One weekend in MoCo

I had an extraordinary weekend. I got to visit for several days with someone very dear to me, my wonderful boyfriend Ryan, and we gallivanted all over the place in search of exotic food, art, and architecture. I hadn't exactly forgotten how much I love the city, but it was surprisingly fun and exciting to wander around D.C. again, as I haven't in a very long time.

First, we visited the renovation site of an amazing estate in Georgetown. It's on a large plot of land in the middle of downtown Georgetown, surrounded by a brick wall with wrought iron gates, and is shaded by tall trees and shrubbery. The house is very stately, with large windows, balconies, a tennis court, carriage house, and many levels filled with rooms that still have the remnants of gorgeous antique floral wallpapers. The house has been torn apart and is in the middle of a multi-year renovation process, which my boyfriend is actively helping in. The ceilings are being reinforced, walls rebuilt, and modern electricity and plumbing installed. I'm not sure that I will be able to, but I'm hoping I will be able to visit again when the project is complete. If I could choose a home to live in, this house would be it.

Our next stop was to this FANTASTIC Korean restaurant in downtown Georgetown, which unfortunately, the name I cannot remember. I had my first hot sake, which was apparently a very high end brand... it was amazing! Sake is always very interesting, I am told, but this particular type was very complex, rich in flavor, and had a really nice earthy aftertaste. I would love to get my hands on a bottle of it. For dinner, we had seaweed salad and then bulgogi bibimbap. This was my first experience with bibimbap, and I will be happily having it again.. hopefully soon. It's a simple dish, but the way the flavors mix is just out of this world. This particular type is made by cooking rice, then layering 9 different vegetables and bulgogi (korean barbecue beef) on top. When it is served, it is not mixed; the vegetables and meat are just laying on top in piles. You then add as much fish oil as you'd like and, if preferred, spicy sauce, and you mix it all together very well. When it is mixed, the heat of the rice blends the flavors of all the vegetables and meat together. It's a fabulous dish, and I am going to be learning to make it very soon. :-)

Next stop... the Hirshhorn. This place is my absolute favorite art gallery. It's always full of exciting and strange exhibits, and is constantly changing. I love the National Gallery of Art as well, but the Hirshhorn just has so much more charm.
Lucky for me... Ron Mueck's "Big Man" was still on display. I have been privileged enough to see this piece many times in the past, but it has been years since I have been to the Hirshhorn and I was sure he would have been moved by now. Apparently, I was mistaken.
Since I brought it up, however... let me introduce you folks to one of the most remarkable artists of today... Ron Mueck, a hyper-realist sculptor.























































































Final stop... bubble tea. :-) It had been awhile since I went out and got any, so we headed over to where the bubble tea place always was. The bad news is, the place that was once there, "Bubble Cafe" was gone, but... the good news is the new place, a family-run Vietnamese restaurant, also sells bubble tea. Honeydew.. mmmmmmm.




Then, Grand Mart for all of our exotic grocery needs.... Jelly shots ("Does Not Contain Konjak" heh.), wasabi peas, ginger root, chocolate cones, lychee jellies, and ritters.
Oh how I love Grand Mart. I really wish they'd put one near here, but this area is too white for that. :-p


Then on Sunday, we went to Next Dimensions and had the best meatloaf in the whole wide world. Seriously, people. This stuff is ridiculous. I think they put drugs in it because every time I've had it, it's just blown me away.



Y'know, I promised myself I would never talk about my day on this blog. Oh well...