the d.c. that i was raised in was very different than the d.c. that i experienced after coming back from culinary school. i quickly found some of the most inspiring chefs and sommeliers hiding right here in the nation s capital. this is private dining. these beautiful people and i go back to my early sommelier days in d.c. are we drinking? are we drinking? i just dove right in. i m ready. they re the ones making d.c. s food and wine scene inclusive and interesting. d.c. has probably the most approachable and open wine sommelier scene of any place i ve visited in the world. i was 24 years old when i started at fifth floor. and i was one of four women that worked there. no one like fifth and bill the stereotypical sommelier. i was really lucky to join this tasting group way before i had any business being around the table. like every other sommelier at the time?
i love eating great food. our fourth course is a master class in both decadence and restraint. ultra marbled kuroge beef with a cherry condiment. and of course, this is eric ziebold. so a generous shaving of black truffles. the whole room smells like truffles right now. most truffles are really expensive cremini mushrooms. these are insanely aromatic. you can tell the color is dense. d.c. s food and wine scene doesn t get the credit deserves. the meals like these are the reason it should. d.c. holds its own. i feel like it s been in the shadows for so long that we re still continuing to be apologetic about it, and we shouldn t. yeah. to eric. yeah. this is the bad ass. it s true.
i just dove right in. i m ready. they re the ones making d.c. s food and wine scene inclusive and interesting. d.c. has probably the most approachable and open wine sommelier scene of any place i ve visited in the world. i was 24 years old when i started at fifth floor. and i was one of four women that worked there. no one like fifth and bill the stereotypical sommelier. i was really lucky to join this tasting group way before i had any business being around the table. like every other sommelier at the time? like every other sommelier. that was my first wine certification. no one was stuffy, uncomfortable, judgey. that s not what sommeliers are anymore. in hindsight, wow, we had it pretty sweet. okay. i know we cover a lot of topics in this series. how a place is changing, who s
my neighborhood was a tough place to grow up in, but there were a lot of positives. we had a strong connection to our community and culture. and part of that meant enjoying d.c. s signature dishes. d.c. smoke house has some of the city s best. so half-smoke, this is like a very d.c. thing. d.c. food is very american, but it s also influenced by really every part of black the diaspora. that s what makes it delicious. that s natalie hopkinson. she is a go go scholar and she is a pioneer of don t mute d.c., an organization dedicated to keeping black culture alive in the city. the thing about half-smoke, it s ground more coarse. there is a lot more texture and it s smoked. it s super unique to here. how do you have something this delicious and nobody knows about it. and nobody knows about it.
trust me, after 15 walks it gets a little old. i really should be retired by now. wish i d invested when i had the chance. to the moon! [golf ball bounces off rover] unbelievable. ugh. [ding] vernon is a d.c. native whose reputation precedes him.