by Brian Griffin
The Tri-Cities are not a monolith. There are pockets of historical significance, mysteriousness and flat out magnificence. If you chose to ask any young person that you saw walking around the mall what their opinion of their home town is, you would never get that idea. Behind the platitudes of the jaded adolescents lies an unfortunate and unthinking misunderstanding of what it is that makes a place truly special.
For some time now, important things have been taking place with food and alcohol. It is no secret that our wine industry has been exploding for the last three decades, but along with that movement comes growth in the culinary field, as well as other types of beverages. One of the major elements in the evolution of our community is D’s Wicked Cider.
Aside from the numerous awards and national acclaim that they have received, the measure that moves me the most is the degree to which they are renowned in their community. With every new flavor that they release, there is a brand new surge of interest from those who have been rooting for them for the last five years. In my personal opinion, if that matters to you, they are the creators of the best ciders that I have ever had.
Mix and match your favorite D’s Wicked Ciders to make your favorite pour. Below is Cranny Granny & Baked Apple 1/2 & 1/2
Cider occupies a unique place in the beverage world. It is kind of like a beer, in that it is fermented with yeast, and the alcohol content is similar. It is a little bit like wine in that it is made from fruit. By law (I think) cider is beer, unless it gets up above a certain alcohol percentage. Then it is suddenly wine. During the fermentation process, yeast breaks sugars down into alcohol. And apples don’t always have the same amount of sugar, so the cider you make one day can be a beer, and the next day, it is a wine. And if it gets up above a certain amount of carbonation, it is legally a sparkling wine.
Why does this matter? It doesn’t really. I may be completely wrong about all of that. But in the D’s Wicked Cider House, they have what you would expect to find at a wine tasting room. Artichoke and salmon dips, hummus, meat and cheese trays. But cider is a little bit like a platypus. Is it a beaver? Is it a duck? Can you barbecue it?
I bet you D’s could.
D’s has started offering a couple of different barbecue dishes to have while you’re knocking back a few Cider Hammers. Ginger and I stopped in to check them out.
You have the choice between a smoked pork shoulder or a smoked chicken quarter. Both come with a side of coleslaw and/or sweet potato with a slice of bread and a ridiculously good & seriously rich house made honey butter. I think it is worth mentioning that the menu changes & more additions are being added often. Now available is a pulled pork nachos, tri-tip & a 3 cheese flatbread.
Now back to barbeque! The meats are marinated in D’s Baked Apple Cider before being smoked for 12 hours with their own in house dry rub. The chicken was excellent. The meat pulled straight off of the bone as soon as I picked it up, which is always exactly what you want to see. Smoking is truly the best way to have poultry, but the pork shoulder really stood out to me. With pork, you can really see the benefits of the cooking process. When you cook pork slowly, the fat breaks down internally and stays right where you want it, and continually bastes the meat throughout the process. The pork shoulder made me want to eat with my fingers like a steward of Gondor while a hobbit sang me a song.
Oh, and the honey butter is something that I would have eaten with a spoon if I had been in my own home. I considered it, because it did feel a lot like home. There is something distinctively nostalgic about sitting down in front of a pile of meat served on a piece of paper. I don’t think that it matters where you came from, it is an intrinsically comforting way to have a meal. Barbecue might be the one thing that I could never get tired of. A great, smoked cut of meat and a piece of floppy bread and bottle of sauce is what I imagine being in the cafeteria on at least four of the seven levels of heaven. But for now, for those of us on the terrestrial plane, there is a new great option in town.
VIBE D’s Wicked Facts- D’s Wicked tasting room is located at 9312 W 10th in Kennewick right off of Steptoe. Their tasting room is open 7 days a week & they make their own cider, wine, root beer (featured image) & angelicas (port styled wine). Food menu is also available every day. D’s also has guest tap brews which are available by the pint & growler fills just like their cider. Their menu is consistently evolving & adding new items to the menu as time goes on, they’ve only just begun with serving food. Menu is overseen by Chef Justin Maltos (which you may remember from Fox & Bear days; over 20 years chef experience). Justin is D’s National Sales Rep but based locally at the cider tasting room. D’s has live music Weds thru Sats. Looking for a cider treat??? Blend their ciders & make your own cider masterpiece in your pint glass. Our favorite is 1/2 Baked Apple & 1/2 Cranny Granny. Cheers friends enjoy your D’s experience!