DC Grub

OK, I promised to write about how I ate my way through DC. Sorry it's a bit tardy, but here goes.....

I was in DC for only three days, but I managed to visit quite a few restaurants. The first one I went to was called Nam Viet. Can you guess what kind of food they had? I had the Lemongrass Beef and the egg rolls were to die for. I liked it so much we went back the second night!

After we watched the Inauguration, we were hungry (despite all the refreshments the Senators had for us). B suggested looking for a restaurant in the area. Within walking distance, we found The White Tiger. It was a madhouse -- packed with other hungry people who saw the Inauguration. it was also freezing out, despite my long wool coat and thick knit hat. Thankfully, the buffet of Indian fare was worth the wait. The meatballs were so delicious. There were a couple of other tasty dishes, but I didn't know what they were called. We left the restaurant fat and happy.... until the next grubfest.

For breakfast one day, we went to The Pancake House. I had the potato pancakes, which I have to say, were just OK. I was happy that I ordered the sugar-cured ham, because that was quite good. However, there is an interesting menu item called Dutch Baby that my friend, B, ordered. It was delicious. It looks like a pancake has exploded in your plate, but it's definitely worth it! It's quite a popular place. Many people were willing to wait for seating.

We managed to hit two delicious places in one afternoon. They were Dolcezza Gelato and Le Pain Quotidien. Dolcezza Gelato has the most interesting gelato flavors I've tasted: grapefruit, blood orange, pistachio, cinnamon. Yes, I made quite a nuisance of myself and tasted almost all the flavors. Hey! I was on vacation! :) I ended up getting grapefruit and pistachio. Strange, I know, but it was yummy!

As if we hadn't noshed enough, we headed down the a couple of doors to Le Pain Quotidien. This was my kind of place. We didn't sit down to eat, since we whiled away the afternoon at Dolcezza Gelato, but we did purchase some pastries. Le Pain Quotidien was busy as well. There are 3 parts to this establishment: restaurant, cafe, and to-go. You can buy pastries to go or one of the delicious spreads. They had savory spreads like olive, and sweet jams and jellies. I brought only one small bag that I planned to carry on the plane, so I had to be selective. I decided on the apricot tart and the oatmeal raisin cookies. Yummy! I will check out that restaurant on my next visit.

On the way home we stopped by Rodman's. This is my kind of store. You can get anything and everything there. It's like an old school supermarket and five and dime. Upstairs in the grocery store, there are so many international brands of food. I saw pasta in all different shapes and colors (like pink, green, lavender), coffees, teas, candies, all kinds of sauces and spices, too. Remember our Ad Hoc Christmas? Well, one of the spices Hubby needed was Fenugreek. I found that at Rodman's and brought some home. I also got one of my faves, the skinny breadsticks. There were several flavors. I bought the ones with rosemary in them. Yummmmeee!

Downstairs had anything and everything. There is a wall full of kitchen gadgets. You can buy plates, glasses, chairs, handbags, holiday cards and decorations, and any doo-dad you can think of. I escaped with a large tote bag. I knew I'd need one for the trip home -- I always do.

My last day in DC, I had lunch with my good friend, R, at Morton's. I very rarely eat hamburgers, but I decided to have one there. It was so yummy. It was large, too. I ate only half! If I didn't have to Metro to the airport, I probably would have taken it with me.

Good grub and Obama love. They made for a great mini-vacation!

In other news, I have finished the quilt top for the BBCQ. I've still got to put the sandwich together, quilt and bind. (I did the binding one night while watching PR videos.) I have a nice idea for the quilting. I will be doing it by hand. I'll share that soon!