Tea and Travel in and near DC - Part 1

As the weather gets cooler, my thoughts naturally turn to tea.  DH and I love tea. BTW, one of the best places to buy tea online is Harney & Sons. Whatever floats your boat -- hot, iced, sun, green, flavored, spice ... you can get it at Harney's. Several times a year they offer free shipping with low or no-minimums. Check them out!

When you travel, a good source for tea places is: Tea Map  When heading some place on vacation (or business) I always check to see if there are any tea places in the neighborhood and try to get a reservation.


You would think that there would be lots of places in DC that serve great tea. Not so!

One of my favorites though is the Four Seasons DC

This hotel was one of my favorite places to go for many a birthday. They closed down the tea operation for a bit during some extensive hotel renovations, and I have since found several places in Maryland, so we haven't been back for a while, but it's a worthy (though pricey) option in DC.

NOTE: If you'll be in Virginia, there is a Ritz Carlton that serves tea in Tyson's Corner. When we ate there the service was fabulous but there was too many sweets and few savories (this is a continuing problem I have with most tea places).

Mayflower Renaissance DC
We found this place via a Groupon. The tea is served in a dining room of this restaurant. It's a bit quirky and not what I would consider a true tea experience, but if you're dying for tea in DC ... Tea is served only on weekends. We only received a small pot of tea and they kept adding hot water. Any tea afficionado will tell you that tea leaves will eventually get bitter if you have them sit for any length of time and you can only add so much water to tea leaves. This "tea" was worth what we paid $28 plus tax and tip for two of us. I wouldn't pay full price at this place!

Mansion on O Street
The Mansion puts on a great tea except it was heavy on the sweets and lighter on the savories.  This tea is a buffet.  However, you are served hot tea at your table.  We went on a Sunday and did the tour of this gorgeous and historic hotel after.  It's a great place for a celebration because there are different private rooms.  Everything on display is for sale so bring a shopping bag!  Thumbs up on the food and the experience.  I call it tea service with a twist!

I'll share details on some Maryland tea options in a future blog post.

Bake as a noun not a verb

From time to time I will deviate from the world of travel to the world of food. This time to some sites that provide an authentic taste of Caribbean food and some specific food items. This time, we'll talk about bake. To someone that's not Trinidadian, the word "bake" is not a noun, it's a verb. However to a Trinidadian, a bake is a homemade bread item. There are two types of bake -- fried and roasted. Fried bake is perfect with the non-politically correct fried shark (of Maracas Beach fame), brule jol (codfish with onions and tomatoes and other good secret stuff) and pink salmon salad (my personal fave). Roast bake is perfect with grated cheese sprinkled in the middle right out of the oven, fried sprats or melts, or sardines if you're partial to them.

Fried bake - Trust me when I say for years I tried to recall the recipe my mom used for fried bakes. Until I happened upon this one (that uses pizza dough!), until I found this recipe, each of my prior attempts were disappointments. In the area where we live I've found that Trader Joe's white pizza dough is perfect for bakes. They rise into soft, pillowy floating goodness. The dough you use must have a good bit of yeast or baking powder in them so you get that characteristic domed shape once they hit the oil.

Rustic Fried Bake Recipe courtesy Caribbean Pot

Roast Bake - The secret to this recipe is the cold water (and to me, cold butter). Using both you get wonderful, flaky bake. Make sure to get quality grated coconut that tastes fresh and not rancid. Most grocery stores in my area have frozen grated coconut in the ethnic food freezer. Goya is my favorite. I have never used Sarina's recipe and have it come out any way but flaky and perfect. In my electric oven it takes a while for the top to get brown but the inside is cooked and I don't like dried out bake, so I can live with a pale top and soft insides. You might get browning taking place easier in a gas oven.

Coconut Bake Recipe courtesy TriniGourmet

I'd love your feedback on how these recipes worked out for you.

Red Apple Market

A former colleague introduced me to Red Apple market back in 1991. It was and is my primary source for the Matouk's ketchup that my DH can't live without. BTW, if you haven't tried "Trini ketchup" you've just got to! It does not compare to anything else out there! Apart for DH's obsession with covering every meal with it, I use ketchup in soups, beans, stews along with my Golden Ray. Red Apple is also my source for Golden Ray (adds that rich, creole flavor - inside joke!), oxtails, pig feet, pig tail, peas and beans, frozen breadfruit, frozen pigeon peas, salt fish and fruits like papaya, mangoes, tamarind, as well as callaloo bush and ochroes. From time to time you can also find fresh breadfruit and fresh sorrel. At Christmas time you can get dried fruit for fruit cake and sweet bread. Red Apple is a hike from where I live, so I usually stop by and stock up! Staff has always been some of the most pleasant I've run into anywhere!

If you go, I'd love to hear about the goodies you bought.

Red Apple Market
7645 New Hampshire Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912
(301) 434-1810

Crown Bakery - sweet, delicious goodness on Georgia Avenue

From time to time I will focus a blog post on an interesting restaurant or food store that I think a visitor to the DC area might like. Travel and food tend to go together and they're two of my favorite things after all!

DH often says that we can never move away from the DC area because of places like Crown Bakery. In an area like DC where there is no shortage of places who claim to bake Caribbean items, Crown Bakery is in a class by itself. I kiss the ground of the former colleague who introduced me to this place one Christmas in 2000. Yup, I've been a fan for 13 years! I was hungry for a taste of a Trinidad Christmas and she said check out Crown Bakery. And I did. That Christmas I enjoyed ponche de creme, sponge cake, black cake, currant roll, coconut roll, cassava pone, bake ... Thirteen years later the love affair continues. Since the bakery is about an hour away from our house, I usually stop by every couple months and stock up. Their wonderful flaky baked goods once wrapped in heavy duty foil last for months and months in my freezer. My usual faves are coconut roll, currant roll, butter bread, jam tarts, butter bread, sweet bread, cheese pies, salt fish pies, pone and sugar buns. DH loves the marble cake. At Christmas there are pastelles - beef and salmon, ponche de creme and black cake like your Mom (or mine) used to make. Most years I choose black cake as my birthday cake and Jennifer (the owner) is happy to "ice" it for me. If you're visiting the area, you can place your order in advance. That's advised because although they bake all day, an item you want might be out at the specific time you stop by. If you stop by, come back and share your thoughts on the blog.

Crown Bakery

5409 Georgia Avenue, NW

Washington DC 20011

202-291-3009

Teddy's Roti Shop - An oasis of Trinidad roti in DC

From time to time I will focus a blog post on an interesting restaurant or food store that I think a visitor to the DC area might like. Travel and food tend to go together and they're two of my favorite things after all!

Recently named a top cheap eat by Washingtonian magazine - (BTW, if you visit DC regularly definitely get a subscription to this magazine. It is chockfull of wonderful things to do, eat and see in DC, MD and VA.) for a long time Teddy's Roti Shop was a DC secret. Originally helmed by someone named Teddy who has since returned to Trinidad, the owners David and his wife Delia, now make some tasty roti in a small storefront on Georgia Avenue. Open 7 days a week (used to be only 6 days years ago and closed on Sundays), this takeout serves some of the most authentic Trinidadian roti around. Serving both dal puri and bush-up-shut when other restaurants only serve one type of roti, their alloo pies, doubles, macaroni pie are also authentically tasty. I am not a big spicy-food-eater (and yet I call myself a Trini? ;-) and Teddy's offers its food with and without pepper sauce. As I said, I consider Teddy's a takeout although there is limited seating inside. Parking is conveniently via meters at the front of the restaurant. Drinks include delicious mauby, sorrel, sea moss and Trinidad sodas. For plain old value and tastiness, Teddy's cannot be beat!

Teddy's Roti Shop
7304 Georgia Ave NW Washington, DC 20012‎
(202) 882-6488

If you stop by Teddy's, come back and share your thoughts on the blog.

A Roti

A Doubles

Dumbarton Oaks

For one of our recent Saturday activities DH and I finally decided to check out Dumbarton Oaks. Dumbarton is a park, garden and museum all rolled into one. It's existed in Georgetown since 1920 and we finally found the time to visit! Something to keep in mind is that there is no parking at Dumbarton - even paid parking, so you either need to do street parking (2 hour strict enforcement) or use the DC Circulator bus. 

After paying our $8 per person entry fee (worth it IMHO) you enter and are transported into a floral wonderland. From the gorgeous sculptures to the flowers to the trees to the benches to the topiaries, it's a lovely place to visit. My pictures don't do it justice. We went late summer/almost fall and there were still a lot of flowers blooming but we'd imagine going in spring would be a prettier experience because everything (trees and flowers) would be blooming.

Fabulous Cuban Meal

Since we were in DC we made it an all day experience. For our meal we went to the Cuban restaurant Mi Cuba Cafe (http://micubacafe.com/) in Columbia Heights. The Washingtonian recently named this restaurant a top cheap eat and so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Described as a "hole-in-the-wall" this restaurant was surprisingly clean, well-kept and inviting. It is tiny though. Your best bet is to grab a table near the window at the front for some cool breeze as the back of the restaurant seemed a bit steamy. To drink I went with the guava punch (no milk) and DH had a coke LOL! To eat we had some delicious meat empanadas that were served with a tangy vinegary dip. For our entrees we went with a selection that the Washingtonian recommended.   I had the roast pork with rice, red beans and plantains. DH had the same except he went with black beans. At the end DH pronounced it "one of the best ethnic meals we'd had" ever! High praise indeed. Despite taking home a container of leftovers, I was still super-stuffed so we didn't try any desserts. 

If you go, parking is very convenient in the shopping center that houses a Target, Marshall's, Perfumania and a host of other retail stores. The Columbia Heights area close to the end of 14th Street NW is very clean, busy and seems safe with a lot of other ethnic restaurants and a small city park with benches to people watch.

7 (of my) Favorite things to do in DC

1. National Museum of American Indian -  http://nmai.si.edu/home/

From the outside this museum is spectacular but go inside and it is a treasure trove. The documentaries featured in the  auditorium are so inspiring. The walls are chock-full of beautiful tapestries and bead work. I could spend hours in the museum shop. I'm not a fan of the museum restaurant (Mitisam Cafe) but I know I'm in the minority because it gets kudos every year in some travel magazine or the other. To me, this museum is a a must-do.

  
 

 

2. Monuments by Moonlight Tour
You can kill a lot of birds (and see of lot of my recommended sights) with one stone if you do a Monuments by Moonlight tour. When DH and I did ours we did it with a company called Tourmobile (if I recall) and it was great because we had a fabulous, patient tour guide who really helped to make each site so fascinating.  There are a lot more companies now who offer this tour.  Make sure to choose one that takes you to the most sights in the greatest amount of time.  You need to savor these sights and not rush.

• US AirForce Memorial - http://www.airforcememorial.org/AirForceMemorial/Home/

There is something about this memorial that just speaks to me. Maybe it's those soaring columns that reach to the heavens. You can travel to Arlington to view the monument on your own, or see it as part of the Monuments by Moonlight tour.

• Lincoln Memorial

I'm not sure why, but Abraham Lincoln is one of my favorite presidents. Seeing the movie Lincoln this summer that was superbly acted by the talented (triple time Oscar winner!) Daniel Day Lewis cemented my opinion. This majestic monument that features a larger-than-life Abraham Lincoln seated and overlooking DC is one of the most humbling IMHO.

• Korean War Veterans Memorial

You've got to see this monument at night! The image of the soldiers in their long capes heading off to who-knows-where is haunting. The shadows, the shapes, the lighting is just fabulous. As I said, you've got to see it at night.  BTW, I'm glad my pics of this monument are crummy because it will force you to go see it yourself!

3. Mount Vernon
A trip out to Mount Vernon will likely take an entire day.  When you're done touring the grounds, you've just got to grab a bite at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant.  There's also a really cute gift shop on site.

4. Great Falls Park - http://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm

This is a park that's a bit outside DC but it is fascinating because it offers a bit of nature to counter balance all the amazing architecture that DC is famous for. Trust me, it's worth the challenge of getting there.  If you go, take a picnic and comfortable shoes. Last time I did a hike here it was on a day trip I organized with colleagues. It was on a weekday and so relaxing!  Weekends are more busy so keep that in mind.

5. International Spy Museum - http://www.spymuseum.org/

Everyone will say that you should visit the freebie museums on the National Mall. While they're great, save some time and money to pay for entrance to a couple museums. The Spy Museum is one, and the National Museum of Crime and Punishment is the other.  You can sometimes get a combo pass to see both attractions at a lower price.


6. National Museum of Crime and Punishment - http://www.crimemuseum.org/

A museum about crime and criminals, you ask? That you need to pay to visit? Horrors. I have always been fascinated by the world of crime and criminals and I am (ask my DH) an Investigation Discovery Channel junkie, so this museum was heaven-sent. It is so worth the money! It fascinates, it makes you think (see the display on the death penalty and death row) and it's creative (take a picture on the Harley) as all get-out. It's in my humble opinion perfect for one of those overcast, brutally humid or rainy days that Washington is famous for.

7. Cherry Blossom Cruise

If you're lucky to visit Washington at Cherry Blossom time, viewing the blossoms from the water is a must-do. You board the boats at the Marina in SW DC and it takes about an hour.  Unfortunately, the day of our cruise was a bit overcast and hazy but it was a lovely experience anyway.

Not sure what this dude was doing but he was dedicated to doing it!