Friday Date Night

This past Friday at lunchtime, I came up with the idea to do something special with T.  I told him I’d like to treat him to sushi for dinner, to take him out on a date.  And he was so excited about it that he suggested we also check and see if there was anything interesting at the opera.  (We went to a few operas together in Paris, and it’s something we like to do every once in a while.)  Turns out, there was a ballet called Parzival playing that evening, choreographed by John Neumeier, who is well-known for his very modern choreography style.

It was so great to have something nice to look forward to during the day!  So I went to my afternoon and evening classes and then met him at the opera.

We wanted to have our sushi before the ballet, but we didn’t have enough time and there weren’t enough seats in the restaurant – so we just grabbed a coffee and a little pastry and then saw the ballet.  It was really nice!  The music was beautiful, and the dancing was very fun to watch.  We didn’t know the story behind it, so it was interesting to make up our own versions of what was happening.

We went back to the sushi restaurant after the ballet was over and enjoyed some sushi together, picking colored plates off of the kaiten.  We had a beer afterward,  and I finally decided to try the Hamburg beer cocktail “Alsterwasser” — Alster water — a combination of beer and sprite, named after the big lake here in Hamburg.

We talked a lot about this potential new apartment we looked at on Thursday.  Turns out, we were chosen from all the applicants and can have the apartment if we want it.  The realtor called us on Friday and told us this news, and said we could have the weekend to think about it, since he wouldn’t do anything until Monday anyway.

Long story short, and lots of hesitation and thinking and rethinking later (and actually getting to meet one of our potential neighbors), we’ve decided to take it.  As long as a few little details are cleared up, so we won’t know for sure until tomorrow.

I’m excited to share more about it once it’s really for certain!

FroYo

I’m a newly-converted fan of Frozen Yogurt.

Angela, an old childhood friend, told me about this place in Annapolis called “Yofiore.”  We went there on Wednesday, and lemme just say…I AM IMPRESSED!  I am a fan for 3 major reasons:

1. Frozen Yogurt (FroYo) is delicious, & also so very refreshing!
   

   I had plain frozen yogurt with fresh blueberries & blackberries on top!

2. The décor is funky & fun!
   

   Modern, sleek decorations - those chairs are quite comfortable!

3. It’s a great place to go with a friend!
   

   Angela at FroYo - her outfit matches the décor!

   

   Me, enjoying my FroYo

DC Delights

I went to some fantastic places in DC yesterday after work.

Took the Circulator bus to Georgeotown, where I haven’t been in months!!

Mie N Yu – had lamb kebabs with cucumber sauce & a French Kiss cocktail that was so strong it made me unable to walk straight.  I blame it on the lack of food.   Nobody was there when I went at 4:30, but it allowed me to fully appreciate the décor.   If you haven’t been, check this place out ASAP!

Dean & Deluca - bought and enjoyed one cranberry macaroon dipped in white chocolate, then some fig jam (my favorite!) and some almonds covered in dark chocolate mocha for my dad and I to enjoy.   This place was absolutely magical and totally made my week.   I’ve found my new “happy place”.

Annie Creamcheese – Fantastic vintage store, but way more $$$ than I’d care to spend.  Fun, though.  Reminds me of that place in Frederick…oh crap…I forget the name…oh! Vibrant Artwear.   But Annie Creamcheese is about 100x more expensive.   But maybe I’ll go back there again when I need a nice dress for an occasion.  Speaking of Frederick, I really miss it and would like to come visit again soon, please.

Then I walked back from Georgetown to Downtown.   A mistake, because it was so cold and I was wearing heels, but it did help kill time.  Wished there was a Starbucks open at 7 p.m. on a Thursday night, but there were none.  And I didn’t feel like walking back up to The Commissary.   On my way back down to 15th street, a man asked me for directions.  “Funny you should ask, because I’m a concierge at a hotel.”   I didn’t have any city maps to give him, but I gave him my circulator map and pointed him in the direction of Dupont Circle.  He had asked me where the closest bookstore was and if I knew of any good place in Dupont to go to.   I sent him to Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe.   In return for my help, he gave me his brand-new American Red Cross shopping bag as a form of gratitude.   He didn’t want to carry it anwyay, and wanted to thank me for my help.

So I walked around and around the neighborhood until my friend got off work.   We had dinner reservations at Equinox, a very nice restaurant with contemporary American food and fresh, local ingredients.  De-lic-ious! As you may know, it is Restaurant Week in DC until the 22nd.

We enjoyed a delicious three-course meal, as well as cocktails and a free appetizer, espressos and a special digestif that our server, Ed, called “a kiss goodnight”.   And then Ed told us that there was no check tonight, thanked us for dining with them and invited us to come back again soon, promising that they could be more lavish in their offerings when it’s not restaurant week.

I was taken aback; I knew they knew I was a concierge (and that I send people their way pretty often!), but I did not expect them to comp our meal.  I’m sure it helped that my colleague, our lead concierge, called ahead to the General Manager and let her know I was coming.   But wow.  An entire meal.  I sure hope we tipped him well enough, because I’m not exactly sure how much the bill would have come to.   Well, I’ll be sending a thank-you card pretty soon.

Well, even if they had not comped my meal, it is definitely a place I will be glad to send my guests.   The food is really top-notch and the service was impeccable. Such a creative menu.   And I felt healthy and satisfied afterward.   If anyone wants reservations, let me know!  I’ll request that they take good care of you.

Last but not least, I leave you with a photo I took as the sun was setting in Georgetown:

Georgetown Sunset