Society Fair, George Washington’s Whisky and DC Treats

My entire trip to Virginia had been packed to the brim, but no day proved to be busier – or more interesting – than the final one.

The morning started at Society Fair Epicurean Emporium in Alexandria. I cannot begin to tell you how impressed I am with this place. I have never seen anything like it and can’t imagine that I will again. The Eat Good Food Group has managed to put together in one spot a combination of food and drink items like no other, many of which are from their venues.

Did you love the bread pudding at Virtue? It’s here. Can’t live without Todd Thrasher’s Tonic from PX? Buy it at Society Fair. Craving the birthday cake served at Restaurant Eve or the coconut cake from Majestic? You’ll find it on the shelf.

In addition to supplying the homemade products sold in the restaurants, you will also find a full bakery, cheeses, a selection of sausages from Julian the butcher, a wine bar and a coffee counter. You can take out or stay (I enjoyed a latte and a delicious egg and cheese sandwich on a biscuit). Whatever you have, you can guarantee that nothing has ever been frozen and as many local businesses as possible have been supported.

My friend and colleague Julia Coney picked me up at Society Fair and we headed to Mount Vernon, the former home of the nation’s first president. I was there on a mission to do more than just check out the grounds.

I had been to the George Washington Distillery two and a half years ago at the start of my press trip on the American Whiskey Trail. I had been anxious to make it back to see (and taste) the progression of the products. It remained mostly the way I remembered it, which is the whole point here – to show the public how Washington made his whiskey. It is authentic from the gristmill that grinds the grain to the blend it is believed the former president used.

Project Manager Dennis Pogash is still around running the place and he was kind enough to take time out to give Julia and me a private tour. We then tasted some of the whiskey and rye, which could stand up to any made in a modern facility. Pogash also told us that they had also made small quantities of peach and apple brandies that should be available for sale in the fall (all of the GW Distillery products are only for sale at Mount Vernon). 

After the tasting, we walked over to the museum and learned about the food the Washingtons ate here at the “Hoecakes & Hospitality” exhibition. We took the exploration of food it one step further by taking “Dinner for the Washingtons' Walking Tour.” We walked through the greenhouse and the garden, where we saw all the vegetables that Martha Washington would have had in her kitchen. When the tour was over, Julia and I had worked up quite an appetite, so we had great lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant.

We had some time before our next stop and I asked Julia if she minded driving over to see some of the monuments. I couldn’t remember the last time I was in DC and I had never seen the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. I was as memorized by the statues as I was by the quotes all around it, taken from speeches King had made.

After a brief walk around in the rain of DC, we headed to the just opened Sugar Magnolia,  next door to its sister restaurant Ripple. We had wished we had a lighter lunch as pastry chef extraordinaire Allison brought by some of their special treats.

The specialty here is ice cream sandwiches and they are definitely not the kind you usually get. My favorite was the Ginger Beet (ginger cookie; beet ice cream), but the waffle cookie with maple bacon ice cream was also quite good. Allison was continuing to concoct her next treats as we sat there (balsamic with strawberry, anyone?) while some of the waiters from Ripple brought in a little food for us to try. It was very hard to walk away without more than a bite of superb dishes like Black Quinoa Risotto, but we actually had another restaurant to go to.

We left with some of the best granola in the world (also Allison’s specialty), as well as a bag of their famous Bacon Pecans and headed to another part of DC for dinner at Graffiato. This very popular eatery has only been open a year. It is the brainchild of Top Chef Mike Isabella.

Graffiato was packed with people standing, sitting and generally smiling. We were escorted to our table and began to decipher the menu of small plates. Julia had been here previously and right away told me I had to try the Crispy Potato Gnocchi with wild mushrooms and stacciatellia. She wasn’t kidding. It was great. We were also blown away by the Suckling Pig Lasagna, filled with sweet and tender pulled pork and topped with lots of cheese.

The waiter recommended the Roasted Cauliflower with pecorino and mint and I’m glad we took him up on the idea. I also thought the Tortellini with butternut squash, goat cheese and walnut was delicious. They only thing I have to say I wasn’t thrilled with were the wines on draft. We tried a few, but nothing worked well.

Even my sweet tooth couldn’t get me to consider a dessert after a very full day of eating, but I’m glad I got to see Alexandria, Mount Vernon and Washington, DC, from a foodie’s eye.

Tasting and Touring Through Alexandria

The Alexandria Tourism Board had arranged for me to have a private tour of this historic area. Whitney met me at the Visitors Center in the morning for my walking exploration.

We started walking by Market Square and continued through the area’s highlights, talking about the history and the founding fathers.  Since it’s also the location of the longest running continuous farmer’s market in the nation, Whitney explained how the area had evolved from a seaport to a functioning town.

I was fascinated with the cobblestone street of Sea Captains Row, once inhabited by a large family (20 children – all girls!!) that spread from one house to raising their own families in the others.  I was also surprised to see how tiny the house owned by George and Martha Washington was, though Whitney explained that they sent extra guests there most of the time while they stayed at Mount Vernon.

We walked by the headquarters of the Alexandria News Gazette, the longest running daily newspaper in the country. Some other landmarks have also stayed put, such as Gadsby’s Tavern, and others that have remained as more of a museum than a working business, like The Apothecary where our first president filled his prescriptions.

I thanked Whitney for a wonderful tour and headed to Restaurant Eve. It was just beautiful and I especially loved the long, comfortable, couch-like table settings. I was there to meet Todd Thrasher, partner in the Eat Good Food Group, which has various establishments all over Alexandria, Virginia. I settled in for a great discussion about his restaurants and views on mixology (full story to come on my interview).

Lunch was at Vermillion, the same restaurant where President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle celebrated Valentine’s Day this year.  I met with the Megan, the restaurant’s PR rep, and started with one of their great cocktails, a Fennel Fizz Classic (house made fennel, pomegranate, fennel-infused simple syrup and sparkling wine).

I started the meal with the Carrot Ginger Soup and then had a beet salad, made with local beet varieties, feta, dill, pine nuts and Greek yogurt. Both courses were fantastic.  The Garganelli Pasta was my main course and it was quite flavorful, with roasted mushroom, mascarpone cream and garlic bread crumbs.  

The pastry chef here is as inventive as the chef. I have never seen (or tasted) anything like the Cookies & Confections Plate at Vermillion. It was like a trip back to all the childhood favorites, with his version of a Hostess cupcake, Snickers, oatmeal cream pie and a pudding pop – with mint chip ice cream!

I had a short break before my friend and colleague Julia Cooney picked me up to go to Grape & Bean. This wine and coffee bar has a huge selection, but we decided to just relax and enjoy an aperitif we knew we enjoyed, namely the2011 Vietti Moscato d’Asiti from Piedmont, Italy.

We went to dinner at Virtue Feed & Grain, a property of Todd Thrasher’s restaurant group.  The drinks – including some beer cocktails – were rather eclectic and we sipped them while we tasted the wonderful Potatoes Stuffed with Short Ribs and an order of Baba Ganoush.

For a main course we shared the Chicken Pot Pie and the Skaggers Pie, both of which were not quite what we expected, but the restaurant certainly made it up to us as they filled our table with a selection of the restaurant’s best desserts. The chocolate fudge cake was one of the best I’ve ever had, but the bread pudding was spectacular, as was the chocolate crème brulee.

After dinner we headed to the PX Speakeasy. It was a small place up a flight of stairs and I loved the old fashioned, cozy décor. The drinks, however, were modern and well-crafted, with unique names. We tried and liked two: I Promise This Cocktail Will Make Your Belly Feel Better with Menta Branca, Cruzan Black Rum and house made mint bitters; and a Norfolk Dumpling made from house made duck sauce soda, house made cherry bitters, Maccho Pisco and Don Julio Anejo Tequila.

I then enjoyed an old standard – at least I thought it was one. As a gin and tonic drinker, I was blown away by Todd Thrasher’s homemade tonic, made with lavender and a bit sweeter than most and served with ice cubes made from the tonic so it wouldn’t dilute.

It had been a very long and filling day so I was anxious to head back to the Sheraton Suites Old Towne Alexandria before the new day came and Julia and I would be off to George Washington’s Distillery at Mount Vernon.  

Visiting Virginia

When I received an assignment to write about the George Washington Distillery for Capitol File Magazine, one of the things that excited me the most about it was the chance to head back to the Washington, DC area. I decided it would be fun to combine a good foodie town with the trip and quickly settled on Alexandria.  It was a great choice.

Virginia Tourism helped me organize a trip filled with great cocktails, restaurants, and a bit of history.  I also had the bonus of being joined on some of the trip by a friend I had recently met on my press trip to St. Maarten, Julia Coney of All About the Pretty.

I arrived at the Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria in the early evening for my three night stay there.  I had never been there before, but I immediately knew why it had been chosen as the suite had what I needed and it was located within walking distance of most of the sites and venues I was going to.

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Claire from Alexandria Tourism picked me up for dinner. I had been looking forward to this since reading about it on the itinerary. If you ever asked me what my favorite foods were, I could guarantee that they have cheese in them. Whether it’s a sprinkling of parmesan or oozing cheddar, I love cheese dishes so dinner at Cheesetique was the perfect choice for me.

Cheesetique, located in the Del Ray neighborhood, also has a large selection of one of my other favorite things – wine. I had a glass of Chilean Cuvee and Claire and I tried to narrow down what we were going to order. It seemed like an impossible task to be given a menu where absolutely everything sounded terrific and you were only going to pick a few! Finally, the waitress helped us narrow it down, though we still ordered way too much.

The Warm Chevre and Tomato Dip, served with crostinis, was a wonderful start as it wasn’t heavy. We followed that with a Pear and Gorgonzola Flatbread. That wasn’t very cheesy, but I was soon thankful for that fact.

The grilled cheeses we had ordered arrived. We had narrowed it down to the Grown-up Grilled Cheese, the Grilled Pimiento Cheese and the ABC Panini. The Grown-up was Prairie Breeze Cheddar melted on grilled sourdough. It was excellent. I couldn’t imagine a better grilled cheese sandwich. As for the Pimiento, it was made with a spicy blend of 3-year Cheddar, Dragon’s Breath and Dubliner, with pimientos. It had quite a kick and I enjoyed the unusual taste.  

The ABC Panini was quite different from the others. It was a tasty combination of red apples, peppered bacon and Comte on a dark honey wheat bread. I liked the combination of sweet and salty.

Fortunately, we had paced ourselves and only tasted a bit of everything before the macaroni and cheese course (just saying “macaroni and cheese course” makes me salivate!). The first was Mac ‘N Cheesetique, Goat Gouda, Asiago, 30-day Pecorino and truffle-infused bread crumbs. It was a perfect blend.

Our second macaroni and cheese was Cauliflower & Pancetta. I was a little hesitant when ordering it, but I’m glad the waitress convinced us as the Fontina and Parrano cheeses mixed very well with the cauliflower florets and crispy pancetta.

I had made sure to leave room for dessert and I’m glad I did because my anticipation was correct. The Cheesetique Cheesecake was creamy and delicious, topped with luscious fruit. It was the perfect ending to the evening and my start of exploring Virginia.