Those of us who like the 100% Sauvignon Blancs from the Marlborough region of New Zealand will like the new Invivo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014. Like the others, it has a tropical nose with a minerality classic to that region. The reasonably priced Invivo Sparkling does display all the classic Marlborough Sauvignon blanc characters of tropical fruits and sweet herbs with a great finish.
The American bistro Sixth Engine occupies the space of the Engine Co. No. 6, which I was told is the oldest firehouse in the District. The owners kept much of the feel of the original firehouse with brick walls, high ceiling and a bank of windows. Before heading to sample their brunch (served weekends from 11 am til 3 pm), I learned from the publicist that Sixth Engine was nominated in the Best Causal Brunch category for the RAMMY Awards Gala. That's a DC group celebrating restaurant excellence in Metropolitan Washington. We began with their bottomless ($15 for up to 2 hours) Bloody Mary's made with Sixth Engine's own spicy [...]
Roofers Union in the heart of DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood offers classic American fare with great friendly service. I stopped into their main dining room (up one level from the street) during a visit to DC, as their guest. Conversation is easy at this spacious, comfortable place with high ceilings and one wall of glass windows. We started by selecting the beers for our flight of four ($12). We each tried four different ones from their extensive menus of beers on tap. My favorites were from the "malty to dark to brooding" section of the ever-changing beer menu — the rich barrel-aged (in bourbon casks) barleywine "st. seditious" first and [...]
Bellion Specialty Vodka is created with "NTX Technology", a patented blend of natural, FDA approved ingredients including glycyrrhizin - licorice root extract, manna sugar and potassium sorbate; when infused into alcohol, it protects the liver and DNA. The Vodka is six times distilled, carbon filtered and tastes slightly sweet, smooth and silky. - bonnie: Although it's purportedly better for me, as vodka drinker I find this libation to have an off flavor. BonnieBOTB Follow @BonnieBOTB Save
Philadelphia Bagel Chips & Cream Cheese Dips are on-the-go cream cheese cups with mini bagel chips for dipping, available in two sweet and two savory flavors: Strawberry, Garden Vegetable, Chive & Onion, Brown Sugar & Cinnamon. Each 2.5-ounce serving contains 200 to 220 calories, 6 grams saturated fat (of 11 to 12 grams total), 380 to 490 milligrams sodium and 6 grams protein. They are a good to excellent source of vitamin A with 15 to 20% of the daily recommended intake. Kristine James, intern at Bite of the Best: These make a great, tasty although high-sodium mid-day snack.
Caesar Salad and Apple Dijon are the new organic salad kits from Dole. The Caesar kit includes romaine lettuce, pita chips, parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing; the Apple Dijon kit, spring mix, dried cranberries, walnuts, cheddar cheese and apple Dijon vinaigrette. Each 3-cup serving contains 200 to 230 calories, 3.5 to 4.5 grams saturated fat (of 15 to 19 grams total), 300 to 490 milligrams sodium and 4 to 6 grams protein. The salads are good to excellent sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, vitamin K, folate and manganese. Save Save
Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur is the 2016 winner of the World's Best Cream Liqueur Award. It's blend of natural Irish cream, real chocolate and aged Irish whiskey. Once opened, The liqueur does not need to be refrigerated once it's been opened. It has a 6-month shelf life.
FAWEN Ready-To-Drink Soup, available in three unique flavors Beet & Cabbage with Cumin, Broccoli & Cauliflower with Turmeric and Sweet Potato & Lentil with Cinnamon, are free of artificial preservatives, sweeteners and added sugars. The soup comes in a resealable, recyclable TetraPak for an easy on-the-go snack. Each 8-ounce serving contains 60 to 100 calories, 2 grams saturated fat (of 2 to 2.5 grams total), 220 to 360 milligrams sodium and 2 to 4 grams protein. It is a good source of fiber with 3 grams per serving and a good to excellent source of several vitamins and minerals. Kristine James, intern at Bite of the Best: I really like [...]
For our last day in Peru, we headed to Rafael Osterling's eponymous restaurant in the Miraflores section of Lima, listed on one list, as the #30 best in Latin America. We selected a local white wine to accompany our meal, the Tacama Blanc Blanc ($30). The waiter placed a basket of their homemade bread along with fresh butter topped with sea salt, "pastrami" made from pig's feet and a goat cheese cream with caramelized onions. The bread and accompaniments were so good, we had to stop ourselves from finishing it! The Emperor tacos alone were worth the visit with crisp sea grouper and prawns, shredded cabbage and radishes on small [...]
Here's another way to make carbonated drinks — unlike other systems DrinkMate let's you carbonate many drinks, not just water. It features a patented detachable Fizz Infuser and dual-stage valve system for better control on release of CO2. The system comes with a starter food-grade CO2 carbonator and BPA-free bottles, fizzing everything from fruit juice, lemonade, tea, wine, and beer to cocktails.
Why not start my dinner parties with a tequila tasting, I thought, as I received a bottle each of Don Sebastini & Sons Contigo, El Fumador and El Macho. The tequilas are made from the fermented juice of the Blue Weber agave plant, grown and bottled in Mexico. We started by sampling the newest (blanco) and ended at the oldest (añejo). Like a wine tasting, we checked the color and the aroma, let the liquid coat our tongues before swallowing, and then breathed out. We found the Contigo (blanco) to be smooth with fruit flavors. The wood-aged El Fumador (resposado) was our least favorit; it burnt the tongue. Everyone liked [...]
Tonnino tin tuna cans use 100% yellowfin tuna available in spring water and 100% olive oil. Tonnino Tuna is dolphin-safe, contains lowest levels of mercury and comes in stackable, on-the-go cans. Each 3-ounce serving contains 90 to 130 calories, 0 to 2 grams saturated fat (of 0.5 to 5 grams total), 214 to 270 milligrams sodium and 20 grams protein. The tuna is a good to excellent source of iron with 11 to 35 percent of the daily recommended intake. Save
Tio Gazpacho introduced "drinkable soup" in 2014 and recently added two new flavors, Maiz and Fresa, to their core line. Maiz is made with corn, roasted poblano and lime; Fresa with strawberry, basil and romaine. Each 10-ounce bottle contains 150 to 160 calories, 0.5 to 1 grams saturated fat (of 5 to 9 grams total), 280 to 590 milligrams sodium and 3-4 grams protein. Fresa is a good source of iron and potassium with 10% of the daily recommended intake. Save
These organic heat--and-eat brown rice bowls are available in six different flavors: Fried Style, Coconut, Chicken, Chicken Chipotle, Spanish Style and Turmeric and are prepared with GMO-free ingredients. Each contains 160 to 170 calories, 0.5 grams saturated fat (of 1.5 grams total), 80 to 200 milligrams sodium and 3 to 4 grams protein. They are a good to excellent source of fiber with 3 to 5 grams per serving. Save
One free evening in Cusco, a group of us headed up to the main square where Limo, also part of the Cusco restaurant group, is located. While perusing the menu, our server placed a sampling of three sauces for dipping the french fries they offered as a starter gratis. One sauce was chili peppers with tomato sauce, another pepper with ricotta and mint, the third garlic mayo. All so yummy, I was addicted! My first taste of alpaca (~$20) was Limo's tenderloin, served medium rare with an elderberry sauce, accompanied by cheesy quinoa "risotto." The meat is tender, a bit chewy but not gamey at all. I'd order it again, if [...]
While in Cusco, we visited Inka Grill, part of the Cusco restaurant group, for a light bite. The meal wasn't the best place I ate in Cusco but was mighty good compared to what we'd been served at Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) chosen restaurants — the tour I was on. Inka Grill, which is ideally located center of town at the Plaza de Arma, offered free Wifi and had an international menu. The friend I was traveling with was in a burger mood, so we ordered that along with some fries (~$10.75). We shared that and the perfectly cooked langostinos in a white and black quinoa wrapper accompanied by a spicy passion [...]
Pereg Natural Foods introduced Kaňiwa — AKA baby quinoa — that is dark reddish-brown and half the size of a tiny quinoa seed. It is gluten-free, non-GMO project verified and unlike quinoa does not have a saponin coating that can have a soapy, slightly bitter flavor if not rinsed properly. Each 1/4 cup serving contains 178 calories, 2 grams saturated fat (of 21 grams total), 3 milligrams sodium and 7.5 grams protein. It is an excellent source of fiber with 4.9 grams per serving. Save Save
Toasted Marshmallow is the newest addition to the Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie line. They contain with no artificial flavors or preservatives. Two cookies contain 130 calories, 4 grams saturated fat (of 7 grams total) and 40 milligrams sodium. - bonnie: The who enjoy dark chocolate Milanos might also like these -- as calorie, fat and sugar wise they are quite similar. BonnieBOTB Follow @BonnieBOTB
Babeth's Feast offers frozen appetizers for you to order for your next gathering. They arrive in a well-insulated carrier to keep them frozen. When you are ready to serve, you just bake and serve. Babeth's had many offerings from entrees to desserts; we sampled two of their many appetizers and would recommend both. The flaky puff pastries made with sherry-infused black mission figs, caramelized onion and a creamy goat cheese filling; and their asparagus tips wrapped in light and crispy phyllo pastry, with Asiago cheese for a hint of nutty sharpness. - bonnie BonnieBOTB Follow @BonnieBOTB Save Save Save
Simply Homemade Muffin & Bread Mixes are available in Double Chocolate, Lemon Poppyseed and Banana. These mixes have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Each muffin contains 250 calories, 0 grams saturated fat (of 1 grams total), 230 milligrams sodium and 2 grams protein. Kristine James, intern at Bite of the Best: These are a good substitution for homemade when you're short on time. However, they are slightly high in sodium with 230 milligrams per muffin. Save Save Save Save
