JW Marriott embraces sustainability, local foods with new beverage program

by Leah Demirjian, special to Edible DC

Washington, D.C.’s flagship JW Marriott hotel recently unveiled their new beverage program, Cocktails with Purpose, welcoming guests on a wintry evening with their warming signature house-infused Bourbon Manhattan cocktail: an aromatic blend of bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters, garnished with fresh orange peel. Developed in collaboration with New York-based mixologists Tippling Bros. and nutritionist Keri Glassman, the Cocktails with Purpose initiative strives to produce healthier cocktails while enriching the JW Marriott’s beverage program with fresh juices, raw honey (in lieu of refined sugars), and garnishes plucked from the hotel’s garden.

Well-being and sustainability are key ingredients of the JW Marriott’s food and beverage experience; Executive Chef Adam Salyer actively seeks to bring seasonal local foods into the menu, such as a rustic wood board boasting fresh local root vegetable offerings, including white radishes, leafy greens, purple and yellow bean pods, baby turnips and carrots. Other dishes include foie gras with cherry jam featuring a cinnamon- and sugar-dusted apple crisp, and prosciutto di Parma, with pickled pear, arugula, walnut, olive oil, and local honey, accompanied by fingerling potato chips brushed with black caviar.

A Green Orchard Highball — just one of dozens of new cocktails on the menu — combines brandy, unfiltered apple juice, lemon juice, raw honey syrup, fresh tarragon, ginger beer, and a dried apple chip for garnish, emphasizing the fresh ingredients key to the beverage program that also mirror the hotel’s recent renovations—clean, streamlined, and classic. At the same time, Chef Salyer continues to take a playful approach with some dishes, such as the cold smoked spiced tuna with preserved lemon and corn shoots which arrive plated in tin containers, a fun throwback to canned foods that takes the fussiness out of fine dining.

JW Marriott Hotel: 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, www.marriott.com

Foodie Guide 24 Hours #RVA

by AJ Dronkers, Edible DC Digital Editor

This past weekend, Edible DC traveled down to Richmond, VA as a sponsor at the Virginia Wine Expo. We were mixing, mingling, and passing out copies of our recent Drinks Issue. We also invited our newest member magazine colleague from Edible Richmond to spread the news of her pending first issue this May!

We had a chance to taste and chat with some of our favorite Virginia winemakers including Williamsburg Winery and Barboursville Vineyards. After a long day of tasting wine and a quick siesta, we needed some sustenance. So we snagged center stage bar seats at Heritage restaurant, which recently took home the prestigious "Restaurant of the Year" and "Chef of the Year" honors at the Richmond Magazine Elby Awards.

The best part of the entire experience was sitting in front of Mattias, the head bartender and part owner. He doesn't just serve the divine craft cocktails but tells us stories all night long.

We started with the charcuterie board and artisan cheese, which included housemade kimchi bresaola, pancetta crudo, smoked "lomo", ossabaw coppa, mustard, jam, chutney, and burrata.

Most of our party opted for larger main dishes such as Short Ribs and Mahi Mahi. I chose the Bibb Lettuce salad with refreshing grapefruit and fennel and the Bourbon Barrel Smoked Pork Belly, which had come highly recommended.

I probably would've stopped there but the "special side dish" being offered that evening is my kryptonite, seared foie gras. I don't care what anyone tells you, I didn't eat two.

The next morning we didn't dally because we wanted to get seats at The Roosevelt. We arrived shortly after they opened at 10:30 a.m. and got lucky with some corner bar seats.

As all good brunches should start, I ordered coffee, water and a cocktail. Instead of playing it safe with a Bloody Mary or Mimosa, I opted for their Bourbon Tea Punch and then switched over to the delightful Gin Flip made with a whole egg.

The menu is perfectly small but that doesn't mean you won't have difficulty selecting your dish. I ordered the Biscuits & Sausage Gravy but the real standout dishes were the Fried Rice and the Pork Cheek Polenta special.

Even though we were stuffed, I couldn't ignore all the Instagram comments saying that we MUST visit Sub Rosa Bakery located across the street. The delightful staff picked an assortment of pastries and some of their rye bread for us to-go before we parted ways.

Richmond, you did not let us down -- can't wait for my next trip!

What are some of your favorite places to eat and drink in Richmond?

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More information one each of the places we visited can be found below:

Virginia Wine Expo -http://www.virginiawineexpo.com/

Heritage - http://www.heritagerva.com/

The Roosevelet - http://rooseveltrva.com/

Sub Rosa Bakery - http://subrosabakery.com/

#EdibleDCDrinks Event Recap

by AJ Dronkers, EdibleDC Digital Editor

Last Thursday, despite what the WaPo Capital Weather Gang called one of the coldest nights on record since 1934, hundreds of eat and drink local advocates turned out for the inaugural EdibleDC Drinks Invitational. We had been dreaming about pulling together an event for some time and after successfully producing four issues we felt an event held in tandem with our January 2015 Drinks Issue was the perfect excuse. We called it an "Invitational" because in addition to inviting a majority of local small distillers and chefs to participate, we wanted to include some of the best artisan producers from across the region. In the end, 30+ vendors were at our event representing VA, WV, DC, MD, PA, MN, TX, and NY!

Guests arrived at Long View Gallery in DC's Shaw neighborhood to find the gallery space re-invented as a Botanical Winter Park. The art gallery was separated into four distinct vendor sections, Root, Stem, Leaf, and Bloom with accents of roots, green wall and hanging gardens throughout.

Guests received a nifty guide to help them explore our drink and food vendors, checking them off as they go, and even making a shopping list of any bottles they may want to buy at checkout via our retail sponsor Sherry's Wine & Spirits.

Here are some highlights from our event you can also follow along online with hashtag #EdibleDCDrinks.

VIP guests were treated to an after party hosted by La Colombe Coffee, located just behind the art gallery in Blagden Alley. Upon arrival they sipped on artisan coffee, ice-cream by Trickling Springs Creamery and an assortment of delicious desserts provided by RareSweets. Of course our guests were custom ordering affogatos, drowning Trickling Springs ice cream and La Colombe espresso.

Light snow started to fall as guests left the after party with their picnic box gifts packaged and designed by Welcome to My Wedding. The picnic boxes contained treats including: Cinch Tonics, One Eight Distilling Matches, CHIQS pita chips, RareSweets hot cocoa, Carla Hall cookies, ThunderBeast rootbeer, Cajun Meets Asian ginger cayenne spice rub, two Deep Eddy Vodka nips, a Yelp bottle opener, Element Shrub tonic, as well as Gouter and La Colombe drink coupons.

It was a wonderful evening! Special thanks goes to the entire EdibleDC team, our incredible volunteers, Operation: Eatery and our event partners Long View Gallery, La Colombe Coffee Occasions Catering, Amaryllis, Elizabeth Duncan Events, GrassFed Media and Welcome to My Wedding as well as all our incredible sponsors/vendors. Stay tuned for our next event...

Annoucing: The SweetShine ShakeDown Competition

by AJ Dronkers, Edible DC Digital Editor

As if you needed another reason to be excited for the EdibleDC Drinks Invitational, we are thrilled to announce that one of our incredible sponsors, Bloomery SweetShine, will be debuting their newest flavor at our event, Cranberry Clementine! Our Drinks Invitational also marks the beginning of the SweetShine ShakeDown, a regional competition where local bars can show off their skills by creating a custom cocktail with any of the 8 SweetShine flavor. Bars will feature the drinks March 12-20 and their will be a CELEBRATION with the top 3 finalist at BoardRoom on March 24th.

The SweetShine ShakeDown competition details:

February 19th - March 3rd: Kick-off at EdibleDC Drinks Invitational. Area bars are encouraged to REGISTER FOR THE COMPETITION here!

March 3rd: Final in-person registration, registration ends, and bars pick up promotional materials 2-4 PM at Batch 13 (1724 14th St NW).

March 10: Final date for bars to submit cocktail recipes online with SweetShine new flavor by 4 PM.

March 12-20: Bars serve created SweetShine ShakeDown cocktails and Bloomery SweetShine official judges will visit, taste, and judge unannounced!

March 20: Bloomery SweetShine will announce 3 finalist!

March 24: Final live competition of 3 finalist to include giveaways for attendees at BoardRoom in Dupont Circle from 7-9:30 PM.

You can learn more about the SweetShine ShakeDown here.

Vodka Made with Local Honey? MD's First Distillery in 35 Years Makes Award-Winning Spirits on Kent Island

An afternoon trip to historic Stevensville, MD--a quaint little town just over the Bay Bridge on Kent Island--included a tour of Blackwater Distilling. Founded four years ago, Blackwater Distilling has the unique claim of being Maryland’s first fully licensed beverage alcohol distiller since 1972. Brothers Chris and Jon Cook, Maryland natives, became passionate about the idea of starting a distillery that would source ingredients from Maryland and organic growers--and harkening back to the days when Maryland was known as a top producer of Maryland Rye Whiskey. Prohibition changed all that, and the last MD distillery, Pikesville Rye made their last batch in 1973 and sold their recipe and final inventory to Heaven Hill-Evan Williams in Bardstown, KY. The Cook brothers and their team put Maryland back on the map as a distilling state when they launched their Sloop Betty Wheat Vodka in 2011.

The Cook brothers source as many of their ingredients as possible from Maryland growers, including the honey from their vodka which is from Maryland's Eastern Shore's apiary owned by Kara Brook of Waxing Kara. The credit the distinctive flavor of their honey vodka to the delicate nature of the butterbean flowers, the pollen source for these hives.

Blackwater's Sloop Betty vodkas are gentle, creamy spirits, easy to drink on the rocks or mixed in cocktails. And their approach and recipes have won industry recognition. Sloop Betty was named Best Vodka in Show at the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition in 2012, a 94-point rating from The Tasting Panel magazine, 91 points and a gold medal from the Beverage Testing Institute and a gold medal from TheFiftyBest.com.

Come taste at our Drinks Invitational on Feb. 19th when they will be mixing with Cinch Tonics!! Or visit their distillery in Stevensville on Friday and Saturday afternoons, for more information or an appointment go to www.sloopbetty.com.

Daytrippers and distillery visitors:  Make a note in to drive through "downtown" Stevensville--a little train station town that stayed frozen in time after the passenger trains stopped running in 1938 and freight trains in 1948. A bakery, wine bar, Italian restaurant, antique and other shops round out the tiny town. You can see the original Post Office, train station and town bank, they are open a few times a year for town celebrations.

Oysters take center stage as Katrina anniversary approaches

by Vincent Kiernan, special to Edible DC

Downtown restaurant Acadiana recently saw an early start to Mardi Gras, as hundreds of Washingtonians gathered in homage to one of Cajun Country’s tastiest exports: oysters. 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast oyster industry was eager to strut their stuff at an event designed to showcase the recovery of the industry following a day spent meeting with members of Congress about the current state of the oyster.

Aptly titled “Let the World Be Your Oyster!”, the night saw chefs from three New Orleans restaurants — Acme Oyster House, Zea Rotisserie & Grill, and Restaurant R’Evolution — prepare their oyster recipes to showcase the versatility of these mollusks, including Restaurant R’Evolution chef Chris Lusk’s Crispy Oysters Rockefeller.

While the crowd was delighted to branch out from the standard oysters on ice with lemon, the focus of the evening really was on how the oyster industry is managing ongoing environmental challenges like excess debris from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and damaged marine habitats following 2010’s BP oil spill, which have stunted production and placed a heavy burden on oystermen, many of whom have been working in the region for generations. The Eastern Oyster, which is harvested in both the Gulf and the Chesapeake, once accounted for 75% of the nation’s oyster supply, but has diminished tremendously in the wake of environmental disaster.

Wilbert Collins, owner of Collins Oyster Co. and an iconic figure of the Gulf Coasts’s seafood trade, was there to dish out his classic marinated oysters and raise awareness for the fragile nature of the industry. “It’s been tough, and we’ve still got a long way to go,” he told Edible DC, while donning an apron that said “Shuck Me, Suck Me, Eat Me Raw!” and a charming smile on his face. “But Americans love their oysters, and no hurricane is going to stop us in the long run.”