Tag: food

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Bistro du Jour

There’s a new café with an adorable Parisian twist off the wharf in the District of Columbia. A few of us popped in the other night after a bit of museum hopping to enjoy the casual atmosphere of Bistro du Jour. Here we found French home-style cooking at its finest. The aromas from the cassoulets and stews were phenomenal along with the baked goods. No matter which side of the Atlantic I always start a meal with French Onion soup, and the Coq au Vin was not only delicious, but there was enough for each of us to share. The chicken was braised with wine and garlic encouraged me to jot down spices and herbs so, I can copy the recipe.

As an added bonus the Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery inside the restaurant served fresh croissants, pain au chocolat, quiches and scones. Perfect for breakfast the next day!!!

Bon appétit,
Kathleen
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Destination: Philadelphia

Two weeks ago a few of us popped up to Philadelphia by way of Amtrak from DC, which in itself is a wonderfully civilized way to travel by not dealing with the I-95 corridor on a Friday. The City of Brotherly Love is a hybrid of classic and cool, along with being less than 2 hours from home. You can’t help exploring the city’s land-marked buildings and cobblestone streets, along with checking out the booming food scene. Our first stop was in the midtown village, where we had dinner at a vegan restaurant called “Charlie was a Sinner”. It’s a swanky cocktail bar that serves meals on “small plates” with a menu that showcases a variety of cultures, such as Mediterranean, Korean, and Italian. We ordered a few plates to share and ended up taking a few items back to the hotel.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a must, outside of seeing the “Rocky” steps. You have to check out the adjacent Rodin collection, it’s the largest public collection of the sculptor’s work outside of Paris and when you walk into the gallery the first item to view is a copy of Rodin’s The Kiss. Carved in marble in 1929 the artist focuses our attention on the couple’s heads, while using their hands to convey the sensitivity of the moment.

Don’t forget adding The Barnes Collection to your itinerary. They have a stunning assemblage of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modern paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, and Picasso.

Travel stylishly,
Kathleen