D.C. Diary Part II

Time for the second installment of D.C. Diary. I've seen, explored, discovered and eaten, so first let's take a look at the food. 

Co-workers who bring there leftovers go to the top of my good list! Kudos to Melissa for this awesome flour less cake she brought to work leftover from her anniversary dinner!

Brain Food Friday is now up and running in the SCOUT offices. Healthy snacks every Friday to keep us energized and working hard. Whole Foods' juices for everyone!

Due to the mass amount of tex-mex I eat at home, I have tried to steer clear of Mexican food in DC. I didn't have much of a choice when I ended up at Tortilla Coast a couple of weekends ago. I'm not much of a quesadilla person but these shrimp dillas reeeeeealllllly hit the spot. 

Luke's Lobster. Best lobster roll, hands down, ever. 

Dolcezza's pistachio and espresso gelato was the perfect cool down treat while exploring Georgetown. 

Best brunch ever. Three words-southern. gospel. buffet. Sweet Georgia Brown's might be in first place for the better meals I've had in D.C. Their brunch is buffet style consisting of homemade waffles, french toast, jambalaya, grits, an omelet bar, and an assortment of southern desserts. The experience is accompanied by a just as fabulous jazz band. 

Founding Farmers was amaze, but we finally got a reservation at Farmers Fishers Bakers (their sister restaurant) to see what they had to offer. The list of eight buck salads had my attention. I'm cheap and like salad. The fried brussels sprout blue cheese salad might not look like much but it sure did taste good. 

Here is a look at the gnocchi shrimp scampi. Another FFB staple, ordered by two of my roommates, so I obviously "took a bite." 

A black bean burger with a watermelon feta salad on the side. Such a random combo to offer at a sports bar but RFD's in Chinatown knows what's up.

Mom and dad came in town last Friday so we first met up for a drink and some apps! These pub pretzels with our waitresses "special" sauce were the perfect happy hour treat. 

After happy hour we headed to Clyde's of Georgetown for dinner. To start we dug into the crab stack.

I ordered the cippino for my main, a combo of mussels, clams and halibut in a spicy tomato sauce. I can't help but order fish when it's on the menu. 

To finish off Friday night's dinner it was strawberry shortcake and the brownie sundae (not pictured). 

I had to show off Good Stuff Eatery to my family so village fries, spikes sunnyside and a toasted marshmallow shake did the trick. 

Hello Good Stuff.

First course at Mesekerem in Adams Morgan. Beet salad, Meskerem salad and sambousa.

Our massob platter. Lamb, chicken, beef, curries, potatoes, tomatoes you name it, all pilled up on authentic Ethiopian injera bread.

Now for some none food related pictures. My collection of these are quite smaller because I tend to only take pictures of my food. I need to work on getting my priorities straight...hmm well we will see.

Jazz in the Garden. $6 sangria, live jazz and a beautiful scenery. Every Friday in the sculpture garden. Why is D.C. so good?

Exploring every in and out of Georgetown. I think I will call you home.

I mean it's just too cute.

A visit to Union Market. It might be hidden in the middle of nowhere, but it is a hidden gem of food wonderland. I went with the shawarma salad bowl after making about three laps to decide what I wanted.

I loved playing tour guide for mom and dad! 

Eastern Market in Capitol Hill.

Final stop, the view from the deck of the Library of Congress. Dear D.C. I love you, in case you didn't know.

Annie

HoMe

Home sweet H&M home goods! See what I did in the title their? The H and M are capitalized cause I'm punny and stuff. 

Anyway, have y'all seen the home department at H&M? It is goooood! I knew they had a home line, similar to Zara's, but I hadn't checked it out yet. I was happy to find out the H&M in Georgetown was fully equipped with their home goods. The thing is, although I walk by the store everyday I had yet to go inside and see it because whoever does their window displays decided to put their least beautiful (nice term for ugly) things in the window, totally causing me to turn my nose up and keep walking by. 

That was until my ultra fabulous boss was raving about the line, so I figured I'd actually step inside the store this time. Complete 180. Everything is white, cream, bronze, silver, black or some shade of pretty. 

1. silver storage basket 2. cardboard cake stand 3. bathrobe 4. gold rimmed pitcher 5. silver cake stand 6. faux marble tray 7. duvet cover set 8. metal bowls 9. turquoise throw 10. dark gray throw 11. copper wire basket 12. braided basket 13. metal basket 14. black dotted throw pillow 15. shiny throw pillow 16. light pink dotted throw pillow

I wish I was staying in D.C. for a more substantial amount time so I had a reason to decorate my dorm with all of the H&M pretties! Unfortunately that's not the case. But, I do have my cutie house in Norman waiting for my return. Not to wish away the summer or anything, but it is time to start getting some things together for my house back home. 

I think I can pretty much guarantee that the silver bin, marble tray and one of the throw pillows will be getting shipped home from D.C. to Norman!

You must go check out all of the goods they have online, and if you are near an H&M with the home stuff in store go see for your own eyes! Oh, and did I mention how insanely cheap everything is? And by cheap I don't mean the quality. Their products are still constructed perfectly, but they also have the perfect price tag!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Last week was one of my favorite weeks/weekends in D.C. During the week there was a party at work on Monday, lots of Barre 3 classes, dinner at my now, favorite restaurant and just good chill nights.

Part of the fam came to visit this weekend which made it just perfect. I had been stressing of what all to eat, do and show off to them. Everything ended up going as planned and the weather was actually perfect, so I don't think it could have been a better weekend!

This week marks week 4 in this beloved city. Nothing crazy is on tap for this week, but all four of the roommates and I are headed to NYC on Friday to visits friends working in the big city! 

-The intern life isn't so bad when it involves picking up dozens of the best cupcakes in town.

-Barre3 D.C. is my new happy place.

-Roomie dinner at one of the best restaurants. Table side guac was must and I may have asked this guy if I could have his job. I can make some mean guacamole in case you didn't know. 

-Not a very appetizing picture, but Wednesday night quickly turned into a good night when we discovered Wine Wednesday at the Whole Foods across from our dorm. $5 gets you 5 different samples of wine paired with 5 different food samplings. My favorite was the herb roasted veggies. 

-Finally pulled myself out of bed for an early morning barre class. Walked halfway there in the rain, but it was one of those happy mornings where nothing could rain on my parade. Pun intended.

-I make and take my lunch to work everyday. A version of this quinoa salad with fruit or nuts for a snack is my go to. Looks pretty good for being cooked up in the kitchenette!

-Mom, dad, Claire and her bf, all got in town on Friday! I loved getting to show them around my city for the weekend. 

-Good Stuff Eatery was high on the agenda of things to do while the fam was in town. This was the aftermath of our lunch. 

-I had been waiting to try out Meskerem, a highly rated Ethiopian spot in Adams Morgan. I knew my family's adventurous taste buds would be willing to try it out! No silverware is involved, instead you get plates of injera bread to scoop up all the yummy spiced dishes.

-Loved mom and pop being here, wish they didn't have to go so soon!

Annie 

Zara Has a Spell On Me

So, I've already made a few trips to Zara since I've been in D.C. Both times I have tried on about 15-20 different things. I love how their clothes are slightly different than pieces you would find in other stores. That being said, they are influencing my style to be slightly different than usual. Right now they have all of these cool printed graphic t-shirts. Most have sketches and drawings of models or florals. 

I am randomly obsessed with these t-shirts. This denim pencil skirt is my other random obsession. I need, I want, I think I will buy it today. I feel like I am reverting back to the days in the 90's where it was jean everything. 

printed t-shirt/denim pencil skirt

Just a quicky fashion post to show off the strange spell Zara is putting me under. I'm planning another Zara post soon because the store is just full of goods right now. 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Another week in D.C. has passed. We are trying to plan all the things we want to get done this summer that I am quickly realizing how fast it is going to go by. 

Last week I felt more like a real resident of D.C. I know my way around better and can manage the Metro for the majority without having to use my app-success! 

It was a wonderful week at work. I am constantly inspired by the people I work with and the environment at the office. I love getting to know everyone better during our chatty lunch breaks, happy hours and daily meetings! 

Last week consisted of more delicious food, more exploring to find hidden D.C. gems and the arrival of the summer humidity. My hair is loooooving it...

-The Georgetown Anthropologie has their whole BHLDN wedding line in the store...swooon

-Coordinating my breakfast with my outfit

-I love when co-workers bring their leftovers to work. The best flour less chocolate cake.

-SCOUT happy hour!

-Brain Food Friday is being installed at work to keep us working hard! Whole Foods juices were provided for everyone! 

-My first Jazz in the Garden. Think live music, thousands of people and $6 sangria.

-These may just look like quesadillas, but they were strangely the most delicious shrimp quesadillas I've ever had in my life. A little tex-mex from Tortilla Coast was a fun taste of home. 

-The famous Luke's Lobster for lunch on Saturday. Best lobster roll hands down.

-Spent all day Saturday walking about every square inch of Georgetown! 

-"Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy gelato, which is pretty much the same thing!" This easily lured us into Dolcezza for some espresso and pistachio gelato!

-Explored the Union Market Saturday night. It was the coolest, most modern little food market that pops up right in the middle of nothing. My friends thought I was leading them to a dead end when we got off the Metro, but luckily it turned out to be a success.

-A southern gospel buffet brunch on Sunday. This was just plate 1 of about 4.

I have no doubt it is going to be another great week! Mom, dad and oldest sis get here Friday so it will definitely be a great weekend! 

Annie