray area of Alexandria. I lived in Del Ray from 1993 to 1998, and the neighborhood has undergone quite a renaissance in the past few years: http://www.weta.org/community/neighborhoods/delray/ The cheese shop we like is Cheesetique, a place that offers a…
Saturday night Gabe and I had a very enjoyable experience at Restaurant Eve in Old Town Alexandria. Eve is the crown jewel of the restaurant group owner Cathal Armstrong and his wife Meshelle have built in Alexandria over the past three years. http://www.restauranteve.com/home/index.html We’ve eaten there once before, and originally intended to just have a…
Lately Gabriele and I have been impressed with some wine from Courtney Benham, part of the the Martin Ray family of wines. http://www.martinraywinery.com/about/index.html Recently we’ve had the 2006 Mendocino County Petite Syrah and Pinot Noir. Both are good wines at very good price points — $11.99 and $15.99, respectively. The Petite Syrah was surprisingly light…
Gabriele and I got back recently from a short San Francisco vacation. We spent Saturday 5/3 in Napa county, after being given some really good advice on what wineries to hit. Of course we didn’t get to a fraction of the original target list, but still had an incredible day. Chateau Montelena (www.montelena.com) is justifiably…
