We had a blast Friday night celebrating the unveiling of a new indoor mural by street artist Gaia at Pinea, the new(ish) restaurant that replaced J&G Steakhouse at the luxury hotel W Washington D.C. To go along Chef Barry Koslow's southern Mediterranean menu, the mural was inspired by a sculpture of Cesar Augustus and also features birds, a leitmotiv in Gaia's work. I personally love the mural and thinks it not only livens up Pinea's dining room but also really works with what I expect a restaurant at a W Hotel to look like. Wondering where you may have seen Gaia's works before? The 27 years old Baltimore-based street ...
Better know the district
Olivia Macaron Venturing out of Georgetown
No, the Georgetown purveyor of colourful macarons is not opening a second boutique in Shaw. At least not yet (how great would it be though??) But there's still some good news if you love Olivia Macaron but don't love trekking all the way to M Street... you can now purchase a limited selection of macarons to go along your favourite coffee blend at La Colombe in Bladgen Alley. Obviously, there's a lot less flavours available at La Colombe, but it's great to know that there are some available in Shaw right? Also, if you can't make it to (or don't want to) Olivia Macaron or La Colombe, Olivia delivers nationwide (just call 202.965.1000 for orders.) La Colombe is located at 924 N St NW. Olivia ...
Oyamel Tequila & Mezcal Festival Returns March 2-15
Oyamel's annual Tequila & Mezcal Festival is back with a new theme this year: Mexican chiles! Since it's almost March and we're still getting hit by snow, I'll take a little heat wherever I can get it... and that includes in my cocktails! At last Tuesday's preview party, I got to sample the drinks and dishes that will be served during the festival's opening party on Monday, March 2 . Let's start with the food. It was great, it always is at Oyamel, with various chiles highlighted in every dish, including dessert (chili-infused Mexican chocolate cookies)! If you enjoy the Nopalitos salad on the restaurant's regular menu and enjoy a bit of spice, you'll love the extra kick added to the ...
G’Eclair to Bring Trendy French Pastry to Adams Morgan
In 2009, I met my mom, aunt, grandmother and cousins in Djerba, Tunisia for a relaxing Mediterranean family vacation (you can read more about that trip here). I had to leave before everyone else because well, I'm the only one who lives in a country that doesn't have 6-weeks of paid vacation days a year (grrr USA!) but did meet up with my dad in Paris for a quick 24 hours before flying back to D.C. My dad and I both have a mad sweet tooth and truly appreciate fine desserts, so these 24 hours turned into quite the pâtisseries marathon. And it was good timing: Éclair Week was in full swing at Fauchon, leading me to rediscover a forgotten childhood favourite. Fast forward to today. Saying ...
Sweet! There’s a New Menu at The Grill Room
Wednesday night, I headed off to the Capella Hotel in Georgetown to celebrate its new chef Frank Ruta, and the new menu he designed for its restaurant The Grill Room. I must confess, I never ate at Palena, the Cleveland Park establishment Chef Ruta headed before it closed last year. I also never attended one of his famed Bread Feast supper club dinner at Mark Furstenberg's Bread Furst . And yet, I have an awesome memory of Chef Ruta, one that doesn't involve his food directly. Instead, it involves a panel on which he sat at the National Archives a few years back. A panel of former White House chefs. The soft spoken Chef Ruta sat between former White House Executive Chef Pierre Chambrin and ...
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 ...
Dolci Gelati Cafe Now Spreading Happiness in Shaw
Unless you live in Takoma Park and already have easy access to chef Gianluigi Dellaccio's sweet frozen creations, you're probably like me and pretty stoked that Dolci Gelati Cafe just opened in Shaw. Equally exciting, chef Cedric Maupillier of Mintwood Place is slated to open his new restaurant, Convivial, next door... Dolci Gelati is a labour of love for Gianluigi and Anastasia Dellaccio and I never tire of hearing the story of their business' beginnings, which had Gianluigi drumming up business by going from restaurant to restaurant with a cooler of gelato strapped to the back of his vespa. Today, Dolci Gelati is a larger operation, with a production facility in Northeast ...
Chantons Noel Concerts at National City Christian Church
Fa Oh la la la la la ~ The celebrated Children's Chorus of Washington will be touring France this summer (lucky them) and in anticipation of their trip, they are giving their Christmas concerts a french twist this year. The award winning chorus will be joined by the Amadeus Brass Quintet for two concerts of French Christmas music at the National City Christian Church at Thomas Circle. The two concerts are December 20 and December 21, both at 4PM. Tickets are $50 for adult premium sitting, $25 regular and $10 for children under 12. Save the date and purchase your tickets here. ♫ Mon beau sapin ♪ roi des forêts... ♬ ...
Visiting the Library of Congress’ Reading Room
Twice a year, on President's Day and Columbus Day, the stunning Reading Room of the Library of Congress opens its door to the general public. I'd visited the Library of Congress on many occasions but had never gotten a chance to really see the main Reading Room, other than through a glass window on a second floor balcony. So last week, I decided I would cross it off my DC-to-do-list. The Library of Congress is a bibliophile's dream. The collections of the Library include more than 32 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages, including some rare works like the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a Gutenberg Bible, 1 million issues of world newspapers ...
Out of Many One Facescape on the National Mall
On October 9, 1888, the Washington Monument officially opened to the general public. It's the tallest building in Washington, D.C. and the tallest stone structure in the world, though it lost the tallest building in the world title a long time ago (initially to a certain wrought-iron Parisian tower...and many more buildings since.) My husband and I have lived in DC for more than 10 years and yet we had never been up to the top of the Washington Monument. So when we heard that the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the National Park Service had commissioned a six-acre portrait between the World War Two Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial that's best seen from 555 feet above ground and ...
