Live to Eat. Love to Travel. Hungry for more.
Sour beers are hot right now in the US, but they are anything but a new concept. In fact, sour beer goes back to ancient brewing styles, and have been popular especially in Belgium for hundreds of years.
Et Voila is a classic French-Belgian restaurant, nestled in the Palisades neighborhood of DC. And let me say, the Palisades is a lucky, lucky neighborhood to have it.
It’s Friday. It’s Cinco de Mayo. What more reason do you need to celebrate?
It’s probably best you know Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day as popularly thought here in the US. It’s in fact, the date commemorating the Mexican Army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
In any case, it’s become such a tradition here now to celebrate Mexican culture on this date, and lots of restaurants and bars have some fun specials that you should take advantage of. Here are some of my favorites.
The Truxton Inn is my definition of a classy and cozy haunt – an old school looking but modern bar with gorgeous furnishings, comfy couches, bookshelves, and generally sultry vibe. I love everything about the space– the pineapple lamps, the décor of photographs and books, the dim (but sufficient) lighting, the ceiling trims, and the overall atmosphere. I think they totally nailed the classic hotel bar look without being stuffy! The patio coming later in the summer will be a great addition!
The Gibson is one of those DC bars that is SOOOO much a part of DC cocktail culture – thy really don’t really need any introduction. Now we have a whole bunch of cocktails bars and “speakeasy” style bars and stuff, but when I first came to DC 7 years ago it was pretty much The Gibson.
They still have some of the best drinks in town – both in terms of creativity and taste! What stands out to me time and again, however, is the creativity and thought behind each drink name, ranging from pop culture to politics to inside jokes between the bartenders.
I’ve lived in Washington, DC for almost 7 years now, and am still discovering some of the hidden treasures in the city, and have an ever expanding list of places to try! What better way to knock a few off the list than with a food tour! I tried the Mangia DC Georgetown Food tour a few days back and am happy to report that I got to try a couple places on my list, and discovered a couple of interesting fun facts about the city I call home now!
There are days when I just want to eat Takoda's chicken and waffles with a side of the rosemary parmesan tots, but there are other days when I can really do with eating a bit lighter. For those latter kinda days, I'm happy to see some menu additions and changes just in time to prep for summer.. I tried some of these new additions recently, and am happy to report that they still keep the excitement to the taste buds and allowing me to make better choices.
“gauchos”, who are essentially the South American version of cowboys, extremely skilled at this method of cooking Waiters then bring the cooked meats around on spits, portioning out pieces for customers tableside. Part of the fun for customers is in using the card at the table to indicate whether to keep the meat coming (Green!) or hold off (red!). There is also a popular market table salad bar which is very extensive – with a variety of salads, cured meats, cheeses and a Feijoada bar of Brazilian sides.
Baltimore, our often overlooked neighbor to the north is proving that they should definitely not be ignored as a vibrant East Coast City. I spent the weekend there, and will be reporting back on their lovely food and drink scene, but for now wanted to talk about their current 9 day festival – Light City.
Ari Gedjenson of the Mindful Restaurant Group, which also owns Ghibellina and Acqua Al 2, is one of the people who is really investing a lot in this neighborhood, with the opening of 3 restaurants. Dock FC, Ari’s Diner, and La Puerta Verde are all located in the new Hecht warehouse development, and despite being right next to each other, they are each unique in their own way and are inspired by experiences in Ari’s life.
