I nearly forgot why I love Parents Weekend so much (besides seeing my mom of course...(obligatory in case she ever reads this)). Surprise, surprise, I love Parents Weekend because of the food. Parents come around once a year and all of a sudden you have an excuse to go to the totally over the top restaurants you otherwise wouldn't be able to justify to them when the credit card bill comes around at the end of the month. I've accumulated a few go-tos over the years for this exact weekend - Zaytinya, Rasika, andCentral to name a few.
Wanting to show my mom a few new places this time (and a bit of a different experience for one in particular) I made reservations a couple weeks ago to guarantee we would be properly stuffed.
The first reservation I made was for Casa Nonna in Dupont Circle. Now DC has A LOT of italian food so sometimes it's a little difficult to sort through which ones are worth a visit, but I really like Casa Nonna because of their homemade pastas. There is one dish in particular, a spiced pumpkin gnocchi with creamy sauce, fried pancetta, and sprinkled with amaretto cookies on top that I love. It reminds me of a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks -- fall in a dish/cup. Plus, full disclosure, I am a server at this restaurant so I just thought it might be nice for my mom if I could serve her for a change.
The next meal we had was at Logan's Tavern for a Saturday brunch. The food was pretty standard for brunch, and definitely yummy. But I was mostly impressed by the craft your own bloody mary menu that had tons of options to make your own potent start to the day. But I ended up choosing La Maria Caliente - chili pepper tequila, bloody mix, lime juice, and hot sauce. Perfect.
A mere 4 hours after that meal we were off to Estadio, one of my new favorite restaurants in DC. To be fair, that's because it has too many unfair advantages. 1) I love eating tapas-style. Bite here, sip there. I get to try more things on the menu without getting unbuckle-my-belt full. 2) I love Spain, Spanish culture, and the like so it's only fitting that I love the restaurant that has a picture of Penelope Cruz on the door for the ladies room and a picture of Javier Bardem on the door of the mens. Also, how cute is that? 3) This food is straight up awesome. I haven't tried a thing there I don't like...besides the price tag. But hey, for Parents Weekend, it was a success.
You might think I'm done right? Not even. I saved the best for last - brunch at Blue Duck Tavern. This is hands down my favorite place to eat in DC. First of all the restaurant is beautiful, with wood furniture and paneling and floor to ceiling windows, I just always feel at ease. But really the food speaks for itself, particularly the short rib hash that comes with an olive oil poached egg, horseradish sauce, and a flakey, buttery-goodness biscuit. There has not been more comforting comfort food.
So what's reason for this post? Because I just love to talk about the fabulous things I get to eat. What other reason do I need? :)
You have no idea how helpful this post just was. Every time my parents come down it is always a struggle as to where we should go. We always have to find a place that all four of us are willing to try. I am taking this list to them pronto!
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for another Italian place- Acqua Al 2 is fabulous! It is over in Eastern Market. They only have three locations- the first one is in Italy, then there is one in San Diego and one here in DC. http://www.acquaal2dc.com/index.html
ReplyDeleteWhat do your parents think of all the fine food?
ReplyDelete