Vapiano

Looking for a different twist on the "fast casual" restaurant concept? Check out German-born chain Vapiano. When you enter, you might be confused as to whether it's a bar, a lounge, a cafeteria, or a restaurant. It is actually a little bit of each of those things.

When you enter (after passing the cheesy velvet ropes) you're handed a "chip card" that looks pretty much like a SmarTrip card. You then head to one of the food stations to peruse the menu and place your order. They have stations for pasta, pizza, and salad, as well as a large bar area. You place your order directly with the chef and they cook your food while you watch. Once your order is ready, you scan your chip card and it keeps track of what you've ordered. You can move from station to station, ordering what you'd like, and scanning your card as you go. After your meal, you present your card to the cashier at the front and pay your bill. Each person in your party will be handed their own chip card, making splitting the check easy.

Once you have your food, you can take a seat at one of the communal-style tables (complete with herb gardens in the middle) or in the lounge area near the bar. While I thought the concept was unique, there were a couple of downsides. First, the plants on the table were a neat idea but there were lots of little flies buzzing around, which isn't exactly what you want while you're eating. Second, we were confused about where to get water (the bartender) and to-go boxes (one of the chefs behind the pasta station). We would have benefited from someone walking the floor and answering questions rather than us having to wander about indefinitely until we found someone to ask.

So, is Vapiano all about the gimmicky concept or does the food make it worth a visit? We both thought our dishes were good, but nothing amazing. Since many of the dishes are customizable, it could be our fault for not ordering anything unique. I tried the Arrabiata Pasta with campanelle (a fun bell-shaped pasta). It was really spicy thanks to the heavy dose of red thai chilis. Nothing to complain about, but nothing so memorable that I'll be running back to try this dish again.

B tried the Granchi De Fiume (fettuccine, crayfish, lobster sauce, and fresh vegetables) which was packed with fresh veggies and topped with a healthy dusting of parmesan cheese. Another solid dish, but nothing that knocked our socks off.

Overall, I think Vapiano is worth a visit if only to grab a drink and to check out the unique card concept. We both think that it would be a fun first date place because of its casual yet kind of fancy atmosphere. We visited the Penn Quarter location, but if you tend to stick toward the Dupont Circle side of town, there is a Vapiano at 18th and M.

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY B!

Second Thoughts from B

Usually J and I are on the same page but I think my impression of Vapiano differs from hers on this one. To be clear, I don't disagree with her review of the food. The flavors were solid, though nothing spectacular, the portions were generous, and the prices appropriate. However, I'm a lot more excited about this addition to our city's culinary repertoire. We have plenty of cheap eats and plenty of fine dining options, but we're lacking in the mid-range casual sitdown restaurant area, and I believe Vapiano fits the bill perfectly.

Often times when you're out with a group of friends and the meal isn't the focal point of the night, you need a place that is centrally located, not too expensive, and with a menu flexible enough to accomodate everyone. It is no surprise that Vapiano can be found in Dupont and Chinatown for this very reason. At least for me, I'll be adding it to my shortlist of suggestions for the next time I'm charged with leading a hungry, yet indecisive group.

D.C.'s Historic Snowstorm of 2009

We told you about the disaster that ensues whenever weather comes into our life (read about it here). But for all the ignorance and confusion, we also get to enjoy a lot of "firsts" together with the same innocent excitement. However, I think it is safe to say that the snowstorm that hit D.C. yesterday was a first for most people considering it was the 3rd largest in recorded history. But for those of you who didn't get to wander the snow-covered, post-apocalyptic world of downtown or the winter wonderland of the mall, here's a few of our favorite pictures.

Downtown was filled with countless snow mounds that were once cars.

You thought it sucked to get your car snowed in? Try getting snowed in and getting a snow emergency ticket too. See that partially dug out hole on the top? There's a pink parking ticket in there under the frozen solid windshield wiper.

I love the amazing white landscapes, but also the smaller and less obvious sources of beauty.

Navy Memorial. The statue looks appropriately bundled up.

Like many others, we built a snowman on the Mall. Is it 5 feet or 5 inches tall? We'll never tell.

The National Christmas Tree has got nothing on the Capitol Christmas Tree.

We were happy to see that Capitol police allowed this perfect stereotype of fun in the snow. (We were also jealous of these kids and their sleds)

I would argue that nothing is more beautiful than freshly fallen snow on large trees.

A city blanketed in white to match its most famous residence.

Stay warm and stay safe on the slippery roads. Wishing you a very happy holiday season!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

If you're from the Midwest, or the Northeast, or really, anywhere that gets weather, prepare for a good laugh at our expense. However, if you're a recent D.C. transplant and this is the first time snow has come to you as opposed to you going to the snow, listen up.

It has been beaten to death on this blog that we're Southern California kids through and through. And while D.C. and L.A. have many differences, we've found the transition to be much easier than expected. But the one thing that still makes us feel like fish out of water is the weather.

Consider this: Not only had we never experienced a "white Christmas," we'd never really gone through a cold Christmas until we moved here. Most people understand that a house might be cold when you wake up to see if Santa came. But have you ever had to open a window to warm up the house on Christmas day? That is our "normal," so you can imagine how we might react to snow.

Three things about weather and us. First, our wardrobes were sorely insufficient. Believe it or not, the only weather related decision you need to make in SoCal is if you need a hoodie or not. Not surprisingly, we quickly learned that this was not the case here.

Second, we are paralyzingly awestruck by weather. If it is even threatening to rain hard, much less snowing, our eyes are glued to the nearest window or monitoring the forecast feverishly. This is one of my favorite things about our new home; being able to revel in the childish wonderment of weather, be it the changing of the seasons or beautifully falling snow.

Finally, we were just ignorant to anything but a light drizzle. You know the radar maps that use a color code to show the intensity of precipitation? You probably could have convinced us that weather systems were only shown in light green. White, purple, and red storms just don't exist where we come from. It has been eye opening to say the least. Thunder, lightning, hail, sleet, freezing rain . . . all new to our world. In fact, I had to get an explanation from a friend in Colorado when I first saw "wintry mix" on the forecast. Now I'm hearing "thundering snow." What the hell is that?

By now you're either laughing at our stupidity or nodding in agreement, depending on where you grew up. For those in the latter group, here's what you can do.

1. Dress the part. If a cold day in your mind means the 50's, don't go out thinking you can tackle a real winter with your old wardrobe. Get a good long coat. Get some boots that are waterproof. Get a real umbrella, not something you pick up at CVS and will break almost immediately. And for those icy walks to work, look into YakTrax.
2. Pay attention. The weather report on the local news was always an invitation to do something else. Not anymore. Make it part of your routine to glance at the weather daily. We went so far as to get a weather clock for our bathroom from Brookstone so we'll never be caught unprepared in a storm again . . . we hope.

With a couple of simple adjustments, we are no longer afraid or inconvenienced by the weather here, and can now enjoy it. Maybe after a few more seasons of thunderstorms and snow we won't be captivated as we are now, but until then, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

J Says

Like B said, I'm completely awestruck by the weather in D.C. Whenever there is a big summer thunderstorm or a few flakes of snow, there's no chance I'm getting any work done because I'm glued to the window.

As I type, I'm filled with excitement for the pending snowstorm. I'm sure that living with a lot of snow would get old (driving in it, trudging through it, etc.) but I'm excited for one really big storm.

Also, I have to echo what B wrote about dressing for the weather. I still don't have all of the right clothes for winter but I'm getting there. This winter, you're likely to see me bundled up like the kids in A Christmas Story. Just don't knock me over!

Family Time for All - Wii

When I was little, I bought an original 8-bit Nintendo, and like many people of my generation, Mario became a significant part of my world. While it was always a mainstay at birthday parties and late night sleepovers, it never seemed to cross the generational divide. Sure, my parents, grandparents, and babysitters were all gracious enough to get whupped by a 5th grader at the latest digital adventure, but in retrospect, I'd hardly call it quality time.

Fast forward 20 years to a point where video games had gone the way of baseball cards, Legos, and Thundercats. The graphics and player controls had evolved, but so had I. No longer could I up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start with the best of them. Worse yet, it could be said that I had become "too old" for modern day video games (reminiscing about controllers with only 2 buttons clued me in). Until the Wii.

As we described earlier, J and I hosted Thanksgiving in D.C. this year (see post here). Clearly, there is no shortage of sights to see in this city (read our favorites here), but when weary feet and stormy weather pushed the party indoors, what was this merged, multi-generational family to do? In the past, family board games would rule. Pictionary, Mah Jong, Cranium, and Trivial Pursuit are all favorites. But this year it was The Beatles Rock Band on Wii. Over the course of a few days, the parts of John, Paul, George, and Ringo were played by people as young as 11 and as old as... well... old enough to appreciate the game's Ed Sullivan sound clips.

My point is that a product that once divided generations has now found a form that unites them. And in this holiday season, when we think about gift giving and quality family time, I feel like I must say thanks to the Beatles and especially to Nintendo for enhancing our Thanksgiving. It's good to have you back in my life!

J Says

I am a really terrible drummer. Once I start getting my hands to sense the rhythm, I have to add in the kick drum and then it all falls apart. Silly kick drum.

Even though I'm a really bad drummer, I have a blast playing Beatles Rock Band. During Thanksgiving week, we shared a ton of laughs while attempting to play along with hits such as "Eight Days a Week" and "Ticket to Ride." Even if you have no musical talent, you can have fun drumming, strumming, or even just humming along.

We're a really, really good Pictionary team (I correctly guessed "radiation" after B drew one squiggly line) but since you can only play Pictionary with a group, we needed a new game. The Wii has been a great addition to our household. We have a blast trying to beat each other's records on the Wii Fit. I can't beat B in ski jumping but he can't touch me in soccer ball heading.

Whether you're home alone or entertaining a crowd, the Wii can lead to some hilarious antics. Just watch out for that kick drum.