Food Review: Brasserie Beck

We headed over to the old McPherson Square neighborhood to try out the new (to us) Brasserie Beck.
We met up with some friends who during our last group dinner outing noticed Jeremy's excitement over the mussels at Bistrot du Coin. They promised they could recommend even better Mussels, and so we went out Wednesday for the test.
With 4 orders of Mussels, they covered the 3 options (White wine and spices, Apple and Curry, Fennel and Chorizo) and doubled up on the white wine option. The clear winner was the snausage (as we would refer to it) variety. I was enticed by the special salad of the evening (Asparagus and tomatoes covered in something yummy) and the hot pastry: Quiche.
All our portions were actually pretty huge, and the beer menu resembled the endless choices at Brickskeller. Yummy! The dessert Waffle du Jour included apricots marinated in Hoegaarden beer (a Doggpound visitor's favorite), but we were simply too full to indulge. Next time! Overall, a thumbs up experience!

My favorite boutique at 40% off, unreal!

ALL SPRING AND SUMMER clothes are 40% off starting Monday morning, wahoo!

I love you all so much, a double feature...and a great home decorating site

How awesome are these bedroom linens? Get it at the sample sale price, but don't steal mine out of my cart please :)

*Images courtesy of InhabitLiving

Dressing up my iMac

Boo, they're sold out for now...but I think my iMac needs some clothes.
Check out the designer fashions for your Apple computers at AcmeMade. I'll be waiting for the black microdot edition to be back in stock.
*Image courtesy of AcmeMade.com

Take Advantage of Shobop's 1-day coupon code!

Awesome find: Trader Joe's Cookbook (with all ingredients from TJ's)

Props to little Cami for finding this one!It's sold out on Amazon right now, but when I find this baby in stock it'll so be a kitchen staple for us. I love having TJ's down the street :)

The PS3 is going down, exhibit A: Kill A Watt

To put an end to the energy debate in this household about power hungry kegerators and private file servers to host music mixes for strangers abroad...I present the Foggfather with the Kill A Watt power strip. When I first heard about the Kill A Watt products I thought too cool--finally a way to know exactly how much power you're drawing from any plug-in device at any specific time. I'm sure it's not the first of it's kind, given that the earlier Kill A Watt products came out a long time ago. All I know is the next time that we're shopping for a surge protector, I've got this one tabbed in my list of things to buy.

Summer Solstice Celebration

Today is officially the longest day of the year -- why not welcome the extra hours of daylight with a glass of sparkling wine and some mini cupcakes,
while scoring great deals on new summer pieces for your wardrobe.

Treat yourself tonight from 5-8 PM

Receive a $20 Gift Card with any purchase over $100

As if wine, cupcakes and free gifts are not enough motivation, we have just marked down dozens of items throughout the store - up to 75% off retail! Hurry in for the best selection.

TREAT is located in the heart of Old Town:

114 S. Royal Street
Alexandria VA 22314
703.535.3294

get directions

OPEN WEEKENDS ONLY
Fri + Sat, 11-7
Sun, 12-6


www.shoptreat.com

How cool is this? (yup it's a big letter) me = giant nerd.

And if I wrote more, it would look even
cooler.
right?

She did it!

Momma, I'm so proud of you! I'm not there in person to congratulate you, but I'm so incredibly proud of your determination to finish and your accomplishments!

You promised us you'd finish school before your 3 daughters finished college...you teased us and cut it close, but those ladies have class until later this year. Looks like you kept your word and I'm so happy for you! Congratulations lady!

Who doesn't love a little sale action?

I love what you've done to the place

Well, soon that's what I hope to be hearing from our walls. We're talking a whole new color palette and layout for the Doggpound, wahoo!

We hired an interior decorator, and she's working magic! I'm so excited!

In the meantime, a sneak preview of changes to come:

More seating!

A less monstrous bookshelf

and a little leaning desk action

3 weeks, 2 graduations...good times in Cali

FREE wrapping paper (the kind you print yourself)

Gorgeous! Click on the image for the printable format.
*Image courtesy of Blueprint.com

Happy Father's Day!

To the papi (and mami) who raised my 2 amazing sisters and me, to the dad who inspired me to ask why, always, to the dad who taught me that playing with calculators and pencil collections can be just as fun as all things pink, to the dad who's faster with the gadgets than Gizmodo or Engadget, to the dad who never let me give up, before the end of both degrees...thank you!
To the dad that gave us all an education to be forever grateful for, timed just right so that the last one would finish on father's day :P Happy Graduation Paula!
Dad, thank you for giving the shirt off of your back for everyone! Thanks for picking the best mom in the world to be by your side. Thank you for being a role model, thank you for being you!
I love you daddy!

Congrats to a mammal who makes me proud

Well, really that's both of you donkeys. Way to go, smooshing your graduations all together. You always wanted to be twins, but sheesh!

I tried to find the most embarrassing picture of you, just to keep it real and all :P

Camila, you'll be done done in August---your congrats post can wait :P

Paula, no matter what any ME department tells you, congrats! Congrats Pulita, you did it...you really did it! You showed CP (and SLO) who's the boss, even if Jack pooped in your lab (I keeeed, I keeed)! It definitely wasn't easy, and I'm so so proud of you!

You've come a long long way--from Kansas really. My first memory that summarizes the Paula of yesteryear was when our matching bedroom furniture was delivered (Camila was too young to qualify for it) and one set had a scratch on the hutch. I cried and screamed to no end about how ruined my new room was. You, being the cool cucumber that you are, shrugged your shoulders and told mom and dad we could switch. The scratch was nothing to you, and seeing me upset was worse. There's video of me opening your 22 Barbies at your 5th birthday, typical me, typical you. Me trying to help, convincing myself I was being helpful, taking 27 years to realize I was being controlling and not so nice. It took you these past 23.5 years of your life to finally understand that I had the best intentions...from the days of winnie the pooh and the big yellow teeth, I really just didn't know how to show you I cared about you.

I've given you quite the adventure of tough love over the past 10 years, but I knew you could take it. You were my IM-ing best friend when I needed it most during college, and despite the rougher stages in our communication, we found a way to make it work (IM, who knew?). You graduated from Pres, went on to become an engineer at CP, and even though you said I was your inspiration, I put that idea back in your court and say you were your own inspiration, and you blew any inspiration I might have given you outta the water.

You became ESC president and leader extraordinare in so many ways. You joined a sorority, became house manager up on the hill, and managed to get the offer I patiently waited for and never got from the internet behometh. You raised a fun-loving doggie/son and kept a smile on your face through it all. You excelled beyond your wildest dreams, and always with a smile on your face. You fell down, and got up in your pink heels, tossed your hair aside, and really showed everyone that you would have the last laugh.

I'm so proud of you. I can't wait to watch you settle into your grown up life. Viva Argentina y Brasil! Congratulations Paula, it's your moment...cherish it!

Cirque du Soleil comes to DC

Wahoo, I'm so excited to make it to another Cirque show. The last one I went to was a few winters ago in SF, and the closest thing after that was Corteo (horseys!) the day (can you believe that?) that we got Summy.

It's been a solid 3 years since I've been to a Cirque du Soleil show and I'm so excited I could just burst. This show will be at the new National Harbor in MD, so we'll get a chance to check out this new site as well. Show is not until November, so we've got a while to go--we're talking post-marathon here, woah!

"Kooza tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world.

KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement."

Can you keep a surprise quiet? Good b/c I can't

I opened my big mouth and spoiled Jeremy's bday gift a whooping 3 months early. Ugh, I suck.

But in my defense, it's just too exciting to keep quiet about. You see, I love tennis (I used to be decent at the sport, we're talking high school so that was eons ago) and watching tourneys has sort of been our thing from the early days when I didn't even live in DC. I have fond memories of the Legg Mason classic (for the 2 years that we went) but then this whole August wedding and August anniversary trip pattern got in the way :P

Fast forward to us trying to get some US Open tickets last year, and ya well that didn't pan out. So this year I used my Amex member invitation to purchase them before they were open to the public. We're headed to the US Open this year, and on the finals weekend (well it's the Women's semis and Men's doubles finals) :) Maybe next year we'll finally make it to a big final round match. All I know is I can remember the days of Livermore Tennis Club (when I was playing 12 & under tourneys) and my "dream" of all time was to make it out to watch the US Open. Check, yeah!

For anyone trying to get tickets, click the picture below for the few that are left.

suburbia...yuck!

In the spirit of home (re-)decorating, I love these

On sale at West Elm!

Huge local discounts Wed-Fri

Mmmmm, summer dresses

I'm loving Shoshanna's new dresses:

A perfect Saturday

A little Race for the Cure, with 7 training miles added (who doesn't love 10 miles in 95+ degree humid DC weather? :P)


...followed by a little photography admiring with the family (I can't believe we haven't gone to the National Gallery in my 4 years living here!)

For more than thirty years, the American photographer Richard Misrach (b. 1949) has made provocative work that addresses contemporary society's relationship to nature, especially the American West. Since 2001, he has made a series of large scale (six by ten feet), lushly colored photographs of swimmers and sunbathers in Hawaii. Looking down from a hotel room directly adjacent to the beach, he has eliminated all references to the horizon and sky to record people immersed in the idyllic environment. Yet, despite the beauty of the scene, a strange sense of disquietude pervades these photographs. Made in the days immediately after September 11, 2001, these photographs speak of the unease and sense of foreboding that pervaded the country after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The title of the series, On the Beach, is drawn from Nevil Shute's cold war novel about nuclear holocaust. This exhibition will present 19 of these photographs.

Organization: This exhibition was initiated by The Art Institute of Chicago.

Then we'll head out for some SEEEEEEE-FOOD!

Guess where I'm headed after work?

Shhhhhh, Le Train Blue Sale

code is "secretsale" for 30% off, sounds like a no-brainer to me

Good reads

I went to an all-girls high school, so maybe it stems from those days…but I have a steady love/hate for things that single out women (for the better or worse). That being said I’m still a sucker for all things pink and pro-women career items (enter love, bubye hate).

Before the first of many psychotic hurricane-like storms this week, we strolled over to Gtown’s Barnes & Noble (Summy in tow, of course). With career planning and decision making on the brain, and with graduation season in full swing, I failed to skip over the kick your career into high gear table. I actually browsed over a good 5 or so books, and picked up the one with the cheesiest cover as a keeper. Yes, I hide the cover as I read it on the metro, but this is definitely a case of “don’t judge a book by its cover” (or title).

The Girl’s Guide to Kicking Your Career Into Gear was supposed to be part of P’s graduation gift for next week. Unfortunately (for her), I started flipping through it and before I knew it I was tabbing and highlighting portions like mad. Maybe it will become one of those books you’re supposed to pass on with love. Along with 4-hour Work Week, I’m starring this is a must read for all (ladies).

Many updates coming, sneak peak says

• broken cable
• broken internets
• very broken car (come on extended warranty---if not, did you know a cali fuel tank replacement costs $8000?...good to know huh)
• decision to sell said car when all is good in the hood
• some travel plans: chicago, cali, williamsburg (yikes!), cali, va beach, cali, chicago w/ the ladies :)
  

USD pictures---all together, now that the internets are working again