The Happy Tummy List

First of all, please let us apologize for the long delay since our last blog post. Life has been extra busy and crazy for both of us, especially as we were working hard to get through the final month of the spring semester and academic year. But we definitely missed the #HappyTummyList and are so happy to be back! Now on to our review! The semester was so close to being over and we were incredibly happy to rejoice. In an effort to celebrate the upcoming end of the semester, we decided to go to happy hour at 8407 Kitchen Bar  in Silver Spring, Maryland at the end of April (which feels like forever ago!). The restaurant is in a cozy part of downtown Silver Spring, right near the Silver Spring Metro Station. If you go, bring your appetite and change for the parking meters. The restaurant is very close to public parking, which is definitely a plus. Simone's Review: After entering the restaurant, I realized that I had not been to happy hour since it was warm outside and so I was ...

Last October, we enjoyed a great weekend visit by our close college friend, Martin. When the three of us are together, you can bet there is trouble nearby. We wanted to go somewhere special for dinner, and absolutely lucked out with our choice of Iron Rooster in Annapolis, MD. Although this restaurant wasn't on our "list", we wanted to give it a shout-out on our blog because it deserves one! Simone's Review: On this cold autumn night, my fiancé (hi Joe!) and I had just finished shooting our engagement photos in Annapolis and met Martin and Damien at the restaurant. One of two people recommended Iron Rooster to me--it was either my friend, Sara, or our wedding photographer, Jenn Casey . Once we entered the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by warm and friendly staff. The place is a little bit tight in terms of space, but it's cozy. We were quickly escorted to our table on the second floor. The menu was perfect for anyone like me who can eat breakfast fo...

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 ...