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 ...
Out and about
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 ...
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 ...
Weekend Highlights: Garnacha, Hello Kitty, a Pique Nique & a Sneak Peek at NMAAHC
I can't believe it's already Monday! I packed a lot in three short days, and the weekend definitely flew by! Now let's just hope the week goes just as fast too ;-) MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY AT GRAND CATA Have you been to Grand Cata yet? It's one of my favourite wine store in the city... and since it doesn't carry many French bottles, that's saying something about the rest of their selection! My first instinct when picking vino is usually to go straight for what I know, French wines but Julio and Pedro who co-own the Latin-centric shop are always spot with their recommendations. Whether it's a Spanish garnacha, a Portuguese rose or a bottle from South America, they've definitely helped me ...
Weekend Highlights ~ Low Key Labour Day
The first Monday of September is always Labor Day in the United States. It honors American workers and their contributions to the strength of the country. It's also considered the unofficial end of summer... le sigh. DRINKS AT THE WATERGATE HOTEL We kicked off the weekend with happy hour at the Next Whisky Bar in the newly opened Watergate Hotel. Of course, everyone knows of the Watergate from the history books and the role it played in the demise of president Richard Nixon. But today, it's a complex of 5 buildings right by the Kennedy Center. One of those building is now a landmark hotel overlooking the Potomac River and I hadn't been yet since it reopened in June (it was closed for ...
Diner en Blanc by the Lincoln Memorial
The very first diner en blanc took place in Paris’ Bois de Boulogne in the 1980s and has popped up in some of the most iconic locations around town since then, like the Champs Elysees, Notre Dame or the Place des Vosges to name a few. While I loved Washington’s first two diners en blanc, the sites (Navy Yard Park in 2014 and the Carnegie Library in 2015) had lacked a certain wow factor. This year, however, the organizers really delivered that only-in-DC magic as 3500 white-clad diners descended on Henry Bacon Park for an over the top, elegant pop-up picnic in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. Getting so many people, slugging their tables, chairs, decorations and for many food, to an ...
Weekend Highlights ~ Restaurant Week, Caipirinhas & Grilled Peach Pizza
Definitely another low-key weekend... sometimes you just need some of those you know, especially as I gear up Diner en Blanc next Saturday. Friday night, I had a couple of girlfriends over for rosé on the roof. My friends Jean and Aparna can't make it to diner en blanc, so we thought we'd dress in white and have a bit of a test run. I'm being a bit of a rebel this year and sprinkling hints of gold into my tablescape so I wanted to check out how it looked. Plus I love any excuse to host. I think it turned out pretty well no? I wanted to keep things simple for the menu so I made Martha Stewart's Grilled Peach Pizza recipe as well as a pitcher of caipirinhas (check out my recipe here, along ...
Soirée Guerre des Etoiles au Match de Baseball
Dans la catégorie experience typique Américaine à faire au moins une fois, je vous présente le baseball. Mon premier match c'était à Fenway Park, le terrain de jeu des célèbres Red Sox de Boston, qui est aussi le stade de baseball de plus ancien encore utilisé aux U.S. Tant qu'à faire, autant choisir un stade historique et une équipe mythique non? L'équipe de D.C. c'est les Washington Nationals et elle est plutôt nouvelle. La capitale Américaine avait été privée de son sport national pendant des années, jusqu'à ce que les Expos de Montréal débarquent sous un nouveau nom et branding en 2005, pour la plus grande joie de tout le monde. En contraste au Red Sox et à Fenway qui sont pleins ...
Happy Watermelon Day!
Rather than give you a French inspired recipe using summer's most refreshing fruit, pastèque, I give you one of the most colourful house in Washington, DC and one of my favourite piece of street art in the city: the Watermelon house!! The row house is located at 1112 Q Street near Logan Circle. Its exposed side has been painted in pink and green to resemble a has a watermelon slice, complete with seeds. Story has it all started with a bad paint job and since everything I know about Logan Circle's famed Watermelon House I know from this Washington Post article, you can read all about it there too. Oh, and if you really want some recipes, I do have two super refreshing ones for you right ...