Back to DC - a few great DC hotspots

Spending the week in DC in between performances of FlagBoy at The Capital Fringe Festival was quite daunting because I really didn’t know what I would do. My only plans were to come down and perform the show on the weekends and then head home to NYC during the week. Looking over my budget (yes I got recession heart palpitations) I decided to park it and shack up with friends and family, to avoid spending all my cash on traveling. Well, I realized there was much needed writing and reading I could get caught up on along with checking out new spots for eating, lounging, and cruising (did I say cruising? - Cruising: a popular spot where one goes to check out the alluring and titillating HUMAN landscape).

Here are few spots I ventured to:

Coffee Shop/Lounge:

Sidamo Coffee & Tea - located at 417 H Street NE, it’s the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch, coffee, and tea on the go. They have a huge selection of exotic teas and coffee. This particular day - The Coffee of the Day was Ethiopian Lima and Tanzania. Not on the go? Take some time out, by making yourself comfortable at a private table for one, two, or three. Sit back and enjoy a breakfast sandwich, grilled chicken salad, or a chicken salad sandwich, and more. (Chicken salad sandwich…awesome!) Want to enjoy the sites of H St. and get your cruise on? Just take the storefront window seat located on the inside of the coffee shop. If you just want to work or read make yourself comfortable, no one will pressure you to be on your way, or to turn turntables for new customers. You’re on your time there and the owners of the coffee shop are so welcoming and humble. Oh…don’t forget to bring your laptop…FREE WIFI!!!

This place is very cool! Very community friendly. People greet you and genuinely ask how your day is. Very nice!

Sidamo Coffee & Tea

www.sidamocoffeeandtea.com

417 H St NE

Washington, DC 20002-4335

(202) 548-0081

Restaurant/Bar/Lounge:

Vapiano Pasta | Pizza | Bar - located in Chinatown at 623-625 H Street NW, this is the perfect after-work spot for socializing over cocktails and dinner (light or small). This spot is so reasonably priced and the service is quick. The ambiance gives you the feel of an upscale lounge, with a casual ‘laid-back’ feel. There’s a real food bar where you actually walk to the food counter and place your order with a trendy and clever personable “chip card.” You can also use the “chip card” to order your drinks from the bar. The food preparation takes place right before your eyes, by some extraordinary chefs, in very short minutes. The clientele is very trendy and affluent young to middle aged professionals. And there’s definitely a lot of “eye-candy” for your cruising appetite!

Check out Vapiano…you’ll Love it!

Vapiano Chinatown

623-625 H Street N.W.

Washington, DC 20001

There tons of locations nationally and internationally including two more in the DC Area:

Vapiano Ballston

4401 Wilson Blvd

Arlington, VA 22203

Vapiano M Street

Dupont Circle

1800 M St NW

Washington, DC 20036

Log on to www.vapianointernational.com for a location near you.

Banana Café & Piano Bar - located in Eastern Market at 500 8th Street SE, renowned for its Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican Cuisine it definitely lives up to its name! Banana Café is such a warm and colorful restaurant. It’s no surprise that owner, Jorge Zamorano who is a self-taught artist, chose to design the restaurant with authentic art and colors representing his South American cultural influences from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. It makes this restaurant a stand out in the Eastern Market community. I think you will enjoy the all around ambiance and comfort of the restaurant, whether your sitting inside or outside…you’ll love it. The food is plentiful and delectable. I ate with a friend this day and we shared the Ropa Vieja and the Carnitas Cubanas. Awesome! For drinks - The Black Traveler’s signature: Mojito!!! Yes, Banana Café’s Mojitos get an A. You should also try the Tropical Margarita. Don’t have too many, you may leave in a drunken stupor. Unfortunately I can’t speak much on the Piano Bar because I wasn’t there during those hours, but I’d say it’s worth featuring. However…cruise away because there are definitely some beautiful folk from all walks of life. To add to that, the clientele is quite gay friendly!!!

Definitely check out Banana Café…you may run into me there.

The Grill From Ipanema: A piece of Brazil in the heart of DC

Brazil is one of my favorite places on earth.  I love the people, the music, the culture and the food.  During the week of Carnaval, I was especially missing Brazil and wishing I could be in the thick of the parties and parades.  Instead I was stuck in my hometown of Washington DC, so a friend and I decided to take the 10 minute walk to one of my favorite spots in DC to get the feeling of being in Brazil.  We went to the Grill from Ipanema.  Located in the ethnic melting pot that is Adams Morgan, the Grill from Ipanema is a restaurant, bar, and occasional dance club that makes you feel you are in a café on Copacabana beach or Salvador de Bahia.  Featuring food, drinks, music, and staff from all over Brazil, it is a great introduction to Brazilian culture and cuisine.   

On this particular evening my friend and I started out with a cocktail to get us in a festive mood.  We opted for the marucujinha, a very refreshing and delicious cocktail made with passion fruit juice and cachaca, the sugar cane liquor Brazil is famous for.   It was so good that we had to have two more.  It was carnaval after all!   

For an appetizer we split the casquinha de siri which is sautéed crab with olive oil, garlic, tomato, cilantro, onion, and green pepper, and topped with roasted yucca flour.  It was quite tasty, but the dish was a little on the small side so I wouldn’t recommend sharing.  I was craving a moqueca, one of my favorite dishes from time spent in Bahia.  Moqueca is a seafood stew prepared in a blend of palm oil and coconut milk with fresh cilantro, tomato, onion, scallions and green pepper.  Grill from Ipanema serves two variations of moqueca with the choice of eight different kinds of seafood.  We chose to split the Moqueca a Baiana with shrimp.  It came bubbling in a clay pot with yucca puree served on the side.  This version had more of a tomato based stew than the versions I’ve eaten in Brazil, which are heavier on the coconut milk.  Still, the moqueca was absolutely delicious and generous enough to split.   Drinks and Appetizers typically cost $7 to $10 a pop.  Entrees hover around the $20 to $25 range 

The Grill from Ipanema also has one of the best happy hour deals in town.  From M-F 4:30-7:00pm you can get amazing caipirinhas for $3.99 and good deals on appetizers on appetizers as well.    

I have always received great service at the restaurant, which is saying a lot for DC.  This isn’t a city known for good customer service.  I don’t ever feel rushed at the Grill from Ipanema.  I’ve had four hour meals here without any problem.  Also, be sure to come during the warmer months when you can dine alfresco.  It is fantastic people watching.   

Grill from Ipanema is a little taste of Brazil with super friendly people, a great vibe, and tasty drinks and food.  If you love Brazil as much as I do, this is the place for you!   

Busboys and Poets

Imagine a place where you can grab a sandwich, attend an open mic, have a cocktail, pick up the latest books by America’s leading black intellectuals, attend a lecture by a nobel laureate, and plug-in to free wi-fi.  Well, you will find all this and more at Busboys and Poets in DC’s vibrant U street/Shaw neighborhood.  Named after a reference to famed Black poet, Langston Hughes, Busboys and Poets is not just a restaurant, it’s a community center.  Busboys and Poets makes no secret about promoting progressive values, but you will find everybody and their mama here.  Looking around during a packed Sunday brunch you will see Howard University students, young white hipsters, and older Black ladies with their pastel hats and church suits.   

I almost always inevitably show up here for at least one meal when I have out of town guests.  They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night food at reasonable prices.  It’s a fantastic spot for brunch and is packed on weekend mornings.  The menu is eclectic and global.  The food is consistently good and everybody will find something they enjoy.  The baristas are top-notch, and the coffee is always perfect.    

Busboys and Poets hosts daily events.  On any given day you can attend a film screening, lecture, open mic, concert, or networking event.  They also were quite popular during election season, and lines formed down the block to get in for debate and inaugural parties.   

Busboys and Poets business is so booming that they opened two more locations in the DC area, but I am loyal to the original on 14^th street.  If I ever leave DC, Busboy and Poets will be one of the places I will really miss.  There is a vibe and energy here that is so unique. Few places these days are as community focused and there is always something going on here, interesting people to meet, great art to look at, and good times to be had.   

2021 14th St NW 
(between N U St & N V St) 
Washington, DC 20009

202) 387-7638

www.busboysandpoets.com

The District’s Red Paradise

“Couples Escape or Solo Hideaway”

Looking for a quiet evening or weekend escape, at a chic boutique hotel, in one of the busiest Metro cities in the US?  Well I found the perfect spot for you in Washington, DC.  It’s called Hotel Rouge, which is a part of the Kimpton Hotel Family.

Yes Rouge (Red) is its theme and the 1960’s meet the millennium serves as its motif.  From the moment you enter, you’ll quickly escape the busy city life and be lured into this tantalizing and mesmerizing Red tranquil paradise.

After settling in my hotel, I was amazed at how much space and amenities I got for my buck.  I simply loved everything.  It felt as if this room was hand picked for me.  Each room is designed and decorated with a modernized 60’s pop culture theme.  Within the room you’ll notice framed pictures of Cadillac cars and piano bars drizzled in red, extending light fixtures and lamps accented in red, plush ottomans and armchairs accented in red, followed by a King sized bed with a floor to ceiling soft red leather headboard.

Sounds like a lot of red, however, it isn’t over done or overwhelming.  The rooms are strategically designed and well thought out, and the lingering soothing, sultry, and classy feel puts you at ease.  “Peace Man”.

The decor makes you feel like a million bucks.   And you can’t beat the nightly rate!  In December for roughly $110 per night I got amazing amenities, top-notch customer service, stylish rooms, and a hosted evening complimentary wine reception, and MORE…. Read more