Review of the Russia House

I'm frankly amazed at myself that I have never done a proper review of the Russia House.

Housed in an old DC building with a lot of character, the restaurant spans several dark, red, moody floors. It is where you take someone when you want your romantic dinner to turn naughty.

Being a Russian restaurant, they have loads of vodka. The best thing to do is get a vodka tasting. They'll bring out an iced tray of shots in whichever flavors you choose. I love the chocolate vodka.

The food is excellent, much to my surprise. My experience with borscht growing up was not a positive one, but theirs was delicious. The duck salad was excellent as well.

Happily, I live within site of the Russia House. Unhappily, I can't afford to eat there too often. That's mostly because eating there means consuming copious amounts of vodka. I don't know though. I think I might be due for a visit.

Russia House, 1800 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC

Review of Le Pain Quotidien

Dupont Circle finally has its very own Le Pain Quotidien.

Part of a worldwide chain, this bakery/restaurant manages to feel like it isn't a worldwide chain. They have a good selection of breads and pastries, very tasty lattes, and a decent menu.

Dupont Circle doesn't have that many breakfast places nearby, so I wasn't exactly sad to hear I had another option. I love Afterwords and all, but the food just isn't that great and the lines can be long.

Chris and I were famished when we arrived, so we over ordered a bit. We shared a perfectly cooked Paris Ham & Gruyère omelet. We also shared a super sweet Belgian sugar waffle and two other pastries. Oh, and then there was the bowl of fresh berries. I really couldn't complain about any of it, although I won't say anything knocked my socks off. Also, we blew about $50 before we knew what hit us.

Le Pain Quotidien, 2001 P Street NW, Washington, DC

Ramp it Up Exhibit at the NMAI

The National Museum of the American Indian in DC has an interesting exhibit right now on Native American skateboard culture.

The exhibit starts with surfing (an indigenous Hawaiian invention). It shows how surfing's land-based cousin gained in popularity and how influential skate culture is in native communities.

Different native skaters are highlighted, but the most interesting part for me were the skateboards. The artwork is really cool and I totally want to order some for my wall.

Check it out. It runs through October.

The Great Nationwide Kiss In

I thought the Great Nationwide Kiss-In was a pretty cute idea.

A same sex couple had been harassed after kissing outside a Mormon church. Protesters started going to the church to kiss in protest. That little idea germinated until someone decided we should have a big kiss-in around the country.

It could have been great. Thousands of people gathering to make-out in public was a clear message. And the more we see same sex people kissing, the less of a big deal it will be.

Although thousands signed up on Facebook, including about 800 for Washington DC, this was the sad little group that actually showed up. What's that, maybe twenty people?

Review of Capt. John's Crab House

Captain John's is in tiny Cobb Island in Southern Maryland. It's the kind of place where they lay paper out on the table and your neighbor might be a family of bikers.

We feasted at Captain Johns. I mean we really didn't hold back. One order of king crab legs was so enormous we actually had to take some home with us. They were amazing, succulent, buttery, and a must if you are in the area.

It was my first experience with soft shell crab and, I must say, I wasn't a huge fan. The meaty part inside was o.k., but the goop and the shells...eh, eh.

We also ordered fritters, which I had not had since I was a kid. They were just as dense, sweet, and doughy as I remembered. The corn side was a huge disappointment. They came to the table with a soggy mess that could have come out of a can and we had passed a dozen farm stands selling corn on our way there. Sad.

I'd still go back though, just for those crab legs. Holy crap were they good.

Solomons Island, Maryland

We were only on Solomon's Island for a skip. We stopped at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and then headed to the town center.

The town center is tiny, just a few old houses converted into beachy stores. At the end of the strip, and around a little bend, sat the Tiki Bar.

This was the view from our bar stools at the Tiki Bar. It reminded me a lot of Fort Lauderdale, back when it was a little seedier and filled with bikers and blue collar types.

Everyone was drinking Coors and shooting the shit. I ordered a cocktail made with fresh squeezed orange juice, but I can't remember the name of it. After our drinks we wandered through a few of the stores and took off. I can see how this might be a relaxing spot for a weekend, if all you want to do is lay around and boat.

Not much going on though.

Annmarie Garden on Solomons Island

We almost didn't stop at the Annemarie Garden. I'm so glad we did. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.

Annmarie Garden is affiliated with the Smithsonian, specifically the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. If you have ever been to the sculpture garden here in DC, you have an idea of what Annmarie Garden is like.

Except Annmarie is even better. There is a wooded area that is filled with sculptures. There is a whole walkway filled with just sculptures of women. There are modern pieces and quirky faces in unexpected places. Some of the trees have paintings.

There is also a beautiful gallery inside. It is filled with really interesting pieces. My favorite was a mosaic butterfly. I also loved the giant, elegant rabbit in a reclining pose that looked like it should have been at the entrance to temple.

There were crazy fish and disco balls and horse heads and even some roadkill. (In case you haven't figured it out, they were exploring the animal kingdom in their exhibit.)

They don't stop there though. The museum is very interactive. There are activities dispersed all over the place. When we arrived, we were drawn to a picnic table outside set up with paints. Visitors were asked to paint a gourd with the theme of "home is where the ____ is." The gourds are going to be used for an art exhibit. The ones that are done are currently displayed in the sculpture forest in some crazy baskets.

They also have a school where they teach everything from painting to ceramics to jewelry making. Oh, and did I mention the very cool gift shop? If I lived around there, I would be at that place all the time.

Wine Bar and Cafe in Leonardtown, MD

Not far from St. Mary's City is a little place called Leonardtown. We stopped there for lunch at the Wine Bar & Cafe.

As expected, the restaurant had plenty of wine. The decor was a little cheesy. The waitress was not old enough to serve the wine (maybe the owner's daughter?).

The wine was a bit disappointing and had cork in it, but the lobster bisque was tasty. My crabcake was the highlight for sure. It had the perfect amount of breading (not to much).

Chris had some sort of panini that wasn't very good, so unmemorable that I don't even know what was in it. We ended the meal with a chocolate scone pudding that was very rich. It put me over the top.

Not the worst meal I ever ate, but (aside from that crabcake) nothing to write home about.

Point Lookout Prison Memorial

Just outside of Point Lookout State Park in Southern Maryland, Chris and I spotted a monument covered in confederate flags. We were completely creeped out and so had to stop.

The monument is actually a memorial for confederate soldiers. Not just any confederate soldiers though. Turns out there was a prison located at Point Lookout and, according to the monument, prison conditions were so bad that thousands of the prisoners died.

I don't have much sympathy for the confederate "cause" or for confederate flag flying, but I do believe in prisoner rights and the Geneva Conventions (which were, ironically, being incubated during this time). So I found the monument interesting. I suppose if my great grandfather died in a union prison I'd have a slightly different impression of the union soldiers.

St. Mary's City, Maryland

St. Mary's City was Maryland's first capital. It turned 375 years old this year.

For a long time, the remnants of the city lay buried under farm fields and a more modern house (the Brome Howard Inn). In the 1970s they decided to excavate the site.

Today, the site contains "faithfully" rebuilt structures and a lot of old timey people who show you how things were done in the 1600s. I believe many of the people are associated with the university and actually know what they are talking about.

There is a print shop (my personal favorite), an ordinary (like an inn), a church, a store, an old house, and even a recreated Indian hamlet. One of the most impressive sites is an old sailing ship. It isn't a reproduction of the actual ships that landed on St. Mary's shore, but it is from the time period. There's just something about old sailboats.

There's also a museum on site where you can watch a film about St. Mary's history and (of course) a gift shop. There are demonstrations throughout the day. It's complete nerd entertainment.

Farm Stands in Southern Maryland

Although the Amish places were closed on Sundays, there were still some heathens around willing to sell their produce on Sundays.

The kid running this stand was having teenage problems. We very carefully avoided getting into a conversation with him about them.

We bought a dozen ears of corn, peaches, watermelon, and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't remember. The peaches were amazing, but the watermelon was the best.

Chris froze it and used it for frozen, watermelon cocktails. He made them with triple sec and brandy. They were amazing. And the watermelon lasted us like a week. Highly recommended.

Amish Crossing in Southern Maryland

Sadly, I did not get pictures of any of the Amish people we saw in Southern Maryland. I did; however, get a pic of this Amish crossing sign. Gotta love it.

We saw a few horse and buggy while we were out and about. and we saw an adorable Amish girl huffin it on her bike along the side of the road.

Unfortunately, since we were traveling on Sunday, all the Amish markets and farms were closed. Living in a city, you forget how Jesus shuts everything down on Sundays in some places.

Anti-Choice Display in Southern Maryland

This is something you don't see in DC. It is a (presumably) faux fetus graveyard on the highway that leads to historic St. Mary's City.

The sign (in case you cannot read it) says "let us commemorate all of the American babies who have died because of choice." Creepy no?

When we first passed it I thought maybe it was for soldiers, people who died in Iraq perhaps. Why is it that church people are more concerned with sperm than actual people?

No really, I want to know.

Brome Howard Inn in St. Mary's City, Maryland

This is the Brome Howard Inn in St. Mary's City Maryland. It is an old plantation house that now serves as a bed and breakfast.

The inn was built by Dr. Brome in 1840 and served as a tobacco and wheat plantation. There are a few outbuildings still, including a slave cabin (although you can't go inside).

The house used to sit on top of historic St. Mary's City, but they moved it in order to do an archaeological dig. They moved the entire house at one time.

Apparently, they built a huge pallet (like the kind you see in warehouses). They slipped the house on to the pallet and then used a tank to bring it to its new spot. They had to take out several trees and the electric lines on the road in order to do it. It was, we were told, quite a site. The whole town came out to take pictures. That was back in 1994.

The bed and breakfast only has four rooms. The one we stayed in was adorable. It was also huge and filled with books and magazines to keep you occupied.

The breakfasts were very good. The mushroom omelet was so flavorful that I had it twice. The blueberry pancakes were fluffy (although short on blueberries). The french toast was disappointing.

The house also has a restaurant that serves dinner nightly and brunch on Sundays. The atmosphere is understated elegance. The food is very good. I ate a perfectly cooked duck. Chris has an enormous steak. We finished things off with some refreshing sorbet.

Service in the hotel and restaurant were spotty. You have to be dedicated to run a bed and breakfast. They don't normally have a whole lot of staff. I got the impression that this couple is no longer dedicated. The in-room explanation misinforms guests about the proper time for breakfast on Saturdays (thus causing confusion on Sunday). There was no housekeeping. There was, in fact, often nobody around.

Still, it was a lovely house. It is very close to DC. The food is good. I don't think I would ever go back, but I wouldn't advise others away.

Dumbarton Bridge Buffalo

The bridge between Dupont and Georgetown is officially the Dumbarton Bridge, named after the part of Scotland the 18th century owner of the property was from.

In 1914,Phimster A. Proctor, an American sculptor famous for western subjects, was commissioned to create four sculptures for the bridge. Each one is a buffalo that is nearly identical and (if you ask me) a bit creepy.

Some locals call it the Buffalo Bridge now. Make sure to say hi when you come by.

C&O Canal in Washington, DC

Before eighteen wheelers, barges were used to move stuff around. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was used to bring things from Washington DC all the way up to Cumberland, MD (on the Pennsylvania border) until the 1920s.

Some of the canal isn't actually canal anymore, but the parts by Washington, DC are. In the pic you can see a tourist barge being pulled along by some historically dressed reenactors and a couple tired looking horses mules.

Bikers sometimes take the canal path all the way up to the end. There is a great website that gives you all the 411. Perhaps one day I'll be feeling very industrious. Or at least I'd like to bike up to Great Falls.

Call Box Art in DC

Before you could call 911 for an emergency, DC had emergency call boxes all over town. The call system was removed, but the boxes have remained.

Rather than spend a fortune trying to remove the call boxes, Cultural Tourism DC has undertaken a project to turn them into art.

Some of the boxes are reproductions of historic paintings. Some are designed by local artists. Many of them have little historic tidbits about the neighborhood on the back.

This particular box depicting George Washington on his horse is in Dupont close to my house. You can find out more about the Art on Call boxes on the Cultural Tourism DC website.

Falun Gong in Washington DC

I've said before that walking around DC is a learning experience. This is another event/protest that took place a few weeks ago.

Falun Gong is a spiritual practice/religion that came into the spotlight in the 90s when practitioners protested Chinese government actions. It has been brutally oppressed in China since then.

I won't try to go into a whole explanation. You can check out the Wikipedia entry here if you are interested.

Holy Rood Cemetery

In Georgetown/Glover Park sits the Holy Rood cemetery. The cemetery dates to the early 1800s and used to be run by Holy Trinity Church. It is now owned by Georgetown University.

The place had apparently been allowed to get pretty dilapidated in the 90s, but they have since propped up fallen headstones and cleaned it up.

It's quiet and has great views (since it sits on a hill). Quite a few people were laying around relaxing in it when I was there.

Kickball on the Mall

The National Mall really is like a giant yard. On weekends, people swarm out to use the space for all kinds of games.

Kickball is a favorite. I've also seen Frisbee, boccie, softball, and cricket. Afterwards, nearby bars are filled with beer-drunk yuppies in matching jerseys.