French

Mother’s Day at Le Grenier

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T and I don’t have the biggest apartment but we love [and live] to entertain family and friends and wanted to host Mother’s Day this year.  Since having 10 guests over for brunch at our place wasn’t an option, we searched for brunch places in D.C. [with a very specific set of criteria] and settled on Le Grenier on H Street, in our very own neighborhood.

Le Grenier’s charming bistro-like ambiance [with its brick interior, shabby-chic chairs, and wire birdcages] and affordable $18 brunch deal was the perfect combination for our group.  Their brunch offerings, including savory crepes, steak and fries, endless crusty bread, and the plat du joir [which happened to be flaky Arctic char that day] paired with a glass of Champagne Blanc de Blanc, were sure to please everyone at the table… and were a hit!  To add a little personal touch to the table I made place cards and strategically placed everyone – a detail I recommend to anyone hosting a group of ten people!

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The best thing about organizing Mother’s Day brunch at Le Grenier was having impeccable service [did I mention the endless the bread?!] that allowed us to relax, and more importantly to enjoy spending time with one another.  I couldn’t have asked for a better day with my mom, and I hope everyone was able to celebrate their mother, near or far!

Photography also by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

A Snail Tale

If you didn’t know already, my three year anniversary with Mr. Teddy Wolff was this month [June 19 to be exact].  To celebrate three fantastic years as a duo, we planned a day of delicious culinary experiences.

The first was an unassuming authentic lunch at A&J in Annandale, VA.  If you ever want to have an inexpensive, traditional, and gratifying meal, go here.  A&J’s Chinese tapas are the epitome of comfort food and warm your soul with every bite.  I recommend the scallion pancake, pork dumplings, and spicy beef noodle soup [all menu choices were perfectly chosen and ordered by Teddy].  The soup is to die for and the noodles are homemade!

That night, Teddy and I opened a bottle of Lovingston Winery Pinotage [that I had been saving for a special occasion] and got going on our second delectable meal of the day, escargot. Both of my parents have made escargot several times for the family throughout my life and it has always been one of my favorite treats.  How can you go wrong with butter, garlic, shallots, and more butter?  The snails are pretty good too…

Escargot

Jackietara