The Happy Tummy List

One of the great perks of working at a university is getting a few days off each year for Spring Break. Unfortunately, going to a tropical location and sipping drinks by the water wasn't in the cards for us this year (damn you adulthood!). Instead, we used Spring Break as an opportunity to check out a restaurant from our list and have some fun. Last week, we made our way to Bethesda, MD to have lunch at  Gringos & Mariachis . We both really like Mexican food, so it was a very easy decision to check out this spot, eat some tacos, and enjoy some margaritas! Simone's Review: I love Mexican food. If guacamole were a person then I would marry guacamole along with my fiancé. While at Gringos & Mariachis, I immediately ordered the Guacamole and Damien chose the Chorizo Stuffed Dates. The Guacamole was very fresh and delicious, and was accompanied by homemade tortilla chips, fresh pico de gallo, and spicy salsa. I was content with the Guacamole and very happy with my choic...

We ventured into DC and visited The Fainting Goat for brunch on the last Sunday of February. It was surprisingly a really beautiful day outside--bright sunshine and 70 degree temps made the walk to and from the restaurant pretty delightful. There is nothing like warm weather in February in the DMV area, right? Well, in addition to the great weather, we also enjoyed a rather incredible meal from this U Street NW neighborhood gem. Simone's Review: Going to DC for brunch is like a way of life. Add in an unusually warm day and the inevitable occurs--people come out in large groups and street parking vanishes. The Fainting Goat is located between 13th St. and 14th St. of the U Street NW neighborhood. You may almost miss the restaurant when driving by it, so be sure to look for the blue facade and upside down goat that has clearly fainted on their window. After battling the parking third level of hell, I was finally able to join Damien for brunch. The Fainting Goat's menu is ve...

We are so close to our next restaurant adventure later this month. In the meantime, we thought it would be fun to share a recipe for a great dinner that we actually prepared ourselves. As you now know, we both love to cook--Simone tends to meal prep every week, and Damien definitely dabbles in the kitchen (especially if it involves the crockpot). But one of the best meals that we have ever made and enjoyed were these Spicy Shrimp Tacos. A little back story about how we ended up making these Spicy Shrimp Tacos. We both really love seafood--it must be because we are Maryland natives. But Simone's fiancé (Hi Joe!) hates seafood, so when he is away for trips, Simone likes to whip up seafood dishes. On this particular day, Simone came across a recipe on Instagram via @born_2_transform who posted a Spicy Shrimp Tacos recipe from @feelgoodfoodie. The recipe was easy enough and looked delicious, hence Simone gave it go and invited Damien over. The shrimp in the tacos were coated in an a...

Summer is such a wonderful time for brunch and mimosas. Towards the end of summer, in September 2015 to be exact, we decided to venture out for some brunch action in DC. On this particular Sunday, we decided to go to  Central Michel Richard . The restaurant is located on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 11th Street NW, directly across from Fogo de Chão. Central has a bit of outdoor seating out front, which is delightful for some people, but we opted to sit inside. Upon entering, we quickly realized that Central Michel Richard is a very nice restaurant and that we might have been a little underdressed. Nonetheless, we were quickly escorted to a table. It is usually the case that one of us will make a reservation whenever the option is available because being "hangry" is a real thing--and thankfully we had a reservation for brunch. Central Michel Richard has a prie fixe brunch menu which offers several options for each of the three courses. Daring to be di...

For our first #TBT review, we are excited to share our experience visiting  Moby Dick Sushi in Wheaton, MD. Back on December 5, 2015, we met up at this small gem of a spot in a part of Maryland where we actually don't have too many restaurants on our list. And surprisingly, this one wasn't on our list either. We both really love sushi (a lot) and have a number of sushi restaurants on our list, but we were planning to go to a different sushi restaurant for our December food adventure. It wasn't until Simone had a conversation with a friend about his favorite sushi spots that we learned about Moby Dick Sushi. We are always open to trying a place that comes highly recommended, so we changed our plans and headed to Wheaton. Damien arrived to the restaurant before Simone. He admits that when he pulled into the parking lot, he became a bit skeptical of our decision to try this place. It is in an interesting looking strip-mall and the restaurant facade leaves a little to be ...

Bourbon was a very promising choice . We saw an Instagram post of food from there and decided to give it a try. One of us (Damien) had previously been there for dinner , so we agreed to "add it to the list" . We decided to venture out to the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC in the cold (no one likes winter weather) for brunch on Sunday, January 17th . The atmosphere of Bourbon would be perfect in the spring ; it’s not a huge place , but it is rustic and definitely comfortable inside. Bourbon does not take Sunday reservations , so we got there early to ensure that we could get a table in a reasonable amount of time. Thankfully, it wasn’t too busy and we were able to sit down right away.   Simone's Review: I previously reviewed their brunch menu online and was hell bent on ordering the Beignets with Mixed Fruit and the Fried Chicken Sandwich; however, life does not always want us to have beignets. Since the menu did not list the beignets, I opted ...

Our first blog post with a review is coming soon! We went to Bourbon in Washington, DC for brunch on Sunday, January 17th and have lots to share with you, so stay tuned for that! As we mentioned in our first post, we have already visited around 20 restaurants (some were food trucks) so far. Our hope is to post about most (if not all) of them over the next few weeks and months in between our upcoming food adventures. Maybe we'll be cool and post the reviews of the restaurants that we've already been to on #TBT and #FBF. Here are all of the restaurants that we have been to since starting our food adventures in October 2014: Graffiato Sabor de Cuba Absolute Noodle and Sushi Bar El Centro D.F. Shaw's Tavern Pho Wheels Food Truck Nage Seasons 52 Second State Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken Food Truck El Rey Po Boy Jim Wicked Waffle ShopHouse Kitchen Grilled Cheese Bar DC Stoney's Central Michel Richard The Pig Moby Dick Sushi All Set Restaurant a...