Calling All Food & Wine Bloggers...

and fans of those bloggers. Join us August 1 at Taberna del Alabardero in DC at 6:00pm.

Every month, different bloggers host happy hours around town, allowing bloggers and fans to get together. I'm new to this scene but happily accepted the invitation to co-host the August one. Thrifty DC Cook and I have lined up a great location at one of DC's oldest staples, Taberna del Alabardero, an elegant Spanish restaurant in the heart of downtown. Light appetizers and drink specials will be provided.

Feel free to come mix and mingle with fellow bloggers. See you there!

A Taste of Argentina

The newly launched Wine Cooperative is on a roll with planning events and bringing good, diverse wines to the average consumer. I wrote about them previously in the Hall Winemaker dinner post and again this past event did not disappoint.
On Tuesday, July 17, The Wine Cooperative hosted a happy hour of Pascual Toso wines from Argentina. The happy hour was from 5-8pm at the Aria Pizzeria, just outside of the Reagan building. This was my first time to Aria and I was surprised to see how large the patio seating was! Ample tables and chairs to enjoy the sunshine or in this case, the heat! Music put off a good happy hour vibe as you entered. The inside bar was also set up for the tasting and complete with a food buffet.



When they say happy hour, they mean happy hour! For $30, you received a tasting of all of the wines (6 total) and also the complete buffet of Argentinean food. And by tastings, I meant...unlimited refills with that as well. It was really nice to taste the wines side by side and be able to revisit if you wanted to.

The Pascual Toso wines that were available was a sparkling, Torrontes, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Malbec and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. To my surprise the Torrontest wasn't as sweet and syrupy as some Torrontes tend to be. It was quite nice to enjoy outside on that particularly warm day. The same goes for the sparking. When it was time to taste the reds, we stepped inside to soak up some AC. The Malbec had to be my favorite of the night, not even the Reserve Malbec. This wine was fruit forward, smooth, with a hint of smokiness. It was a easier sipper and the perfect happy hour wine.

The buffet included Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichuri, Burgers with Fennel Slaw, and Grilled Tofu Skewers with Portobello Mushrooms, Red Peppers and Tear Drop Tomatoes. The food was a great addition to the event and of course everything was very appetizing.  I happened to see Todd Gray of Equinox and Watershed roaming around in his chef's jacket so I'm assuming he helped prepare the menu. He has been the featured chef at past events with the Cooperative.


Yet again, another successful event! I look forward to see what else the Cooperative has up their sleeve.

Cheers!