The Lorien Alexandria During No Fly July
July 12, 2017
Though NPS does not fly in July or December, there is still stuff to be done. The solution? A working meeting at the Lorien in Old Town Alexandria. We’ve been to the Lorien a couple of times since Steph Vogel took over as GM. Sadly, Steph is in Switzerland this week. We’ll pretend that the ship runs just as well without Steph at the helm (though it’s really not true).
The Spartan balcony off 619
This visit finds us in 619, which is similar to 615 only slightly smaller and on the other side of the building. There is a very large balcony on this side too. Because it’s 100 degrees this week (with an overnight low in the upper ’70s), the balcony will be ignored due to weather. Strikes us that a remake of these balconies as a garden would make them both more inviting.
Look to the left
Look to the right
Our meeting room was cavernous and highly functional. We spent all day working.
A cocktail was in order after all that work. The bar is still very good, though barman and detail freak Phil Clark is no longer around. Phil has moved to Phoenix. You can tell. Damien is doing his damndest to keep things up.
Whey Sour
.75 cachaça (novo fogo)
.75 rye (copper fox)
1.5 whey
.75 honey
1 lemon
pinch of salt
Shake. Serve up.
Snacks at the bar took forever to arrive. That ended up making them free. Timely is better than free.
Dinner at The Warehouse was a massive disappointment. The crayfish were good. Or was that the crawdads? The wine list?
Unusable. Skip it. In other news from the evening, the bar at Restaurant Eve still holds its own, but Jackson 20 has slipped to skip it level as well. So sad that the old Alexandria Monaco is now a Marriott property.
On return from dinner around 11, we were greeted with a nice amenity. Thanks Stephani. The ice cold San Pelegrino is particularly welcome.
Sitting room 619
Sleeping room 619
The huge glass shower will do just fine.
Shower? Perfect.
Once the work was done, there were museums to see. First stop was the National Building Museum to see Hive. Well worth the visit.
Home of hive. At least for a while.
That was followed by another great lunch at Bistrot du Coin.
And a visit to the Phillips Collection. The old building is under renovation, so only half of the paintings as usual were out. But still fantastic. An NPS introduction to the stunning art of German artist Markus Lüpertz.
German artist Markus Lüpertz
The suit
Detail from Spoon
German artist Markus Lüpertz
A fantastic day. Followed almost immediately on its heels by a fantastic evening.
Roses Luxury is just as stellar as its incredible reputation. Just go. We showed up at 5:10pm and walked right in for a 180 minute dinner extravaganza.
Those poor “other people” had to wait in line
Caviar service
Yes, we took pictures of our food. We also had extensive conversations about it.
The best dish of the evening was a soft shelled crab served with Singapore-style chilli sauce (on the sweet side) over steamed buns with pickles. Delicious.
So really. Go to Roses Luxury as soon as you can.
Then there was the Columbia Room in the back booth (our usual NPS haunt), this time with the geek patrol. Excellent as usual, this time less for the drinks presentation than the company.
Columbia Room
Ice
Seaweed?!
Rum from 1857 always seems like a good idea after the tasting menu is complete.
The moral of the story is: get your work done quickly so you can spend some time being spoiled in DC!
Five showerheads and a real wish that Steph were around. We miss you Steph.
Artmore Hotel Atlanta: Slightly Worn Shabby Chic
May 23, 2017
The Artmore is generally speaking right down the middle of the Bell curve of what NPS looks for in a hotel. Small. Boutique. Independent. Slightly hip. Art The property is nicely manicured and if it were not raining, I’m sure the courtyard would rock and roll.
NPS was assigned 225.
225 has a bar, which is cool, but it is completely barren which is lame
Imagine being able to mix a real cocktail for yourself. What is required? A real booze selection. Oh well. Why is this bar here?
Comfy bed in 225
The bathroom is slightly too large with a shower designed for giants. There is a bench, but the water does not reach the bench. Close but no cigar design-wise.
BIG shower
Other design elements like this crazy sink are quirky and interesting.
This will do
But in final analysis, what we have is a hamster cage bed-dominated room with a noisy A/C unit and a little desk.
Desk
Net? Good. Water? Costs money. Note? None.
Shabby? Way too much. Rooms need attention.
A drink at Grain was the great way to wind down from a good day at work. Grain would be much cooler if they would turn down their music. But they did have the real 2016 Stagg.
Chicken at Gus’s was delicious but did not really mix well with cocktails! LOL.
Four showerheads for the Artmore in Atlanta. Time for some care here at this property.
#rockthecasBAR
May 11, 2017
When iteration one’s hashtag is #londonculling where do you go from there? Obviously #rockthecasBAR!
This time we fueled up before our London cocktail adventure. And we even paid.
Then it was off through the crowded streets of London to Dukes Hotel. If you are in the mood for a Bond-inspired super high octane cocktail on the martini spectrum, Dukes is the place. We were explicitly warned to have ONE (in all caps even) by a professional! Thanks for the warning Jacques, you were right.
We walked the few blocks up to the Ritz for round two. We were almost let into the casino to do some gambling (which was not the plan). A corrected trajectory put us through the front door to Rivoli. It was Negroni time.
The beautiful clear ice was branded in the Savoy style. Everyone is copying everyone else in London.
Time for a cab to Clerkenwell, hailed by a snarky doorman. Back to…wait for it…the Zetter Townhouse to see the dead cat. This is our regular London haunt and we were immediately recognized at the door.
Here kitty kitty
Sticking with the gin, we decided on a Zetter Gimlet made with some infusion or other (I believe a kind of tea). It was delicious. The cat joined in.
While waiting for companion three to arrive from across London at rush hour we started feeling parched, so we ordered a round of 20th Century, some pistachios, and some jerky sausage.
Twentieth Century
10 ml lemon juice
10 ml creme de cacao
20 ml cocci americano
40 ml dry gin (jensens)
stir. strain. express lemon peel. small lemon garnish.
The kitty will have another
Ramen is always helpful the day after too many cocktails, but we were just getting started. Prophylactic ramen is now a thing. Monohon ramen is just as great as we thought it would be. Super authentic and delicious.
As NPS is writing this and feeling rather surprisingly good in the morning, I suppose that the prophylactic ramen did its job. Unfiltered sake was not really what the doctor ordered, but we had it anyway.
Warning: This is not a cocktail
A short walk to Callooh-Callay was when our kung fu set in. We walked right past the waiting people, made a joke with the doorman about being tweeners, and immediately sat down at the crowded bar. We were served by either Carrie or Mary. Callooh-Callay is a raucous place where quiet conversation is not in the cards.
Either Carrie of Mary suggested a Hanky Panky. We’re always up for that.
Feeling like talking to each other again, we cabbed it over to the Savoy to visit the Beaufort. We are sad that the Beaufort has changed its menu. They now feature some kind of cartoon menu that seems very Disney. NPS does not approve.
We ordered a Silver Bullet and a Never Ending Story (or two) even though the waiter tried not to let us.
By this time our phone use capabilities were waning and hashtags were slipping into gobbleddygook. We cabbed back to home base at Mondrian Sea Containers, missing a train in the meantime.
Dandelyon was packed of course, so we used our magic to waltz right in and rearrange the furniture. Alex was behind the bar and one year older. Complimentary bubbly arrived which put us in the mood for a French 75.
This somehow made Fernet happen and then it was off to bed. Meanwhile, the guest experience fairies delivered a bottle of champagne while were were out and left it with a personal note. Nice touch!
#londonculling, #rockthecasBAR, what’s next??
Blue is the new Red at the Zetter in London
May 3, 2017
It may be a gray day in London, but it’s blue in room 503 at the Zetter hotel.
And that’s a good thing, because blue is the new red. Loyal readers may recall room 503 used to be red. A complete makeover has occurred making the room cozier and even more modern seeming.
But what’s best is that room 503 was waiting for us when we arrived at 10:15 in the morning after a flight across the pond (about more which see this Delta Does Business posting). So nice to be recognized and taken care of properly. Wonder why the Zetter is better? Well, that’s one reason. Thanks Fabian.
Blue 503 skylight highlight
The Zetter room 503 comfy bed
Zetter sitting now featuring carpet and a modern bar
About the only thing that has not changed is the bathroom which remains nice but small and does feature a tub/shower combo thingy. Tell no one.
The shower is nothing to write home (or blog) about, but it sure feels good after a long flight
The best feature of room 503 is the bank of windows overlooking London. You can see both the gerkin and the shard from bed.
Looking out
Looking in
503 features a fantastic balcony
So all is well at the Zetter. Now we must now manage to stay up all day somehow. Sleep is for the weak.
Stay awake by walking around London in a daze
Lunch at St John is an excellent option.
Real bread at St John
The Tate
As always the Tate is a great place to while away some time. This trip, NPS discovered an entirely new wing?!
Tate Modern
First Iris in London
A sushi dinner at Sosharu was passable. Sosharu is trying to make sushi appealing too close to a train station. Skip it.
Fortunately, a cocktail or two at the Zetter Townhouse was in order. Funny how every time NPS shows up here we have to teach them to make a Liberal all over again. At least they still have the Amer Picon on hand. Back bar fernet with Guy was something that happened.
Amer Picon in the Zetter Townhouse
Also of note during our Zetter time in London:
Dinner at Texture (not as impressive as it should have been).
Brunch at Chiltern Firehouse
A fire at the Chiltern Firehouse in May
A visit to the Artesian bar at the Langham (after tea was ditched in favor of cocktails).
Artesian
Cocktail whose name escapes us
The British Museum
Cocktails at the Aemrican Bar in the Savoy.
The American Bar (wingspan)
A Spinning Jenny is presented on its own little pedestal. Spinning Jenny
45 ml bombay sapphire
15 ml cocchi americano
10 ml pear eau de vie (williams)
15 ml Yerba Mate
15 ml grenadine
soda
Stir. Fizz. Collins rocks. Pedestal.
A new blue five showerheads for the Zetter.
Return to Philadelphia Palomar
April 7, 2017
NPS has not been to the Palomar in Philadelphia for a while—six years! So why not. (Just between us, the Philly Monaco takes the win when it comes to Philly. More about why below.)
What’s happened in the last six years at the Philly Palomar is some renovation and some aging, both seemingly in equal parts.
Thanks to Abby Raymond’s magic, we find ourselves in room 2102 which is an exec suite of sorts (but on the small side and with a noted lack of design pop). The bathroom is great, however the rest of the room needs some work.
Did we mention the bathroom? Its great.
Lets start with that.
Yes please. A HUGE bathtub IN the shower. This one is a Kimpton record.
The view from the shower/tub combo package is nice. And you can leave the shades up if you feel like flashing the world while scrubbing your hair.
The hot tub IN the shower.
View from the shower (not the one through the huge window).
Obviously, NPS approves of the shower situation in 2102.
But then there is this view from the door.
Hamster’s view into the room. Nope.
You can see the dated couch thing in the background. Design. Design. Design.
The ’80s called and they want their TV pod thing back.
So the TV pod? Probably used to be nice in some previous decade. We no longer worship the TV. Stop it.
Water damage obvious. Time to haul this thing to the dump.
The rest of the room is small and very gray.
Nice bed. That goes without saying.
Anyway, the shower is nice.
Philly is nice too. After scarfing down a cheesesteak at Jimmy G’s it was off to Friday Saturday Sunday for some world class cocktails. Philly’s outstanding cocktail kung fu persists to this day. Make a point of visiting Friday Saturday Sunday. NPS liked it so much we went two days in a row. Thanks to Alec and Sasha for making Wednesday fun and Paul for the icing on the Thursday cake.
The Cloudbreak is a fantastic cocktail invented by Paul MacDonald who runs the bar program at Friday Saturday Sunday.
1 oz bonal
0.75 oz bols genever
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz simple syrup
0.75 oz heavy cream
egg white
dry shake. ice. shake. serve up. grapefruit peel + cinnamon
And glass shape does matter. Make sure the foam has a delivery mechanism with each sip.
On our Thursday return, we tried a brand new experimental cocktail by Paul that remains As Yet Unnamed
1 oz mezcal (del maguey vida)
1 oz lime jiuce
1 oz eden orleans herbal (a vermont aperitif cider)
1 oz buddha’s hand, juniper steeped syrup (no heat but 1:1)
Delicious. Paul is a master.
In other Philly news, skip Rouge. Too trendy and a lackluster wine list.
Maybe we just miss Tom Stoppard (it was great to meet Abby though). Four showerheads for the Palomar in Philly.
Vitae Spirits in Charlottesville, VA
March 24, 2017
A quick stop in at Vitae Spirits was a great end to a day of intellectual pursuit at UVa. Vitae is a new distillery, but their outstanding product belies their young age.
Tasting three products: two rums and a gin
Hard to describe how good the rum is (with no aging at all), especially the oustanding Golden Rum product. Proprietor and founder Ian Glomski is a microbiologist by training and his scientific background really shines through. (Kind of reminds me of Becky Harris from Catoctin Creek since she was a chemist before turning to distilling.)
The remarkable Golden Rum is distilled with grilled sugar cane and molasses. Charcoaled american oak chips give it some interesting characteristics (and its color). Post production sugaring with molassas (fairly standard with many rums) happens when the spirit is brought down to 80 proof from its run up over 150.
The Platinum Rum is also very very good. Some readers may recall from WAY back that the first spirit NPS had under its belt was rum. This one stands up to the range.
The Modern Gin? We’ll just skip talking about that.
The Vitae still is also very interesting—a hybrid pot still/column still attached in-line.
The hybrid still
Though we have never seen a still quite like this before, NPS is told that many craft distillers use hybrids like this.
Pot
Column
The whole shebang
Of course yeast and mash make all the difference in the world. Here is where the microbes do their thing to make beer for the still. The beer only comes in around 4% when it is run. That is low by rum standards, but whatever Ian is doing is really working well.
We also tried some experimental Anisette which is still in experimentation stage. This product is very interesting. Ian is working out a post production infusion plan now (testing regular lemon versus meyers lemon). Thanks for the palate clearing yogurt from your personal stash Ian!
Strong design
The best way to finish a distillery visit is to run out and try the product in the wild. Toward that end, we made a quick visit to the Alley Light where we sampled a drink called Castro’s Ashes
1.5 oz Vitea Golden Rum
.75 oz Cynar
.75 oz sassafras vermouth (maybe ransom?)
4 drops BBQ bitters
stir down. Serve up in a coupe. Flame orange peel and balance on the edge.
Castro’s Ashes from Alley Light
NPS is bullish on Vitae Spirits. Check them out before they get big!
2017: First Blood to the Lorien Alexandria
January 12, 2017
If the Lorien sounds familiar to you, dear reader, that’s because we stayed here just a few short weeks ago in a last minute mad dash to the Kimpton inner circle finish line. We made it across by the skin of our teeth! But we also got a great meal in old town as a fabulous side effect. Read all about that here.
We’re back, this time in the city on a keynote talk gig. Of course the conference is being held at some awful Hilton or other where NPS would not be caught dead staying. So Kimpton it is!
This time we’re in room(s) 611 and 615. I am here first for an evening and then the rest of the posse comes later. Plenty of room in this set of rooms! And a balcony to boot, which on a 68 degree day in January is awesome.
The balcony would be a great place for breakfast!
Sadly, the weather promises to turn to snow by Saturday morning. We might even get stuck here in the mosquito!
Looking in, French doors.
Living room
Living room
The bedroom is tucked away in the corner, but is very nice with doors that open to the outside. It is basically the penthouse corner of the 6th floor.
Bedroom 611
With all of the adjoining rooms, we need a huge shower to fit everyone. Fortunately, that’s all set.
A glass shower big enough for everyone!
The shower barely fits in the mirror.
After settling in, it was time for a drink in the great cocktail bar downstairs with Steph Vogel. NPS recommends highly the practice of having a drink with the big boss. Inner circle karma all around as barman Phil Clark and chef Wiedmaier made cocktail hour special.
The Apples to Apples
1.5 oz appleton VX rum
1 oz laird’s apple brandy
.5 oz cynar
.5 oz demerara syrup
4 dashes bittermen’s tiki bitters
Shake. Serve on large rocks in a whiskey glass.
After driving off for dinner with an actual sibling, we returned for a midnight snack. The charcuterie plate was remarkable.
Wine, notes, meat, cheese, dessert, sparking water? What more is there in an amenity. Thanks you guys.
Those black sesame things, just wow.
Out of this world charcuterie
Five showerheads for the Lorien. Can’t wait to see the style evolve at this hotel. We’ll be back as often as we can.
