1. Cava Mezze Grill

 Fast food…Mediterranean style.  (read: not pumped full of chemicals or sitting around all day.)  In fact, their philosophy is as follows:

 We believe in big flavor with a small footprint. Our food is made from delicious, simple, authentic Greek and fresh local ingredients. All our meats are hormone- and antibiotic-free. All our dips and spreads are all-natural. Our bowls, drink cups, cutlery, napkins, and paper bags are compostable, and we recycle our glass and plastic.

 Love. 

I would eat here EVERY. DAY.  I LOVE Mediterranean food and this was a dream.  You go to the counter, choose a salad, a pita, 3 mini pitas or a bowl.  Then you choose all kinds of delicious Greek dips and sauces and a meat or falafel and voila – you have pretty darn amazing salad in MINUTES.  (Bonus: Their website has a nutritional information counter associated with it, how cool is THAT?)

Their website also let me know that while they just have the one location in Bethesda for now, there will be more opening in the future.  May I suggest…Atlanta? 

Cava Mezze Grill
(301) 656-1772
4832 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814

 2. Mussel Bar

As you might remember, mussels are only some of my FAVORITE things in the world (right up there next to muscles. Please see L+L’s political platform HERE for more information)  They have other stuff on the menu, too, but check out the mussel selection (all mussels come with fries- duh!):

Classic, Roasted Garlic, Shallots, Cream and Sauvignon Blanc
Spicy Thai, Green Curry
Provencal, Tomato, Capers, Basil
Stout, Old Bay, Shallots, Garlic, Bacon, Cream
Red Indonesian Curry, Peanut Essence 
Wild Shroom, Pancetta, Parmesan, Truffle Cream
Tikka Masala, Chicken, Bell Peppers, Indian Spices 
Grilled Pineapple, Sweet Chili Garlic

It was also a pretty cool scene.  We made our way to Mussel Bar at 10pm and while they were still dishing up mollusks, plenty of pretty people were simply drinking cocktails at the bar too.

Mussel Bar
(301) 215-7817
7262 Woodmont Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814

3. Bikram Yoga

Ok, so I KNOW we have places here in town, but I just haven’t gone yet…now I definitely plan on it.  I think I could get into 90 minutes of piping hot yoga!  Plus, my friend who I went to see had just completed a 30 day Bikram Yoga challenge and homegirl looked seriously amazing.

We actually got our class comped because apparently, the more experienced Yogis did not feel the room had reached optimal temps…but for a newbie, I thought it was pretty hot in there and definitely added another layer of difficulty to my “practice.”  (PS you should know my “practice” is pretty out of practice.  I was just grateful I didn’t pass out in there.)  

26 Poses to Gorgeousness and Calmness?

If anyone has any suggestions on Bikram Yoga studios in town, I am all ears.  I wants on this bandwagon and I wants on it NOW.

And that…is that.  I’m just glad all 3 things didn’t have to do with food!   

 xx, L

P.S. My computer is still in the shop….please send good thoughts towards the lovely people at Apple who are rehabilitating it as I type…

Things are so busy over here in Camp Kraselsky I haven’t had a minute to TELL you about all the fun stuff that’s been going on!

I’m afraid you’ll have to bear with me just a little bit longer because…if you can believe it…I am STILL celebrating this dang 30th birthday and will be entertaining my NYC girls and DC Dana here in the A starting TOMORROW

Can't wait to have you in Atlanta, Jess, Randi, LoPo and Ali!

You too, DC Dana!

So between recovering from last weekend and preparing for this one…I don’t know if I’m coming or going!

But stay tuned. I can’t wait to tell you all about the:

• Delicious OTP dinner I had at Purple Rain in Duluth with gorgeous Mandy Nuwar (of Premier PR) and lovely beauty/health/wellness writer Laura Carson Miller!
• Super fun and very informative evening I spent with Registered Dietitian and author of the F-Factor Diet, Tanya Zuckerbrot (oh, and her delicious line of F-Factor foods I have been living on…available at Kroger NOW!)
• Adorable book we just read for my book club: The Overnight Socialite by Birdie Clark
• Killer workouts I have been having with my wonderful trainer Brad Kolowich, Jr
• Surprises we have planned for Camp Dance 2011 (04/30/11) and
• 3.0 Launch Party at the Livingston! (including my posh stay at the historic Georgian Terrace, the amazing Cheryl Koeth who put it together, and my brilliant photographer Jon Ruby who snapped all the pictures!)

…Plus all kinds of other great things!

So, I’m still alive, but if you want to find me this weekend…I’m officially on STAY-CATION, baby! (try the shops, the restaurants, the spas… I love you, Atlanta!)

xx, L

Ok, here’s the Q+DD on Olive and Sinclair: O+S is a “bean-to-bar” chocolate maker based in Nashville, TN. Per their blog, “our Chocolate is made with select single origin cacao beans, slow roasted, stone ground with only Pure brown sugar for a robust flavor unique to Southern Artisan Chocolate™”

Scott Witherow, the “Founder – Owner – Maker” at Olive and Sinclair was there handing out bites of his seriously delicious and VERY unique chocolates

I tasted the Sea Salt, the Coffee Bean and the Salt and Pepper and while each one was better than the last…(and while Julie and Dana couldn’t get over the Salt and Pepper) my FAVORITE definitely the Cinnamon Chili (“Mexican style”) chocolate.  I am begging you to run over to Star Provisions and try this chocolate.  It blew. my. mind.  Fact.

Listen, there is just no way to describe how good this stuff is, but I can tell you that each of us left with a bag FULL of bars of all varieties.   Not only are they outrageously amazing but they are dressed really well, too !  Witness:

They make really cool and memorable gifts! Julie doled them out as host and hostess presents and I’m bringing a stack of them tied with a simple piece of twine home with me (along with a bottle of Square One vodka) to Birmingham this weekend to give to DK for Father’s day…I know Pops will be THRILLED.  (Not to worry: My dad reads this blog quarterly- I’m not giving anything away!)

Plus, I LOVE that it’s a southern product made by nice, down-to-earth folks. Scott couldn’t have been sweeter (pun intended) or more gracious and, well, you know how I feel about things named Olive!

(even though we had her boyfriend Oscar in tow instead that day!)

Go, give them a whirl, then become a fan on Facebook by clicking HERE, follow them on Twitter – @OliveSinclair, and check out their blog by clicking here and enjoy!

DOUBLE DANG!

xx, L

Norma Jeane Baker AKA Marilyn Monroe, born 06/01/26

And in honor of Marilyn I want to tell you about two HOT cocktails I enjoyed this weekend!

1.   The Blueberry Jalapeño Margarita at Nava

Luis + Heather

Now, this couple could make ANYTHING look good, but trust me, it was.

Tequila, muddled blueberries, chopped jalapeños and lime juice…delish!

2.   Lamicha Caliente (translation: The Hot Kitty) at Ecco

Ecco is debuting a new cocktail menu and ever since I saw a photo of The Hot Kitty show up on my Facebook news feed, I knew I had to try it.

Lucky for me, Atlanta was a ghost town last weekend and we were able to waltz up to a primo place at the bar and even luckier still, we found Brent, our absolute FAVORITE bartender behind it!

Here’s the Q+DD on Lamicha Caliente:

“Lamicha Caliente: Consígalo personas juntas! We sabe, su tiempo del verano y su en el aire pero gravemente…se todo animó pero permite no añade a la humedad. Toma asiento y trata esta mezcla vinosa con puntas con vodka, chilis de calabrian y suficiente amor a la marea usted sobre.” (Translation: go see Brent, this thing was amazing.)

Basically, Ecco is house-infusing jalapeño vodka and mixing it with a white sangria base to make this amazing drink.  There’s even a little salad in it – cucumber and peppers and such…it’s almost like a health drink!

(Bonus: Brent took a stab at creating his idea of “The Quick and Dirty Dirty cocktail”…

…Patron and Kahlua.  Nice!)

So, happy birthday, Marilyn! While “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes…”

…apparently this blonde prefers a little kick in her cup!

xx, L

It was amazing. Truly.

But I’m not sad to be back in the A.  Yes, it’s colder and yes, little umbrella drinks are no longer available to me by the boatload but all good things must come to an end and frankly, it was just about all the vacation this Type A(+) person can handle.

As far as vacations go, I am usually pretty happy with checking out for a few days, digging my toes into some white sand and diving into a girly novel and a few cocktails.  In other words, I am pretty easy to please. But this vay-cay was ah-maaaaaazing.  If you are looking for a FABULOUS little getaway, I would totally recommend the Riu Palace in Nassau.

Riu pool. Ssssssssigh.

The Q+DD is this: It’s an all-inclusive joint right next to the Atlantis on Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas.   It’s just a hop skip and a 2 hour plane ride from Atlanta (direct, thankyouverymuch).

Given that these places tend to value quantity over quality, the food was pretty darn good, actually.   In addition to the daily buffets there were also 4 “fine dining” restaurant options available that were fantastic.

We were also extremely impressed with our spa services, the pool and beach facilities, the customer service in general, and definitely the gorgeous rooms – newly renovated to include THE MOST incredibly comfortable beds I have ever experienced.  If I thought could have gotten it in my carryon and through customs, I would have tried.  Those Westin beds have nothing on these…trust.

Maybe the best part was the location, though. You’re just mere feet from the Atlantis – casino, bars, shopping, waterslides, fish tanks…it’s true what they say, it’s like an amusement park for adults! (and with $17 drinks over there, I was super glad to have an cocktail in a to-go from the Riu!)

Atlantis!

Also inside the Atlantis: the world-famous night club Aura. Though I largely believe my club-going days are behind me, we did find ourselves here for New Years Eve and a few other nights and had a blast.

the last shot of D+L before 2010

Long story longer: it was awesome.  It just was.

And if you need someone to take care of ALL the details for you, I suggest you call my travel agent (and friend) Robin Lazarus at Travel Planners, Inc. She’s based in Birmingham but took care of this whole trip for me (out of Atlanta, duh) and Dana (out of DC) no problem.  She’s the best.

Robin Lazarus
Travel Planners, Inc
800-780-8030

Happy 2010! From a tanner, more relaxed L.  Now to get started on those resolutions…

xx, L

PS.  Oh!  I forgot to mention that in the hallway of the Atlantis, on my way back to my hotel New Years Eve, THIS happened:This wall of sequin-clad women came walking towards us and one of them points at me and screams, “there she is!” Then a picture took place.  Well, several.  This is how I know 2010 is going to be spectacular.

I also learned that that when life presents you with a gold sequin minidress…the answer is ALWAYS yes.