Blog Archive
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The Wine Leading the Blind: Summer Whites for the Bored and Broke Palate
0 comments | July 3, 2008
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.
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Brew's Clues: Episode VI, In Which Brew Has a Barbecue
0 comments | July 3, 2008
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?
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Summer Days...
0 comments | July 1, 2008
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.
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Get Yourself a Gimlet
0 comments | June 27, 2008
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.
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Cheers to the Old, Too
2 comments | June 25, 2008
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.
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Cheers to Our New Faces
0 comments | June 18, 2008
As we hope you’ve noticed, there are some new faces around the HG.
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Top Chef Rehash: And the Winner Is...
0 comments | June 12, 2008
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.
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June Issue is Up
1 comments | June 6, 2008
As we’re greeted with record temperatures this June, the HG has prepared a slew of summer-ready recipes and features for you.
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The Wine Leading the Blind: Chablis Ain’t No Jug Wine!
0 comments | June 6, 2008
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.
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Episode V: Vermont in a Bottle
0 comments | June 6, 2008
I am on location in Burlington, Vermont, to do a little of the investigative reporting that I love best: sampling local beers.
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Top Chef Rehash: Pork, Sweetness and Self-Importance
4 comments | June 5, 2008
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.
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Lucien Muzard et Fils
0 comments | June 4, 2008
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.
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An Early History of Bread and Baking
0 comments | June 3, 2008
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?
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Tangy Guacamole
0 comments | May 30, 2008
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.
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Top Chef Rehash: It's Rice!
0 comments | May 22, 2008
Finally, a Quickfire that really speaks to me.
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Dining in the Din
0 comments | May 19, 2008
A: This pasta is fantastic.
L: What?
A: THIS PASTA IS FANTASTIC!
L: WHAT? -

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Catch a Glimpse of the Inner Workings at DC's Major-League Restaurants
0 comments | May 12, 2008
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.
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Top Chef Rehash: Cheese With Your Whine?
2 comments | May 8, 2008
Let’s review Dale’s demeanor throughout the episode: Angry. Angry. Arrogant. Whiny.
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Brew's Clues: Episode IV, A Brief Introduction to Homebrewing
0 comments | May 2, 2008
The time has come for me to explain the root of my passion for beer.
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The Wine Leading the Blind: Champagne Country, Vol.1 -- Hey, Big Spender!
1 comments | May 2, 2008
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.
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Top Chef Rehash: Curries for Kids
0 comments | May 1, 2008
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.
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New Photos / May Issue On Its Way
0 comments | April 30, 2008
We know you’re on the edge of your seat…
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Champagne For All -- Just Don't Call It Champagne
0 comments | April 29, 2008
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.
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Cowgirl Creamery/Pizza Paradiso Beer-Cheese Dinner
0 comments | April 23, 2008
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).
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"Green" Wine: Nope, It's Not What You Think!
0 comments | April 22, 2008
There’s a lot more to Chile’s Cono Sur than its wine.
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What's Your Go-To Weeknight Meal?
3 comments | April 16, 2008
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).
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As-You-Like-It Paella
2 comments | April 8, 2008
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.
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April Issue: Dinner Parties and More
2 comments | April 4, 2008
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.
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The Wine Leading the Blind: The Enigmatic "Perfect" Dinner Party Wine
0 comments | April 4, 2008
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.
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Brew's Clues: Episode III, In Which Brew Attends a Dinner Party
0 comments | April 4, 2008
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.
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Highway Robbery at the Ballpark?
3 comments | April 2, 2008
Washington’s Nationals played their home opener in a sparkling-new stadium last weekend, but our chief curiosity is this: How’s the food?
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Rodents in Restaurants (Not the Cartoon Kind)
5 comments | March 24, 2008
Sure, Ratatouille was a great movie, but it didn’t convince me that rats, mice, or any other small, furry creatures belong in restaurants.
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Stylish Irish
0 comments | March 17, 2008
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.
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The Learned Cook
3 comments | March 12, 2008
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.
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Brew's Clues: Episode II, In Which Brew Finds Warmth in the Great Cold North
0 comments | March 7, 2008
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.
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The Wine Leading the Blind: Scaling Back (The Table Wine Edition)
0 comments | March 7, 2008
All this talk of tannins and vanilla and finish has my head spinning, and not because I’ve had too much to drink.
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Erin Go Bragh!
0 comments | March 7, 2008
We’re proud to announce the latest issue of The Humble Gourmand, launched today for your weekend reading and cooking pleasure.
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Cookbookery: A Few Recommendations
2 comments | March 3, 2008
Good cookbooks are handy resources, even if you don’t plan to follow the recipes to a T.
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Feel-Good Food
3 comments | February 28, 2008
What do you eat or drink to stay healthy in these sickly winter months?
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Finding a Great Wine Store
0 comments | February 25, 2008
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?
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HG on the Interwebs
0 comments | February 22, 2008
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!
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Farmers' Markets in Winter
0 comments | February 19, 2008
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.
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Petit Verdot is Completely Underrated
0 comments | February 9, 2008
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.
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Lauren at the Virginia Wine Showcase
0 comments | February 9, 2008
The wine: pretty good. The IT support: not so much.
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The Wine Leading the Blind: The *Other* Side of the Wine Aisle
0 comments | February 4, 2008
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.
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Brew's Clues: Episode XLII, In Which Brew Recommends Beers for the Super Bowl
2 comments | February 1, 2008
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.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is a monthly online publication edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
The Humble Gourmand encourages users to comment on any and all of its features, but reserves the right to remove any material deemed inappropriate.