Three Beautiful Things 01/31/15: Walking Wheaton, Whole Foods Mob Scene, Great Beer at Denizen's

1.  The Deke and I ventured into the suburbanopolis of Silver Spring and Wheaton today with most favorable results.  While the Deke checked out the Yarn Spot in Wheaton, I walked over two miles, heading north on Georgia (Highway 97) and then west on Hermitage, hoping to get as far as the southern tip of Wheaton Regional Park, but I got the "Done" text from the Deke and didn't quite make it to the park -- where, by the way, I will return, especially to enjoy the Brookside Gardens.

2.  Our Co-op in Greenville is my favorite place, by far, to buy groceries, but, for what I like to cook, it has some gaps.  Let me just say, that out West, say in Moscow, Idaho, if a grocery store is a co-op, the place would be teeming with bulk bins.  Likewise, in Eugene, stores like the Kiva or Sundance aren't co-ops, but they have the vibe of a co-op, or an alternative grocery store, and are teeming wth bulk bins.  But, the Greenbelt Co-op isn't.  I wanted to buy some quinoa and couscous and orzo for some recipes and so the Deke and I headed south from the Yarn Spot and joined in the mob scene at Whole Foods in Silver Spring.  The aisles were packed -- I did not just get in and right out of the bulk bins.  No problem.  I enjoyed being in the midst of so many people, listening to conversations, other languages, and being sort of dumbfounded that I live in Maryland.  Over the course of my life, I never saw this coming.  I got some quinoa and some couscous and we picked up a few other things and moved on.

3.  Our final stop in the suburbanopolis of Silver Spring was the best.  With little effort, we found Denizen's a microbrewery I'd read about.  Denizen's partnered with a superb barbecue food truck, BBQ Bus and offer their menu as well as beer brewed in the basement and served fresh.  I started with a pint of Born Bohemian, a Czech-styled pilsner.  Its balance of malty sweetness up front followed by a light bitterness at the finish delighted me.  Glancing over the food menu, I was very happy to see I could order two sliders, a bbq chicken and a bbq pork, on a single plate.  Perfect.  I never like eating a large amount of barbecue food and, with a corn and black bean salad on the side, the sliders were just what I wanted.  I finished my lunch with a sample (not even a half pint sized glass) of Ponch's Porter, and, again, the balance between chocolate, coffee, and hops made this a perfect dessert beer that tasted better and better the warmer it became.