vip in the city

Dupont Circle discoveries

The heat and humidity of Saturday had broken during the night’s thunderstorms — luckily, while we were ensconced inside The Officers’ Club — making way for this morning’s comfortable cool and bright blue skies.

I had a couple of hours to myself before the last of our wedding weekend activities, so I set out along Connecticut Avenue from the “Hinckley Hilton.”

Having been running almost entirely on adrenaline for the past 48 hours, I was sorely in need of a reviving cup of caffeine this morning. But where? South, past an eclectic mix of small restaurants and shops (including our rehearsal dinner place), I spotted a familiar green and white corporate logo, but just as I turned the corner, I discovered a yet more intriguing option: Teaism — a place I’d never visited, but whose storefront I recognized from my endless hours of late-night Food Network viewing. Finally, insomnia pays off! And let it not be said that I don’t give credit where it’s due: it was Rachael Ray’s $40 a Day (Washington DC) that had me craving Teaism’s chai and warm ginger scones for a week. And there the source stood before me, quite by accident. I made my way inside the quaint Asian-inspired café – still crowded, but a far more charming alternative than the Starbucks two doors down – and that’s exactly what I had. (And yes, they were delicious.)

Farther still, towards Dupont Circle where The Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market was in progress: besides the usual assortment of organic produce, flowers, artisanal breads, cheeses and jams, there was a mouth-watering selection of seafood and lamb products and heavenly smelling herbal soaps.

If not for our brunch that afternoon, I would have happily picked up a couple of crabcakes, a crusty roll, and some quality lemonade and thrown myself on the warm lawn with the rest of the locals.