Foodie To-Do List: Daring Pairings with Sparkling Wine, Beer and Cocktails
As part of an ongoing effort to alert you, the readers of DC Foodies, to all of the really cool food-related events, classes and opportunities throughout the Washington Metropolitan area, we give you this week's edition of the Foodie To-Do List. Each Wednesday, we give you a heads-up on a few of the upcoming events that we think look particularly interesting. This week, we've got: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Tasting at OpenKitchen: What: Andy Hoyle leads you through a tasting of seven different sparkling wines, with offerings from France, Spain, Italy, California and even Virginia in the mix. Along the...

Last Minute Turkey Wines, and a Way to Perk Up Our Troops.
Thanksgiving is quite easily my favorite holiday. Sure, Christmas is great, but it's expensive these days; Halloween hasn't been anything worth getting excited about since I was like 10; Easter has kinda lost its charm since this lapsed Catholic has realized all the various ways in which he is damned. Thanksgiving, though, is perfect -- all the gluttony and overindulgence, without the crassness, and costumes, and guilt about going to hell and junk. But with all the prep work that comes with preparing for family, it's understandable for one to forget a detail or two. For those of you who...

ChocoVine: A New Baileys Replacement Therapy?
I have a problem with Baileys. No, not like a beef with it, more like an addiction. As soon as the weather gets cool, and the noon sun gets closer to the horizon, stores put up those stacks of shiny, shiny gift packs, and I invariably pick one up. "What the hell?" I ask myself, "I'll just have a glass or two after dinner." Yeah, right -- fast forward to 48 hours later, and that bottle is gone; that's twenty-some-odd bucks, down the hatch all too quickly. There has got to be a better way! Oh, sure, I could try...

Foodie To-Do List: Restaurants Open Thanksgiving from Dining In to Carrying Out
As part of an ongoing effort to alert you, the readers of DC Foodies, to all of the really cool food-related events, classes and opportunities throughout the Washington Metropolitan area, we give you this week's edition of the Foodie To-Do List. While we usually dish up a trio of upcoming events for you to put on your calendar, this week we're taking a look at some of the many restaurants offering Thanksgiving specials that can help take some (or all) of the stress off the host. Whether you're looking to purchase pies, ship in some sides or just let the...

Maryland brewery tour: Frederick and Flying Dog
I love me a brewery tour. Maybe it's the chance to see how my favorite beverage is made. Maybe it's the chance to meet the brewers. Maybe it's the beer. It's probably the beer. Aside from the brewpubs we have in D.C., the District is devoid of any beer makers. However, our northern neighbors have two outstanding breweries, each just a 45 minute drive away: Flying Dog in Frederick, Md., and Clipper City in Baltimore. And once you're done at the breweries, both cities offer other great destinations, including brewpubs (pace yourself). A few years ago, my wife and I...