The Humble Gourmand

I wandered into Calvert-Woodley (a favorite wine shop) last week with the aim of finding something completely exotic and new, as I was both bored and impressionable. The catch: it had to be $10 or less.

Barbecuing and beer: the quintessence of July 4th. Many a barbecue will be thrown over the holiday, and many a beer will be drunk, but which ones are best?

The July issue of The Humble Gourmand is sitting in the wings and will be launched Thursday, just in time for 4th of July barbeques and other summer shindigs.

It doesn’t get much simpler or fresher than gin with homemade sour mix. You can also serve this straight up in a martini glass.

After giving you a quick look at the new faces gracing the online pages of the HG last week, here’s a quick rundown of the rest of ‘em.

This isn’t your typical cosmo.

As we hope you’ve noticed, there are some new faces around the HG.

Even though I should be excited that we have our first female Top Chef, I cannot help but ignore the fact that the person we all thought would wipe the floor with some poor sap actually ended up losing grip in the end.

As we’re greeted with record temperatures this June, the HG has prepared a slew of summer-ready recipes and features for you.

If you mention Chablis to a budding wine enthusiast, don’t be surprised if his or her nose wrinkles in feigned disgust. Many a jug white has been packaged under the misnomer of “Chablis,” doing nothing but harm to the patently genius-esque elegance that it exudes.

I am on location in Burlington, Vermont, to do a little of the investigative reporting that I love best: sampling local beers.

I thought this episode would be difficult to watch considering that the no-rice-cooking-wonder known as Lisa had made it this far, but watching Richard and Stephanie aptly perform made me forget her — until they brought out the pigs.

I’m sure I don’t have to bang you over the head with the tidbit that great wine becomes more elegant with a little rest, and age — like people.

With all the new recipes, gadgets, and cooking techniques out there to explore, what can we say about the history of baking? How did hunters and gatherers become bakers?

Nothing calls my name in the summer like a margarita on the rocks (with salt, please), an outside patio with sunshine on my shoulders and friends around the table, and tangy, spicy, fresh guacamole with blue corn tortilla chips.

Finally, a Quickfire that really speaks to me.

A: This pasta is fantastic.
L: What?
A: THIS PASTA IS FANTASTIC!
L: WHAT?

I feel like Bravo dumped me this week.

The WETA Guide to Fine Dining showcases menus, chefs, and the crafting of that little thing called ambiance at various big-name spots in our nation’s capital. Read on for a list of restaurants featured.

Let’s review Dale’s demeanor throughout the episode: Angry. Angry. Arrogant. Whiny.

The time has come for me to explain the root of my passion for beer.

As I write this, I am about to embark on a journey to ye Olde World. By the time you’re reading it, I’ll be at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich — but I wanted to write from the perspective of my naïve palate on the eve of sampling some of the finest Champagnes in the world.

Last night my heart broke a little. My curly-haired comrade from down under was sent packing, leaving the Top Chef kitchen without such exotic (and perplexing) ingredients as Marmite and Wattleseed.

We know you’re on the edge of your seat…

There was a great story in The New York Times over the weekend about the sometimes-wacky lengths France (and the EU) will go to to protect the “identity and integrity” of Champagne.

Beer? Cheese? Beer AND cheese?

The HG’s Lynne and I thought we had died and gone to heaven at a pairing dinner this Monday at Pizza Paradiso in Georgetown. The cheesemongers of Cowgirl Creamery worked closely with Paradiso to craft a stunning 5-course menu that left us speechless (and very full).

There’s a lot more to Chile’s Cono Sur than its wine.

When you find yourself behind the 8-ball, putting together a weeknight supper can seem like a chore (or go by the wayside in favor of second-rate delivery pizza and Chinese).

We’re finally getting with the times.

Paella is a fantastic dish for a dinner party. There’s so much going on, and all the spices and flavors meld together to create a wonderful, welcoming aroma for your guests’ arrival.

We focused on entertaining this time around, with tips to help you survive your first soiree, set your table, or choose the right libation to deliver to your host.

Anyone seen the hilarious and marginally offensive “Stuff White People Like” blog? I’m guilty of at least half of the accusations laid against anyone of European-American descent, but two of my favorites are wine and dinner parties — coincidentally two of this issue’s focal points.

Not sure what to bring, or serve? Follow these simple rules, and you’ll be in good shape.

Dinner parties, it seems, are rarely six-pack events. Unless the hosts are diehard beer fans or recovering frat boys, normal brews — whether the Pabsts of the world, or the Magic Hats — are inappropriate. Hence, I’ve chosen three beers that come in 750ml corked bottles, looking more like Champagne than malt liquor.

Washington’s Nationals played their home opener in a sparkling-new stadium last weekend, but our chief curiosity is this: How’s the food?

Sure, Ratatouille was a great movie, but it didn’t convince me that rats, mice, or any other small, furry creatures belong in restaurants.

Sitting in a history-steeped tavern in the nation’s capital early one March 17 of a not-too-distant year, I chanced upon the singular character of Rusty Clark. He sat at a corner table and leaned his chair back lazily against the side wall. His left foot pushed gently on the table’s edge.

Some may not take pleasure in learning culinary techniques, I guess, but for me, it’s part history lesson, part sensual indulgence, and part science experiment, all rolled into one.

I left political dead-spot Washington, D.C., to make a pilgrimage to the Great Lakes Brewing Company, a socially conscious, environmentally friendly brewery minutes from Lake Erie.

All this talk of tannins and vanilla and finish has my head spinning, and not because I’ve had too much to drink.

We’re proud to announce the latest issue of The Humble Gourmand, launched today for your weekend reading and cooking pleasure.

Good cookbooks are handy resources, even if you don’t plan to follow the recipes to a T.

What do you eat or drink to stay healthy in these sickly winter months?

So, you find yourself in a predicament: you’re invited to dinner at New Girlfriend’s house, and you’re asked to bring a bottle of wine. You either don’t know what she’s serving, or you don’t know the first thing about wine. Or both. Gasp. What to do?

Check us out today on Metrocurean, an ahead-of-the-tape food site that’s a fantastic source of DC restaurant news, and in The Bowdoin Orient, the oldest continuously published college weekly in the country!

Sure, you won’t be browsing in flip flops and shorts, but there are excellent reasons to bundle up and seek out a year-round farmers’ market.

My new blogger friends sympathized with my inability to access the internet and joined me in grumbling about the ineptitude of the IT “support” at the showcase. Their way of showing support: pouring me a glass of Cooper Vineyards 2006 Petit Verdot.

The wine is indeed leading the blind.

The wine: pretty good. The IT support: not so much.

There comes a point in any budding oenophile’s career that one decides to hate Chardonnay and Merlot. But there are plenty of small wineries in California, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, and upstate New York producing really nice ones.

I’ve been tasked with a weighty assignment: drink beer and tell you what I think. Since this Sunday happens to be the Super Bowl, and the Super Bowl happens to be a time during which much beer is imbibed, I have taken it upon myself to offer thoughts on which beers are appropriate to imbibe during this particular Super Bowl, Number XLII.