The Capitol Offender

Cafe Asia

This place may seem like your typical happy hour sushi place with $2 ichiban beers, $1 sushi pieces, located downtown –so I guess it is your typical happy hour, but this place doesn’t strike me like that.  The décor is very funky and has a retro look to it.  There are two levels; the bar is downstairs and where all the action is.  There are plenty of tables in the bar which can be reserved ahead of time or you can throw your name in when you get there.  The bar area is a pretty decent size with a little alcove to gather with your colleagues or gather with your friends so you can bash your colleagues. Unlike other sushi happy hour locations, the sushi here is delicious and one of my favorite spots for sushi as well as happy hour.  I typically start with some edamame and then order the usual tuna and shrimp tempura rolls followed by eel. I always judge a sushi place based on how good the eel is and whether it’s gamey or not—it’s perfect here and not gamey!  Café Asia happy hour is from 4:30-7:30 which is longer than most HH’s and is filled with great people watching, although at times it can be packed, I always find a spot at the bar and never wait long for a $2 Ichiban.  It can be relaxing and a great way to let loose and have some Sake Bombs with your dinner without judgment from the staff or the other patrons.  It seems to be a judgment free zone which is where I prefer to be after having 6+ Ichibans (I swear they are laced with something because I always get too drunk from them).  Don’t forget to visit the restroom, they are coed!

Logan Circle's newest spot

 

Logan Circle’s newest hotspot opened this fall called ChurchKey, located upstairs from their restaurant Birch & Barley. ChurchKey is unlike any other bar I have seen before in DC, very similar to New York’s Superdive bar, but without the keg service. This bar has over 500 bottled beers and over 50 beers on draft. Most beers have a small (starting around $4) and large size (beginning at $8). Naturally I went for the large size which I paid for the next day more so than my friend who was smarter and got the small beers—I drink more of the crisp beers as I don’t like thick heavy beers.  The menu has a wide variety for all types of eaters and ranges from Poutine (Canadian favorite-French fries with melted cheese curds and gravy, which happens to be my favorite late night snack and sometimes a fatty hangover favorite while visiting Montreal) to tater tots and everything in between, such as flatbreads (pizza) and salads. All food was good but not exceptional—we were there for drinks and the ambiance not the food, which is a good thing because otherwise I would have been disappointed-I suggest stick with the flatbreads.  Great place no matter what night you go, Sunday was booming until beyond midnight. Lines form around the corner most Thursday-Saturday nights so be prepared to wait.  Although you may have to wait in line it is well worth it because it is a great place to  eat, drink, watch a game or hang out in the lounge area. I will be heading back to this place soon, but will either drink or eat less because my large beers turned a low key Sunday night into quite an expensive night. Beware of how much you are spending because it adds up quickly. Two homo thumbs up for this place!

What's for Dinner?

Homemade za (pizza)! I am pretty much a stranger to the kitchen; however, I can cook two things, one being homemade pizza which I learned from a good friend while she was living in Charlotte, NC, the other is grilled chicken.  Za is one of my favorite foods and I surprisingly love to make it as well. Homemade za is delicious, fast, easy and cheap; sounds like a lot of my friends!

Trader Joes sells whole wheat pizza dough for $0.99.  TJ’s also sells several kinds of pizza dough, such as original and garlic & herb. Last night I cooked for two (the old ball and chain and myself).  I grabbed two pizza doughs, one can of fat free pizza sauce located in the pasta sauce aisle, fresh mozzarella, pre-cut bell peppers (usually I cut them myself, but I was feeling lazy), basil and two jalapeño peppers.  Luckily there was not a line which is rare at the Foggy Bottom Trader Joes. My total was $8.90 which is amazing for some good za for two people. The pizza dough package has cooking instructions, but basically I spread some whole wheat flour (yes I’m a psycho with the whole wheat) on the counter and roll out the dough to make a rectangle-I can never seem to make a circle so I now do rectangle pizzas. I put aluminum foil over a cookie sheet, transfer my rectangle dough to the cookie sheet, and fold over the edges to make the crust. I then take a spoon and spread the pizza sauce, cut the fresh mozzarella into whole circles and spread them throughout the pizza, throw some pieces of basil on there and then the topping if your choice. Pop both pizzas into the oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, you want to take it out once the cheese starts to bubble and then enjoy your meal!

I'm in Miami BITCH

So I just returned from a family trip to Miami for 5 days...Lots to cover about the trip so bear with me and the length of this entry.  First off, I should mention that my boyfriend accompanied us on this trip which was great, but a first family trip together with my parents’ mo son and his beau which went very well and totally normal.  We stayed at the Ritz Carlton South Beach (above left picture) which was amazing—excellent service and excellent food/drinks/location.  My whole family fell in love with the frozen Mojito that the Ritz serves…delicious but dangerous both physically and financially, but thank God I was traveling with my rents so I didn’t feel the financial pain of this drink.  The drink is very stiff to begin with and then of course they add a floater on top so you are feeling pretty good after one, let alone four.  One of my favorite parts of the trip (other than being on Mom and Dads tab) was the Miami Duck tour.  Yes, duck tours are cheesy, but I am cheesy and love them.  I’ve been on a couple other ones and each time I have been belly laughing.  The Duck tour takes you around all of the famous islands where celebrities live (Star Island, Palm Island, & Fisher Island) as well as hitting up Ocean Drive, which is known for its people watching.  Our guide would make fun of everyone on the street and/or try to make them dance—sometimes the people would play along and sometime they wouldn’t, which is when they got made fun of.  The driver also points out all of the local Reality Show locations such as Miami Ink, Kourtney and Khloe do Miami.  Miami is a Cheesy city (in a good way) and this tour is the best way to take it all in, it more of a show than a tour.  You will literally be laughing to the point of tears and possibly to the point of peeing your pants.  Ocean Drive is full of ¾ naked people and their weird pet snakes but that is what makes Miami so great is that everyone fits in and anything goes. 

Other highlights of the trip were the bars and restaurants we went to.  My favorite restaurant of all the nights we were there was Ola.  It is located one block off of Collins and is AMAZING Latin American food—our concierge recommended it.  The waiter recommended all of his favorites, and I ordered each of them.  My/the waiter’s favorites were:  Salmon ceviche to start and then the Sea Bass for an Entrée—I am typically not a Sea bass fan, but this was truly the best piece of fish I have EVER had.  Other great dishes we ordered were the Mystery Meatballs (Kobe beef meatballs), the shrimp empanadas and braised pork. Everyone LOVED their dishes and recommends all of them.  All of the food had great Latin American spices that gave it that little extra kick to each dish.  Other must do’s in Miami: hit up the Delano (pool bar) for drinks (top right picture), Clevelander on Ocean Drive (above left picture)—finally a cheap drink on the ocean in an open air bar with great bands playing on a stage that goes over the pool, LIV at Fontainebleau for the club scene, and drinks on the rooftop of the Gansevoort.  So much to do here so little time…Hope to get back again this winter to report more!

Chicago for a weekend

This past weekend my boyfriend and I went to go visit a friend in Chicago. It was my first time there since I was ten years old. Chicago is one of the best cities. It is a large metropolitan city, approx. 5 million residents, but is also manageable. This was a perfect destination for a weekend getaway, only an hour and 25 minute flight from DC.

While here, we did most of the touristy things--shopped on Michigan Avenue, took an architectural boat tour (highly recommend), saw Wrigley field, went to Lincoln Park, Millennium Park, Grant Park, and of course ate Chicago deep dish pizza at Gino's East. I am a true za (pizza) fan and get it in every city/country I visit. The Chicago style deep dish pizza is a must for a visit to the Windy City. Gino’s East is a Chicago institution; dozens of celebrities have visited from Oprah to Hulk Hogan. Keep in mind that true deep dish pizza takes 45 minutes to cook so plan accordingly.

My favorite highlight of the weekend was the architectural boat tour. Chicago has some of the best architecture I have seen on this side of the Atlantic. It has massive sky scrapers, not to mention two of the country’s tallest buildings are located here, the Sears Tower and the Trump Hotel and Tower.

Friday night we hit up funky Bucktown and Wicker Park which would be an equivalent to U Street in DC and then Saturday night we went to Lincoln Park (Landmark Bar).

I recommend eating at May Street Market for dinner--great American food, I got the shrimp jambalaya which I also recommend.

The only fallback of the city is that it is in the Mid-west. As an East coaster, the mid-west is not my favorite part of the country. It is very friendly, but also very plain, definitely a generalization but that's my opinion. With that being said, Chicago is definitely worth the quick trip and my pick for favorite weekend getaway destination.

  

Rooftop dining on U Street

This past weekend one of my brothers and his wife came into town. I made a reservation for 7 one day in advance at Tabaq Bistro.  Tabaq is located between 13th and 14th streets NW on U Street.  This is my second time eating here and both times sat on the rooftop which has a great all glass retractable roof and was perfect for us and this great fall weather.  The food was delicious yet again and surpassed the expectations I had from the last time I was here over the summer.  The staff was very friendly, but a little hard on English--they seemed to be Mediterranean (like the food here).  The bar tender was even kind enough to let me charge my blackberry at the bar while I ate; I needed some juice before beginning my Saturday night, especially because my boyfriend was out of town so I could keep my tabs on him, ha. You have the choice of ordering small plates that vary from vegetable, meat and seafood plates, all organized in that manner.  Small plates cost $7-$10 and are small portions.   America could use more restaurants like this so we don't promote my favorite disease--obesity. Entrees are of appropriate size and delicious.  I went for the rack of lamb which was cooked perfectly and pretty much fell off the bone.  Tabaq gets a my approval.

 

We all know my Saturday night does not end after a couple glasses of wine at dinner...So after dinner we went to Marvin (above left).  We all hoped the roof wouldn't be too crowded at 10ish when we finished dinner but we were wrong.  There was a line of about 15 people waiting to get on the roof so we settled for the downstairs bar which ended up being perfect because we could all hear each other and actually have a conversation--bizarre concept at a bar.  After about 45 minutes of drinking imported beers and being surrounded by a bunch of hipster wannabe's we headed for something a little more our pace.  We walked two blocks up to the dive bar Stetson (above right).  Stetson was full of late 30 somethings that just wanted to kick back and get nice and buzzed and not dwell on their divorce or whatever problem they may have and drink good cheap beer.  We went out back to sit outside and surprisingly were the only ones out there on such a gorgeous night.  We got a bunch of pitchers of Bud Light and stayed there the rest of the night.  As the night went on more people joined us out back but by no means was it crowded...I am yet to check to see if I got any STD's from the plastic chairs we sat on out back, but overall a great night!

All you can drink and eat sushi in NYC

NYC has a few all you can eat and drink sushi places for $40.  I’ve been a couple of  times and decided to go again this past Saturday with a group of 12 to Matsu (51^st and 1^st). We walked into this basement restaurant to hear another party of 12 chugging beers and being extremely loud.  Of course, I was immediately jealous and saw them as competition. Shortly after sitting down and ordering lots of saki and Saporo, we began our saki bombs and what I was hoping to be an outrageous dinner. Well dinner was outrageous, but surprisingly not because of our table. At one point everyone in the restaurant was chanting for this one girl to “SHOW YOUR TITS!” She didn’t, but a guy at her table did (not nearly as fun).  About an hour later, I thought they were chanting for the same girl to show her tits, but I soon realized they were chanting for some guy to “SHOW YOUR DICK”...I realized this when he actually showed his dick to his table.  Things were now 100% weird and I didn’t recall this place ever being as much of a spectacle as it was on Saturday. Aside from all the ridiculousness that was going on, the sushi is actually good; my favorite was the eel roll. Being an all you can eat sushi place, they make you pay for what you don't eat, so be sure to order accordingly. We were all booted out at 11pm when they closed and paid $40 total including tip. Great night, but I might officially be too old for this place.

Sushi on H Street NE

My boyfriend and I went on a double date with two good friends of ours to one of their favorite spots on the H Street corridor in Washington, DC.  For those of you who aren't familiar with H St. NE, it is the new up and coming hot spot in DC.  The best way I would describe it is what U Street used to be 5-8 years ago.  Full of trendy, grungy bars and restaurants.  Sticky Rice is known among many and for good reason. This sushi joint has live music and a lounge feel, but it’s very laid back and casual.  The staff is complete with tattoo sleeves and the food is delicious--the menu ranges from tater tots to baby back ribs which were both outstanding. I recommend the "sticky balls", but you will have to go there to find out what they are!  We ate everything and then some, including wine which happened to be on the higher end of their selection at a whopping $24.00.  This place also offers outdoor seating in the back which has more of a quiet/romantic setting.  Only one downside to this place, the wait was 40 minutes, but the upside is they will call your cell phone when your table is ready so you can go a couple doors down for a drink--don't be mistaken, the wait was well worth it!

Croatian Riviera

Most people aren't sure where exactly Croatia is, and until about a year ago, I had no idea either.  The Dalmatian coast of Croatia is considered the Croatian riviera and new hot spot for posh Europeans. We stayed at the Hotel Lapad (pictured left) which is located about 1km from Old City and is right on the harbor.  This hotel has a great pool and bar with very American amenities, like air conditioning, which is rare in Dubrovnik yet at must because we were there in the last week of August and I have never been so hot in my life (yes hotter than Washington, DC in the summer). The hotel was great and was surrounded by several beaches and nightlife in Lapad although we spent most of our time in Old City.

Pictured right is inside the city walls of Old City Dubrovnik.  Old City is an old fort and has city walls which line the Adriatic sea.  The inner walls are filled with old churches, outdoor cafes, ritzy shops and local Dubrovnik residents.  This place is bustling with tourists and elite Europeans 24/7.  During the day, it is filled with tourists until about 11pm, and just when you think the town is going to sleep the younger 20, 30 and 40 somethings come out to play.  Everyone dressed to the nines and ready to party to 6am, and we were happy to join them.

This city itself dates back to the 7th century, but some parts are from even earlier.  Old City (above left) is lined with gorgeous marble and pebble stone streets.  You can distinguish the local euro trash by the girls who are able to walk in 5 inch heels on the streets of Old City from the typical tourists in their havaiana thongs.  Dubrovnik is right on the Adriatic Sea just north of Italy, and has by far the prettiest/cleanest water I have ever seen in my life; you literally can see 60-70 feet down.  The water and beaches are even better than what I had read prior to coming here.  Most beaches are rock beaches with lounge chairs--I'm more of a white sand beach kind of a guy, though they  are tough to find on the mainland—but you can take a ferry to one of the hundreds of islands Croatia has to offer (Korcelep Island-above right).  You can take ferries to most of the islands which have small villages, most without cars (some with golf carts), but all are quaint and more gorgeous than the next.  The Dalmantian coast is perfect for families, party-goers, or honeymooners as it caters to everyone's needs and wants.  This is by far my favorite destination I've traveled to.     

Holiday in Prague (Praha)

I recently returned from an adventure to Czech Republic to visit a friend from growing up in New Jersey.  We arrived after drinking for 8-9 hours on the red-eye flight.  Naturally, we decided to fight through our day to get on European Time. Little did we know our site-seeing consisted of grabbing a beer after each site and staying out until 6:30 am the first night there (was up for 36 hours straight).  We saw some of the major sites this day, which included the Charles Bridge, Old town Square, Tyn Church, and of course it wouldn't be Eastern Europe without seeing some topless ladies pictured on the newspaper stand. I was more than impressed by this city and its beauty. It surprised me that it was not some dark grungy city--but realize I am just talking about the beauty of the city itself.  The people here are an interesting bunch filled with mismatched couples.  All the men are hideous, but have beautiful girlfriends/wives---something doesn't make sense here… or does it?  We stayed in Prague for 4 more days during which we visited the Prague Castle, National Museum (not worth going in), Wenceslas Square (shopping), a day trip to Karlstejn Castle, and lots of beer gardens located on both sides of the river.  Praha, as the Czech spell it, also has quite the nightlife...3 of the 5 nights we were there I managed to stay out until 6am.  But unlike in Washington or most cities I visit, I didn’t spend much money because an expensive beer here costs $1.50 USD or 30K (krowns).  This was an amazing city which had all of my favorites: history, great architecture, friendly, vibrant night scene, day drinking and best of all inexpensive.  Get yourselves here!

Westhampton Beach, NY

Being from a suburb of NYC in northern New Jersey most of my friends naturally moved to NYC after college and began their lives. I however, chose to take a job in Washington, DC and now visit my friends from home as often as possible. A few good friends rent a summer share on Dune Road in Westhampton Beach, NY which is an hour and a half from NYC without traffic-which is never the case. We woke up early Friday morning and headed to WHB to my friends house share. WHB or possibly just my group of friends have the typical weekend routine down.  Friday nights at Casey's and Saturday nights at the Drift Inn. Friday we head to Casey's in a large van that of course allows us to bring our open containers in as we head to Casey's. Casey's is a typical Irish bar packed with NYC 20 somethings like ourselves looking to escape the daily grind as we drink and dance the night away all the while making complete fools of ourselves but of course without any shame (meanwhile we should all be ashamed, especially me dancing with a 60 year old regular lady who may or may not have something wrong with her. Saturday we wake up grab breakfast in the very cute town of WHB. Unlike most people's views of the Hamptons it is very quaint and not snooty. Of course it has upscale stores but definitely has a welcoming vibe, not too mention has a beachy feeling to it--feel free to eat in your bathing suit although you might be out numbered by people dressed up in their proper Hamptons Attire. We spend the day on the beautiful beach, very quiet--the only other people on the beach were about 50-100 yards from us. As the afternoon goes on so does our hunger and thirst (but not in that order) as we need to get ready for the "Drift". We walk a couple doors down to John Scott's Restaurant which is right on the bay and has live reggae music playing outside in the afternoon. John Scott's draws in a crowd of 20 somethings as well as families--this doesn't stop us from getting ridiculous and sharing vulgar jokes and/or calling each other vulgar names. After we get a nice buzz going at John Scott's we head back to home to begin pre-gaming and start getting ready for the night. This night a limo picks us up (same price as the van) and brings us to The Drift Inn around 10pm which is early but we were avoiding a long line later in the night.  the place is an outdoor club as you can see in the picture and is located right on the beach...I know the place is crazy when I am one of the least drunk/embarrasing people at the bar.  Very crowded and typical hamptons priced drinks but a lot of fun and not as far as bars in the other Hamptons. Sunday morning rolls around and so does my hangover and dreadful 6-8 hour drive back to Washington, DC.  Excellent weekend and will be back shortly!