Half-Way Home!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the cherry trees will soon be in bloom! The causation/correlation effect between the weather and my mood is more apparent than ever at this time of year. The spring sun brings a smile to my face and the fresh air fills my lungs as I walk, walk, walk everywhere. From The Washington Center to Dupont Circle to Adam's Morgan to Farragut Square to Lafayette Square to Chinatown…. this past week I had D.C. covered on foot! It's the best way to feel the vibe of a city, to get oriented, get some exercise, and escape the metro. Try it folks!

This week also marks our entry into the second half of the D.C. semester. While Easter weekend is poor compensation for Spring Break, I'm taking the time to head back to New York and stock up on bagels and Bollywood (family and friends too :))! I enjoy my periodic Hindi film and the easiest place to catch them is in Manhattan. Also, Bubble Tea. Tried some in Georgetown but they flat out refused to serve it up hot (everyone always refuses at first, but my New York spot always agrees to do it hot on my insistence that the tapioca globules DO NOT melt in hot tea).

NY "everything" Bagel + Wasabi cream cheese + Lox = Breakfast Bliss

Hot Bubble Tea

Bolly "Masala" wood

Oh, and by the way, I decided to abandon Part 3 of the brunch series since the weather is now nice enough for you guys to do some exploring and get back to me on what you think is the best D.C. brunch. Enough about edibles.

The week has been productive and fun at the same time. I have continued my patronage of the Alliance Française by renting French films, books, and magazines as regularly as possible. I am also deeply engrossed in what I am compelled to call one of the finest books written in my lifetime, Gregory David Roberts' "Shantaram". And please don't ask me what it's about because one, I cannot put it in a nutshell and two, I insist you delve into this one and discover the "magic" for yourself!

Book of the Year

Yesterday, I had an excellent interview/chat with the Advocacy coordinator at the U.S. Campaign for Burma. I had originally sought a 15 minute appointment with her to get some expert opinion for my foreign policy recommendations paper on the unfolding political and human rights crisis in Burma, but our conversation went well over an hour and she gave me information and insights I could not have obtained from reading reports and articles. I also spent about 5 hours at Tryst in Adam's Morgan on Monday afternoon, reading vociferously for the quiz we had in class last evening, and discovering that I could indeed read, sip tea, and listen to music all at the same time. Way to multi-task!

Our Chief of Staff just decided to close down the office on Friday, which makes me happy but also throws off my plans since I set up an informational interview at 4 p.m. If I had known we were going to be off, I would've scheduled it for next week and left for NYC on the morning bus. Actually, I'm going to try and re-schedule NOW!

Oh and I have 45 minutes to get to the D.C. Cares Orientation - time to turn on multi-task mode once again (been doing that a lot lately)!

Bon week-end!

Float On

Making my way up to Adam's Morgan (it's a bit of a walk from the Metro), I worked up quite an appetite and went on to realize that the key to really enjoying a brunch is being hungry enough! Here's a peak of what that truly lively neighborhood has to offer on a Sunday afternoon:

1) Perry's
1811 Columbia Road, NW. Washington, DC

Let Perry's be your one culinary splurge in the Capital! I don't know what makes this place the perfect spot for Sunday recreation, but its location (18th Street & Columbia Road – the heart of Adam's Morgan), eclectic menu (mac&cheese meets sake toro meets duck confit), and the special drag brunch on Sunday mornings give it a flavor that you're not going to find anywhere in the vicinity. Did I mention they had rooftop dining (the weather is visibly better now), and plenty on offer for more "new age" (read vegan) food preferences?

2) Lauriol Plaza
1835 18th Street, NW. Washington, DC

No Brunch survey is complete without atleast one Mexican joint in the mix. I considered talking about Oyamel again, but since I already recommended it to you in my first blog, I'll give you another spot to add to your ever-growing list of "much check outs"! Lauriol Plaza gives you the option to choose, there's everything from seafood and shrimp, to Spanish sausage, and English muffins. I strongly vouch for the Mahi Mahi Mazatlan but the Huevos Rancheros brings together a lot of my favorites (beans, cheese, eggs, and fresh fruit!) in one helluva mouth-watering combo J. If you have any room left for dessert (c'mon, you can share it with your friend(s)), dig into some homemade coconut ice cream!

3) Mezè
2437 18th Street, NW. Washington, DC

In my continuing quest to find you the best cuisine from all corners of the globe, I think Mezè is a must for every lover of chickpeas and kebab (me)! Their weekend brunch runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and includes Boreks (Anatolian rolls), Gozleme (Turkish crepes), and a Cantaloupe Berry Boat for the fruit aficionados. This joint doubles up as a bar/lounge in the evening and even has a special "Eat Late" menu. So if you can't make it to brunch, bring your friends here after work and lounge around. The music might make you want to break out those new moves, and the Turkish cocktails and beers will only add to the authenticity of the experience!

That's all for Brunch Banter this week, but Dupont Circle is next in the line of fire!

I can't close without expressing my disgust with Spitzer and his sleazy ways. It just really pains me to see his wife standing there next to him, while he publicly owns up to his actions and consequently resigns. To think that he has three teenage daughters, all younger than I, who have to deal with their father's infidelity, go out every morning and face the world, read the hostile headlines, and watch their mother in such anguish...it really breaks my heart. The Republicans and the media are having a field day with the whole thing and it is rather unfortunate that someone's personal failings make such gripping tabloid fodder. Well, who can say the man doesn't deserve it, but can the wife and the children be spared?

Blog 6

I started off this blog as the first in a two part series covering the best brunches in DC. However, the events of this evening compel me to sideline the food talk for just a bit and give you some idea of how it feels to be in the same room as Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, and David McCullough. Yes, one of the perks of being a Congressional staffer is getting to go to all these events on the Hill, your ID being your free ticket to most. And boy, I lucked out this evening! The morning update said HBO would be doing a pre premiere screening of their new miniseries "John Adams" starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, exclusively for Members of Congress and staffers. What I did not know was that Tom Hanks is the producer of the series and that it is based on two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough's biography of the same name. The icing on the cake, they were all in attendance (except Laura Linney) and the Cannon Caucus Room served as a perfect 'historic' setting for the series to be showcased. HBO replicated the frame of the famous painting entitled Declaration of Independence that hangs in the Rotunda of the Capitol and used it around the projection screen. The episode itself was every bit as gripping and historically sound as all of HBO's other ventures in this genre of film. Both Giamatti and Linney provide powerful, poignant, moving performances, supported by an outstanding cast. The attention to detail and the effort to re-create exactly the conditions that prevailed at the time are reminiscent of "Rome". All in all, it was an evening that I will not forget anytime soon. Enjoy the photos and don't forget to tune into the TV premiere on March 16 at 8 p.m.

Man of the Moment - Paul Giamatti

Cannon House Office Building

This man needs no introduction

Cannon Caucus Room










David McCullough

And now, ladies andgentlemen, THE blog…

Brunch Banter, Part 1

Inspired by this week's promise of sunshine and mild weather (which I'm hoping will continue over the weekend), I decided to make this aBrunch special (I had previously warned you that that at some point this blog would become a forum for the foodie in me!). Surprisingly, DC has a wide variety of offerings that would please any budding gourmand, but remember that brunches are more expensive than breakfasts or lunches (duh, they're both) so be prepared to shell out anywhere between $12 and $20 depending on variety, type and quantity of food, and accompanying drinks (the champagne will not flow if the cash doesn't!). If you play the game right, brunch can be your one and only meal of the day which makes a $15 tab sound somewhat justified. Due to the sheer volume of places to check out, and the convenient clustering in various neighborhoods around the District, I've divided this feature into two parts. This week we'll look at...hold your breath...Georgetown!

GEORGETOWN:

1) Café Bonaparte

1522 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. Washington, DC

My blatant French bias shouldn't come as a shock to any of my regularreaders, and hence, this tops my list of brunch spots. Dig into the sumptuous crêpes (Suzette, St. Germain) and galettes (Capri, Mirabeau), a meal-sized salad (Marie, Niçoise), or even just the mouth-watering desserts (Cigar Chocolat, L'Exotique). The special brunch menu consists of divine French pastries and creatively named omlettes, each containing a unique mélange of ingredients and flavors (the Rembrandt is a personal favorite).

2) Filomena

1063 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. Washington, DC

This may just be the best deal in terms of value for money and the sheer variety of offerings. The restaurant has a very homely feel to it, they beckon you calling it "the home of your Italian grandma" and you'll see why. It's been around forever and is frequented by a mixed crowd from all over the tri-state area but the biggest draw is definitely the authentic home-style Italian cooking. And as a general rule, when the biggest draw at a restaurant is the food, you know it's a good place to go! At $17.95 you get an all you can eat brunch buffet with an excellent selection of salads, breads, pasta, meats, desserts, soft drinks, tea, and coffee. You can be sure you will be served only the freshest of foods and that you can plan to stay put throughout the entire duration of brunch (11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) to pace yourself well enough to get at least a taste of everything.

3) Old Glory All-American BBQ

3139 M St., NW. Washington, DC

French (down), Italian (down), but what we were lacking was an All-American brunch spot to dig into some French toast (ironic) and spicy Bloody Marys! That is exactly what is on offer at Old Glory with the stuffed French toast being my personal favorite (sweet cream cheese, bourbon peach caramel, bacon strips, and sliced fruit - hell yes!). You are strongly encouraged to try The Big Breakfast (burrito, home fries, corn on the cob, fruit) which is a steal at $11.95. Quench your thirst with a fresh squeezed fruit juice or the much talked about Bloody Mary. This brunch has the potential to throw you into a food coma so don't plan to accomplish too much (rather anything) that Sunday afternoon!As for next week, no prizes for guessing, I shall bring you the best from Adam's Morgan and the Dupont Area. For now, I sign off leaving you with enough to chew on...quite literally!