Last July 14th I was surprised to see Grand Marnier serving "French Margaritas" at the French Embassy. In this orange-flavoured variation of the margarita, Grand Marnier adds a French Twist to the classic Mexican drink. So on National Margarita Day I thought I would share the recipe for the Grand Margarita. Ingredients: 1 1/2 oz Grand Marnier, 3/4 oz premium tequila, 1 1/2 oz fresh squeeze lime juice, 1 1/2 oz simple syrup (equal part sugar and water boiled until the sugar dissolves, then cooled), 2 lime squeezes, 2 orange squeezes. Mix all of the ingredients with some ice in a shaker. Pour into a margarita glass and enjoy! Happy Margarita Day!! ...
J'adore
I need my macaron fix… tout de suite sweet ;-)
Don't look to Jerome Colin to take a stand in cupcakes vs. macarons debate. Tout de Sweet, his new shop in Bethesda, features both bite size treats. Since my ears perk up every time macarons are mentioned, I just had to check out Tout de Sweet tout de suite and met up with Bethesda Foodie and One Vanilla Bean (you can read her review, and drool over pictures she took, right here) during their soft opening Saturday. If cupcakes take up a fair share of counter space inside the petite boutique, the outside belongs to macarons. Upon seeing the towers of mango, raspberry and chocolate macarons displayed in the window, I knew that Tout de Sweet and I would get along! Tout de Suite means ...
Namaste National Mall
Today was BYOM (Bring Your Own Mat) on the National Mall. In conjunction with the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival, Lululemon led a yoga class on the National Mall. Of course, with the cherry blossoms at their peak this weekend, the nearly 1000 yogi of all levels which participated provided additional photo op for the hoards of tourists around. ...
Affordable solutions for better living riding
Don't get me wrong, I love living in D.C. and in the United States in general. But every once in a while, like when I think about the health care system or the six weeks of paid vacation time, I can't help reminiscing about life in France. There are just some things that the French do better. Apparently even minute things like Ikea ads ;-) So back in January of 2009, my metro station, Gallery Place, was taken over by Ikea. As D.C. prepared for inauguration of Barrack Obama, Ikea released a yellow and blue "change begins at home" poster style campaign. Not bad. Now in Paris, Ikea is actually inviting metro riders to test two of their popular couches: “Ektorp” and “Kalstad”, in its Paris ...
Alice in Paris… I mean… Wonderland
My special correspondent in Paris and enabler of macarons obsession (also known as my dad) reports that Paris is currently "émerveillé" with Alice au Pays des Merveilles. That would be French for Alice in Wonderland ;-) Tim Burton's adaptation of Lewis Caroll's tale only comes out on March 24th in France, but Alice's whimsical world has already taken Paris by storm. The Arludik Gallery, for example, is hosting an exhibit of artists selected by Tim Burton himself to define the artistic and graphic universe of the film (March 4-7, 12-14 rue St Louis en L'Ile, 4eme). Paul & Joe imagined a make-up line inspired by the fairy tale and Stella McCartney collaborated with Disney to create a ...
The Secret Life of (DC) Bees
Urban beekeeping has been buzzing in Europe for a while now and the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts seem keen to cash in on bring the trend across the pond. Toronto's Fairmont Royal York was the first North American hotel to jump into the bee action in 2008 when it installed a Honey Moon Suite on its roof (along with a Royal Sweet and a V.I.Bee Suite). Since then, three more Fairmont hotels established their apiary, including D.C.'s own Fairmont Hotel which already grew its own herbs and flowers and where executive sous chef Ian Bens and executive pastry chef Aaron Weber share beekeeper responsibilities. The honey produced is incorporated in the dishes served at the hotel's restaurant's ...
