Friday night was "girls night" for my DC besties and I. We had been looking forward to this night for a while - even though we live within a two mile radius of each other, we've all been so busy with work, travel, and fun that it had been a while since we'd hung out together! This night had been on the calendar for a while, but we didn't know what we felt like doing until a couple of days before. Anna-Catherine suggested a late dinner at Bangkok Joe's, a Thai restaurant on the Georgetown waterfront.
Bangkok Joe's has a très chic ambiance - very swanky and trendy, even though you can't tell by the picture of our corner table. The food was solid and flavorful, with huge portions, but overall I didn't think it was anything to write home about. I got the tofu basil rice bowl and also tried Randi's tofu pad thai; everyone else got noodle bowls with chicken, so I didn't try theirs.
I wish my dish had been a tad spicier; it just didn't pack enough punch for me. Admittedly, I like my Thai food really spicy, so most people probably would have thought it was perfect. The "upscale Thai bistro" put me even more solidly in the camp that ethnic food is best when cheap and from a hole in the wall. (The one exception may be Indian food - which seems to be pricey everywhere.) However, I will say that the company was a blast. It was so good to see everyone because I think it has been a couple months since all six of us sat down together. I have no idea when my friends and I all got so old. Dinner conversation ranged from office woes to friends' upcoming weddings to wrinkles and anti-aging regimes. Whaaaat? Slow down, Father Time!
After dinner we popped by Daily Grill to have a beer and watch the basketball games. After a while, "a beer" multiplied into many drinks. Randi, AC, and Kate left and it was just Brittany, Whitney, and me. It was a slow night for the bar, and the bartender, with whom we are pretty friendly, was soliciting ideas for a new cocktail. We wound up with something pink that was "girly, but sassy, snarky, and bitchy". Whatever that means. Was he trying to describe us? I was skeptical, as I hate sugary girly-tinis, but it actually wasn't that bad. It tasted like strawberry pineapple juice with a kick.
Saturday, one of my sorority sisters from college, Ann-Somers, was in town for her birthday and the National Half Marathon. She works as a consultant based out of Dallas, so we got our girlfriends from all over the East Coast (New York, DC, Richmond, and Charlottesville) to meet in the nation's capital. Our friend Sarah made a reservation at Farmers and Fishers, another restaurant at the Georgetown waterfront. Farmers and Fishers is a farm-to-table sister restaurant of one of my DC favorites, Founding Farmers.
It was my first time at the restaurant, and even though I had heard varying reviews, I was impressed with most of the food! (And all of the made-in-house cocktails!) We started with crab dip, fried calamari, a sprawling hummus platter, and a caprese salad tray for the table. The apps were delish. By the time the main course came, I wasn't even hungry, which was probably a good thing because my beet and goat cheese salad was kind of boring. I suppose that's my fault for not ordering something more interesting. Apparently Lyssa's tacos were 100% inedible, but other than that, I think everyone was happy with their meals. I had a bite of the roasted vegetable pizza and a couple different types of fish, which were all pretty tasty.
We took the party back to Sarah's house, where we were joined by a few more girls and some of our guy friends from college. Then, by request of the birthday girl, we went dancing. Look how happy we all are to be reunited! #dimples
Sunday was a lazy day. Whitney made shrimp and grits on Saturday night so I threw a fried egg atop a block of leftover grits and called it brunch. I spent the afternoon watching basketball and doing some boring, administrative Sunday activities. I also did some trip planning for the vacation my sisters and I are taking in May, following B's graduation. We're going to Italy for 18 days and I could not be more excited! We're flying in and out of Milan, stopping in Bologna, Parma, Modena, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, Rome, Cinque Terre, and Turin along the way. If anyone has suggestions on places to eat (or see!), please send them on over.
What did everyone do this weekend? Any tasty vegetarian eats?
i'm currently cheating on egg plant and having a love affair with brussels sprouts. i had them for dinner every night this weekend- except the pizza i downed babysitting friday night. maybe we could get some brussel sprouts receipes coming our way? i only put them in the oven with mushrooms and olive oil which is good but i have a giant bag from sam's and need some ideas..
ReplyDeletealso, please dont refer to me as "B" you are not gossip girl, and I am not blair waldorf. thanks.