The Best Margarita Ever from Rio Grande Restaurant

Contributor: Julie

Find: The margarita that you will judge all margaritas on for the rest of your margarita drinking life. No sweet and sour in these beautys, but quite frankly, no one knows what is in these as the proprietors if the Rio Grand restaurants (Colorado based) isn't about to share it with anyone. And, believe me, we have tried for years to get the recipe.

The folks at Rio will count your margaritas for you, and you will not get more than three. Believe me, you won' want more than three. As a matter of fact, after three, you will have all of the problems of the world solved.

Added Bonus: You will get little, or no hangover from Rio margaritas, but don't dont have three if you are heading up!

Chicken Chile Verde from Trader Joes

Contributor: Julie

Find: While I am on my Trader Joes roll, I have to tell you about my next big find. I sat down this morning (I know, Chile in the morning?) to a big bowl of Chicken Chile Verde. Man, oh man, you would have thought I was in the middle of Santa Fe. If you like authentic southwestern food, this is an easy ticket. Freezer to bowl in three minutes. I had mine over eggs.

Added Bonus: Low calories and reasonable carbs.

Distirbution: Trader Joes. My apologies to my friends and family that do not live amongst these food palaces.

Thai Style Lime Pilaf from Trader Joes

Contributor: Julie

Find: First of all, can someone give the boys at Trader Joes the Nobel Peace Prize? Where do they find all of this great stuff? Never, ever did I think I would write about rice, but after my trip to the local TJ's today, and then consuming half of the bag over dinner with my man, I have to tell you, this stuff is not only good, but makes me look like Chef Ming Tsai. All of this in two minutes as promised on the label!

Added Bonus: No dirty dishes required. Out of the bag, on to the plate. Gotta love that.

Distribution: Your favorite Trader Joes location. Go ahead, get a balloon even if you don't have kids.

The "Hero" at Crozet Pizza

Contributor: Mike

Find: Nestled in the Virginia foothills of the Blue Ridge between Charlottesville and Afton Mountain is the village of Crozet (crow-ZAY), home of Crozet Pizza. For 31 years, this small family-run pizza parlor has been serving up primo pies to all strata of life, including students from nearby UVA, old-moneyed gentry from mountaintop estates and (it is said) the occasional celeb (Sissy Spacek, Robert Duvall and Dave Matthews maintain Albemarle County spreads). The menu is simple: pizza (choose from 34 toppings), salad and drinks--period. Among the house specialties is the "Hero" which sublimely counterbalances the heat of cherry peppers with sweet Italian sausage. The surroundings are even simpler: weathered wooden tables within a one-story red frame storefront that would be easily missed save the large white letters proclaiming its name. There's no resting on laurels here; this stuff was as good at a recent visit as I recalled it from my maiden voyage a quarter century ago.

Added Bonus: Among the liquid libations are several Starr Hill beers, the brewery having recently moved from Charlottesville to a location just down the road. Saturday tours and tastings are offered for those who didn't get enough with their pizza.

Distribution: Alas, one must go to the source, though they do offer carry-out. However, the website includes mouth-watering pics of the product and a brief history of the business.

Honey Yogurt from Saint Benoit

Contributor: Julie

Find: Time to announce my lastest addiction (wine being my standard one), Honey Yogurt from Saint Benoit in Bodega, California. This stuff will make you cry to your mother. It is a french style, artisanal yogurt that is packaged and sold in a small crock that when you are done, you return and get you deposit back. All of the ingredients are organic, and this stuff is as smooth as a babies butt. One try, and guaranteed you will be hooked.

Added Bonus: Less than 250 calories per crock!

Distribution: Gourmet grocery stores in Northern California.

Dogfish Head 60-Minute I.P.A.

Contributor: Mike




Find: Owner/entrepreneur/author (Brewing Up a Business) Sam Calagione's Dogfish Head brewery has become a nationally-known mecca for beer geeks. Their 60-Minute Continuously Hopped I.P.A. (India Pale Ale) (see photo; beer wench sold separately) is their designated flagship brew and justifiably so, given the full-bodied citrusy and hoppy punch it delivers. 90- and 120-Minute (served only in their brewpubs) alternatives are also available or, when visiting one of their brewpubs, ask for a "75"--a half-and-half of 60- and 90-Minute versions (my personal favorite). The mothership brewpub is on the main drag in Rehobeth Beach, DE, and there are branch offices in Gaithersburg, MD, and Falls Church, VA, providing road trip/pilgrimage options to beer aficionados up and down the DC-Baltimore-Philly corridor. All offer excellent food and Dogfish's outstanding lineup of regular brews. For your non-beer loving buds (if you must bring them along), they also brew one-of-a-kind seasonal offerings (e.g. a Belgian ale--Black 'n' Blue--that could easily pass for a quality wine) and distill a variety of rums and vodkas. Warning to guzzlers: These are not Bud Lites; the 60-Minute is 6% abv and the 90-Minute weighs in at 9%. Drink leisurely or designate a driver. As the folks at Dogfish proudly proclaim: "Off-centered ales for off-centered people"...

Added Bonus: Work off that beer gut and sign up for next fall's Cape Henlopen 5K/10K sponsored by Dogfish and benefiting Nature Conservancy.

Distribution: Brewery in Lewes, DE; brewpubs in DE, MD and VA; see website for locations where Dogfish products can be found.

Masala Chai Loose Tea at Rainbow Grocery

Contributor: Tim

Find

Next time you're in need of some quality tea, just stop by the Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, where you can choose from over thirty varieties of loose teas, including Masala Chai, Yogi, Green and even "Monkey-Picked" Oolong. A friend and I found the Masala Chai, with it's spicy, cinnamon goodness, to be just the thing warming warming up a cool, rainy day. The worked-owned co-op, also offers a number of tea accessories for new initiates, including mesh tea infusers and various sized bottles for easy storage of your favorite concoctions. You'll never go back to bag tea again.