Front entrance, Wai’oli Tea Room (built 1922).
The Wai’oli Tea Room, "O’ahu’s Hidden Treasure," was one of the places I most looked forward to visiting on my recent trip to Hawai’i.
The restaurant is surrounded by a tropical garden.
I had been there decades ago, but couldn’t remember much about it, other than one could dine on the lanai, surrounded by beautiful Island greenery.
Autumn Scene, Jessie Wilcox Smith (1919)
Greetings, Ladies and Germs!
Yes, the cat in the hat is back! Well, sort of.
*yawns, strokes whiskers and assumes penetrating gaze*
So, how have you been? I must say you’re looking rather perky today. Must be the brisk fall weather — the winds of change blowing in, crisp leaves underfoot, apples for breakfast . . .
photo:-Snug-/flickr
As for me, I enjoyed my longish lunch break. Went all the way to Hawai’i to dine in the sunshine, yes I did. Another sacrifice on your behalf, dear friends. *cough*
I swear there must be somebody secretly moving those islands a few hundred miles west every year, because Hawai’i seems further and farther away the older I get. The 12-hour flight is exhausting, jet lag, the pits. If I sound incoherent the next week or so, you’ll know why. (And if, in my sleep-deprived stupor, I offhandedly offer you cash, pay no attention.)
Huong Viet received “Best Restaurant/Best Bargain Restaurant” Awards for the past five years from Washingtonian Magazine.
One of the greatest “perils” of reading and reviewing food-related books is hunger. *pant, pant*
If the writing is tantalizing enough, this hunger surpasses mere curiosity and borders on obsession. After reading Noodle Pie, I had to had to had to try some Vietnamese food. And I couldn’t wait until I found the right brand of fish sauce to make some of the recipes included in the book — no, I had to try some right away, and wanted to sample Vietnamese cooking that was as authentic as could be found in the greater D.C. area.
Perhaps you’re wondering how I could have reached my dotage respectable middle age without ever having ventured into at least one Vietnamese restaurant. My life has been happily blessed with Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, and Indian food aplenty, but never Vietnamese. I suppose since I wasn’t exposed to it growing up, it simply wasn’t on my food radar.
CakeLove storefront at Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, VA.
After meeting the man, it was time to meet his cakes.
THE SEDUCTION
They called to me, those sassy-sweet sugar sirens, from a little corner of Fair Oaks Mall, located just a few minutes from home. The newest location is a small storefront, but equally as dangerous as any of the CakeLove walk-in bakeries farther away.
Let’s say you’re at the Mall, happy with your own cute self, dutifully minding your own business, when you happen to stroll by this innocent-looking display case.
photo of 1789 Restaurant entrance by KATHERINE & RYAN.
I tried to warn Len before we left home. “Wear a sportcoat.”
We were going to 1789 in Georgetown, after all. A pricey place where traditionalists tête-à-tête in beautifully furnished period dining rooms and rattle their jewelry between courses. I did not wish for George Washington to raise his brow in disapproval, or for any of Georgetown University’s alumni to bite their thumbs.
But alas! Len paid me no heed, opting for a pair of chinos and a golf shirt. Blame it on the heat, or the indefatigable spirit of rugged New Hampshirites. Anyone who lives by the words, “Live Free or Die,” is gonna do just what he wants to do.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 