an afternoon in the city.

Last Saturday Ben and I were able to enjoy an afternoon date thanks to a babysitting swap with a friend. We were especially appreciative of this time alone since it will not be so easy in the near future.

Our first stop was A. Litteri, a fantastic little Italian deli next to Union Market. We explored the aisles (my 36 weeks pregnant belly had a hard time fitting in the tight spaces) and ordered a sandwich which was delicious (it's even featured on this list which we're slowly making our way though).

 

We walked next door to Union Market to explore a bit. It was so nice not to have children or a stroller in the crowded space. We checked out all the vendors and settled on some empanadas and also tried the housemade sodas from Buffalo & Bergen (also recommended from this list). We tried pineapple and spiced blackberry. Both good but not worth the hefty price tag. Our best decision of the day was buying some dark chocolate milk from the Trickling Springs Creamery. Creamy heaven in a bottle. I shall return for more.

 

We have been wanting to check out the Phillips Collection for years but thought we would enjoy it more without the kids. They have a great collection there and we were able to see the temporary exhibit "Angels, Demons, and Savages" which featured works from Pollock, Ossorio, and Dubuffet. 

 

I had a poster of Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party hanging on my bedroom wall when I was a teenager so it was fun to see it in person.

And because we hadn't eaten enough already, we stopped at Zeke's DC Donutz which was just around the corner (one of the many new doughnut shops to be popping up around D.C.). They only had two kinds of doughnuts left but they were both delicious. A raspberry filled and a lemon curd.

Spills never escape the pregnant belly.

Raspberry filled donut. With the Ghandi statue in the background.

And we spotted our first blooming magnolia trees! My favorite.

co co. sala

We had fun spending time with Ben's brother Dan and his family when they came out for a visit a few weeks ago. We had a babysitter one night and were able to meet them in D.C. for a kid-free evening which was so nice.

We tried Co Co Sala for brunch last year (it was amazing) and knew it would be the perfect spot to take Dan and Michelle for dessert. Everything we ordered was delicious. They have the best salted caramel hot chocolate. We tried three different dessert plates and a few appetizers. The mood lighting was extreme so the photos don't do the beautiful presentations justice.

The hot chocolate sampler.

Strawberry "caprese" flatbread. Strawberries, basil, and smoked mozzarella with a cacao infused basil and asparagus vinaigrette. So good.

Warm sticky toffee pudding cake, chocolate shavings, brown butter toffee sauce, and ginger caramel ice cream.

Dark chocolate mousse with vanilla crème brulee, salted caramel, crispy chocolate pearls and brownie alongside a dark chocolate sorbet and a cinnamon toffee bon bon.

Buttery shortcake, tart passion fruit curd, passion fruit caramel, creme fraiche chocolate cheesecake, and minty fresh foam.

Pete's apizza.

 

My friend Jessica is an expert on the best pizza places around. She suggested an outing with our families at Pete's New Haven Style Apizza in Arlington and we happily obliged. The food was delicious and the company was great. They have a big corner booth that was perfect for corralling lots of children (although Oliver always found a way out). And I loved the Boylan Soda fountain with its fun flavor combinations (black cherry with a little vanilla cream was my favorite). 

 Amelia and Elsa had fun taking photos while we waited for our friends.

Nothing follows pizza better than gelato. We stopped at Pitango so I could finally try the brioche con gelato (the Italian version of an ice cream sandwich). Creamy gelato inside a toasted brioche bun. Yum!

date night: green pig bistro + artisphere

Last week we decided to try the new Green Pig Bistro in Arlington based on recommendations from friends. It was a really fun restaurant with great interior design elements. The menu had some fun choices and the food was yummy.

The homemade sodas were delicious. I tried orange and vanilla cream and Ben had blackberry.

I loved this salad. Tomato (a few different kinds), watermelon, goat cheese, and basil. Such a great flavor combination and perfect summer salad.

The cornbread was so yummy and served with maple butter. I want to infuse all of my butter with maple now.

We tried the pork tacos with avocado for an appetizer. The restaurant specializes in pork and the tacos were really delicious.

I could have ended my meal there and been fine. But we had to try one of the main courses. Since it was their specialty, we ordered the pork shank, grits, and greens. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the grits and collard greens.

I was really excited to try one of their desserts and went with the doughnut, served with peanut butter ice cream and chocolate. Unfortunately the doughnut was dry and didn't really resemble a doughnut. But the ice cream and chocolate were yummy.

Just as we finished our meal, a huge storm came through. We tried to wait it out but it wasn't letting up so Ben ran to the car and then picked me up. We made our way to Artisphere but only had a few minutes to wander before they shut down for the night. It's a really cool art space in Rosslyn that has galleries, performance venues, art classes, and all kinds of special events.

chinatown.

After our excitement at the National Building Museum we walked over to Chinatown for lunch. We tried a new spot, Eat First Restaurant, and everything we ordered was delicious.

I always appreciate a restaurant where you eat first.

Can you spot Ben? And me? And John Travolta?

Ben was excited about his egg fu yung. And the fact that it so closely resembled a brain.

My moo shu vegetables were awesome. And enough to serve about 10 people.

One of the restaurant employees gave all of the kids little panda key chains. The girls were thrilled.

Other than this grand entrance, the D.C. Chinatown is kind of small and underwhelming. We did get to see a man carrying a huge (dead) pig on his shoulders. He turned into one of the restaurants.

moonrise kingdom with pie.

Our last date night began with dinner at Dangerously Delicious Pies. We started with savory pies and tried the SMOG (steak, mushrooms, onion, and gruyere) and the tofu curry pie. Both were awesome. I particularly loved the flavor of the curry pie which was loaded with veggies, rice, and tofu. We topped off the savory selections with some sweet pies. We tried the strawberry rhubarb (delicious) and the Baltimore Bomb (made with the famous Baltimore Berger Cookies).

We cleaned our plates in record time. Partly because the pie was awesome and partly because it was 9:00 at night and we were starving. (The pie shop is a great spot for a late night treat...it's open really late.)

Enjoyed every last bite.

After scarfing down pie, we made our way to the E Street Cinema to see Moonrise Kingdom. We loved the movie. You will too if you're a Wes Anderson fan.

We also loved that we found close, FREE parking at each stop. A rare treat in D.C.