Europe Trips and Family Visits

Last week, John and I took a swing at trying soul food in D.C. As born and bred Southerners, we have been hesitant to try Southern food outside of the deep South but we were pleasantly surprised with Oohs and Aahs on U Street. The dive received praise on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and reasonably so because it was so good. Thanks to an online deal, we had a feast including (but not limited to) grits, mac and cheese, and fried chicken wings. I also had a big glass of sweet tea to wash it all down. Yum!

That weekend, the doors of the European Union embassies opened their doors to the public. Luckily, John was off and able to join me for the event for the second year in a row. We visited embassies that we weren't able to get to during last year's event. While we saw a lot, we still have some more left to see next year. This year we visited: Poland, Spain, Malta, Austria, Slovakia, Netherlands (our favorite and one of the reasons behind our upcoming trip to Amsterdam!), Hungary, and Czech Republic.

That Sunday, my coworker Devorah and I had a small bridal shower for our fellow outpatient therapist, Kim. We held it on my rooftop and thank goodness, the rain held off long enough for us to have our tea and sweets with the bride to be!

This past week weekend, John's brother Trey came to town for a conference and to visit us! We pretty much spent the weekend giving Trey a gastro tour of the city and showing him all of our favorite places to wine and dine. On Friday, we started off at Truckeroo where we had two of our absolute favorite food truck fares- Korean fried chicken from KBBQ Taco Box and ice cream cookie sandwiches from Captain Cookie and the Milkman. Afterwards, we walked over to BlueJacket brewery, a local brewery, to have a nightcap before turning it in for the evening.

On Saturday, we met Trey close to the convention center for lunch sandwiches at Sundevich, located in a Shaw alleyway. Then we strolled over to Dacha beer garden where we sat on umbrella covered benches and sipped German beers. It truly felt like a perfect summer afternoon.

Then, we were on our way to the one Smithsonian Museum that yours truly had yet to visit- The National Gallery of Art. I don't know why it took me so long to visit, but considering how much love I love art museums- it's rather strange that it did. While there, we peeped in at the only da Vinci in the Americas and the LED filled light tunnel designed by Leo Villareal.  After walking around the National Mall, we sauntered over to Daikaya for an early dinner in order to beat the lines (that usually go out the door) and to have some delicious Ramen!

Sunday, John and I met up with Trey for our final meal together at DGS. John and I frequent the Dupont Jewish delicatessen pretty frequently but it was our first taste of their brunch including the tasty Challah French toast.

After we parted ways with Trey, John and I spent the afternoon window shopping in Old Town Alexandria which included a stop into the Torpedo Art Gallery to see the light filled studios of local art.

It's starting to feel like summer and I couldn't be happier. While I love the change in the seasons, I have been longing for the dog days of summer for a few weeks- along with all of the fun activities in the city that comes with the new season. Cheers to another fabulous week in the District!