March Restaurants of the Month - Kramerbooks and Tara Temple!

Okay, so I'm on a roll with trying new restaurants.  In the month of March alone, I think I've tried 4 new places in the DC/VA area along with new hot spots on my corporate travels through Seattle and LA.  I love food and I love finding the little hole-in-the-wall spots that have an element of charm and flair to them.  For the month of March, I've decided to do a review of two completely different restaurants.  It's just another example of how I'm an overachiever at times - so, ladies and gentlemen, you're not getting ONE restaurant for the month of March, you're getting TWO! :)

First Restaurant of the Month: Kramerbooks & Afterwords
Washington, D.C - Dupont Circle

I had never heard of Kramerbooks until a recent friend of mine suggested it as a good dinner place in Dupont Circle. As a fellow Washingtonian, we are aware that any place worth knowing about is through word-of-mouth.  It was last Friday and I wanted to go out in Dupont, but also wanted to have dinner with two of my close friends, Mike and Stacy.  We all have drastically different schedules, so it's nice to sit down and catch up once and a while over good food and delicious cocktails. Kramerbooks is a cultural hot spot located in the heart of Dupont Circle; a go-to place for the yuppies of Washington D.C.  It is literally located within a book store, and not a situation where you have a Seattle's Best coffee to the side.  People hover around some of the most eclectic book topics I've ever seen as they wait for their name to be called at this local gem.  We waited about 30 minutes for our table, but it wasn't so bad knowing we had a plethora of books to keep us entertained.

We sat down at this little table; it was sort of a neighborly place.  Everyone was seated close together that it felt like a small-knit community. This place had a sense of warmth and coziness to it - the dim lighting, intellectual conversations, and over abundance of cloth hats and scarves made it known that it's a place for stimulating conversation with young intellectuals.  We were greeted by our waitress, April, who gave us a drink menu and ran down the list of specials.  I started off with the Real Espresso Martini, a delicious combination of vanilla vodka, brewed espresso, Kahlua, and Frangelico.  It was late and I knew I needed a drink that would give me a little extra boost to get me through the night.  (Hey, this isn't college anymore; working all week exhausts me!).  The drink was a very rich, smooth cocktail and is a must-have for coffee lovers. Stacy ordered an amazing glass of white wine; I think it was a Sauvignon Blanc.  It was so good that she went to Total Wines that same weekend to find it in the store.  Mike was the adult of the group and just stuck with water. :)

Now in regards to our meals, there was a wide variety of different dishes to choose from, all within the $20-$30 range, which is pretty reasonable for the heart of Dupont.  Much to my surprise, the waitress recommended getting any dish with seafood since it's brought in fresh everyday.  I was torn between two salads, and the waitress recommended the Crab, Tomato & Avocado Salad, which was jumbo lump crab cake, sliced California avocados and tomatoes, over market greens and red onions drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic dressing. I love seafood, so I was very excited when my salad came with a nice portion of crab meat.  It was a simple, clean, healthy salad - the avocados and tomatoes were perfectly seasoned and the dressing added just enough sweet and tangy to the crab meat.  It's appearance was exquisite.  It was a good-size meal, but I wouldn't say I was exactly full after my meal, but that's okay since the meal had a lot of other great qualities.  My friend, Mike, I think made the best choice by his Smoked Pork Cuban Sandwich.  At just around $15, he had a great portion of slow-smoked porked, pulled from the bone and piled onto a grilled baguette.  It was layered with aged gouda (that's enough to say yum already), aioli, prosciutto and pickled jalapenos. With that, he got a nice side of market greens and "dirty" rice and beans, made with black beans, sausage, bacon, garlic, onion, and red peppers. He labeled the meal as "delicious" and I'd have to add that I tried a little of the pulled pork and it was delectable and extremely tasty. And, last but not least, my friend Stacy got the Lobster dish with a side of mac & cheese and succotash.  Unfortunately, her lobster was sub-par, and seemed to be very bland.  It was a huge amount of lobster, but was not appropriately adorned with the right fixings.  When you order lobster, you expect great things, so I'm not surprised by the disappointment.

My jumbo crab meat salad!

Mike's Cuban Pork Sandwich

Stacy's Lobster dish

I think, overall, Mike and I give Kramerbooks a 4 out of 5 stars, while Stacy might come out at more of a 3 stars out of 5.  The location was perfect for fellow Dupont Circle-ers and was a nice mix up from the upscale lounges.  This is that perfect place if you still want to go "out" on a Friday night, but want something a bit more low-key with a little bit of flair!

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Second Restaurant of the Month: Tara Temple
Arlington, VA - Ballston

I found out about Tara Temple through Bloomspot, a company which delivers unique offers for spas, restaurants, and bars in the Washington D.C. area.  It's like a groupon, but better because their offers for restaurants are for 3 or 4-course meals.  Their motto at Bloomspot is "Live Life Better," and I can say without a doubt that I've done that every time I purchase a voucher from them.  I received a voucher for $60 towards a three-course meal at Tara Temple, a trendy Thai restaurant located in the heart of Arlington, VA. I love Thai food and ever since I've lived in Virginia, I've grown to appreciate authentic Thai. It's a pretty common category of food here in the area, so it's important to stake out a good spot!

I went to Tara Temple on Sunday evening after attending an amazing ballet with my friend, Stacy.  She treated me to the ballet, so I treated her to dinner, haha!  I'm so blessed to have the friends I do.  Tara Temple is adorned with true, authentic decor - it's red lounge benches and spunky chandeliers make this a great place for happy hours or a fun date night.  We started off our three-course meal with a glass of wine for Stacy and a vodka club soda for me.  Long gone are the days of wine for me....finding out I was allergic to it was a sad day! For our appetizers, I ordered the Crying Tiger steak and Stacy ordered the Pork Gyoza, which are dumplings steamed in a spicy ra-yu ponzu.  The crying tiger steak was delicious - phew, did it have a kick to it!! It was spicy, but so good and cooked to perfection!  The steak was moist and savory.  Stacy's pork dumplings were steamed to perfection and quite tasty as well.  Our appetizers arrived within a timely fashion, which earns big brownie points from me.  I hate waiting for food; being Italian, patience is not my strong suit... it's something I'm working on, but it is a hard task.  My mom might have passed down a variety of traits to me like intelligence, beauty, tenacity, and hootspa, but patience was not one of them!

Pork Dumplings!

Crying Tiger Appetizer

For our second course, the main entree, I ordered the classic Thai dish, the "Drunken Noodle."  A delectable dish of  wide flat noodles stir-fried with tomatoes, onions, red and green bell peppers, and chicken drenched in a spicy Thai basil sauce.  For fellow Thai-food lovers, the Drunken Noodle dish is a staple; it's a great way to test if the Thai food is authentic and savory.  This dish was a hit in my book and boy, did it clear out your sinuses.  It was a SPICY dish, one of those where you feel like your nose will run, but it was oh-so-good!  Besides the quality of ingredients in this dish, this was a perfectly-sized meal for the girl who's not afraid to eat.  As you know from my previous reviews, big portions earn big brownie points for me!  Now, you can order the Drunken Noodle with either chicken, shrimp, beef or vegetarian (which is tofu).  I ordered it with the chicken and it was cooked to perfection!  Stacy ordered the stir fry with spicy fresh Thai basil, chili and garlic sauce.  Both dishes had enough "kick" to them... I felt like if a spirit lived inside of me, it would have come out due to the intensity of the heat, haha!  Also, both dishes gave us a perfect amount of food while staying true to Thai authenticity. From the spices, to the ingredients, to the mixture of it all, these dishes were sure to please those who find Thai food to be a signature staple in their palette.

Drunken Noodles...yeah!!

Stacy's Thai Basil Dish

Finally, for the dessert we split the Caramel Apple Cake, which came with side of chocolate ganache.  It was a very simple and yummy dessert but I could have done without the frozen apples in the cake.  They should have either been warmed or taken out of the cake completely.  Biting into a mouth-watering piece of cake can be instantly dissatisfying when you bite into a frozen, unbearably cold piece of apple.  Although delicious, they should warmed the apples next time!

The Caramel Apple Cake

Overall, I think Stacy and I would give Tara Temple a 4 stars out of 5.  The service was timely, the dishes were plentiful, and the food was authentic and appetizing. The location was incredibly easy to get to as well, and the decor of this place made it easy to see how the transition can go from a casual dinner to an upscale lounge.

Goal #5: Meet a Celebrity -- Check!!

Meet a Celebrity - Check!

I know most of you may laugh but, yes, I indeed had a goal of meeting one celebrity OR attending a celebrity-like event for my Top 11 Things I Want to Accomplish in 2011.  I honestly felt like this would be my hardest goal to check off, but less than three months into the new year, I've accomplished yet another goal.  Of course, I think it'd be great to still attend a music awards event, but for now, I'm proud that I at least had the opportunity to meet one celebrity this past weekend - Bethenny Frankel (star of the Real Housewives of NYC and Bethenny Ever After). I'm aware that some people may or may not consider her a true "celebrity". Granted, she's not a Julia Roberts, but she's a self-made success, and for that alone I was extremely proud to meet her.  She didn't have a cookie-cutter life where everything fit nicely into a box and then she "magically" became famous.  I don't think Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, the Kardashian sisters, or even Kate Hudson are half worthy of their success --- all of those celebrities had wealthy, famous parents which made it easy for them to stroll right into the spot light.  I'm a fan of fighters, those who beat the odds to have success (For Example: Chris Gardner, from the Pursuit of Happyness or Michael Oher portrayed in the Blind Side).  Those who think outside the box and defy society's expectations... those stories are MUCH more interesting and their success is much more deserved in my eyes at least.  Bethenny grew up without parents.  I couldn't even imagine that. I grew up without a father and that has been a roller coaster of emotions alone; I couldn't imagine not having the mom I have. My mom has encouraged me and been my biggest cheerleader my entire life. When I'm down, she's there to put a smile on my face and lift my spirits.  Some folks tell me my mom worries too much (that to which I agree), BUT I'd rather have a mom who cares SO much about me to watch over my every step, than a mom whose love was non-existent.  Bethenny had to be tough because she didn't have everything served on a silver platter, nor did she have a family to love, encourage and support her as she strived for her goals.  One thing I truly loved about Bethenny is she wasn't one to have a "woe is me" attitude; she's had a tough shell because of her upbringing but she used it to make herself a household name.  Call it what you will, but that's success in my eyes.

Bethenny hosted a 13-city tour around the United States to promote her books as well as share her insight on her journey through life.  My friend, Callie, and I had the opportunity to meet her in Baltimore, MD at the Hippodrome Theater.  Women like Bethenny inspire me.  She didn't go through life in a "June Cleaver" fashion.  She had success, got married, and had a baby all on her own due time.  Life is full of pressure - especially pressure on women to find a man, get married, have kids, and live up to everyone else's expectations.  It can be exhausting and so agonizing.  It's like leave me alone already. Someone's version of success could be settling down at a young age and having a bunch of kids. Another's can be working to the top of the ladder and putting marriage on the back burner.  Another, could be living to fulfill a greater purpose of consistently volunteering to make better the lives of the less fortunate.  Bethenny was downright sassy, inappropriate, tell-it-like-it-is, and all around hilarious. She does not sugar-coat a thing, so I naturally felt right at home because I came from a family who doesn't really believe in filters.  (Example #1: Me -"Hey Mom, like my new shirt?" Mom - "No, looks horrible, get it the hell off." / Example #2: Me - "Why in the hell are you going to the Dominican Republic?"  Me - "Because I want to travel to a beach and try somewhere new. Mom - "Trader, can't believe you're leaving the US." ) Yep, that's my mom for you.  That's why I felt at ease when I was listening to Bethenny talk--definitely a straight shooter.  My heart did go out to Jason a bit, though.  She rips him apart - everything from his parents, to the size of his package, to his weird quirks.  I know it's all in good fun, but it definitely takes a patient, loving man to not let anything get under his skin.

Bethenny looked fabulous - definitely a Skinny Girl at heart.  She ran through the thoughts behind her books and gave a lot of advice on finding your passion, dating, becoming a Skinny Girl, and working in your daily job.  I was actually quite amazed - the lens of fame and fortune is not all sunshine and glitter.  Just a few short years before her big break, she had a $50,000 negative tax return and the year before that she had a $150,000 negative tax return.  Her path to success wasn't a yellow brick road, and her unwavering determination was profound.  Numerous companies turned down her idea for the "Skinny Girl" Margarita; now, they all come to her begging to buy her company.  When she came up with the idea for her first book, a publisher turned down her idea telling her it would never sell.  Little did he know she would be a NY Times-Best Seller and he would subsequently be fired. Her moral of the story was even if you don't have a "cookie-cutter" life, you can have success and you can have all the things your heart desires; and that sometimes saying "no" to someone or something is really saying "yes" to yourself.  The one negative side to her event was she did a Q&A session, which is something that is well-thought of because it gives a chance for her fans to say hello and ask a special question to her.  However, the "fans" used this to get up and explain their whole life story to her before asking a silly question.  She went through about 25 or more questions, and it made the crowd restless.  No one asked an intriguing question. People were asking her if she received their emails, or if she has a good recipe. Excuse me, she didn't receive your email and read her damn book for a recipe.  So, all in all, the show was good, but I was a little disappointed in the content.  I wish she would have elaborated more on the secrets of the Real Housewives show, or funny stories about her life as a mom and newlywed.  It basically was a book promotion and a Q&A session.  I did buy her one book, The Skinny Girl Dish, just so I would have something for her to sign.  Besides, it's always good to learn new recipes and ways of cooking.

Finally, we had the meet-and-greet session after the show where it was a quick autograph and snapshot. Of course, when it came time for my picture, the producer of the show didn't know what it meant to hold the flash button down for longer than a split second, so my photo came out a bit dark. Awesome. Thankfully, I was smart enough to ask for a group photo with my friend, Callie, so that one came out nice and clear. Bethenny told me I "was lookin' all sexy" and told me she was "jealous of my girls". HAHA--gotta love it.  So, we got a dose of what it means to channel your inner skinny girl while getting a few snapshots with the Bravo celebrity. All in all, I'd say meeting Bethenny was cool and definitely allowed me to check off another "goal". I think as women, we can be way too hard on ourselves and on others. We need to spend more time building women up instead of competing and tearing each other down. Bethenny exudes a sense of empowerment, that against all odds, one can achieve success. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a successful empire. We must work hard for what we want out of life.  Cheers to finding your inner skinny girl and working to achieve YOUR version of success!!

Goal #8:Travel to an exotic destination -- Check!

Everything is sweeter in the Dominican Republic...

...That sentence about sums up my wonderful 6-night, all inclusive vacation at a tropical resort in the Dominican Republic.  Not only was I able to check off one of my goals for 2011, I was able to travel out of the United States for my first time.  It was great to walk through customs and get my passport stamped.  It was a rough adjustment back to reality, but my time off was well worth it!

Let's start off my story by saying there's not much that will get me up before the sun rises EXCEPT for knowing that I'll be on a beach in less than 6 hours.  Before the night of my flight, I had everything packed and ready to go and I was in bed by 9 pm.  I barely slept a wink because of my excitement but I managed to rest my eyes here and there. My alarm went off at 3:15 am, I hopped up, got in the shower, and got ready. The cab picked Callie and I up at about 5:30 am and we headed straight for the airport.  I want to exaggerate how we left a blizzard back home to head to 85 degree weather and palm trees. Made our upcoming trip all that more wonderful.

We flew from DC to Miami to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic (so from 22 degree weather to 90 degree weather).  Flying over the Caribbean Islands was beautiful, so picturesque.  We landed in the afternoon and I instantly felt the change in pace, the easy going way of life, and I was going to adopt that carefree spirit from the very moment we stepped out of the plane.  Callie and I got in the resort bus and drove about 30 minutes to the resort in Puerta Plata. Talk about a day and night situation - driving through the poverty and the slums of the town made tears fall from my eyes. There were kids as young as 6 and 7 walking along the dirt roads and major highways, groups of highschoolers sitting on a corner watching cars go by, and women carrying boxes of fruit on their head trying to make some money. It was all really sad; here I am able to take a trip to a 5-star resort and just twenty minutes outside the resort, there is so much poverty and run-down institution.

On a positive note, there's a reason why they call it a vacation; I truly think for 7 straight days I did not stress about one thing in my life - I didn't think about anything other than what SPF I was going to wear and what cocktail I was going to order by the beach. I was so relaxed and didn't have a care in the world.  We got out of the bus and from that moment on, I felt like I didn't have to lift a finger.  We were greeted with a cocktail and our luggage was taken to our room for us.  Upon receiving our VIP wrist band, we settled into our cottage-style room and headed for the beach. I have to say one of my favorite little parts about this trip was my room - it was little-cottage type room, nothing over the top, just a calm, simple room (of course, the refrigerator was loaded with adult beverages!).

The VIP beach was awesome - there were cabana beds, hot tubs, and two bars fully loaded with anything you could possible want.  There were multiple pools that surrounded the resort, again fully loaded with swim-up bars and restaurants located in every corner of the resort.  They had a place called the casablanca - an all day buffet that was opened for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We predominately ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet everyday - filled with SO many options.  For breakfast, I could choose between omelets with fresh veggies, french toast, oatmeal, sausage, scrambled eggs, pastries, fruit, breads, cereals, juices, you name it and they had it.  There were a variety of restaurants that we ate at, as well. We tried an Italian, Chinese, and Seafood restaurant on various nights. Needless to say, we were never at a lack for food or drinks.

Speaking of the alcoholic beverages, there was no shortage of those around.  From sunrise to sunrise you could drink all day and night long and there's never a cutoff.  My drink of choice for the week was a toss up between a "Happy Happy" and a "Hector Special".  During the hours of laying out on the beach, our waiter, Hector, would bring us these fabulous fruity pink drinks that were SO delicious.  I have no idea what was in them, but they were perfect for a hot, crisp day on the beach.  Additionally, by night, the drink of choice was the "Happy Happy" or "Happy Lifestyle".  I realize why they titled the drink that - because it does make you happy :).  The Happy Happy was a combination of orange juice, triple sec, vodka, and white rum 151. Phew, they were good!  Don't get me wrong, Callie and I weren't lushes every night, but we were opportunists, as I like to call it!  When you pay for an all-inclusive, you take full advantage of every opportunity to have fun.

I will say that coming from a big city where I tend to go out all the time, the nightlife at the resort was average. Every night they put on these shows at the theater on the resort.  They were very cool and gave us a real glimpse into their culture, teaching and showing all sorts of dances and interpreting their version of American music.  Additionally, there was a club called Vibe on the resort that was super fun. Definitely good music and good times dancing through the night.  The last thing I'll talk about is the people.  We met great folks from all walks of life and of all ages. Callie had a couple of marriage proposals. She was a hot commodity down in the DR with her blonde hair and blue eyes :).  We met quite a few young couples who where easy-going and a wonderful family from Canada that we hung out with for most of the week.  Everyone was there with one motto - what happens on vacation, stays on vacation AND our one goal was to truly enjoy what it means to be on a vacation. Like I said, I didn't stress once about anything. My mind was completely free from any thought concerning my life back at home.

All in all, I'd rate this trip about 4 stars out of 5. It was GREAT service, good food, and it was totally awesome never lifting a finger and not paying for a thing.  Callie and I made the most of every opportunity and I feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to afford the time and money to take a vacation like this.

Cheers to planning my next getaway.... !!