Birch and Barley Boozy Brunch, Sunday, February 6, 2011

As soon as I saw the article in Bacon Today about the toffee bacon donut at Birch and Barley, I knew that I had to have it, and soon.  It's only served during Sunday brunch, so I made reservations immediately, and had an easy time convincing three friends to come with me.  

The toffee bacon donut comes as part of an order of three donuts (though apparently it is really two donuts and one donut hole) -- toffee bacon, lemon poppyseed, and chocolate ($6).  They are made to order, and come out looking beautiful, as you can see.

Meridian Pint, Tuesday, January 11, 2011

I braved the winter weather this evening to head to a birthday celebration for a friend at Meridian Pint in Columbia Heights, at 3400 11th St. NW DC.  It's focused on environmental sustainability, and American craft beer.  I'd not heard of the place before my friend mentioned it, and it was much larger than I was expecting.  There's a sizable upstairs and downstairs both, though I only have a vague impression of upstairs as I immediately went downstairs.

Downstairs, we were seated at two 6-person booths that have taps installed in the tables -- and not just for show.  These taps are fully functional, connected to kegs somewhere you can't see, and they keep an electronic tally of how much you've dispensed as you go along.  To the birthday girl's dismay, they only had an IPA and a Pilsner on the taps, because apparently those are the most popular beers.  Nevertheless, it was neat sitting at those tables.  Other amusing decor -- the blue wall behind us had line drawings of various brewing-related items with suggestive descriptions.

Now, I am not a hugely knowledgable beer drinker, and I am not a fan of hops, so this won't really be a review of the beer offerings (sorry!).  I ordered an Allagash Black ($7?), which was actually fairly tasty, and was my only adult beverage of the evening as I was driving home.