Eat Meat Repeat – it’s meat week in the District! Local BBQ enthusiasts can gather at a different venue every night to celebrate smoky, slow cooked meat!
MONDAY JANUARY 30
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| Photo credit: Paul USA |
It’s National Croissant Day! Croissants are not originally French though our boulangers made the Austrian Kipferl their own and a staple of viennoiserie (viennoiseries literally means “of Vienna”). Celebrate by starting the day with a regular or almond croissant at Paul and end it at Bayou Bakery for a cajun twist on pigs in a blanket, with smoked pork andouille sausages wrapped in a flaky, buttery, croissant. If you have more of a sweet tooth, try Mussel Bar‘s Chocolate Bread Pudding: the secret ingredient, other than the Bourbon-Buttermilk sauce, is croissant!
TUESDAY JANUARY 31
Last chance to catch dinner and a French movie at Rustik Tavern in Bloomingdale. They’re screening The Professional (the one with Jean-Paul Belmondo, not Jean Reno and Nathalie Portman). The French Embassy is also hosting a screening of a more recent French film, A Declaration of War, a touching family love story about a young couple trying to deal with their young son having terminal brain cancer. While it was not nominated, A Declaration of War was France’s official pick for the 2012 Oscars. The screening will be in French, with English subtitles, at 7PM at the French Embassy ($8/ticket – $5 for students, reserve here).
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1
Hosted by Todd & Ellen Gray, the 11th Annual Sugar and Champagne Affair features sweets, bubbly and benefits the Humane Society. Need I say more? Tickets to the general reception are $90, while VIP tickets for the Chef’s Tasting Room are $150 (but these are sold out). The event will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2
I devoured all three books, saw the original Swedish films and the American version… short of traveling to Sweden I’m quite the little Millennium Trilogy fan! Sweden has been doing some pretty cool things lately to get people to know more about the country as a tourist destination (including having a different Swede curate the official Swedish tourism twitter account every week) and that includes sending Sören Staermose, the producer of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium movies, on a tour of the US to talk about Sweden behind the Scenes. The discussion, which will be moderated by Mikael Södersten, (6-8PM at the House of Sweden) is free, just email rsvp-hos@foreign.ministry.se with Feb 2 in the subject line to let them know you’ll be attending. Oh, and La Chandeleur is today, so eat some crêpes (you can use my recipe)… or wait until Saturday…
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4
… when you can celebrate with l’Alliance Française at the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden. I will be in Paris, and I promise I’ll be having a delicious crêpe there. I also promise I’ll be cheering for Les Bleus who will be kicking off the Rudgy’s 6 Nations Tournament that day, against Italy (ALLEZ LESS BLEUS!). In D.C. you can also cheer for Les Bleus (why not!?) at Fado’s Irish Pub (9:30AM & $20 cover for Italy-France, 12PM for Scotland-England). It’s also National Pisco Sour day. Celebrate at Mio Restaurant, which is hosting a special happy hour between 5:30-8PM to raise funds for Esperenza Education Fund and college scholarships for local immigrant students. 10% from every $6 Macchu Pisco cocktail will benefit the organization.
SUNDAY FEBRAUARY 5
I think there’s American football on TV today, but most importantly, it’s World Nutella Day! Why not celebrate with Pound Coffee‘s luscious Nutella latte? You can try my recipe for a rich Nutella Martini (check back on this blog February 4th) or to round up the week beautifully, spread some of the Italian hazelnut spread on a flaky croissant!
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| Picture courtesy of Pound Coffee |
Having been to Paris quite a few times before I was looking for a new experience of all things French. The wine tasting lunch at O Chateau was the perfect example. Taking place in the underground cellars, which have been fantastically decorated with a modern twist, the experience appeals to all the senses. The wine was great, the abundant amount of cheese and cured meats were scrumptious and the wine tutor was informed and very entertaining. I genuinely left feeling my understanding of French wine had increased! Thank you to http://www.privatetoursinistanbul.com
Yeah, I've heard of O Chateau, I was thinking of checking it out… I worry it doesn't quite cater to the French though…