Benediction #65
Mollie | a D.C. area restaurant tour & two great books
Greetings from D.C.! I came for a conference earlier in the week and am staying with Jenny through Sunday. I love the frequency with which my job brings me out here. D.C. is a place I love spending time, but don’t think I’d necessarily want to live. But I’ll take any excuse to head east, eat good food, and hang with my BFF.
No other deep thoughts to share this month but I do have some solid recs:
eating
When Zach asked me what I was going to do in D.C. this week, I responded, “eat.” (I have, in fact, done other things, but the food is always the start of the show.) It feels appropriate to share all of the restaurants from this trip:
Chicken Pad Thai from Kiin Imm Thai, which I’m now calling a tradition for this conference
Agora (the Tysons Corner location, but there’s a D.C. location too)
A late dinner at Le Diplomate to kick things off (my first time!)
A working lunch at Tatte Bakery & Cafe
Maydan was exceptional (thanks for the rec, Gwen!)
Breakfast at Call Your Mother (big city nearly always means bagels for me).
Dinner at Caruso’s Grocery
While I love a good restaurant scene tour, I cannot wait to get back in my own kitchen next week!
reading
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano — I *love* a generational family drama, and Ann Napolitano’s second book did not leave me disappointed. This book follows the Padavano sisters and William Waters, who marries into the family. Their story is complicated and I’m pretty sure I felt every emotion reading it.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros — You’ve probably been seeing this book everywhere, as it has absolutely exploded in the last couple months. I’m recommending this as someone who hasn’t historically been into fantasy genre but LOVED this. It’s an easy read (or listen — I listened). I’ve heard it described as a cross between Harry Potter and Hunger Games but with dragons. The language can be a little much (I don’t mind cussing one bit but it felt a little superfluous at times?) and there is a steamy warning. But I can’t wait for the second book of the series to come out in November.
loving
Glossier Boy Brow — I can’t believe I waited this long to try the cult fave! I love that Glossier is now at Sephora and I picked this up last time I went in store. It adds just enough to my brows and leaves me feeling that much more polished. I got dark brown.
My Morning “On-Ramp” — On the days Hap goes to the babysitter, I have a particular routine that has really worked well for me lately. Previously the time between waking up and starting work felt like this large but lost chunk of time… after getting ready and getting Hap ready, this is what we do:
8:00 - go get coffee, then drop Hap off
8:30 - get home and do a “house reset.” This includes picking up toys and resetting the living room, maybe starting a load of laundry, wiping off the kitchen counters, etc. Sometimes it only takes 15 minutes and sometimes I use the full 30.
9:00 - begin working (or earlier, if the reset doesn’t take too long)
This routine is about to change a bit again when Hap has a more consistent childcare schedule starting in August, but for now, it works and I’ve appreciated the sanity and consistency it has provided.
See y’all next time!
Wishing you well,
Mollie