DC

DC Favorites

Eats: At the risk of sounding cliché, I’m going to have to say the palak chaat at Rasika West End was the tastiest thing I ate in DC. I’ve never had the fried spinach dish before and will admit I probably wouldn’t have tried it without reading all the rave reviews, but it certainly lived up to the hype. I could have eaten it by the bucketful, and the rest of our meal wasn’t bad either. Aaron ordered lamb chops that were incredibly tender, and I got the chicken tikka masala, which I actually didn’t order, but couldn’t bear to send back because it was just too good not to dig in.

Rasika West End | 1190 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States | www.rasikarestaurant.com

Drinks: Hank’s Oyster Bar offers a top notch cocktails as well as a nice selection of beer and wines. Best of all, double happy hour, one from 5-7 and a second from 10-12. Both with $1 oysters and drink specials. Oh and their food is ridic good. I highly recommend trying the molasses braised short ribs with mac and cheesy.

Hank’s Oyster Bar | 1624 Q St NW, Washington, DC 20009, United States | www.hanksoysterbar.com

ChurchKey is a close second. They have the best selection of beer around, and the food is outstanding. Unfortunately, they have no happy hour specials, and the place is always packed. Always. If you want to beat the rush, try to go during the week and get there before 5 PM.

ChurchKey | 1337 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005, United States | www.churchkeydc.com

To-dos: Sadly, my DC to-do list was pretty much a great big bust. Honestly, looking back on those three months, we consumed more a lot more food than we did culture, which may have been a mistake. I blame school and the weather and the cherry blossoms. But we did enjoy going out for some runs around the monuments. Although all of that went right out the window once I scheduled my thesis defense.

I would also recommend catching a movie at the West End Cinema. Not your usual cineplex, this theater offers intimate viewings of a unique selection of films and docs along with homemade concessions and adult beverages. I really would have liked to go there more during our stay.

West End Cinema | 2301 M St NW, Washington, DC 20037, United States | www.westendcinema.com

Spot: I’m not sure if Kramers would have been our go-to spot if it wasn’t a block away from our apartment, but I am certainly happy it was nearby. The bookstore, restaurant, and bar was the perfect place for all occasions. On a Friday for a happy hour, there’s always Kramers. Sunday morning brunch, there’s always Kramers. It’s Tuesday, there’s always Kramers.

Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe | 1517 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036, United States | www.kramers.com

Find: We stumbled upon Dolcezza the weekend before we left town, which was probably for the best. If I had known this little gelato shop existed before that, I most likely would have been eating there twice a day. In out last week, I tried the salted caramel and Virginia peanut butter, but my favorite was the brown butter. If only there was more time, I could have tried flavors like chocolate roasted peanut, mango and habanero pepper, Thai coconut milk, Bartlett pear, and avocado honey lime.

Dolcezza‎ | 1704 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009, United States | www.dolcezzagelato.com

CT Ave

There & Back Again

Back in Baltimore, and it almost feels like we never left except for all the boxes and bags yet to be unpacked. Some people have been asking us if we wish we could have stayed longer in DC or if we’re glad to be home now, and the answer to both is yes.

For all the things worth coming home to–my king-sized bed, good friends, the O’s–there are also all the things I’ll miss, like riding the impossibly long escalator out of the Dupont Circle metro station and emerging onto Connecticut Ave. surrounded by people, places, and things all waiting to be known.

So I think it’s safe to say, this great big experiment was a success. We are already scheming and dreaming of our next stop.

To be continued.

(Photo by ianseanlivingston)

KDofS

Kristin Dreams of Sushi

A couple of weeks ago, I took a few hours off from the doc to stuff myself with a ten-course tasting at Sushi Taro. It was a bit of a splurge, but we enjoyed ourselves, the sparkling wine, and the food. Who knew fish had livers and that they would be so tasty?

I wish could remember what each course was, but I do remember the soy-marinated tuna, monkfish liver, and sweet shrimp were among our favorites.

Very Nearly There

So this is what I’ve been doing for the past few weeks. And for a year and a half before that. My defense is Friday, the 29th, and if all goes well, I’ll be a bona fide Master of the Fine Arts. I’m thrilled, petrified, sleepy, and mostly just thankful it’s so very nearly finished.

If you’re interested, you can read more about the doc here.

Lately: 02.26.13

Lately02272013

Sipping Soju Bloody Marys. We stopped at Mandu a couple of weeks ago for some Korean dumplings and bibimbap, but what I’ve been dreaming and scheming about ever since is their Soju Bloody Mary. So. Ju. Good. Soju is a clear Korean liquor made from distilled rice. The flavor is often compared to vodka, but it’s much lower in alcohol, making it smoother and more sippable. It can also have a slightly sweeter taste which complimented the tomato perfectly. (Photo by Emily Clack)

Loving Long Runs. My favorite thing about running is how much it makes me appreciate how good it feels to not be running. My second favorite thing is that all I have to do is put one foot in front of the other and if I don’t stop, I will eventually get there. It reminds me that almost anything can be done if you just keep doing.

Watching Buffy. We’ve been hanging out at the Black Cat on Saturday nights for their Hellmouth Happy Hour, where you can order five dollar drinks, watch an episode of Buffy, and mill around with fellow Whedonites. But if vampire slayage isn’t for you, they also host Muggle Mondays and a Dr. Who Happy Hour every Friday.

Looking Forward to the Future. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking all those many, many, many, many, many years ago when I applied to grad school. But I’m trying to think less about how I got myself into this and more about how good it will feel on the other side. If I can make it through the next two weeks and then the two weeks after that and if I can make it to March 29th and avoid dying of stage fright, I may finally be done. (Photo by Kevin Dooley)

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