It’s Time to Wine Down

So SkinnyPop says! We all love a good snack, well, at least, I do. I had the chance to really dive into Skinnypop and pair it with a wine. Sounds strange?! I thought so too, but I was up for the challenge!

I hunted down which stores carried SkinnyPop and they fun began. I was able to find three out of the six with some flavor. I thought that a flavor would be the best option to pair with a wine. Once the popcorn was selected, I was easily able to find the various wine to pair along with the Skinnypop flavors.

Here is a chart of what wines should be paired with which Skinnypop, just so you have an idea where all of this came from. 😉

DC Eats: Cafe Saint-Ex

Let me just start by stating that I know too many Scorpios. I had to meet up with one of my good Scorpio friends to finish her birthday weekend with her. We wanted to go to Lost Society but they were closed due to maintenance. Their loss. 

We made our way to Cafe Saint-Ex which is super cute! Very low key but good food and drinks. I actually think our waitress hooked it up with the mimosas. Thank you! The service was pretty good. Brunch went until 4pm which you can’t beat so you can sleep in a little. 

I went for the carb cake sandwich which was probably one of the best crab cake sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life. It was the perfect texture and it was accompanied with fries. Who doesn’t love fries? This dish was $16. The mimosas runneth over. I probably had 5 mimosas hence why I had the worst headache ever when I got home. They have a mimosa special where you pay $10 for the first mimosa and then $1 for each after. They fill up your cup too so I loved that.

  

Skin Bliss Review

I love skincare as some of you may know, I worked in skincare for 2 years. I love to try new products out. The new company is called Skin Bliss. This company noticed there was something missing in their skincare products when they moved to a new state. They were able to create Vegan beauty products for the skin. These products are not tested on animals nor do they contain parabens and toxins just to name a few about these new products. They are created by hand. 

I got to test out the body scrub and the body frosting. I love the name body frosting because it actually feels like you are putting body frosting on your body. The Vanialla Beam scent is amazing. The scent does go away so feel free to put whatever perfume or scent you would like to wear that day because it will not over power it. You do, however feel moisturized the entire day which I was thoroughly impressed with. The Grapefruit scent of the body scrub was not my favorite which could be a personal opinion. The scrub was however amazing on my body and feet. I am usually on my feet for 8 hours if not longer a day so a nice scrub at night is like being at an at-home spa. I liked my results.

  
Definitely check out this brand and products. They do cost you $22 each but will last you for quite a while. You will not be disappointed. I would now need to check out the Key Lime Body Frosting. Yum! 

DC Eats: Smith Commons

I am still somewhat on my pescatarian journey but I lasted through my 30 days and have now slowly added other meats back in. I am still preferring the healthier eating because I feel better all together. But anyway back to where I went for Happy Hour.

I met up with one of my friends I hadn’t seen in a while to catch up and eat and drink good. *cheers* We walked along H street to see what deals sounded the best. Smith Commons sounded pretty good with an all night Happy Hour on a Monday. That’s pretty cool. 

For the Happy Hour, they include lots of beers and some wine at $5 – $7 each. You can’t beat that. I ordered the Cider and the Malbec. 

We were also hungry and I decided to go for items with seafood. I went for the ceviche and the mussels. Both were fresh and flavorful. The ceviche was so good and is made with Chatham cod, tiger prawns, soft onions, cilantro, tomato, and lemon juice. *drools* The Prince Edward Island Mussels are made with Thai lemongrass, coconut, curry sauce and garlic crostini. They say to save your bread until the end to dip in the sauce. The sauce was so flavorful. 

       

   

DC Eats: Zentan

As you all should have known, Resturant Week was last week. I ate too much food by the way, lol. I’m here to fill you in on all the experiences. My first stop was Zentan. Zentan specializes in contemporary Japanese comfort food with influences from Chef Yo Matsuzaki’s childhood in Shikoku, Japan.

We all started off with a drink. Whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant, I love to get plum wine. It is one of my favorites. I tried their Choya plum wine which was quite potent and it comes with a cute small bottle.

 We actually ended up having a five course meal for $35 which was a steal. Everyone starts out with edamame which is blanched soy beans with sea salt. The Kinko miso soup comes with Shimeji mushroom, tofu, and scallion. Both very delicious. I was really impressed how they included mushrooms in their miso soup. I have grown to love mushrooms.  

DC Eats: Barcelona

It’s quite rare that I’m asked to dinner and to pick somewhere I’ve never been. I was a little stumped. I had to put my thinking cap on, as they would tell us to do as kids lol, and I came up with two places. One was soon to close but Barcelona was open the latest.

I looked over the menu somewhat before I got there but you have to actually be at the restaurant to get the run down of everything. I’ve been to Spain but not Barcelona. I guess the dishes are very different in Malagá. I tried so many things and most of it was really good and really fresh.

DC Eats: Woodward Table

While strolling with friends this past weekend trying to figure out where we were eating and grabbing a drink or two, we stumbled upon Woodward Table. This place has a weekend happy hour. It’s not a huge selection but a solid selection. They have an amazing Sangria. The happy hour featured small plates are pretty good also. 

I started off with the ribs which were actually a pretty good portion. It wasn’t too big or too small of a portion. They were delicious! I’m not a huge rib eater but I will be back for these.  

Next was a dish that came with crackers, pickled vegetables, and a ham concoction. I can’t remember the exact description, sorry! But it was pretty good for something to munch on.  

The service here was by far some of the best I’ve experienced in DC. That alone made the experience that much more appealing. I would definitely have this as a recommendation especially with the beautiful outdoor seating and scenery. 

DC Eats: BlackJack

I am not a huge seafood person but I made my way upstairs to BlackJack on 14th street NW. I just discovered they are apart of the same restaurant group as Pearl Dive which is where I originally thought I was going. The two places are slightly different.

I had the pleasure of going for a friends birthday celebration. I love how the booths are set up. You feel like you are in your own little area and you can actually hear each other. Very cool set up. I took a look at drinks and food and decided to go for the Moscow Mule which I have been curious about for years. Come to find out, it’s the same as a Dark & Stormy but with vodka. Where have I been and why wasn’t I on that drink before? 

 I ordered for my main dish a shrimp dish. I can not find it on any online menus so here goes my description, nice sized seasoned shrimp on the top of a piece of toasted bread. Licks lips in desperation for it again! It was delicious. I got a side of the french fries which comes with three sauces; cayenne aioli, dive aioli, and ketchup. Very tasty fries and it comes with a great amount. 

 I would like to go back just for these dishes but I also saw some other things I would like to try next time as well. All my seafood lovers should check this place out. 

The Lameezy Adventure Brunch

I had the opportunity to check out a friend of mine by the name of Lamar aka Lameezy that is an amazing chef! I remember going to see him at Jackie’s and look at him now. I am super proud. Chase your dreams! Now back to the brunch.

Dessange Paris Review

I was sent products from Influenster to test out. The products were from the brand Dessange Paris for blonde hair. I’m not a true blonde but was curious about using the product on my dyed blonde hair. The product smells amazing and didn’t leave my hair feeling dry. 

I tested out the shampoo, conditioner, and their brass color correcting creme. The color correcting creme is quite effective. I was impressed at how my hair looked a little more platinum. I don’t think the picture fully gives it justice but just an idea.

   

 

I also discovered that they have a salon in Chevy Chase, MD. The salon looks awesome.