The new Drinks Matcher, from Nat Decants, is a combination wine sommelier and bartender, all in the convenience of your smart phone.  You can quickly choose a wine whether you’re sitting at a restaurant, lounging poolside, or shopping at the supermarket or liquor store.  Since the app doesn’t require an internet connection, you can even use it when you’re dining on the patio and some remote tropical location.

Natalie says, “As a wine-loving geek, I love finding ways for new technology to help us savour all of life’s pleasures, wherever we are.”

To search for the perfect drink-food combination, start with either a dish or a drink.  From there, select bubbly, white, red, rose, or dessert, or opt for beer, spirits, cocktails, liquor, coffee or tea.  True connoisseurs can drill down their selection even further by focusing on a particular grape, more specific food information, or the primary flavor of spices used in a dish.

Choose to impress your friends, if you must, but what I like about the app is that it gets you out of a rut and forces you to try something new.  That’s worth the $2.99 charge in my book.

The Drinks Matcher app can be downloaded from your smart phone’s online store, or download it from Nat Decants.

Photo credit: Nat Decants

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

After the church was abandoned in the early 1990’s, a rehab project began that would turn the unique venue into a restaurant.  The transformation made for a beautiful restaurant and brew pub, with many of the original pieces of the church re-purposed for a new use.

The original pews have been turned into booth seating in the dining room.  The extra planks salvaged from re-fashioning the pews were used for the top of the bar.  Large copper and stainless steel tanks were installed in the former sanctuary, and the original floors were restored and the stained glass windows were repaired and polished.  Attendees of St John’s may well recognize the original bricks, wood, and lighting, now rehabbed for use in previously unexpected ways.

Other parts of the former church have been put to good use as well.  The former rectory courtyard was converted into an outdoor patio, hidden a bit from the rest of the restaurant, to provide a pleasant outdoor hideaway.  And Church Brew Works merchandise is sold from a former confessional.

Okay, enough about the decor — what about the food and beverage?! 

The menu features typical American-style fare, with a few unusual twists like buffalo, rattlesnake, and unusual Pierogies.  Healthy salads are also available.  Lunch runs in the $8-13 range, with dinner running around $15-28, with a nice selection of starters and sides at both meals.  A pub menu is also offered.

And they serve beer!

Four house beers are regularly offered, two ales and two lagers:  Celestial Gold, Pipe Organ Pale Ale, Pious Monk Dunkel, and Blast Furnace Stout.  A few specialty beers appear on a rotating/seasonal basis.  I like the sounds of Papal Indulgence, but if you can’t narrow your selection, go for a sampler (in photo at left).

Church Brew Works hours are Monday – Thursday 11:30 am – 11:45 pm.  Lunch is served until 4 pm, and Dinner until 9:30 pm.  Pizza served until 11 pm.  Friday & Saturday, 11:30 am – 1 am, serving lunch until 4 pm, dinner until 11 pm, and pizza till midnight.  Sunday hours are noon – 10 pm, with lunch served until 4 pm, dinner and pizza until 9 pm.

If you a beer lover, take a look at Brew Ha-Ha, a beer blog written by pal Kelly Erb and her husband, Chris.  You’ll find lots of fun, humor, information and ideas about one of America’s favorite beverages.

Photo credit: flickr (sanctuary), (beer sampler)

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

A friend sent me this matchbook and reminded me of many an evening we had spent there with a bottle of wine and a lively conversation.  I’m not sure that we ever had a meal there; we’d mostly stop in for a little music, conversation, and the people watching that the neighborhood is known for.

The restaurant and bar was always busy, whether from it’s location, reputation, or food, I’m not certain, and at times it could be a bit on the raucous side.  I haven’t been back for quite some time, so the matchbook was a nice reminder.

La Tomate is located at 1701 Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington DC (map it), at the triangular intersection of Connecticut, “R” and 20th NW.

It is open Monday – Wednesday, 11:30 am – 10:30 pm; Thursday, 11:30 am – 11 pm; Friday & Saturday, 11:30 am – 11:30 pm, and Sunday, 11:30 am – 10 pm.  Reservations are recommended.

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe