Angelina M. Lopez
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Contemporary Romance Author, Hyperromantic
Restaurant Review: G by Mike Isabella
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.
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.
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.
Dogwood Tavern: Where Everyone Knows Your Name
That’s the thing about Dogwood, aptly named a tavern with its brick walls, large fireplace and beautiful wood-beam ceiling. Regardless whether you’re there for a Saturday night free-for-all or a Tuesday salad and tea, they make you feel welcome. They make you feel at home.
Whoever wrote that Cheers song was a sociological genius: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” And it’s true. Sometimes you want to get out of the house and go to a place where you know you will be greeted warmly. But in the D.C.- area, with high-end prices and even higher-end attitudes from serving staff and bartenders, it’s not always easy to find.
That’s why we were struck when the first time we went to Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church, the bartender asked our names. Gave us his as he leaned over the long wooden bar to shake our hands. And then remembered our names for subsequent visits! One female bartender almost got me in trouble. I went in with my husband and she smiled genuinely at me and said, “We haven’t seen you in awhile.” My husband raised an eyebrow and wondered how often was I frequenting the local tavern without him.
Once a month for lunch! I’d order tea!
Photo from Dogwood Tavern website
That’s the thing about Dogwood, aptly named a tavern with its brick walls, large fireplace and beautiful wood-beam ceiling. Regardless whether you’re there for a Saturday night free-for-all or a Tuesday salad and tea, they make you feel welcome. They make you feel at home.
“We live in the community; our customers are part of us,” said Paul Taylor, beverage director for Vintage Restaurant Group, which owns Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church, Rhodeside Grill in Clarendon and two other Arlington neighborhood bars. “We want to give good meals, good drinks and make people happy. That’s something we can really excel at where sometimes other people fail.”
I called Paul to ask him what his organization emphasized in making a great neighborhood bar. Getting to know their customers is one thing. So bartenders will always ask your name; go in, you can test it.
Click to see menu
They also work hard to provide something that will appeal to all of their potential customers. Falls Church is a land of working singles, families and higher-end wage earners; Dogwood offers bands on the weekend and sports viewing on big screen TVs for the young, large and comfy indoor and outdoor dining spaces for families, and a great selection of craft beers, cocktails made with small batch ingredients, and interesting daily meal specials to appeal to those looking for a higher-end experience.
“We’ve definitely strived to create a place where we want to go eat and drink,” Paul said. “We love that our employees will stick around after a shift and have a beverage; they’ve worked really hard to create a welcoming environment so why not stick around to enjoy it. At the end of the day, the customers become family.”
For a long time, we were just once-every-two-to-three-weeks customers. But we were made to feel like family. We’re rabid University of Kansas basketball fans, and the bartenders would always chat us up about that season’s potential. We were even bigger fans of an appetizer called Potatoskinadilla (Potato. Skin. Adilla. All the deliciousness of a potato skin – the bacon, chives, sour cream, soft bits of potato – stuck in a cheesy quesadilla and grilled to a crisp char on the outside. Yum). We bemoaned its demise when they took it off the menu, but whenever it’s a special, the bartenders bring it to our attention.
With the opening of a rooftop outdoor bar this spring, we became once-a-week regulars, grabbing a drink on a happy hour Friday or a lazy Sunday afternoon. That’s when we got to know the bartenders: Rachel, Drew, Mike, Cassandra. If anything speaks to the embrace Dogwood provides, it’s the fact the many of these bartenders have been here since its opening in 2008. Restaurants have an incredibly high turnover rate of 62 percent, but Dogwood has created a place where both staff and customers want to stay.
"There are a lot of places around that you can go to for a meal or a drink," Paul said. "When there’s that many choices, you need to have a level of service that goes above and beyond. That’s sort of our mission."
Mission accomplished. Thanks for giving us a place where everyone knows our names.
Dogwood Tavern
132 West Broad St., Falls Church, VA 22046
In-Between Tip: On Monday, Sept. 8, Dogwood is inviting its customers to enjoy a whiskey event with Catoctin Creek Distillery, a Virginia whiskey-maker from Loudon County's Purcellville. Paul said he was particularly excited about the Peanut Old Fashioned they will have available. "What's more Virginia than Virginia peanuts and Virginia honey?"
To check out some beautiful drinks I've enjoyed at Dogwood Tavern, check out my Instagram feed or my Pinterest page.
Discover a Charlottesville Swimming Hole
Maybe not everyone gets as excited at labyrinthian adventures through the trees as I do, but when I stumbled upon info about the Blue Hole swimming hole at Sugar Hollow while researching a recent trip to Charlottesville, I got jazzed!
Blue Hole swimming hole at Sugar Hollow, outside of Charlottesville
"Swimming hole."
Did you feel that zing at those words? That promise of sunshine and frayed jean shorts and hidden trails through the woods?
Okay, maybe not everyone gets as excited at labyrinthian adventures through the trees as I do, but when I stumbled upon info about the Blue Hole swimming hole at Sugar Hollow while researching a recent trip to Charlottesville, I got jazzed! We were going to celebrate the Big Kid's birthday, a kid who loves rock climbing and bug watching and forest exploring, and I couldn't imagine any way better to do it than by hiking to this pool in the woods.
The Drive
The drive getting there is its own little adventure. You can set your GPS for Sugar Hollow Road, but it won't get you all the way to the parking lot for the swimming hole.
- Take Barracks Road northwest out of Charlottesville, driving on a two-lane road that rolls and weaves over beautiful horse country past stately black fences and tiny country stores with tons of character. Grab water and snacks for the hike at one of these charming stores.
- Barracks Road turns into Garth Road.
- Then here's the tricky part: At the Piedmont Store (exactly 11.0 miles from the intersection of 250 and Barracks Road, according to Google Maps), continue straight onto the lesser road of Sugar Hollow Road, and DO NOT take the swinging right turn onto Browns Gap Turnpike. This comes up fast and would be easy to miss. Look for the Piedmont Store, which you should drive past on your right.
- Now you're good to go. You'll spend awhile time on a gravel road, passing country homes and camp retreats, until you get to the Sugar Hollow Dam and the Charlottesville Reservoir. Continue uphill on the narrow pitted road, past the tranquil reservoir with trout the size of my forearm (I'm not kidding; get out of the car and take a look), until you reach the sizable parking lot.
View of the Charlottesville Reservoir from the Sugar Hollow Dam
The Hike
A swimming hole wouldn't be a swimming hole if there were pointed arrows and easy pathways to get to it. Apparently there is a well-maintained trail to a larger swimming hole known as Snake Hole. But that's not where we adventurers are heading.
- Stand in the middle of the lot with your back to the dam and reservoir behind you. Bramble and a small creek will be on your left.
- Cross through that bramble. You will see small pathways through it. Cross the creek. On the day we were there, the water was low enough that we could skip over on the rocks.
- Clamber up the embankment on the other side. At one spot of the embankment, there are stair-like rocks to make the clamber a little easier.
- An obvious pathway leading up the hill is on the other side. We had to climb over a downed tree to get to it on the day we were there. If you don't see the path at the top of the embankment, walk to the left for a bit. You'll run into it.
- Fortunately, once you're on the path, it's a straight 1.5-mile hike to Blue Hole. There's some uphill and stream crossing, but no turnoffs that could lead you to hiking around in circles.
- You have to climb down from the path to reach Blue Hole, but there are several obvious paths down to it and the sounds of the small falls are unmistakable. You won't miss it.
The Swimming Hole
That bracing water coming down from the Blue Ridge Mountains and roaring into Blue Hole is cold and clear, even near the end of July. Bring towels! And a friendly spirit. Looking for our own private adventure, we were disappointed when we climbed down to the swimming hole to see other people there. But soon, we were all joined in the renegade, swimming-hole spirit. There are a couple of large boulders perched on the side of Blue Hole that provide a 12-foot leap into the pool, and strangers shouted encouragement to reluctant leapers and cheered the ones courageous enough to go. (Note from a Mom: That pool is less than 10-feet deep. DO NOT DIVE!!!) There are pools and smaller falls above Blue Hole perfect for quieter moments away from the crowd. Or to indulge your explorer day dreams.
Strangers quickly become compatriots at the swimming hole
The big jump and the finish
Thank you to Adventures in Parenting, Healthy in Cville, and Hiking Upward for helping me figure out how to get to Blue Hole in the first place.
In-Between Tip: A great place to fuel up before your hiking-and-swimming adventure is Ace Biscuit & Barbecue in Charlottesville, a tiny, brick hut that serves meat -- pulled pork, spare ribs, fried chicken, brisket -- over biscuits with lots of delicious sauces, fixings and sides to choose from.
Want more fun outdoor ideas?
Help An Aspiring Filmmaker
My son, Simon Lundquist, recently entered a video contest for the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation and became a finalist. He needs votes to win. So I'm taking today's blog post to ask you to please go to the following site - http://www.ipvideocontest.com/?page_id=345 - and vote for him in the 13-15 category.
Go to the IP Video Contest site to vote for Simon Lundquist
As a parent, there is nothing more rewarding than when your children find their passion. It's wonderful to see this little person you have put all this time and energy into find the thing he wants to put all of his time and energy into. It also feels like an assurance that they will one day have a job. Bonus!
My son, Simon Lundquist, found his passion several years ago when he used an inexpensive digital camera to make a stop-action movie of a Playdough ball rolling around on his bed. The Playdough had googley-eyes, which he had to carefully move for every shot.
Since then, his movies have become more action-adventure-sci fi: lots of punching and crazed robots and magic typewriters and dystopian futures. But he's also a practical kid interested in becoming a working filmmaker, so recently he entered a video contest for the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation and became a finalist.
Here's where you come in: He needs votes to win. So I'm taking today's blog post to ask you to please go to the following site - http://www.ipvideocontest.com/?page_id=345 - and vote for him in the 13-15 category. If you're interested in voting in the 16-18 category as well, Simon recommends voting for Christian Surtz.
Thanks for your help with this. And please let me know when your child needs some online support. I'd love to return the favor.
Summer Mix Tape for In-Betweeners
As we squeeze out the last bits of fun of this last month of summer, I figured it would be a good time to put together a Summer Mix Tape for In-Betweeners to help us all remember that time in our lives when we stayed out late, slept in long and never wore sunscreen.
The summer before my senior year in high school, a disreputable boy with long hair asked if he could put in a cassette tape as we drove God only knows where in my grey Chevy Cavalier. Out of my speakers came The Rolling Stones, who I associated with the music of my parents and therefore didn’t like. But these songs weren’t the mid-80s, feathered and puffy-shirted “Dancing in the Streets” version of Rolling Stones I thought I knew (You’re right, that was Mick’s fault.) These songs were interesting, lyrical, as dirty and soulful as they were heartbreaking and orchestral. I asked him if I could borrow this tape.
That stifling hot summer, driving around the long, flat streets of Tulsa, Okla., flittering away time with my lovely, disreputable friends when I wasn’t working a 40-hour-a-week temp job, became defined by that tape. “Play With Fire,” “Paint It Black,” “Ruby Tuesday,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Wild Horses,” all became the soundtrack for my last childhood summer, the summer before I turned 18. “Hot Rocks” the guy had written on the cassette label, further proving that this was the perfect summer tape. “Wow,” I thought, “He’s put together the best Rolling Stones mix ever.”
"Hot Rocks: 1964-1971" was the actual name of the album, a compilation and The Rolling Stone’s biggest selling album. I didn’t know this until years later. If you can’t laugh at your 18-year-old self, then you’re doing it wrong.
As we squeeze out the last bits of fun of this last month of summer, I figured it would be a good time to put together a Summer Mix Tape for In-Betweeners to help us all remember that time in our lives when we stayed out late, slept in long and never wore sunscreen. Songs don’t hit me as powerfully as they once did, but they can still transport. A great song can make the sun shine a little bit brighter, can make me smile a little wider and can remind me of that kid in that car that heard that mind-blowing album for the first time.
Summer Mix Tape for In-Betweeners
Click cassette below to play
WARNING: There is an inherent lustiness to summer, with all the heat and exposed skin, and an inherent heat to summer songs. Songs with a (*) may not be kid appropriate.
- The Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man
- *Kings of Leon - Four Kicks (Heirs to The Rolling Stones, this entire album, Aha Shake Heartbreak, their second, is a a fantastic summer listen, an ode to young boys hanging out of trucks with their hormones flapping around them.)
- TLC - No Scrubs (A great Nineties ode to the girls who refused to respond to the boys hanging out of trucks with their hormones hanging around them.)
Nikka Costa - Everybody Got Their Something (Favorite line: “There’s a time for every star.”)
Liz Phair - Polyester Bride (Song about sitting at a bar jawing with the bartender. What could be more summery than that?)
Rufus & Chaka Khan - Tell Me Something Good
Jarabe De Palo - Bonito (And what’s the good thing you want to be told? That everything is beautiful, bonito.)
Justin Timberlake - Senorita (The next grouping of songs sound like they're performed at some sweaty club or house party.)
Beastie Boys - Live at P.J.'s
*Pink - God is a DJ (Favorite line: “God wants you to shake your ass.” I believe that.)
*Prince - Housequake (This album, Sign of the Times, is Prince’s masterpiece and another one that I have on rotation all summer.)
Sly & the Family Stone - Dance to the Music ("Get on up, and dance to the music.")
The Goat Rodeo Sessions - Here and Heaven (Haunting, yet rousing song from awesome collaboration of Yo-Yo Ma and some great bluegrass musicians.)
Sam Cooke - Summertime (I know, this one just seems too obvious. But, you see, I was introduced to it in the summertime. By this boy. He would do push ups on concrete blocks. Ahh…summertime.)
Sam Sparro - Black and Gold
Morphine - Super Sex (I don’t know if it was summertime when a cute guy - who's now my husband - gave me this song on a mixtape. But I know it was hot.)
Stevie Wonder - I Was Made to Love Her (Stevie personifies summer to me.)
Elton John - Amoreena
Everclear - Santa Monica
Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire ("We used to dream now we worry about dying. I don’t want to worry about dying. I just want to worry about those sunshine girls.”)
The Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper (I couldn't resist. Let's all sing it together: "What a drag it is getting old.")
What do you like to listen to in the summer? What song or album brings youthful summer memories rushing back? Please tell me about your favorite songs in the comment section below or on my Facebook page.
Restaurant Review: Rural Society
Right now, with kids at home and college saving plans needing attention, wrangling a reservation at the “it” restaurant isn’t a huge priority for me. But when I read the words “Argentinean steak house” in connection with Jose Garces’ new restaurant Rural Society, it quickly became a priority. There was nothing about the description that didn’t appeal: Argentinean – sexy; steak – yum; house – comfort.
Right now, with kids at home and college saving plans needing attention, wrangling a reservation at the “it” restaurant isn’t a huge priority for me. But when I read the words “Argentinean steak house” in connection with Jose Garces’ new restaurant Rural Society, it quickly became a priority. There was nothing about the description that didn’t appeal: Argentinean – sexy; steak – yum; house – comfort.
I was able to nab an 8:45 reservation on Saturday, and the long, sexy restaurant in the Loews Madison Hotel in Logan Circle was worth the hype.
Friends in our semi-private dining nook at Rural Society
The dining room offers a variety of atmospheres: You can sit in the hustle and bustle of it all near the front at wooden tables with a view of the grill fire, or go for a more intimate seat in the back surrounded by long, white curtains. Our party of four was shown to an enclosed, semi-private nook a few steps above the main dining room, equipped with our own bar (you can access that liquor with a word with your waiter. They’ll even bring you Manhattan fixings.) The nook was fantastic, like having our own comfy dining room in the middle of a posh restaurant.
Rural Society is filled with gentleman waiters who put on a show for you. Our waiter was a handsome Uruguayan with 18 years of experience working at French and Italian restaurants in D.C. He introduced us to the story of Rural Society when he came to our table – a summation of Argentinean food, recommendations from the menu, suggestions of how much to order. Different servers brought food to our table throughout the night, and each did it with charm and flourish. One of my favorite moments was when I asked for directions to the ladies room. A waiter offered his arm and strolled me in the right direction.
The menu offers a mélange of charcuteries, pastas, pizzas and sausages. And steak. Delicious, delicious steak. We took our waiter’s recommendation and ordered family style -- four starters, two steaks and a few sides. Of the starters, the Provoleta and the Sorrentino were my favorite. The Provoleta was aged provolone, served bubbling in its own tiny cast iron skillet, which you scoop up and serve over arugula. The salty, salty cheese with the peppery bite of arugula was fantastic. The ham-and-cheese ravioli of the Sorrentino were light pillows served in a Reggianito cream sauce.
The Sorrentino, ham-and-cheese ravioli in a Reggianito cream
The Washington Post’s Tom Sietsma said to order the ribeye, so we ordered the ribeye (Bife de Chorizo), and we enjoyed the ribeye. But oh, the rump. The Pichana, or domestic Snake River Wagyu rump, had a charred, flavor-filled crust and a melt-in-your-mouth interior. We had knife fights over that rump.
The delicious Pichana, domestic Snake River Wagyu rump, at Rural Society
It would be easy to break the bank at Rural Society, which is one of the biggest compaints I’ve noticed on Yelp. We didn’t order cocktails or dessert. But we ordered a good $50 bottle of Malbec and more than enough food, and left the Rural Society completely satisfied at about $80 per person.
Rural Society
1177 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Clockwise from top left: Chorizo Gaucho, beef and pork sausage; Choclo, corn cream, crab, roasted peppers and asiago; Esparragos, charred asparagus, bagna caudal; Bife de Chorizo, Uruguayan ribeye
A Day at DC's Creepiest Museum
On a beautiful summer day, I walked through the National Museum of Crime and Punishment and stared at some of the creepiest stuff on display in Washington, D.C. And it was fascinating. The National Museum of Crime and Punishment has done a great job of balancing our gruesome, pause-at-a-car-accident curiosity with the true curation, historical research and interactivity that makes for an enriching museum experience.
Update: I'm super sad to report that the National Museum of Crime and Punishment closed in September, 2015. AND YEt This blog Still gets so many hits!! some other quirky museums I recommend:
And feel free to download my free Book!
A "cadaver" laid out on an autopsy table. Medieval torture instruments that punctured and crushed fingers. The bullet-riddled car that once held the bodies of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.
On a beautiful summer day, I walked through the National Museum of Crime and Punishment and stared at some of the creepiest stuff on display in Washington, D.C. And it was fascinating. The National Museum of Crime and Punishment has done a great job of balancing our gruesome, pause-at-a-car-accident curiosity with the true curation, historical research and interactivity that makes for an enriching museum experience.
Located in the densely packed museum-and-restaurant area of the Penn Quarter, the Crime Museum seems to get overlooked for the more popular International Spy Museum down the street. It shouldn’t. Although a bit smaller, the Crime Museum offers plenty of bang for your 22 bucks.
The Crime Museum has three tales to tell as visitors wind through it: The first section focuses on crimes and criminals through the ages; the second focuses on punishment – the booking process, jails and law enforcement; and the final section focuses on case solving and modern forensic technologies. CSI fans will love this place.
Through each section is woven interactive elements for all ages. Young ones can test their cyber safety skills with hand-operated multiple-choice quizzes or they can tunnel out of a jail cell. Us older ones can gain more knowledge from the museum’s many interactive screens, participate in a lineup or we can try out our pursuit skills in a driving simulator.
What I like most about the museum – in all its creepiness – is its restraint. The boards soaked with Jesse James’ blood, John Dillinger’s death mask and the wall chunk from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre are all paired with careful, intelligent text that honors the items' place in our country’s history and minimizes the sensational. The section that I find the hardest to walk through, the one about modern-day mass murderers, is small and succinct, acknowledging the horrors we’ve witnessed without aggrandizing the killers. (Tucked into a corner, it’s also easily skipped if – like me – you want to keep the youngsters away from it.)
A Tour of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment
Crime Museum, 575 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
In-Between Tip: After your dark trip through our nation's underbelly, refresh your spirits with a margarita at Jose Andres' light-filled Mexican restaurant Oyamel, which is just down the block on 7th St., NW. It's much easier to get a table at this festive restaurant with an inventive take on Mexican food during the day. And did I mention the margaritas?
Map to In-Between Fun in the DMV
I've added a new map feature to the site. Pinterest allows me to track the locations where I've had fun in the DMV, and will help you loyal In-Between readers find fun and adventure close to where you live. I will continue to update the map as I discover new places, so make sure to check back often (the link will always be to the right in the sidebar).
I've decided to mark today's 20th blog post (YEAH!!) by adding a new map feature to the site. Pinterest allows me to track the locations where I've had fun in the DMV, and will help you loyal In-Between readers find fun and adventure close to where you live. I will continue to update the map as I discover new places, so make sure to check back often (the link will always be to the right in the sidebar).
Click photo to find fun, In Between activities close to home.
Thank you to everyone who has commented on this site, emailed or interacted with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. I love knowing that I've inspired some of you or helped you discover a new piece of this great community we live in. Please keep sending me your In-Between suggestions or pointing me toward museums, restaurants or activities you'd like me to investigate. Here's to aging gracefully and having a great time while we do it!
Have a fun place you'd like to recommend for an In Between in D.C. blog post? Please tell me about it in the comments below.
Taking Tea at Historic Rosemont Manor
Going to a tea at the Historic Rosemont Manor in Berryville, Va., is everything little girls imagine tea parties are like when they put on their mothers' floppy hats and drink fruit punch out of tiny cups. As full-grown women, my girlfriend and I got to wear our pretty summer dresses and enter the elegant Southern-style manor where American royalty like the Kennedys once stayed. We got to drink tea from delicate rose-painted cups and eat peach scones topped with Devonshire cream.
Going to a tea at the Historic Rosemont Manor in Berryville, Va., is everything little girls imagine tea parties are like when they put on their mothers' floppy hats and drink fruit punch out of tiny cups. As full-grown women, my girlfriend and I got to wear our pretty summer dresses and enter the elegant Southern-style manor where American royalty like the Kennedys once stayed. We got to drink tea from delicate rose-painted cups and eat peach scones topped with Devonshire cream.
Downton Abbey is a hit for a reason. That show about a noble family and its servants living in an esteemed English manor encourages a certain amount of adult pretend. But for the two hours of the tour-and-tea luncheon at Historic Rosemont Manor, you can live that elegant lifestyle.
Like Downton Abbey, the history of Rosemont Manor is long and rich (I’m referring to the fictional history of the show, which I know, versus the actual history of Highclere Castle, which I don’t know). Originally built in 1811 as a merchant groom’s gift to his landed gentry bride, the manor has been home to a Union hospital, has been sold for a $1 and has been considered as a site for 90 luxury homes. Most notably, the home was owned by Virginia governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr. The names of the many luminaries who visited him there – Charles Lindbergh, Albert Einstein, FDR, Eisenhower, Nixon, Johnson – are used to designate the manor’s twelve suites and four cottages.
We owe the fact that we simple folk can visit the place to the daughter of current owner William "Biff" Genda. When she saw its perfect location, at the top of a slope that overlooks beautiful park grounds and the Shenandoah Valley, she commented that she’d love to be married there. That lightbulb transformed the 200-year-old private residence into an elegant B&B and wedding venue that opened in 2010. The manor has hosted 64 weddings this year and already has 20 booked for 2015.
But back to the tea. On occasional Saturdays and Wednesdays, the Rosemont Manor hosts a three-course tea service for $44 a person. The event begins in the wedding reception hall with a champagne glass of fruit juice. We women in attendance looked like butterflies, and the staff treated us like honored guests. Director of Weddings Michael Haymaker led us into the home and explained its history and Manor House Chef Tona Bays talked excitedly about the three-courses she’d chosen.
Bays focuses on seasonal, local offerings and apologized for what she felt was a diminished peachiness to the peach offerings of the summer menu. Our area’s unending winter, she explained, hit the local peach hard. She had nothing to apologize for. The peach scone with peach preserves was rich with summer sweetness. I originally thought we’d be hitting a rib stand on the one-and-a-half-hour drive home, but the one-bite sandwiches, scones and desserts were substantive in flavor and surprisingly filling. I don’t know teas well, but these were delicious.
My girlfriend and I are already looking forward to the spring menu, when the area is exploding with azalea flowers, or the Christmas menu, when the house is done up for the holidays. There's no reason we have to limit our elegant make-believe to once a year.
Taking a Tour of the Historic Rosemont Manor
Refining Your Going-Out Palate at Capital Wine School
The Capital Wine School provides the chance for an engaging night out with classes that allow you to meet interesting people, learn something new and taste fabulous wines.
As I've gotten older, my enthusiasm for going out hasn't waned, but my enjoyment of the passive entertainment of a bar, a restaurant or a movie certainly has. Repetition breeds boredom. I want to engage, to do something, to even possibly learn something while I’m spending my pennies out and about in the world.
Wine expert Michael Franz chats with students after class
The Capital Wine School provides the chance for an engaging night out with classes that allow you to meet interesting people, learn something new and taste fabulous wines.
In Northwest D.C., throwing distance from Bethesda near the Mazza Gallerie, the Capital Wine School offers a variety of two-hour evening classes that explore all facets of wine knowledge. You can learn about Pinot Noirs from different parts of the world or you can explore the characteristics that make the wines of Bordeaux, Tuscany or Washington great. You can even take an introductory class that helps you understand wine better and eases the panic when you’re handed the wine list at a restaurant.
Jay Youmans
The Capital Wine School was started by Jay Youmans who is A) Washington, D.C.’s only Master of Wine and one of only 30 in the U.S., and B) one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Well known in the wine world, Jay helps to train professionals in the wine industry at Capital Wine School with wine business classes and master classes for sommeliers.
He also taught two beginner classes that I took: Introduction to Wine Basics and the three-part Wine Basics: Comparing Grapes, Regions and Styles. As a newbie, getting instruction from someone with his depth of knowledge was a real honor. But neither he nor my "Secret Spain" wine class instructor, Michael Franz (editor of Wine Review Online and wine writer for the Washington Post until 2005) made me feel like I’d better be glad I was receiving such an honor.
What I’ve appreciated most about the Capital Wine School experience (besides incredible 1 oz-ish tastings of wine) is the lack of the pretension that you can run into in the wine world. Sommeliers, tasting room hosts and – the worst of them all – wine drinkers who fashion themselves "experts" can sometimes be complete butts. But the Wine School’s experienced instructors work hard to engage new wine drinkers, draw out honest opinions and share what they know for the benefit of the student.
The classes are held in a room above a dance studio, so the muted rhythms of salsa or hip hop will sometimes accompany your wine tasting class. Long tables face the instructor and clean glasses are arranged in front of each seat, ready for a pour. These are tasting classes, and while I seldom want to waste the incredible eight or more pours we get, I generally drive there and must get home. Small buckets are available for spitting or dumping your glass, and you’re encouraged to use them, if you’d like. Or you could metro and plan on a nice dinner after.
The classes aren’t cheap at $65-$85 per person for the two-hour tasting courses. But I paid that much for a concert ticket last week, and I certainly walk away from the wine class with more than a t-shirt. The class schedule is limited in the summer, but picks up again in September. I have my eye on two upcoming classes: Comparative Tasting of Pinot Noirs from Around the World on Nov. 29 and Michael Franz’s Eight Favorite Champagnes on Dec. 6.
I’m emailing my husband right now to let him know I’ve got a perfect night out all ready for us.
Capital Wine School
5207 Wisconsin Ave., Washington, DC 20015
In-Between Tip: Take advantage of the Capital Wine School's location just a couple of blocks south of Friendship Heights Metro station and take the Metro there. Then after your class, try one of the multitude of restaurants this area on the border between Washington, D.C., and Bethesda, Md., has to offer.
Want to discover more interesting and fun going-out activities in the DMV? Make sure to subscribe to In Between in D.C., where I post twice a week about fun things to do for us 40-55-year-old In-Betweeners.
Angelina M. Lopez,
contemporary romance Author
Writing ferocious love stories
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