Union Market

Union Market has been on my list for places to visit. I've heard so much about it and it was time to check it out. We first walked into a store called Salt and Sundry. So many cute stuff! They had one table filled with all things tropical (it reminded me of Miami). Yes, I'm a sucker for all things pineapple, flamingo, palm trees, etc. My whole family, boyfriend, and girlies are fully aware of this.

After admiring all the lovely items at the store. We walked around and saw what the restaurants had to offer. Everything looked delicious! Definitely come with an appetite and be ready to explore different types of food. We had come from Eastern Market and had a heavy brunch. I noted to myself that I was going to come back and try their food next time. We decided to walk around and see what Union Market had to offer.  We headed out to see the wall art #ihavethisthingwithwallart. It just makes me so happy when I see art especially in the streets. Gives it a little touch. The wall art at Union Market is pretty special. The wall art was done by the artist Mr. Brainwash. The theme of the mural is women education.  The wall art has a lot of positive messages. Education for all women is so important. We must empower and help one another as women. Who votes for more wall art? I do!

Also, don't forget to check out Lab 1270! The current exhibition is with Beasts of England. The exhibition is open now til May 7. Hurry up before the new exhibition comes in which you don't want to miss as well, Hustle 2.0. This exhibition will be from May 13 to June 5. They will be having events so be on the look out! I know I'll be coming by again. For more information click here.

Bedside Succulent

My love for succulents keeps growing and growing. They are just so cute and they are low maintenance. My bedside table needed some green life so I ended up using the left over supplies that I used for my DIY succulent garden  I made for my boyfriend for Valentine's day. This little DIY project took like 5 minutes or even less. Every time I wake up, I take some time to admire them and get dressed for work. I hope this post inspires you to add some succulents on your bedside table. 

But, in all seriousness, I may becoming a succulent lady...not a cat lady. 

PS - Isn't the giraffe mason jar just adorbs! 

I got the bowl from target for only $3. In addition, the little  succulents I found at the grocery store Safeway. You can also find them at Home Depot or a nursery plant store near you. 

A Wonderful Brunch at Fiola Mare

This past Sunday I surprised my mother for her birthday by taking her to Fiola Mare in DC for brunch. It is currently ranked the No. 1 spot in Washingtonian's Top 100 restaurants in 2016. I couldn't agree more with them. It was a perfect Sunday brunch. The moment we got there until the moment we left, the service was great. They wished my mother a happy birthday when she sat down. She was definitely not expecting it and started blushing (hehe). The brunch menu was on point.  I ordered their mimosa while my mother ordered their peach blossom mocktail. The peach blossom mocktail had a wonderful taste to it and it came with a cute flower. For our anitpasti, we ordered the grilled green asparagus and the zuppa di ortiche. Both were simple, but delicious. Then for our main course, we ordered Paccheri and the Spaghetti Gragano alla Granseola. Both of our meals were so yummy and just perfect. Lastly, for dessert we ordered the bomboloni and the piemontese warm chocolate cake. I have to say that the award for the best dessert went to the chocolate cake. Oh, I almost forgot! The brunch came with a basket of warm pastry and breads (croissant, pain au chocolat, cinnamon roll, herbed brioche, walnut raisin bread, fresh fruit jams & farmer’s butter). The cinnamon roll was to die for!! I highly suggest for you to check out this restaurant when you're in DC. Currently my favorite restaurant. 

What's your favorite restaurant?! Please do share cause I'm always looking to try new places :) 

Peach blossom and mimosa. 

Warm Weather Calls for Winery Visits

This past week consisted of two birthdays. It was both my mothers and one of my best friends birthday. It was a definitely a week/weekend filled with celebrations. My bestie decided to have a vineyard tour for her birthday celebration. It was my first one and I absolutely had a blast. We all shared laughs and good times. Our first winery visit was Molon Lave Vineyards. The tasting went great. A lot of the ladies found at least one wine that they loved. I ended up buying a bottle of the 2014 Kokineli. It is a rose table wine with a distinct dry herbal taste of rosemary and thyme. It had a great taste!

Our second winery tour was at the Morais Vineyards and Winery. This place was so cute! We all took many pictures here. The wine was really good as well. We loved this vineyard so much that we ended up staying there the whole time. I have to admit I barely had pictures from the first winery, most of them were taken at the Morais. If you're looking into vineyards in Virginia, you must come visit this one! 

Which are your favorite wineries? 

China Chilcano & City Center

By the month of April, Virginia is already experiencing weather in the 70s. Surprisingly, we had a mix of snow and rain on Saturday. I decided to take advantage of the not so pleasant weather and cleaned up my room and closet. It was much needed. Thankfully, Sunday was a better day. It was still a bit chilly outside but that didn't stop my boyfriend and I from going to the Wizards vs Hornets game. We love our basketball. Just in case you were wondering, the Wizards won 113 to 98. We left the game with big smiles on our face.

After the game we headed over to China Chilcano for an early dinner. The restaurant is owned by Chef Jose Andres. The flavors in the dishes are delicious. It is a  Peruvian restaurant with a mix of Peruvian Criollo, Chinese Chaifa, and Japanese Nikkei. I love the interior design at China Chilcano! If you know me, I always pay attention to the detail and decoration.

Now, lets talk about the drinks and food. We ordered the Cholotini and Pisco Sour. Both drinks were great. We decided to order the Atun Picante (spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, cilantro, aji limo, puffed quinoa) for our appetizer. There were so many flavors but it all went together perfectly. Lastly, we ordered the Lomo Saltado (hanger steak, tomato, soy sauce, shishito pepper, shoestring potato, rice.) If you're up for exploring new flavors that taste delicious definitely check out China Chilcano.

We ended our adventure in City Center. Every time I go, I notice new restaurants and stores opening. At the same time, my list of restaurants I want to try gets longer. Can't complain about that. :) They have super cute decorations for the Cherry Blossom season. Enjoy the pictures!

Sunday Funday in Georgetown

My cousin from Boston was in town this weekend and I decided to plan a day in Georgetown with the gals. There are so many stores and restaurants. A few of my favorite stores in Georgetown that I like to stop by are Anthropologie, AllSaints, Zara, Club Monaco, Cusp, Kate Spade, Nike, and Tory Burch. There are many more so when you're in town definitely make a visit. You can stop by Baked and Wired to get your coffee and cupcake (seriously the best) and do your shopping. ;)

We arrived to Georgetown around lunch time and decided to check out Chaia. Hands down best veggie tacos I've had! I got the mushroom and creamy kale + potato tacos. Of course,  I had to get their two sides: black beans with jalapeno crema and green rice. It was yummy! I know that I'll be coming back to try the other tacos. The inside is very clean and simple. Love the interior decoration.

After, having our tacos we walked around and decided to go into another restaurant called Bodega for happy hour and Spanish tapas. YES! Bodega has happy hour on a Sunday from 4-7pm. I wanted to have a refreshing and light drink so I went for the Cucumber Collins. We laughed and had a great time. We still had one last stop and that was Baked and Wired. We walked on over and I got my latte. Once we got our coffee we headed on over to sit next to the Potomac River to watch the ducks and the sunset. Overall, it was a great Sunday!