Pac-Man!

Originally uploaded by tjbax.

While Tom and I were in NYC a couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to stop by Tokyo Toy for some Perplex City cards.

Dudes. Why is it that the only two stores in America that carry them are in Berkeley and NYC? Is there no little indie shop in DC that’s willing to put a box of these little bits of cardboard crack next to the register without the merchandising hoop-jumping of the big chains? I would even rethink my position on indie bookstores if someone would do this for me.

(The photo is totally irrelevant, other than the fact that I bought this Pac-Man at Tokyo Toy on the same trip.)

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

As I’ve gotten a little older and my tastes have matured, I’ve become a bit of an amateur foodie- more of the cooking sort than the restaurant sort, though I do a fair bit of that as well (and regularly turn to Jason’s blog for guidance).

But if you’re going to cook a nice meal, you ought to be able to pick a nice wine to go with it. Unlike Tom, who grew up near UC Davis, where they actually have a winemaking degree program, I knew nothing about wine until recently. Never had to learn, seeing as how I grew up in Pittsburgh, where the major fermentation projects are things like Iron City and Penn Pilsner. (Here’s a hint, kids: Pittsburghers know how bad Iron City is. We call it “Ahrn Shitty” and laugh when you hipsters drink it at the Brickskellar.)

Longtime readers will know that I took Kevin Zraly’s One Hour Wine Expert class a while back, which helped, but there’s still a lot for me to learn.

So I joined the Washington Wine Academy’s mailing list to hear about upcoming tastings and whatnot.

But I have a problem. My budget doesn’t allow me to just drop $50 on a few half-glasses of wine and some bits of cheese just anytime I feel like it. So I’ve been biding my time, waiting for a more budget-friendly event to come along.

And I’ve found one. On Tuesday, June 21, WWA will be hosting an after-work event at the new Caribbean Breeze in Ballston. There will be 10 Chilean and Argentinian wines to try, as well as some appetizer-y things from the restaurant, so I get to try a new restaurant AND some new wine. Mmmm. And it’s only $24, which is about what I’d spend on trying a new restaurant anyway.

Who wants to come with me?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs