TGIF! Was this the longest week ever, or what? By Wednesday I felt like it was Thursday, and yesterday I kept thinking it was Friday...and finally, Friday is here!

Last Saturday I went for brunch at Barbounia with a friend who used to live in NYC. It was her suggestion and I'd never heard of it, but of course my sister the food blogger knew exactly what it was while I was busy stumbling over the restaurant name when she asked where we were going!

I was randomly craving something sweet (which rarely happens), and decided to get pancakes with chocolate chips ($14.95 - $12.95 for pancakes, $2 extra for the chocolate chips). They were TDF (to die for)! Hot, the tiniest bit crispy around the edges, and melty chocolate chips on the inside. (I only wish I'd taken a photo after I cut into it!) They were sweet enough that I didn't feel the need use either cream or syrup, yum! The fact that it was presented on a ceramic "palette" instead of an actual plate just made it that much prettier, too.

 I really liked my friend's Moroccan Eggs ($14.95), made with tomato sauce, paprika, and garlic - spicy and very flavorful! My other friend's Turkish Eggs ($14.95) were a little too lamb-y for my particular taste, but my friend loved it!

Loved the Marilyn Monroe wall art! The high ceiling gives the restaurant so much space and a feeling of openness, and the layout of the restaurant is nice, too.

One special they have is the bottomless brunch deal - $17.95 for unlimited brunch cocktails. While not the BEST drunk brunch deal I've encountered in New York, that's not too bad either. 

As much as I love living in NYC, it sure is nice to get away every once in a while! Quick recap of my July 4th weekend in D.C.:

Friday pm:

I picked up my sister and her friends in the city, where we proceeded to take an hour to get through the Lincoln Tunnel (why is it always such a nightmare to get in and out of the city via the Lincoln Tunnel?), and we drove straight to dinner at Bistrot du Coin, a really cute French bistro that looks tiny from the outside but has an enormous ceiling height inside - view from the top:


 We sat upstairs, and all had delicious food (steak frites for me - rib eye!) before crashing nearly as soon as we got back to my sister's friend's apartment.

Saturday:

We got up and went to brunch at Vinoteca, which had bottomless mimosas/bellinis/kir royales for $10, although I opted for a cappucino since I was still a little weary from the day before, and ordered a delectable eggs benedict on this thick, chewy toast instead of english muffins, that was covered in melted gruyere and then a poached egg and hollandaise on top. Yum. (For a full review, click here.)

Afterwards, we went sightseeing:


Good news is, we saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial all in one go - the bad news is, it was like 100 degrees and boiling, and I probably didn't appreciate everything for what it is since I was too busy feeling uncomfortable! We got refreshments at Starbucks, and then, fully rejuvenated, went to the Portrait Gallery, which was blessedly air conditioned! (I don't normally use words like "blessedly", but that's how grateful I was.) 

Every time I go to a museum, I always leave feeling like I should pick up art again and do something creative - I love it! Sadly, I don't make the time for it...but regardless, my favorite piece was this: