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!

It's an Obama Nation!

DC was a blast. The town is full of Obama love. It was amazing to witness how people of all ages and races expressed their joy for our new Commander-in-Chief. It was electric and I'm happy to have been a part of it.

My friends and I tried desperately to get tickets to the swearing-in or the parade, but there was absolutely no luck on that front. I sent notes to both my senators, Senator Kennedy and Senator Kerry, to no avail. However, because of those notes, I was invited to attend a reception they sponsored in a Senate hearing room near the Mall. How cool was that? We got the best of both worlds. We rode the Metro over and got to be a part of the huge crowds... without having to be in the huge crowds! The temperatures were in the 20s, so we definitely got the better end of that deal!

Naturally, we didn't see the Senators -- they were up close and personal to the swearing-in. However, their staff made sure that we were well taken care of. We were in a room with comfortable chairs, 3 large-screen televisions, plenty of refreshments and most importantly, clean bathrooms down the hall! No port-a-potties for us!

We arrived around 8 am, even though the invitation suggested we get there by 10 am. That was a good move, as there was already a good amount of people when we got there. We were able to go downstairs to the cafeteria before the staffers set up the coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches and pastries.

We saw the ceremony via closed-circuit TV. We watched the guests arrive without commentary, so it was fun to make our own. I loved Madame Obama's outfit and I love how she dressed her girls -- in J. Crew, no less. So chic! I appreciate that Madame Obama celebrates American style and American designers. Dr. Biden, Vice President Biden's wife, is going to give Madame Obama a run for her money fashion-wise! She is quite fashionable herself. I love that she wore those boots!

We were able to purchase tickets to an unofficial luau, in honor of President Obama's home state. We took the Metro to the luau at the Hotel Monaco. DC was dressed to the nines Inaguration Night! There is a large military presence there (obviously). I was impressed to see the soldiers in their dressy uniforms escorting elegant ladies in velvet! The civillians were dressed as well. I've never seen so many tuxedos on a subway!

We didn't see President Obama at the luau, but we were feeling lots of Hawaii love and eating delicious luau fare. My favorite was the chicken long rice. Be sure to get some of that if you make it to the islands!

The only souvenir I managed to get was the commemorative Metro card pictured above (which I purchased on-line before I left for DC). I tried to purchase souvenirs the day after the Inauguration, but the lines were too long. I hope I can visit DC later in the year and purchase a few things for my family.

On the way back to Boston, Governor Patrick, who attened the Inauguration with his wife and daughter, was on the plane -- riding coach, in case any Massachusetts taxpayers are wondering. I couldn't think of anything clever to say, so I decided to leave him alone. He was intensely tapping away on his Blackberry, no doubt attending to important state business.

There were several people who had connecting flights, so Governor Patrick and his family stayed on the plane so that they could get off. After he walked out, he greeted several youngsters. He seems like a really nice person. He had a few moments to himself, but soon after he got off the plane, reporters were there, with bright lights and camera crews, ready to interview him about the Inauguration.

It was a terrific time to be in DC. I'm so glad I was there! I visited some delicious eating establishments as well. I'll share those in a later post.

BostonSewer Goes To Washington

That's right! I'm off to DC this weekend to celebrate the new administration. I will bunk with a friend of mine who has been living in DC since '05. She has another friend who is coming from CA. DC won't be the same once the Cali girls are there! We don't have tickets to the Inauguration, but we do hope to attend a viewing and take part in any other invitations that might come our way.

I was hoping to get a break from the cold, but it appears that DC is just as cold as Boston. Oh well. I'm looking forward to the celebration and spending time with my friends!