Proof, Washington DC

Long work hours, stressful relocation meetings, toxic friends and all sort of other troubling factors necessitated a weekend away from the maddening crowd. We chose to drive away on the Thursday before Easter and decided to have quiet solo-time in Washington DC. Incidentally, because of the early warm weather, the peak of the cherry blossoms came a week early and we were just in time for it.

On Friday evening we discovered a fantastic wine bar and restaurant just close to the hotel: Proof, located at 775 G Street. The wine bar was superb and so were the cheese and charcuterie selections.

For starters we had the lentil soup and the foie gras to accompany our Spanish wines - I had white and he had red. Then I ordered the fennel encrusted pork loin which sat in a bed of risotto with fuji apples. It was delicious - the meat was juicy and tender and the flavors complimenting the spices. My friend ordered the duck confit which he enjoyed so much he cleaned out his plate!

The ambiance of the place was ultra sophisticated. The music wa

sn't too loud that it allowed for dinner conversation without needing to scream at each other across the table. The flow of guests were endless - constantly keeping the restaurant packed to seating capacity. The staff were very accommodating that the hostess even apologized to us because she couldn't sit us within the promised 15 minutes. Mind you, we had no reservations. In New York we could may as well have spent the night on the waiting couch!

To end the evening, we decided to share a chocolate mousse and some port wine. It was the perfect culmination to an already perfect dinner. The bittersweet perfection of the chocolate and the melt-in-your mouth goodness of the mousse was heavenly.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend vacation that was a panacea to all our troubles. Plus, I got my iPad from the Clarendon, VA Apple store on the day of the launch, 3 April within 25 minutes of the store's opening!

M

New York City