6/21/08
Very good stop at the Falls Church Dogfish Head, starting with and Alehouse 75--a mix of 60 and 90 min IPAs: I may have found a new favorite. Really an amazing blend, which I, on general principle, am against blending beer with anything including other beer beyond a black and tan. Follow upped with a bottle of Burton Baton, another mixed ale of English brown ale with the 90 min that's then aged: fantastic beer and worth the trip to DFH to get it. In fact, I'm on a quest to get more of it asap.
Food at Falls Church was significantly better than at Rehoboth Beach, so it is a different place. The extremely knowledgeable beer geek waiter was hanging out chatting beer with us in between serving his other tables. Wish we had had more time to hang out until it slowed down. Alas, time is rarely the friend of a beer drinker. Excellent pub to check out DFH mainstays and off-centered ales, especially if a trip to Rehoboth Beach isn't possible.
Showing posts with label washington dc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label washington dc. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Brasserie Beck (Washington, DC)
6/24/08
Brasserie Beck is all that you've heard: a very incredible, high end Belgium beer bar. To drink Belgian beers, I've never seen such an array of pure Belgian ales in the states. The manager, Thor, who I met as a bartender at Birreria Paradiso nearly two years ago, is the best beer bartender I've ever had for a drinking session and he is doing a great job at BB.
Thor wasn't around today, but today's bartender was friendly, knowledgeable and adjusted adroitly to not only with me but happily found drafts for those who walked in dumbfounded by the choices of this beer destination. I ended up with four drafts of well served, unique beers. A fine afternoon at the rail.
Drawbacks: very high end as an establishment. Walking by the lunch crowd, the meals looked fantastic--works of art. I ended up ordering frites (Belgian/Dutch fries served with mayo and other condiments for those not acquainted) with three types of mayo blends. I'm not sure how, but the mayo blends were fantastic--weird statement, but true. I ordered the excellent frites because I really like authentic frites and I'm a vegetarian, so it was pretty much the only option. The bartender worked to give me several food options through recommendations and adjustments. If you're into mussels or a foodie, this is your place.
Brasserie Beck is all that you've heard: a very incredible, high end Belgium beer bar. To drink Belgian beers, I've never seen such an array of pure Belgian ales in the states. The manager, Thor, who I met as a bartender at Birreria Paradiso nearly two years ago, is the best beer bartender I've ever had for a drinking session and he is doing a great job at BB.
Thor wasn't around today, but today's bartender was friendly, knowledgeable and adjusted adroitly to not only with me but happily found drafts for those who walked in dumbfounded by the choices of this beer destination. I ended up with four drafts of well served, unique beers. A fine afternoon at the rail.
Drawbacks: very high end as an establishment. Walking by the lunch crowd, the meals looked fantastic--works of art. I ended up ordering frites (Belgian/Dutch fries served with mayo and other condiments for those not acquainted) with three types of mayo blends. I'm not sure how, but the mayo blends were fantastic--weird statement, but true. I ordered the excellent frites because I really like authentic frites and I'm a vegetarian, so it was pretty much the only option. The bartender worked to give me several food options through recommendations and adjustments. If you're into mussels or a foodie, this is your place.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant (Washington, DC)
6/25/08
I haven't been in this Gordon Biersch in years, but it's worth the visit just for the tall marble columns that are the main feature of the restaurant. Very cool, light, open atmosphere and it's easy to get too from the Gallery/Chinatown metro stop. It's just across the street from the Portrait Gallery and the International Spy Museum.
As always with GB, the beer is well brewed, but not very exiting. The summer beer, Sommergold was light and overly grainy for me, but cleanly brewed. The Schwarzbier was a bit light for the style, but very refreshing in the heat of a DC summer. Clean and slightly roasty, the smooth, dark lager was better than I expected. For beer, RFD a few blocks away is a stronger choice, but I like the food at GB better.
On this visit, their service was proven exceptional by an attempt to have a pineapple pizza. Pizza is usually a good vegetarian option and my recent favorite is a twist on an old favorite: Hawaiian without the dead pig. The first pizza was burned accidentally, so the manager apologized and bought me my Schwarzbier. Nice, but not necessary. The replacement pizza followed very shortly, and it was a Canadian bacon laden pizza--not an option, though it looked perfectly cooked. Third time's the charm and my perfectly done pineapple pizza arrived. When the bill came, the pizza was also free--so, two beers and a meal cost me a bit over $5 officially.
I haven't been in this Gordon Biersch in years, but it's worth the visit just for the tall marble columns that are the main feature of the restaurant. Very cool, light, open atmosphere and it's easy to get too from the Gallery/Chinatown metro stop. It's just across the street from the Portrait Gallery and the International Spy Museum.
As always with GB, the beer is well brewed, but not very exiting. The summer beer, Sommergold was light and overly grainy for me, but cleanly brewed. The Schwarzbier was a bit light for the style, but very refreshing in the heat of a DC summer. Clean and slightly roasty, the smooth, dark lager was better than I expected. For beer, RFD a few blocks away is a stronger choice, but I like the food at GB better.
On this visit, their service was proven exceptional by an attempt to have a pineapple pizza. Pizza is usually a good vegetarian option and my recent favorite is a twist on an old favorite: Hawaiian without the dead pig. The first pizza was burned accidentally, so the manager apologized and bought me my Schwarzbier. Nice, but not necessary. The replacement pizza followed very shortly, and it was a Canadian bacon laden pizza--not an option, though it looked perfectly cooked. Third time's the charm and my perfectly done pineapple pizza arrived. When the bill came, the pizza was also free--so, two beers and a meal cost me a bit over $5 officially.
District Chophouse & Brewery (Washington, DC)
6/25/08
My wife and I had stopped here after a show several years ago, and ended up watching the finish of the Terps in the NCAA baskeball tournament and ultimately becoming Maryland fans. Earlier in the evening we had eaten at an upscale restaurant called 701 down the street before attending Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare Theater. After a fantastic experience with the bard, we headed to the Chophouse to rinse away the snootiness of the 701 meal. Hanging out with enthusiastic Terrapin fans put our choices for the evening in stark contrast, convincing us that we are pub people. Now, 701 is our code word for anything or anyone that looks too snooty and upscale to be enjoyable.
We like to return for the nostalgia of our epiphany and the convenient beer near the heart of DC, in spite of being vegetarians in a place with few veggie options besides onion rings, which are good but greasy. This trip I tried the IPA, which was adequately hoppy but very grassy in its overall impression. The bartender was very engaged with some local customers discussing the merits of various pro football players. He refilled my beer with the same mediocre IPA, which was fine but generally I'd like to change from pint to pint--or at least be asked.
Overall, a good restaurant, especially if you're a meat eater (according to friends in the area), but not a pure beer destination. Go to RFD down the street for a greater range of beer, and keep this place for a steak and the snug, dark wood atmosphere that would be nice with a group of friends at a table.
My wife and I had stopped here after a show several years ago, and ended up watching the finish of the Terps in the NCAA baskeball tournament and ultimately becoming Maryland fans. Earlier in the evening we had eaten at an upscale restaurant called 701 down the street before attending Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare Theater. After a fantastic experience with the bard, we headed to the Chophouse to rinse away the snootiness of the 701 meal. Hanging out with enthusiastic Terrapin fans put our choices for the evening in stark contrast, convincing us that we are pub people. Now, 701 is our code word for anything or anyone that looks too snooty and upscale to be enjoyable.
We like to return for the nostalgia of our epiphany and the convenient beer near the heart of DC, in spite of being vegetarians in a place with few veggie options besides onion rings, which are good but greasy. This trip I tried the IPA, which was adequately hoppy but very grassy in its overall impression. The bartender was very engaged with some local customers discussing the merits of various pro football players. He refilled my beer with the same mediocre IPA, which was fine but generally I'd like to change from pint to pint--or at least be asked.
Overall, a good restaurant, especially if you're a meat eater (according to friends in the area), but not a pure beer destination. Go to RFD down the street for a greater range of beer, and keep this place for a steak and the snug, dark wood atmosphere that would be nice with a group of friends at a table.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
The Brickskeller (Washginton, DC)
Closed on BeerAdvocate. A new bar has moved into the location with a similar beer menu: Bier Baron Tavern. Anyone familiar with the old Brickskeller will recognize many of its features in the new bar, as well as the attached hotel. Still like losing an old friend.
5/18/07
The Brickskeller has to be an almost Mecca-like stop for any true beer lover. This is my third visit over several years and have had several very good nights at The Brick. While the prices can be a bit high and on the weekends the clientele is clearly on the younger side than me, it's a fun place.
Downstairs is always open, bottles only with no taps. I tend to sit at the bar to get faster service, though it's not that bad at the tables--in fact, I think it's improved a bit this last trip. Peirogies are good, but we don't really eat there much anymore—we eat pizza around the corner at Pizzeria Paradiso.
On the weekends (I have never have really understood when/why the top is open), the tap bar has about a dozen taps with a cask ale weekly but it was out by Friday night when I was there. I order taps up here, having an opportunity at several that are hard to find. If you want bottles, either go downstairs or don't order a bottle conditioned beer. The bottles come up through a dumb waiter w/ rope pulley, so the bottles are a bit shaken up. Staff seems stable—bartender Kim was the same person who served me three years earlier in the downstairs, and she remembered me. This recognition led to litany of candid recommendations and a high point in my beer history.
One of the best things about Brickskeller is the relatively cheap (for downtown and Dupont circle) attached hotel. The first two floors are just over $100 and have bathrooms, and I hear are nice. I stay on the third floor for under a $100 with a shared bathroom. There are three bathrooms, two just renovated three years ago when we were there. I've had four nights at Brickskeller drinking 6 to 8 beers (thus why Kim remembers me) and all I have to do is crawl upstairs. No air conditioning, so don't do this during the summer and bring the cash card.
Great place to go, but I tend more towards RFD and Birreria Paradiso if I'm not staying at Brickskeller that particular trip. A must go if you've never been, potentially fantastic drinking sets, hotel on sight, and a donut shop called the Fractured Prune around the corner that is awesome for breakfast after closing the tap room at 3:00 a.m.
Just a couple blocks from the Dupont Circle station on the Red Line. Cheers.
5/18/07
The Brickskeller has to be an almost Mecca-like stop for any true beer lover. This is my third visit over several years and have had several very good nights at The Brick. While the prices can be a bit high and on the weekends the clientele is clearly on the younger side than me, it's a fun place.
Downstairs is always open, bottles only with no taps. I tend to sit at the bar to get faster service, though it's not that bad at the tables--in fact, I think it's improved a bit this last trip. Peirogies are good, but we don't really eat there much anymore—we eat pizza around the corner at Pizzeria Paradiso.
On the weekends (I have never have really understood when/why the top is open), the tap bar has about a dozen taps with a cask ale weekly but it was out by Friday night when I was there. I order taps up here, having an opportunity at several that are hard to find. If you want bottles, either go downstairs or don't order a bottle conditioned beer. The bottles come up through a dumb waiter w/ rope pulley, so the bottles are a bit shaken up. Staff seems stable—bartender Kim was the same person who served me three years earlier in the downstairs, and she remembered me. This recognition led to litany of candid recommendations and a high point in my beer history.
One of the best things about Brickskeller is the relatively cheap (for downtown and Dupont circle) attached hotel. The first two floors are just over $100 and have bathrooms, and I hear are nice. I stay on the third floor for under a $100 with a shared bathroom. There are three bathrooms, two just renovated three years ago when we were there. I've had four nights at Brickskeller drinking 6 to 8 beers (thus why Kim remembers me) and all I have to do is crawl upstairs. No air conditioning, so don't do this during the summer and bring the cash card.
Great place to go, but I tend more towards RFD and Birreria Paradiso if I'm not staying at Brickskeller that particular trip. A must go if you've never been, potentially fantastic drinking sets, hotel on sight, and a donut shop called the Fractured Prune around the corner that is awesome for breakfast after closing the tap room at 3:00 a.m.
Just a couple blocks from the Dupont Circle station on the Red Line. Cheers.
RFD, Regional Food & Drink (Washington, DC)
5/19/07
Sister bar to the Brickskeller, this has a very different feel and attitude. Across the street from the MCI center, it is much more of a sports bar—I watched the world series on big screens there a few years ago. With that, the atmosphere changes a lot. I've had several great nights, drinking a range of beers with friends and family. A couple of other times, it's been so loud that it's uncomfortable to sit for long. I sit at the bar when possible, though it's often full. When there in a group, we tend to get a table a couple rows back from the bar to have good views of the big screens.
Excellent tap list and there's always something interesting. Special beers on the list also have some very fun scores in my past. My best beer ever was at RFD several years ago—a 17 year old bottle of Liefman's Goundenband, aged at the brewery and the bottle only cost $17.95. Sublime.
While I've occasionally skipped the Brickskeller, I've never missed hitting RFD for a stop just to see what's on the specials list and new on tap. One exception was the time that I was leading a group of students to watch the Presidential inauguration and our first meal in down was a Mexican restaurant a half a block away; I could literally read the specials on the sidewalk board and ended up with nothing stronger than hot salsa. Always several new beers not on my list of just over 3000 beers. Food is good, but we often eat at Fado's down the street or go to Chinatown through the entrance gate and have some good food there—place called China Garden with a green sign is 1/2 a block and excellent.
Sister bar to the Brickskeller, this has a very different feel and attitude. Across the street from the MCI center, it is much more of a sports bar—I watched the world series on big screens there a few years ago. With that, the atmosphere changes a lot. I've had several great nights, drinking a range of beers with friends and family. A couple of other times, it's been so loud that it's uncomfortable to sit for long. I sit at the bar when possible, though it's often full. When there in a group, we tend to get a table a couple rows back from the bar to have good views of the big screens.
Excellent tap list and there's always something interesting. Special beers on the list also have some very fun scores in my past. My best beer ever was at RFD several years ago—a 17 year old bottle of Liefman's Goundenband, aged at the brewery and the bottle only cost $17.95. Sublime.
While I've occasionally skipped the Brickskeller, I've never missed hitting RFD for a stop just to see what's on the specials list and new on tap. One exception was the time that I was leading a group of students to watch the Presidential inauguration and our first meal in down was a Mexican restaurant a half a block away; I could literally read the specials on the sidewalk board and ended up with nothing stronger than hot salsa. Always several new beers not on my list of just over 3000 beers. Food is good, but we often eat at Fado's down the street or go to Chinatown through the entrance gate and have some good food there—place called China Garden with a green sign is 1/2 a block and excellent.
Birreria Paradiso @ Pizzeria Paradiso (Georgetown, Washington, DC)
5/20/07
I'll let you decide—in a full evening I sampled on tap:
Clipper City Heavy Seas Below Decks Barleywine on cask
Stone Ruination India Pale Ale
Brasserie La Binchoise Special Noel
St. Bernardus Wit
Petrus Speciale
Weihenstephan Korbinian
J.W. Lees 2006 Harvest Ale
And, one of my very favorite Quattro Formaggio pizzas anywhere. In short, my new favorite place in DC—or, at least the place I'm going to put at the top of the list for the next trip, which is the same thing.
If you haven't visited Pizzeria Paradiso, you're missing out. At this point, my beer obsession (wife's term) makes it hard for me to eat anywhere that doesn't have great beer as a prerequisite. Pizzeria Paradiso on Dupont Circle was an exception, and at least Brickskeller was around the corner. Then I heard about Birreria Paradiso. Just take the orange or blue line metro to the Rosslyn station. From there take the 38B bus (get a free transfer on the way out of the metro) and get off at M Street and Potomac—the bus stop is literally outside the front door of Pizzeria Paradiso. Go past the nice restaurant staff to the downstairs to the Birreria Paradiso.
Then have a seat and don't move. We took the end of the bar directly inside the door, and that was the night. It looked nice upstairs and many of the people with us seemed to be waiting to return upstairs. Many of these folks asked for and received good advice as to what to drink and no one seemed disappointed. There also seemed to be some rather smart folks working on math that I haven't seen since I was a physics major in college. Plus locals hanging out as well with a smattering of beer geeks. Again, this is just me, but since I can drink the beers on tap downstairs and order food, not sure why I'd leave. So, we didn't. My wife very nicely tolerates my beer hunting; in this case she not only loved the place as well, but wants to return with me. We were told that a second keg of J.W. Lees was being aged for two years—might just fly out for it.
The thing that really sets the Birreria apart from RFD and Brickskeller was the attention to serving the beer well. While the other two bars have very knowledgable staff, our bartender Thor, a self proclaimed beer dork, is one of the best beer stewards I've ever had the pleasure of being served by. It fact, the night felt more like evenings I've had at 't Arendsnest in Amsterdam or The Exton Drafting Room in Pennsylvania— places each famous for their beer service. Go, now, talk to Thor, have a great time with well tended beer that is served properly. What else can a beer geek ask for. Granted, I was there one (short) night and only talked to one server, so mitigate my response as you wish; I'll judge for myself if I'm being overly effusive after my next trip—and there will be a next trip.
Note: In the summer of 2008, I visited Brasserie Beck where Thor had become beer manager and continued to do a great job.
I'll let you decide—in a full evening I sampled on tap:
Clipper City Heavy Seas Below Decks Barleywine on cask
Stone Ruination India Pale Ale
Brasserie La Binchoise Special Noel
St. Bernardus Wit
Petrus Speciale
Weihenstephan Korbinian
J.W. Lees 2006 Harvest Ale
And, one of my very favorite Quattro Formaggio pizzas anywhere. In short, my new favorite place in DC—or, at least the place I'm going to put at the top of the list for the next trip, which is the same thing.
If you haven't visited Pizzeria Paradiso, you're missing out. At this point, my beer obsession (wife's term) makes it hard for me to eat anywhere that doesn't have great beer as a prerequisite. Pizzeria Paradiso on Dupont Circle was an exception, and at least Brickskeller was around the corner. Then I heard about Birreria Paradiso. Just take the orange or blue line metro to the Rosslyn station. From there take the 38B bus (get a free transfer on the way out of the metro) and get off at M Street and Potomac—the bus stop is literally outside the front door of Pizzeria Paradiso. Go past the nice restaurant staff to the downstairs to the Birreria Paradiso.
Then have a seat and don't move. We took the end of the bar directly inside the door, and that was the night. It looked nice upstairs and many of the people with us seemed to be waiting to return upstairs. Many of these folks asked for and received good advice as to what to drink and no one seemed disappointed. There also seemed to be some rather smart folks working on math that I haven't seen since I was a physics major in college. Plus locals hanging out as well with a smattering of beer geeks. Again, this is just me, but since I can drink the beers on tap downstairs and order food, not sure why I'd leave. So, we didn't. My wife very nicely tolerates my beer hunting; in this case she not only loved the place as well, but wants to return with me. We were told that a second keg of J.W. Lees was being aged for two years—might just fly out for it.
The thing that really sets the Birreria apart from RFD and Brickskeller was the attention to serving the beer well. While the other two bars have very knowledgable staff, our bartender Thor, a self proclaimed beer dork, is one of the best beer stewards I've ever had the pleasure of being served by. It fact, the night felt more like evenings I've had at 't Arendsnest in Amsterdam or The Exton Drafting Room in Pennsylvania— places each famous for their beer service. Go, now, talk to Thor, have a great time with well tended beer that is served properly. What else can a beer geek ask for. Granted, I was there one (short) night and only talked to one server, so mitigate my response as you wish; I'll judge for myself if I'm being overly effusive after my next trip—and there will be a next trip.
Note: In the summer of 2008, I visited Brasserie Beck where Thor had become beer manager and continued to do a great job.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)