DC Restaurants "Unleashed"

If you missed Restaurant Week, check out the deals for Restaurants "Unleashed" Week March 1-7.

Dining Out For Life: March 11

If you love trying new restaurants or revisiting old favorites, be sure to make reservations on March 11 at one of the restaurants participating in Dining Out For Life. It's a great opportunity to have a nice meal and help those less fortunate!

Crumbs Bakery coming to DC!

Good news - those delicious cupcakes I had in New York will be available in DC this spring/summer!

Freedom in a bowl

Over the weekend I checked out DC's newest frozen yogurt shop, FroZen Yo. The one word that sums up this shop: freedom. With 16 yogurt flavor options and an open topping bar, the fro yo enthusiast can construct her own masterpiece, mixing flavors or even layering toppings throughout the yogurt cup. Try doing that at Tangy Sweet! Not to mention, since the yogurt is priced by weight and size and number of toppings, it is slightly less expensive than the other shops. What's not to love?

The perfect snowbound drink

At some point in the middle of the snow storm, boredom overcame my holiday cooking burnout. I started experimenting with bourbon. I made a lackluster bourbon sesame shrimp recipe, but had better luck in the drink department. My favorite new drink recipe is for hot buttered bourbon and cider:

My Favorite Things - New York Style

Mac n' Cheese and Bourbon come close to cupcakes on my list of beloved foods. Last weekend, during the first snow storm, I managed to escape to New York, where I tried Manhattan's authentic take on my favorites.

Given that Magnolia Bakery started the cupcake hype, I originally planned to have my New York cupcake there. But a friend and former New Yorker tipped me off that Crumbs Bake Shop was the way to go. I was impressed with the whimsical variety of jumbo cupcakes - Oreo, grasshopper, cookie dough, white hot chocolate - most of which had a matching butter cream filling:


I went for the peanut butter cup - it was decadent, almost too sweet, but still wonderful.

Later I checked out The Smith a bar in the Village, which has an impressive bourbon and whiskey selection. Its menu includes a variety of classic cocktails, all made from fresh ingredients. My favorite was their Perfect Manhattan.

I also had the chance to revisit one of my favorite New York places, the Olive Tree Cafe. I'm convinced they make the best Mac n' Cheese in the world.