I'm Michelle and recently moved here from New York City. I was afraid that D.C. and its burbs would be a step down on the food front, but I've been pretty impressed by the ethnic restaurants I've tried, especially those in Rockville and its environs. I do miss New York pizza though and haven't found anything yet to replace it!
So first and foremost I've joined to discuss food, as I'm a complete gourmande who loves to cook and eat. I love extremely fresh food straight from the farm (am going to join Slow Food one of these days), organic butter and cream, the best quality olive oil, and everything the sea has to offer. I've read a lot of books about food and cookbooks. I'm an avid gardener, growing vegetables every summer and the flowers to tempt their pollinators. I will invariably order the most exotic/weird thing on the menu (or the item that is too time-consuming to prepare at home). And I usually read a restaurant's menu online to see what I will order when I go.
Secondly, I'm an interior designer and am starting my own business in the DC area. I worked in NYC for 7 years doing hospitality (hotel and restaurant, etc.) and retail (boutique and large dept. store) design. So far I have some local residential kitchen renovations on the boards as well as a ski hotel renovation in Austria (for which there will be a restaurant). So if you're a local chef or restaurateur looking for a hip young designer for your renovation/build-out project, please give me a shout!
