This took place on upper Wisconsin Ave between the P street and Reservoir Street.

The paintings

Two artists were on to painting something really creative.I loved the Eiffel Tower painting.

Now she was painting on the lady’s skirt which seems fascinating.

They had a live band playing at market.

Tricks on an umbrella and a really tall balloon lady

All the boutiques and shops had a counter on the side walk with really good discounts on stuff and antique items. They ranged from household stuff to clothes and jewellery.

This was my favorite part. This is from a bakery called Patisserie Poupon. If you go to georgetown, you have to visit this place. They had the most amazing and delicious butter almond croissant I’ve ever had.

And last but not the least

A macaron Tree. This is a macaron shop -’Macaron bee’. A few shops ahead of the bakery I was talking about earlier.

I ended my trip with this totally yummy choclate macaron ice cream sandwitch from Macaron Bee.

All in all a fun outing on a beautiful spring day!

I went for fun and to get footage for a video project to come, not intending to take photos at all, but ended up with a few. I hope you enjoy looking!

They also have incredible miniature pastries for parties and all sorts of amazing things.  (Our wedding cake was from Patisserie Poupon and it was out of this world.)  The woman ahead of us in line was also getting two Buche de Noels and cookies and croissants.  Maybe next year we’ll do croissants for Christmas breakfast!

Hazelnut Buche

Chocolate Buche

Tomorrow is Bastille Day. While there are plenty of events going on around town, I plan to celebrate by pretending to be in Paris at one of my favorite French cafes. Any suggestions?

• Patisserie Poupon, Georgetown
• Praline Bakery, Bethesda
• Cafe Bonaparte, Georgetown
• Bistrot du Coin, Dupont Circle
• Montmartre, Eastern Market
• Bistro Français, Georgetown

1. A latte the size of my face from my favorite French cafe in Georgetown. Allie is moving on to bigger and better professional endeavors but she’ll still be working at the cafe part-time, which is great news for her coffee- and pastry-loving Francophile friends. I unexpectedly ran into Zoe at the cafe — DC really is a small world! — so we got the chance to catch up.

2. Besides drinking massive lattes and hiking at Carderock, the weekend was pretty much devoted to reading Bill Bryson’s newest book, At Home: A Short History of Private Life.

Guys, I couldn’t put this book down. I didn’t watch TV, unread blogs in Google Reader quickly numbered in the hundreds, I didn’t even get too sucked into fantasizing about decorating my new apartment before wanting to keep reading. It’s that good.

I still have about 75 pages to go but this is one of those books in which I want to take notes. Each page is filled with fascinating facts and details, from how the spice trade shaped the modern world to where the term ‘enthralled’ comes from (‘thrall’ was the Old English word for ‘slave’ so when you are enthralled, you are enslaved by emotion) to sex lives in Victorian England.

Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors for a reason — I did take notes from In A Sunburned Country before heading to Australia — but At Home takes things to a new level. Bill Bryson, I worship you. Do you need an intern/assistant/thrall?!

Who is your favorite author? Bill Bryson’s books are all incredible but I also love everything John Irving ever wrote. Sentimentally, I’ll always be a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan.

I met up with my friends today for brunch at Patisserie Poupon and after telling Allie I wanted a super-special and delicious birthday drink, she whipped up this incredible mixture of chocolate, coffee and hazelnut. There are definite perks to having a barista as a friend, let me tell you.

Today was another freezing January day so I ditched the Metro in favor of the car. It’s rare I would choose driving over public transportation but bitterly cold weather turns me into a total wimp. Once warm inside the cafe, Simone, Zoe and I had to stare down people lingering over coffee until a table cleared up — when there are only a dozen tiny tables, you have to give an intimidating glance or two. Guess no one else wanted to head back into the cold either!

I spy with my little eye… Zoe and Simone!

The paninis at Patisserie Poupon are the size of my face (a good thing!): whole wheat bread with mozzarella, peppers, eggplant, zucchini and pesto. Yum!

Before brunch, I was finally able to make time for a haircut. I’m not crazy about the way hair stylists blow out hair but it’s nice to lose a couple of inches.

Before:

After:

I’ll be able to wash and style it myself. And by style, I mean quickly blowdrying and running a straightener through it before work because I am a lazy hair stylist, let me tell you.

After dropping the girls off at home, I spent some time elliptical-ing while catching up with those crazy Beverly Hills ‘Housewives.’ Getting wrapped up in all their drama made the minutes fly by! I’m not hungry at all tonight — must have been all the cupcakes, cake, cookies and fudge I ate this weekend — so dinner might end up being a bowl of cereal or something equally unexciting.

Every relaxing weekend should involve friends and food, in my opinion. What is the ideal Sunday for you?

Franksgiving! That’s friends + Thanksgiving! Okay, so the mash-up doesn’t really work, but bear with me here.

I feel really lucky that most of my best friends still live in the DC area. It makes getting together so much easier when a hang-out just requires a short ride on the Metro, not a long plane or train ride.

Since friends are family, too, we decided to have a Franksgiving celebration yesterday. A few of our close college friends weren’t able to make it — damn you, law school and illness! — but Simone, Allie, Zoe and I still managed to have a good time.

The Thanksgiving theme didn’t really happen, though. Instead dinner became basically a big plate of dessert… plus squash. Want to guess what was my contribution?

Allie whipped up a scrumptious batch of cornbread. You really can’t go wrong with Trader Joe’s!

Anyone else spot the ‘E’ on my plate or is it just my self-centered imagination?

Let’s get real here, though. Squash and cornbread are good and all but what’s really exciting is dessert and last night didn’t disappoint.

Zoe made the easiest pumpkin spice cookies by combining a box of spice cake mix with a can of pumpkin. That’s it! No oil, eggs or water required.

I love my pumpkin spice cookie recipe when I’m in the mood to bake but nothing could be easier than this two-step process.

There was also a tasting box from Patisserie Poupon: a Napoleon, tiramisu, flourless chocolate cake and a fruit tart.

I have a fourth of each before calling it quits. Well, I didn’t call it quits but my stomach was shouting in protest.

Yes, my tummy has had quite the adventure this weekend but I’m happy to be back to my normal food patterns today. I already feel like I’m getting back to business as usual plus… I joined a gym!

After asking around to a few different area bloggers, I got a great deal at Fitness First, which is conveniently a 2-minute walk from my apartment. All of the classes are included in the monthly membership fee so I’m psyched to break out of my comfort zone and try something new.

Busy day at work today and tomorrow but we’re launching an awesome new site so I can’t wait to share it with you all!

Do you celebrate holidays with friends or family (or both)?

Don’t forget to enter my CSN Stores gift certificate giveaway!

Oh well, less than a month until another holiday weekend!

Where did the time go? Well, I spent a lot of time catching up with friends both new and old. Somehow, many of these meet-ups happened at French cafes. There’s something so cozy about a French cafe — the kind of place with a fire crackling in the corner and lattes the size of your head — when it’s cold outside.

On Saturday, I had a blogger meet-up at Le Pain Quotidien in Bethesda.

The place was packed but after a short wait, Lee, Emily and Sana and I were able to grab a table by the window and chit-chat for a while. (Brittany stopped by for a little bit, too!)

Photo by Lee

Yes, I went for the previously mentioned latte the size of my head.

It’s always fun getting together with bloggers and this meeting was no exception. All of the girls were as lovely as their blogs and it was great meeting other DC-area bloggers. When’s the next hang-out, ladies?

The next day, it was back to imaginary France for brunch with my mom at Bistro Francais, my all-time favorite brunch spot in DC. We used to go here all the time when I was a kid but haven’t been back in at least a year!

pajamasmedia.com

It was a sunny but chilly day so I opted for a classic soup and salad combo: carrot & ginger soup with the Bistro Francais salad (romaine, beets and tomato).

The best thing about Bistro Francais? Amazing, salty, crispy, thin-cut French fries. Oh my! Go there and just order a plate of frites. You won’t regret it.

After that — yes, the faux-French adventures never end! — I did some window-shopping in Georgetown before heading over to Patisserie Poupon, the adorable cafe where my friend Allie works.

Hot chocolate-espresso mix + people speaking French around me + amazing book + 3 hours = perfect way to spend the afternoon.

What was the highlight of your weekend? Did you see ‘Harry Potter 7′ yet? I need to find time for the movies because I love Potter!

Don’t forget to enter my CSN Stores gift certificate giveaway!

Most of today was spent doing one of my very favorite activities: sitting in a cafe people-watching.

Allie works at Patisserie Poupon, an off-the-beaten-path cafe in Georgetown. It’s full of European ex-pats speaking a variety of languages, all brought together by a common love of good coffee (you can never go wrong with illy) and fresh croissants.

Hi Allie!

Simone and I met up after church and spent a solid three hours at the bar catching up. Her birthday is next weekend so there are some fun activities on the agenda! I even got a cute new dress to wear!

Patisserie Poupon reminds me so much of being in Europe. Tiny tables are crammed together, taking up every inch of available space, and the rustic yet urban feel is cozy. I could curl up here for hours with a book and a cappuccino.

Yep, I’m moving in!

I was starving –this whole time change thing totally threw off my body clock! — and ordered a panini after hearing Allie rave about how good they are. They are made to order and mine included mozzarella and basil, eggplant, peppers, zucchini and pesto.

So much gooey goodness inside!

I asked Allie to make me something special to drink and she served up this beautiful beverage with a special design on top.

In the mix were espresso, nonfat milk, caramel and chocolate. Quite the ‘Mmmmmm’ mix of ingredients!!

After the cafe closed up, we headed out for some late afternoon shopping. Georgetown is packed with such a huge range of stores — secondhand shops, very expensive boutiques and your typical mall fare.

My new dress came from H&M but I’m not sure if it’s a keeper. If so, you’ll see it next weekend.

Heading home tonight really reinforced my desire to live downtown. After a long day of walking around in the cold, I wanted to head directly home. Instead, it took a Metro ride (albeit only 15 minutes) and another 15 minute walk before I was back in my apartment. Living downtown would be so much more convenient. Hopefully my next move…

Do you have a favorite coffee shop or do you try a bunch of different places? I like to explore new cafes and restaurants but it’s also comforting to visit the same place over and over and know what to expect. I could definitely see myself becoming a Patisserie Poupon regular!

I had every intention of coming home and updating you all on the September Challenge, night 2, but I headed up getting home past my bedtime and falling straight into bed/a food coma.

You can blame this:

We’ll get to those beauties in a minute… but let’s rewind.

Erin invited a few of us over for a dinner party. Next one’s at my place, girls! I made guacamole (avocado, onion, cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, a little garlic, a squirt of lime juice, a jalapeno and a dash of chili powder).

Erin got a pizza dough from Trader Joe’s so we could make pizzas. Such a good idea for a group dinner!

Zoe brought the bacon

and then there were the veggies.

So colorful!

It was definitely a night for a couple of glasses of wine while catching up with the girls. We go back to freshmen year of college!

Now, let’s get back to those pastries. Allie recently started working at Patisserie Poupon and gets to bring home bags of food at the end of the day. It’s all made fresh and locally in the AM but they won’t sell old food. So the employees get it!

She put together a tasting platter: croissants, almond croissants, apple turnovers, oatmeal cookies, chocolate-macadamia cookies, something with cream cheese, another apple-stuffed delight… what am I forgetting?

Oh, yes, we can’t forget about this cake.

You can have your cake and eat it, too!

There’s fruit so it’s healthy, right?

Yum. I would say day 2 of the September Challenge (jazz up nightly dinners) was a success. I stuffed myself with pizza, sampled a bite (or three!) of the desserts and have bags of croissants, cookies and even an entire brioche in my freezer. Expect to see them pop up from time to time as I eat my way down.

Having friends that work at bakeries should be mandatory.

Time to head to work before the three-day weekend. I think we’re road-tripping tomorrow — destination TBA.

What’s your all-time favorite dessert? I have to vote for mint chocolate chip ice cream, no competition!

Cake: Caramelita at Les Halles DC (RIP). If anyone knows where the Les Halles pastry chef is now, I’d like to hunt her/him down just for this cake.

Runner-up: White chocolate mousse cake, Watergate Pastry, Foggy Bottom

Chocolate mousse: Patisserie Poupon, Georgetown. Comes in a crunchy chocolate shell.

Cookie: Lemon drop cookie, Praline Bakery, Bethesda, MD. Buttery cookie with tangy icing.

Cupcake:  Gianduja, Hello Cupcake, Dupont Circle. At room temperature, the ganache icing eats like a rich pudding. Refrigerated, like a chocolate truffle.

Croissant: Pain au chocolat, Patisserie Poupon, Georgetown. Authentic and baked fresh. No weird aftertaste from the butter/oil from the pastry, as with lesser versions.

Egg tart: Portuguese natas at Nando’s Chicken, Gallery Place/Dupont/etc. The bruleed egg custard is so good. 

Frozen yogurt: Green tea, Tangysweet, Dupont Circle/Gallery Place. Hints of honey and lemon set this flavor apart.

Ice cream: Coconut gelato, Boccato Gelato, Arlington, VA. With toasted coconut bits.

Macaroon: Praline Bakery, Bethesda, MD. Generously sized, great selection of flavors.

Mango sticky rice: Kanlaya, Gallery Place. Your fork cuts through the mango like buttah.

Milkshake: Toasted marshmallow, Good Stuff Eatery. The toasted marshmallow flavor permeates the whole shake. Order one more than you think you want. People will become reluctant to share.

Peach cobbler: Teaism (seasonal), Penn Quarter. A flaky, buttery shortbread sits on top of perfectly spiced peaches for just $3.

Pie: Key lime, Ray’s the Steaks, Arlington, VA. Best key lime pie I’ve come across so far.

Runner-up: Chocolate silk, Wildfire (seasonal), McLean, VA. A chocolatey filling in a chocolate cookie crust.

Our drive to DC took only 5 1/2 hours, so we got there around 4:30 on Friday afternoon.  Kristin and Brian were at work, and Kristin didn’t know that Brian, her sister, Kim, and me had made plans for a surprise party on Friday night.  I just love surprising people!  They got home, we changed for dinner, and left.  As we drove to the restaurant, I sent Kim a text that said, “The chicken has flown the coup!”.  Kristin had *no* idea.  Our dinner was at the Lebanese restaurant, Me Jana, where we had delicious small plates such as, Pototo Kibbe, Lamb Kabob, and Grape Leaves, just to name a few.

Kristin and me at Me Jana:

When we got home, I had to basically push her into the living room in the dark where everyone was waiting to yell surprise.  She was surprised indeed!!  Here she is with one of the beautiful cupcakes that Kim made (they had strawberry soda in them!):

Kristin and Kim (after the initial shock wore off!):

Kim did such a beautiful job setting up the party (pretty much all on her own, and she couldn’t begin until we left for dinner!) – here’s just one small console table to show you how gorgeous it all turned out:

After milling around on Saturday, with a lazy breakfast, shopping, and a rooftop afternoon snack, we got ready and headed to Alexandria for dinner at Restaurant Eve.  We had quite a lovely meal, starting with their signature cocktail of the evening, the Harry Nilsson (put the lime in the coconut . . .).  It was very tasty, and not too sweet!

We followed our cocktail with a charcuterie plate, which they are famous for (quite good, as charcuterie goes), and braised oxtail ravioli, which were excellent.  For our entrée, Kristin and I both had the partridge, which was good, but a little tough (perhaps this is just the nature of partridge?).  We shared mushroom and leek risotto (yum) and fingerling potatoes for side dishes.  Kurt had the pork belly, and Brian the sweetbread.  Now, the best part of the meal?  The “Birthday Cake . . . Just Because” — of course in this case, we had reason to celebrate!

Look how adorable it is!

I love this photo of the birthday girl!

The four of us, aprés dinner:

After dinner, we walked around Alexandria, which is such a cute town!  It was hopping with pre-pre-St. Patrick’s Day weekend events.  With the good weather, everyone wanted to be outside!

We hit up Kristin’s friend Alex’s 30th birthday party in Dupont Circle next, where Kristin did a shot with her fellow birthday buddy!

On Sunday, the boys went golfing, while we went shopping!

Kurt, all ready to hit the course:

Kristin and I drove into Georgetown, and had quite a walk up and down the main drag of shops.  Although we started the morning with brunch at Sette Bello in Arlington (which has a tasty Benedict!), a little while later we stopped at a French café in Georgetown called Pâtisserie Poupon, where I had this gorgeous salad:

How cute is Georgetown?!

While shopping, we stopped into Vineyard Vines (for when we buy the yacht!):

We finished off Sunday night with burgers at Whitlow’s and Monday with brunch at a new place that opened that very morning, Le Pain Quotidien (Kristin named it LPQ, for short), which is an adorable little Belgian café that has locations around the world.  Geez, is it any wonder my pants are feeling a tad snug?!

Can I just say that I *love* Arlington?!  It’s the best little city, with every convenience within walking distance from their adorable condo.  Love, love, love it!  I was very reluctant to leave and head back to the Haven.  Boo!

Happy Birthday dear friend, and thanks for all the weekend fun!!!  We miss you guys already! xoxo

Sarah and her faithful companion at Sarah’s parent’s house. We love the luxury of wide open spaces.

Sarah, a history teacher, was as beautiful as any bride we have had the pleasure of creating images for. Note that the point of focus in this image, is on her eyes, with the rest of the image receding into soft focus. A classic portraiture technique, however very few of today’s wedding photojournalists avail themselves of it. We take pride in our skills as true wedding photojournalists as well as our knowledge of classic portraiture .

The groom waited, gift in hand, to see his beloved for the first time in her bridal splendor. These are powerful, iconic moments, full of of emotion and we are so very aware and circumspect while we capture them.

Stephanie Day, from Dream Day Planners was the wedding coordinator for this event and with clipboard and checklist in hand made sure that the day went smoothly. The bride and groom, their guests and loved ones were free to simply enjoy and partake.

The reception was at The Walters Museum of Art, where as always, our liaison, Robert Zimmerman, facilitated the photography session with his usual grace and good will.

Our good friend, Sherri Levine represented Linwoods, one of the most highly regarded caterers in the Mid Atlantic. Attention to detail, impeccable service and incredible fare – as always.

The room was gorgeous! Gala Cloths provided the table tops and each table was adorned with an individual wedding cake by Patisserie Poupon. What a great idea and nice gesture by the bride and groom.