Washington, DC is such a great place. I think it gets a bad rep as a lifeless and drab political capital, but it really is a town with lots going on. At least in comparison to our own nation’s capital here in Canada. I visited DC last in 2006, and I was surprised by how much it has changed since then. I can now attest that DC has a happening food and wine scene, with something to please everyone.
I was originally going to just do one post about this great town, but I realized I had too much to say, so this has now evolved into 3 different posts. Welcome to Wining with Mel’s first multi-post series!!
I arrived late Thursday night and took a SuperShuttle into town from Dulles airport. It was probably around 11 by the time I got to my friend Mere’s place near Columbia Heights, but luckily she had already opened a bottle of wine in anticipation of my arrival (she knows me so well). To celebrate our reunion, we drank an Oregon Pinot Noir and stayed up until 1:30 in the morning catching up. It was great!
Duck Pond Pinot Noir – an excellent medium-bodied red that goes well with almost any food or just to sip on while catching up with a girlfriend. We may or may not have gone through the entire bottle. For the sake of research, obviously.
Friday morning we lazed around, basking in the not-having-to-work-on-a-weekday glow. We drank coffee and chatted until we came up with a decent plan for the day. By the time we got out the door it was lunchtime! So we headed to this great sandwich place called SUNdeVICH. Just looking at their menu makes me drool a little. They offer delicious sandwiches inspired by cuisines from all over the world, all on freshly baked baguette. Mere and I shared the Paris (fried egg, ham and swiss with tomato and greens) and the Seoul (bulgogi beef and kimchi). YUM.
Concerned about food comas, we decided we’d better grab a coffee and keep moving. We wandered around town, eventually ending up at the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery. The great thing about Washington DC is all the FREE Smithsonian museums. There are about a dozen around the city, each with special and permanent exhibits. Which means that even if you’ve been before, there’ll probably be something new next time you go. Plus, since there is no admission fee, you can just stop in for a bit and not feel guilty if you leave after only a half hour. The Portrait Gallery is in a gorgeous building, and I feel like I almost spent more time admiring the architecture than the portraits themselves. The American Art Museum is in the same building, and there are some pretty gorgeous and/or thought-provoking pieces in there.
One of the spaces in the Smithsonian American Art Museum
A beautiful corridor of the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery
By this point, I was getting thirsty, and it just so happened that it was happy hour! Stay tuned for Part 2 of Wining in DC, when the fun really begins.