Mari Vanna- A DC Restaurant GEM!

When a few friends of mine suggested that we venture to Mari Vanna this past Saturday for dinner, I was a little bit apprehensive, to say the least. Call me not cultured, but when I think of an amazing meal, Russian cuisine is not the first thing that comes to mind (no offense!). However, I was SORELY mistaken. If you have yet to attend this eatery right off of Dupont at 1149 Connecticut, you are selling yourself short. With spots in London, Moscow, LA, NY and now DC, these Russian style tapas range from lamb chops to beef stroganoff to traditional Russian borsch. With the quaint ambiance of your Nana's (or, in this case, babushka's) basement complimented by an accordion player strolling the restaurant (who I tried to give a $1 bill to, but I guess this is not Camelot's), don't nix the idea of Russian food for the night- this place is amazing!

Inauguration Fabulousness!

Unlike last inauguration, I wasn't able to attend one of the beautiful balls, but went to the ceremony during the day and watched the ball coverage from my couch in Alexandria with a class of Pinot Grigio  in hand. However, I am beyond proud that Barack Obama was elected for a second term. He is the only politician that inspires me and truly makes me want to better myself. Based on that, here are some of the highlights that I will never forget about the second inauguration of the 44th President:

• Beyonce's OUTSTANDING coverage of the National Anthem. Sometimes R&B singers of her like improvise a bit too much, but she killed it (and looked beautiful while she sang). 
• Michelle's absolutely gorgeous, new haircut. Even though boyfriends usually hate bangs, I have a feeling that they're going to be making a much stronger appearance in the next couple of months. 
• The homeless men trying to sell by shirts of Obama's face on Jay-Z's body, with the caption "Allow me to re-introduce myself...". Totally priceless, and had I not walked from Washington Circle, probably would not have seen these gems. 
• The buyouts at Jaleo and Rosa Mexicano. Never have I seen these Latino restaurants draw in such a Thomas Pink-wearing crowd. #inaugurationprobz
• Seeing Common walking in the city and Instagramming photos with random pedestrians. Pretty funny stuff, but then again, Common is down with the common folk... 
• Barack's absolutely amazing, moving speech (that went in and out through the horrible speakers that the city of DC provided for listeners on the mall. Don't worry, I caught it on YouTube after).

Whether you were one of the staffers I knew who were front and center (and I am entirely jealous of) or  watching it from your couch, it was another successful inauguration and definitely one that I won't forget!

I Don't like Blondes...

Nor do I particularly care for The Bachelor. However, SEAN LOWE, ladies?!??! If you haven't seen him yet, it doesn't matter WHAT your type is; his Southern charm and ab-tastic ways will definitely have you tuning into ABC (even though you usually consider it to be the most white trash network on modern cable). Having been heart broken by slutty  Emily Maynard (or the former Bachelorette for those of you who do not pick up the Newspaper), Sean was recruited to be the next Bachelor and there couldn't have been a better option! Now, why Sean, you ask?

1. He doesn't have a gross Redneck-y accent, but still the Southern charm. 
2. He looks like he could be on the cover of an Abercrombie bag- in a good way!
3. He doesn't make all of the girls make out with him. 
4. He doesn't discriminate; Sean has white, black, Asian, and Latina contestants available in his pool of bachelorettes. 
5. He has good teeth (and there are FEW guys out there who have good teeth)
6. He's featured Washingtonienne Leslie Murphy on the show; thanks for reppin' us DC girls Sean!
7. He gets to have hot girls all over him; GOOD FOR YOU, SEAN! ;)
8. He probably only wears a shirt 10% of the time. I wish I could walk around in a mansion scantily clothed all day- what a life!

If you have yet to tune in, you MUST see Mr. Lowe. Plus it's on Monday night; unless you're going to Industry Night somewhere, there's absolutely no excuse to not turn into Sean Lowe's charm from 8-10. 

I'm Still Exhausted from my New Year's Eve @ Shadow Room

Donned in a Selena-inspired (I'm her #1 fan) dress that I got on sale for $30 at Arden B at Providence Place Mall, I was ready to ring in 2013 with a bang. And after contemplating various New Years party spots in the city, I decided to make way to my boyfriend's personal old faithful, Shadow Room, and could not have had a better time.

 

My $75 ticket got me total open bar, which made me completely apprehensive at first; usually any open bar party consists of watered down drinks, sweaty prepsters who care barely stand up, and little to no access of the bar itself. However, Shadow Room did it right; they were mega-staffed, made the bar easy to approach, and didn't over book the party in such a way that I actually felt like I was at a private event. Furthermore, this venue which previously had a generic and mediocre club feel recently got a makeover, with red and black detailing that now looks like a chic blend of Dirty Bar and OYA.

 

After a night of Veuve, grinding the night away on the dance floor, and kissing my boo at midnight, I will most definitely be a regular at Shadow Room. One of the best New Years parties I've been to yet, this previously D-List club rang in the new year with an A+ makeover an event that will definitely make it a strong competitor on the DC club scene in 2013!

...I'm baaaaaack!

Well, the Mayans were wrong. While I thought that I'd have to accomplish everything in 2012 that was humanly possible before some type of polar shift or solar flare went down, the moral of the story is that not everything that you read on the internet is true, and that even if something is on the History Channel, it doesn't mean that it's gospel.


2012, nevertheless, was a huge year in the world of tacky-ness and guidos. Snooki had a baby. Miss Rhode Island, Olivia Culpo (who WENT TO MY HIGH SCHOOL!!) became Miss USA, and then went onto be Miss Universe this past December. And while Betsy Johnson sadly went out of business, shoe designer Jeffrey Campbell made the Lady Gaga inspired 'nightwalker' pumps accessible to peons like me in his very own line that came out for Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

But perhaps 2012 was even a more grandoise year for DC. While I may have moved over the bridge to...bear with me, you can say it...Alexandria, I've still been in celebratory spirits about all of the District's happenings. Some highlights? The Redskins became the NFC champions (I hate sports, but even I'll admit that it's pretty damn cool). Beautiful, Vegas-style lounges like Capitalle and Heist (R.I.P. Fly) successfully emerged throughout the city and brought with their debuts beautiful, Vegas-style crowds. But MOST importantly, the brazen, the beautiful, and the BOMB-ASS Barack Obama was reelected president, and Washingtonians at various election night parties throughout the city cheered with joy. Enough said.

In any case, I look forward to a year of ranting, raving, and writing, and doing it unapologetically in the most tacky of ways possible. Here's to an amazing 2013!