Crumbs & Whiskers' kickstarter campaign has raised over $35,000, has gotten all of the necessary permits from the D.C. government and, this just in, officially signed a lease for a Georgetown location. So Washington is definitely getting a cat café in the near future though it probably won't open until late summer. And until it does, I thought I'd share what I hope Crumbs & Whiskers will be like. And that's basically Meow Parlour. Meow Parlour is New York's first, adn to date only, cat café. Or perhaps I should say a space with cats, where you can bring coffee purchased at another location around the corner. Unlike Paris' cat cafe, Cafe des Chats (which actually is more of a ...
Around the USA
April in Paris Washington
April in Paris may be a feeling that no one can ever reprise but if you were in Washington this past weekend you probably met the charm of spring directly in the face too. Paris may have "chestnuts in blossoms" but we've got stunning cherry trees given as a sign of friendship by Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki back in 1912. I don't know if I was starved for spring after a long winter that kept dragging on... or if I was lured to the Tidal Basin by an unlikely combination of peak bloom time coinciding with a weekend which also happened to be an absolutely stunning spring day, but I definitely caught cherry blossoms fever over these last 2 days! Here are a few pictures I snapped during sakura on ...
Wine Wednesday: Introducing Truvée by the McBride Sisters
It's not unusual to refer to wine making as a family affair, but Andrea and Robin McBride are far from your typical winemakers. Their newly launched wine label, Truvée, is a nod to how the sisters, in fact half-sisters, found (get it, trouvée... truvée...) each other despite growing up continents apart. "We found each other, now we want people to find a wine that matters to them,” Andréa shared at a luncheon I recently attended to introduce Truvée to Washington, D.C. In addition to sampling great food (the luncheon was hosted at BToo afterall) and tasting good wine, I also got to hear firsthand the amazing story of how these long-lost sisters met and got to where they are ...
Bread Furst Loaves Now Available at Whole Food P Street
Occasionally, I'lI venture out to Van Ness for great bread at Mark Furstenberg' Bread Furst... but if I can get his loaves closer to home... well, that's definitely something I'm excited about! And, as of last Friday, four of his loaves are now available at Whole Foods on P Street: corn rye, whole wheat, multigrain, and teff rye. Hurray! Too bad they're not selling his croissants too :( ...
Ici Urban Bistro Joins Thousands of Restaurants Across the World to Celebrate Goût de France
This Thursday, March 19, some 1,300 chefs will cook up special dinners at restaurants and embassies in 150 countries across all five continents for a worldwide celebration of French cuisine and gastronomy. Under the patronage of France’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius and famed Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, "Goût de France / Good France" was inspired by Auguste Escoffier’s Dîners d’Épicure (Epicurean Diners), in which one menu was served to as many guests as possible worldwide in one day. This time, however, the chefs have some creative freedom to come up with their own menus, though they must adhere to a strict traditional degustation format and serve, in this order, a French ...
DC’s Crumbs and Whiskers off to a Great Start
I've been making the cat café rounds lately. Last November, I visited both Café des Chats locations in Paris. More recently, I swung by Meow Parlour in New York City, and enjoyed a Hello Kitty themed macaron while hanging out with a bunch of adoptable cats. So, obviously, while I have my own BFF (Best Furry Friend) already, I'm thrilled that there's a plan to bring a cat café concept to the D.C. area. And apparently, I'm not the only one. Last Sunday, some 50 people showed up at Penn Social for the launch of Crumbs & Whiskers' kickstarter campaign. A campaign which, by the way, reached its goal within 24 hours and has already surpassed its stretch goal (update: it's currently at ...
Les Merveilleux de Fred Opens in New York’s West Village
I spent the past week in New York City for a work event, and just had to find some time to visit the newly opened bakery Aux Merveilleux de Fred. HAD TO. The Manhattan version of Frédéric Vaucamps' meringue-shop looks like his many Parisian outposts, with a stunning chandelier, rows of merveilleux in display cases and an open kitchen that allows passers-by on 8th avenue to see how the pastries are assembled by hand. And the pastries? Well, they're just as marvelous on this side of the Atlantic ;-) If you're not familiar with the merveilleux pastry, you're not alone. This traditional northern France sweet had fallen out of fashion until the late 90's, when Fred decided to make it the ...
French Offerings at the 25th Washington Jewish Film Festival
Joyeux anniversaire to the Washington Jewish Film Festival (WJFF)! This year, the WJFF celebrates its 25th year with 11 days of film programming, and cultural events exploring the diversity of the Jewish experience across the globe. Between February 19 and March 1, 2015, D.C. audiences will be treated to some 100 movie screenings and related events across the DMV, including many premieres and an exciting roster of filmmaker and cast appearances. To honour the festival's past, former festival directors have also selected a special line up of retrospective film screenings that includes the heartbreaking classic Louis Malle film Au Revoir les Enfants (on Feb 21 at the Goethe Institut and Feb 24 ...
Made-in-DC: Vodka & Whiskey at One Eight Distilling
One Eight Distilling is the second distillery to open in Washington, D.C. since prohibition. It happened to open on my birthday, so I thought a little local vodka and whiskey would make for a fun celebration. I wasn't the only one who had the brilliant idea to check out the distillery that day, and the 2,000 square foot tasting room in NorthEast's Ivy City neighbourhood was packed! For now there are only two spirits that can be sampled: the rye-based District Made Vodka and the Rock Creek White Whiskey. We tried both in small One Eight Distilling branded shot glasses while waiting for our tour of the adjoining 7,500 square foot production space to start. Like Green Hat Distillery, One Eight ...
January 11, 2015 – Far from the Eyes, Close to the Heart
This past week, the news hit very close to home. 300 meters close to home to be exact. Understandably, it was a difficult week. But living abroad when the eyes of the world are turned to dramatic events in your home country is not just difficult. It's frustrating. In moments like this, you long you be home and share in the collective sorrow, not just read about it in the news. I wish I could have been home this week, with my family, with my people. But I'm here. So on Wednesday evening, I did the next best thing. I gathered with friends and fellow expatriates outside of the Newseum, to mourn the 12 people murdered earlier that day in the Parisian newsroom of Charlie Hebdo and to make a ...
