Yummy Sweet Green!

I'm so excited that sweetgreen has opened up a location right across the street from my office.  For those of you not familiar with this amazing place it is the place for a fresh salad or refreshing frozen yogurt.  According to their website, it is a "destination for delicious food that’s both healthy for you and aligned with your values."  They source local and organic ingredients from farmers they know and partners we trust, supporting communities those around them.  They started in the DC area and are growing.  Right now they have locations in DC, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York.  If there is a location near you, download the app here and receive a credit towards your purchase.  The app features their rewards program and works very similar to Starbucks' app.  Check it out. 


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Restaurant Review: Palena

During my "me" weekend I met up with my good friend for dinner at Palena in Cleveland Park. I'm so glad we went somewhere new because I really want to try new restaurants and share my reviews with you. Dinner was delicious. We both got the exact same thing - caesar salad and gnocchi with fotina cheese. We shared dessert which was a banana tort and select cookies and caramels. The salad was perfect, the dressing was light and not too anchovy. The gnocchi just melted in my mouth. The only negative about the entree was there wasn't enough and we were both still hungry. The banana tort and caramels were AMAZING. The cookies were ok, nothing spectacular. I would definitely recommend this place. It's right off the Cleveland Park metro...very convenient.

Restaurant Recommendation

I'm heading to TN for work at the end of the week and need a restaurant recommendation. I'm actually going to be staying in Oakridge but wanted to grab dinner in Knoxville the night I get there. Please send me any good Knoxville dinner recommendations...preferably near the airport or on the way to Oakridge. Thanks!

Weekend Recap - My Birthday!!!!

This weekend Hubby and I celebrated my 28th birthday. My birthday was on Sunday...Father's Day...28 years ago I was born on Father's Day and I wish I could have been with my dad to celebrate both my birthday and Father's Day but it was too hard for us to make it home. We celebrated with friends on Saturday night. First we had dinner at Cork Wine Bar. It's a shared plates style restaurant and it was sooo good. Some of my favorites included - grilled asparagus, braised pork cheeks, grilled flank steak and french fries. The wines were also very good. I did a flight tasting of whites...so refreshing. After dinner we met a bunch of friends for drinks followed by late night Ben's Chili Bowl. Perfect night!!

On Sunday, Hubby and I decided to do a "birthday run" to one of our favorite breakfast places - First Watch. We relaxed around the house and then we ventured out to run some fun errands. First stop was Tiffany's to get a bunch of my jewelry cleaned. I've never had them clean it in the 8 plus years I've owned Tiffany jewelry. They cleaned a few pieces there and then sent the others away. I can't wait to see how sparkly and new they are going to look. We then headed to Louis Vuitton because I'm in the market for a new bag. I'm pretty sure I'm set on the Neverfull MM but I'm not 100% sure yet. After lusting at all the fabulous LV bags we headed to Bethesda for dinner. We ate at Redwood in Bethesda Row. Sooo yummy!!! The macaroni and cheese was amazing. Definitely recommend this restaurant. After dinner we headed home with some Georgetown Cupcakes...my favorite. It was a great birthday. I will share all the great birthday gifts I got throughout the week.

Amazing Deal!!!!

Thank you to Fantabulously Frugal for sharing this amazing deal. Restaurant.com is a site that offers gift certificates to various restaurants in your area at a discounted rate. For example you can get a $25 gift certificate for $10. Great deal right! Well this deal just got better. With coupon code TASTE you can get these $25 certificates for $2. AMAZING!!! I just ordered three - Baci (an Italian restaurant in Rockville I've wanted to try), and two other restaurants in Bethesda.

It's super easy to order. Just sign up, fill out the usual forms (name, address, credit card, etc.). There is no tax or shipping. After your payment goes through, then you will need to print each of the certificates. The only caution of this deal is beware of the fine print such as not good on alcohol, must have a minimum purchase of $35, etc.

Restaurant Review - Grapeseed Bistro

This weekend my friend Lisa and I decided to take advantage of Bethesda Restaurant Week. We ate at Grapeseed Bistro and it was sooo delicious. Seriously, everything we ate was fantastic. To start, I had the field green salad with their homemade sherry vinaigrette (yummy) and Lisa had the organic tomato salad with basil and corn (AMAZING - and I don't even like tomatoes). For our main course we each got a fish dish - scallops (perfect seared crust) and rockfish (so flaky and delicious). And then for dessert I got the trio of sorbets (so refreshing) and Lisa got the blueberry crisp (amazingly good - and again I don't even like blueberries). To wash everything down we had a bottle of Sokol Blosser Evolution 12th Edition -- Oregon (Riesling-Pinot Gris..). Great bottle of wine - very refreshing, not to sweet. Service was also very good. Very attentive but not over bearing. The clientele was much older than I expected. We had an 8;15 reservation and I was surprised at how many people over 65 were there. It wasn't a bad thing, I was just surprised there weren't more people my age.

Favorite Thing #163 - Poppyseed Chicken

This favorite thing is going to be our contribution for dinner on the beach trip. Each couple is making a meal and Hubby and I decided on this one. It is such a quick, easy, and delicious recipe (thanks to my friend Lisa for sharing) - it's so easy that my husband makes it.

Ingredients
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom or celery
1 sm carton sour cream
1-2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 package Ritz crackers
1 stick butter (I rarely use a whole stick)
Instant Rice

Directions
Mix 1st 4 items together. Put in casserole dish then crumble Ritz crackers and sprinkle on top. Last, melt butter and drizzle all over. Bake at 350, 20-25 mins or until it gets bubbly. Serve over rice. Enjoy!


Still love and eat at Favorite Thing #63 - Sushi Damo. It is definitely one of the best sushi places in the DC area. Everything is so fresh and delicious (I just wish it wasn't so pricey). Hubby and I love the Rockville and Blue Ocean specialty rolls.

Favorite Thing #160 - Dave Matthews Band

I have been a Dave Matthews Band fan since middle school. I have all of their albums and know most of their songs by heart. I don't think there is a song that they have come out with that I don't like. Some of my all-time favorite songs include Satellite, #41, Say Goodbye, and The Space Between. Last week their new album, Big Whiskey and The Groo Grux Kings came out.

I actually bought the CD (I can't remember the last time I bought a CD) and listened to it on the drive to Morgantown and back this past weekend. Already I'm in love with the new single Funny The Way It Is (#3), Time Bomb (#11), Baby Blue (#12), and You and Me (#13).



Still love Favorite Thing #60 - Me Jana. It's a great restaurant. I haven't eaten there in a while (and not because I don't want to) because I'm not eating lunch out very often since we are trying to save money. If you are in the Arlington area and plan on it, I definitely recommend eating here - lunch or dinner.

Favorite Thing #142 - Rita's Italian Ice

I LOOOOOVE Rita's Italian Ice! It is the best cool treat in the spring/summer. There are several differnt sweet treats available but their signature treat is Italian ice. It combines ice with real fresh fruit and is made fresh daily at each location and served within 36-hours of mixing. The ice is Fat-Free, Cholesterol Free, Trans-Fat Free and made fresh daily in dozens of deliciously refreshing flavors.

I got to have my first Rita's this weekend when I was back in Allentown. I got a small cone w/ vanilla custard. Soo yummy. The hubby and I got Rita's again on our way back to DC and this Rita's had my favorite flavor watermelon so I had to get my favorite Rita's treat a gelati.

A gelati combines the custard and ice into a wonderful treat. There is a layer of custard at the bottom, then the ice, and then another layer of custard on the top. Soooo yummy! I'm so excited because there are a couple of Rita's near us now. Definitely go to frequent them this summer. Click here to find a Rita's near you!



I am OBSESSED with Target Dollar Bins! And it definitely is at the top of my list of all time favorite things. I find such cute things like greeting cards, gift bags, holiday items, onesies and socks for my niece and nephew, etc. Lately though the bins have been hit or miss. So hopefully next time I go there will be lots of great stuff!

Favorite Thing #117 - Greeting Card Organizer

I got this favorite thing - greeting card organizer - a couple of years ago at Target for $9.99. It's a simple box that has dividers for all different types of cards. I always like to have cards on file. Normally I get the cards at the Target dollar bins. Usually ever month or so they have a great selection of handmade cards available for $1!! I haven't seen these at Target recently but keep your eye out because I'm sure they will come back.

I'm still eating at Favorite Thing #17 - Harry's Tap Room. I don't get to eat there as often since I moved from Arlington to Rockville but since I work in Arlington I will go there for lunch or dinner with a friend after work. I hope they put a Harry's in the Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg area.

My Love Hate Relationship with Cosi

I would love to call Cosi one of my favorite things but I can't because we have a love hate relationship. I love their squagels (bagels that are square), sandwiches, salads, and of course their bread...I LOVE THEIR BREAD. The reason why I can't put Cosi down as a favorite thing is every time I go in there I have a bad experience. There are two things that really bother me about Cosi -

1. Bagel selection in the morning is horrible. Probably 8 out of 10 times I go to Cosi in the morning for a bagel they don't have what I want and the slection is so minimal. It's not that I am there at 10 am so its whatever is left, I usually get there around 8:30-9:00 and there are hardly any choices.

2. Their customer service sucks! They are not personable in fact most of the interactions I have had have been very rude. It is usually an unplesant experience when I am ordering food.

If it wasn't for the good food then I probably not be eating there. But lucky for you Cosi I do love your sandwiches so I will continue to get squagels and sandwiches.

Favorite Thing #63 - Sushi Damo

Sushi Damo is a new favorite of my husband and I since we moved to Rockville, MD (I apologize for the readers that don't live in the DC area). I was never a huge fan of sushi until we ate here a few weeks ago. Now I find myself craving it!! We went there again Saturday night for my birthday with a bunch of friends and had a great time. It's located in the Rockville Town Square (very convenient to our new house). They have your traditional rolls - Philadelphia, California, Spicy Tuna, etc. They also have some AMAZING speciality rolls. So far we recommend the Rockville Roll and the Blue Ocean. And of course start your meal off with some edamame!

Favorite Thing #60 - Me Jana Restaurant

Unfortunately this favorite thing will only be applicable to those that live in the DC area (particularly Arlington, VA) because its one of my favorite lunchtime spots - Me Jana Restaurant. This is a new Lebanesse restaurant in this area and it is soooo amazing!!! My friend Chandra and I probably have lunch here at least three times a month!! And I always get the same thing - Grilled Chicken Salad. It's the perfect size, the chicken is marinated in some amazing spices and the vinaigrette on the salad is amazingly light - a nice blend of olive oil and citrus flavors. Other great items on the menu that I have tried and enjoyed are the rosemary french fries, shawarma sandwich and the Moroccan tea.

Favorite Thing #17 - Harry's Tap Room

Unfortunately this favorite thing will only apply to those that live in the Washington D.C. area (sorry) or if you come and visit (mi casa es su casa) because its one of my favorites restaurants in Arlington - Harry's Tap Room. I first discovered this restaurant when my friend from college Jeff came for a visit. I was still very new to the area and we wanted to go somewhere for dinner so we decided to check it out since it was near where I work.

Well it was love at first bite and for the past four years I probably eat here once a month. I know once a month seems like a lot but its right up the street from my office so sometimes I have a work dinner or I will grab lunch and since its in walking distance from my house my husband and I love walking there in the spring for dinner and drinks. Usually if people come in from out of town I will take them here for dinner. It has a great diverse menu so I know people are bound to find something they like.

Some favorite menu items include: Roasted Red Pepper and Crab Soup, Caesar Salad (for lunch try it with grilled chicken), and the grilled twin fillets with the peppercorn mustard sauce (on the side). They also have some great wines as well. I'm no wine experst but here are some of my favorites: Saint M Riesling, Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, Hill of Content Old Vine Grenache Shiraz, and Mark West Pinot Noir.

Well don't take my word for it. Here are some reviews:

“knockout” The Washington Post

“this modern, handsome Clarendon ‘hot spot’… draws a sophisticated clientele of …couples and singles in their 20s, 30s and 40s for excellent mussels, twin petite filets, well-thought out wines by the glass… and has an amazing Sunday brunch…” Zagat Survey

Top after-work meeting place in Northern Virginia Washingtonian Magazine’s readers.