A few weekends ago, I kicked off Dîner en Blanc season by attending Charm City’s very first event, which was held at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. It had been a while, since New York City three years ago actually, that I’d attended a dîner as a guest rather than a volunteer. Just showing up […] ...
Local DC
Le Beaujolais Nouveau is Arriving at These 6 French Spots
Ten days after the U.S. elections and one week before Thanksgiving, it’s time to celebrate a French holiday for a change: the arrival of the first wine of the season, le Beaujolais Nouveau. As always, it happens on the third Thursday of November, so unless you were up until 2 a.m. celebrating at Bistrot du Coin today’s […] ...
U.S. Supreme Court? CHECK!
FINALLY!! After 6 years on my DC-to-do-list, I can cross off visiting the U.S. Supreme Court! Well, actually, the item on my list was a little more ambitious than just visiting the U.S. Supreme Court. I wanted to sit through an oral argument. And that's not exactly what I did this week, but close enough. Thanks to a former colleague, I sat through a lecture on property rights in the progressive era, organized by the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society and hosted by Justice Samuel Alito. The lecture itself was waaaay over my head, I have no legal background whatsoever, but the reception afterwards, in one of the court's stunning conference rooms, was right up my alley! I mean, of course ...
Drink all the French Bubbles at DC’s First Champagne Week
If you missed Champagne Day on October 21, don't worry! Champagne shouldn't be celebrated in a day anyway, it clearly deserves its own week! At least that's what my friends Jess and Alison thought. These two wine pros are throwing DC's first ever Champagne Week, from Sunday November 6 to Thursday November 12. The idea for DC Champagne Week started off small. Jess runs Young Winos of DC, a group that connects people in the District with wine tastings and events. She reached out to Alison, who runs her own wine consulting business Bon Vivant DC, to partner up on a champagne focused event. Jess jokes that Alison took a small idea and blew it up, but Alison retorts that Jess never would've ...
Crossing Off Bad Saint From My DC-To-Do-List
When I added Bad Saint to my 2016 DC-To-Do list in early January the tiny Filipino eatery in Columbia Heights was already quite the popular destination for local foodies. Grabbing a seat at the tiny 25-seats restaurant required a some advance planning (or luck!) since it has a strict no reservations policy. Then came national recognition. In September, Bon Appétit magazine gave Bad Saint the # 2 spot on its Hot 10 list of best new restaurants in America. Michelin inspectors took notice as well and a few weeks ago included Bad Saint in its Bib Gourmand list of worthy yet affordable restaurants in DC's very first edition of the guide (you can see a full list here). Not the greatest timing to ...
Celebrating DC’s First Michelin Guide at the French Ambassador’s Residence
Being invited to the French Ambassador's Residence is always a treat... I've only been there a few times in my 13 years in Washington and I'm always elated when I have the chance to attend an event there. Last night was no exception, if anything it was more special than ever as Washington's top toques gathered to celebrate the release of the District's very first Michelin Guide. So. Many. Chefs. In addition to the 11 chefs who were awarded coveted stars in the red guide, representatives from the restaurants who were awarded Bib Gourmand last week as well as from those who were listed in the book were present. Who was left in DC's kitchens last night? A lot of sous-chefs in charge ...
Michelin Awards Bib Gourmand Honours to 19 DC Restaurants
The lines at Bad Saint are about to get even longer ;-) As is customary, Michelin announced today the list of "affordable" restaurants that have earned the designation of Bib Gourmand. These restaurants will not be receiving stars next week (the DC edition of the Michelin Guide will be released on October 13th) but do offer "exceptional good food at moderate price." Bib, in this case, doesn't refer to the piece of cloth you place around your neck to keep your clothes from spills while eating. It's short for Bibendum (aka, the Michelin Man!) and I'd encourage you to read this article for a little background on one of France's most beloved brand mascot. Without further ado though, ...
Getting my Coffee Fix at Qualia Luke’s Diner
Where you a fan of Gilmore Girls? I watched it religiously when I was in college and I can't wait until Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the four-episode revival of the series, comes out on Netflix November 25! To celebrate the 16th gilmoreversary of the series’ original pilot air date (this is making me feel old!!) and of course promote the new season, Netflix had the brilliant idea of bringing a little bit of Stars Hollow to life by turning some 200 coffee shops across the U.S. and Canada into Luke's Diner pop-ups. And to serve free coffee, which we know Rory and Lorelai would have totally be fans of!! There were five coffee shops that got the Luke's Diner treatment in the D.C. ...
New Mural at 801 N Street NW
It's been pretty gloomy in Washington, DC lately so I was pretty excited to stumble upon a new pop of colour in Shaw. Kuddos to Jessie and Katey, an artistic duo from Baltimore, for working in the rain to turn a dull wall above a parking lot into a vibrant public mural. The mural is part of the District Wall project sponsored by Blind Whino and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Between September 19th and September 30th, abstract muralists like Jason Woodside (1380 H st NE), Remi Rough (649 Kenyon St NW), Tavar Zawacki (1012 7th St SE) or Waone Interesni Kazki (829 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW) have been painting new pieces of street art around the city. I'm always eager to see ...
Drink Your Way Through Election Season at Bastille & ENO Wine Bar
It's a time honoured tradition in Washington, DC. We like to drink. We like politics... so every election cycle, whether it's the primaries or the general, local bars come up with politically-themed cocktails. If you're like me and less than thrilled with your options this year (not that I can vote anyway), I'm sure you can use a stiff drink, or five, with a cheesy name poking fun at the candidates. I love it, especially when an awesome French restaurant gets involved. Bastille is one of my favourite French restaurant in the city... well, technically it's not in the city but right outside in Alexandria, VA. It's definitely worth a metro ride to Braddock Road though, and that's saying a lot ...