March, 2016

If you chose to stay at the Hyatt, right across the street you will find the best little breakfast joint, Billy Goat Tavern.  It’s a chain originally founded in Chicago in 1934 and well known for its breakfasts.  A perfect way to start the day.  

While touring the Mall, you can easily grab lunch or ice cream from many of the food trucks along the way.  It can help keep you feeling sustained as you tour the monuments and museums.  One of the best pizzas in the city can be found at Timber, which started out as food truck in 2014, but now has a small location in Petworth.  A popular place if you want to eat in, so I suggest opting for takeout and eating in one of the many outdoor green spaces.  A pizza picnic!

Let’s talk dinner!  We typically splurge on at least one nicer dinner on most trips and this one was exceptional.  A romantic little townhouse with antique décor and curtained booths serving French food – welcome to Bistro Cacao.   We sat in one of the one of the booths with the red drapes offering a romantic and private feel. It was such incredible experience and is honestly still one of my favourite restaurants from any of our trips.  During this dinner, I had my first exposure to the Stags’ Leap Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon and of course, Port, which would later would spark a trip to that winery in Napa (2019) and to Portugal for Port (2016).  Isn’t it fascinating how one little moment can trigger memories for a lifetime?  My recommendations – start with the roasted beets followed by the Escargots au Beuree d’Ail and have your waiter/waitress pair it with a glass of bubbles!  For our mains, I opted for the Herb Mustard Crusted New Zealand Rack of Lamb and D opted for the Beef Tenderloin.  We paired our main with a bottle of Stags’ Leap. That is correct, from the Winery with the apostrophe after the s – not to be confused with Stag’s Leap – something that is critical to know when visiting Napa.  However, I digress – back to dinner.  This wine was one velvety, black, luscious stream of palate seduction and our entrée choices had the perfect measure of complexity to compliment this wine.  Finally, dessert for me was Crème Brulee and I had originally wanted Ice Wine to pair with it, however, they didn’t have Ice Wine and our waiter offered an option of Port instead – he brought a 2 oz glass of 10 year Port and a 2 oz glass of 20 year old Port.  And then it happened, my love affair with Port began – a rich caramel color with wood and vanilla elements – I had found happiness in a single glass.  I will choose the 20 year old over the 10 year old port every time, and now I know the more richly aged, the better!  Enjoy!