New Orleans, and my comedy of errors

Guys. Guys!!! You know how to make a girl's public preggo announcement pretty awesome. Thank you for all your kind words!! Each one made me grin or tear up in turn, and each one was pretty special.

I'm back from my trip to New Orleans with my anniversary man and his fantastic sisters. Sadly I brought the summer cold from hell home with me, but I'm hoping to run out the clock on that one any time now. Did you hear that, cold? Any. Time. Now.

For your amusement, I thought I'd offer a little "What Not To Do" for your next trip to New Orleans. Or anywhere, really. I am a comedy of errors these days, it appears.

Let's roll the tape!

1. Don't leave your wallet - including all forms of identification and methods of payment - at home.  I figured we'd just hit the big one right off the bat. Fun fact: you are in fact allowed to board a plane without ID if you submit to a thorough two-woman pat-down. Who knew?!  Helpful items include: husband to pull you out of the massive public breakdown that will occur at the airport when you realize your wallet isn't in your purse, husband who is willing to pay for your forgetful ass the whole weekend, and sense of humor.

2. Don't smugly fill out a full TripIt itinerary and then gallantly lead the walk to the restaurant only to discover you switched restaurant addresses on your iPhone App. Or you'll be us, walking hand in hand to our anniversary dinner at Herbsaint only to end up at... Bayona. And then racing over to "Real Herbsaint" in a cab, very late for our reservation. But, bright side, then gallantly leading the walk to Bayona the following night! (I highly recommend both restaurants, by the way.)

3. Don't slack off on the sunscreen. So there we are, our fun group, hanging at the pool and enjoying the amazing weather. I'm feeling great and hoping I look more pregnant than just "overdid it on the beignets" in my tankini. I applied sunscreen, yes, but the same amount as normal. Apparently I should have been aware that Little One baking inside means I have to be militant with the SPF. I mean... why would I know that? It's not in any pregnancy books of mine (trust me, I checked when I got back), and no one's ever told me (ahem sis and sis-in-law). That night I had to sleep in a bath of Vitamin E oil and sheets of cold compresses, then for the rest of the trip had to ditch my cute dresses for long cotton numbers with cardigans. Sigh.

PSA: if you or someone you love is pregnant, tell them to double up on the 'screen!

So yeah. Such a fun weekend, especially for everyone else who got to enjoy the comic relief I was packing. But even my poor (literally), ID-less, direction-challenged, sunburnt self had to admit there's no where else I'd rather be. I just love that place.

I know I lit up your Instagram feeds on Sunday (sorry), but New Orleans is just ridiculously photo-worthy. Here are just a couple, since you've no doubt seen them already.

When can we go back again? (If I promise to bring ID this time...)

Happy snippets, busy July

Rather than an annoying post of OMGsobusy, let's look at the happy moments in between the stress instead, why don't we? I hope your Julys are moving along at a carefree pace. Who's on Team August Will Be Awesome with me?

Drinks and oysters at Senart's with my pal Brian

(Him: moscow mule. Me: Hendrick's martini with a twist.)

Beer Stein Night at the Nats game

My new bike! I'm geeky-happy about her.

Neighborhood love

Biergarten Haus with my dad and T

My dad's first authentic ramen! We love you, Toki.



Friday I'm in Love

Hi friends! I'm working out of T's company's New York office today... all the better to scoot up to Connecticut tonight in time for family dinner. Last night we ate at Babbo, which has long been on my to-do list, and tonight we'll eat at a longtime family fave, The Place. From chianti-stained pappardelle to clams and corn on a tree stump... I try to be well-rounded, you know?

My view today... not too shabby

I hope your weekends are full of good cheer. Here are some tidbits from my world this week. Have a good one!

Women's Congressional Softball Game

One of my favorite things about living in DC are those moments when you realize our nation's capital is actually just sort of... a small town. Cue our neighborhood elementary school athletic field hosting the Women's Congressional Softball Game this week. Nerd Celebrity people-watching (my favorite kind), long-lost friends in the crowd, a favorite senator on the mound and a favorite congresswoman wielding pom poms, playing against the Media team featuring a slew of fantastic female journalists. Oh, and Andrea Mitchell and Sen. Klobuchar as the play-by-play and color announcers? I think I have to attend every year now.

Fur Rugs?

Are these rugs ridiculous, or as amazing as I suspect? Because I sort of love them. One on each side of the bed to greet our cold feet in the morning? Cats who will love us forever because we just brought the coziest rugs of all time into the house? I'm on to something here, right?



Lace Flower Pots

I'm totally charmed by this simple DIY. These would be adorable hanging out in my sunny office window back in DC. I think it's glue gun time!

New Orleans, aka My Happy Place

You know those getaways so full of love and fun that you realize even inside the moment that you're actively creating a memory that'll make you smile forever? That was our New Orleans anniversary weekend. And of course, I forgot my camera, so all I have are Instagram snippets from my phone. Somehow, though, I think the joy comes through anyway.

We flew through happy, bright blue skies.

We stayed at the Roosevelt, which was still shuttered from Katrina during our last visit. The restoration of the hotel and the building's history are both remarkable. (Pretend you're looking at pictures of gorgeous chandeliers here instead of just a napkin.)

The Roosevelt is also home to the Sazerac Bar, which makes, among other delights, a perfect sazerac. (Naturally.)

And bonus: fancy bath products!

We spent Thursday afternoon eating muffalettas at Central Grocery - YUM. We also meandered the French Quarter - I have a soft spot for the galleries along Rue Royal and all the street musicians.



Later that night we crossed town for an anniversary dinner at Gautreau's. I can't say enough about our meal... just spectacular, start to finish. Imagine decadent soup and salad, weep-worthy fish. Imagine a restaurant without even a sign out front, in a converted house, on a residential street. Imagine being the last diners there and having our meal in a completely empty, gorgeous dining room... just us, candlight, and music. Heaven. I also wore one of my favorite dresses, but this is the only image I have of it (awesome Roosevelt tile alert):

I haven't mentioned yet that we had a wedding to attend later in the weekend, so after dinner we met up with the bride-and-groom-to-be at a great dive bar on Magazine Street. Friday we hung out at the pool sipping drinks, reading books, eating catfish sandwiches, and being otherwise decadent. Such a life! That evening we had dinner plans at Cochon. Here I am on our walk from pre-dinner shrimp and cocktails at Luke and on our way to dinner:

This is actually the dress I wore to our rehearsal dinner three years ago - fitting since later that night we joined H&M's rehearsal party. But Cochon... oh my. Porky goodness and the best roasted oysters I've ever had and this fried alligator, which tastes a lot like Nobu's rock shrimp dish, if you've had that before. I adored this restaurant, which is entirely unsurprising.

Later that night in the French Quarter, we were toasting soon-to-be-newlyweds and toasting each other, too. So much fun.

On Saturday we decided that T should wear a bowtie to the wedding (When In New Orleans, right?), so we walked and shopped and walked and ate and drank and walked and relaxed.



And here's my favorite guy wearing not only the bowtie we acquired that day, but also his wedding day seersucker! He hadn't worn it since our wedding - and for those that don't remember, this suit was originally his grandfather's. I loved that tradition then and I still love it now. (I also love that he didn't shave for this wedding... I'm a sucker for scruff.)

Here's me and more of that great Roosevelt tile. These are some of my favorite shoes, by the way - seersucker Louboutins gifted by that handsome guy above a few years ago. He's pretty great.

H&M's wedding was at the Audubon Zoo... it was so much fun seeing the animals at the wedding and late into the night. Here were some of our favorite wedding participants (apologies to the gators for the fried item previously included in this post).

Oh hi. We match.



No seriously.

I love that T loves pattern as much as I do. That's his wedding pocket square, too!



This picture sums it up. Happy, happy, happy.



Oh, and... on Saturday afternoon a Cajun-accented psychic told me I need to be nicer to myself. T's been gloating ever since, because he always says the same thing. So here's a laaaaaate-night picture of me drinking a hot toddy due to my lack of a voice (I woke up Sunday with a lousy cold I'm still fighting). You see that squishy area that's not quite arm and not-quite side boob? That area is my nemesis. I hate it. But because I'm being nicer to myself these days, I'm posting this picture anyway. SEE, Cajun psychic and "Baby Spirit" that I've been instructed to talk to, SEE? I'm being nice.

Until next time, Nola.

Dinner break

A tummy full of riches, this weekend. My social butterfly self is spent. And full.

Friday night: Fiola. I'd been to their bar before (best Martinez in DC, hands down), but the food was just... I can't even describe it. Another level. New favorite DC restaurant, already. Faves: smoked gnocchi, deconstructed lasagna, lobster ravioli.

Best surprise ever? Leaving the restaurant with some of our favorites and walking out to a Winter Wonderland. We'd been inside from 7:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. and had no idea. (I told you we loved Fiola.) And so it was beyond fun to step out into this sight after dinner.

Saturday night: Graffiato. I hadn't been back since they opened, so it was fun to check in on it again. Mike Isabella's doing just fine, never fear. Faves: spicy pork meatball with polenta, roasted cauliflower, maple-bacon brussels sprouts.

Sunday night: Toki. Why yes, my addiction to their ramen is still a thing. This time I met up with Mary so she could mark a culinary resolution off her list. We ate fried pig ears, so we could say that we did (and I just did). Fave: always, always the kimchi hakata with Toki endorphine sauce.

This week: back to the kitchen. No booze. Being a little quieter. Curling up in front of the fire.

January is an underrated month.

Ramen obsession

My current excuse regarding near-constant cravings for Toki Underground is that ramen is good for my cold. But really, I don't need to justify my obsession with this stuff.

The kimchi hakata is pretty much all I want to eat these days. Look at that stuff... can you blame me?

While we're on the subject of ramen, if you didn't get a chance to read the debut issue of Lucky Peach when it launched this summer, try to find yourself a copy. The issue is entirely focused on ramen, and is as hunger-inducing as it is giggle-inducing. Good writing through and through, especially if you find boys' clubs more charming than obnoxious. (Personally, I waver... but this boys' club pulls it off.)

Mmmmm... ramen.

Friday I'm in Love

I'm looking forward to carving some pumpkins and doing some fall cooking this weekend... how about you? In the meantime:

Generation Catalano

As a generational in-betweener, I've never felt quite at home in either the Generation X or Millennial categories. The "Generation Catalano" label, then, fits the bill nicely, although the piece is a tad short on analysis. Generational divides are so interesting to me. I think this split in perspectives can also be applied to many personal blogs, now that I think of it. Discuss. (And for you fellow My So-Called Life-ers, does it get any better than Jezebel's breakup letter to Jordan through the eyes of adulthood? I think not.)

The High Comedy of Local Government

My profession pre-disposes me to love Parks & Recreation... but even if I hadn't been in more than my share of public meetings, I'd love it anyway. Leslie Knope? Ron Swanson? Treat Yo Self? Comedic gold! That said, the professional hiccups in the Swanee Parks Department are the ones that get me giggling the hardest. This interview from the excellent Atlantic Cities gets to the root of why I know those plotlines all too well... the high comedy that is real-life local government. Save Whiskers!

A Little Something Pumpkin...

Or, you know, a mind-blowing enormous thing of pumpkin. Okay then, Grant Achatz. You win.

On that note, I'm so excited to greet our neighborhood trick-or-treaters on Monday! Next week I'll be celebrating our six-month (plus a little extra) anniversary in the house with some fun renovation report-backs and a neat surprise, so stay tuned!

PS: Don't forget to enter the big Oreck giveaway!

Love in a bowl

This is my favorite dish in DC these days: duck ragu gnocchi at Bibiana.

I can't get enough of this stuff.

Imagine, if you can, the sheer smokiness of this dish. On a cold and rainy night, eating Bibiana's duck gnocchi is the culinary equivalent of curling up by a fireplace. It begs for pinot noir. It looks deceptively simple, and then you begin to eat, and you cannot help but close your eyes and make an unfit-for-a-restaurant sound with your mouth.

I assumed the dish's bold flavor came from smoking the duck, but when I asked, our waiter told me that it's actually the potatoes that are smoked before they're turned into gnocchi. Here's where he blew my mind: The basic preparation for these potatoes - used both in this dish and in Bibiana's sweetbreads - involves hay smoking. I'm going to assume you're as unfamiliar as I was with the concept. Here's what it involves: an industrial-sized dutch oven in the Bibiana kitchen, filled with hay save for a bare spot in the middle. The center of the dutch oven is filled with potatoes, surrounded by the border of hay. The hay is then set on fire and the lid to the oven is closed.

I'm dying to hay-smoke something now.

And also, cook some duck. My sister's family is coming for Thanksgiving (!!!), and we're leaning away from turkey because we'll be eating so much of it the previous and following weekends with the rest of the fam. I don't want to go all Julia this Thanksgiving, so I'm not looking for anything extreme, but if you have a favorite simple duck recipe, I'd love to have a look. I'm thinking in keeping with our low-key approach, some simple breasts, maybe dressed with a decadent sauce that'll give them a Thanksgiving feel. So far the recipe that appeals most is in Alice Water's 'The Art of Simple Food'... it's very, very simple, but without a sauce. Any ideas?

But back to the dish at hand: please go to Bibiana for this duck and this hay-smoked gnocchi if you're local or visiting. If you're not in the mood for a night-out kind of dinner, try a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine at the bar. Hopefully your seatmates won't mind the sounds you'll be making.

DC here and there

There is no landscaping plan to report to you. We had too much fun with my parents to move beyond brainstorming. And that's perfectly fine. We strolled the 'hood and ate at one of our local faves. We slept in and made the Clinton St. Baking Company's Spanish Scramble for breakfast. We oohed and aahed at the Library of Congress. We sniffed and smiled at the US Botanical Garden. We walked and walked and walked. We stuffed ourselves silly at Art & Soul, where I ate the most perfect flounder in my personal history of eating lots of flounder. We laughed ourselves silly at Who's Your Baghdaddy? Or How I Started the Iraq War, the second time this month I've been entertained over at the Wooly Mammoth (the first was at F#@king Up Everything, a hipster musical with a heart of gold). We visited our friend Mr. Jefferson (there is always time to visit Mr. Jefferson). And life was good. And is.

The Library of Congress is, you know,
just a little bit jaw-droppingly beautiful inside.

While I catch up on some life and work stuff today, you might go and visit my pal Nole's blog, where I'm guest-blogging all week while she and her husband reunite after the close of Andy's six-month deployment. I'm talking paper over there all week long, as seen through the lens of my nerdy interests and consumer confessions. It'll be a fun week.

First up: DC Paper Love, or "How many letterpressed items featuring DC's map and flag can one woman possibly own?"

It's a fitting first post after this city showed my parents such a lovely time this weekend, don't you think?

Why yes, I do own this letterpress DC flag print made up of DC neighborhood names. Go visit the post to learn more!

Whirlwind, complete

The whirlwind is over! First Dallas, as you know. There's only one photo. I'm not really sure why I'm orange here (surely there's a John Boehner joke in there somewhere), but it still makes me happy. As does dinner at Fearing's and drinks at the Ritz with two of my favorites.

Not pictured from Dallas: a reallllly fun dinner with old friends of T's and their fabulous partners, where we went to Tre Wilcox's new restaurant and he literally scowled at everyone the entire time, luxurious spa and gym sessions, and the taking of much Advil every morning.

And then, New Mexico. Such goodness in that place. I didn't take nearly enough pictures of my friends during a fantastic dinner party where we reminisced and laughed and hatched all sort of plans, but I do have scenery. And an adorable child. And wine. And oh goodness, do I have burritos.

Whirlwind July, you rocked. Even though T and I had only four days in thirty-one where we were together and alone in our house without guests, I wouldn't trade you for the world.

Onward, July!

July has kicked off with a bang! This week I've mostly been recovering from last weekend's family fun, sprinkled with meetups with a few lovely ladies. Last night I continued my Top Chef Runners Up tour with my pal Heather, this time to Mike Isabella's Graffiato. Helloooooo, octopus! Hellooooo, polenta with meatball! Hellooooo, prosecco on tap! I love Graffiato's casual vibe, and look forward to exploring the menu more over time. Bonus: Isabella came over to our table to chat with us and was a total charmer... H and I neglected to mention that we're on Team Blais.

This afternoon we're headed out of town, which kicks off an insanely action-packed month. Here's a taste, illustrated by Zavalick Designs, one of my favorite geographic art destinations on Etsy.

Virginia beckons tonight! We're spending the weekend with my elementary school bff Allie and her husband. Allie's been promising to show me the bright lights of  the "new" Norfolk for years, so I'm excited to dig in and also show T my old elementary school, old house, and more. As much of a North Carolina girl as I am (my family roots there run deep), I do love that the Virginia Tidewater region was so formative for me. Maybe I can blame my obsession with being close to the water on spending kindergarten through fifth grade in Newport News. At any rate, it's going to be a great weekend... all the more so because Allie is pregnant!

After Norfolk, T heads back to DC, but I head to the Outer Banks! If you've been reading this little blog for any time at all, you know that it's my very favorite place. Just like I did last summer, I'm working from OBX for a week and hanging with my cousin Zoe (and also my fab cousins Sally and Sophie, but my official role is to stay with Zoe while her mom's traveling). I won't be Stage Cuz this time around (the theater company is no more - sadness!), but I expect we'll come up with some silliness to do anyway. I'm thrilled to say that I've been deemed cool enough to attend the midnight premiere of Harry Potter with Zoe and her friends, so it really can't go wrong for me, can it? T is joining us there next weekend for a mini-vacay for a few days, and then we're back to DC.

... but we're not returning to DC alone! Zoe and Sally are spending several days in DC with us. I can't wait to host these two and see what kind of trouble they can dig up in town. Prepare yourself, DC... I'm bringing awesome teenagers with me!

Next up in the July whirlwind: Texas! T has some work meetings going on, so I'm taking advantage of my telecommuter status to travel to Dallas with him - my first trip back since we moved to DC. We have two nights planned while we're in town: one with all of his friends and their awesome wives/adorable offspring, and the other with my Dallas ladies that I miss oh so much. I cannot WAIT! T has a guys' weekend in Austin after that, but I'm heading further west to...

...NEW MEXICO! Words just can't express how much I miss this place. It's been four years since I lived there, but I'm telling you... New Mexico sticks. I'm beyond thrilled to spend some quality time with my girls, to breathe in that air, to feel that vibe, and to just be out there. T and I are rendezvousing on the flight back to DC, at which point we'll probably collapse from exhaustion, and no doubt have lots of stories to share with one another from our fun weekends apart.

So July: it's a crazy month for me. But also one that's incredibly full of blessings and some of my very favorite people. Time to get packin'!

Big bites and small towns

I fell in love last weekend. Twice, actually.

First things first: Volt.

Oh. My. Goodness. I loved every single bite. My dinner went a little something like this:

I. yellowfin tuna tartare avocado, chili oil, petite cilantro, soy air,
marinated whitefish roe

II. sheep’s milk cavatelli country ham, rye, broccoli rabe, parmesan

III. border springs farm lamb mission fig, licorice, farro, madras curry,
merguez sausage, roasted cauliflower

IV. goat cheese cake d’anjou pears, spiced vanilla, lemon balm

Just delicious. We got a kitchen tour and saw Bryan Voltaggio at work, bottling pork creamed sodas for the following night's Cochon 555 competition. We also eyed Volt's famed Table 21 tasting table in the kitchen. Mark my words, I'll have a seat there one of these days. I can't say enough about our meal: absolutely delicious, worth every penny. 

My second crush, then? The town! I fell head over heels for Frederick, MD. I forgot to charge my camera before the trip, so we'll have to revisit these stock photos since I don't have any fresh ones.

Imagine my delight at Frederick's downtown: historic and picturesque, yes, but also surprisingly large and fully-functioning, not a quaint snapshot of one moment in time. The small business mix is fantastic, the housing stock is great and a range of sizes, and more than that... Frederick feels like its own place. It's not responding to anything, it just is. My aversion to suburbs is smoothed over by my true love of cities (and the fact that T has to work in one anyway), but in truth I love small towns just as much. I felt like we were getting a peek into this alternate world of small town idealism last weekend, and I loved it. At some point on Saturday, after discovering a well-priced reclaimed wood industrial dining table (at a shop owned by two girlfriends who left behind their former lives as buyers for Nordstrom and Pottery Barn, no less!), but before hitting up the store where we bottled our own olive oil and vinegars from 30 or so tanks full of flavor, it hit me... I could live in this town. Uh oh.

And so of course H and I had to scope out local real estate, which only made the fantasy worse. Rowhomes nearly identical to the kind we've been trying to buy in DC, at less than half the cost. A regional rail stop right downtown, making for an easy ride into DC, or a stop at the end of DC's own Metro system, just a short drive away. Saving so much money on real estate that we'd actually be able to go on a real vacation. Awesome public schools, without the drama and heartache of charter school waiting lists. Uh oh.

So that was my weekend... lots of what-ifs. And here's where it all came crashing down on me: actually studying the train schedules and figuring out what T's day would look like, leaving his perfect small town surrounded by picturesque farms and heading into the city, where he has to be at work very early. The truth is harsh: he'd be on a train before 5 a.m. each morning. Or he could drive in at 45 minutes, but then have to battle traffic on the way home every afternoon, taking an hour and a half to get back. It's just not fair, no matter how I slice it.

Maybe in five years or so I'll revisit my Frederick fantasy. Maybe by then, our jobs and lives will be different enough that it might be doable. Or maybe - maaaaaybe - we'll find the right home in DC that will push my small town fantasies away for good. But until then, I totally want to take T to Frederick, eat at Volt again, and show him that dining room table.

(You know, for the dining room we don't have yet.)

Update: This piece on Frederick was just posted on the Strong Towns Blog. See folks, it's not just me!

Girls gone food

A couple of months ago, my hometown pal Heather moved to northern Virginia and started a new job in DC. H's birthday is February 11. Mine, April 11. Rather than doing gifts this year, we decided to plan something fun and frivolous that we might not justify otherwise, and do it on our birthday median: March 11.

This Friday, we're leaving DC behind to drive to the quaint little town of Frederick, MD, for one purpose only: to dine at Volt, the restaurant of former Top Chef contestant Bryan Voltaggio. We're going to stay overnight and poke around Frederick on Saturday, which looks adorable.

I'm so excited for some girl time outside of the city. Have any of you eaten at Volt or been to Frederick? I'd love to hear your must-eats and must-do's!