Strange Place for Inspiration

So it's mid January, a full month into winter. Yet in Fire Works, the fire's always burning, July or January we keep it hot! I was looking for inspiration on the interweb this afternoon and was reading reviews of new restaurants in New York, L.A., San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. There are A LOT of new restaurants opening all over the place! I didn't realize that there are even multi-national firms who focus their investments solely in lower employment markets such as Oakland where they heavily (in the millions) fund start up restaurant groups. There's your TARP tax funds at work! But I digress. I read an amazing recipe for a salad using caramelized leeks, ricotta salata, and chick peas and thought to myself, tweak this a bit and it could be an awesome pizza. Soooooooo, next Monday and Tuesday we are going to test out a new special called "Sprung a Leek" using caramelized leeks, ricotta salata (no house blend) sun dried tomato pesto, lamb sausage and lemon peppercorn oil tossed baby arugala after the pizza comes out of the oven. This should be a pizza that even your new year's resolutions will praise you for.

Heavy Seas Warning

Kids, it got real yesterday. Real what? you may ask. Let's just say, it got real. Fire Works in Leesburg (4 revelers) and Magnolia's at the Mill (4 revelers) raided an RV and went to Heavy Seas Brewing Company in Baltimore. Our friends at our sister restaurant, Fire Works Arlington, well, they didn't make it.......sick I hear. We filled our own firkins of Loose Cannon IPA and dry hopped them uniquely for each restaurant. Magnolia's used a mother load of Zeus hops in theirs, naming it the "Zeus Cannon". Well played by Shana, Eric, and Stuart. Our own firkin for Fire Works Leesburg takes a more seasonally influenced turn using Cascade and Chinook whole flower hops along with toasted oak, cinnamon, cardamom, shaved orange peel, and grains of paradise aptly named "3 on 1". Lastly, and a secret blend it is, Jesse, Jeff, and Carlos put together something special for the fun folks in Arlington. Left with no better ideas, it was named "No Show". One things for certain, this beer won't be a no show for hoppy beer lovers. Make sure to check out our facebook page to see when these one of a kind firkins will roll out in our restaurants!

check the pic here for the crew!
the fearsome foursome fills a firkin

face first

I sit here with illustrious beer guru Jesse Prevatte as he sips today's featured cask from Lost Rhino Brewery. Lost Rhino is a local love, much like us I hear. The fellas have been in the area a long time creating tasty brews but this cask is fun. This particular cask is smooth, session able, and hoppy. We're not talking Hop Slam hoppy but think of it as a softer version of Bell's Two Hearted. Now, I realize for the uninitiated, I'm speaking some strange beer greek language…..and well that's because I'm that guy at the end of the bar who can spew senseless knowledge about everything in the fridge….and I know half of what Jesse does. Bottom line, cask beer ferments in the cask, not a GIANT tank so your experience varies cask to cask. This beer DOESN’T taste like the bottles you buy in the store NOR does it taste like the beer you buy on draft normally. That's what makes it awesomer….yep made up that word. Like gossamer only not fairy like….awesomer. We have this cask for as long as it lasts, then it's gone, forever. Fleeting uniqueness in your glass. Until next time friends!