Lady of Leisure Destination: An Afternoon in Frederick MD

Located an hour north of Washington DC is Frederick, Maryland.  Many know Frederick is the birth and final resting place of Francis Scott Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner.  But what many do not know is that Frederick has a bustling downtown culture filled with historic museums, antique shops, amazing restaurants, bars and distilleries.  I spent the weekend there to cover a distillery tour for my friend Ashlee, and her blog Will Drink for Travel. After the tour I stuck around to discover a few other places with the friends I had made on the tour!  I am really glad I stayed a little bit longer to enjoy an afternoon of cold beer and great food!

Attaboy Beer:  Attaboy Beer is open Wednesday - Sunday.  Located at 400 Sagner Avenue, this Frederick based brewery is owned by a young couple whose love of beer lead to taking a leap of faith and opening their own brewery and taproom! Lucky us! Not only does Attaboy brew really good beer (my favorites are pictured below) but they also allow their customers to bring their own food! The atmosphere is family friendly, lively and energetic. I tried the beer flight which cost $12 and was well worth it. If you love a good, cold beer, you MUST visit Attaboy Beer when you are in Frederick!

Beer flight

Fave #1:  SIMPLE.  Their Belgian House Beer.

Fave #2:  GOLDEN FIELDS.  Their Saison.
Really good on a hot, summer day!

Fave #3:  BUMPKIN.  It is so good! However,
this one is strong so try not to drink too fast!

After an afternoon of sipping beer, it was time to eat!  We made our way to The Tasting Room to enjoy a few wine flights and share six appetizers. We were NOT disappointed!

The Tasting Room: Located on North Market Street, The Tasting Room offers a great wine selection and of course, amazing food! Every appetizer we shared was amazing and I would suggest them all! The next time I am in Frederick I plan to stay for dinner for a full culinary experience!

I started my experience with the Sparkling Wine flight.  It was a great idea! Of the three, my favorite was the Pinot Noir rose.

Start your meal with this flight!

Since we decided to share appetizers that would pair well with white wine, the next flight I requested to enjoy with the food was the Complex Whites flight.

Of course my fave was the Chenin Blanc.  
I would absolutely recommend this flight!

The appetizers arrived in pairs as suggested by our server.  Good idea!  Each dish complimented the other.  We truly enjoyed everything that was served!

Round 1:  the Beef Carpaccio and Artisan Cheese Board.

Amazing fusion of flavors and textures!

The apple butter and homemade bread
were divine!

Round 2:  The Tuna Tartare and Panko Shrimp.

Amazing flavor!  A must try!

I usually do not eat shrimp but I took
a chance and did not regret it!  The rice vinegar
dipping sauce was a great compliment!

Round 3:  The Crab Dip and Roasted Pork Belly.  These were, by far, my favorite appetizers!

This is the perfect crab dip! Warm, full
of jumb lump crab meat, creamy and just delicious!
If you have any doubts on how to start your meal,
choose the crab dip!

The roasted pork belly was my second fave
appetizer.  The braised cabbage texture complimented
the juicy, perfectly cooked pork belly.  And if I could have
sopped up the sauce ... ok I DID sop up the sauce with a piece
of bread haha

Thank you to the owners, Mike and Lori Tauraso, for generously inviting us to experience The Tasting Room! Everything - the wine, the food, the service, the atmosphere - was amazing!

I also want to thank Tara of Lace and Grace who was the perfect hostess after the tour!  Also, it was fun meeting Kacy and Tom of Bad Sentences!  What a weekend in Frederick MD! I can honestly say I was very surprised at everything there is to do, see, sip and taste in this city.  Do I plan to return? Absolutely!

Tom, Kacy, myself and Tara after an amazing culinary experience at The Tasting Room!