the roundup: March 2024
Food:
My husband and I had an impromptu date night at Incheon in Annandale, VA and it was amazing, as always. It still remains one of my favorite restaurants in the DC area. The food is amazing, the cocktails are amazing and the staff is just so incredibly nice. Their bossam is one of my favorite things to eat - their ssamjang is out of this world and their preparation of the pork belly is just perfect.
My friends and I met for an afternoon of drinks and pizza at Sonny’s Pizza and it was so fun! The wine (and cocktail) selection is great and the pizza is really fun and easy to share. We have been looking for some more “mature” places to hangout and grab a good quality drink (bye to flat vodka tonics) and this definitely fits the bill!
I kept staring at this bag of frozen French fries in our freezer trying to do do something fun with it and finally realized what I really wanted was a steak frite situation. I made the Strip Steak au Poivre from Bon Appetit, the frozen fries (which were SO good), and a simple water cress salad dressed with a sweet vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and it truly was just such a delicious meal.
We had some friends over for dinner and I made some stuffed shells, a fennel and avocado salad, a zucchini carpaccio and a lovely orange ricotta cake and I was so happy with how everything turned out. I even jotted down the recipes for you!
I am putting this in the food section as it is a podcast on food but I listened to the This is Taste’s episode with Hailee Catalano & Chuck Cruz and it was really great. They talked a lot about how they think about and create food content as trained cooks.
We had a double date night at Le Diplomate, a DC staple and everything was so delicious. You know those restaurants where no matter what the quality always hits? I got my favorite, the roasted chicken with the pomme puree and for apps are got the warm shrimp salad, the macaroni gratin and the new to the menu, fried artichokes which were out of this world.
I made this Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew on NY Times Cooking by Sue Li and it was really delicious. It was a great transitional meal as it still felt warming but it was super light and easy to make. I served it with crusty sourdough bread and some chili oil drizzled on top.
What happens when I was craving almond croissants but have no idea how to make them? I make a Frangipane Cake that is just out of this world. It is surprisingly easy to make but the flavor seems way more complex.
I saw the first ramps at my local farmers market towards the end of March. It is a wonderful time! I bought two bunches to make ramp pesto with!
March also brought the Jewish holiday of Purim, so of course we made hamentaschen! The poppy seed filling is always my favorite!
Drinks:
I tried this wine (Lionel Osmin & Cie Pyrene L’incontournable Cuvee Marine) from the South - West of France and it was super lovely. I was originally attracted to the combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Gros Manseng (two of my favorite whites) and it was super lovely. Very light, fresh and fruity and will be perfect as the weather starts to warm up.
I have never really been a soda gal, but after lunch I usually want something sweet and a sweet drink does the trick for me! I recently tried these Culture Pop Sodas and I really like them! I they are a bit more flavored-sparkling-water than full on soda, but the flavors aren’t subtle at all! I have been loving the orange mango and lime flavor.
Other Things:
I have actually been living in my Converse Chuck Taylor All Start Lifts (which are just a platform high top). I have found them to be a really nice transitional shoe from boots back to sneakers and they go really nicely with my cropped jeans.
I read Dolly Alderton’s new book Good Material this month and like all her books, I loved it. It is a story of a breakup from the man’s perspective and it was such an interesting take on heartbreak and how your get over something life-changing.
My husband and I went to the Boston area in early / mid- March to visit family and one day while I was there I worked from my company’s Boston office. It was sooo nice to see my colleagues in that office!
We watched the mini series, Inside Man, on Netflix and it was so so good. We loved it and it is only 4 episodes and will leave you wanting more. I gave the rec to my dad and he watched it all in one night.
Spring means less-dark nail polish and I have always been a fan of blue nails! I love this new Essie color I picked up called Left on Shred. It is perfect- not to light and not to bright!
Lenny:
