Beautiful Commute

Some days the commute up GW Parkway is super slow. Other days super aggressive drivers are all around. 

On sunny days like this, you catch a glimpse of the Potomac and the Washington Monument, and you realize how lucky you are to live in such a picturesque city.

Tampa, the December Place to Be

Grand Hyatt in Tampa is minutes from the Tampa airport, and somewhat under the flight path, but also a nice mixture of natural oasis and resort. 

 Walking out to the gazebo, we passed through a sanctuary with scenic views.

You have to love the white sand beaches of Florida.

Grand Hyatt in Tampa, Florida

Headed to Tampa, Florida, for a three-day wedding weekend in early December with some of my former MBA classmates. We went to graduate school part-time while working full-time jobs. It felt like were in the trenches together, muddling through lengthy Harvard Business School case studies about Apple products, while struggling to balance, work, classes, group work and a social life. We celebrated another MBA friend's wedding in September and in December we gathered for another one. Truly special people.

After an early morning flight to Tampa, I met my girlfriends at the baggage carousel and we caught the shuttle to the hotel. After checking in, we stopped in the hotel restaurant for a quick lunch before exploring the property. $12 lunch special included your choice of sandwich and salad.

 Cubano with a mixed greens salad.

 Blackened Grouper sandwich with a seasonal salad.

Portabello Mushroom Sandwich with cheese.

Faccia Luna Old Town Alexandria

Faccia Luna in Old Town is a neighborhood restaurant with good prices and reliably good food. While we generally order the same dishes, this time we both were a little adventurous. As my husband likes to say, sometimes my experimentation goes horribly wrong. Luckily this time we picked all winners.

 Meatball Sliders (3 to an order)

Super soft bun, tangy tomato sauce and some well-made meatballs. 

 Cobb Salad with grilled chicken, avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes, bacon and boiled eggs.

A perfectly ripe slice of avocado with a light sprinkle of salt is a thing of beauty.

Seafood Linguine Special

The seafood was just ok, but the tricolore pasta was truly lovely.

Homemade Korean-style Pork

Some times Super H Mart has really good prices on odd cuts of meat. I like to go in and pick up a little of this and a little of that, and figure out what to do with it later. This was one of those dishes. Boneless pork loin for under $3? Yes please.

Marinate the sliced pork loin in kochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili pepper, sake, ginger and garlic for an hour in the refrigerator. Mix with scallions and sliced jalapenos, and stirfry. Serve with rice, green curly lettuce to wrap the pork, and some mat kimchi. 

Kabob Palace in Crystal City

Ever notice that the grimier, less decorated a kabob place is, the better it tastes? One night after work, when none of our usual haunts would do, we detoured off GW Parkway to Crystal City to a divey, hole-in-the-wall "Kabob Palace" www.kabobpalaceusa.com. If the line of people, waiting somewhat patiently, is any indication, you too need to stop by 2315 South Eads Street. If you're smart, you'll also call in your order ahead of time.

 Palace Combo #9 with lamb and kubideh ($11.95)

Comes with rice, salad and your choice of side (spinach).

Palace Combo #8 with boneless chicken and kubideh ($11.95) 

This includes salad, rice and fantastic chickpeas.

***

This is pricier than Moby Dick and Ravi Kabob, but the flavor is great, the kabobs are cooked to order and end up perfectly juicy and spiced well. If you're in a hurry, just get a combo of the prepared curried dishes and some chickpeas, and you'll be just as happy. 

How Is It Already Christmastime?

Whooosh... That's the sound of December flying right on by me. I've got a backlog of posts to catch up on, including my very first Indian wedding celebratory-amazingness.