Another Fabulous Week (or weeks, rather)

We had another visitor come to see us a few weeks ago, my mom. She came to visit back in July by way of plane, but this time she took the long journey by car. My mom is a lot like me in the since that she's a planner. So, before she came up- we already had the entire weekend planned out. Friday night we went to Indique in Cleveland Park for a delicious Indian meal followed by pottery painting across the street at All Fired Up. We got to the pottery place a little late. So, we made the most of our time by painting some small pieces, an ornament for mom and a Christmas tree magnet for myself.

The next day, we spent the entirety of the morning and afternoon at Metro Cooking D.C. The indoor festival was held at the Mt. Vernon Convention Center and boasted some of the top vendors and chefs in the area. We saw cooking demonstrations by local James Beard Award winners including Cathal Armstrong and Marjorie Meek-Bradley. Guy Fieri was also on the grounds, but we didn't have the VIP tickets to see him and therefore just watched him via a projector screen from afar. It was such a fun day and I walked away with tons of new ideas and recipes. After we had walked around for a bit and taken a break from grazing at Metro D.C., I showed my mom one of my favorite restaurants in D.C. -Sundevich. You don't have to scroll down too far on this blog to read all about it since I have made a habit of taking mostly all of my out of town guests there.

 

The founders of Peregrine Expresso teaching everyone how to make a perfect cup of coffee

The next day, we took advantage of having my mom's car and made the short drive to Woodbridge, VA to the Potomac Mills Outlet Mall. The mall is more like a village with all of its 100+ outlet stores. We spent the entire day there and still didn't step foot into half the shops!

The next week, John and I had a midweek date and took a trip to Black Jack, the posh Old Hollywood style bar above Pearl Dive Oyster Palace. While their cocktail menu did look rather tasty and impressive, we chose to have some simple canned beers and divulge by eating their famed Duck Confit nachos. I must say, the nachos are some of the best that I've ever had and I would have never in a million years thought that I would find such an extravagant dish at a bar. They are a must try!

 

Last weekend, John and I had a date night in the Chinatown/Penn Quarter neighborhood. I had made reservations at the Japanese noodle shop, Daikaya, however word to the wise- don't do it. Why, you ask? It turns out that if you make reservations on Daikaya's site-you're really making them for their sister, swanky, small plates restaurant above the noodle shop. I will say, the cocktails weren't half bad and the atmosphere was hip, unique and rather romantic but the food was lacking (both in size and taste). As soon as I figured out my mistake, I ran downstairs to try to grab a seat at the noodle shop (the actual part of the restaurant that's affordable and famed for their delicious home cooked dishes), but since they don't take reservations- it was a 2 hour wait. Drats. I will definitely be going back though---just to the noodle shop downstairs.

After hearing about the long wait, we skirted across the street to try out the newly opened Penn Commons. It was just what I needed to on a cold night-a fabulous chicken sandwich with onion rings. Since John and I had cocktails and a few bites at the swanky Daikaya (upstairs), we split the entree at Penn Commons which meant that we still had room for dessert. So, after we paid our bill we went a little ways up the street to Co Co Sala. I will have to admit, it was the part of the evening that I was most looking forward to. Their drinks and desserts are rather decadent and rich- so we split one chocolate martini and a chocolate dessert. Oh my goodness, it was out of this world. The handcrafted martini was just the right amount of sweet and the dessert (Chocolate Onyx-  dark chocolate mousse / vanilla crème brulee / salted caramel / crispy chocolate pearls / brownie / dark chocolate sorbet / cinnamon toffee bon bon+)....oh my word!

 

After we had our fill of our restaurant tour of the neighborhood, we went next door to E Street Cinemas, an indie theater,  to catch the opening night of The Theory of Everything. The movie is based on Stephen Hawking's life and achievements. So, with that as a baseline, I knew that it was going to be inspirational.

The next day we took it pretty easy in preparation for the big game (UA vs MSU). That morning we took Henry to the vet (don't worry-all is well) and then went for an early lunch at Teaism, an Asian inspired tea house, located just up the street.  Then, it was time to roll with the Tide! We watched the first half with friends and Alabama alumni at Buffalo Billiards (the official D.C. Alabama bar). Then, we finished the intense second half at our place, watching it with our neighbors from back in Alabama, Laura and Chris, who just moved up to D.C.! Woo hoo and Roll Tide Roll!

It is getting chilly in D.C. and my Alabama blood isn't quite acclimated just yet. Thankfully, I racked up on winter attire earlier in the year (hello, sale items).The change of seasons is nice though and I'm looking forward to spending the holidays in our new home city. John and I are going to New York at the end of this week and I'm oh so excited, but will definitely be bundling up in preparation! Here's to another fabulous week in the District!