By the Gastronomes “Coffee by day, cocktails by night. Welcome to SOCIAL, Leonardtown Maryland’s neighborhood coffeehouse and cocktail bar! Over the years, we’ve created a welcoming space for our community to hangout, study, party, and be social. But we’re more than just a place to gather. SOCIAL is built on the “Buy Local” philosophy, and artfully combines local ingredients into mouth-watering espresso, cocktails, and cuisine.” After being “Home for the Holidays” all December long, we decided it would be fun to take a drive to one of our favorite Southern Maryland spots – the “not-so- small-anymore” town of Leonardtown to be more specific. Located on Route 5 about an hour and fifteen minutes (depending on Beltway traffic) from Alexandria, Leonardtown is a lively, vibrant waterfront town of about 4500 people. It has really come into its own in the last 10-15 years. Definitely a much different place than it was when we first traveled through there on a regular basis in the mid 90’s on our way to the marina where the boat was docked. One of the shining stars on the restaurant scene in L-Town is the SOCIAL Coffee House and Cocktail Bar. What started out in a much smaller location down the street from where it is now as a coffee shop with a “secret” speakeasy behind a bookcase that opened like a door, is now a full-time coffee roaster serving breakfast, brunch, lunch/dinner and cocktails. The brain child of Sean Coogan, who said in a previous interview that he didn’t even like coffee when he started the business but loved the community, working with people and building and growing things, SOCIAL has morphed into a major community hub where locals from all over the county stop in on a regular basis for a good cup of Joe and a bite to…
By Timothy Long Why didn’t I think of this before? It’s so obvious. These end of year lists are everywhere. They pop up on social media. They come in emails. They glare at us from magazine stands. It’s like being hit on the head with a mallet. I guess the most obvious things are often the hardest to see. The idea dawned on me while I was reading the most recent edition of Whiskey Advocate. I subscribe to both Whiskey Advocate and Cigar Afficionado. And I’m like a kid in a candy store when either magazine arrives. This year’s Whiskey Advocate winner was the Elijah Craig 12 Year 3-Month-Old Barrel Proof Rye. Heaven Hill does a great job with the Elijah Craig series, and I was happy to read that one of their newer brands had been named Whiskey of the Year. It’s the first rye whiskey ever to win the award. The writers claimed it earned the award for its complex and balanced profile, which includes notes of baking spices, stewed fruits, and a generous rye spice finish. Reviewers from Whisky Advocate specifically praised its maturity, depth, and surprising approachability. At 108 Proof and $75, I am definitely adding it to my wish list. So, while I’m reading about this wonderful whiskey, an idea popped into my head. Why don’t I do my year end favorites? If the writers of Whiskey Advocate and Cigar Afficionado can do it, so can I! It’s all about passion. And I have a passion for good beer, good whiskey, and good cigars. My passion also includes other things as well, like golf, family, etc. But one must have one’s priorities. My list works a little differently than most. Each category will have a winner and a runner up. It’s just like a beauty pageant. And…
by Charles Oppman Now that we’re in the cold weather months it is good time for a hearty country dish. Why not make a classic bean dish―cassoulet? Cassoulet is a rib-stickin’, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat (typically pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white haricot beans. The dish is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the cassole, a deep, round, earthenware casserole dish. I made cassoulet the other day with northern beans. I made it in an ultra-heavy cast iron Dutch oven I found at a Salvation Army for like $5. I cooked it on the stove top, but could have baked it, which I considered doing because I was thinking about whipping up a batch of corn bread as well, the perfect quick bread for this dish. I vary the meat when I make cassoulet, but this time I used smoked sausage, bratwurst, pork spare ribs, thick-cut bacon and some pieces of pork butt and a ham bone I had in the freezer. I was also able to use the last of my home-grown thyme and rosemary. Serves: 6 Ingredients 1 pound bratwurst, cut into 3” pieces 1 pound pork butt or shoulder, cut into 1” cubs 1 pound of smoked sausage, cut into 3” pieces (ham hocks can replace smoked sausage) 4 slices bacon, cut into 1” pieces 1 pound duck breast halves (optional) 1 whole onion, diced 4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced 3 sprigs fresh thyme 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 1 cup coarsely chopped curly parsley 1 pound dry navy or northern beans, soaked for 3 hours 3 bay leaves, large 1 cup celery, diced (optional) 1 (or more) quart chicken broth, canned is fine. (Please do not use bouillon cubes.) Directions…
By Matthew Fitzsimmons “Virginia is for (wine) lovers” may not be the official motto for the Virginia wine industry, but it easily could be. The Commonwealth has consistently outshined more famous wine regions, despite making a fraction of the wine they do. Wine writer Mike Dunne, who judged at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC), said this of Virginia’s entries: “Each year, some wine region of North America seems to gain recognition for a disproportionate share of high awards… in 2025, it was Virginia.” One of the hallmarks of Virginia wine is its diversity of styles and grape varieties. Cabernet franc and chardonnay are the state’s most widely planted grapes, but Virginia offers everything from albariño to zweigelt. Two factors shape this diversity: the state’s varied terroir, and a willingness to experiment. Virginia grows wine everywhere from high-elevation sites in the Blue Ridge Mountains to sandy soils along the Eastern Shore. While the state is arguably a geographic and stylistic middle ground between California and France, winegrowers point out Virginia’s unique growing conditions makes copying either of these areas impractical. This has led the Virginia wine industry to combine tradition with experimentation. Many winemakers prefer more classic styles that emulate those of the “Old World,” such as Bordeaux or Chablis. Others endorse a more creative approach, sometimes blending grapes normally associated with very different regions of the world. My personal “Top 10” list reflect this veritable hodgepodge of styles. Several are classic expressions of their variety, while others are uniquely ‘Virginia’ in nature. I’m especially interested in wines with great backstories, or varieties not usually associated with Virginia. Ankida Ridge 2022 Pinot Noir ($65): Many vineyards have tried growing pinot noir in Virginia, but Ankida is the first to prove it can be done well. Key to Ankida’s success is its 1,800’ elevation site along the Blue Ridge Mountains, which guarantees moderate temperature swings and mitigates disease pressure. This wine had a floral nose, with notes of earth, specifically wet dirt. The wine itself had heft but was still well balanced, with just the right amount of oak, tannin, and structure. It also presented tart fruit notes on the palate. Cave Ridge Vineyard 2023 Pinot Noir ($45): Compared to the Ankida Ridge, this example of a Virginia pinot was somewhat softer…
By Doug Fabbioli As 2026 begins, it is important to recognize things that can be improved from the previous year or years. Some adjustments may be easy while others more challenging. For both, a well-thought-out and vetted plan for improvement would be a promising idea. It sure would stink if in the efforts to improve the situation, you end up behind where you started. The improvements I am looking for are the stability and improvement of wine sales for our business and others in the industry. What is my solution? More mentoring of the next generation to develop more wine aficionados like us! As I have mentioned in previous columns, I have 3 younger folks I am working with in three different operations who are the perfect age for our target audience. If these folks can develop their wine knowledge and their mentoring skills, we can hopefully increase our wine consumers. Let us admit it, wine can be a stuffy and intimidating beverage arena to enter and comfortably enjoy. There are lots of assorted styles, regions, grapes, sweetness levels, and winemaking techniques. No wonder we have fewer young people consuming wines, the complexity of the industry has made us harder to approach. Starting off with a few simple steps can be quite rewarding. Each of the folks in the industry must know enough of their own products to share with family and friends. A good mentor can create a safe learning environment for the mentee to ask questions, try assorted flavors, and start to connect with the wines a little bit more. There are no dumb questions and there is no pressure to perform. When a person is learning wine, they are learning about foods and flavors as well. Grape varieties, processing techniques, and regions come into play later as to…
By Timothy Long Christmas comes once a year. And when it comes, it brings good beer. Holiday beers have been around almost as long as people have realized winter is cold and alcohol can make it warm, or at least bearable. My guess is that our ancestors figured this relationship out rather quickly. The Vikings kicked things off with Jól ale during Yule—strong, malty brews that were basically ancient antifreeze. And they probably tasted like antifreeze. If you could still pronounce your own name after a mug or two, you probably didn’t brew it right. Medieval Europeans picked up the tradition, brewing darker, richer ales for the winter months. Monks were especially good at it. Let’s face it, you can only do so much praying and meditating. And nothing says “silent night” like a warming ale that could knock a reindeer on its butt. The monks tossed in whatever they had around: honey, herbs, spruce tips… basically the medieval equivalent of “let’s see what’s in the pantry.” By the 18th and 19th centuries, British brewers created “winter warmers”—beers designed to keep you cozy and maybe help you tolerate your obnoxious brother-in- law and the other uppity relatives who visited during the holidays. These weren’t heavily spiced beers. And they were just strong enough to make you forget how short the days were. The big modern turning point for the American craft beer industry came in 1975, when Anchor Brewing released its first Anchor Christmas Ale. They changed the recipe every year, which created a yearly anxious crowd of holiday beer lovers dying for the new release. Craft brewers everywhere saw this and collectively said, “Oh, we can go wild with this,” leading to peppermint porters, gingerbread stouts, cranberry saisons, and at least one beer that tasted suspiciously like fruitcake (and…
By Matthew Fitzsimmons Few beverages are as closely associated with special occasions as sparkling wine. In fact, around 20% of sparkling sales occur in December, according to industry statistics. While New Year’s Eve bubbly sounds wonderful, there’s no reason to wait for a holiday to send corks flying. Sparkling a food-friendly, versatile beverage, suitable for any occasion. Sparkling’s acidity allows it to cut through fatty foods, while the wine’s lower tannin structure prevents it from overpowering a dish. This acidity also acts like a palate cleanser, making it especially ideal at the start of a meal. Understanding The Bubbles in Your Glass Sparkling wine is created by trapping the carbon dioxide that is produced while fermenting the grapes. The method used to trap those bubbles impacts the style and quality of the final wine, and its price point. “Pétillant naturel” (or pét-nats for short) are a fairly low-cost method to produce sparkling wine. Such wines are created when a still wine’s initial fermentation is paused while in the bottle. When the wine re-ferments later, CO2 becomes trapped inside. Pét-nats are especially popular in wineries that lack the expensive infrastructure to produce more complicated sparkling wine. The Charmat method (also known as the tank method) is the format used to produce Prosecco. The “liqueur de tirage” (a combination of sugar and yeast) is added to a base wine and processed in large steel tanks. These wines tend to have a more fresh fruit flavor, and are an economical way to mass-produce bubbly. The “Méthode Traditionnelle” is the most famous (and expensive) way to make sparkling wine. The liqueur de tirage is added to a finished still wine, creating a completely new fermentation inside the bottle. This process is difficult to manage without specialized equipment, which until recently has limited their availability…
By Walter Scheib et al. This recipe from former White House Chef Walter Scheib, The American Chef, was published in this space shortly after he left his post on Pennsylvania Avenue and again about 8 years or so ago. Considering the “climate” surrounding the White House these days, we thought it would be a good idea to publish a recipe that brings us back to when the majority of Americans looked forward to the decorations and the celebrations of the First Family during the holiday season. We met Walter at the inaugural Food & Wine Festival in National Harbor in May of 2008 – yes 17 years – and formed a nice friendship then. Chef Scheib co-authored a column called “Cooking, Fran and Wally” with longtime Old Town Crier contributor Frances Killpatrick for several months in the mid 2000’s. He was the Executive Chef at the Whitehouse from 1994 to 2005 during the administrations of both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He died in the summer of 2015 while hiking in the mountains surrounding Taos, New Mexico. He is remembered for his memoir, The White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen. We hope you enjoy this holiday memory. – Old Town Crier White House Eggnog Ingredients: 6 or 7 egg yolks (5 ounces, pasteurized if possible) 1 cup sugar ¾ cups each, bourbon, cognac and dark rum – such as Meyers 6 or 7 egg whites (7 ounces, pasteurized if possible) 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups heavy cream 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 quart milk, more if needed Freshly grated nutmeg for serving Preparation: Put the yolks and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip until yellow ribbons form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the bourbon, cognac and…
By the Gastronomes In this age of transparency and full disclosure…or not…when we sat down to pen this column we decided to see when we had last written about Hard Times. It was February of 2019. To tell the truth – there’s that word – this piece is looking like it is going to be almost a mirror of the 2019 version. That tells you that no matter how much things change, some things stay the same. Washington D.C. may have Ben’s Chili Bowl, but Old Town Alexandria has Hard Times Café. With winter on its way and the holidays fast approaching, we decided that a visit to Hard Times Café for some chili and a sandwich was a perfect fit for a cold day and will make for a good place to take a break from shopping. Back when there were hardly any businesses in the west end of Old Town, brothers Fred and Jim Parker decided to take Fred’s passion for making chili out of his house and open a restaurant. They rented an old building in the 1400 block of King Street and opened in 1980. It was a bold step as there wasn’t much foot traffic or many offices in that end of town, but the brothers forged ahead and opened their depression-era chili parlor. Now, 45 years later, that end of town has flourished and so has Hard Times. Both Parker brothers are no longer with us but the tradition is being carried on by Co-owners Rich and Heather Kelly. Same easy-going ambiance and really good eats. A Little Chili History: The initial recipe was handed down to Fred from his Aunt Irma, who had owned a successful chili parlor in Oklahoma. Fred’s other recipes were the result of research, experimentation and competition cooking at…
By Doug Fabbioli The juice has been pressed from the fruit, fermentation is complete and now the wine is resting in vats or barrels. The skins and seeds from the grapes are in the compost pile transforming into the black gold that will be returned to the field. The leaves are off the vines and have blown into the surrounding fields. The crew has been winterizing equipment, cleaning up the landscape and generally catching up on some of the jobs that were not as critical to address during the growing season. We have plenty of work ahead of us and spring will be here before we know it, but naturally the end of the year is a fitting time for reflection. There seems to be some significant interest in buying and selling local wineries lately. Maybe it’s the age of the industry, or the businesses, or the owners, but I certainly see some shifts coming soon. This business is not for the faint of heart. High capital investment, slow returns and agriculture in general adds up to challenges that most folks would shy away from. I have had a number of potential buyers approach me about who is for sale and how the pulse of the industry feels. I want to help these people understand that the romance of being a winery owner probably won’t last forever. But if you have the means and manage your expectations regarding returns, it can be very rewarding. I often give these words of wisdom to folks that are considering buying a winery or vineyard: hire some well-seasoned help to get you on the right path. Consulting winemaker, vineyard manager, tasting room manager, all these folks had to put in time to be successful. Wine quality is judged on a regular basis and having…
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