This week was probably one of my best yet!! At work, we got to tour the FBI Training Academy that is at Quantico Marine Corps Base. Read that again. FBI TRAINING ACADEMY! It was without a doubt one of the coolest places I have ever been to. So many big names have been there, celebrities touring for background on movies, movies being SHOT there, famous FBI agents, etc! We also got to see the famous Hogan’s Alley -- which is basically a “fake town” that the agents in training simulate and role play different scenarios in: entering houses, doing traffic pull-overs, going into hotels, etc. All in all I was really thrilled to be able to go see such a well-known facility and appreciated the opportunity. It didn’t hurt that I scored myself some FBI swag...
We have been fortunate to continue with the streak of gorgeous weather. With the exception of some rain this past week, every day has been basically picture perfect. This weekend, my cousin came down to see me! We were able to go to a few places, and eat at some DELICIOUS restaurants of which I will now give play-by-plays for all you foodies... Keep in mind I am biased since these are some of my favorite restaurants down here :)
Saturday night we ate at La Tasca on King Street in Alexandria. Yes, La Tasca is a chain. A small one. Don’t let that fool you!! It is absolutely OUTSTANDING. We started off with appetizer style tapas (small plates) that consisted of: fried eggplant; fried onion, red pepper, and green pepper straws; chicken croquettes; and scallops in a white wine sauce. They were all AMAZING! The fried eggplant came with a delicious warm cheese dip, the straws were fresh, the croquettes were soft and practically melted like butter! The scallops were good as well! I was surprised because I never had them before but they were really good. Next as our “entree” we had a paella of chicken and chorizo, which is spanish sausage. This paella was amazing, it had mixed vegetables, cheesy rice, chicken, and the chorizo. It was so rich! I would definitely have it again. We finished out with two deserts: one was fried and had bananas, and the other had truffle of some sort and was chocolate with ice cream. Both were amazing! This particular location had live music playing at 9pm which was a great way to end the day. I’d give it 5/5 stars.
This morning we went to Le Pain Quotidien off of the Eastern Market Metro. YUM YUM YUM! It is actually an international chain, but again, don’t let it fool you! The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, including a huge indoor communal table, and has the feel of a country open-air kitchen. Pretty much everything on the menu is organic. Organic can actually be DELICIOUS! I had a parmesan and basil pesto omelette that came with organic mesclun (which is basically mixed greens), and two types of French bread. Mmmmm! One of the best omelets I have ever had! It was super tasty. They also have various jams and spreads that go with your bread. I used mainly a chocolate hazelnut spread which was pretty thick, and it was definitely amazing. There is also a location on King Street and one somewhere on P street in DC. Stop by there if you can!! They serve eggs/omelets until 3 pm on the weekends. Their food is fresh and you can definitely taste the quality of the ingredients. This one is also 5/5 stars.
Today we had dinner at Matchbox located off the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro. This small chain is known for their delicious pizzas, infamous sliders, and creative cocktails. I took the opportunity to do a half and half small pizza: half was the “q” special which came with chicken, peppers, mushrooms; and the other half was veggies with fingerling potato crisps. I had been to this restaurant before and I wasn’t disappointed! It is flatbread style pizza so it is thinner, and wood oven cooked so it has a darker crust. I love flatbread style! It is so filling without all the poofy crust. I definitely would say to check this place out! It is on 4 floors and the building is skinny and long like a matchbox. Look for the big bowl of fire out front! 5/5 stars, obviously... :)
Today we saw the Washington Monument, Reflection Pool, World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.
I would definitely recommend checking these out! The memorials are all unique and beautiful in their own way. You can’t help but feel grateful and feel immense pride when visiting each one. The World War II Memorial was especially gorgeous.
It was a great day to take in the sights. I would make it a point to see the Lincoln Memorial at night, as I heard it’s the best time to be there...
We have been fortunate to continue with the streak of gorgeous weather. With the exception of some rain this past week, every day has been basically picture perfect. This weekend, my cousin came down to see me! We were able to go to a few places, and eat at some DELICIOUS restaurants of which I will now give play-by-plays for all you foodies... Keep in mind I am biased since these are some of my favorite restaurants down here :)
Saturday night we ate at La Tasca on King Street in Alexandria. Yes, La Tasca is a chain. A small one. Don’t let that fool you!! It is absolutely OUTSTANDING. We started off with appetizer style tapas (small plates) that consisted of: fried eggplant; fried onion, red pepper, and green pepper straws; chicken croquettes; and scallops in a white wine sauce. They were all AMAZING! The fried eggplant came with a delicious warm cheese dip, the straws were fresh, the croquettes were soft and practically melted like butter! The scallops were good as well! I was surprised because I never had them before but they were really good. Next as our “entree” we had a paella of chicken and chorizo, which is spanish sausage. This paella was amazing, it had mixed vegetables, cheesy rice, chicken, and the chorizo. It was so rich! I would definitely have it again. We finished out with two deserts: one was fried and had bananas, and the other had truffle of some sort and was chocolate with ice cream. Both were amazing! This particular location had live music playing at 9pm which was a great way to end the day. I’d give it 5/5 stars.
This morning we went to Le Pain Quotidien off of the Eastern Market Metro. YUM YUM YUM! It is actually an international chain, but again, don’t let it fool you! The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, including a huge indoor communal table, and has the feel of a country open-air kitchen. Pretty much everything on the menu is organic. Organic can actually be DELICIOUS! I had a parmesan and basil pesto omelette that came with organic mesclun (which is basically mixed greens), and two types of French bread. Mmmmm! One of the best omelets I have ever had! It was super tasty. They also have various jams and spreads that go with your bread. I used mainly a chocolate hazelnut spread which was pretty thick, and it was definitely amazing. There is also a location on King Street and one somewhere on P street in DC. Stop by there if you can!! They serve eggs/omelets until 3 pm on the weekends. Their food is fresh and you can definitely taste the quality of the ingredients. This one is also 5/5 stars.
Today we had dinner at Matchbox located off the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro. This small chain is known for their delicious pizzas, infamous sliders, and creative cocktails. I took the opportunity to do a half and half small pizza: half was the “q” special which came with chicken, peppers, mushrooms; and the other half was veggies with fingerling potato crisps. I had been to this restaurant before and I wasn’t disappointed! It is flatbread style pizza so it is thinner, and wood oven cooked so it has a darker crust. I love flatbread style! It is so filling without all the poofy crust. I definitely would say to check this place out! It is on 4 floors and the building is skinny and long like a matchbox. Look for the big bowl of fire out front! 5/5 stars, obviously... :)
Today we saw the Washington Monument, Reflection Pool, World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.
I would definitely recommend checking these out! The memorials are all unique and beautiful in their own way. You can’t help but feel grateful and feel immense pride when visiting each one. The World War II Memorial was especially gorgeous.
It was a great day to take in the sights. I would make it a point to see the Lincoln Memorial at night, as I heard it’s the best time to be there...
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