Drink of the Week: Bombay Government Regulation Punch

Every visitor to Hummingbird to Mars is greeted with a cup of punch before sitting down to imbibe a bevy of fine cocktails. The Bombay Government Regulation Punch is a pleasant rum drink topped off with fresh gratings of nutmeg. It is wonderfully refreshing with that perfect edge. Unfortunately, for a vast majority it is unlikely they will be able to sample this drink at Hummingbird to Mars, but you can make David Wondrich's recipe at home.

A few weeks ago, there was a Small Bite about the reservation-only speakeasy, run by Derek Brown, Justin Guthrie, and Owen Thomson. The establishment serves painstakingly-made cocktails and has a code of conduct for patrons - no cell phones, no pictures, no blogging, and no disclosing of the location. These rules were put in place to create a relaxing environment to have a drink, and to maintain quality by serving fewer individuals (not unlike Johnny Monis' strategy at Komi). A few bloggers were permitted to disclose details to get out the word, but were requested not to disclose the location of the establishment. So it was a rather rude awakening for those involved in the business and cocktail-aficionados to see the rules flaunted and the location obviously implied by Washington Post spirits writer Jason Wilson.

As a result of the location reveal, the brains behind H2M will take a break after honoring already-made reservations, and have not yet made a decision about where to go from there. This situation is particularly galling for H2M fans since Wilson actually lives in Philadelphia: here's this outsider ruining one of our only unique establishments.

This all points to the inherent struggle for food and drink writers between being a reporter and being a food advocate. Do we write about the local dining scene because we want the latest scoop, or because we want to encourage fine homegrown restaurants and bars and better values for diners? One poster on Don Rockwell pointed out that Wilson was doing his job as a journalist by revealing the location of Hummingbird to Mars. Maybe so, but personally I care more about ensuring that restaurant owners, farmers, brewers and distillers see D.C. as a receptive environment for opening better restaurants, providing better ingredients, and ensuring wider distribution of beers and spirits to those who seek them out. Wilson sees himself as a reporter and not as an advocate, but what D.C.'s food reporting scene needs are people who are passionate about building a better environment for its consumers.

Photo by pixilista

Small Bites
Taste This
Taste of Bethesda will take place this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature 50 restaurants, and bundles of four tickets can be purchased for $5.

Taste of Georgetown will be October 11, also from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wisconsin and M St. One tasting ticket is $5, while a bundle of four is $20. Twenty-seven restaurants will feature their fare at the event.

While the Taste events are not a cost-effective way of dining, it is an opportunity to try out cuisines from a number of different places. Another upcoming event is in Wheaton on November 2.

Turkish doesn't mean turkey
This Sunday, the Turkish Festival will be taking place at Freedom Plaza. Sip thick Turkish coffee or hopefully sample some doner kebabs as well as other examples of Turkish cuisine, get your fortune told, or watch traditional folk dance performances.

Pepin' up for a new book
One of my favorite PBS Saturday morning cooking shows was always the one with Jacques Pepin and his daughter, Claudine. He would frequently show his slightly inept-in-the-kitchen daughter the correct way to do things, which was always good for a laugh. And he seems to be one of the few guest chefs who understood Julia Child's childlike glee at touching and tasting everything being prepared. He'll be visiting the Smithsonian Associates on October 29 to discuss his new cookbook, "More Fast Food My Way," with WaPo food editor Joe Yonan. Tickets are $28 for general public, and $18 for members.