Ready for vacay... book recs, anyone?

This week my family finalized our ticket purchases for the big Vietnam trip at the end of June. Now that it's in the books, I'm officially very excited for it and have already started to think about what to pack and what I can spend my money on as justification for trip expenses. 

Do I need new sneakers? Where is my passport fanny pack? Do I want to buy myself a Nook? (John currently has a Nook that I've started "borrowing" on a regular basis. This could become a problem soon.) I didn't think I'd get into the e-readers (but you're looking at the girl who swore she'd never need/want an iPhone and look at me now!), but I've found it very convenient and addicting to have a library of books at your fingertips. Plus, in the past, packing leisure reading for a long vacation has been a pain in the butt, with already limited luggage space when you factor in all the other crap I want to bring along.

Anyway, I'm in the process of reading Andre Agassi's autobiography Open, which I've found to be a compelling (if occasionally poorly written and oftentimes melodramatic) story.  I'm not sure how it would read as a regular memoir to non-tennis fans, but for someone who grew up watching tennis religiously with her family right around the time of Agassi's rise, it's a fantastic walk down memory lane to all of the classic Agassi matches and memorable moments in '90s tennis history. I've found myself YouTubing highlights of the old Slams after reading about Agassi's preparation or emotions before/during/after a particular match.

I haven't gotten to the drug drama yet; so far I've just been enjoying the inside scoop on the crazy world of what it takes to be a pro athlete in what is probably, as Agassi describes it, the loneliest sport there is.

Anyone else have good recommendations for light and entertaining vacation reading?

More food to 14th?

Just a few weeks ago, it was reported that DC's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs would no longer issue building permits for food & drink establishments in the greater 14th & U Street area (formally known as the "Uptown Arts Overlay District" and partially known -- though not by me -- as "Mid City"), due to a rule that only allowed 25% of store fronts to be occupied by restaurants or bars.  What's funny is that I would have guessed we'd reached that percentage a while ago, especially with what seemed like a new spot opening every week in the neighborhood.

In any case, the rule was amended this week to increase the percentage to 30%, with the possibility/consideration of an increase to 50%.

Even for a foodie like me, that sounds like a LOT of food and drink real estate. But maybe that means I won't have to wait over an hour to get a seat at one of the hot spots on 14th? And maybe someone will decide to open a good Vietnamese restaurant on P Street, or a decent sushi spot around the corner from my place? One can hope, right?

Never Too Late: My Top Albums of '09

Though we're almost a third of the way through 2010, I've decided to write a quick post about the music of 2009 -- due in part to popular demand and also a personal need to document it.

2009 was a weird year for me. There was a lot of great music, though nothing jumped out and grabbed me the way it has in other years. Rather than getting super psyched and highly anticipating releases from bands I love, in '09 I was drawn more to debut albums from new bands, or new albums from bands I'd not previously gotten into.

In any case, below follows a loose compilation of what I loved most from 2009. Since this post is over four months overdue, I may have missed some things, but this should give you a pretty good idea of what I liked. Albums are listed in the order of their release dates.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion



For whatever reason, I'd never gotten into Animal Collective before this year. But I knew when it was only January and practically every music blog was already calling this the Album of the Year, I had to see what the hype was about (I'm a sucker for hype - so sue me!). Equally accessible while also staying "weird" (a word my brother would surely use to describe this music), the bass beats and electronic-pop sound made every song feel like an attempt at something epic. Also, hearing a song like "Summertime Clothes" in the middle of a January winter was a nice change of pace.


Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

 

Andrew Bird seems like one of those guys who flies under the radar. His albums get great critic reviews, but then they seem to be quickly forgotten or removed from the musical conversation. That said, he makes very creative but accessible music and this album was no exception. Finger-picked guitars, whimsical lyrics and great melodies make this an easy and enjoyable listen.


M. Ward - Hold Time



One of my favorite things about M. Ward is his ability to sound like he could be from many different eras, while still sounding current.  Though this isn't my favorite M. Ward album, it's still fantastic. Once I could accept the fact that he and Zooey Deschanel are obviously friends and will continue to make music together -- even on his solo albums, I really enjoyed it. I can't explain what I have against Zooey. I'm sure she's perfectly nice. But when people start talking about M. Ward only in the context of She & Him, and when Paste magazine names She & Him's album their best album of 2008, it bothers me a little bit because I know how brilliant M. Ward is on his own, and I just want everyone to recognize that. Wow - end rant. Just listen to this album!


Washed Out - Life of Leisure (EP)



I wouldn't usually include a 6-song EP in a Best Albums post, but I enjoyed this one so much that I couldn't bear to leave it out (listen to "New Theory"). Everything about this EP -- from the name of it, to the album cover, to the romantic synth-pop -- makes you want to pack your bags and take a vacation. At the same time, there's something slightly nostalgic about it. For another 6-song EP that is strangely similar to this one, check out Air France's No Way Down EP, which was released in 2008 (and which I often confuse with Washed Out's EP).


The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You


 
 
A very polished album with high production quality (what else to expect for a major-label debut?) from the bluegrass/folk outfit from North Carolina. While very different from their previous efforts -- less raw and rough around the edges -- it still showcases with the Avetts do best: catchy melodies, strong harmonies, and great storytelling. This is an album that I loved even more after seeing the guys put on an energetic and very memorable show at GW's Lisner Auditorium in June.


Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes



I can't remember how I stumbled across these guys, but I do remember having their album on repeat for the first week I got my hands on it. Put simply, this music sounds like it was fun to make, and you can't help but love songs with jangly guitars, a rousing horn section and choruses that sound like they're sung by the entire neighborhood.

Thanks for traveling back to 2009 with me. Hope you discovered something you liked!

Happy Friday!

I started off the week with pre-release streams of new albums from Broken Social Scene and Hold Steady, courtesy of NPR's Exclusive First Listen. And now, what better way to end the week than with another new stream of one of my favorite bands?  The National's new album, "High Violet," is available to stream 'til 4/27 (official release date is 5/11), courtesy of the NYTimes. Get psyched, folks! (As an aside, The National has the distinction of being probably the only band John and I completely disagree on. It's fine. Some people just don't "get it.")

Also, if you really want to nerd out, the Times has also offered up a five-page article on the band, their new record, and probably more than you ever wanted or cared to know about them.

Enjoy the weekend, folks.

Happy Earth Day!

I walked into work today to find the following item sitting on my desk chair:

"Oooh, what's this? A poncho?" I thought. I know - why would it be a poncho? For a moment I forgot it was Earth Day, so when a colleague told me the gift was, in fact, a reusable bag, I thought, "Oooh, of course! Brilliant!"

Here it is in its expanded form:

Kinda great, right? Akridge, the company that manages this building (and incidentally whose offfices are also located in this building), makes it clear that they're "green" and in addition to constantly celebrating the Earth, they also give us chocolate hearts on Valentine's day and freshly-popped popcorn in the lobby when we're really nice. Not bad at all! 

Remember to bring your reusable bags to the grocery store, folks! Once you start the habit, it becomes second nature. Plus, if you're in DC, think of all those nickels you're saving (and earning! - if the store offers a bag refund).

Baby* Burritos

Feeling a little lazy but not frozen-pizza or takeout lazy, I decided to make some homemade burritos for dinner.  Truth be told, John and I enjoyed a delicious late night meal at California Tortilla over the weekend after having had a few beers, and I thought this would be a good experiment in recreating that flavor.

Since everyone has their own version of what goes into a proper burrito, I thought I'd wing it by buying the basics (beans!) and using whatever else I had on hand at home for the rest.  The filling was basically a mixture of refried beans (with green chiles), black beans, green onion, tomatoes, shredded cheese, hot salsa (Green Mountain Gringo brand - an easy way to get some extra veggies and also jalapenos in there), and either grilled chicken (for me) or scrambled eggs (for part-time veggie, John).

The most exciting ingredient ended up being a special sauce I created as an attempt to replicate J.T. Pappy's Gator sauce -- a deliciously tangy and spicy sauce I discovered by chance during one of my early visits to the overwhelming sauce shelf at California Tortilla. I now realize that the gator sauce is nothing more than selected cracked mustard seed, red ripe tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire (no anchovy), blended sugar, triple pepper blend, molasses, soy sauce, natural spices and herbs, though it was more fun to make up my own version.

My sauce consisted of the following: about 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing, about 6 heavy shakes of tabasco sauce, and about a teaspoon of Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce.  I didn't measure anything; I just grabbed a bowl and mixed in what I thought looked right. After stirring it up and giving it a taste, it turned out my guessed ratios were perfect and just what I wanted - a little sweet, a little spicy, and, well, who doesn't love a little ranch flavor?

The special, now not-so-secret sauce complemented the burritos perfectly and I'll be sure to keep it on hand for the next burrito night... after all, it's a quick, easy, cheap and very tasty homemade dinner!

*I called these baby burritos because I used medium-sized tortillas rather than the recommended jumbo size for real burritos. Once everything got rolled up and tucked in, it made for a pretty small burrito..or more like a giant taquito. It was compact and easy to eat, but I definitely had to go back for seconds!

More images on Flickr.

Diet Starts Monday (or never?)

Just as I've decided I'm going to eat better/drop some lbs., I see this in my Facebook feed:

Today is your Pay Day! Get to a Popeyes today to get your 8 piece chicken for only $5.99! We love our loyal Popeyes fans!

(Yes, I am a fan of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on Facebook. Perhaps this is where my problem begins...)

Don't make this harder for me than it already is, Popeyes. You know I can't resist a good deal!

Food Truck Frenzy

Some time in '09, food trucks started taking DC by storm. Sure, before then there was Delle & Campbell's food cart that made the cover of the Post's Food section in 2007, and then the Korean food cart on 14th & L in addition to a handful of others, but with the advent of Twitter, the scene has changed. What once was a collection of stationary food carts at fixed locations has now become a series of on-the-go mobile restaurants with huge Twitter followings.

For me, the first truck that really started the Twitter hype belonged to the fojol bros., serving a variety of Indian cuisine from a guy wearing a fake moustache. I tried that a while ago and it was a pretty decent on-the-go meal, but nothing that memorable. I'll admit -- the novelty of the Twitter/food truck totally appeals to me and being able to track one down in my neighborhood is always a pleasant treat, so I'm always up for giving something a try.

Tonight, on my way home from Safeway (to pick up some ingredients for dinner), I saw the Saucamobile parked on P Street just outside Whole Foods. The food truck, which describes itself as "DC's most unique international mobile food experience," specializes in a variety of flatbreads featuring the world's cuisine. Among the choices are a Pork Banh Mi (Banh Mi is so trendy now!), a Croque Monsieur and a Mumbai Butter Chicken.


I've seen the truck relatively frequently around my office during lunchtime and even on my walks home but always had other meal plans, so I kept missing chances to try it. Tonight, despite the fact that I'd already planned to cook dinner, I went for it.

I was torn between the Mumbai Butter Chicken and Merguez Frites when I approached the truck, but the decision was made for me when the customer in front of me ordered the last butter chicken of the day. Merguez Frites it was! John, the part-time veggie, opted for the SOB Veggie (Tantalizing South-of-the-Border flavors with Charred Tomato Salsa, saffron rice, cotija cheese, mango pico de gallo and our Chimichurri sauce.). His was quite satisfying for being a veggie meal, but could have used a little hot sauce (or other flavor) to kick it up a notch.

Since I was so hungry to eat, I forgot to take a photo of the actual product before consuming it (rookie blogger FAIL!). Ugh. Sorry folks! But I did manage a couple snaps of the food truck while I was waiting, if it's any consolation (probably not).



The Merguez Frites was described as A swanky, European hot dog worthy of a Tweet. Savory succulence of lamb and beef Merguez sausage with crispy potatoes, Dijon mustard and tangy ketchup. At $7.50 for my sauca, I was actually impressed with the size of the flatbread and how full and satisfied I felt. The sausages were substantial - they actually gave me four links so that I got a piece in every bite (perfect ratio!) and the ketchup was sweet but with a little kick. I will say the "crispy potatoes" was a bit deceiving - when I hear "frites," I'm thinkin' french fries, but these were basically those salty and cheap fried potato sticks you get in a giant cylindrical tub at the grocery store. It certainly didn't take away from the flavor (I did like the crunch factor), but it wasn't a huge bonus, either. The bread was soft, doughy and delicious and definitely a big draw.

All in all, the meal was very tasty and satisfying.

I'll definitely be heading back to the Saucamobile to try some of their other varieties. I forgot to mention that the guy in the truck was friendly and helpful, and I always like to reward good customer service.

Follow the Saucamobile.
Browse the menu.

I'm back (again)!

After a four month hiatus, I've decided to revive the ol' blog. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record with this stop and go business, but what blogging has taught me, if anything, is that everyone needs a break every now and then in order to return with fresh ideas and new inspiration.

2009 was the year of the self-portrait and a way to ensure I'd be back here at least once a week. Sure, it was a bit of a cop-out since I already had the photos on my Flickr page, but hey - at least there was new content up here.

The beginning of 2010 has been pretty good. The most notable changes/highlights have been the birth of a new baby cousin/pseudo-niece (Penny!) in January whom I simply adore, the most ridiculous DC winter I've ever witnessed in all my years here, the addition of a record player into my life, and finally spending some respectable time in my kitchen (and loving it!).

Looking forward, the inspiration for this blog will be the things that make me happiest: music and food. I hope to discuss more of what I'm listening to and also what I'm cooking (and eating!), in addition to what I'm sure will be some less meaningful posts about ridiculous Internet fodder and other random things I'm enjoying.

So, if you're still around, hope you enjoy what's to come. I look forward to sharing with you and reading comments about what you think!

And, because every comeback post deserves a photo, here is my favorite SP of the year... a shot of me & my pal Penelope from my visit to NYC earlier this month.