Lovely Summer Day at Mount Vernon

C – I have lived in the DC area for a combined total of about 20 years and, for some reason, I had never been to George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. On a recent, sunny day, I decided to change that. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association — a private, non-profit organization founded in 1853. By the 1850’s, Mount Vernon was in such a state of disrepair that the famous back porch facing the Potomac used ship masts for support. The women rallied and, over time, have restored the mansion and grounds to its original 18^th century look and feel.

The first thing you notice is the long road in. Perhaps the most beautiful highway in the US, the GW Parkway dead ends into the estate and, in the spring and summer, there’s green everywhere. Once you’re there, parking is free, but get there early during peak tourist season. Mount Vernon is huge – about 500 acres – and that means you need to budget your time. They are very well organized. From the ticket booth to the educational center, your journey is mapped out with a hefty dose of self-touring flexibility.  You start in the Ford Orientation Center with a film. There’s a short introduction by Pat Sajak, which is (not intentionally) hilarious. Pat Sajak in a tri-corned hat. What’s not to love? The mansion is a must-see, obviously, but take a walk around the grounds and make sure to see Washington’s tomb and the pioneer farm site. If you want a bit more structure to your visit, take a walking tour. There are different offerings for different types — The National Treasure: Book of Secrets tour seems right up my alley.

Mount Vernon is an excellent touring option for all ages, away from the crowded museums in the city. It’s not free – no tax dollars go to maintaining the property so they charge a fair amount, but if you’re a local, check out the annual pass option. It’s less than two admissions and it will allow you to visit as the activities change from season to season.

K- As C has summed up the wonderful experience at Mount Vernon, I will leave you with a bit of trivia:

Did you know that Mount Vernon is not made of stone but looks like stone due to a process called “rustication?”  It’s true, go check it out!

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Mount Vernon
http://www.mountvernon.org
General admission – $18
Annual pass – $28

Paul – Mais oui

K- I don’t buy lunch very often as I usually make it at home and bring it with me. Sometimes I will eat out with friends and on occasion, when I’ve forgotten my lunch and left it on the kitchen counter, I will go out and buy something but I’m usually not too happy about it – until now.

La Maison Paul has opened up a shop at Farragut North, 1000 Connecticut Ave NW, which is a couple of blocks away from my office. So I’m quite excited to forget my lunch as it gives me an excuse to pick up a Sandwich Atlantique with smoked salmon, lettuce, lemon cream spread, fresh tomatoes on a Paul sesame baguette. The baguette is nice and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside just like it should be. The salmon, lettuce and tomatoes taste fresh – no fishy taste here – and the lemon cream spread adds a nice finish and doesn’t overwhelm.

I’ve also picked up a baguette to bring home as well as the eclairs that taste like a bit of chocolate heaven. The first time I had one I only bought one and shared it. Now, I don’t share, I’d rather buy two!

At lunchtime Paul does become crazy busy so be prepared to wait, order online or get their earlier or later.

Okay… I wrote the first part of this post and forgot to take photos as I was so enthusiastic to tuck into my lunch. So, I went back another day  but decided to pick up something later in the afternoon to take home for dinner.  Sadly, I was a little disappointed. There was only one eclair left and one Sandwich Atlantique, which looked a bit tired. I decided rather than one eclair and sharing it, I’d try a blueberry tart.  I also asked if there were any other Sandwich Atlantiques (my heart and stomach was set on this type of sandwich) and was told that was it.  As I was handed it, I looked it over and the lettuce and tomatoes just looked like it had been sitting there for quite a bit (although in the photo it does look much better). I asked if I could have another and they said it would have to be made in the kitchen – I said I didn’t mind. I’m almost certain I got the same sandwich in another bag. The lettuce was still a bit wilting and there was very little salmon. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the amazing sandwich I had previously had.

My advice – at least at Farragut North – go in the early afternoon, you have a better, wider choice with fresher sandwiches.

@Paul_USA has locations in Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Penn Quarter and now at Tyson’s Galleria in McLean!

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Vegging out at Ben’s

K- I went to Ben’s for the first time for lunch with a couple of colleagues. I’d never gone as I’m not a big fan of chili dogs, half-smokes, etc. as I’m not really a meat eater. However, my colleague assured me that Ben’s does have veggie chili and veggie dogs!! So, off I went to join them for lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl.

The place is really cute – let me reword as my colleagues (both guys and huge fans of the restaurant) said that I cannot say that it is “cute” but they are fine with “groovy” and nostalgic. Who uses the word groovy? Anyway, it is very retro, 1950s-looking, with photos of all of the celebrities, politicians, etc. that have come to the restaurant.

I had a bowl of chili with cheese and onion (unfortunately they were out of the veggie dogs) a side of fries and a lemonade. My colleagues had a chili dog, half-smoke, fries and a piece of lemon cake. The veggie chili had a nice spicy flavour to it – it pretty much tasted the same as “regular” chili, at least from what I remember. The fries were good too – not a bit greasy. I heard the lemon cake was tasty but didn’t get to try it myself – I was too full and hadn’t finished my chili and fries when my colleague was half-way through his piece of cake! 

The atmosphere of the place was cozy and friendly. The restaurant was very busy but everything went smoothly from ordering to having the food brought out. I even got to meet Ms. Virginia Ali (she and her husband started Ben’s Chili Bowl) who chatted with us for awhile and started clearing our table even though she was obviously dressed up for something else. If you’ve not met her she’s a very lovely and gracious woman.

Overall, it’s a great place to have lunch, catch up with friends and have a good time without the formalities. Long live Ben’sl!!

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Ben’s Chili Bowl

1213 U Street NW Washington

1-U Street Metro | 202-667-0909

Blast from the Past: The Legwarmers

I remember watching Happy Days as a kid, thinking, “Wow – the 50s. It was SUCH a long time ago.” I recall loving the characters, fashion, music and all of the things that seemed to make it a distinctive decade. Yes, the show was a total caricature, but to those who didn’t experience it first-hand, it was history. Audiences at the time ate it up, latching onto the poodle skirts, letter jackets and, of course, the Fonz. Now the shoe is kind of on the other foot and I’m wondering, is this how the 80s are viewed?

I went to see the Legwarmers over the weekend at the State Theatre in Falls Church. Billed as “the Ultimate 80s Tribute Band,” they pumped out everything from Huey Lewis and the News to Guns n’ Roses. There were few breaks between songs, allowing for… more songs. They performed in character, dancing with a one-two, side-to-side snap step that would have made Footloose-era Kevin Bacon very proud. During the show I realized I was singing along to every song. I mean, every single word. Even the songs I remember not liking back in the day. My head was filled with 80s lyrics that had been locked away for years. It took just one night to access all of this data. (Incidentally, this deluge has resulted in the complete deletion of some phone numbers, birthdays and possibly an entire year of college).

So, here’s the kicker: the audience. Everyone dressed the part. Big hair, big shoulder pads… Martha Quinn, one of the original MTV VJs said recently, “It was the Texas of decades. Everything was big.” She was not wrong. I didn’t get the memo on attire. I wore what I would on any given Friday night and I was definitely the odd girl out. Sadly, I chucked all of my 80s stuff about 5 years ago thinking, “I’ll never have use for these white, leather, high-heeled, fringe ankle-boots.” Oh, how wrong I was.

Even more impressive than the time warp apparel was the remarkable demographic spread… early 20s to mid-50s. All realizing simultaneously that it is, indeed, hip to be square. The difference though, was this: for those in their 20s it was dress up. For us, it was nostalgia.

The Legwarmers routinely play venues in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. They are returning to the StateTheatre the last weekend in June (2013). For an evening of lighthearted fun, I’d recommend looking into it. The people watching begins early with pre-show drinks next door at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack.

-C

South Moon Under and Rebecca Minkoff

K- Thursday night I went to South Moon Under’s Rebecca Minkoff trunk show and had a great time listening to music, munching on the appetizers and oh yes, shopping!

South Moon Under is an East Coast chain that offers an eclectic mix of fashion for both men and women. They recently opened a new store at the Mosaic District in Merrifield and Thursday night they hosted a Rebecca Minkoff trunk show. The event included bright new purses from Rebecca Minkoff,  20% off purchases, signature drinks (delicious raspberry and lime or ginger and cucumber concoctions), Blackfinn Ameripub appetizers, goodie bags and a DJ cranking out the tunes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went there (went solo as C was at a birthday party) but I will say once I got there I was very impressed. The event was well-organized and everyone through all of the craziness was friendly and helpful. The appetizers and signature drinks were very tasty and the clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, belts, scarves, and just everything were gorgeous! I ended buying a few things myself!

The store was filled with excited people who happily lined up to try on clothes – the line was huge but the saleswomen cheerfully managed it – munched on delicious appetizers, sipped refreshing drinks and then lined up to purchase their fashionable finds.  There was also a swag bag at the end with some adorable gifts.

I look forward to returning to South Moon Under as well as the Mosaic District, which so far is one of the best kept secrets in the DC metro area and unfortunately may not be for long with all of the great shops and restaurants it has.

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Europe without the Jet Lag

C — Ever wonder what goes on behind the gates on Embassy Row? Once a year, the Embassies of the European Union throw open their doors and welcome Washingtonians in.  EU Open House is a celebration of culture. Twenty-seven EU member states offer a rare look into their buildings and, by extension, into their lives.

This year, K and I were all over it — gobbling up culture from as many countries as we could squeeze in. I managed to make it to eight. There was:

• Fika at the House of Sweden
• Dancing and language lessons at Romania
• Rugby at the Embassy of Ireland
• Weaving in Estonia
• Geography lessons at Malta
• Wine tasting at the Slovenian Embassy
• Help for Heroes at the UK
• Live entertainment at France/Germany

I’m still exhausted. Looking forward to next year!

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K- I was a bit slow getting out of the gate that morning due to taking cold medicine the night before but was not about to miss the opportunity to participate in such a great event. And I had tickets for lunch at the House of France so definitely wasn’t going to miss that either!  One of the more interesting things that I “experienced” was at the British embassy. If you ever have the chance to visit their gardens you should ask them about the “echo spot.” I don’t know if it’s officially called that, but it’s a spot on one of their patios where you can stand, say something and not really hear an echo but it sounds like you are in a glass jar or something. It’s really weird and cool at the same time!

Also:

• Snacks and displays at Finland
• Contests and photo gallery at Denmark
• Games and pizza at Italy

I had a great time and am looking forward to next year!

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Addicted to Мари Vanna

Klubnichka!

C – Opened just a few months ago, Mari Vanna (Мари Vanna) has quickly become the “in” restaurant for Washingtonians. Complete with kitschy interior, costumed hostesses and a roaming accordion player, it’s a feast for the senses.

I went on a Wednesday at 7:00 and it was PACKED. Word to the wise: you can make reservations on www.OpenTable.com in advance. We were seated on the second floor where the decor is very cool, but incredibly tight to the point of being uncomfortable once it fills up. I started with the Klubnichka — a strawberry-infused vodka drink that went down way too fast. We ordered pickled vegetables and potato vareniki (pierogies) for the table. My three friends went for the salmon as their main, but I wanted the full-on experience and went with the beef stroganoff. This is not your Babushka’s stroganoff… it’s filet mignon with a rich sour cream sauce served on buckwheat kasha. Outstanding. On another occasion I had the chicken kotletki which was fine, but not amazing. It is, really, all about the atmosphere, though. Our check came in a cute little grandma-style change purse. I’m going back again for happy hour this week ($5 infused vodka shots) and will hit it up for lunch service soon (just started at the end of March). I’m also going to take the next person I know to have a birthday here. The embarrassment quotient is high… servers singing a birthday song in Russian with accordion guy in tow and the whole restaurant clapping. Good stuff.

One more thing… I came across this article from the Washington City Paper which discusses the “secret keys” you can get for their regular Monday night exclusive parties.

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K – Lunch! Went for lunch and it was oooohhhh so good! We were on the second floor this time as well but although it was crowded it wasn’t packed.  I got the prix-fixe lunch (soup or salad and sandwich or entree) that was a good deal at $19. I started off with the Russian country salad, which was nice and fresh as well as some bread – I am not one to shun carbohydrates! The slices of cranberry bread were moist and not too sweet, the other slices, I think they might have been poppy, was a bit dry, but still good. For my entree I got the Roasted Potato with Mushroom Sauce. It was not what I was expecting – it was better! It was half of a baked potato, mashed in the middle with the mushroom sauce on top and absolutely delicious! (Note: I have lots of exclamation marks!)  C  had the Borsch. I thought about trying it but I’m not a fan of anything with beets. However I may change my mind someday and try something “beetish” from here as the food was really good. She also had the Chicken Stroganoff and unfortunately they were out of whatever it usually comes with and came with mashed potatoes instead. Of course we had to have dessert – how could we not? So we shared a Kiev Cake and a Napoleon. Both were delicious and not too sweet. The Kiev Cake was a mound mixture of crumbly stuff with a condensed-milk-like flavour which had a fluffy, sweet taste to it. That’s the only way I can describe it. The Napoleon was a layer of puff pastry with custard that was light and creamy tasting. I’m definitely going back to try dinner so I can try their evening menu as well as their vodka cocktails! But right now I think I need a nap……

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Mari Vanna
1141 Connecticut Ave NW

Quick trip – NYC

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K- This past weekend I went to NYC. The Big Apple is an easy trip from DC. There are various ways you can get there but the two most popular are train or bus. I’ve taken a bus to NYC for a day trip. There are many buses you can take with various price points such as Bolt, DC2NY, MegaBus, and Vamoose. It’s okay, for me it’s a lot of time on the road for a quick trip to the city, but I’ll do it. My preferred method of transportation is the Acela – specifically the “Quiet Car.”  I love the “Quiet Car” because it’s just that – quiet. No one talking on their cell phone, chatting loudly, and no kids running up and down the aisle and screaming. It’s a nice few hours where you can nap, read, listen to music with headphones, surf the ‘net on WiFi, etc.

The Acela stops at Penn Station – which was a few blocks walk to The Carlton Autograph – where I was staying at. I prefer walking to taking a cab for many reasons, one being that with traffic in NYC, sometimes it’s quicker just to walk.

While in New York I walked in Central Park, which is amazingly clean and green. Visited the Guggenheim and the MoMa. I have to say I was very disappointed in the collection that was being shown at the Guggenheim. The collection was a bit too “avant garde” for my taste – kind of like a big red “o” painted on a white canvas kind of art. Just not my thing. However the MoMa was fantastic. I loved looking at the Picassos, Rousseaus, Klees, Miro,  and Monets among the other artists that were represented there. Also walked around Chelsea, Greenwich Village and SoHo.

Went to a couple of great restaurants. Lupa, which is an Italian restaurant that serves very simple, delicious, food. I had some pea agnolotti that couldn’t have tasted any fresher and the Fried Lupa Baccala that although it was fried – I am so not a fried-food person but thought I would try it – it wasn’t oily in the least and very good. For dessert I had the Lupa tartuffo, that was a chocolate deliciousness. I also tried the Apician Spiced Dates & Mascarpone with my glass of red wine and that too was delightful.

The other restaurant Cuba was of course, Cuban. Instead of an entree, dinner consisted of a bunch of appetizers. The Empanadas Habeneras with spinach and manchego, Calamares Tamarindo, and Ceviche Mixto were wonderful – I wish I would have ordered more of them rather than the Camarones al Ajillo and Croquetas de Jamon Serrano – that I don’t recall seeing any jamon in. The shrimp and croquetas were not very impressive and I wouldn’t have missed them. In addition, the mojitos were great, not too sweet and just the right amount of everything. They also had a couple of musicians playing guitars, which added to the cozy atmosphere.  Both places are tight on the real estate especially on the weekends, where you definitely need to reserve a table as soon as possible. But, they are well worth it.

Heading back to Penn Station to return to DC, I had to stop at my favorite bagel place “Murray’s” to grab a bagel for the trip. Can’t wait to go back!

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Out of the Blue – Woodward Table and WTF

C – At the corner of 15th and H there’s a restaurant that, I think, popped up out of nowhere. I’ve been there before (at least, to a restaurant in that space) but this was an altogether different dining experience. My friend and I sat at a high table in the bar overlooking 15th. Really fun to do at lunchtime as you can watch the mix of workers, residents and tourists zipping by — the latter looking like ducks in a line on their Segway tour of the city. In the interest of time we skipped directly to entrees. I had the POTATO CRUSTED SALMON with Chesapeake oysters, swiss chard, leeks, portobellos, lemon, chives. It was shockingly flavorful, each bite punctuated with a very rude “MMMMMM!!!!” from me. My friend had the CHESAPEAKE ROCKFISH with fennel, olives, kale, blood orange-tarragon vinaigrette. He seemed equally happy with his, though perhaps not as emotive. We shared the MAC AND CHEESE cheddar, ritz cracker topping. I scraped that bowl clean. I’d definitely like to go back and try more. I’d also like to stop by WTF (Woodward Takeout Food) — their amusingly named takeout joint attached to the main restaurant.

K- WTF (Woodward Takeout Food)!  I went the takeout route. I dropped by WTF and ordered the wild mushroom flatbread and grabbed a lemon bar.  There was no wait to order, which was great for me (I went around 1:15 p.m.). The order itself didn’t take too long either although on the menu it says to expect a 12 – 14 minute wait, I may have waited about ten minutes. Or maybe it didn’t feel long because I was perusing the custard and baked goods they had on display that looked absolutely yummy! Anyway, as I was walking back to work with my order (I must admit it was very poor planning on my part logistically as carrying a boxed flatbread and lemon bar, my purse and holding an umbrella due to the rain wasn’t the easiest thing) and was getting hungrier by the minute. The smell emanating from my flatbread smelled divine! Once I got back to my office, I quickly took photos for this post and began inhaling my lunch.  I kept pushing it further away hoping that it would slow me down – it did, but not by much. The plan was to eat half for lunch and the other for dinner – yeah, that didn’t happen. The wild mushroom flatbread with garlic confit, creamed spinach, fontina  was a bit oily but it was still crisp with a peppery, garlic flavour. The mushrooms were  meaty and the fontina added a nice taste. The lemon bar – the crust on the bottom was a bit soft so there is no way I could’ve eaten it without a spoon or a fork. It was very lemony maybe a little too much, I’m uncertain if I would get it again. I will definitely  return for lunch again, perhaps try the restaurant too.

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Woodward Table
1426 H St NW