Beer bouts...What do real drinkers drink?

I have been reading this March Madness Beer-off in the Post.  I am not really a beer drinker, it isn't really a Lounge Lizard drink, unless it has a shot glass sitting in the bottom.

I noticed the panel is a bunch of fancy tastebuds - brewers, sommelier, etc.  Beer is a common man's drink, like water from a garden hose.  Don't get me wrong, anything well crafted, especially water from a good hose.  So I am curious, what do us commoners really think about which beer they like and why?

Comment if you please, but here are my thoughts: 

1)  I like Guiness Stout - it is bitter and a little briny and drinks like a shake.  When it is poured long, I love the feel in my mouth and the quench it gives with bar food.  The smell is great, the head is thick and looks like milk chocolate.

2)    Blue Moon - I know, a sissy beer, but I like the fact that it is so easy to drink.  I pitcher duringn an afternoon of football games is not a problem.  I once challenged a lady friend of mine to a wing eating contest during the Sunday games.  We each downed a pitcher and a half of Blue Moon and it didn't interfer with my wing consumption.

3)  Dreadnaught IPA - I like IPA because it too is easy to drink.  It has a great orange color and citrus and pine smell.  This one starts out crisp but has a nice dry and bitter aftertaste.

4)  Darkness - This one is one of my favorites, although not easy to find.  It is black and has a kind-of coffee thing going on.  It is basically a meal and can be eaten with a spoon.  I need a glass of water to drink more then a pint.

Check out the Post's article here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/beer-madness-round-3-choosing-the-elite-8/2011/03/23/AF2Oo7uB_story.html

Drag Queens...Part Two

I have been asked from time-to-time about oddities in D.C., you know, places to go that "aren't like" D.C.  We here in D.C. are a bedroom community, ask Elliott Spitzer.  One of the most engaging aspects of this City is our diversity.  We have cultures and walks of life of every kind.  
One of the most influential forces in D.C. is the gay community, including the Drag Queen community.  The best reoccurring drag queen events in D.C., in order of the most "respectable" to the most "risque" are:

1)  Perry's Sunday Drag Brunch - The food and drinks are excellent.  The Drag Queens are fun and engaging.  The crowd really is mixed, old folks and young.  There is an occasional pastie in the crowd.  My teenage son asked where they put "it" - to which I have no comment.

2)  Nellie's Tuesday Night Drag Bingo - The food is bar fare and the drinks are a value.  The Drag Queens run from "fabulous" to "run down" but always entertaining.  The crowd is mostly gay and definitely adult.  I did not take my teenagers - so Social Services does not need to make a visit to my house.  Nellie's has incorporated their drag themes into other nights/activities, they recently hosted a Hot Dog Eating Contest hosted by Drag Queens - so cute!

3)  Town Nightclub Friday and Saturday - There is no food and drinks are totally required - especially if you are a straight guy trying to make it to the midnight show.  The Drag Queens are the "interesting" to "that has to be a woman" and over the top.  The crowd is gay and it is a "club" so brace yourself.  One tip, if you are straight, it is a place where your date will have a great time and not get rushed by other dudes.

Side note:  If you aren't ready for the staged Drag Show, wait until the High Heel race the week before Halloween on 17th Street. 

Just because you are old doesn't mean you have to look it...

I little off the subject, but important to looking good under those bar lights for the ladies, I have a few notes on grooming.  Taken from the pages of rejections I've collected over the years here are my top grooming tips:

1)  Don't fool yourself, no matter how young or well groomed, women make fun of you on Match.com if you include a picture with your shirt off.  If you get past third base, she isn't going to care if you don't look like Usher.

2)  Groom often, it's like that lawn you always wanted, it is a constant project.

3)  Clean is important and soaps matter, face soaps and body soaps are incompatible for their objectives.  Face scrubs will keep you from looking like an actual lizard, looking like a lounge lizard is still okay.  Good body soaps are available at Keihls.com and Sephora.com (Anthony makes a good body soap).  Good face soaps are available at Clinique counters or at Sephora.com.

4)  If you shave, upstairs or down - it's really none of my business - use a good product.  I use The Art of Shaving Oil and Cream.  If you are afraid to ask for it, Sephora.com has it.  Also, change your blades regularly.  I find rust on my teenagers blades and freak out.

5)  Nose hair is God's joke and a natural repellent to even wild animals.  You will figure out your own system, but it is gross if it hangs out of the orifice.

6)  Moisturize appropriately for the appropriate areas.  Eyes, forehead, feet and elbows are all different.  Good eye cream:  Strivectin.  Good face cream:  Roth and Caudalie.  All are available at Sephora.com.

7)  Use natural products when available, especially antiperspirant.  Natural antiperspirant will not yellow your shirts.  Again, if you are afraid to ask, go to CVS.com.

8)  Use sunblock and stay out of the sun.  That sex tan is only turning you into leather and a chemo patient.

My metro-sexual post is now over...

My favorite Roach Coaches...

I know it isn't politically correct..whateva..but I love our DC Roach Coaches (Food Trucks by today's terms).  I can't wait to see one parked outside my office downtown and skip the fancy stuff for some tasty truck food.

Thanks to Chinatown Coffee Co. you can have the same stuff for dinner too (see Quick Feeding: Food Truck Partnerships, Gold Leaf Overload, and BGR Expansion http://t.co/wAv7EUl via @wcp)

My personal favorites, and their twitter names, are:

1)  Sweetflow Mobile (sweetflowmobile):  Tangy frozen yogurt and tasty wraps - the healthiest of the bunch.
2)  Red Hook Lobster (LobstertruckDC):  Warm lobster rolls and creamy chowders - am in New England, I thinks yes!
3)  Fry Captain (FryCaptian):  Duck fat fries with truffle ketchup, OMG!
4)  DC Slices (dcslices):  Big, fresh NY style pizza.
5)  DC Empanadas (DCEmpanandas):  Picadillo, the traditional style, is my favorite.
6)  CapMac (capmacdc):  Mac the way it was intended to be served, in a box!

What makes DC a great Foodie town is its home-grown restaurants...

Listen, I have been creeping all over this town since the 80's.  What has made this town exciting and livable are the home-grown restaurants, bars and lounges.  I'm not hating on the carpetbaggers - Puck, JG, Ripert, etc - you guys have talent, but our homegrown artists - Ashok Bajaj, Jose Andres and Rob Wilder, Paul Cohn and Bechara Nammour, David Wisenberg, Gus DiMilo, Jeff Tunks, Jeff Black, Kaz, Michel Richard, etc. - these are the people that made this town great to live in.

My favorite restaurants are:  Mini-Bar, Kaz Sushi Bistro, DC Coast, Jaleo, Rasika, Black Salt, Bibiana, Zaytinya, Teatro and Georgia Brown.  The list is about 40 restaurants long and only 5 of them are from carpet-baggers.

My concern is that these restaurateurs keep the home-grown feel.  I have seen portions shrink to measure, I have seen bar stocks go to limited drinks (either you have a full bar or you don't) and I have seen a "corporate" mentality shrink the enjoyment of my time at some of the restaurants mentioned above.  PLEASE, to the saviors of DC - the people mentioned above and dozens of others - stay lovable and home-grown!

Watching the BIG NCAA Games in DC...

So, you want to watch the last five games somewhere besides your stinky couch while your friends spill beer on your carpet and eat your Funyuns.  Grab some early wood (barstool, pervert) at these top five sports bars where the scene is great, the food is - bar food, but you can see the game from anywhere.  These spots are guaranteed to make memories with good friends and tasty brew:

1.  Public - multiple floors, excellent food and two locations (Golden Triangle and Tenley).
2.  Nellie's - mislabeled the "gay sports" bar, lots of great energy and specials, plus U Street is a great scene.
3.  Cleveland Park Bar - parking isn't so great, but this place is always packed, food is good and the pours are tall.
4.  Redline - China's town's best sports bar because it isn't Clyde's, best part, reserve a table and pour your own beers - cute and friendly servers.
5.  American Tap Room (Bethesda) - I didn't want to put a Bethesda place on the list, but they have great food, a billion t.v's and a good selection of beers - not the crowd you will get at Public or Cleveland Park or Nellie's, but you will see the game and eat well.
Runner Up:  Caddies on Cordell - During ACC games this place is packed, make your own Bloody Mary's is a switch up from beer and it is a "dirty bar" that makes every game seem a little more real.