Blog Posts — WILL DRINK FOR TRAVEL

By: Nyasha Chikowore

The Manor DC in DuPont Circle (1327 Connecticut Ave NW 20036) provided a classy backdrop for the debut of sisters Robin and Andréa McBride’s wine Truvée. Being the first African American women to own a wine company is definitely an accomplishment but it seems their sisterly bond has been their biggest triumph thus far.

The sisters didn’t actually meet each other until Andréa was 16, residing in New Zealand, and Robin was 25, in Monterey, California. They share the same father, and it was his wish for them to find each other and connect, hence the company’s name Truvée – a play on the French verb ‘to find’.

Both sisters coincidentally grew up around vineyards, with Andréa even assisting her uncle with grape farming in her mother’s native home of New Zealand. When asked when she discovered her love for wine Andréa said, “It wasn’t actually until I met my sister… when we met each other, that’s when we both coincidentally fell in love with wine because [during visits] we’d end up at tastings, so somehow wine was always in the mix and started to bring up this dream for us.”

Their venture is comprised of a lightly oaked Chardonnay and a Grenache & Syrah based Red Blend. Using grapes sourced from Central Coast California vineyards, the McBride sisters pride themselves on bringing affordable luxury to the wine racks of consumers.

At their D.C. debut, guests were given the opportunity to taste the wines individually as well as in spritzers and sangrias. “The Chardonnay has fruit flavors and is not your typical California oaky Chardonnay. It’s actually the opposite. If you like a Pinot Gris or Sauvignon, then you’ll appreciate it,” Andréa explained.

The wines were flavorful; the Chardonnay was quite tropical as mentioned by its founder and the Red Blend had a velvety texture with notes of berry and caramel. The wines are also designed to be paired with foods, I discovered, during my conversation with Andréa. She suggests having the Chardonnay with seafood, especially sushi and pairing the Red Blend with ribs, lamb and red meats.

If you’re interested in supporting the sisters’ history-making business or simply sampling the wine, it’s already on shelves at various D.C. venues ranging from Bar7 to the Kennedy Center.

For more information please visit Truveewines.com.

Photo Credit: The Manor DC

By: Nyasha Chikowore

If you’ve never experienced ‘Anju’ at Mandu Restaurant (453 K Street NW 20001), March 6th was your last chance. Anju is a general term for Korean food consumed with alcohol. The Korean bar snack pop-up has been a hit, with patrons flocking to eat well after 10 p.m. every first Friday since its launch in June 2014.

Initially the pop-up was on a first come first serve basis, but it got so popular that a reservation became a must. I was lucky enough to snag my sister’s 11:30 p.m. reservation that she made at least a month prior. By the time my drowsy counterparts and I were seated, it was a few minutes shy of midnight. But how often do you get to eat Korean food that late in DC?

This month’s guest chefs included Jeff Black (Pearl Dive/Black Salt/Republic), Michael Schlow (Tico/Via Mata/Alta Strada), and Tim Ma (Maple Ave/Water and Wall). The menu included 13 items. Each item was priced at $6 or $15 for a set of 3. Some tables even ordered 1 of each, according to our waiter.

Considering my friends and I had actually eaten that day, we opted to only order a few items. I ordered the infamous mandu fried chicken, the braised pork belly, and the stir fry, which had shrimp, scallop, squid and ramen noodles.

My favorite had to be the braised pork belly, because…pork belly. It was crispy, juicy and while I’m not a huge fan of kimchi, the little that did come with the dish was a welcomed addition. The chicken wings, although quite rich in spicy soy glaze, were nothing short of amazing. I only had room for two out of the four wings but I definitely woke up the next day thinking about them.

My friends ordered the sunomono (cucumber salad), the mussels, the tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) and the pork belly taco. I personally sampled the majority of their dishes and was impressed by them all. Koreans clearly know how to snack right because 1) all of the menu items were delicious; 2) they were quite filling; and 3) they were everything you would want in a late night snack.

Guest bartender Christine Kim (Tico) offered an assortment of libations to be paired with the snacks, which is the whole idea & definition of anju-drinking snacks. Being a lover of whiskey, I ordered the Scotty Doesn’t Know, which was a Dewar’s based cocktail. It definitely hit the spot. Reminiscent of a refreshing lemonade with a hint of pear, it went down easy and was also cute with its sprinkling of pine nuts.

If you missed each first Friday at Mandu, you definitely missed out. Luckily, Danny Lee, chef and co-owner at Mandu, has plans to make Anju a fixture in a permanent location in The District. The prospect of a late night Korean snack bar with cameos from other talented chefs is a winning idea. Considering the popularity of the pop-ups, we may all need to make advance reservations to this hypothetical restaurant that may or may not ever exist.

Photo Credit: Nyasha Chikowore

First African American Women-Owned Wine ‘Truvée’ Debuts in D.C.

‘Anju’ at Mandu Restaurant in Washington, D.C.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller