An Awesome Anacostia Riverwalk Walk

(Updated Sept. 23, 2017)

Can you believe the winter we're having? Or aren't having? Last weekend, I dusted off my Evernote folder of outdoor to-dos in DC and decided to finally take this 2.9-mile walk along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and into Navy Yard that the Washingtonian suggested a couple of years ago.

It was awesome. Empty pathways, pretty boardwalks, naval ships, outdoor art, ice cream, fountains, ping pong, and at the end of our yellow brick road, a beer garden. All with a view of the Anacostia River.

We parked on the Anacostia side of the river, in a little National Park parking lot just to the east of the South Capital Street bridge. Parking was easy when we got there around 11 a.m.; by the time we left at 3 p.m., people were waiting for spaces.

It's an easy walk east to the 11th Street Bridge, which has a lovely pedestrian walkway and peninsulas for stopping and taking pictures. You'll cross over the river to the Navy Yard side. 

Walking west along the Navy Yard side, you'll find a million things to do. You can stroll along the boardwalk, visit the Naval Museum of the U.S. Navy, enjoy a wine tasting at District Winery (D.C.'s first winery), grab a snack at the fantastic Ice Cream Jubilee, get a meal at Bluejacket, TaKorean, or Osteria Morini (the garlic smell coming out of there was KILLER!!) or play some ping pong in front of National Park.

Or you can just hang. With lots of green spaces and outdoor tables surrounding interesting outdoor architecture, there's plenty of cool stuff to stare at.

After successfully dragging what could have been a 40-minute walk into three hours, we found a surprising jewel in the shadows of the Nationals Stadium and the South Capital Street bridge: an outdoor brewery. 

Bardo Beer

Through an open gate in a fence, down a mulch trail lined with logs, and over a varnished wooden slab with beer tanks behind it, we ordered two beers from the gang at Bardo Beer, a beer garden once on Bladensburg Road that has relocated to this jewel-in-the-rough spot. Taking advantage of the awesome weather, they had their soft opening the day before we arrived, on Feb. 18. Their grand opening won't be until the Nationals' first game -- but it looks like they're going to continue to be open. The dogs, riverside views, and awesome beer made it really difficult to continue our walk.

Bardo Beer is planning on adding a second bar and a dog park to the space.

But after one beer, we did continue, across the South Capital Street bridge on a mildly harrowing pedestrian walkway high above the lovely river.

- Thanks to The Washington for the article "Things to Do By the Anacostia Riverwalk" and inspiring this amazing day.

learn more about district winery, dc's first winery, Also located in Navy Yard with a beautiful view of the anacostia river

An Evening at Komi

Photo courtesy of Renaissance Hotels website

An evening at Komi is everything you expect a four-course, $135-per-person, James-Beard-awarded, impossible-to-get-into restaurant to be. My husband and I went recently to celebrate our anniversary, and the service and the food captured the essence of a “special occasion.” The only thing I wished for was a dance break between the courses (more on that below). You can’t take pictures at Komi, so you’ll just have to read about our experience at this magical restaurant:

The Setting

Eleven-year-old Komi is located in a row house on stretch of 17th Street ripe with bars and restaurants, almost directly between Dupont Circle and Logan Circle. The dining room is simple, low-lit and intimate, which made for a fun contrast with what was going on outside its large front window on the night we were there: The High Heel Drag Race. Inside, we were couples and foursomes (you can’t make reservations for more than four) enjoying candlelit meals; outside decked-out beauties in heels paraded down the street. Komi’s small dining room provides a simple jewel box for a special occasion; it also provides plenty of room to feel urban, youthful and fun.

The Atmosphere

Komi’s announcement on its website – “No pictures, please” – had me concerned that a certain level of pretension would accompany our meal. I was 100 percent wrong. The wait staff was warm, funny and friendly. Even their “uniform” was approachable – the women wore 50s-style shirtdresses and the men wear sharp suits and colorful ties. Nothing could have tested the pretension factor better than my friend who wandered in looking for me: He’d participated in the High Heel Drag Race and was in full regalia, wearing a wig, spooky contacts, a dress and heels. And then he whipped out a camera. What did a passing waiter do when he saw us grinning into the phone for a selfie? Offer to take our picture for us.  

The Food

When I made reservations, the hostess asked if we had any food allergies or preferences. Komi is a no-menu restaurant, and I knew their contemporary Greek-inspired offerings were sometimes exotic, so I specified that my husband was not a fan of raw fish or meats. At our table, a waitress asked for more specifics about his likes and dislikes and then discussed substitutes. Although the hubby was a little self-conscious, she asked questions with kindness and a complete lack of judgment. I really respected their willingness to make sure us both of us enjoyed our meals.

The meal began with three one-bite plates served one at a time: a brioche topped with roe; a tiny, delicate scallop; and fried, crispy sweet breads. Next we were served two pastas. The main was pork served with bread and sides. I think we had two desserts. I’m sorry I don’t have more details -- I couldn’t take pictures, we had no menu, and, most importantly, I was actually spending the evening enjoying my husband’s company. I am NOT a trained food critic, so I won’t even attempt to go into the intricacies of the food we were served. What I can tell you is this:

• Each bite caused us to stop, savor and think. Not one plate was boring or even just plain good.
• The presentations of the food were beautiful but not overwrought. The simplicity of the plating, décor and staff shines the light on the food.
• Each serving was small. We were still stuffed by the end of the night. Come to Komi starving.

The Wine

Because it was a special occasion (and because my parents had provided a gift certificate for the meal as a birthday present – thanks Mom and Clay!!), we decided to splurge and get the $70-per-person wine pairing to go with our meal. And while the meal without the wine pairing would have been wonderful, the variety and uniqueness of the wines we were introduced to put it over the top.

Our sommelier was the best sommelier I have ever encountered. With every new wine he brought, he painted a picture. Rather than focusing on “notes of this, that and the other” (I can find my own notes, thank you), he told a story: an interesting tale about the French grower, a bit of history about a Countess, what makes the grapes of Lebanon unique. We had wine from France, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, a sour beer from I can’t remember where, a cider from Vermont. Some were great on their own, but all were perfect with the food they were paired with.

The wine pairing and the storytelling truly transformed the meal into an experience. We were shocked when, near the end of our meal, we realized three hours had passed. I mentioned to my husband that all the night was missing was an activity. What if they took a break after the first course, had a live band play beginning-of-the-night music you could dance to, a little Donny Hathaway or young Stevie Wonder? Then another break after the main course, slow music to help you digest progressing into a stuff a little harder, maybe a little James Brown? And then at the end of the night, the band breaks out into a full-on Prince-Aretha-Marvin "Let's Get It On" dance party?

I'm sorry. Dinner at Komi makes me wax rhapsodic. I've had some wonderful meals, but it's rare that a meal turns into such a transportive event.

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Komi

1509 17th Street NW (between P & Q Streets)Washington DC 20036

Open Tuesday-Saturday for dinner; Call (202) 332-9200 for reservations. 

 

In-Between Tip: The only difficult part of the Komi experience is getting the chance to step through the door. You have to call to make reservations, the reservation line is only open from 12-4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and you can only call a month in advance. I was on hold for at least 30 minutes each time I called. I called at noon on the dot in an attempt to get a Saturday reservation a month away -- forget about it. Folks wiser than me had already filled the spots by the time they answered my call. So how did we get in? We chose the path of least resistance and went on a Tuesday.

NYC Wine Bars

So my aunt in Kansas sends me a email here in D.C. about possible wine bars to visit in New York City. Isn't that just the sweetest thing ever? Especially when the wine bar list is accompanied by the following words:

"I thought you’d like this info for your terrific blog.  I’m enjoying it so much! Love, Aunt Cathy."

So, in honor of my aunt Cathy, who's hoping I get a weekend away soon for wine-bar hopping in NYC (I hope my husband is reading this), and who also thinks my blog is "terrific," I share with you a useful little summation of wine bars to visit in NYC from Bottlenotes.com.

Click photo to see the full list

Restaurant Review: G by Mike Isabella

My life is crammed with decision-making situations so when other people want to make decisions for me, I am happy to let them. I was thrilled last week when our friend Eric asked if we wanted to go to dinner with him and his amazing wife, Colleen (yes!). We could begin the night with a drink at their place? Of course! He'd made reservations at G by Mike Isabella.

Excellent!!

The sandwich shop on upper 14th St., NW transforms into a comfy-casual trattoria on Wednesday through Sunday nights that serves a weekly-changing, four-course Italian tasting menu that does all the work for you. With few options but all of them outstanding, dinner at G was the lazy cherry on my takin'-it-easy cake.

I haven't gotten to enjoy Mr. Top Chef's food since he was executive chef at Zaytinya, so I was looking forward to G, which has been open since the summer of 2013. There's a laid-back sense when you walk into the small dining room: low lights, wooden booths and a food mural reminiscent of the parading snack-bar food advertisement they used to show at drive-ins. There was nothing laid back about the staff -- only two guys seemed to be working the full room on a busy Saturday night and they were personable, knowledgable and there when we needed them.

The only decision we had to make that had a myriad of options came at the beginning of the meal -- we were handed the drink book. We flipped through wines, beers, cocktails as well as cocktails from Kapnos next door, Mike Isabella's upscale Greek restaurant. As often happens with a practiced decision maker like myself, my choice won. The rum-and-green-tea Wandering Gypsy looked like a Christmas ornament, heaped with glittering ice in a gleaming mint julep cup.

Our exhaustion over our drink choices was balanced by the complete lack of choices we had to make for the antipasti platter. Pre-selected for us was an incredible platter of veggies and meats and fried morsels -- cauliflower balls that tasted reminiscent of Fruit Loops in a romesco sauce, proscuitto, buffalo mozzarella, frittata, pea bruschetta. 

If only all the decisions we were forced into were this delicious.

The primi and secondi courses offered two selections for each. For the primi, we chose between the zucchini-and-mint pasta or the lamb ragu. Both were rich and interesting. The secondi course offered a roasted striped bass with grilled grapes or pork crepinette, which were like sausage chunks without the casing. I really wish I could name a favorite, but each dish had its own distinct flavor and sensibility. The only way you wouldn't like it is if you inherently disliked one of the primary ingredients.

(Left) Roasted striped bass; (right) Pork crépinette

Dessert offered three options -- gasp! -- but the real treat was the cost. The tasting menu is always $40, excluding drinks, taxes and gratuity. Don't go for broke with the cocktails like we did, and two of you could get out of there for right around $100.

Take it easy and place yourself in Mike Isabella's competent hands. You won't be disappointed. 

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G by Mike Isabella

2201 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

The four-course Italian tasting menu changes weekly. Check online for that week's options.

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