Metromix Staff Blog

Holiday Cocktails with Voli Low-Calorie Vodka

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:57:14 GMT

We watch what we eat and try to get to the gym as much possible, but how many of us worry about counting calories when we're out at bar or club? Maybe we should.

It's kind of eye opening. The average martini has well over 400 calories. Margaritas close to 500. Even a simple vodka-Red Bull or vodka-Sprite is pushing 200. (And God forbid you get something like a White Russian or Long Island Iced Tea...) Multiply that by three or four over the course of a night (or more depending on how you party) and you've easily undone those 45 minutes on the treadmill.

Enter Voli Light Vodka, the first and only line of low-calorie vodkas, now available in the D.C. area. Each serving of Voli includes no more than 81 calories—40% less than normal vodka!

Created from superior French wheat and natural spring water, you can get Voli in five flavors including Lemon, Raspberry Cocoa, Espresso Vanilla, Orange Vanilla and Pear Vanilla, as well as the original Lyte. The company spent two years developing the product, working with expert mixologists, vodka connoisseurs and premier spirits producers. Each vodka is five times distilled, four times filtered, and enhanced with electrolytes to maintain hydration and help skip that pesky hangover.

We gave the Metromix staff a fun homework assignment: Make your own Voli vodka drink and test out one of their suggested recipes. Overall, unlike most diet beverages, we couldn't notice taste any difference between Voli and other normal vodkas. The strong fruit flavors also eliminated the need for high-calorie mixers, saving us an ingredient or two.

But don't take our word for it. Click here to see what we made and learn how to make a signature cocktail perfect for warming you up during the holidays!

Recipes include:

Raspberry Hot Cocoa
My Darling Clementine
Sympathy for the Devil
Sexy Splash
Winter Wonderland
Skinny Berry
Blushing Berry

You can find Voli Light Vodkas at stores across the D.C. metro area. Visit VoliSpirits.com for a full list of stores.

Serendipity3 sells first $1000 Golden Opulence Sundae

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:04:27 GMT

Georgetown's Serendipity3 sold their first $1000 Golden Opulence Sundae on Saturday November 19th. The lucky recipient? A boy celebrating his 12th birthday. The Golden Opulence was presented to the child during his birthday party with his parents and nine other friends. (Interestingly enough, the boy’s mother also celebrated her 12th birthday at Serendipity3 in New York.)

The Golden Opulence Sundae is served in a Baccarat Harcourt Crystal goblet (which the recipient gets to take home). The luxurious and unique desert is made with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla that is covered in 23-carat edible gold leaf. The sundae then has the most expensive chocolate in the world (Amedei Porceleana) drizzled over it and is covered with chunks of Chuao chocolate. It is topped with a small glass bowl of golden colored caviar and sweetened and infused with fresh orange, passion fruit and Armagnac. Other elements of the sundae include truffles, gold dipped French dragées, and marzipan fruits.

Priced at $1,000, the Golden Opulence Sundae is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive sundae. The famous dessert was created in 2004 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the New York landmark location of Serendipity3.

Serendipity3 opened their D.C. location in May 2011 in Georgetown.

Click here for more pictures of the $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae!

Flower Arranging Crash Course with H. Bloom

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:42:51 GMT

By Ashley Thron

I am not the craftiest person in the world – far from it, actually. But upon hearing that the master designers behind H. Bloom’s luxurious flower delivery service (think Netflix for bouquets) were holding a flower arranging seminar in Room & Board’s D.C. showroom, I jumped at the opportunity to see what it takes to create the perfect holiday centerpiece. How hard could it be? Here’s my step-by-step account:

- Grab a cocktail (my personal experience dictates that a St. Germain cocktail really gets the creative juices flowing).

- Select a vase, fill it with water (and line the inside of the vase with grasses or leaves, if you care to be really fancy). Set it aside.

-Select some assorted focal flowers and other complimentary blooms and greens (or have some experts pre-select them and hand them to you).

-You’re going for naked stems, so strip all superfluous leaves/thorns off until you have only the buds that you wish to showcase.

-Pick the bloom that you’d like to be at the center of your bouquet and hold it in the pocket between your thumb and forefinger.

-Add a second flower behind your first bloom and twist them both – adding new flowers to the bunch one by one in a circular pattern until you have a dome-shaped masterpiece.

-It will look awful. Tweak it until it’s attractive.

-Grab some twine to secure the stems together to maintain the structure of your arrangement.

-Snip the ends to your desired length and set them in your vase. Ta da!

-Suggest to your boyfriend that the brilliant minds at H. Bloom create breathtaking arrangements without all the mess, and a weekly subscription is at the top of your holiday wish list this year.

A huge thanks to our lovely hosts at Room & Board, for letting me create a monstrous mess of rogue foliage in their otherwise pristine 14th Street location, to St. Germain for the sweet inspiration I needed to do so, and to H. Bloom for bringing their subscription-based service to DC - that I might always be able to stop and smell the roses…even when I don’t have the time/skill necessary to arrange them myself.

Check out the photo gallery to see my two arrangements. If you can do better (you can), I’d love to see it – email me pics to athron@wusa9.com.

Gaylord National announces new RiverView Terrace

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:50:54 GMT

Anybody who's seen the sun set at National Harbor's Gaylord National Resort can attest to the amazing scenic overlook of the Potomac that's become the area's trademark. And that view is only about to get better!

The Gaylord officially announced last week its new RiverView Terrace, an outdoor waterfront venue set to open in Spring 2012. As planned, there's no real space like this in the D.C. area, offering unheard of views and spacious accomodations available to reserve for special occasions. Metromix was invited to check out RiverView first hand and, with the help of some perfect weather, got to see the full potential such an outdoor venue can bring to Washington.

Situated facing west along the Potomac, RiverView Terrace will offer a dramatic setting with impressive nightly sunsets amidst the National Harbor Marina and sweeping views of Old Town Alexandria and the Washington monuments in the distance. The 15,000 square-foot space, which takes the place of the former Colonial Gardens, will accommodate up to 700 guests for a seated dinner or 1,200 guests for a reception. Dining options come from the Gaylord's award-winning banquet team, the same minds behind the resort's popular eateries like Old Hickory Steakhouse, Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine and Pienza Italian Market.

The versatile open-air space will accommodate a variety of functions and special occasions, from galas to receptions and weddings. Event planners can choose to customize their event by adding upgrades such as full or partial tenting to create ambiance or cover from rain, portable outdoor heaters and fire pits for warmth during the cooler months, twinkle lights that adorn the surrounding landscape and illuminate the terrace after dusk, and Gaylord National’s signature “Kiss Goodnight” – a private fireworks show over the Potomac River.

A waterfront wedding and reception with fireworks to end the night? That sound you hear is the collective swooning of brides-to-be everywhere.

RiverView Terrace is scheduled to open in April 2012, and will remain open to accommodate private events on a seasonal calendar through October 2012. (Weddings have already been reserved, so act fast!) Event pricing will start at $150 per person. For more information, visit www.GaylordNational.com/RiverViewTerrace.

To see more of the Gaylord National Resort (and maybe sneak a peek at what's being done with the RiverView Terrace), be sure to check out:

Christmas on the Potomac

ICE! at Gaylord National

Big Night D.C. New Year's Eve

Mike Isabella to open new Mexican restaurant

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:11:56 GMT

Less than six months since opening his hit Chinatown eatery Graffiato, Mike Isabella announced plans to open his second restaurant in Washington, D.C., in early 2012. Bandolero will open as a modern Mexican small-plates concept in the former Hook restaurant space in Georgetown (3241 M St. NW), which has been closed since January due to a fire. The Bandolero space is owned by Jonathan Umble, restaurateur and proprietor of Hook and Tackle Box.

“My vision for Bandolero is a high-energy, high-volume restaurant to match the bustling vibe of the Georgetown neighborhood and feed the late-night appetite of its college students. The menu will change frequently with my twist on classic Mexican dishes and a large cocktail menu,” said Chef/Partner Mike Isabella. “Jose Garces has been one of the most influential chefs of my career. With Bandolero I’ll draw from my early culinary experience with him learning to create modern Latin American dishes.” (Food Network fans will recognize Garces as Iron Chef Garces.)

Much like Graffiato, the Bandolero menu will feature sections of small plates including salsas, guacamoles, ceviches, tacos, vegetables and more. Large-format “carbons,” Chef Isabella’s take on fajitas, will be available for the table. Untraditional fillings such as duck, goat and off-cuts of meat as well as surprising flavor combinations will keep the menu interesting and anything but traditional Mexican cuisine. The 5,000-square-foot space will be open for lunch and dinner seven day a week. After the kitchen closes, tacos and guacamole will be available through last call.

Chef Isabella will draw from the Graffiato talent pool to open Bandolero. Plans include moving James Horn, Graffiato General Manager, and mixologist Sam Babcock to the Georgetown restaurant.

The Bandolero beverage list will feature at least two dozen cocktails, including a section for margaritas and modern cocktails made with tequila or mezcal. While the wine list will be significantly smaller than Graffiato’s 60-plus bottles, Prosecco on tap will flow at Bandolero as well.

Click here for our interview with Chef Isabella about the opening of Graffiato.

Click here for photos from Graffiato's "Oven Warming" party.