Press Dinner: Da Marcella

Da Marcella: Wine & Menu

I was invited to partake in a lovely meal at Da Marcella, a humble and cozy neighborhood taverna in the Village. The owner, Manual Moreno opened this restaurant in tribute to his mother who would cook large meals to feed their neighbors and continues the tradition of keeping the costs low with the motto "nobody should get rich feeding thy neighbor". Likewise, the restaurant continues to use his family's recipes and this passion and tradition shines through in the food. Speaking of the food, let's take a peak at what we got to sample...

A perfect night: Apotheke, The Boil, & Pouring Ribbons

Apotheke: Interior

Tonight we headed down to the Lower East Side to have a crawfish boil at one of our favorite spots, The Boil. Since it's obviously a lot of other people's favorite places too we were looking at a bit of a wait. It seemed the perfect opportunity to meander on in to an unassuming pharmacy in Chinatown.

24 Hours in Washington DC

Lincoln Memorial

Friday: We started to lose it again with the construction noise at our apartment so we decided to have another mini escape this time to Washington, DC. It happened to be peak Cherry Blossom time so this made it really perfect. We got in a Zip Car and drove straight to the hotel (College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Hyatsville, MD). We arrived close to 2am so we headed straight to our comfy bed and crashed.

Washington, DC Edition: The Common

The Commons: Roasted Mushroom Flatbread

This was actually our second meal at The Commons, the restaurant at The College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. We also had a light breakfast here yesterday, but opted for some of the a la carte options instead of their rather impressive breakfast buffet. We stayed in our room in Hyatsville today since we had some work to do, since we enjoyed our breakfast we decided The Commons would do for a quick dinner before hitting the road back to NY.

Washington, DC Edition: Founding Farmers

Founding Farmers: Cucumber Delight, Craft Beer, Lemon-Lime Scratch Soda

After a day full of traipsing around the National Mall we were more than ready to sit down and have a cold drink and a belly full of food. Since this was an impromptu trip I had no idea where to head. Then the data network was clogged with other tourists using their phones which sent me into a mini low-blood sugar panic. Finally I was able to get enough connectivity to find Founding Farmers and I let my instinct be my guide. We hopped in a cab and arrived to a long wait which was unexpected since it was that awkward in-between lunch and dinner time. We almost bailed, but decided the wait was a good sign and to stick it out.

Let Penelope Be Your Constant Brunch Option

Penelope: Delicious Cinnamon Bun

Penelope has been on my "to try" list for Brunch for years now. Unfortunately for me, it's located on the Eastern side of this lovely island and I am a West side girl. Then, the couple of times that we've been over there before, we simply did not have an hour and a half to wait. This morning, we woke up early (for us) so thought we'd grab a cab and try our luck at 10:30am. 

Are You Achin' for Some BarBacon?

BarBacon: Old Fashioned & The Drunken Preacher

For some reason there is a bar devoted to serving Craft Beer, Bourbon, and Bacon-centric food 2 blocks from my office and I've never heard of it. That is, until I received an invite to a Happy Hour located there next month. However, I couldn't wait a month to check it out, so tonight The Mr. and I decided it would be a great pre-theatre spot before our show at the nearby Neil Simon Theatre.