Restaurant 3 8/21/10

Got a dinner for the close of restaurant week at Restaurant 3 in Clarendon. Great place, got a table out in the cool patio and ordered some good drinks first. Having never been there before I was relieved that they had a good beer list. As I get older I like the old standards (Bud Light & such) for sports and happy hours but if I want to enjoy myself I want to pair the dish with some quality brew. The calimari appetizer was awesome. Way to big for an app though and I had to take a bulk home. I got the Peach BBQ glazed pork chop with the mashed potatoes and although they acaully put peaches on my food it did taste good (of course I wiped off the peaches first.) The dessert was a warm bread pudding that until recently I had never tried. All in all great resuarant and good way to cap off a great food week in Clarendon!

DC Coast 8/19/10

Got in the first restaurant of the year at DC Coast on the corner of K & 14th Streets in the District. Going in for lunch with the twins was pretty easy and the reservations helped because that place was packed. At 1pm during the week! I guess all the K Street heroes gotta get that power lunch in before they go back in to work and screw our country up. Oh well. The food was great and I survived a mushroom soup that was a grayish green color and a baby food texture. It looked like something witches eat but it was surprisingly good. I also got a great jambalaya for the main course. It was a rice based meaty concoction that was hot and spicy and full of flavor. I believe the guys at DC Coast also run Arcadiana up the street that the twins took me to last year. To cap it off I had an Anchor Steam brew, straight from the tap. Great success!

DC Restaurant/Beer Week

So DC's restaurant week is in full swing and hopefully I'll be making it out to somewhere this week. It's a great event and luckily I'm off in the days so I could probably swing going out somewhere for lunch. I love eating out and drinking beers which leads into next weeks festivities! I have never heard of DC having a beer week or that many bar crawls but since they are having one I better check it out! Hopefully someplace new with good beers that I can add to the good to go list. Also the Washington Post is putting a guide to a few neighborhoods in the area that are worth checking out in August. I got the family out for a trip to one of DC's best areas on the 8th of August to check 14th and U. They call it midcity (I guess not to confuse with midtown) and they even have a web page: www.midcitylife.com. It was a good trip, especially for mom because she got to see some cool furniture stores that she's read about. Made for a great day and hopefully I can continue this trend. Until then make sure you hit at least one spot this week and ate least two next!

Spoon/Arcade Fire 8/6/10

Well we finally got out to Merriweather this season for an outdoor show and we picked a great night to do so. Thursday's monsoon got me a little nervous for possible rain Friday or at least mud in the lawn but instead it was very nice out. No rain and no mud just two of indie rocks best live acts the last couple years to come to the area and play to kick start a great weekend. After a few Bud Light Limes in the parking grass we got inside the venue to catch Spoon, already in progress. Spoon's a great band from Austin that has put out a number of good albums lately including one earlier this year. They had a good showing and despite being the "opener" they had a large crowd cheering through the whole set. After a break we ventured throughout the place and got reseated on a corner of the lawn and set up chairs and beers for The Arcade Fire to blow our minds. These guys can play and the have a full on sound that reminds me of Bruce & E Street as many players bringing different sounds and showcasing their talents on each song. I've been a fan since "Funeral" came and have continued to follow their careers but I finally got the chance to see them live. The new album sounded good, despite a drum machine problem, their were no interruptions in play. Having just previously played at Madison Square Garden I am glad they continued their awesome wave of power through the DC area. Hopefully more people will want to come and do big festivals here in this area so we can compete with the likes of Chicago, Austin, and hell even NYC. Until then I'll just settle for a free Virgin Fest coming to Merriweather next month. Great show once again and it reaffirmed my affinity for live music. Word.