Lunch with the Family

Sundays are reserved for Family Time.

And, rightfully so, I decided to have lunch at a restaurant my mom has never been to, Red Lobster. Everyone was there including Evan's awesome parents - with the exception of Delano, Ching, my bro, and other two adorable nephews.

I LOVE THE BISCUIT!! I decided to get Peach Bourbon Shrimp and Scallops and it was delicious! With the exception of the scallops which was covered in bacon - I gave that to Evan LOL!

I've been trying to cut down on pork and Evan's mom, Ms. Melba, gave me the best reason to give to people. It's because of the swine flu (ha-ha). I have other reasons, however, but I will keep that to myself.

I took off for my birthday and day before so I could relax a little & get some personal things done.

My presents include a couple beautiful dresses, hot shoes & sandals, blouse, 3 purses, etc.. All thanks to my family and Mr. Awesome!!

Thanks everyone for making my birthday so memorable.

Let's Party!!!

What a fun weekend!!

Friday night, I went to dinner and a movie with Mr. Awesome around Penn Quarter. We dined at the Hard Rock restaurant on 10th & E St. and food was average. MY veggie burger would've been better if I didn't have a few sensitive areas around my mouth (I had gone to the dentist earlier in the day). We then headed over to Landmark Theatre on 11th & E St. We were so excited about going to see Away We Go which stars John Krasinski (The Office) and comedian Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live). This place was unusual - unlike any other movie theatre. They had espressos, tea, organic cookies, and it was very tidy. We will definitely go back again! WE LOVED THE MOVIE - great mix of comedy and real life situations.

I spent Saturday afternoon with my nephews and sis-in-law at Germantown Park. It was fun as always with Devin and his day care playmates. I'll post those pics up later.

Saturday evening was a different story. Seth and Rob from LTD Ent. or Living the Dream Entertainment hosted my party at Station 9 Restaurant and Lounge.

I was all dolled up (see first pic) and ready to party!!! There were a few minor setbacks: some people thought that it'd be ok to come up there with tennis shoes on, others came way later (see sometimes it isn't bad to be punctual!), and then I couldn't party with my friends in the VIP room!! All because of a certain NFL player from the Baltimore Ravens. But I had fun downstairs with everyone anyway!!!

Thank you baby for my hot shoes and to all who came out and partied with me!!! Thanks Seth and Rob for everything!!

Birthday Dinner

I haven't had a Chicken Griller in awhile, so I dove in to mine like a chocolate addict who has gone for months without their ultimate crave!

The birthday girl, my sis & bro-in-law, Aunt, baby Sean, Evan, and I went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. There was a lot of laughs and jokes - it was great! I wasn't a big fan of the Mango Lemonade, but the Brownie dessert was yummy!!

Beer anyone?

I don't usually drink beer, but I try whatever he tries. Well, for the most part.

I'm a certified lightweight - a drop of tequila and I can be "twisted" in an instant LOL! One weekend we were watching some basketball and what goes better with sports than drinks?? So we bought some Hoegaarden (pronounced Whoo-garden) and Mike's Cranberry Lemonade (for me). Hoegaarden is white ale and similar to Blue Moon which I think is really good!

Have you tried it yet?

P.S. I'd like to note that this is one of my fave pics for reasons that may be obvious but is actually unfathomable ...

Hangover???

Last weekend I went to a couple clubs with some friends to party the long week away!!

I don't remember the last time I partied two nights in a row and while it was ssooo much fun, I still haven't recovered. Of course, until this morning I'd been struggling to stay awake. Late nights, etc. can wear someone like me out --- I feel so old! Ha-ha....

Saturday afternoon, Sharon & I went to a Pho Resto nearby called Hoa Binh. Pho is the best medicine for a hangover. I usually don't use anything from the veggie platter - usually consists of jalapenos, brussel sprouts, basil, and lime. It was delicious! Especially since I paired it with coconut juice - anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE COCONUT JUICE!!

Havin' Some Tapas....

We went to Georgetown recently and stopped by this Spanish Tapas place called Bodega. It was surprisingly delicious and I say this because I don't usually like seared tuna, but even that was pretty good. We had some calamari, salmon with olives, grilled shrimp with saffron rice, and seared tuna. Mmmm....

The ambiance was very romantic yet contemporary - see the pic above with the bull horn. We shopped it up afterwards @ Urban Outfitters and ended the day on a perfect note with a stop at one of my fave places, Rita's Italian Ice!!

Not Quite FIVE GUYS

Family and friends alike know that I like to try everything at least once. And that my appetite can be peculiar at times.

Even though I'm trying to lessen my beef & pork consumption - I love steak, burgers, and pork chops! I'd like to cut it from my diet completely, but instead I've decided to indulge every other month. I wish I could say the same for ice cream or Italian ice. I AM EXTREMELY OBSESSED WITH RITA'S!!! If it were up to me, I'll just buy my own franchise and call it a day. That way I can have it whenever I damn well please!

I went to Crossfire Burger in Bethesda (about a block away from Bethesda Metro) for lunch today. I got my usual cheeseburger with green peppers, fried onions, and barbecue sauce w/ a side of regular fries. Upon my first bite, I thought hhmmm not bad. But I have had better. See, some people complain that FIVE GUYS burgers are greasy. What they fail to realize is that it's a damn burger! The greasier the better! I LOVE IT! Although, the Lime-o-nade and fries were surprisingly good! They also have sweet potato fries which I'll try next time I go. And who doesn't like their burger with wine or beer? Maybe you do, but it's something I could do without.

NOTE: The steak dish above is from Georgia Brown's. Delicious!

Update: Coldstones Review

I sent Coldstones Corporate an email about that ill-mannered supervisor. Here is my official review and a response from the franchisee:

Just saw your comments and agree with you completely. Very surprised with Katie's reply and will discuss this with her. Thanks for your comments.

Fason Purnell
Franchisee


Customer Comments:

I'd like to express how this specific visit really upset me. I LOVE COLDSTONES ice cream and normally go to the OLNEY, MD location. Their customer service is excellent! During this visit, however, I gathered that it would be the last time I would ever go to this Germantown location. My sister-in-law and I bought a birthday cake & some cupcakes. I asked the cashier if candles usually come with the cake. The supervisor at the time, Katie, asked ''Well, when you go to Giant, don't you have to pay for candles?'' I thought this was very inappropriate and unnecessary because not only did she NOT answer my question, her remark was very offensive to me. I told her that she didn't have to be like that with her customers. I imagine with the economy the way it is, Coldstones or any other store would upgrade their customer service to retain their customers.

Needless to say, this visit convinced me to NEVER go back to that location EVER again! Your customers should not be subjected to that kind of behavior.

Ozio's Restaurant and Lounge

I've never been to Ozio's before, but have always heard that it was a fun spot. The calamari & martinis were sssooo good! We have our threads on from that Urban Outfitters shopping spree during Valentine's Day weekend.

I was particularly sick that day, but decided to go out for my girl Nat's birthday weekend celebration. Too bad it didn't work out like we thought it would, but for some reason I knew from the moment we stepped foot inside, she was not going to like the place. And the music they were playing that night didn't help either. I would be remiss if I don't give props to Courtney for the free passes. Honestly, I like the place and would probably go back.

Valentine's Day Getaway

Valentine's Day Weekend - Aaahhh .... wish it didn't have to end. It was like a mini-vacay. We went to our "secret" place (which was really a drive to another state) and had a fantastic time!

For dinner, we went to this Italian restaurant called Cesco Trattoria in Bethesda. We had the worst time! Overpriced food and crappy service equals a bad start to such an incredible weekend. The awful part? Our tiramisu was more like a sponge cake.

Moving on, I had no idea the top part of my dress was sheer! I mean, I knew it was a bit sheer, but did not realize that the slip wasn't pulled up all the way! Duh! Anyway, come to think of it I should've changed from booties to yellow pumps but it was very cold that night. I look good regardless....