Mama's got a brand new bag

Hi! I changed some things, like the logo up top. I like the little cupcake guy.

Also, I was fully intending to post a recipe I made up for this popcorn mix, but my Dad and I are making lobster bisque (fucking hard and time consuming, by the way), and we were getting stressed out, so we each took a shot of Goldschlager. I have no idea why my parents have that lying around their house, or why I did a shot with my DAD. My parents are the kind that go to bed at 9 p.m., for crying out loud. Regardless, that plus a couple of glasses of wine means that I'm not feeling entirely competent to write up and post a recipe, albeit a simple one.

Check back in a couple of hours.

But, if I don't see you, have a merry merry day-before-Christmas-Eve!

P.S. Sorry for saying "fucking" up there. Don't want to alienate my rather large fan base of 6-year-olds. I apologize. The Demon Rum gives me the mouth of a sailor.

Whatever you do, don't order the bitch beer: Brasserie Beck

Boyfriend and I went to Brasserie Beck downtown last night and I fell in love - with the restaurant, of course. I love everything about it - the high ceilings, the modern, Mondrian-esque design, the tragically hip clientele, the FOOD, the book of Belgian beers they give you, with tasting notes for each beer - just a great dining experience.

I had moules frites (mussels and fries), which I always seem to order when they appear on the menu. They were pretty fantastic - plump and juicy, well-seasoned, and the fries, oh lord, the fries. They were thin and crispy and came with a trio of mayonnaise (Belgian-style), which I typically loathe, but I was practically licking the plate if that tells you anything. Boyfriend got the same, except he got his mussels with fennel and chorizo, while I stuck to the more traditional white wine, parsley, and garlic. We also split a cheese course, which was delicious, if slightly lacking in variation.

Brasserie Beck serves up typical Belgian brasserie food, but to be honest, the focus is not the food - it's the beer. Pages and pages (15, if I counted right) of all different types of Belgian beer, each served in a brand-specific glass for ultimate tasting pleasure, our server informed us. The fun was in choosing which beer to try next. I had a total of four: an Affligem Blond (crisp and flavorful, though I'm no beer aficionado), Delirium Tremens (my favorite), St. Louis Framboise (a raspberry-flavored lambic vaguely reminiscent of a wine cooler - bitch beer, pretty much), and a Kwak (caramel-y amber ale - yum.)

Cuteness: I was actually going to order a different beer than the Kwak, but the waiter interrupted me and told me he would bring me what I really wanted, and would overlook my lapse in judgment when I ordered straight up raspberry juice with the Framboise. He came over with the Kwak (which I lurved) in a bizzare beaker-like glass that had it's own wooden stand. How did this man know I love anything involving caramel (even a beer with a caramel finish) and that anything that's so pretentious it has to have its own wooden stand automatically captures my heart with its ridiculousness? Methinks I've found a soulmate.

One last note, to the chick next to us who insisted on having a 20-minute discussion with the sommelier about which wine she was "feeling:"

1. We know you like wine. We know you like showing off to people that you "know" wine. But when you practically scream to the restaurant that you're "LOOKING FOR SOMETHING WITH A HINT OF A PEPPERY FINISH, THAT OPENS UP TO THE PALATE EVER-SO-GRADUALLY," you make everyone in the vicinity want to engage in homicide. Please refrain, and get over yourself.

2. You are at a brasserie with a fifteen-page list full of brews you can't get anywhere else in the city. Man up and order the beer.

Photo credit: heatherfreeman.com.

A fizzy lifting drink and a gigantic digeridoo

Last night, I attended a food and wine event at the Australian embassy. They had a wine tasting going on, which I adore - I love nodding as the sommelier discusses the bouquet and pretending to know what he's talking about, then swirling the wine around in my glass pretentiously and taking slow sips, pausing in between each one to try and pick out different notes, although the best I can usually come up with is nothing more detailed than "fruity" or "woody." Classy, Kate. Occasionally, though, I encounter a wine that packs a real gustatory wallop (very technical term.) Last night's was the sparkling Shiraz. Indeed, I had never even heard of it, so it was quite a pleasant surprise. It had all the intensity of a good Shiraz with a pleasant buzzy kick. I think I'm really excited about it because I truly prefer red wine, but it always seems so heavy in the summer. This, though, is as refreshing as a white (it is served chilled), but I don't have to sacrifice that full-bodied flavor of a red that I love. I'm told it goes well with barbecue; I think it would be a great accompaniment for grilled steak.

The wine we sampled was a 2004 Paringa sparkling Shiraz. Relatively inexpensive at $10 a bottle (I can afford it, hurrah!), it had notes of blackberry, raspberry and chocolate. Pretty much everyone I saw return to the bar requested a glass of it. Fun and delicious.

Note: I was told that sparkling Shiraz is not very common and can be difficult to locate. I'm not sure of any DC wine stores that carry it - I'm going to check Best Cellars in Dupont today. Two websites that I've found that have it (and deliver!) are The Jug Shop (great selection) and Stirling Fine Wine.

Also, I saw an Aborigine play a digeridoo. A night can't get much better than that.