Recipe of the Week: Graffiato Restaurant Review

I've been dreaming of going to Top Chef Alum, Mike Isabella's Washington D.C. restaurant since last fall. Then, my trip to D.C. was cancelled due to hurricane Sandy.

Last Saturday night, I managed to sneak away after our 5PM meet and greet and enjoyed a fabulous meal at Graffiato with my friend, Margaret.

In June 2011, Chef Isabella opened Graffiato, an Italian inspired restaurant in the Chinatown district of D.C.  The 130 seat restaurant allows Chef Mike to have great interaction with guests while he crafts comforting dishes from seasonal products.

The two story layout features an open bar on the second floor and a large wood oven tucked behind a U-shaped counter with 15 bar stools on the first floor.  Both areas encourage dialogue between the guests and the chef.

Chef Mike serves seasonal, artisanal pizza, pasta and small plates inspired by the food he grew up eating in New Jersey, prepared by his Italian-American grandmother.

Here is what I enjoyed!

 Caesar Salad with Cream Cheese Croutons - $8

 Wood Oven Scallops with Kohirabi, Blood Orange and Radish - $14

 Banana Cake - $6

The restaurant has a really hip vibe and was completely packed with some of D.C.'s most beautiful people.


I had an amazing evening out in D.C.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Pictures of Washington D.C.

 

4/20/13 - U.S. Capitol

I spent last Saturday afternoon through Monday evening in our nation's capitol.

Our hotel, The Washington Court on Capital Hill was centrally located with amazing views of the capitol.

My trip was quite short and spent mostly indoors in meetings.

Here are a few pictures I managed to take!

Enjoy!
Stacy

A special thank you to my amazing friend, Gwen who suggested that we take a walk over to the capitol on Saturday afternoon.  It was a beautiful day!

We were all dead-dog tired from our 18 hour train ride, but our hotel rooms were not ready for check-in.  Had Gwen not suggested that we take a walk, I probably would not have had the chance to get out an about again during the weekend.

 Gwen and Stacy - Washington Monument in the background

Our hotel was just 4 blocks from Union Station and about 3/4 mile from the steps of the Capitol

Washington Court Hotel

I was quite impressed with the hotel's food.  I had a light lunch of a delicious crab cake upon our arrival on Saturday.  

Gwen and I were amazed at the hundreds of tulips and flowers in full bloom near the capitol.

A view from the 16th floor of our hotel

Amtrak: Heading to D.C. on the Capitol Limited

Last Friday, I flew from Portland to Chicago then hopped aboard the Capitol Limited for an 18 hour journey to Washington, D.C.

My trip was supposed to take place last November, but hurricane Sandy cancelled our conference.

 

Union Station - Chicago

The Capitol Limited connects Chicago to Washington D. C. and runs 764 miles (18 hours).  Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Capitol Limited which ended in 1971 upon the formation of Amtrak.

Here was my route and some pictures of my journey!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Union Station - Chicago

Chicago

We pulled out of Chicago just after 6PM.  The city is very impressive!  I toured the train, got cozy in my roomette, grabbed a Chardonnay and relaxed.  Let the journey begin!

 

South Bend:

To many.....synonymous with Notre Dame University.  It's also the place to set your watch ahead one hour.  We are on east coast time, now!

Waterloo

The last stop in Indiana.  Founded in 1856, the town was named for its co-founder, Miles Waterman. Some wanted the town to be named Waterman, but he declined this honor and supported

Waterloo, a popular name not only in this area but across the U.S.; there are 30 such towns in 26 states currently in existence.

Indiana/Ohio State Line

Cleveland

The largest city in the state, a leading manufacturing, trading and cultural center in the Midwest, and home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.  The city lies on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River; the half-mile-wide river valley divides the city into

an east and west side.

Ohio/Pennsylvania State Line

Pittsburgh

It sits between the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, which join here to form the Ohio River. George Washington first surveyed the site in 1753 after being sent to report on its military potential.

Pittsburgh has 446 bridges, besting Venice Italy, and its steeply sloped topography can be traversed by 712 sets of stairs comprising more than 24,000 vertical ft. – greater than San Francisco, Portland and Cincinnati combined.

Long known as the “Steel City,” a more appropriate name today might be the Renaissance City. The first such renaissance occurred following World War II when a $550 million program to cut pollution was put into effect. The 1970s and 1980s offered yet a second renaissance, shifting from a manufacturing economy to one based upon service and technology, and an urban transformation bringing about new office and shopping complexes. Today, not a single ton of steel is produced here or anywhere nearby.

Just outside of Connellsville, Pennsylvania daylight breaks on Saturday!

   Saturday Morning Pancakes

Kaufmann’s Run marks a small stream flowing down from the famous home, “Fallingwater,” designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and commissioned by the Edgar Kaufmann Sr., owner of the famous

department store in Pittsburgh.

 
Saddle Rock Curve Shortly after leaving Markleton, the train veered left and a large boulder, shaped like a western saddle, becomes visible on the right.

Meyersdale 

To the right side of the train is Mount Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania at 3,213 ft.

Sand Patch marks the summit of the Alleghenies and the Eastern Continental Divide. Rain falling on the west end of the tunnel flows to the Gulf of Mexico and rain falling at the east end of the tunnel flows to the Atlantic Ocean.

Pennsylvania/Maryland State Line

The state line doubles here as the famous Mason/Dixon Line.  Known by most people as the dividing line between free and slave states before the Civil War, the line was actually surveyed between 1763

and 1767 to settle another dispute – which state owned which land. English astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon undertook the task to divide Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia (then a part of Virginia).

The Cumberland Gap

This natural gap in the mountains has provided people with East/West passage for centuries. On the east end is famous Lover’s Leap. Legend holds than an Indian princess fell in love with

a federal soldier; the couple wished to wed but the princess’ father forbade it. In despair, they climbed to the top of a 1,000-ft. cliff of Wills Mountain (to the right) and leapt to their death.

Maryland/West Virginia State Line

Kesslers Bridge/Graham Tunnel

When entering and exiting the 1,592-foot tunnel, we are in West Virginia – but while traveling through it, we are in Maryland. West Virginians are prone to joke that you see the best

part of Maryland inside the tunnel. 

What remains of the round house, perhaps?

MARTINSBURG

The station, a red brick four-story building with two wooden porches, is the oldest working train station in the U.S., having been in continuous use for over 160 years. Built in 1847, it is the only structure in Martinsburg to survive the destruction of the Civil War, and is a designated a National Historic Landmark. The town and the railroad complex on the left changed hands many times during

the conflict. 

From here on into Washington, there were gently rolling hills and peaceful farmland.  There were also the haunts of both Confederate and Union armies.

HARPERS FERRY 

This is where Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland meet, as do the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, was called by Thomas Jefferson “perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature.”

Originally a trading post, George Washington located a federal arsenal here in 1798, a decision that proved pivotal to events some 60 years later. The town became famous when, in 1859, abolitionist John Brown and his small band tried to seize the facility and touch off a slave revolt in the southern states. Colonel Robert E. Lee rushed federal troops to the scene on trains, the first time in history that a railroad was used for military purposes. The raid was soon ended and Brown hanged.

The Appalachian Trail 

A white lock tender’s house on the right side of the train and the ruins of a canal mark the crossing of the longest continuous footpath in the world, the 2,050-mile-long Appalachian Trail.

Rockville

The second largest city in Maryland. After we pulled out of the station, note a small white church on a hill, St. Mary’s, final resting place of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The author had expressed his desire to be

buried in the country!

Union Station - Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

On approach, to the right, a glimpse of the blue and gold dome and bell tower of the largest Roman Catholic Church in the U.S., the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is also the site of Catholic University. 

Welcome to Washington!

Old Photo Friday: School Trip to the Capitol

WHO: Brian and his elementary school (probably several classes)
WHAT: Field Trip
WHERE: Washington, D.C.
WHEN: 1969-1970 (I believe Brian mentioned he was in the 5th grade)


It's doubtful that you can locate Brian in this photo taken on the step of the capitol building (his head is turned away from the photographer...he is in the top row about half way from the right).

But you might notice the older gentleman in the lower left hand corner of the picture....this is the late Senator William V. Roth (July 22, 1921 – December 13, 2003) a lawyer and politician from Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Delaware.

Ever heard of a Roth IRA? Established in 1997, the Roth IRA was named for its chief legislative sponsor, Senator William Roth.

Enjoy!
Stacy

EAST COAST SWING - PART ONE

It’s hard to believe that we have been home from our trip to D.C./Delaware (and three other states…I counted Virginia on the way to the airport) for over 2 weeks now. We had a wonderful time catching up with family and Brian enjoyed sharing with me the roots of his youth.

Thanks to Alaska Airlines miles, we flew into Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 21st non-stop from Seattle and arrived just after 9PM. As we were walking to baggage claim, in the distance I saw the United States Capitol Building - an awesome sight illuminated in the distance. We retrieved our rental car (from “Little Richard’s” twin brother) and drove to our hotel room which was situated less than a mile from the White House and the National Mall (an open-area national park, it is the site of gardens, museums, national monuments and memorials). Being on “West Coast Time” afforded us the luxury of a D.C. nightcap, which we enjoyed at the Old Ebbets Grill (the best pineapple upside down cake on the planet).

Day One: Sunday, April 22nd – Our first stop - the White House. Lots of school groups and tourist for an early Sunday morning. We had beautiful sun and temps rising steadily. Brian had been to D.C. before, but I was amazed by all the sights. Surprisingly, I thought the White House was rather small. It was built of white-painted sandstone in the late Georgian style of architecture. The North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue is where a visiting head of state would enter (through the North Portico) for a formal state dinner or event and is also most recognizable on TV (where the reporters all do their evening news report).

We walked around to get a good look at the south lawn and past the Old Executive Office Building, now officially known as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (and formerly as the State, War, and Navy Building) which is located next to the White House. This National Historic Landmark was built between 1871 and 1888. I took a picture of a bed of bright pink tulips in front of the building. The Executive Office Building continues to house various agencies that compose the Executive Office of the President, such as the Office of the Vice President and the National Security Council.

From the White House we started down the National Mall to the National World War II Memorial which was built to honor all Americans who served in the armed forces and on the home front during World War II. It is located at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. It opened to the public on April 29, 2004. Brian and I each posed in front of our “states” and I took quite a few photos of the pools and fountains.

Next we walked to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that honors members of the U. S. armed forces who had died in service or are unaccounted for during the Vietnam War. The Memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Three Soldier’s statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial (which we did not see) and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the most recognized part of the memorial. The Memorial Wall was designed by U.S. architect, Maya Lin.

From there it was a short walk to the Lincoln Memorial. The monument is a United States Presidential Memorial built to honor our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. The building is in the form of a Greek temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by him. Brian and I read each one with a tear in our eye. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”. It was amazing to stand on the steps of the monument and look across the reflecting pool and scroll the historical images in your mind.

The temperature was beginning to increase as we walked the length of the reflecting pool and back towards the World War II memorial. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is located directly east of the Lincoln Memorial on the west end of the National Mall. The reflecting pool is approximately 2,029 feet long and 167 feet wide. It has a depth of approximately 18 inches on the sides and 30 inches in the center. It holds approximately 6,750,000 gallons of water.

We continued our journey down the National Mall and to the Washington Monument, a large, white-colored spire at the west end of the mall. It was constructed for our first president, George Washington. The monument is among the world's tallest masonry structures, standing 555 feet, 5⅛ inches in height and made of marble, granite and sandstone. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death. This hiatus in construction was because of a lack of funds and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet up clearly delineates the initial construction from its resumption in 1876.

The sun was high in the sky as Brian and I continued down the National Mall to the U.S. Capitol Reflection Pool, located directly west of the U.S. Capitol Building. The U.S. Capitol is the building that serves as the location for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government and is located on top of Capitol Hill. The building is marked by its central dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. Above these chambers are galleries where people can watch the Senate and House of Representatives. Too bad Brian and I didn’t have time for a tour!

Our D.C. tour on foot was complete. Brian and I estimated that we walked at least 5 miles that Sunday morning. I snapped 3 rolls of film and Brian took 2 dozen pictures on our digital camera. We tried to hail a taxi at the Capitol to take us back to the hotel, but managed to make it back on foot by 2PM in time to retrieve the rental car and head north out of the District of Columbia through Maryland to Newark, Delaware - our next stop.

Stace