From the Old Town Crier The US Virgin Islands hold a very soft spot in our hearts, most specially St. John. It is our favorite island getaway. We have long time friends living on the island who lost everything in the after math of both hurricanes Irma and Maria. Some of them transplants from Virginia. It is both heart breaking and surreal to have something so devastating happen so close to home. We have received emails from Alexandrians who have family who live on island that have no livelihood to go back to and others who own vacation homes on St. John and St. Thomas. Our very own Jeff McCord calls St. John home and was one of the lucky few who will be able to repair his home and be back to some semblance of “normal” in the next months. Only time will tell. We thank God that everyone we know are safe and physically unharmed but their lives are changed forever. The people on the islands are pulling together and are “VI Strong” as they help each other get back on their feet. We encourage you to make a donation to the rescue/repair effort in any capacity that you can and plan a trip in the future and give these island communities a bit of an economic boost!
Caribbean Apocalypse and Recovery By Jeff McCord Natural catastrophes bring out the best and worst in people. Most band together, help others and even risk life and limb to save strangers from harm. A few, though, prey on weak individuals and the weakened society. By any measure, Category Five plus Hurricane Irma inflicted catastrophic damage on the small, vulnerable Leeward Islands in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The hardest hit U.S. island is St. John, best known as the primary location of the spectacular Virgin Islands National Park. Not far behind in level of destruction is St. Thomas, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. My family and I were fortunate to get off St. John a couple days before Irma struck. I have kept in contact with residents through Facebook and scoured the media for information in the days and hours before the storm struck and in the aftermath. This article is based on those sources. First, just how bad a storm was Irma when it burst upon our idyllic islands? Irma was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic ocean (without entering warmer Caribbean waters). It also had the lowest barometer (914 mb) ever recorded in an Atlantic storm. It fielded sustained winds of 180 mph. Gusts of 220 were recorded in St. John’s largest town Cruz Bay. On September 6th between the hours of about 1 and 3 pm, the eyewall of this immense force of nature came ashore on St. John’s east end, known mostly for pristine Coral Bay, and plowed over the entire island, exiting over Cruz Bay. It then veered a bit northeast, hitting St. Thomas and then passed off shore of Puerto Rico. Earlier that day, St Johnians were posting on Facebook about their preparations and plans to hunker down in safe…
By Lani Gering Man…Oh…Man…..looks like it’s going to be a quiet month around here until the Halloween celebration on the 29th! In fact, I’m not sure I have enough material to work with to fill a whole column. I guess what is really happening is that everyone is taking a deep breath and preparing to get geared up for the all of the holiday 2017 festivities. I admit that I do love this place during the holidays and I get a little carried away so I guess I should just take a chill pill myself and relax before it all starts up. Speaking of “quiet”, I ran across a new addition to the harbor a week or so ago – we have our very own metallic mime! If any of you have experienced Jackson Square in New Orleans you know how interesting, or unnerving for some, these guys/gals can be. At any rate, joining the fabulous statuary that already adorns American Way was a “silver man” – not just his hair, his whole body – who was entertaining the Saturday crowd. As I watched, he really freaked out a group of kids who thought he was stationary just like the bronze of Dwight D. and likeness of Rosie the Riveter that are erected near each other and where he decided to stand. After posing with Ike and Rosie, they decided to pose with him for a photo-op and he decided to put his arms around them! Wish I had been taking a video. In fact, that is when I realized that he was a human and not just a new sculpture. In my never ending quest to find interesting people to write about for the OTC I decided to try to communicate with Silver Man in an…
What’s The Buzz? This August, Gaylord National acquired four Langstroth beehives to harvest its own honey on the resort’s rooftop. The hives will house 10,000 to 12,000 bees per hive when fully active with hopes of producing 120 pounds of honey by the 2018 spring harvest to infuse into various food and beverage offerings. The honeybees also will assist in pollinating a new chef’s garden in the spring. The resort’s culinary team plans to plant everything from herbs to tomatoes to flower plants including blueberries and strawberries to help the bees thrive, in addition to having house-grown produce steps from its kitchen. “We are continuing to look at ways that we can create a sustainable food and beverage program at Gaylord National Resort and help the surrounding environment and eco-system,” said David Creamer, executive resort chef at the hotel. “By initiating some of our new programs, we will be able to supply even fresher ingredients to guests and attendees we feed on a daily basis.” Some additional culinary and beverage programs that the resort will introduce this fall include juices, barbeque and dehydrated fruits and meats. The resort’s beverage team has sourced an in-house juice maker that will provide 100 percent natural juices to be consumed as standalone beverages or used to elevate its cocktail program. The beverage team also will be aging its own bourbon and gin cocktails in wood barrels at select restaurant and bar outlets. Gaylord National also will begin smoking meats as part of a new barbeque program this fall. Using a mixture of cherry and hickory wood for flavor, guests will be able to enjoy smoked ribs, whole free range chickens, bacon and more. No barbeque program would be complete without rubs and sauces, which all will be custom made by the resort’s culinary team….
Publishers Picks: VA Wines By Bob Tagert Nancy has told you about one of her favorite winery excursions in her Grapevine column and that inspired me to tell you about a trek that I encourage you to take as well. In this short piece I will hit on a few of our favorite wineries and stops to make as you drive through northern Fauquier County and into neighboring Rappahannock county. The journey is straightforward. You can either take Interstate 6 into Fauquier County and end up in Sperryville or drive from Warrenton down Route 211 and begin the journey in Sperryville. On this particular trip we will do the later because of the inns and B&B’s where you might want to stay at the end of a long day. In visiting these wineries use whatever GPS app that you have and try to use the back roads to get from one winery to the other and enjoy the road less traveled. The first stop on our trip will be right off of route 66 near Delaplane…Barrel Oak Winery. This winery is one of Virginia’s largest producers with over 11,000 cases a year. The views of the valley are great and if beer is your pleasure they have it here at the Barrel Oak Farm Taphouse. Our next stop will be Three Fox Vineyard. You will usually find owners John and Holly Todhunter on the property. The winery is set halfway up a small mountain with terrific views from the top of the mountain down to Cedar Creek meandering by the entrance. Check out their ad in this issue for special events in October. Across I–66 and up the hill is Naked Mountain Winery and Vineyard, home to one of Virginia’s best Chardonnays. Owner Randy Morgan is making a capital investment…
By G & T Hank’s Pasta Bar Rustic Chic Italian In Old Town Alexandria With the temps beginning to cool and the introduction of their new fall menu, we decided to go to Hank’s Pasta Bar in Old Town for this months restaurant showcase. Having opened in February of 2016, Hank’s has made an impact in north Old Town. I am sure that you have heard of Hank’s Oyster bar. Like the Pasta Bar, the Hank’s legacy of restaurants is through the efforts of founder, owner and chef, Jamie Leeds. Hank was her father, who she credits as her inspiration for becoming a chef. Hank’s Pasta Bar is a rustic seasonally driven Italian restaurant in north Old Town. They feature hand-made pasta made fresh every day, cheese & charcuterie, fine wines, craft cocktails and draft beers. It is a warm and comfortable environment with the well stocked bar welcoming you as you enter the room. There are a few high tops adjoining the bar and a medium sized dining area beyond. There is also a second room for over flow crowds or for special gatherings. The place has a lot of energy. While the Hank’s Oyster Bars greet you with a dish of “goldfish” snacks, the Pasta Bar starts you out with savory Italian snacks. We love a gimmick and this is a good one. We were lucky on our visit because the new fall menu had just been released that day. The menu at Hank’s Pasta is pretty much “just right”. There are creative items – think Chic – mixed with traditional items – think Rustic – in all sections of the menu and it isn’t overwhelming with too many choices. We won’t bore you with the details since you can check out the entire menu online. As an…
By Bob Tager Here we are over a week into fall with summer still trying to hang on. Temperatures were in the high 80’s to low 90’s the last full week of September, however, while driving through the Blue Ridge mountains a week ago I noticed that the light yellow leaves were changing and beginning to fall. You can see the colors changing on the mountain sides. This is the perfect month to take a drive. It is Virginia wine Month and all of the wineries will be throwing out the red carpet. We have written about a few of our favorite places to enjoy some of the Commonwealth’s finest vintages in the wine section. Nancy Bauer has some fun VA wine facts in her Grapevine column as well. Our Road Trip takes you through the beautiful Virginia countryside as you make your way to Old Town Winchester, Virginia. You can get your Patsy Cline fix here! Sarah Becker writes about George Washington and the Masonic National Memorial in A Bit of History and Miriam Kramer celebrates 10 years of writing her Last Word column for us, and what a great addition she has been! It is Halloween this month so check out our Highlights of Animal Superstitions in Points on Pets. We bid goodbye to our Urban Garden contributor, Farmer D aka Jimmy Deaton. Jimmy has his hands full with his garden and his “real” job. We will miss his garden wisdom. On a bit of a depressing note, we have all been painfully aware of the damage to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this past month. Caribbean Connection author Jeff McCord gives us local insight as to the damage and in the coming months, the recovery of our beloved St. John as well…