A Visit to Rhode Island

After spending Saturday with family in Massachusetts, we drove the hour or so to Rhode Island for three days. It managed to rain all but one day we were there, but it was an awesome chance to take a break from work and imagine a future in yet another new city.

It was a little risky for my camera with the rain on Sunday, so unfortunately I only have bits and pieces to show, but we parked near Brown and walked all through College Hill before settling on a pizza place to eat on Wickendon Street. The area had a casual vibe perfect for college kids grabbing an afternoon brunch, but I also saw some younger families ducking in and out restaurants to avoid the rain. I loved Wickendon's proximity to the more affordable East End homes surrounding Brown, and it was also nice to see many people about, despite the weather.

After lunch, we checked into our B&B at the Christopher Dodge House. Our room was beautiful, and we immediately started a fire to warm up. I enjoyed the simplicity of the room (minus the rooster statue on the armoire), and with a view of the statehouse, it was a great option for our stay in Providence.

For dinner, we took advice from friends and visited Andinos, in Federal Hill. While the portions were overkill, we appreciated the generosity. Each glass of wine was double the average size, and paired with my three (!) chicken breasts and heaping plate of pasta, I left the restaurant needing bigger pants. I'm usually a less is more kind of girl when it comes to eating out, but the food was good, and I managed to save room for  a piece of limoncello cake. 

On Monday, we continued our tour throughout downtown, and again battled the rain. Some highlights from the walking tour are below.

Beginning in June, all three rivers in Downtown Providence are lit ablaze in a display created by sculptor, Barnaby Evans. Water Fire must be absolutely beautiful on summer nights, and it was a letdown we didn't plan our visit two months later.

One of our favorite parts of the visit was our tapas lunch we had in Downtown Providence. Flan y Ajo was by far the best Spanish sampling I have ever eaten having never been to Spain. I have had extremely expensive tapas in Philly, and they didn't even come close to Flan y Ajo. Yum.

Our evening in Providence was spent wandering the streets with Brown students (Thames in particular) and trying more local cuisine. (I'm still full from this trip.) For such a small city, we loved the busy feel. There are plenty of fun shops and restaurants mixed in with tall office buildings and five colleges all within walking distance. Even in the rain, we never failed to see people wandering the streets.

On Tuesday, after a delicious breakfast at the Inn, we checked out and drove the 40 or so minutes into Newport, RI. It was far from a beach day, but it was nice to be able to do the Cliff Walk without having to dodge tourists. We joked that Salve Regina University was the East Coast version of our alma mater. The views were just as breathtaking as those from our old dorm rooms, but with an East Coast vibe and several mansions thrown into the mix.

We left RI for home with plenty of time to beat the traffic, so when we were both hungry and needed to stretch our legs, I searched for a place to grab a bite off the Mystic, CT exit. Apparently the Sea View Snack Bar was nominated for an award by Rachel Ray (told to us by a tourist from Arkansas), so we didn't feel slighted by the lobster roll we shared. The view wasn't bad either!

Potato Pizza

While I was perusing the Dining & Wine section of The New York Times on Tuesday, I had to take a second look at a recipe for potato and rosemary pizza. It was almost identical to a dinner Chasen prepared several weekends ago. With two small additions (goat cheese and roasted asparagus), his pizza was crispy, garlicky and much lighter than a traditional red sauce pizza. 

This article makes me wonder if my husband is secretly a Times food columnist doing research in our kitchen and writing under the pen name, "Mark Bittman."

A Weekend Trip to DC with the St. John's

When we found out our nephews would be in Washington DC for their Spring break, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them.  Tickets in hand, we left out early Saturday morning on the Megabus. A little after 1:00, we pulled into Union Station and took the Metro towards Woodly Park to our hotel. The Omni Shoreham was elegant, quiet and comfortable. I chose it based on its proximity to the zoo and the reviews on TripAdvisor. 

After quickly checking in and dropping off our things, we walked the 5 minutes to the National Zoo  and met the St. John's.  While it was great to be with my nephews, out of the three other  zoos I've visited (L.A., San Diego and Bronx), it was last on the list. The National Zoo was incredibly overcrowded, and this made it impossible to see any actual exhibits. The animals that were featured out in the open were few and far between, and seemed to be set back  from the  path for walking.  The only upside to the National Zoo is that there is no charge for entrance.

We walked back to our hotel from the zoo and rested before dinner.  Selecting a  kid-friendly spot to eat within walking distance from Meg and Jeff's hotel (Hotel Rouge) in Dupont Circle was challenging. I managed to get a reservation for seven at the Logan Tavern. Unfortunately, one of my nephews wasn't feeling well, and paired with the incredibly slow service, we were forced to break apart the group. Meg and I headed back to the hotel with two of the boys, and Jeff and Chase stayed with the other two. The service didn't seem to pick up after we left, and the food was  later reported as uninspiring. My favorite part of the night was eating Gelato (Jeff's treat!) from Dolcezzo while the boys modeled their robes- compliments of the hotel.

We decided to walk the two miles from Dupont Circle back to our hotel, and it was a great chance to check out all the tucked away neighborhoods throughout downtown DC. It was fun to think about possibly living there someday and daydreaming about the Kalorama Heights neighborhood in particular. The brownstones have such character, and it's fair to say that the city is clean and respected by those who occupy it.

 

Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera out to the pool area at the Omni, but it was spectacular. The pool is expansive and overlooks 11 acres of Rock Creek Park (which we did not actually see much of at night). There were complimentary drinks, and it was such a serene atmosphere, I couldn't help but think it would be beautiful for a wedding.

On Saturday, we checked out of our hotel and walked two blocks to the Metro. We had brunch reservations in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood at Founding Farmers. Based on the reviews and recommendations from friends, I figured it would be a great restaurant. I was unable to get reservations for all seven of us, but Chase and I went together and were easily sat. Reservations are recommended though, because many parties were still waiting for a table long after we were done eating. The coffee was easily the best I've ever tasted, and I would go back for that alone!

After breakfast, we walked the 6 or so blocks to the White House where we met up with my sister and her family.  Following the White House, we walked to the Washington Monument and the Vietnam Memorial. While it was a long day for little legs, there are so many wonderful parks and benches in DC, it made it easy to stop and rest with the kids.

At the Lincoln Memorial, there was a marble slab which was used by kids as a slide . While reckless, it provided great entertainment for the boys! 

After a long weekend in DC, we were exhausted and headed to Union Station with just enough time to grab a bite to eat. We'll be back to DC with Chasen's family at the beginning of May, and we  definitely look forward to exploring more of the city.

Easy Strawberry Pie

I have always been intimidated when it comes to pie.  On Thanksgiving, when people slice pounds of apples and prepare homeade pumpkin filling and crusts, I usually feel that my time would be better spent mashing potatoes. Or watching the Macy's parade. Yesterday, I felt ambitious and decided to look up a recipe involving strawberries I had on hand to bake in a pie. Most recipes include rhubarb (which I didn't have) but it occurred to me I could substitute the rhubarb for more strawberries and leave it as simply "Strawberry Pie".

I modified a standard pie filling recipe and used Trader Joe's crust. After cutting a pint and a half of strawberries, I marinated them in a bowl with the sugar and quick cooking tapioca for 20 minutes. 

After the crust is spread in the plate, simply add the filling, top with about 3 tablespoons of butter and weave the lattice on top!

I actually didn't bother weaving the lattice, and instead crudely lay the pastry strips in a criss-cross pattern and pinched the sided closed.

This is 100% the easiest pie I have ever attempted and so so delicious. If all pies were this easy, I would gladly be the designated pie maker on Thanksgiving.

(Side note-homeade whipped cream makes any dessert better.)

Easter Weeekend

We hadn't really planned to do much for Easter this year. As a last minute thought, I found a church for us to go to on Sunday, and we made a nice breakfast.  After church, the weather was so beautiful, we decided to check out an arboretum in Northeast Philly. The Morris Arboretum had been on my must do list since we moved here, because I heard it was one of the nicer parks in Pennsylvania.  The major thing stopping me was always the steep entrance fee; at $16 a person, I doubted it was worth the experience.  When I started working at Penn, I discovered I could get in free with my ID. Suddenly, coupled with Chasen's student ID, the $7 price was right. I feel I am a good judge of parks considering I worked at one for five consecutive summers, and this arboretum was definitely one of the better nature reserves I have visited.  Some of my favorite photos from the weekend are below.