The Virginia Kitchen

Sunday morning we took my mom to the Virginia Kitchen. I love this place. We went a few times in the winter and it was great getting back there. The food is good, filling and cheap. The coffee flows and the waitresses are vintage.

 

Haven't tried the pie yet... 

Doris's Special- Cured ham steak, two eggs any way you want 'em, a fluffy biscuit and some nicely seared hash browns. Don't forget some freshly squeezed orange juice.

Waffle King's Virginia Kitchen
450 Elden St
Herndon, VA 20170

Blue Smoke

My boyfriend told me last week that he wants to become a pitmaster. And I don't think he's kidding. A recent trip to Blue Smoke may have been the catalyst. Rightly so, too.



We had no idea, but it was restaurant week in NY so they had a tasty prix fixe meal on offer. Lunch was $24.95 per person and included an appetizer, main and desert. You could pay an extra $16 (if I recall) for a beer sampler to accompany each dish. Had it not been lunch and if we both weren't kinda broke, I would have gotten that beer sampler in a second.

Kris started with Chipotle Chili Buffalo Wings and I had a sensible winter salad. Kris was the clear winner here.

Leftover bones in a handy bucket

Industrial chic?

Because it's a BBQ joint, we had to have some Kansas rub ribs. Mine with "pit beans" and Kris's with collard greens, because he's a southern boy.

The ribs were so good they didn't even need any extra BBQ sauce, although what they had on offer looked might tasty too.

Because it was pretty frigid outside, I went with Hot Chocolate and Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. The hot chocolate was one of the best I've had- honestly. You could tell it was made with real chocolate and milk. (imagine that!)

Kris couldn't resist their Apple Crumble with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Overall, we were really pleased with Blue Smoke and already have plans to return. I think we both knew we had picked a winner when we walked in and saw that the restaurant is connected to a jazz club upstairs. Nice.

Just don't wear white.

The Lexington Candy Shop

About two weeks ago when Kris and I experienced our first snow in New York, we decided to go to the Met.

Walking through Central Park

I've always been grateful that I have a boyfriend with the same museum going philosophy as I, namely that it is not necessary to read everything (unlike my mother) nor look at everything. I prefer walking through a room, hoping something will catch my eye at which point I will investigate further. I don't have the patience to pretend to be interested in the traditional attire for a warrior in papau new guinea. No offense.

I had been to the Met once before and hadn't seen much of anything but with a museum like that, you're gonna need several trips anyway. Kris had never been, so this trip was a real walk-through. My only goal was to find the Temple- you know, the one from When Harry Met Sally where Billy Crystal starts talking funny: "Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash. "

The Temple of Dendur

We were getting a bit peckish and needed a place to warm up after trudging through the not-yet-plowed sidewalks. We ended up at the Lexington Candy Shop which has not changed much since it opened in the 1920's.


Breakfast is offered all day so I got a plate of yummy blueberry pancakes and a strawberry malt while Kris got a buffalo burger (not realizing it was made from buffalo) some onion rings and a throwdown winning doughnut. Although Kris wasn't overly thrilled with his onions rings, i would say that on the whole, this place was pretty awesome.


Our one real complaint? No free refills or heat ups (that's right!) on coffee.

Good thing they bring it out pipping hot.

I went to Dublin?

Yes- About a month ago, I took my two visiting buddies to Dublin. Well, if we're being honest, Anna had been there before, so maybe she took us with some help from our Time Out guide... And once I find that guide I will finally be able to add names to all these lovely places!

St Patrick's Cathedral

La Maison des Gourmets with a killer French Toast ou Pain Perdu

The Spire- don't you dare call it a spike!!

Kilmainham Jail

with a good dose of Irish History thrown in

I learned 4 things at the Guiness Brewery:

Guiness is made up entirely of : Hops, Water, Barley and Yeast

I'm ready for Jeopardy!

Cinco de Mayo

Someone told me that this holiday was actually invented by Corona and that it's not really observed in Mexico. I'm sure I could use the "internet" and "look it up" but I don't really care because any "Mexican" holiday gives me an excuse to eat nachos, drink margaritas and watch a western. So we kicked off this year's festivities at my local (and perhaps only) Mexican restaurant: Crazy Homies- which I really thought was a joke. I mean, could a restaurant in the States EVER get away with that name?

Since Crazy Homies is literally within shouting distance of my flat, the boy and I go quite often. Well- we try. When my mom and her friend were in town we managed to snag a table at 6pm. When we tried to go with some buddies a couple weeks ago at about 8, we were told to maybe come back in about 1 HOUR and 45 MINUTES- Come on! he would barely put our name on the waiting list. The problem with this joint is that the people who work there can't handle pressure and just don't care to please the customer. One review for the place said that you shouldn't take it personally if you're ignored- you just need to claw your way in and grab your waiter when you need them.

My mother, thoroughlly enjoying the mexican atmosphere

But the food is really great- super fresh and pretty authentic, despite some olives and radishes sneaking onto my "burros".... There's a great range of tequillas to choose from and the cocktails are a double- which almost excuses the £6.95 for a Classic Margarita.

On the first thursday of every month, DJ Wheelie Bag guests spots with his "original shopping trolley sound system" playing some R&B, Willie Nelson, Julia Lee, Rockabilly and what Kris called "old Ska".

Since Kris and I can't always afford our Margarita craving, we had to find our own recipe and this is pretty damn close:

The Classic Margarita

• 1 Cup Tequilla
  
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Lime Juice


• 1/3 Cup Triple Sec (such as Curacao)


• Rimming Salt


• 1 Lime cut into wedges

Mix the first three ingredient in a shaker with some ice. Shake vigorously. Use the lime wedge to moisten the lip of the glass. Dip the glass into a plate of rimming salt. Pour the drink into the glass and serve with the lime wedge.

The Flying Quiche's Whistlestop Tour of London

My two best college buddies were here last week- hence the lack of a "daily" photo- and I think they saw just about as much of London as they could physically handle during their short stay in the capital. Here is a play by play of where I dragged them to:

SATURDAY

• Arrive from Heathrow ridiculously early
• Walk along Portobello Road
• Stop into The Travel Book Shop and Books for Cooks
• Grab a "Spicy Chicken Leg" from the German stall with the mean German cook
• Grab coffee at Cafe Nero in Notting Hill Gate
• Take the tube to Tottenham Court Road to go to Forbidden Planet and pick up some unecessary sci-fi toys and comics
• Walk around Covent Garden
• Walk to Piccadilly Circus
• Stop off at Fortnum and Mason's to pick up some chocolate truffles (Strawberry & Champagne wins the taste off)
• Walk through Green Park to Buckingham Palace

SUNDAY

• Start off with homemade brunch: bacon, hasbrowns, orange muffins with maple syrup, washed down with a mimosa
• Take a walk around the British Museum- see the Crystal Skull before it becomes too popular
• Take the tube to Knightsbridge for a walk around Harrods
• Grab some macarons from Laduree (the same people who provided all the food for Sofia Copolla's Marie Antoinette)
• Cross Knightsbridge Road into Hyde Park
• Stroll over to the fountains in the north
• Walk through Kensington Gardens, stopping off at the Round Pond to see the Queen's Swans
• End up at Video City in Notting Hill Gate to grab a movie so we can finally stop walking.
  

MONDAY

• Walk down Portobello Road (such a good start to the day!)
• Take the tube to Oxford Circus
• Stroll through Picaddilly Circus and onwards towards Green Park
• Stop in at Christie's on King Street for the preview of Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds
• Walk through Green Park to see Buckingham Palace again (not everyone was present last time)
• Then stroll along the Mall to reach Trafalgar Square and grab lunch at one of the 5 Pret's within shouting distance
• Take in some art at the National Gallery
• Walk down Parliament Street to Westminster
• Take in Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye and Westminster Abbey at almost sunset
• Run home for dinner and a change of clothes
• Take in some jazz at Ronnie Scott's where "students" with a student ID get in for free after 11:30pm
  

TUESDAY-THURSDAY

• Fly to Dublin- because we just don't have enough to do.
  

FRIDAY

• Forget to wake up
• Finally get our asses out of bed
• One last stop at the Travel Book Shop and Books for Cook's
• Take the tube to South Kensington Station
• Stroll through Natural History Museum- Taking in the awesome DINOSAUR exhibit
• Head over to the Victoria & Albert Museum- Find the gallery with all those Winnie the Pooh and Beatrix Potter drawings
• Walk to the Humming Bird Bakery on Old Brompton Road-Devour a cupcake and slice of Coconut Cheesecake with a latte
• Head over to Monument Station to meet up with our guide for a Haunted London walk

SATURDAY

• Take the tube to Tower Bridge
• Try to get tickets for the Tower of London and decide the line is too long and it's too exspensive anyway....
• Walk around it for free!
• Eat lunch at Paul sitting at those cute little cafe tables wedged between the Tower of London and Tower Bridge
• Walk along Tower Bridge- get hailed on- in April
• Take the tube to Westminster
• Pop into Westminster Abbey for evensong at 3pm
• Take the tube to Oxford Circus
• Take a breather at Leon on Regent Street with a Lemon-Ginger Crunch and Blackberry Quencher
• Shop your way down Oxford Street to Marble Arch (stopping off at Debenham's, Topshop and Primark)
• Run home to fix yourself
• Stay up late at the Tate Modern which is open until 10pm on Fridays
  

Meanwhile, back in Amsterdam

Yes I realize that by now my trip to Amsterdam was about 6 and half years ago and no one cares about part II, but damnit I made this blog to share my adventures, and share them I will- even if I'm only broadcasting to 4 potheads who stumbled across my blog because they googled flying+ any number of unlikely objects. But hey! This entry might actually be topical to you! See, for those not in the know, Amsterdam is famous for more than just Rembrandt, Van Gogh and wooden clogs. As Wikipedia puts it: "The city is known for its historic port, the Rijksmuseum, its red-light district (de Wallen), its liberal coffeeshops, and its many canals "

Well we'd already seen the art, the port and the canals. So we went in search of a "liberal coffeeshop" that wasn't filled with tourists and Bob Marley fans. One of the best of these was the (unfortunately stereotypedly named) Cafe 420 off of Oudebrugsteeg which had a laid back yet swanky atmosphere, backgammon boards and some kick ass lattees from a machine.
People are also advised to try a "space cake" while in Amsterdam, although the free guidebook we got at the hotel did warn that it was unwise to eat an entire one if you aren't used to its effects- but if you did anyway, don't be surprised if you start feeling anxious- and you might want to stick your head between your legs and drinks lots of water. Although maybe not in that order.

The last thing to do on my "Wikipedia-guides-me-through-Amsterdam-List" was the Red-Light district and I'm not sure there's much to say about it. Prostitution is legal is some places, under some circumstances and these girls make you well aware of that fact. One woman tried to get me, my boyfriend and my brother to go in "for a visit" all at the same time. Like the concept of prostitution isn't weird enough that she thought I'd want to have a foursome with my brother. But then how would she know that the tall, guy who looks exactly like me with short hair is in fact my brother? Can't blame a ho for trying.

Other things we enjoyed in Amsterdam:

DUTCH CHEESE And Crooked Houses

Bicyles

(with a guy who sooooo looks like my boyfriend's brother, Michael)

Fruit des Bois smoothies and some Orange Juice with Buttermilk
and yes- I realize that's a weird combo.

And this INSERT PLACE NAME wonderful little place where I got that entire bowl of veggies and noodles for about 5 Euros! I think that "pizza" cost about the same... which was slightly disapointing. But overall, a good value and fun atmosphere.
And I'll leave you with a picture taken exclusively for my hippie buddy Ashley, who I think would probably eat pork to own this car: