ozgirl

The card also has your traveler id # on the back of it. (in case you lose that little sheet of paper they give you) You'll need this for all of domestic/international travel reservations so that you also (are eligible) for TSA pre. I too tend to carry my card with me. You never know where you'll be when you need to book a flight somewhere.

that hotel does look cool - and the location is fantastic. looking at the map on the hotel's website, i was reminded of another restaurant that we liked... Mother's - it's a coal or wood fired pizza/italian bistro. The place is pretty big with lots of outdoor picnic tables to eat at when the weather is nice and the pizzas are good. and fwiw.. there's a grocery store pretty much next door in case you want your own food/supplemental snacks - or get tired of the atrocious service we found to be pervasive throughout all dining establishments in Copenhagen. (beyond taking your order and getting your food, and sometimes not even that - good luck getting anyone's attention... especially to get the bill.) we thought maybe it was just us, but then we found many posts about the very bad service in restaurants in Copenhagen. I wish I had more advice to give on this topic, but we never managed to solve the problem ourselves.

If you are in need of a "budget" option, Ramen Momo is great! For a big ol' bowl of ramen, it's only 17 krona, plus extra for more add-ons. Ramen Momo offers both meat-based and vegetarian styles and is delicious and the chef on duty is Tibetan and very friendly. Ramen Momo is located between the city square and the harbor, behind the Black Pearl apartments/hotel.

We were in Copenhagen 2 years ago. We stayed a full week and found it the right amount of time for touring the city, and for a day trip out to Kronberg Slot (the castle that Shakespeare based Elsinore Castle on). We stayed in the Vesterbro neighbourhood - a former industrial, but now a hip part of town and close to the train station as well as walking distance to the Tivoli. The neighbourhood had design shops, coffee shops galore, music shops, and the seemingly pre-requisite 2-3 bike shops. We also looked at staying in the Norrebro area, a more settled, established neighbourhood. I think you can't go wrong with either one. As for the design shops, the two big ones I can think of are Illum Bolighus and the Hay.. both located on the Stroget (the pedestrian only street). These places are the mecca for danish design. But, because it's Copenhagen, Danish design is everywhere - you'll find it in random shops throughout the city. Be ready for sticker shock though. My husband and I joked that the items here at Design Within Reach (which we find expensive) to actually be "within reach", compared to what we found in Copenhagen. That being said, there is an area where there are many antique shops (in Osterbro, perhaps?) where you might be able to find some mid-century modern/danish design deals. And since this is a food forum after all, I also recommend the Torvehallerne food market. We also really enjoyed the beers at the Fermentoren.

We stopped by Indique over the weekend to check out the new menu. The renovation of the space was minimal - new wall colours, maybe? Nothing jumped out at me, but the new menu was obvious, covering both new cocktails as well as food. Among the four of us, we each tried a different cocktail: the Mumbai Mule, Rickshaw Ride, District Martini, and the House of Cardamom. All were delicious. The Rickshaw mule really packs a punch and their version of a Mule, including fresh curry leaves, made for a distinctive and refreshing twist. We tried hard not to rely on our favourite staple dishes (saag paneer, aloo gobhi -- gone are the salmon sliders from the new menu). We had: sweet potato chaat trio of chutneys cauliflower chili fry paneer pasanda saag makai masala grilled cod morel vegetable stew Everything was delicious and the cooking was better than ever. It seems that the kitchen is reinvigorated by the new menu. Standout dishes were the morel stew, the masala grilled cod, and the cauliflower chili fry. The only weak dish (and it was still tasty) was the sweet potato chaat. It arrives in 3 small scoops (each in a different color of sweet potato: white, orange, and purple) on a decorative banana leaf. It looks like each scoop should be a schmear of some kind and you kind of don't know what to do with it, since there isn't an accompaniment to it. It felt like it needed a papadum or naan to put it on. But, we happily ate it as is, and it was good. Excited to try more of the menu next time. Hopefully, we're on a roll. ps. the samosa chaat is still there.

I forget if this was from Plenty or More Plenty (they tend to blend, but I am preferring More Plenty the more I use it). Anyway... there is a roasted brussels sprout recipe in one of them with grapefruit segments that is outstanding. It's a little savory and a little sweet/sour. Definitely a keeper for the sprouts recipe rotation.

Just tried the "breakfast banh mi" this morning. That is one delicious sandwich!!! The banh mi bun on it's own is always good - crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. But, the addition of a slice of their eggy frittata, combined with ever-so-slightly sweet and plenty vinegary (in a good way) vegetables, plus some mayo(?) makes for an unbelievably good sandwich. My new favourite item at Bread Furst.

I am intrigued by these delivery services and have a friend who has become a regular user of Blue Apron. He loves it! Has anyone tried The Purple Carrot? (same concept as Blue Apron and others, but provides only "plant based" meals).

On the way to La Colombe over the weekend, we passed by a new independent coffee house, Compass Coffee. We couldn't resist not checking it out. We weren't disappointed. The space is great - light, airy, with 2 large skylights in the ceiling, an industrial feel to the tables and chairs with white subway tiled walls. Definitely a place for hanging out - and there was already a presence patrons with their Mac laptops surfing/working away. While we were enjoying our cortados and rosemary/garlic biscuit, one of the owners came over to introduce himself. He and his friend, both former Marines got into coffee during their tour of duty and wanted to add to the DC coffee scene. Much, if not all of the storage units and furniture were built/welded by the 2 owners. Pretty impressive. They are roasting their own beans and the barista on duty pulled a lovely smooth and rich cortado. The biscuit was a bit chewier than I prefer, but had good flavour. Compass Coffee has only been open about a month, but the place was bustling with activity. Beans are sold in tin canisters which are treated like growlers in the way that you get a $1 discount when you bring the canister back for a refill of your next bean purchase. We are big fans of La Colombe, but are excited to also support Compass Coffee in their venture. It's a great new addition to the DC independent coffee scene.

Mr. Ozgirl and I went to Frankly... Friday night after reading the comments here. (gotta love this site!) We were not disappointed. What a little gem - tucked away from Connecticut Ave, behind a Safeway. It was a lovely night and we were able to score a table in their patio area. Since it was our first time, we wanted to try as much as possible off the menu. We started with a bowl of assorted olives and the arugula salad. The salad was great! There is a strong hit of lemon zest in the dressing and it's a wonder and completely unexpected pleasant surprise. I found the lemon to be addictive and I wanted more salad - just so i could get more hits of the lemon zest. We also ordered the mushroom and spinach pizzas. Both really lovely. The crust had nice charred blistered bits on top and seemed lighter in texture (not soggy) than the other neopolitan styles we've been enjoying of late. Perhaps it's due to the oven. Either way, this was a pleasant change. In both the mushroom and spinach, the toppings were also tasty and varied. We didn't order dessert, but the brownie seemed to be a big hit with the families seated around us. So happy to add this to the list of locations suitable for casual - don't feel like cooking - weeknight (or week-end) meals out.

Just noticed the other day that the meatless meatballs are back! Assuming the recipe is still the same, It is a happy day in the ozgirl household.

The information on the 2 different sizes now clears up some confusion from last Friday. A friend had called the bakery earlier that morning asking if they had any challahs left and was told no (and they wouldn't reserve her one in the future). Meanwhile, I was at the bakery and was just about to text her to ask her if she wanted me to pick her up a challah as I was looking at a bunch of them (of the large size apparently) sitting on the racks. She told me of her earlier conversation with the bakery and we were both confused. In the end, at the cost of $12, she declined the challah offer and went to Whole Foods to pick one up there. When I went to her place later that night, with the Bread Furst challah I bought in tow, the 2 challahs placed next to each other were the same size. So, long story short, the $12 Bread Furst challah = about the same size as the $4 Whole Foods challah.

Went on Friday to try more items - this time it was the asparagus and wheat berry salad with a lemon vinaigrette and i bought a challah (available only on Fridays). The salad ($8) was lovely... light and refreshing with spring greens, feta, marcona almonds, and of course the asparagus and wheat berries. Definitely going back for that one again! The challah ($12!!!!). The challah was clearly labeled with the price. I thought it was outrageous, but I thought I'd try it once - maybe it was THAT good. It was good, but NOT $12 good. As one is supposed to have 2 challahs for a Shabbat dinner, that's a hefty price to pay for bread for the table. The challah itself has a hearty crust on it - which for many folks is fine, it just makes it easier to hollow out the middle part and leave the crusty shell. :-) Kudos to the bakery though for continuing to work out the ordering/paying kinks. There is now a coffee board listing items and prices (and there are pour overs if one wants to wait, despite what the Bread Furst blog had once mentioned). There was also a sign this morning directing folks where to stand and form a line.

Had dinner at the Iron Gate last week. I love the new enclosed space/bar area. We arrived early and enjoyed some tasty cocktails at the bar. We found the hostess, bartender, and the waitstaff to be gracious, helpful, informative, and accommodating. We had written in ahead asking for vegetarian fare only. The restaurant was happy to accommodate us there was well. We planned on doing the 4 course tasting menu, thinking that any more than that would be too much food and given our relatively late start to dinner - too much food too late in the evening. We very much enjoyed the "taste" course - pickled beets, celeriac? with apples, pickles, grilled radicchio, and other items. it was a lovely course to start the meal. Then things got a little salty. We had the gnocchi and subbed in a risotto for the second course. The gnocchi were the clear winner. Nice bite and good flavour. The risotto was too salty for me and Mr. Ozgirl graciously switched dishes with me and he ate the risotto. We followed up with the tuna. The tuna, without the added sprinkling of sea salt and olives was delicious. I think on its own, this dish (in its entirety) is a success, but after pickled items, a salty risotto, this third salty dish was just too much. We finished with the cheesecake and a (blue) cheese plate. Both desserts were good. While the food was 50/50 (2 good courses, 2 ok courses), we enjoyed the service and appreciated the effort the Iron Gate made to accommodate our vegetarian/pescatarian restrictions. One quirk about the new space though... The WC seems to be in an area that isn't insulated. We happened to be there on a cold and wet night and I remember thinking how terrible it must have been during the polar vortex to use the toilet. It was cold in there! could use a space heater (or air conditioner in the summer months i imagine). just sayin'.

Stopped by this morning, before the rush. what a beautiful space! I hadn't realized how big that place really is. it was a bit chaotic - but completely forgivable since they'd only been open a whole hour when Mr. Ozgirl and I arrived. It wasn't clear if I needed to order coffee separately if i didn't want pastries/bread - but as we did, i just stood in line and ordered everything together. Also, it wasn't clear if you go straight to the register to order to place your order with someone else and then pay at the cashier. (Since it's the same frustration as Little Red Fox, I'm really hoping they fix this in the future.) Prices were definitely higher than i'd hoped for a neighbourhood place, but i wasn't surprised when i saw them. So, Surprised? no. Disappointed? a little. As for the food - we got a brioche (delish! - such buttery goodness, lovely texture, and a perfect size), a scone (Mr. Ozgirl loved it. i didn't get any.), and a lemon mint cake which was good, but not enough lemon or mint flavour for me. They are also serving Madcap coffee which was great. Three pastries, plus a drip coffee and a latte to go cost just over $16. I think a sign listing their coffee prices will help and a few "order here", "pay here" signs will also be good. Excited to try some of their challahs, other breads, and prepared foods and thrilled Mark Furstenberg has come my neighbourhood! Walking to/from the metro for the daily commute just improved significantly.