Courtesy of Dry Creek Vineyards.

Dry Creek Vineyards is what I call a “desert island winery,” though not because the sailboats that festoon their labels make me think of the tropics. If I were stranded on a desert isle and had to survive on the products of a single winery, I would want one that produces a wide variety of wines at consistently high quality and good value. Dry Creek easily makes the grade.
            
Those sailboats reflect a passion of David Stare, who founded the winery in 1972. Now under the direction of his daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, and her husband, Don Wallace, the winery remains family-owned and -operated, despite being relatively large for Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley.
            
From a lineup that includes a delightful chenin blanc, three delicious sauvignon blancs (which they label as fumé blanc, an alias for the grape popularized by Robert Mondavi in the 1960s), and several zinfandels and Bordeaux-varietal reds, it can be difficult to pick a favorite. But I flipped recently for three reds from the 2004 vintage: The Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($22) is gorgeous, spiced with clove and white pepper and lush with sweet ripe black currant, plum, and cherry. The Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel ($25) sets the standard for Sonoma County zin, while the Somers Ranch ($30), a single-vineyard zinfandel, is rich and velvety with raspberry and cherry fruit, with nuances of smoke and cedar.
            
Normally, I wouldn’t think of zinfandel as a wine to drink on a desert island, but Dry Creek Vineyards has one other point to praise about their reds—they’ve kept the alcohol in check. The cabernet and the Old Vine zin top out at 13.5 percent, while the Somers Ranch keeps its balance at 14.5 percent alcohol—still tame compared to some zinfandels these days.
            

Dry Creek Vineyard wines are sold in DC at Bell Liquor & Wine Shoppe (1821 M St., NW; 202-223-4727), Cleveland Park Liquors (3423 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-363-4265), and Schneider’s of Capitol Hill (300 Massachusetts Ave., NE; 202-543-9300).

In Virginia, they’re available at Arrowine (4508 Lee Hwy., Arlington; 703-525-0990), Rick’s Wine & Gourmet (3117 Duke St., Alexandria; 703-823-4600), and the Curious Grape (4056 S. 28th St., Arlington; 703-671-8700).

Courtesy of Vosgeschocolate.com.

Last week, a reader wrote into Kliman Online introducing us to the Vosges brand Mo’s Bacon Bar. Vosges, the Tiffany of chocolate companies, according to Kliman, created this high-quality milk-chocolate bar with applewood-smoked bacon bits, and already the company’s online store is sold out. But bacon and chocolate? We were skeptical, too.

Remember how good Aunt Jemima-drenched bacon is? Vosges owner and chocolatier Katrina Markoff does. She had a eureka moment when her chocolate-chip pancakes and bacon mixed. (Fair enough.) We got our hands on her curious chocolate bar and asked eight Washingtonian staff members to give it a try. Squeals were heard inside the room: “Chocolate with bacon!?” Only three of the fearless participants actually finished the bite-size portion. Even self-proclaimed bacon lovers had trouble keeping it down.

Similar to a Nestle Crunch bar, the texture is crispy. At first, the alderwood- smoked salt hits you, activating a gag reflex. Chocolate should not taste this salty. But if you think past the initial taste and smell and don’t compare it with bacon-flavored dog treats, it makes more sense a few bites later. Associate food and wine editor Ann Limpert stayed focused and eventually was a fan: “Got any more?” She looked a bit ravenous. As she pointed out, the salty-sweet duo is nice, and the high-quality chocolate is delicious. But for the average person, there’s the whole bacon thing—and mentally, that’s hard to swallow.

Mo's Bacon Bar, $7, is available at the Curious Grape (4056 S. 28th St., Arlington; 703-671-8700); Artfully Chocolate (116 E. Del Ray Ave., Alexandria; 703-635-7917); Balducci's (10323 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda; 301-564-3100); Biagio Fine Chocolate (1904 18th St., NW; 202-328-1506); and Georgetown Wine & Spirits (2701 P St., NW; 202-338-5500). 

Though most regulars have their designated spots in the main dining room, these new tables are being billed as "power booths."

DC nearly shuts down during the dog days of August, and this year 19th Street power-lunch spot the Palm took advantage of the late-summer lull to close for renovations. Last week, the restaurant reopened with a new glass-enclosed veranda, a bigger bar area, and several freshly cartooned faces smiling down from the walls, already plastered with the visages of regulars and local power players.

The Palm, which opened in Washington in 1972, has always stuck to a menu of American steakhouse classics (porterhouses, creamed spinach, home fries) and gargantuan slabs of chocolate cake and Key-lime pie. None of that has changed, but the national chain has added five lunch entrée salads, ranging from fresh fruit with yogurt to lobster tempura with raspberries and cherry tomatoes. Those might sound as if they’re for delicate appetites, but in typical Palm fashion, the portions are huge.

In “Pizza Wars,” food and wine editor Todd Kliman looks at 14 boutique pizzerias all over the Washington area. While some Web discussions have mentioned this pizza trend, Kliman spent months dissecting Washington’s new, blossoming pie culture. The competition has become so intense that DC’s Comet Ping Pong built a wood-burning oven on-site, with layers of insulated concrete and Italian volcanic ash.

In the companion article “Anatomy of a Pizza,” Mia’s Pizzas chef/owner Melissa Ballinger reveals her crust-making secrets. (Pssst­—she drizzles olive oil over her pies.)

In “A Vine Grows in the East,” wine columnist Dave McIntyre claims that East Coast varietals are moving up in the ranks—and among the world’s elite.

In “Strip Mall Surprise,” Kliman looks past the Mattress Discounters next door and sees Cynthia’s restaurant for what it is: a flat-out gem. Though self-proclaimed foodies haven’t heard of this Severna Park newcomer, they’ll swoon over creative, ambitious dishes (such as seared foie gras atop a caramelized peach). Also, writer Cynthia Hacinli visits the second incarnation of Rock Creek in Mazza Gallerie, where every one of the haute-healthy entrées comes in at under 500 calories.

Our new feature, “Dining on a Shoestring”—the last of the three Dining Out reviews—finds good eats on the cheap. This month’s it’s the stylish wi-fi cafe Buzz; Ann Limpert weighs in on its dressed-up cupcakes (five varieties a day) and more.

Notice all the $7 French-fry servings at high-end restaurants? Our fingers got greasy for “Fry, Fry Again,” a rundown of fries at Central, Blue Duck Tavern, Brasserie Beck, Café du Parc, Palena Cafe, and Poste. Plus, in a Web-exclusive feature, Brasserie Beck chef and owner Robert Wiedmaier shows us his two-day French-frying process.

Photographs by Erin Zimmer.

In the just-released October issue of The Washingtonian, we’ve dissected Washington’s budding obsession with fancy French fries. At downtown DC’s Brasserie Beck, the fry-making process is labor-intensive. Before diners dunk those $7 orders of fries into chef Robert Wiedmaier’s house-made mayonnaises, the spuds have been washed, peeled, sliced, soaked and refrigerated overnight, dried, blanched, and finally fried. On average, Beck goes through 1,000 pounds of fries per week.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look.

At one time, the corner of First and R streets, Northwest, was one the most dangerous spots in the city. Now it’s got a buzzing coffee shop (Big Bear Cafe) and a Sunday farmers market, and after much fundraising, it hosted its first annual “Haitian Invasion” pig roast earlier this month—something the community hopes will become an annual tradition. Neighbors gathered for 150 pounds of free-range piggy from Maryland-based Truck Patch Farm, one of the regular vendors at the Bloomingdale farmers market. The meat was sandwiched between fluffy ciabatta rolls from Breadline, another weekend vendor. As neighbors munched, a 50-piece classical Haitian chorus from Port Au Prince performed.

Bloomingdale community leaders John Salatti, Ted McGinn, and Stu Davenport spent months generating buzz for the pig roast among neighbors. The three helped raise $1,200 for the roast which was free to visitors.

McGinn, formerly head chef at Kelly’s Irish Times, assumed the roll of Official Pig Roaster—he even studied ancient Native American meat-smoking practices. Along with neighbors (and fancy power tools), McGinn built an open pit with found cinder blocks and metal scraps. He spent much of his time during the event spraying down the oinker with apple-cider vinegar and sprinkling it with allspice from Takoma Park’s Caribbean Market, his “one-stop shop for all things island.”

Step out in style and wear this season’s hottest hue—on your feet. In the 1950s, Lucille Ball made grape-stomping fun and fashionable on I Love Lucy, and this fall you too can get in on the pastime.

A few area vineyards and wineries are hosting fall festivals in which grape stomping plays a big part. On September 22 and 23 Tarara Winery in Leesburg hosts the 13th annual Great Grape Wine Festival, a popular, family-friendly event complete with apple picking, hayrides, children’s activities, and yes, grape-stomping competitions.