To quote Homer Simpson: "Let's give the Olympics a miracle, except this time on ice!" Every four years, a miracle takes place on the Olympic ice: our favourite guilty pleasure, curling, comes out of its mediatic hybernation and lands at the center of all our conversations! This year, curling "rocked" the media with a doodle from Google, fashion reports on the Norwegian team's pants and a Simpsons episode. Another miracle on ice happened on Friday, February 19th. No, it wasn't me lifting a 13 lbs curling stone during the Capital Curling Expo at the Hilton Garden Inn (though for me that was quite an impressive feat!) The miracle happened for the USA Men Curling team, which after losing its ...
Out and about
Mardi Gras, t’en va pas!
Being French and having a husband who hails from Louisiana, the question in our house isn't so much whether to celebrate Mardi Gras but how! Last year, we stuffed ourselves with Acadiana's jambalaya and king cake beignets and given how close we live to the Louisiana-themed restaurant, it's still a good option for this year. Acadiana is offering a special $45 four-course menu as well as bar specials including $2 Southern Sliders or $5 Cajun Pop Corn Shrimp. Eatonville is inviting diners to learn more about the meaning and history behind the celebration with a 6:30pm reception followed by a three-course dinner ($45 per person, call 202.332.6432 for reservations). John Franklin, Director of ...
An Ex-fan des Sixties at La Maison Française
While her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg canceled her January 25th concert at the 9:30 Club, it seems a little bit of snow was not going to scare Jane Birkin! Nor her fans. Despite the 25 or so inches that are still crippling the district, the British chanteuse still performed to a dedicated (and rather large given the circumstances) crowd at La Maison de la France last night.Though she is British, Jane Birkin is a French icon who rose to fame in the 60s as the woman who not only inspired Serge Gainsbourg but also the designers at Hermès who named one of their bag (le Birkin) after her. Her best known song remains the explicitly erotic duet Je t'aime...moi non plus performed with then lover ...
Happy Crêpe Day!
Bring out the crêpe maker!! Today is la Chandeleur or Candlemas in English but more commonly known as Crêpe Day. This Catholic holiday commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus to the Temple. I don't think a lot of French people know that though... Today, La Chandeleur is synonymous with crêpes. Their circular shape and golden color is reminiscent of the sun, which itself makes people think of the springtime coming after a long winter. Or something like that... really, it's an excuse to eat crêpes!If you are not the lucky owner of a crêpe maker (available on Williams and Sonoma's website) you can always use the old frying pan method to make your own ...
Aide Haiti
Since the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti two weeks ago, Washingtonians and local business have stepped to organize a number of fundraising events. From concerts to restaurant deals or happy hours, there’s been plenty of options for everyone to help while engaging in their favourite activities. Here is a shortlist of events that are still going on and have caught my attention.Many bars like The Passengers in Mount Vernon Square have donated a percent of the proceed from an evening’s happy hour to organization operating in Haiti. Vinoteca is taking it one step further with its Happy Hour For Haiti. Through Valentine's Day, the wine bar will give 15% of its total happy hour sales to ...
“Cupper’s Choice” Cupping
If you've ever been to my hometown, I'm sure you couldn't help but notice that cafés are institutions at the center of social life, serving as neighbourhood hubs for Parisians to rendez-vous, leisurely read a book, or sip tiny espressos and demis while engaging in their favourite pass time: people-watching. Café culture is a little different in D.C., which boasts 77 Starbucks, but I've been encouraged by the recent openings of a number of independent coffee shops: Chinatown Coffee Co., Peregrine Expresso, Mid City Caffe and, more recently, Big Chair Coffee in Anacostia.The appearance of these independent coffee shops sheds light on the gentrification of the neighbourhoods where they pop up, ...
Mr. (& Mrs.) Gates Goes To Washington
"If you came for the hockey game, you need to go across the street. If you came for Shakespeare, you need to come another night." But we were at the right place, at the right time. Last night, I joined some 250 diplomats, hill staffers, administration officials and other guests at Harman Hall to hear Bill & Melinda Gates present The Living Proof Project. The Gates went to Washington to urge lawmakers to continue spending money on global health initiatives despite the economic crisis and the soaring deficit. Describing themselves as "Impatient Optimists" they shared with us success stories of people whose lives have been changed thanks to U.S. investments in global health initiatives. ...
Et un ! Et deux ! Et trois – zé-ro !
The Redskins’ first home-game isn’t scheduled until August 22nd. So why did 72,000 football fans descend on FedEx Field yesterday? They were treated to a great match as D.C.’s other football team, D.C. United, took on the mighty Real Madrid C.F. and its roaster of international soccergodsstars. Yes! Finally, some real football at Landover! Sunday’s encounter was a far cry from a typical D.C. United game. The crowd, huge by D.C. soccer standards, was a few thousand spectators shy of what Los Galácticos average for a regular match at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The game was very much a soccer version David vs. Goliath. It was amazing seeing over 72,000 spectators brave the 95 degree heat to ...
Felices Fiestas Patrias Peru!
Either having the event mentioned in Express and Washingtonian (and DCist, and Washington Post...you get the point...) gave the Peruvian Independence Day party at Poste Brasserie some great exposure and publicity or there are more pisco sour fans than I thought in the District! Hundreds gathered in Poste's courtyard to sip Peru's national drink thanks to Macchu Pisco, Evelyn Brooks Design and the Embassy of Peru, which sponsored the fiesta. My husband and I traveled to Peru almost three years ago for our honeymoon and the andean country holds a special place for us. We also LOVE pisco sours and always jump at the chance to enjoy a glass or two (or three...or four...)If you are lucky enough ...
Happy Canada Day, eh!
I never really got to celebrate Canada's national holiday when I lived there. Canada Day commemorates the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act, which united Canada as a single country. But in Montreal, and Quebec overall, July 1st coincides, perhaps not unintentionally, with Quebec's traditional Moving Day. In Montreal, all rentals run from July 1 to June 30 of the following year, so instead of attending Canada Day festivities, Montrealers are usually driving u-haul, carrying heavy furniture up spiral staircases or (my personal fave thing to do on Moving Day) wondering the alleys behind residences for free and up-for-grabs furniture. Hey, don't judge me, ...
