Brunch at Bar Pilar

I thought we would be spontaneous and grab brunch after we participated in a Family Improv Class.  Apparently I forgot about reservations and how popular brunch on a Saturday can be.  Whoops. 

The hostess at Bar Pilar was very friendly though and encouraged us to hang out in this little alcove under the stairs.  There was some confusion when we were being seated, but they graciously moved us to a different table. 

The Bar Pilar brunch menu is amazing!  They have the best brunch cocktails with funky names such as "Apple Bottom Jeans Slushie" and "Beware of the Locals".  We stuck to our standard bloody Mary's though and they were delicious.  Reminded me to never order a bloody mary at an airport bar again.

I ordered the "Hangover Cure" which was basically a southern breakfast bowl with biscuits and gravy, eggs, and home fries.  Love me some biscuits and gravy.

Their menu also had a great selection of side items for the kids to order from.  I made the rookie mistake though and forgot to ensure they didn't garnish the eggs with anything... our 4 year old LOST it when his eggs had fresh parsley on them.  Ugh.  Also, the kitchen was slammed when we placed our order and we waited a looooong time for our food. 

This brunch reminded me that the food and drinks must outweigh the effort it takes to take kids to brunch.  And Bar Pilar, you were worth the effort!

Brunch at Espita Mezcaleria

I took the kids to see a Disney on Ice at Capital One Arena on Presidents Day.  We tried to grab brunch afterwards at Espita Mezcaleria just up the street, but it was too late in the afternoon.

We did however make happy hour and just ordered at the bar.  They delivered the food to the table directly.  It actually worked out great!

I was still able though to order Avacado Tostada.  IT WAS AMAZING.

The food was great and the staff were friendly and accommodating.  We can’t wait to go back for actual brunch!

The Weekend Wrap

• Washingtonian has a GREAT list for Brunch spots this weekend. 
• Remember, visiting Mount Vernon this Monday, February 19 is FREE!
• Have you heard about WMATA's new policy on paying for parking?  Basically, make sure you pay with the EXACT SAME SmartTrip card you tap at the turnstile.
• Kidz Bop LIVE 2018 tickets went on sale this past week.  They will be at Wolf Trap on August 25th!  We listen to a lot of Kidz Bop in the car. 
• Chuckie Cheese birthday party was the first birthday party we have hosted where I didn't.have.to.bring.anything!  The price wasn't too bad either since we kept it to a very small number.  Check out my blog post on hosting birthday parties in the DC area!

Restaurant Week: Foodies favorite two weeks in the District

I have always loved DC restaurant week.  Maybe because it’s when I first felt my oldest move when I was pregnant with her (She got excited over watermelon gazpacho).

What is restaurant week you ask? It’s when restaurants all across DC provide a prefix menu for a set price for lunch and dinner, for one week during January and August every year. So it’s basically the best way to check out fancy restaurant and know exactly what you’re going to be paying at the end.  Lunch is the best bang for you buck though.

End of summer 2016 we took her then six-year-old with us for lunch to Rasika and introduced her to “fine dining”. She did really well and loved the date with mommy and daddy.

We always try and go on a date during restaurant week and try a new place.  We have made it tradition for almost a decade now!

Delicious Salli Boti (Lamb curry) and Chicken Tikki Masala from Rasika Penn Quarter

Cornbread Tortellini at Farmers & Distillers

Crawfish Etouffee at Acadiana

Brunch at Joe Theismann's

The Saturday after Thanksgiving last year, we all went to brunch at Joe Theismann's in Old Town before my parents caught a flight back to Texas.  We consider Joe Theismann's our neighborhood restaurant.

Service: The service was incredible.  Our server joked with our oldest and the baby as well.

Table arrangement: We were seated at a large round table in the large back room.

Food: Incredible.  We love their  Joe's Benedict, with Canadian Bacon or Maryland Crab.  The serving sizes are big enough we were all able to give the baby bites and our oldest had just ate at home before.

Distractions:  Our oldest loves their crayons and coloring menu.

Overall A for all criteria.  We also highly recommend their happy hour, especially if you can sit outside.  Inside is a little tricky as they have booths, but will provide booster seats.

Brunch at Matchbox Chinatown

One rainy Saturday this past January, we met some friends at Matchbox in Chinatown for brunch.  We originally suggested Matchbox for brunch as it was listed as one of six kid friendly restaurants in a recent Washingtonian Mom magazine article.

Service: Acceptable.  Our food was quite delayed coming to the table, but I believe this was based on how busy Matchbox was on this particular day.

Table Arrangement:
I didn't mention to our friends that we would need a high chair, so they were originally sat in a booth as they arrived a few minutes before us.  My husband was left to maneuver both kids, and wait for a high chair while I was outside in the rain trying to close our double stroller.  (Me: 0 Double Stroller: 1).  Needless to say our entire party was flustered by the time we all sat down.

Food:
Our oldest was quite happy with the side of fruit as was our toddler.  I ended up splitting the Mexican Breakfast pizza with my son, and I had to pull off what I thought would be just a little too spicy.  The table favorite, however was the amazing skillet cinnamon rolls.

Distractions:
Apparently every wonderful DC Mom who reads the magazine took their kids to brunch that Saturday as our server claimed they were completely out of crayons and kids coloring menus.  This was kind of annoying, but no biggie, we can deal and had our own distractions.

Service: B
Table Arrangement: D
Food: A
Distractions: D

Please note: I took the kids back to Matchbox for an early Sunday dinner the next weekend and we scored A's in all 4 categories.  All of us loved the meatball!