Fun and Fearless Adventures in Washington, D.C.

I'm back!  I spent three wonderful days and nights in Washington, D.C. visiting one of my best friends.  It was freezing cold down in D.C. but we had a wonderful time filled with lots of laughter that we both badly needed.  Here are just a few photos from this weekend:

Lots of snuggles with Griffin

Wandering around Eastern Market...



Staying warm with action shots...



Taking in the sights...

And saying hello to Julia Child's kitchen...

And eating some intensely seasoned fries at Good Stuff Eatery...

I flew back early Tuesday morning and went straight to work...and I'm slowly recovering from a fabulous weekend that involved laughter.

Tell me, when was the last time you really laughed out loud?

Fun and Fearless Friday Five

This week seemed to absolutely fly by for me and I can't believe that it is already the month of December.  Per usual, I intend to close the year out with a bang and I'm already over-booking myself with parties, celebrations and festivities all month.  Before the craziness starts, I want to take a moment to share five things that have me smiling this Friday:

1.  Last night, after plans for a blogger dinner fell through, I found myself happily at home ordering takeout, doing laundry and packing for the upcoming weekend.  We ordered from Jae's Cafe and I of course had to order the bibimbap, which I absolutely love.

Sometimes the unexpected nights in can be just what you need.

2.  As I mentioned above, I did some packing last night because Bret and I are heading down to Washington D.C. to visit my friend Alex this weekend.  She came to visit in October and as soon as she left, we were planning our next reunion.  The older I get, the more I realize how important some of my best friends are to me.  There is the family that you are born into and there is the family that you create and choose.  I realize that since college, it is the latter that has really shaped me into who I am.  Although I go down to D.C. at least once a year, Bret hasn't been down there in over ten years!  I think the three of us will have a blast this weekend and I'm especially excited to introduce Bret to my godson, Griffin!

Yes, Griffin is Alex's dog and my godson.  I adore this dog more than anything and I've packed lots of treats for him in my luggage!

3.  This past week, I had a nice chat with Shakti at Smorgie.com.  Shakti has created a site where you can find, organize and review your restaurant experiences in one place.  You can share these experiences in "bite books" with others or just use it for your own personal organization.  Shakti and I have been meaning to chat for quite some time and she published a really wonderful interview of me on the Smorgie blog.  I would love it if you would check it out and show her some love!

4.  As we enter into the final weeks of voting, I wanted to remind you all to check out the poll for Boston A-List's Best Local Blogger.  I'm currently in third place!  If you've already voted, thank you so much...and if you haven't, please click here to vote for me.  Every vote counts until the voting closes on December 22nd and I'd really appreciate your support!

5.  Finally, I wanted to announce the winner of my Lea & Perrins giveaway.  Chosen by Random.org, the winner is Shannon of Tri to Cook, who likes to use Worcestershire sauce in her go-to burger recipe!  Thanks to everyone for entering and thanks to Foodbuzz and Lea & Perrins for sponsoring this great giveaway!

 
Tell me, what has you smiling today?

Weekend Re-Cap in Washington D.C. with Horses and Wine

This past weekend, I flew down to Washington D.C. to visit one of my best friends from law school.  I flew in late Friday night and back to Boston early this morning.  It was an absolute scorcher down in D.C. this past weekend and I'm a bit exhausted but here is a recap of some of the weekend's highlights:


In addition to my friend A being an attorney extraordinaire, she is also a former professional horse rider.  Even though I have known her for over seven years, this was the first time I have actually seen her compete and I was impressed!

After the horse show in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, we drove back to A's place and headed out to Georgetown for some dinner.  We decided to head to Bodega for Spanish tapas.  We sat out on the patio and indulged in delicious mojitos and sangria, which helped us cool down from the heat.  It was too dark for photos but the food was really divine, especially the marinated house olives and Basque peppers, Catalonian tomato bread with Manchego cheese, and the seared diver scallops with sauteed fava beans.

On Sunday, A organized a wine bus tour in Maryland with some of her co-workers.  We had a great time at the Swing'n Blues Wine Festival at Linganore Winecellars at Berrywine Plantations.  We tasted a lot of different types of wine but most were way too sweet for me!

But we did manage to find some shade to drink a few bottles of wine and enjoy the new hats we purchased, along with some fried oysters!

Then we were onto Black Ankle Vineyards, which I absolutely fell in love with.

They have about 22 acres of grapes and they have a strong focus on local and sustainable wines.  Their tasting room was really incredible and made with the vineyard's hay and compressed grape vines.  Cool, right?

I liked the wine here a lot better, especially their 2007 Leaf Stone Syrah.  I was severely tempted to buy a bottle but decided against it to avoid having to check my luggage on the way home.

After a long bus ride back to D.C., A and I headed back to Georgetown to have dinner at Pizzeria Paradiso with another friend. They had an extensive beer selection but after a long day of wine, heat and sun - all I wanted was some water and some pizza.  Their slogan is "Eat Your Pizza" and they didn't have to ask me twice!  The three of us split the Insalata Italiana, which had mixed greens with marinated artichokes, white beans, sundried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.  And I had the Quattro Formaggi pizza, which had Pecorino, Fontina, Gorgonzola and Mozzarella (with parsley and garlic).  And those leftover slices also made a great breakfast at the airport this morning!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and I was glad to see one of my best friends.  I can't wait to head home today to get a good night's sleep and I am looking forward to another one of my pals coming to visit this weekend!

How was your weekend?