Chop't Opens Monday 8/25 in Metro Center

Another Grande opening that will send those taste buds into over-drive... Check out Chop't's newest location in Metro Center tomorrow, Monday 8/25 from 11am-2pm for free salads and sandwiches! Co-founders Tony Shure and Colin McCabe will be there, so come hungry with questions as well! The new Chop't at Metro Center (618 12th st NW) will officially open its doors on Tuesday the 26th....

Come hungry!

Grande Opening of HELLO CUPCAKE

Tomorrow, August 25th, head on over to the Grande Opening of "Hello Cupcake" at 1251 Connecticut Ave. "A sophisticated twist on an old classic", Hello Cupcake will help you survive the dreaded Monday blues! Opening at 10am, head on over for a cupcake, or eight!

I love Peacock Grande Cafe

Having Celiac's disease and being gluten intolerant, it is always a challenge to go out to nice restaurants without having to spend the entire first half of the evening disecting the menu in attempts to find something I can actually eat.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I had lunch during Restaurant Week at Peacock Grande Cafe and many of the fabulous entrees on their menu are Gluten-free-friendly!! What a wonderful surprise!

Check it out soon:

2020 K St NW

Washington, DC 20006

202.530.2020

Grande Opening of Saagar Indian Cuisine

Free Dinner on the eve of Opening of Saagar Indian Cuisine on Wednesday, August 20th from 6:30-10pm! Saagar Indian Cuisine is proud to present you with the authentic Indian Food, please join Master Chef Mr. Shekhar on the evening of August 20th to celebrate the Grand Opening.

Ben's Chili Bowl 50th Anniversary Street Festival

Friday, August 22 2008,
10:15am - 3:00pm

Ben's Chili Bowl
1213 U St NW

Washington, DC

(202) 667-0909

Partying in the Street from 10am to 3pmProgram: Words from Ben & Virginia, Tribute from City Officials, Special Guests, Celebrities, Music, Entertainment, Activities for the Kids, and more!

Grande Opening of Organic to Go!

So this might be the highlight of my week... So excited to check out Organic to Go at their Grande Opening this Thursday, August 14th from 5-8pm at their new location at 927 15th Street Nw! Yum!

Save the Date: Washington Cupcake Contest

This sounds so amazingly delicious! Save the date for Thursday, September 25th for the Washington Cupcake Contest! The event will be held from 6-9pm at the Washington Club in Dupont Circle.

Entries will be accepted in three categories:

* Professional

* Amateur

* Out-of-Town

There will be 3 entries allowed within each category:
* Vanilla with Chocolate Icing

* Chocolate with Vanilla Icing

* Wildcard - where creativity counts

Space is limited, so don't wait to sign up. Samples for the audience are encouraged in addition to the official entries. More info to come! Let them eat cupcakes!!

Restaurant Week next Week!!!

My favorite time of the year- summer Restaurant week in Washington! The week long celebration, from the 11th-17th boasts nearly 200 of Washington's best restaurants at a great price- $20.08 for a three-course fixed price lunch, and just $35.08 for a three-course fixed price meal! Not bad! These places fill up fast, so head on over to OpenTable.com to get your reservations now... I know I will! On tap for me? CoCo Sala, Darlington House, Oya, Neyla, Mie N Yu, Peacock, the list just goes on and on... Yum!

Smart Blondes Drink Smart Water

In this sweaty summer heat, one of the most important things is to stay hydrated (trust me, this is a biggie for me since I get dozens of kidney stones every year! If what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, I must be looking like the incredible Hulk these days ha ha!)

My choice for the H2O? smartwater by Glaceau. While I used to be a Fiji girl, I just cannot tell you how great a quick sip of smart water rejuvenates me in the hot summer heat. Whether I am replenishing after my 5:30am workouts or trying to recuperate from a full night of soirees, SmartWater just does it for me. The difference? smartwater is enhanced with electrolytes. Doing some research on their website, I found that "smartwater is inspired by the way mother nature makes water, known as the hydrologic cycle (you remember the ocean, cloud, raindrop diorama from fifth grade right? Actually, it's how we got our name too (hydro=water/logic=smart)."

Oh and I have named the little goldfish dude in every refreshing bottle. His new name is Quench. My new slogan for them? Smart Blondes drink smartwater... Glaceau, call me. ;-)

Whole Foods Wine Festival

Tomorrow, July 10 2008, 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Whole Foods Market
2323 Wisconsin Ave NW

Washington, DC
(202) 333-5393
Cost:
$10.00

Whole Foods of Georgetown is sponsoring this event to benefit Harvest for Health programs of the Capital Area Food Bank.20% off cases of wine, 8 wine tasting stations, delicious food and live music! Plus, a chance to win a Performer Charcoal grill.$10.00 suggested donation for a good cause.

Free Slurpee Day Friday

Head on over to 7/11 on Friday for Free slurpees! Yum

Washingtonian's Best Of Washington Party this Tuesday!!

Don't miss out on Tuesday night as Washingtonian Magazine presents, "Best of Washington" at the National Building Museum!

FreshFarm Market

There are few things I love more about summer than Farmer's Markets! Eat an apple a day to keep the doctors a way... or just feel saavy chic when toting an eco-friendly bag around filled with fresh fruits and veggies! It is bikini season after all ;-)

FreshfarmMarket.org offers a variety of farmers markets all ove the DC area. Check out their website to find one near you!

Carnaval del Corazon

Enjoy the music of some of the best local Latino musicians and learn some of the dances you've always wanted to do! Kick off Carnaval with high energy salsa dancing and beats from Puerto Rico and Cuba. A legend of the D.C. salsa scene, Eileen Torres, brings along her dance ensemble and band to get you into the groove. Watch dance demonstrations and then show off your own moves on the dance floor.

Date : 7/3/2008
Time : 5-8 p.m.
Location : Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th & F Streets NW

WeBook Celebrates the Fourth with Free Ice Cream!!!

Friday, July 4 2008, 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Gifford's Ice Cream and Candy Co.
Corner of E & 10th St. NW

Washington, DC

(202) 347-7755
Official Website

WEbook celebrates Independence Day with Free Cone Day at Gifford's Ice Cream. Avid writers and/or ice cream eaters can pop in before the fireworks and submit a short "WElib," and just a few nouns and adjectives will earn a free cone. Participants can also enter to win a free Amazon Kindle.WEbook held an Independence Day Flavor Contest and asked the WEbook community to create their own hilarious, delicious, delirious idea for a new ice cream flavor that captures the essence of what it means to be a writer. MORE:Bethesda-based WEbook.com is hoping to do for publishing what Linux did for software, what American Idol did for music, and what Wikipedia did for information. WEbook will lead the convergence between the Internet and publishing by creating a new category: Community-Sourced Books. WEbook was founded by Itai Kohavi and is backed by Greylock Partners Israel. The first WEbook, "Pandora," was published in April 2008.

Zengo's Feng Shui Class Tonight

Today, June 30 2008, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Zengo Restaurant
781 Seventh Street, Nw
Washington, DC
Official Website

Join Zengo Executive Chef Graham Bartlett and Mixologist Claudia Maia for the latest re-incarnation of their Feng Shui class coming up on Monday, June 30th. The class will be full of great 'energy' and tasty dishes that focus on mojitos and ceviches - perfect for summertime entertaining. Learn how to muddle your own mojitos and make your own ceviches with Zengo's distinctive Latin-Asian approach. Additional cocktails and appetizers will be provided. Groups welcome. Monday, June 30th from 7-9PM

Please call: (202) 393-2929 for pricing details and to reserve your spot!

Interstages at Marvin on Monday

Please come out to support Interstages on June 30th for an event that Sheldon Scott from Restaurant Marvin put together to benefit Interstages, on whose board I sit. Interstages provides arts and music education after school to 6th-8th grade women in Anacostia. Can you think of a better place to eat a leisurely Monday dinner (avoid weekend crowds, people), enjoy excellent food and drink, and help out a local charity?

The set-up this month is similar to last month's event, which raised over $2100 for Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care Inc. in one night. Sheldon waits tables and donates 100% of his tips to charity. Due to the overwhelming success of last month, Sheldon instituted a 25% match program. If he gets multiple 25% matches, he feels it more evenly spreads the burden of donation among his 'matchers' and ultimately makes the night more profitable! But he'll take whatever his 'matchers' and donators can give.

So this months' charity is none other than our own Interstages --

Interstages: Success is in the Experience
Interstages is a nonprofit after school youth development program designed specifically for middle school girls in Southeast DC. Founded three years ago by two former D.C. Public School teachers, Interstages provides opportunities for early adolescent girls in low-income neighborhoods to discover talents, strengthen and develop skills, and heighten self-awareness, setting the stage for a successful transition into young adulthood. Three key elements make the Interstages model uniquely effective in engaging 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade girls: (1) exclusive focus on early adolescence; (2) academic personalization; and (3) connecting to history through music. Please call (202) 824-0740 to learn how you can get involved!

SO, please let me know if you want to join me for dinner next Monday night at 5:30p. If you cannot make it that time, feel free to come anytime between 5p and 10p but please make sure your reservations are for the 'Tip Out' so it benefits Interstages. And do reserve ASAP as the event overbooks very quickly!

Restaurant Marvin

2007 14th Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

202-797-7171

RAMMY Awards this Sunday!!

Get your ticket to Sunday's RAMMY awards!!

The RAMMYS” is one of the areas’ most anticipated and glamorous evenings where we celebrate and recognize the many extraordinary professionals that comprise the restaurant and associate membership of RAMW. Join us as RAMW brings together esteemed hospitality leaders for a special evening devoted to honoring excellence in our restaurant and food service community.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 6:00pm

Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

Attire: Black Tie

Individual Ticket Price:Member $ 200 /Non-Member $ 250To buy your ticket here. This event is open to the public; visit www.ramw.org for ticket information.

Free Gelato at Dolcezza Bethesda on Thursday

We invite all & everyone out to our GRAND OPENING FIESTA this coming Thursday, June 26, at our Bethesda location (7111 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814) from 6pm to 11pm. We will be spinning over 300 gallons and giving it all away until there is no more. So, come with your friends, family, enemies and strangers and join us in our newly opened store in Bethesda. We hope to see you there so together we can create mass gelato pandemonium.

Panache 4 year Anniversary Party

Celebrate the restaurants 4 year anniversary on Saturday, June 21st starting at 9pm!