Chick-fil-A Breakfast

We had an appointment for our Subaru. Of course, routine oil and filter always turns in to something more and this time was no exception. So our hour wait turned in to three. Rather than catch an Uber home and back, and since we already took a two mile morning walk, we decided to stick it out and get a bite to eat. So we walked over to the Chick-fil-A that was just down the street. We never had breakfast at Chick-fil-A and the menu was a lot like any other fast food place including Waffle House. We decided to get the scramble bowl with sausage meal for one and just a bowl for the other. We sat outside in front of the store and enjoyed what would have been a long wait at the dealership. The food was okay and we were sorry that we didn’t get some sort of bread. I am always amazed how organized Chick-fil-A is. Anyway, this morning turned in to an adventure. I don’t want to do it again anytime soon. 

Pete’s, Royal, and McLean Family Restaurant Breakfast

Since getting plantar fasciitis almost two months ago it has put a real crimp in our routine. Since the exercises and the splints and the ice rolls weren’t doing the trick I decided to stop walking for a week. That meant our daily two mile morning walk came to an end. Aside from that my husband has been experiencing issues that require doctor visits and tests at the outpatient facility. So rather than make breakfast after having a CT scan, we went to our favorite breakfast place McLean Family Restaurant on Monday. Then we decided to take a ride to Old Town Alexandria on Wednesday and sat by the waterfront for a bit. Then we headed to Royal, another favorite breakfast place afterwards. Then our grandson - who is finishing up his internship and staying in a basement apartment in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood - said he was free for lunch. So yesterday we drove in to DC, parked in our old neighborhood, saw his apartment, then walked over to another one of our favorite breakfast places - Pete’s - right across from the Library of Congress where I used to work. We hadn’t been there since we moved to Northern Virginia five years ago but the owner still recognized us and we had a nice chat. So all I have been doing is eating and putting on weight which is the last thing I want to do. We absolutely enjoyed our breakfasts at each of our favorite spots - but not all in one week!! I need to start walking again!

Return to McLean Family Restaurant After Three Years

I’m not going to say that we moved to northern Virginia for this reason, but we used to drive every Saturday from

Capitol Hill to McLean Family Restaurant for breakfast. Afterwards we did our grocery shopping and drove back home. It was a ritual. We even gave Christmas cards to our favorite staff. So when we finally did move to northern Virginia over four years ago we really liked the idea of walking to the restaurant rather than driving when we could. We knew everyone at this restaurant and they had the coffee on the table before we even sat down. Then the pandemic came and we hadn’t been back for over three years - until yesterday. We finally decided that it was time to go back for breakfast, but this time it was during the week and not the weekend. The cashier was the same, but everyone else had changed over except for two wait staff. We were seated in a usual spot and it took a minute to remember what we used to order. But it didn’t take long to remember, including some soup of the day. After a bit we started chatting with the wait staff that was one of the few remaining. It was so nice to see a familiar face. While checking out we told the cashier we hadn’t been in for over three years and he claimed to remember us. He said he hoped it would not be another three years for our next visit. So many restaurants have closed so it’s nice to know this one survived. We are happy to continue to support it. It’s just one of those things. 

Persian Taarof and Breakfast

For the first time in over two years we made plans to visit with old friends for breakfast. I’ve known them for fifty years! She was in Florida State nursing school with me; her husband was her boyfriend then. My husband first met them on a trip through Tallahassee on our way to visit my parents eons ago. We followed each other’s lives since graduation. He worked in Alexandria for a few years when we first moved to DC and she would commute in and out from their home on the west coast. So we got reacquainted. We had the opportunity to meet up this week and it was grand. As always the issue of who pays gets raised. We insisted because they were our guests. They were staying in Williamsburg and drove in from there. The least we could do was pay for breakfast. And when you’ve been with an Iranian as long as I have you learn about Taarof.  My husband once lost a favorite tie when he offered it to someone who admired it. When he asked if they would like it they literally took it! Another example/joke: a lady is having twins, at the time of delivery each one of the twins says “you go first: and keep going back and forth. Finally, there are two old men still in utero saying “you go first.” Anyway we had such a wonderful time. It was like no time had passed since the last time we were face to face about 6-7 years ago. We have stayed in touch and I’m so glad we have. It makes all the difference in the world. 

According to Wikipedia: 

“Taarof is a ritual politeness that levels the playing field and promotes equality in a hierarchical culture.^[2] Taarof between friends, or a host and guest, emphasizes the value of friendship as a priority to everything else in the world.^[3] Another understanding is that taarof is a way of managing social relations with decorous manners. It could be used as a basis for mutual goodwill (positively) or as "a social or political weapon that confuses the recipient and puts him at a disadvantage" (negatively).^[4] Those who are intimately familiar with Iranian culture seem to agree that taarof is one of the most fundamental things to understand about Iranian culture.^[1][5][6]” 

Fresh Baguette

I took French in high school because my sister did. The only alternative was Spanish - which probably would have been a lot more useful. I took a couple more French language classes in college. One of my husband’s medical school classmates lives in France. We both tried very hard to brush up on our French when we went to visit. They all ended sparking Persian instead. I was never good at conversational French, but could read it rather well. So when the new Fresh Baguette Shop opened last week we thought we would wait a week before trying it out. There were several customers waiting in line in front of us. There was a small outdoor seating area and another small area inside. It is counter service so we looked around at the options. We decided on a baguette - of course - a croissant, cinnamon bun, and an unexpected quiche that we would take home for breakfast. As usual the baguette is a bit too hard for us to eat - especially if you have any dental problems! The quiche and the croissant were excellent, although none of these things could be eaten on a daily basis. We took everything home and finished our breakfast with the usual fruit and saved the cinnamon roll for dessert later this evening. It’s nice to see a new place open in the neighborhood since the pandemic closed three of our favorite restaurants. Would we go back? Maybe. I’m glad we tried it and we hope it does well. Every once in a while a quiche sounds good. As for speaking French? I don’t have a gift for language.

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls

I used to love Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. I remember making them as a kid and particularly liked the frosting. I always liked cinnamon rolls anyway - especially right out of the oven. Every once in a while on a road trip on the turnpike we would get a cinabun. We haven’t had a cinnamon roll for a very long time. So when we were grocery shopping last week we picked up the pillsbury roll package. Yesterday was a good day to try them out. Although it’s been years it felt like yesterday opening the package and hearing the “pop” to expose the product. On an ungreased cookie sheet the round dough was placed in a circular pattern. After fifteen minutes in the oven they were a touch overdone but it didn’t matter. The smell in the house was lovely! Then the icing was scooped on to the hot buns. I couldn’t wait to get a taste. And it was simply delicious! I went a bit overboard and had three of them. My husband had one. So we saved the other four for another day - today! They don’t taste as good the second time around but it hardly mattered. It brought back some wonderful childhood memories. And it was well worth the effort! 

Pillsbury Biscuits

My husband has coffee when he gets up very early at 6:00. I get up around 8:30 and have a swig too. Every day around 11:30 we have “brunch.” After a morning walk we come home and have the usual items - eggs of some sort, bread of all kinds to add cheese and jelly, and fruit. Sometimes we will share a single sausage or have small potato pancake sides. At the grocery store this week we noticed some Pillsbury items that we have overlooked for many years. We do get the French bread, but never the biscuits. So we decided we would give them a try. I’ve always liked biscuits and it’s been a while since we have had any since we don’t ever go out for breakfast anymore. For that matter we don’t go out for any meal anymore. So we got out the cookie sheet and followed the directions, placing the eight dough pieces and putting them in the oven for the allotted time. It’s not something that we would have that often, but it was a really nice change of pace. They were delicious! I prefer them with jelly - this time it was grape. So we froze the remaining four and had two more today, along with the eggs, bread, and fruit. We end up eating twice a day and that has been our pattern for many years. Luckily we enjoy the brunch time. It’s nice to switch it up once in a while. Maybe next week we will try the cinnamon rolls. 

The End of the Petit Basque

We love cheese - but only a certain few. We eat it sparingly every day for breakfast along with French,  pita, bagels, or English muffins, scrambled eggs with spinach or over hard, and fruit of some sort. We usually have Boursin cheese with herbs and garlic and Alouette crème de Brie. Lately we have also been getting a Boar’s Head hard white cheddar cheese. Once in a while we split either a waffle or French toast and sausage. We discovered a wonderful hard cheese when we were visiting friends in France many years ago. When we came back home, petit basque was recommended as a substitute. It’s not easy to find and is very expensive. So we were thrilled to get a whole “wheel” of petit basque for Christmas from our family. They know how much we love it and also know that we prefer consumable gifts over things. Sadly, today was the last day of the cheese. When we opened it a few weeks back we saved half of it in the freezer while we munched on the first half. It surprisingly lasts very well in spite of what one might think. So it was with a great deal of sadness that it all disappeared. But it certainly was worth it! 

Ma Fischer’s Restaurant

We lived in Milwaukee for over thirty years. There are a lot of places we frequented for breakfast. One of them was Ma Fischer's located on the East Side. This area was also known to us because my hair stylist had a shop just up the street. Palermo Villa was a favorite - we had my husband’s surprise 50th birthday party there. I don’t think it’s around any more. And one of the best pizza places by far was Pizza Man. Unfortunately it burned down after we moved, but it was rebuilt and there are now three locations. And of course, the Oriental Theater is located just next door. We were there all the time - maybe every week - to catch independent and other movies. So while we are visiting in the old home town this week, we decided to walk over to Ma Fischer’s for old time sake. We are staying at Park Lafayette Towers and it’s just a block or two away. The neighborhood has changed - like most places - there are new apartment complexes and shops. St. Mary’s Hospital now belongs to Ascension, formerly Wheaton Franciscan - my old employee. The weather is gloomy with storms all day. But to see Ma Fischer’s was a treat. 

Ted’s Bulletin Open Table Reservation for an Unexpected Visitor

Sometimes when we walk in the morning it feels like a good idea to stop somewhere for breakfast. That way we don’t have to think about having to make anything when we get home or drive to lunch somewhere. When we are in the Barracks Row neighborhood Ted’s Bulletin is that place. We usually get there after the morning rush and before the lunch crowd. We learned on Sunday that we would be having an out of town guest that was free to meet up with us yesterday morning. So we thought Ted’s Bulletin would be a quaint place to go - complete with Three Stooges movies. My husband didn’t think we needed reservations but I thought better - particularly since it was during the prime time breakfast hour and spring crowds are starting to show up. It was a good thing I did use open table to reserve a spot because it was packed when we got there as well as the whole time we were there. Our usual wait staff wasn’t there, but our favorite bartender was. She gave my husband his favorite drink on the house. But he always gets back and left her a huge tip on our way out. We had a nice chat and visit with our friend and left in enough time to taxi him to his next appointment. We need to find other breakfast places around here - just in case. 

Shake Shack Breakfast and Wine Pick Up at Schneider’s

Our usual morning walk started out the same. But we were on a mission as well. Because the HVAC people were coming in to check building filters and pipes, we knew we would have breakfast while we were out. And since it was a scorcher - again - we headed to the air conditioned Union Station. After walking all three levels twice around we checked on Chick Fil A, but decided on Shake Shack instead. So we sat in the main hall and watched all the interesting sights. Then we went outside in to the dreadful heat and walked a couple of blocks to Schneider’s of Capitol Hill Fine Wine and Spirits. For being just 1030 in the morning, the place was crawling with activity. We were asked by our daughter in law (who now lives in Virginia) if we would mind picking up a bottle of wine that they would be needing in time for a wedding this weekend. She had made arrangements with the place to let them know we would be there. So when we arrived, the bottle was ready and waiting. We have passed by Schneider’s many times during our walks in the neighborhood but had never been inside. I guess it is a landmark of sorts and the family history goes back to 1917. Yesterday was a weird day with the building washing machines needing service, planning a last minute get away to see Billy Bob Thornton’s band play in Virginia, and digesting a very large bill about a water leak. So today was much more pleasant, but different from, our usual routine. 

Portrait Gallery and Cosi

With low humidities we dared to venture on another “tourist” visit by foot. This time it would be to the National Portrait Gallery. Past adventures have included Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, the Renwick Gallery, and the Cézanne exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Now I am compiling a check off list of possible options. The idea is to do something different once a week and get to know the city more after having lived here twelve years. Depending on the weather and the distance the mini visits can include metro rides, which my husband loves and I don’t. And when possible we try to mix in breakfast or lunch based on our mood and location. So we walked up to eighth street and turned down by the Navy Memorial off Pennsylvania Avenue, past our grandson’s old school before they moved to Virginia, and on to the Portrait Gallery - taking care to stay under the shade. The plan was to catch the bus back home so we wouldn’t be completely exhausted. It seemed rather quiet in front of the building and we realized why - the place doesn’t open until 1130! That was a huge disappointment. I didn’t even bother to look before we left because everything on the Mall opens at 1000. So we turned around and started looking for a breakfast stop. Nothing appealed to us until we reached Cosi by the court house. So we stopped in just to have something. So we ended up walking about three miles - more than usual which is about 2.5. It will be difficult to get my husband to head that way again. He wasn’t too keen about it to begin with. We’ve been there before, but he just wasn’t in the mood. Maybe a spin on the merry go round on the Mall will be next? He likes that option even less.