adventures of a florida girl in dc...

MAP: My Favorite Places to Eat in Florida

2012-01-29T18:19:00.002-05:00

With the Republican primary in Florida right now - and the convention headed to Tampa later this year - I'm getting a lot of questions from DC pals about where to eat in my home state. Like everything else these days, there's an app for that. I've create a Google map of my favorite spots to eat and drink across Florida. Some are locally-sourced, some are epic dives and some have sentimental

WATCH: Shit People in DC Say

2012-01-20T14:06:00.003-05:00

I know, I know... some of you may have seen this already. And some of you are OVER the meme... but, clearly, I'm not! So dead on, DC. What would you add?

To Do: Volunteer, Then Brunch on MLK Day

2012-01-15T17:49:00.001-05:00

After spending your morning cleaning up the Potomac or feeding homeless neighbors, you'll be riding a euphoric, feel-good high on Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. You're going to want to celebrate with brunch... one that your lazy non-volunteering friends can meet you at since most of us have the day off. But it's a Monday... what brunch spots are open for MLK Day in Washington, DC

Work Week Blues? Fight Back with a Fabulous Lunch at Fiola for $15

2012-01-09T23:57:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but last week was a rough re-entry to work. I spent the holidays lazing by pools in sunny Florida and I was not ready for office life in cold DC on Monday. Luckily, I work in an amazing neighborhood full of people who are ready to escape for lunch with me on the fly. My hump day salvation came via one of my Penn Quarter favorites, the newly opened Fiola by Fabio Trabocchi

Tampa: Deviled Crabs at La Cubanita

2011-12-23T15:21:00.002-05:00

One of my best childhood memories is going down to the docks in Tampa with my Dad and getting deviled crabs at Seabreeze Restaurant. They'd come out steaming hot and we'd load em up with hot sauce and eat em outside by the water... never mind the smell of the bay or the industrial nature of the area. I've had them since at Alessi and other spots, but they never seem to be quite as good at

Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom Risotto with Parmesan

2011-12-22T09:54:00.000-05:00

While home for Christmas, my Mom asked me to teach her how to make risotto. I guess she'd tried it before and it came out gummy. She and my Dad ended up dumping it and going out to dinner. I learned risotto from Giada and, for whatever reason, I took to it. Risotto's my go to thing. Provided I have arborio rice (risotto), I can make it with virtually anything in the kitchen. The other thing I

Learning How to Decorate Christmas Cookies from Gail Dosik

2011-12-11T12:09:00.001-05:00

Way before I was thinking about Christmas, Cathy (aka Mrs. Wheelbarrow) emailed me and told me Gail was coming to town to teach a cookie decorating class. I'll admit, I signed up to just to meet Gail. You see, Gail and I are those nerdy Twitter pals who've talked for gosh, years? but never met. We talk food, Ike, Morning Joe. She's my kinda gal... and she also happens to be one of the most

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Crackers

2011-12-04T17:25:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon Yummy Mummy's Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites on Pinterest about a month ago and pinned them to my Thanksgiving Menu. I got all of the ingredients, but didn't realize you had to start them the day before (story of my life) so they got 86'd. Then I was going to make them for a tree decorating party, but ran out of time. But I was determined to make them so why not tonight to take

Deep-Fried Bacon-Wrapped Peanut Butter Cups at The Passenger

2011-12-03T13:16:00.001-05:00

Last night, I was flying back in from Chicago. Easy peasy into DCA. Except something or other wasn't cool with landing gear of some sort (the flaps not the wheels thankfully), so we got diverted to Dulles to take advantage of the longer runways... much appreciated as I wasn't interested in a winter dip into the Potomac. But after that, I needed a drink, so I met Marshall, Sylvie, Alejandra and

Small Business Spotlight: Washington, DC

2011-11-26T08:45:00.001-05:00

Today being "Small Business Saturday", I thought I'd share some of my favorite DC local shops. Miss Pixie's Furnishings and What Not is a great second hand furniture and home wares store. The first purchase I made for my new home was four vintage diner stools for my bar. These days, I go in searching for the perfect small round, but expandable, dining table or a set of old school lockers that

My Thanksgiving Menu 2011

2011-11-24T11:27:00.001-05:00

The theme this year (hopefully) is low stress. After last year's turkey debacle (planned to fry it, which fell through and had to bake it so we ate late), this year, I wanted to focus on sides and not the main course. We're calling this the Mid-Atlantic Thanksgiving Feast: The Mid-Atlantic Thanksgiving Plate Starter: Sparkling Brie & Cranberry Bites by Yummy Mummy Mains: Ham Crabcakes (made

Fall at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace

2011-11-22T09:54:00.001-05:00

I don't know why, but I kind of wanted to not like Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (and it's upstairs bar Black Jack). It's the type of place that has the right PR team, is getting all the buzz... all the cool kids are going to it... and those usually don't live up to the hype. But after my second visit - this time with my family - I have to admit, I'm kind of smitten. It's not a fancy schmancy seafood

Remote Office: Misha's in Old Town

2011-11-18T15:32:00.001-05:00

I work in a windowless office that I share with six women. And while I love them to death, some times it's great to get all Cheney and attack my inbox from an undisclosed remote location. I'm only telling you this after the fact, but today's remote location was Misha's Coffee in Old Town Alexandria. They made a killer latte the size of my head, had cute scruffy barista boys, rockin' wifi and

Best of the Web: Thanksgiving Desserts

2011-11-13T11:56:00.001-05:00

While trying to decide what kind of dessert to make for a friend's dinner party recently, I stumbled down a recipe rabbit hole and came up with more fall recipe awesomeness than my kitchen could crank out. I'm passing along the most drool-worthy finds on the Internet in hopes that one of them will make it to your Thanksgiving table. Apple Baklava by Michael Symon Caramelized Banana Splits by

To Do: Help Homeless Veterans

2011-11-11T09:55:00.001-05:00

I'm volunteering tonight at Miriam's Kitchen for the dinner service. After reading this email from them this morning, I'm gonna lose it. No tears in Chef John's chicken pot pies. Repeat. The following is copied from an email by Miriam's Kitchen, an organization serving the homeless of Washington, DC: There are 76,000 homeless veterans in the United States on any given night. At Miriam's

The Top Chef Texas Florida Connection

2011-11-09T21:50:00.000-05:00

Working at Moto in Chicago isn't the only thing Top Chef Texas contestants Chef Chris Jones and Chef Richie Farina have in common. Both have roots in the Sunshine State! The tweet Chef Jones sent me... Now you just have to choose whether or not you're going to cheer on Chris who hails from Fort Lauderdale and has family in Tallahassee or Richie who's a Tampa Bay boy - Riverview to be specific!

Whirlwind Weekend: Fall in DC

2011-11-09T21:16:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, the best planning happens on the fly. When my two besties Kimbril and Whitney came to town for the weekend, all we had on the docket was Saturday night at the Kennedy Center... but here's what happened... Drinking Blue Veins at Black Jack Friday night, it was a toss up between some place I love but had been (Estadio) and a new place (Pearl Dive Oyster Palace.) The girls declared I

The Best Spaghetti Squash Recipes on the Web

2011-10-29T14:20:00.000-04:00

The 14th & U Farmers Market was open and despite the cold, rainy (snow threatening) weather, I figured if they can get up and truck their wares into the city, the least I could do was roll out of bed and see what they had. Also, I was out of coffee creamer, so ya know, I needed coffee too. I came out of it with a pumpkin, a Whisked! sweet potato pie, and this cute spaghetti squash... now, what

To Do: Help Keep DC's Homeless Warm

2011-10-28T12:20:00.002-04:00

I'll say it. "I'm lazy. I'd love to help and all, but I'm really busy and I don't have time to go to Target, buy a coat and some coffee and deliver it to Miriam's Kitchen to help someone in need." Oh wait, we took that excuse off the table and made and easy-peasy Amazon wish list! You can buy exactly what Miriam's Kitchen needs at any given time right here - and it ships to them directly. You

TO DO: National Archives Food Fright

2011-10-27T13:13:00.000-04:00

All of this food blogging has made me more aware of the madness of food policy in this country. One of my favorite chefs and the one guy (so far) who can get me passionate about farm subsidies (the accent helps), Chef Jose Andres is presenting this evening at the National Archives on "Food Frights: Food Safety Now and Then." This is part of the America Eats: "What's Cooking Uncle Sam?" series he

To Do: Policy's Trick or Tweetup

2011-10-18T14:36:00.001-04:00

I'm just back from almost a month out of town and I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. I can't think of a better way to start feeling all autumnal than a Halloween party and Policy's throwing one for epic social media nerds like me. There will be complimentary bites, drink specials and a costume contest for Facebook and Twitter users... so I guess I better get creative. (I'm kind of a

What I've Been Eating: The Source by Wolfgang Puck

2011-09-12T09:09:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, life gets so busy, blogging falls by the wayside... but rest assured, I have photos of killer food saved up for months! Here's one I Foodspotted in real time, but I wanted to make sure to share with y'all because it was fantastic. The evening did not start out well. I walked out of work and my car was booted. Thanks, DC police. ;) It seems with just two unpaid tickets, you are

MAP: Where to Eat and Shop in Rockville, MD

2011-08-29T11:32:00.001-04:00

I'm getting ready to redo my bathroom and @APoshGirl is sending me on a tile hunt up in Rockville, MD. The only issue is, I know nada about Rockville, but people tell me there is good food up that way. (Yes, I'm being an over-dramatic District resident... it's not like it's Vermont, it's a few miles north.) So, natch, I asked my Facebook and Twitter friends and got so many great suggestions

DC Area Hurricane Specials

2011-08-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

The earthquake came too fast to get you disaster deals from the local restaurants, but Hurricane Irene's giving us plenty of notice. I'll add them as I see them, but here's a starter set of fun places to go and weather the storm with your newest best friends... Cajun Experience in Dupont Circle - $5 Hurricanes all day Saturday! Free tastings at Cardinal Point Winery in Afton, VA (near

Brunch: Rustico in Alexandria, VA

2011-08-08T19:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, I met Blair for brunch on her side of the Potomac... and while I like to make a fuss about crossing the river, I really, really wanted to go to Rustico. I love their locally sourced, seasonal dinner menu and artisan brews - plus it's just a quick zip down Gee-Dub Parkway and there's easy parking (and Buzz Bakery across the street for take home treats.) Our conversation will remain