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Russell Warnick

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Russell Warnick

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Travel: San Francisco

August 7, 2014 Russell W. Warnick
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It'd been a few years since my last visit to San Francisco--at a time when my interest in food wasn't as it is today--so before this trip I put out the obligatory call on twitter to solicit where to spend my money. Needless to say I received enough responses to have covered a month of eating out in the city. Sadly for me I only had a few days of dining ahead of me so I had to pick wisely, filtering though neighborhoods, cuisine and must-have dishes.

The hotel was centrally located, just off Union Square, so most places on the itinerary (yes, there was an itinerary, reservations needed to be booked) were within walking distance. Even climbing Russia Hill to reach the top of Lombard Street was easy, gotta check off the SF tourist bucket list. Taking the street car is perhaps a more sensible way to do this, but the boyfriend insisted on making use of our legs. Health nut.

As mentioned, reservations were made for evening meals, it is a major city and I didn't want to be left out in the cold. I only packed one sweater. Foreign Cinema in the Mission District was on the agenda for the Friday, while Zuni on Market Street was reserved for Saturday, more on those below.

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In Travel, Restaurants Tags Travel, Dining, San Francisco, California
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Dining: Barrel

August 4, 2014 Russell W. Warnick
Tres Vieux Carre

Tres Vieux Carre

6th and Penn will always be remembered for the space where 18th Amendment used to live -- if Barrel wants to change that, they need to create their own mark. Co-owned by Matt Weiss, Mark Mernard and Mike Schuster, Weiss owner of other Capitol Hill joints Union Bar and 201 Bar, while Mernard and Schuster of 18th Amendment, it's off to a good start. Unlike the other watering holes, Barrel is less interns and more veteran staffer -- its focus is more on crafted cocktails and less on buckets of beer. The only Bucket you'll find on the menu consists of an Elijah Craig 12 year aged bourbon, peppered ginger, and bitters martini.

Split into three distinct sections, Barrel features a main dining room consisting of a full-length bar lined with shelves housing bourbons and other specialty liquors, near the back is The Lab which is a place for the bartenders to play around with their craft, while downstairs is the Elixir Bar and Cask Room, an extended space which can be reserved for private events.

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In Restaurants Tags Dining, Restaurants, Bars, Bourbon, Capitoll Hill, Washington DC
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Dining: Alba Osteria

July 31, 2014 Russell W. Warnick
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I think we can all agree that Washington is awash with the bottomless brunch cocktails, however, there are not so many of the bottomless food options. At $30 for both, Alba Osteria has pretty much undercut the competition. A relatively new restaurant with a not-so-new chef, Roberto Donna of Al Dente and more famously, Galileo, helms the kitchen. I dined at Al Dente a year or so back and I have fond memories of the upper northwest establishment; Alba Osteria on the other hand is not quite the same caliber, however for an all-you-can-eat affair it can't be sniffed at.

I'd like to say you should choose carefully, but you really don't have to. Perhaps a wasteful attitude, but if you don't like a dish you can simply discard it. In the interest of full disclosure I was at a group brunch -- a dozen of us -- despite this our server was attentive and as efficient as you can be serving a party our size. Other than a borderline unacceptable wait for a second beermosa (beer, Prosecco and OJ) refill it was great. Our server lead the ordering and prompted us to order two of everything off the menu (smart move), enabling us to decide what we liked so we could order more of.

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In Restaurants, Brunch Tags Italian, Brunch, Dining, Restaurants
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Events: Appetite at Strathmore

July 23, 2014 Russell W. Warnick
Strathmore

Dubbing itself as a culinary and epicurean arts festival, Appetite at The Music Center at Strathmore might be the new festival in town but it's got quite the line up for its inaugural debut. With Bizarre Foods Andrew Zimmern and Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis headlining this two-day event it certainly has the star power, but Appetite will also showcase local purveyors, chefs, and food trucks all with a backdrop of live music, this is a music center after all.

If you're wondering why Strathmore is entering the world of food, you may remember they've tapped RAMMY Award winning Michael Babin of Neighborhood Restaurant Group to develop the food and wine at its new sister venue, AMP.

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In Events Tags Music, Strathmore, Festival, Maryland
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