full term! we made it!

after a completely failed attempt at celebrating the actual full term day on wednesday (work too busy for a fancy lunch break, dinner was a disaster cloaked in too much walking, humidity and tears), we had a successful celebratory dinner at Oyamel in Penn Quarter on thursday night.

At a sweet intimate table (read: small, cramped table in the corner) we shared the guacamole (best I've ever had, ever), fresh tortilla chips, and ordered a ton of small plates. BBQ pork tacos, cactus leaf salad, brussel sprouts with pepitas and lime, and other crazy good food. Oyamel also makes fresh juegos every day for us teetotalers. I had the blackberry fresca and I can say with a clean conscience that it was ridiculously refreshing and tasty.

We wanted to celebrate baby, but also we wanted to celebrate us. We've come a long way in 18 months of marriage, and an even longer way in the last 9 months. It takes a lot of courage to bring pregnancy into a new marriage, and we had no idea how much it would change us and test our relationship - ultimately making it stronger. I can only imagine the difference it will make to have the actual tiny baby in our arms and those 2am, 4am, 6am feedings. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to be a mother. But you know what I can wrap my head around? Walking without the urge to waddle, running fast through a field, eating pizza without fear of heartburn, and sleeping on my back as much as I want!

We can't wait to meet you, tiny T. just wait until November when my midwife is back in the country. moms orders.

wicked waffle.

i finally tried the new lunch spot in farragut - Wicked Waffle. ohhhhh mouthwatering deliciousness sandwiched between 2 WAFFLES. i tried the grilled cheese and tomato waffle sandwich. yes. others really liked the mango and brie sandwich, and the prosciutto tomato and arugula sandwich.

i mean it's a WAFFLE. what's not to like? they also had a killer sweet potato soup.

i've been living off waffles lately, no joke. my all time favorite recipe is here, the morning-of waffle. that molly kills it every time and these waffles are no different.

on the way back from lunch, we ran into large headed JFK. so, pretty much the best lunch break ever.

dreaming about...

Ramen from Toki Underground. Slurpy, chewy noodles in a perfectly seasoned broth. I have been craving it nonstop all day. There has to be a way to get around the 2 hour wait.

ps weatherman is saying today is the last day of summer! good thing because i've been craving soup and homemade bread for a few weeks now. my stomach could really use some cooler weather.

dating in the district: lunch at ceiba

inspired by hannah and robbie, TH and i had a fancy lunch date today at Ceiba in downtown DC. the food was all incredible and my tastebuds didn't even know how to respond. i got a hibiscus lemonade that was so refreshing and so pink! we shared the guacamole to start, and i had the pumpkin seed tilapia served on mashed fufu (fufu!) and TH had the trio of tacos. the best part of Ceiba? they bring you complimentary caramel popcorn with the check. good heavens, my very favorite thing in the world for free? total total lunch bliss.

i loved lunching with my man, breaking away from our desks for an hour or so to chat about whatever (so what if most of it was about our work?), and be lovey in front of other people having business lunches. we're going to make this fancy lunch date a monthly thing.

have a super weekend, dears. i'm heading to LA tomorrow and will face the carmeggedon (i'm so nervous. bad timing, work conference!). hoping i won't have to sit on the highway for too long. wish me luck!

eating vietnamese in eden.

i'm embarrassed to admit that i have lived all my life in the DC area and have never eaten a meal at the Eden Center in falls church. it's the asian restaurant mecca for the area, and rumored to have the best vietnamese food in the mid-atlantic. i've been there over the years for the occasional bubble tea or bahn mi, but never a sit down meal (i was a little scared).but! last night i conquered my fears and had the most delicious vietnamese food of my adult life. my sweet friend mei li and i had dinner at Viet Huang. we shared a fresh spicy lotus flower salad, drunken noodle tofu, and carmelized fish. after dinner we went next door to Song Que for yogurt bubble tea. i loved the tart yogurt and sucking up those tapioca balls.

i can't wait to go again with friends! anyone up for an adventurous dinner?

dating in the district: tryst in adams morgan

tryst is this lovely always overcrowded coffee house in adams morgan that i just love. i think the key is to go every once in a while - it really hits the spot. couches everywhere, free wi-fi, tin ceilings, and rotating local artist exhibits.

th and i ended up there last night for our monday night date, and were glad we made the trip to adams morgan (i know its only a few miles from capitol hill but parking can be a nightmare and we are impatient people). the washington carver (peanut butter and ghiradelli chocolate milkshake) is my favorite thing on the menu. they also have really good teas and sandwiches. we grabbed some drinks and food, listened to live jazz (with a fender rhodes. swoon), caught up on wedding thank-yous and had a great time out on the town. i think if we ever were to leave capitol hill, it would be for adams morgan. that part of town is so energizing and unique. i can stand it as long as its not a weekend night - it gets way too crazy for this homebody.

one of these friday nights i want to take TH to get a jumbo slice in adams morgan. he has never had one and they are an institution around here. so wrong, yet so right.

utah. the food.

of course, i have to tell you about the food we ate in utah last week. salt lake has a pretty happening food scene right now, and we dove right in. oh man, did we ever.

best new find: les madelines
a downtown bakery, specializing in amazing pastries. i had the best egg sandwich of my life, and about 4 Kouing Amans (we went back again for more of these). Kouing Amans are a flaky, buttery pastry with crystal sugar and salt dusted on the outside and carmelized goodness. omgah i'm dying for another one right now. apparently they run out on a daily basis, so you must get there early to partake. worth it.

an old favorite, and a diners, drive-ins, and dives restaurant (triple D): red iguana.
our large group was all interested in mole, but not sure which to get, so they brought out 2 of their sampler trays - this was so cool of them to do. we were all so happy with our food! fun to be there with the kiddos and family. hooray for good mexican food! so hard to find on the east coast.

another triple D restaurant, moochies. featuring sub sandwiches, including meatball subs and philly cheesesteak - our group was so happy about this! i had a tuna sub, which was kind of mayonaissey, but the bread was good anyway. look at my brother stuffing his face. haha, thanks for taking us here, mike!

k and last but not least, the blue plate diner as recommended to us by tony and laura, and yet another triple D restaurant! TH and i both got eggs benedict - mine was vegetarian sausage and tomatoes, TH got mexican eggs benedict. the hollandaise was to die for and the hash browns, too! we loved this place! sat at the counter and ate free rolo's and sipped our cokes until the food came. this was the last place we went before heading to the airport to fly back to DC.

oh wow. i'm hungry.

see you next time, restaurants of slc. nicely done.