|
Washington is a foodie town, and high-end food and fine wine go together like politics and conversation. We begin with Oya, and after eating there it’s no wonder the place was packed at 10:45 p.m., with tables still pouring in. Chef Chris Hylton marries Asian ingredients with French techniques, which results in an explosion of flavors in a fiery, contemporary setting. Hylton is a grand master of French Asian fusion cuisine, and his creations are paired with a unique wine list hand-selected by Washington’s pied piper of wines, sommelier Andrew Stover, CSW. Stover is the director of wine marketing at Oya, and his pairings tempt the palate to the point that you want one of everything. And while many fine restaurants offer a laundry list of wines as a testament to how many they serve, Oya has no such Napoleon complex. They have a vast selection perfectly paired by cuisine, leading the way to gastronomic bliss. Oya is a Wine and Beverage Program of the year nominee of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. http://www.oyadc.com/
Ici means “here” in French. To us it also means Croque Monsieur, filet Eggs Benedict, cassoulet, grilled tuna, mimosas… and about a thousand fabulous other things created by über chef Philippe Piel. ICI Urban Bistro in Hotel Sofitel Lafayette Square is a French food lover’s destination. Among a cleverly appointed menu are five kinds of pomme frites and things like duck cassoulet with white bean stew and crispy duck confit, sausage, pork and tomatoes, fromage and other traditional favorites. Don’t leave Washington without a sampling of the pastries and breads, baked twice daily on site courtesy of Pastry Chef Jerome Colin. Bring enough appetite to squeeze in a few crispy Parmesan rolls served at brunch. www.IciUrbanBistro.com
Just when we thought we couldn’t find a restaurant we loved better than ICI or Oya, we happened quite accidentally upon a place called Poste Moderne Brasserie. It had been recommended to us by Andrew Stover while we were recovering from too many appetizers at Oya. The next day as we walked out of the Spy Museum, Poste’s signage magically appeared before us and we decided to stop in for appetizers and wine. Poste is like that fabulous blind date that turns out to look like Daniel Craig, owns his own Fortune 500 company, and loves his mother. Accessed through a historic carriageway portal, Poste is located in the original sorting room of the 1841 General Post Office. The Mary Poppins of darling culinary stops, it’s practically perfect in every way. Floor Manager William Silcott made some suggestions for our wine and appetizers. “Try the foie gras terrine!” he exclaimed. To say that Chef Robert Weland’s foie gras appetizer is delicious could possibly be the culinary understatement of the century. Nowhere else on earth (and we’ve had it everywhere) has foie gras tasted like this – sweet, tangy and served with a sprig of rosemary with toasted brioche and paired with a glass of heady Bordeaux. Add the charm of surrounding welcome and herb gardens, interior décor and Silcott’s hospitality, and Poste makes our top-three list of new urban favorites in Washington, DC. www.postebrasserie.com
Go, do
If you love intrigue, the most fun to be had in Washington is the International Spy Museum. Welcome to the shadowy world of espionage. Here you can explore the processes spies have used for decades to gather intelligence. You can travel through the museum on a behind-the- scenes tour where you become the spy. On the tour, you’ll at first feel much like the rest of the dorky tourists you often encounter at museums. But at the conclusion, you find out that every action you just completed on your “mission” was based on actual spy events. For the ultimate spy enthusiast, the museum also has programs which include panels, lectures, and hands-on workshops. Current programs include:
+ “Inside Stories” provides personal accounts, informed opinions, and new insights into current and historic world affairs.
+ “Hot Topic” programs probe current issues, from the re-emergence of the Kremlin in Russia to the transformation of the U.S. intelligence field.
+ “Secret History of History” programs trace the impact of spies from biblical times to the recent past, covering topics such as Civil War spies, World War II resistance efforts, and the FBI’s hunt for Weather Underground fugitives.
+ “Spies on Screen” feature espionage-related films with expert commentary—from the classic to the contemporary—from ‘Dr. Strangelove’ to ‘The Lives of Others.’
+ “Spy School Workshops,” led by intelligence professionals, give hands-on opportunities to crack codes, read body language, detect surveillance, and more.
+ Super unique “Dinner with a Spy” is an intimate opportunity to dine and dish with a former intelligence operative. International Spy Museum/Elite Surveillance Team members train regularly with a former CIA Officer on the streets of D.C. (Source: www.spymuseum.org)
After you’re done being James or Jane Bond, it’s time to move on to the sites. The best way to see Washington and not miss the amazing architecture is to patronize the group DC by Foot. This walking group meets multiple times a week and you can choose various areas to visit. The walking tour is guided so you get the inside scoop on what you’re seeing. The best part of this group is that every Sunday’s 6 p.m. tour dedicates all of that tour’s tips to a local charity (which changes regularly). (www.dcbyfoot.com)
Mosey on over to Georgetown, about a 10 minute drive by car, to a place that will send your taste buds to the moon. It’s called The Georgetown Cupcake Store. There they have more than 20 rotating flavors of cupcakes (12 per day) with names including Lava Fudge and Honey Yogurt. ‘Nuff said. (www.georgetowncupcake.com)
After you’ve ingested 30 cupcakes, walked a trillion miles, and seen every site, it’s time for cocktails. Leave it to the forward-thinking Topaz Hotel to come up with a fabulous way to do happy hour. Their Topaz Votes Cocktail Campaign is a menu of drinks in honor of the electoral process. True-blue Democrats can have a Double-Down Donkey with citrus vodka, blue Curacao, and a splash of sour topped with champagne. Conservative Republicans love the All-In Elephant mix of Malibu, Bacardi Orange, amaretto, grenadine, lime juice and a splash each of cranberry and orange juice. For fencepost riders there are the Independent Player of Stoli and aloe vera juice, and The Undecided (mini-flight of all three campaign cocktails). Cast your vote! (www.topazhotel.com)
If you can get to DC during the spring months, you’re in for more than you bargained for. DC’s famous cherry trees, a gift from Japan in 1912, literally explode with color. The trees make practically every inch of the Jefferson Memorial along the Tidal Basin and Washington Monument look covered in fat pink snowflakes. Once the buds expand in late February, the trees are monitored for the countdown until bloom begins. Hundreds of thousands of people from DC and around the world visit en masse. (www.NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org)
Home base
There are just so many great things about Washington, and one of them is the availability of public transportation. L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, a staple Washington hotel, is located a short walk from the Smithsonian and directly above a major Metrorail (subway train) station that connects you to everything in Washington. That the metro is directly beneath the hotel makes it convenient, but it is also economical. Taking the metro rather than cabs can save you an average $100 in taxi fares, and is much faster than aboveground transport. On busy weekends, the metro is the best way to travel. The L’Enfant Plaza location works in your favor if you’re not familiar with DC. It’s quiet and serves as a good home base to trek from and return to at the end of a long day of site seeing.
Like most hotels of this caliber, the rooms are lovely, clean, et cetera. But love is in the details, and L’Enfant Plaza Hotel has proved this. Size has its advantages and bigger is usually better at a hotel. Boutique hotels are darling and I love them, but sometimes it’s nice to stay where a lot is offered under one roof. For example, L’Enfant Plaza Hotel offers a separate coffee bar in the lobby plus three different restaurants/bars in the lobby area. It’s a bustling place due to its size, so having so many different choices of places to hang out diversifies the space and makes it fun to come downstairs and socialize. They provide Rusk products for their toiletries and are located above an underground shopping area, a godsend if you forget something important (like comfy walking shoes). The hotel is reasonably priced and consistent, and room service is actually delicious. In many hotels, room service menus leave much to be desired. Not so at L’Enfant. Try their yummy tomato soup and veggie pizza for a late afternoon snack after walking the city and do your heart a favor with their Irish oatmeal and fresh berries for breakfast. The beds are of the comfort variety and anointed with chocolate. Another surprise was that, despite a convention staying there, we never ran out of hot water. Valet is available 24 hours a day (for $30 a day, but that is standard here at just about every hotel; be sure to budget for parking if you drive).
The complete unpretentiousness of the hotel staff is refreshing. We’ve all had the experience of staying at the latest trendy hotel where if you aren’t Kate Moss or David Beckham you’re made to feel like an Egg McMuffin in a gourmet kitchen. What drew us to L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in the first place is their loving pet policy. Yes, you are most welcome to bring Fido along for some capital canine fun, and you wouldn’t be alone. While there, we saw doggies in the lobby, and happy people everywhere (since they were able to bring beloved four-legged friends). In fact, Washington is one of the most pet friendly destinations in the country. (www.LenfantPlazaHotel.com)
~ Kelly Gray
|
