A couple weeks ago I took a week long trip to Santa Barbara, California. I spent 3 days wine tasting through the Santa Rita Hills and 3 days in Santa Barbara for a bachelorette party.

The wine tasting was such a great experience, and I was able to visit some of my favorite wineries and meet the winemakers who make some of my favorite wines. Through out the three days I visited Melville, Brewer Clifton, Alma Rosa, Fiddlehead Cellars, Evening Land, Stolpman Vineyards, Longoria, and I visited the tasting rooms of Qupe, Alta Maria, and Epiphany. It was a wine filled three days if you could’t tell, and I was exhausted by the end of the trip.

Santa Rita Hills is about 45 min to an hour from Santa Barbara, and it is a beautiful country side, but very spread out.

My first stop was Melville. Already being a huge fan of Melville’s Syrah and Pinot Noir, I was very excited to see the estate and learn about the vineyards and winemaking process.

It was the cutest little property and everything was decorated for fall. The morning started out cool and dewey, which was one of the very few days in the Central Coast that was cloudy and a bit rainy. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying myself and learning about wine.

I took a tour through the vineyard and cellar and not only learned about Melville, but learned about the area itself.

The Santa Rita Hills are the only East/West mountain range in North America. This keeps the area cool because of the cool air that comes off the ocean, which is only about 10 miles away. That cooler air allows grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and cool climate Syrah to grow well, which is mainly what is made in that area.

The soil is a sandy soil with lots of limestone and a clay base because it was once the sea floor of the ocean many years ago. The area around Melville is considered Diatomaceous earth and is made up of fossilized plankton which tends to add texture and salinity to the wine. Because the ocean is so close to the vineyard, the ocean fog blows in and lands on the grapes adding that oceanic influence to the wines.

I am so thankful the staff at Melville took the time to show me around and teach me the history behind Melville and the area. I am a very hands on learner, and sometimes I need to see and feel things for them to make sense. After this visit, I understood the Central coast that much more.

After tasting through Melville’s wines I headed over to Brewer Clifton which is a small garage winery in Lompoc. The winemaker for Melville, Greg Brewer, is also the winemaker and co-owner of Brewer Clifton. I tasted through their delicious Chardonnays and Pinot Noir’s, and of course I asked to get a picture with Greg since I’m such a huge fan of his wines.

I was very impressed with the Brewer Clifton wines. A little more expensive, but very well made, and in my opinion, worth the money.

I stopped for lunch at Sissy’s, a local favorite, for the towns famous pea soup and a veggie sandwich. Perfect pick me up to keep wine tasting. I love asking locals for restaurant recommendations. This particular restaurant was recommended to me by three different people so I knew I had to check it out.

Next was Alma Rosa, which was way out in the middle of no where.

I think by this time I was pretty tired, and even though this is a very well known winery with fantastic wines, nothing was really hitting my fancy. Maybe I’ll just have to come back and try them all again.

The next morning I started at Fiddlehead Cellars. To be honest, I was pretty excited to be able to taste here. Fiddlehead Cellars is like the flagship winery in the area. High end Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noirs that are a step above all the rest. Located in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto is their little winery where they make all the magic happen.

I was able to taste some barrel samples, taste through some of their wines, and best of all, meet Kathy, the owner and winemaker of Fiddlehead. This was kind of like meeting a celebrity for me. Kathy has an extreme amount of passion for winemaking, and she puts that passion into each bottle of wine she makes. It is quite an intense process, but whatever she is doing…she is doing it right.

After Fiddlehead I walked over to Stolpman Vineyards, whose winery is also located in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. Here I met Pete Stolpman, the son of the owner, who showed me around their small winery, introduced me to ‘celebrity’ winemaker Sashi Moorman, and then took me through their vineyards to get a better look at the land. Stolpman grows some interesting varietals for the area like Roussanne, and Sangiovese.

We stopped for lunch in the little town of Los Olivos and then headed to their tasting room to taste through their wines. I had tried their Syrah in my store before, but I was really impressed with both the L’Avion, and LaCuadrilla.

I had some time to spare so I spent the rest of the day walking through the cute little town of Los Olivos and popped into some other tasting rooms to check out their wines including Qupe. My favorite of the afternoon was Alta Maria. I loved their Sauvignon Blanc.

The third and final day was nothing short of amazing. I started the day at Longoria where I met with Rick Longoria, owner and winemaker, who I had met a while back for a tasting at my store. He showed me around their small winery in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, and then took me on a ride through the Santa Rita Hills explaining to me about all the different vineyards, more about the soil and climate, history behind the land and different wineries, and basically an overview of who owns what. We walked through some of his La Encantada vineyards and saw his ‘baby’, Fe Ciega vineyard, from afar.

Back at the winery I tasted some barrel samples which gave me an idea of what his new releases will taste like. After a educational morning I headed to his tasting room in Los Olivos, but stopped at Foley on my way.

Foley was a beautiful estate, and we used to carry their Pinot Noir so I wanted to taste through their other wines. Of course I was very impressed and happy I stopped by, but only two are available outside the winery.

I tasted through all the Longoria wines at the Los Olivos tasting room and refreshed my memory after tasting them at my store a while back. Still love them all just as much as I did before. Rick is another winemaker who puts his heart and soul into his winemaking and it shows in his wines.

After that impressive tasting I headed to a small little restaurant called Panino for lunch and then headed back to Santa Barbara to end my winery trip and start the bachelorette party.

I could not have been more happy with this trip. I was taken such good care of at each winery, I learned an incredible amount of information about the area, the winemakers, the estates, and just about the wines in general. It was such a beneficial experience, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have had this opportunity.

After being in the area for three days meeting winemakers, vineyard owners, and other people in the business I realized what a small town this really was. Everyone knew everyone. Winemakers worked on many different projects and seemed to bounce around from winery to winery. It amazed me how much everyone was connected. I guess that is just the nature of the business,and I loved learning about every second of it.

I can honestly say that I had never been to the wineries in Virginia until this past weekend. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but the timing was never right. Well this weekend all the stars aligned, and my parents and I visited 7 different wineries all around Charlottesville, VA.

It was a beautiful fall weekend, and all of the leaves were changing color, which was an added bonus to spending the weekend in the country.

We started at The Winery at La Grange. As with most of the wineries in Virginia, La Grange is nestled in the beautiful Virginia countryside.

As we tasted through their large selection of wines, I was immediately put in the Halloween spirit. They really go all out for the holidays and especially Halloween.

Favorites from this winery were the 2009 Viognier and the Meritage. Both absolutely smooth, complex, and delicious. The Cuvee Blanc did fall far behind.

We took a little peak at the cellar while we were there too and witnessed some wine-making in action.

On our way to the next winery we got a little caught off guard by this:

Nothing says fall like a pumpkin and apple cider doughnut.

On to Linden Vineyards we went taking in the beautiful scenery. I knew Linden pretty well since we carried the wines in our store at one time, but I was interested to taste the new vintages and wines we hadn’t carried.

I absolutely loved the look and feel of this winery. Breathtaking views of the vineyards and mountains. I wished we had planned better so we could have sat and had some cheese and wine while we were there.

They had the cutest little area to sit and relax and just take in the scenery while enjoying your wine selection with some Virginia cheeses. I must come back!

Favorites from Linden were the 2010 Seyval, which is great porch and seafood wine, and the 2008 Petit Verdot, which would be fabulous with some red meat or even southern barbecue.

We were going to head straight to Glen Manor from there, but decided to stop at Chester Gap Cellars, which came highly recommended from the staff at Linden. And boy, am I glad we decided to stop. Great wines, mostly Viognier and a few reds. But to be honest, I was very impressed. We all seemed to have the same opinion on these wines and liked them all, but our favorites were the 2009 Viognier Reserve, and the 2009 Cabernet Franc.

The Viognier Reserve has a decent amount of fruit, but was not overly fruit forward like most Viogniers. And because it was aged in French Oak for nine months it has a certain creaminess to it and lovely complexity. The Cabernet Franc was also a pretty rich red wine, but would be stunning paired with a juicy steak topped with blue cheese.

And last but not least, we ended up at Glen Manor. I loved all the people sitting around just taking in the warm Fall sun, chatting, and drinking wine. If we didn’t have such a long drive back to your hotel, we would have joined them.

Again, I was very familiar with these wines because we carry 3 of them at my store. My favorites here were the Sauvignon Blanc, and the Hodder Hill. The Sauvignon Blanc was more mellow like a Sancerre, and the Hodder Hill was your typical rich red that would be delicious with red meat (do you see a trend?).

After a long day of driving and tasting we headed back to the hotel, rejuvinated after a good night sleep, and headed to Charlottesville for day two.

I had high expectations for the wineries we were visitng on day two, but they were much larger, and definitely more crowded than the wineries we previously visited.

We first visited Jefferson Vineyards and then headed to Barboursville Vineyards. Both wineries being more well known, I should have known they would be crowded, but it didn’t even dawn on me. Luckily we were early enough at Jefferson to still get one on one attention and taste through their wines in a relaxed setting.

I enjoyed all of their wines (much to my surprise), but my favorites were the Chardonnay Reserve 2010, Viognier 2010, and the Vin Rouge. My dad was in agreement, but my mom was not a fan. I think it was just too early for her to taste.

We traveled quite a bit to Barboursville, and it was definitely worth it to try the wines, but I hated how crowded the winery was. And I felt it was very impersonal because they have to accommodate such large crowds so I felt like I was on a ride and each wine station pushed you down to the next station. Luckily their wines were good, and there were a fair amount to try…22 to be exact.

I had many favorites here, but the ones that stuck out the most to me were the Merlot and of course the famous Barboursville Octagon. It was nice to taste through all their wines since I had heard so much about this winery.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend with my family, and the wines were much better than I had expected. I would definitely go back again-at least just to take in those fantastic views.

If you remember, back in February I did 5 healthy recipe videos for HealthCentral. Well my fifth and final video is up, and this is another one of my very favorite dishes. It’s especially great in the summer because it includes lots of fresh vegetables, but you can make it year round.

View the Actual Shrimp Pasta Post Here

Well, as usual this year is flying by, and it’s already October. I can’t do an October Wine of the Month with out doing Orin Swift The Prisoner. The new vintage of this oh so popular and very followed wine is being released at the end of this month. Every year I love the wine, but it’s usually a good idea to wait a year after the new vintage is released to drink because the wine is so full bodied, it can be a little over the top.

The Prisoner is essentially a Zin blend with about 51% Zinfandel, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon,18% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah, 3% Charbono, 1% Grenache, and 1% Malbec. It’s dark ruby in color and extremely dense that it’s almost opaque. It has loads of rich dark fruit like blackberries, cassis, black currant, and black cherries. This wine has hints of oak and spice, and may be massive at first, but becomes velvety on the palate with a lingering finish.

I feel that people either love or hate this wine, but I love it, as I do all Orin Swift Wines. I’ve featured it before, but it’s definitely a great wine for this time of year…especially for Halloween!

I’m back from a week long trip in California where I visited wineries in the Central Coast for a few days and then headed to Santa Barbara for my soon to be sister in law’s Bachelorette Party. I had an absolutely amazing time, and it was a much needed trip. I plan to post my notes about the wineries I visited, but while I’m catching up on things I must show you this recipe.

It can be really hard to eat well when on vacation, and since this vacation was pretty much based around eating and drinking, I felt the need to detox a bit when I got back. Nothing big, but just trying to eat to lots of vegetables, whole foods, and fresh ingredients. I saw this recipe a while back and wanted to give it a shot.

I’m still trying to master the dressing part of the dish, but other than that it was so very easy, really light and fresh, and a great weeknight dinner. There is practically no prep at all.

I cooked a piece of salmon on the stove until it was medium rare. I don’t like my salmon well done and dry, but you can cook it however you like for this dish…as long as it cooks and is flaky.

Then I chopped up fennel into small pieces and added them to a bowl with some chopped mint. I made a dressing of Blood Orange Olive Oil, Champagne Vinegar, Salt, and Pepper. I think next time I might try adding some mustard to the dressing, it seemed to be missing something.

I cut up an orange into small pieces and added that to the mix. And last but not least, I took a fork and flaked the salmon into the bowl with all the other ingredients, added a little more of the dressing, and tossed gently.

I love this combination of flavors-I thought they all went very well together. Refreshing, easy, and very tasty. This would be a fantastic summer dinner, but I still enjoyed it in fall

I’m a huge fan of Austrian wines, so when I was invited by Klaus Whittauer of KW Selections to attend his wine dinner at McLean 1910, I was a very happy camper. McLean 1910 is a new restaurant in McLean, VA, and I knew nothing about it. To be honest the restaurants in McLean are slim to none, and are not that interesting. So I was hoping for the best with 1910, but still didn’t know quite what to expect. The theme of the dinner was Asian Fusion and Austrian Wines, which I never really thought of the two pairing well together…but little did I know.

Upon entering this small restaurant in a strip mall I was taken aback. Quite crowded for a Tuesday night, and it reminded me of a restaurant I would find in DC. Dim lighting, a nice bar, upscale feel, and just an overall pleasant feeling. I was running late and quickly found Klaus and his guests who were already starting their second dish.

Everyone at the restaurant was so nice and brought me up to speed explaining the idea behind the dinner, pouring me the wines that I missed, and making sure I was comfortable. The dish I missed was the Thai Chili Paste Marinated Sugar Cane Skewered Chicken Sates with Peanut Sauce. This was served with the Anton Bauer Rose 2010. I was able to try the Rose, and really enjoyed it. To be honest I got my wines mixed up and drank it with the second dish (which was my first), and I thought it worked well with that dish too.

The second dish was Salmon Tiraditu; King Salmon Sliced Bathed in Soy-Yuzu Marinade, with Cucumbers, Cilantro, Chives, Hot Chile Oil, and a Sesame Oil Drizzle.

This was served with the Steininger Loisium Gruner Veltliner 2010. A richer, rounder style white with delicious fruit and great acidity.

I really enjoyed the salmon itself, but I would have loved it with a little less sauce. The sauce overpowered the fish for me. I did however love the salmon skin with the dish. This was my first time eating the skin and it brought a whole new element to the dish which was nice. But not to be disappointed because each dish after this got better and better.

The third dish was probably one of my favorites of the night, and the wine pairing was incredible. This course was Fresh Prawns-head on, Wok Flashed, with Thai Red Curry Sauce, Toasted Coconut, Gingered Baby Bok Choy, and a Single Strike of Sriracha Chili Sauce.

The prawns were cooked to perfection. They were not fishy or rubbery, and were outstanding with the coconut and curry sauce. The baby bok choy was tender and flavored well. This dish was paired with one of my favorite wines of the night; Tegernseerhof Loibenberg Riesling 2007. An off dry Riesling that has such great fruit and a bit of acidity that it pairs perfectly with spicy dishes like this one.

It picked up hints of coconut, but cleaned the palate after the spicy chili sauce. This is actually a Riesling I could drink every night.

Since that was a pairing that was pretty hard to beat I had a hard time seeing how it could get any better…but it did. The next course was Duck Breast with Star Anise Spiced Wine and a Port Poached Fig, Mango Cheeks and Toasted Cashews. I’m a big duck fan, and this was wonderful. I especially love duck with sweet things so I appreciate that the chef accompanied the duck with figs and mangoes, and of course the cashews gave it some texture and crunch.

This dish was served with the Netzel Zweigelt Rubin Carnutum 2009, which paired really well with the duck, but the fig added a whole new level to the wine. It brought out all the sweet dark fruit, and the duck helped to soften the tannins on the finish.

Following that course was another favorite of the night; Kobe Beef Strip Steak-fanned, with Tellicherry Peppercorns, Whipped Potatoes, and a Cabernet Damiglace. Paired with that was my second favorite wine of the night; Leo Hillinger Hillside 2008 which is a blend of Syrah, Zweigelt, and Merlot (three of my favorite varietals all blended in one bottle).

This dish was absolutely stunning. The beef was cooked perfectly, and the wine was showing beautifully. It was full of structure and complexity with dark berry fruits, a touch of oak, hints of mocha and leather, and velvety tannins that turned into a long lingering finish.

I really enjoyed how the chef came out between each dish to let us know what was coming next and how he prepared each dish. He also gave us a little background about why he paired things the way he did, and it was very interesting to learn his cooking style.

The last course was of course, dessert. I’m not a huge dessert fan, but I couldn’t resist after smelling how delicious it was when it came out. We were served, right from the oven, Apple Tartatan with the Steindorfer Beerenauslese Seewinkel 2007.

When the Apple Tartatan first came out it filled the air with the aroma of Indian spices. I thought it was so original for the chef to use those spices in this dish to add such a unique flavor to the dessert.

And because it was not too sweet it was outstanding with the sweet dessert wine. I would come back for the dessert and dessert alone-it was that good. Warm, comforting, just the right amount of sweetness, fresh apples, and this thick buttery crust. I also hear his blueberry pie is incredible.

It was such a treat to be invited to this dinner and try some of my favorite wines with delicious food. Austrian wines definitely don’t get enough credit, and I wish they did. I haven’t tried one I don’t like. They are perfect with Asian food, and this dinner was a great example. Thanks to McLean 1910 for a fabulous dinner, and to Klaus for some delicious wines. I was very impressed with the restaurant and am so glad to see one like this in McLean…we certainly need it.

A couple weeks ago Scoutmob hosted their big Revel event right here in DC. I attended the event for Capital Cooking, and you can read my post about it HERE.

Scoutmob is a website that brings you great deals in your city and gives you the inside scoop about what is happening around you. .

The event was a huge success, and you can read my post HERE!

Well it sure has been a busy couple of weeks. So busy that I don’t even know which way is up. We just had our grand re-opening at our store after spending the last few months renovating and remodeling, and because I am now in charge of our food program I worked very hard to get everything ready for the big day. But during that time I was also attending wine dinners and other functions that I wanted to write about, but just didn’t have the time. But the dinner I attended a couple weeks ago was too good not to share.

Another fabulous wine and food pairing dinner put on by Jacques Imperato at Mediterranee Restaurant in Great Falls, VA and Jonas Gustafsson of Vin de Terra Imports. The dinner was a couple weeks ago, and was by far one of the best food and wine pairing dinners I’ve ever attended. The theme of the night was Catalon Feast, and a feast it was. Six courses and six wines all perfectly selected to harmonize together. The chef and Jonas worked so hard on these pairings and they nailed it.

We started with a Cod Brandade Cake, with Fennel Pineapple Salad and Chervil in Virgin Olive Oil, Marinated Mussels in an iodine reduction with Cucumber and Tarragon. This was paired with Vinedos de Ithaca Odysseus 2009, which had enough fruit to hold up to the Pineapple but enough acidity and roundness to hold up to the Cod cake and cut through the saltiness of the dish. The Chef said this was one of the hardest pairings for him to do of the night.

As with all the dishes, Jacques tasted the wine and picked out the different flavors and then brought those same flavors out in his food. The Cod Brandade Cake was delicious, but very salty, and the fennel salad and wine cut through the saltiness which was nice. I could eat this fennel salad every day.

The second dish was a Calamari Tube filled with Pork, Country Sausage style simmered in Squid Ink Sauce with a Red Wine Onion Cinnamon Compte. This was paired with the Celler Cecilio Billo 2008, a great value wine from Priorat. This dish was absolutely wonderful. The sausage had so much flavor, and before I knew it I had eaten the entire thing. I couldn’t get enough.

The third dish was Marinated Tuna in Olive Oil with Aromatic and Fresh Herbs, Parmesan Pistachio Chip, Fresh Beet Julienne Sautéed with Orange Peel. This dish was served with the stunning Vins Toni Gelabert Negrede sa Colonia 2008. So complex yet so easy to drink, and definitely my favorite wine of the night. This pairing had to be one of my favorite and most memorable pairings of the night. I was surprised at how well the wine paired with the tuna and the orange peel. I just remember thinking I was in pure bliss.

Now the fourth dish I wasn’t as excited about to be honest. But it blew me away. I had never had pork belly and this dish was Pork Belly braised in White Wine, Sage, and Coffee Beans on top of Watercress tossed in Balsamic Apple Vinegar, Olive Oil, and Dry Sausage Emincee.

It was paired with one of the more unique wines I’ve ever had called Caller Escoda Sanahuja La Lopetera 2008. It’s a Pinot Noir from Spain and is so extremely unique. It has flavors of cedar and tobacco along with Asian spices, black berry and black cherry fruit with a nice mineral streak in the middle and a nice long finish. I met the winemaker a while back who makes some very different yet delicious wines, and I just loved the way this particular wine paired with the pork belly. Even more so I LOVED the pork belly. I didn’t eat the fat on top (I just couldn’t handle it), but the meat melted in your mouth and had such an amazing flavor from braising it for so long and the coffee beans.

The fifth dish was by far my favorite dish of the night. I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. It was Lamb Shank simmered with Figs and Shitake Mushrooms served with Potato Boulangere a l’ancienne and Chick Peas with Cumin in a Crispy Cup and Fried Julienne Vegetables. This dish had all the right flavors.

The chick peas were unbelievable and the Cumin just made them so desireable. The meat was so tender and all the flavors came together so nicely. It was paired with Mas Estela Selva de Mar Tinto 2005.

The last and final dish was of course dessert. A Chocolate Ganache with Black Berries, Crystal Salt, Blueberry Crème Fraiche, and Chocolate Croquant.

Although it sounds decadent it was extremely light and to be honest, refreshing to eat. This was paired with the unbelievable Celler Zavier Clue Mil.lennium Dolce 2006.

Because the dish itself wasn’t incredibly sweet, it brought out all the flavors of the wine. Another dish I was so very impressed with, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking another bite. I just found myself wanting more and more.

This entire meal just stunned me. The food was incredible, the wine was gorgeous, and the pairings were the best. When the Chef let us know that he used no butter or cream in the entire meal I was floored. But I did notice that the dishes were lighter, and I didn’t feel full or stuffed by the end of the 6 courses. Once again, Chef Jacque did an incredible job and keeps impressing me time and time again. I was so happy to be invited to this dinner, and am already looking forward to the next.

I love fruit and spice and everything nice. Yes, I just said that. But in all honesty I do love contrasting flavors in food, and recently I’ve been receiving some delicious sauces to sample from Robert Rothschild. I’ve been contemplating what to do with them, and since I had a gorgeous piece of salmon to use I thought the Peach Mango Habanero sauce would compliment it well.

I didn’t get too creative with this dish because I really wanted to taste the sauce and see how it went with the fish so I just marinated the fish in the sauce for about 15 minutes and cooked it in a pan over low-medium heat. I like my salmon juicy and medium rare inside so I’m very careful about the way I cook it. Once it was the perfect medium rare-ness I added a little more of the sauce, plated it with some broccoli and dug in.

This sauce is very spicy, but at the same time has delicious flavors of peach and mango. I love the chunks of fruit in the dish, and I really enjoyed it with this salmon. It gave the salmon a pop of flavor and sweetness. I wish I was more creative and thought of something more fun, but I guess there’s always next time. This salmon dish would be delicious with a crisp, fruitier white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or maybe even an off dry white wine that would off set the heat of the sauce but compliment the fruit.

And I really like these sauces because they are all natural and there are no weird ingredients. If I do use a store-bought sauce then I like it to be straight forward and all natural. And these products are.

I’m in the process of writing a blog post for Bucket List Nation on great foodie finds in Washington, DC. I have been doing some research on my own, but I’ve also consulted with one of my best friends and foodie friend who always seems to know the best places to eat in DC, Jill. We dine out together…often…or as much as our pay check allows. So she introduced me to this great little place in Cleveland Park called Ripple.

I knew after Jill’s rave reviews of their meat and cheese platter that I was going to like this place, but after glancing at their website I was sold. I noticed their ever changing menu depending on the season, their upscale cuisine but decent prices, and their extensive wine, beer, and cocktail list. These are all things I look for in a restaurant.

It was incredibly easy to find, but not where I expected. However, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, and Ripple is definitely a hidden gem.

I loved the look and feel of the restaurant. Inviting colors, fancy and feminine decorations, but bold enough to make a statement.

There were two other rooms to the restaurant that I never ventured into but looked cute at first peak.

Jill and I sat at the bar and decided to order a bottle of wine. We went with Orsalani al Bacio, which I knew well because we carry it at our store once. A nice medium bodied white that isn’t too fruity and finishes crisp and dry. It was perfect with our meats and cheeses and other dishes as well. We were also given some flatbreads to munch on while we pondered the menu.

We knew right away that we wanted to get the selection of 5 meats and cheeses so we had our waitress pick out our options and surprise us. We decided on 3 cheeses and 2 meats. Having learned so much about cheese and charcuterie just in the last few months, it was very fun to let the waitress pick our selection. The wait staff is very knowledgeable on the menu and the wine list. I found this fascinating as we talked for a while with our waitress just about the food at the restaurant and their wonderful selection of wines. Not only was she very friendly, but knew what she was talking about.

The meats and cheeses looked amazing. We had a nice combination of hard and soft, sheep, cow, and goat, pungent and mild cheeses and two different types of charcuterie. The meats were served with a type of moustarda, and the cheeses came with honey and a jam for pairing.

So delicious that it left my taste-buds wanting more. Since Ripple specializes in featuring local, seasonal ingredients, I couldn’t resist trying something off their daily changing menu. That’s right…their menu changes every day. Again we asked for a recommendation and right away the waitress recommended the Quinoa and Lobster Mushroom Risotto with a Poached Egg.

This was incredible. Rich and creamy from the quinoa risotto and the egg yolk, earthy from the mushrooms, and a lovely bit of crunch from the toasted quinoa on top. Truly mouthwatering, and we ate every last bite. I loved the addition of egg to this dish, it really took the dish to a whole new level.

At the point we were greeted by the owner and general manager who were so wonderful in answering all of our questions about the restaurant. I enjoyed discussing their wine list since a lot of the wines on their menu I’m familiar with, and they also informed us that they have a $10 corkage fee which is the lowest in all of DC. That is definitely something to remember.

Of course Jill and I wanted just one more bite of something so we asked for another recommendation and again were immediately told to try the Apple Barley Salad with Fennel, Smoked Rockfish, and Idiazabal. So of course we did.

Unbelievably refreshing and the perfect ending to our night. I always love fennel and apple together and it combined so well with the smokiness of the rockfish and the smokey cheese. An unreal combination of flavors that was satisfying yet light.

I had such a great time at this restaurant, and can’t wait to go back. It was truly a great experience, the food was incredible, everyone was so nice and very knowledgeable, and it was just a fun night overall. Definitely a DC hidden gem, and if you’re in the area, you must check it out. They are doing everything right.