Le Pain Quotidien may come from Brussels but I won't hold this against the chain of organic bakeries, cafés and food shops. After all, founder Alain Coumont sure knows how to make good bread. And how to export it around the world too. Besides, I can't really hold being Belgian against anyone given my own background ;-) I remember my excitement when Le Pain Quotidien, which already had a nice presence in New York City, finally arrived in the District. I was starved for good bread, and I missed their breakfast, the one that's just an excuse to sit at a rustic communal table and spread jams on bread and croissant. I heart my carbs! And I hearted the adorable little courtyard tucked away in the ...
Restaurants
Summer (French) Movie Nights at Napoleon
Memorial Day is behind us which means summer has finally begun! That means LOTS of outdoors movie festivals are kicking off, in NoMa, at the Mosaic District, the Capital Riverfront, in the Heurich House Museum courtyard, on Harrison Field near U Street... pretty much all over the city ;-) But let's face it, it's HOT in D.C. in the summer (well, at least it usually is... we're obviously having a pretty mild season right now...) and while outdoor movie screenings are fun, sometimes it's nice to be inside where there's air conditioning. Add half price champagne cocktails, crispy fried calamari, croque monsieur croquettes and hand-cut fries and you've got a winning combination in my (French) ...
Ladies who lunch…at the French Embassy
I wouldn't normally "review" an office cafeteria lunch, but I thought I'd make an exception... There are some 300 employees at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. It's actually the largest French diplomatic mission in the world, and guess what, all this staff has to eat lunch at some point. I know... there are plenty of amazing lunch options in Washington. But pretty much none near the Embassy which is far far away, on Reservoir Road, near the Georgetown Hospital. It's kind of a pain to get to... but the D6 bus and I are learning to get along. I digress. The French Embassy in the United States has 2 restaurants, a fancy one for business meetings etc. (I haven't had a chance to eat at ...
First Impressions ~ Le Diplomate
Apparently, I was not the only one who simply couldn't wait to try Le Diplomate! The 260-seats brasserie just (soft) opened and it's been swamped every night this week. And I know that because I've been there almost every night this week ;-)It's no surprise. Ever since it was announced that Philadelphia restauranteur Stephen Starr would be taking over a former laundry mat building at the corner of 14th and Q, it became one of the District's most anticipated openings. And I don't care if Washingtonians were excited about it because of Stephen Starr's fame and reputation, because of the location, or because they're like me and always looking for good French food in the city... I'm just excited ...
10 Delicious Reasons You Should Go To Union Market This Weekend
Union Market, a renovated 47,000-square-foot warehouse and foodie heaven, opened back in September. Its artisan vendors, pop-ups and stores should be enough to drive the crowds to this otherwise kinda sketchy part of North East D.C. any day of the week (well, Wednesday-Sunday at least, it's not open Mondays and Tuesdays.) Whether you're already a regular there, or have never been, here are ten reasons why you should go this weekend: 1) "Meat" The Folks at Red Apron Butchery - I grew up going to the boucherie and I love all the different "butcher" options at Union Market (especially Harvey's Market and Border Springs Farm). I love that newly opened Red Apron is not only a full service ...
Champagne and Dine Giveaway
Any restaurant that features a champagne happy hour, hosts free French movie showings and has duck confit on its menu is likely to be high on my list of places I love to frequent. So I'm delighted to be able to offer two lucky readers the opportunity to wine champagne and dine at Napoleon Bistro and Lounge in Adams Morgan courtesy of CityEats. CityEats was created in partnership with the Food Network and is a great way to explore a city's restaurant scene (currently, D.C., New York, New Orleans and Philadelphia) and make dinner reservations all in one spot. To be eligible to win a dream meal at one of my favourite D.C. French bistro (a $100 value) just look through Napoleon Bistro and ...
Ain’t no party like an S Club a poutine party!
Sometimes back in 2011, the Canadian Embassy figured out that I wasn't actually Canadian. Initially I guess, my degree from McGill University got them confused and I somehow managed to get invited to a lot of great events, celebrating the Vancouver Olympics, Stanley Cup finals and Canada Day. But last year it all stopped. Le sigh. Where will I get my Molson fix now? ;-) Luckily, the Canadian Embassy is stepping up its game this year, and offering a lot of options for people who, like me, would like to celebrate our neighbours up north but aren't quite special enough to get official invites. Starting with... drumroll... DC's first-ever poutine party. Yes. Poutine party!! I haven't been to ...
Joyeuse journée du sandwich au fromage fondu!
I don't know if there really is a word in French for grilled cheese sandwich... but in honour of National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day here in the U.S. (yes, there is such a thing...) I thought I would pay homage to my favourite grilled cheese sandwich of all: the croque monsieur. Croque Monsieurs are classic items on the menus of French bistros and cafés. Croque means to crunch or bite and monsieur means sir so the "crunchy mister" is basically our version of the grilled cheese, typically made with ham and emmental, though the best one in my opinions also have béchamel. A more elaborate version, the croque madame, adds a fried egg on top. I've used this recipe to make it at home, but ...
Some like it hot raw…
Once the stronghold of steakhouses and burger joints, could Washington be ready for a meat-less, heat-free dining experience? If the success of Elizabeth's Gone Raw is any indication, it would appear so... Launched last July by Elizabeth Petty, owner of The Catering Company of Washington, this new occasional restaurant aims to challenge the palates of Washingtonians while demonstrating that food can be both healthy and flavourful, uncooked and surprising. Elizabeth, who herself went raw in 2009 for health reasons, and her chefs Thomas Berry and Calvin Lee, are now providing DC with its first high end raw and vegan tasting menu. I had the opportunity to taste my first entirely raw vegan meal ...
♫ My kind of town hot dog Chicago is ♪
Appropriately, I had my very first Chicago-Style Hot Dog in the Windy City. I had met up with my roommates from college for a fun girly weekend there and on our last day, we decided to try something typical of the city: the hot dog. We headed to Gold Coast Dogs and I have loved Chicago-style hot dogs ever since. I think one of the reasons I like it so much compared to other dogs is that it is loaded with veggies. A typical one includes a steemed kosher-syle all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, sweet pickle relish, a pickle spear, tomato wedges and pickles sport peppers with a dash of celery salt, earning it the nickname of hot dog that ...