Girl Meets Food

The late Jerome Girardot was a master of his trade, creative, quiet, refined, and poised.  His dedication, patience and work ethic set him apart as a leader in the pastry world.

The Jerome Girardot Fund was established to celebrate the life and memory of Jerome, bringing together the country’s top chefs and culinary enthusiasts to connect and enjoy great food and great friends.

Proceeds of A Night of Extreme Taste establishes a fund for Jerome’s young children, ensuring their education as they grow.

On Thursday, September 30, 2010 from 7 to 11 pm, these great chefs will give you a culinary experience of a lifetime at A Night of Extreme Taste.

Featuring more than 13 savory action stations and a grand dessert buffet prepared by over 28 of the nation’s most talented chefs, A Night of Extreme Taste is complemented by fine wine and spirits, beer, breads, cheese, teas, coffee and water stations.

Meet the participating chefs and share great conversations while enjoying cocktails by world-class mixologist Freddy Diaz, wine, champagne and beer tastings with unlimited access to the stations.  Plus, receive a box of chocolate truffles to take home.

The grand dessert buffet will feature more than 20 different pastry selections, showpieces and desserts, prepared live while you enjoy live entertainment by Fernando Varela and The Leclaire Brothers.

Tickets are $125.00 per person, and recommended attire for this event is “urban chic.” Please purchase tickets here.

The Ritz Carlton
1150 22nd Street NW
Washington, DC 20037

Celebrity Chefs participating in the Washington D.C. “A Night of Extreme Taste” include:

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Note: Usually I don’t write about beer, but the story behind this one I find most intriguing…

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Almost two-hundred years after the London Beer Flood, another beer-related accident resulted not in disaster but great discovery.  After a flood swept through the basement of the Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado, Brewmaster Keith Villa went down to assess the damage.

LIke Indiana Jones hacking his way through the Peruvian jungle, Keith sorted through the wreckage, braving possible booby traps and Nazis, looking for anything salvageable.

To his amazement, he found an old recipe in a logbook, still clearly written and perfectly preserved. A golden light shone all around him and a chorus of angels rejoiced!

Or perhaps it was the sound of the Coors Light Silver Bullet train.

Dated 1914, the recipe was simply named Golden Lager.  The recipe called for rice instead of barley, as there was a shortage of grains during the First World War.  Next, Belgian malt and five different hops.  This Golden Lager was to be light, unpasteurized and cold-filtered.

Keith knew he had to recreate it.  The creator of Blue Moon spent a year developing this special pre-Prohibition style lager that was as American as drinking before noon.

Batch 19 was born.

It represents the last batch of beer before beer was banned in 1919.  It delivers a bold, hoppy flavor that is surprisingly well balanced.

“In 1919, barrels were broken and great beer was lost,” said Batch 19 Brand Manager, Jennifer Anton. “When beer came back fourteen years later, it wasn’t the same.  Consumers want to experience what beer tasted like before Prohibition. In that rebellious spirit, we were inspired by the authentic recipe to brew it right and bring it back. Batch 19 derives its bold taste by using a rare combination of hops, including Hersbrucker and Strisslespalt.”

Batch 19 is available on tap only in select speakeasy-style saloon bars in Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, and Milwaukee.  In D.C., you can find Batch 19 at the 18th Amendment, Iron Horse, The Saloon, We the Pizza, and Stetsons—one of oldest bars in D.C., and the only one fined during Prohibition for serving alcohol!

D.C. Beer Week 2010 is a week-long celebration of beer culture in the nation’s capital!

The line-up features more than a dozen breweries and 25 restaurants, bars and pubs throughout the District.

Please note: Events are subject to change. Please visit D.C. Beer Week 2010 for updates.

Friday August 20, 2010: D.C. Beer Week 2010 Kick-Off Event at the Rock and Roll Hotel including craft beers and music pairings.  Featuring Beer Director Greg Engert of ChurchKey, Founder & Brewer Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal Ales, Tracy Jill Doty from the NIH, Cobra Collective, New Rock Church of Fire and many more. Tickets are $10.

Sunday August 22, 2010
Craft Beer Cruise on the Cherry Blossom from 6-9 p.m. Featuring over 20 different breweries, appetizers, and more. $70 per person. Space is limited to 150 people.

Monday August 23, 2010
Room 11 along with Victory Brewing present two beers rarely seen outside the Victory Brewpub, Mad King Weiss and Gassy Jack Bitter.

ChurchKey will pour a limited oak cask of Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, a regular cask of Bourbon Barrel-Aged Heavy Seas Hang Ten and Vintage Below Decks Barleywine.

Granville Moore’s joins Susan Greene of Global Brewers Guild for a five-course beer dinner. $70 per person.  Space is limited to 35 people.

Dino’s Chef Dean Gold carefully pairs three of his favorite beers with three mouth-watering courses for $39 per person.

Trusty’s Burgers Beer and Bus – Drinking canned craft beers while sitting in an old elementary school bus at the Bus Bar upstairs. Kick back with Butternut beer and figure out which lunch box you used to (or still) have.

Tuesday August 24, 2010
Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe pairs Brooklyn Brewery beers with cheeses from International Gourmet. The beers include Brewmasters Reserve, Black Ops, Brooklyn-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse, Local One Lager, and Brown Ale.

H Street Country Club hosts “Butternut Pints for Putts—The shot of your life.” 1 Beer. 1 Putt. 120 feet. Sink it and walk away with a regulation pool table.

Justins’s Cafe presents Racing Dangerously; Racer 5 IPA and five different flavors of pie from Dangerously Delicious Pies.

Star and Shamrock hosts Shmaltz Brewing Company along with tasty He’Brew ales for some creative pairings.

18th Amendment hosts the 21st Amendment Brewing Company with hot pizza and cold beer.

Belga Cafe hosts a Chimay Trappist Ale Vintage Beer Tasting at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy a special dinner menu while learning about beers. $59 per person.

Liberty Tree presents the Smuttynose New England Beer Dinner with four courses and four beers for $40 per person.

Wednesday August 25, 2010
Red and Black hosts Troegs with a glassware giveaway, Mad Elf in the Summer, Troegs Band, and guaranteed fun.

DC Bread and Brew presents a Lagunitas Beer Dinner with six beers and six plates featuring Hop Stupid, Little Sumpin, Censored Ale, IPA, Czech Pilsner and Dog Town Pale Ale. $50 per person.

District Chop House Meet Brewer, Barrett Lauer, and enjoy tours of the brewery along with half price beers at one of the Nation’s Capital’s finest Brew Pubs.

Capitol Lounge Beer and Barbeque Low country barbeque and the finest brews from Great Lakes Brewing from 6-10 p.m. Capitol Lounge Side Bar. $45 per person.

Thursday August 26, 2010
The Pour House and Coney Island Lagers take you from New York to Boston. Jeremy from Shmaltz Brewing Company will be there, talking and throwing beer around while the kitchen is batting up some lobster rolls.

Biergarten Haus presents Reissdorf Kolsch Firkins Night With Bill Catron at 7:00 p.m.

Breadsoda presents “Beer vs Beer,” celebrating “Braugust” Beer Month at Breadsoda. Think about it, what is better then a huge deli sandwich and cool craft beer?

Meridian Pint and Schlafly present Dan Kopman Co-Founder and Brew Master of St. Louis Brewing. Special rare tastings of Schlafly beers paired with unique offerings from the Meridian Pint’s wonderful kitchen.

The Reef presents “Rogue Ales Oyster Fest” from 5-10 p.m.  3,000 Oysters, 3 Shuckers, 3 Levels, 7 great beers from Rogue Ales! Dead Guy, Kells Irish Lager, Imperial IPA, Imperial YSB, Orgasmic, Somer Ale, John John’s Hazlenut

Friday August 27, 2010
Big Hunt Michigan Blowout Night features specials on Founders, Bells, and New Holland. Get your Wolverine Gold and Blue or Spartan Green on!