Mix yourself a spiffing serving of this week’s cocktail to read by.

BLOODY VIKING
Not only a superb accompaniment to arising first thing in the afternoon, but also a way of ingesting bothersome vegetables. Stand out from the lackadaisical crowd with this gentleman’s twist on a firm favorite.

2oz aquavit
4 oz tomato juice
3 dashes Tabasco
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp horseradish sauce
½ tsp celery salt
10 or so twists of freshly ground white pepper
A stick of leafy celery

Pour aquavit over ice into a medium sized glass, about half way up the glass. If it doesn’t reach, simply add more aquavit. Top this with tomato juice and add the remaining seasonings. Mix well using the celery and leave it sticking out of the top of the glass like some sort of vampiric shrub. Serve in a hot sauna with a berserk grin.


Hello chums,

This week finds your humble dramatist entertaining here at Farquharson Plantations. My dear brother in law, Lord Charles Rey De La Conejas, is paying us a visit from the frozen north. As cultural ambassador to New England, he stoically perseveres to bring the good word of gourmandizing to a people apparently bereft of taste buds.

Thankfully, he is quite the expert when it comes to breakfasting here in my adopted country so we looked forward to a splendid Sunday, “brunch.” (Brunch, it seems, is an American meal, served between breakfast and lunch, somewhat akin to elevenses, but in more substantial portions.)

Lord Carlos announced his decision. Much to our surprise, he had decided on a French bistro!

Naturally, I remain somewhat suspicious of French cuisine, particularly as it has done little to advance itself over the years and especially in the field of breakfast. The delicate creations of Auguste Escoffier have been overshadowed by mass produced croissants and pain au chocolat, tedious coffee accompanied by noxious cheeses and Golden Revolting apples.

So it was that we gaily motored over to The George Hotel (15 E Street NW, Washington DC 20001: Telephone America 202 347 4200), which houses Bistro Bis. Much to my delight, my concerns were rapidly alleviated as we entered the elegantly designed hotel, minimal yet stylish Corbusier-like fashion being the order of the day. The theme continued as we sashayed into Bistro Bis and were promptly seated by the maitre d’hotel. The high ceilinged room allowing free circulation of cool air past art deco prints that are easy on the eye. In fact, it looked very much the type of place a gentleman could breakfast.

Our waiter, Norman, arrived with a gracious snap of efficiency. The first thing he would do was offer me a breakfast cocktail, a mimosa, screwdriver or bloody mary perhaps. Oh joy! Oh rapture! Norman, my eternal blessings on you fall for the almost unheard of delight of a breakfast cocktail. So it was that I kicked off the day with a superb bloody mary. Lady Farquharson’s request for fresh lemonade sent a young fellow straight to the juicer, lemons in hand.

The menu was a deceptively simple but perfectly executed affair. Lord Charles claimed that the ham on his plate of ham and eggs was the best ham he had had in many a ham filled year. In fact, it was very difficult to get any other word than, “ham,” out of him for the rest of the day. Lady F plumped for eggs Florentine, the famous treat of perfectly poached eggs and sautéed spinach was playfully accompanied by an amusement of field mushrooms, whilst I opted for omelet Monte Cristo, simply accentuated with Gruyere and the celebrated ham, achieving perfect harmony between flavor and texture. All accompanied by jolly good Lyonnaise potatoes and the able ministrations of good man Norman, myself, my good lady and Lord Charles had a thoroughly delightful brunch and my suspicions of the French were alleviated for a few hours.

Bistro Bis at The George, I doff my panama to you. Hup hup huzzah!

Until next week, I have the distinct honor to remain your most humble breakfast correspondent,

Gideon F Farquharson, Esq.