Month: March 2016

Rose’s Luxury IS all it’s cracked up to be

/ SheaTripper / 1 Comment

There’s nothing like a lot of hype to ruin an experience–be it a movie, restaurant, or a helicopter ride over Kauai. That is not, however, what I experienced at Rose’s Luxury the other night.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to writing about Rose’s (a fabulous and critically acclaimed restaurant in Washington, D.C.). Bon Appétit wrote about it (here) and it’s been open since 2014. Bearing that in mind, my experience was so fabulous that I just HAVE to say something.

Aaron Silverman, the owner, strives to, and fully achieves, his goal of providing fabulous food and happiness–yes, happiness–to his patrons. The combination of delectable cuisine, ambiance, top-notch service, and great music really does promote happiness. Everything about Rose’s is cozy and comfortable and joy-inducing.

Reservations are possible for groups of 6 or more (plus a private, rooftop, price-fixed option for 10), but most diners show up and wait in line. My friends and I came from the suburbs and were NOT going to mess up our opportunity, so we arrived at 3:10, and were the first ones in line (cue jazz hands). Two nameless members of our 5 person group tend to be anxious in these situations and, therefore, opted to stay in the yet to form line while the others went to a nearby bar. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t suffer…there was Jameson in my HydroFlask, and it was a gorgeous day for standing outside, dreaming of what was to come… in approximately 2 hours.

 

Yes, the entire block is also waiting to get in

Shortly after 5, the doors opened, we were warmly greeted, and shown to our table. As a group of serious eaters, we ordered every item on the menu and could not have been happier. Seriously.

Rose’s is the thing of which foodie dreams are made. Though the prices are quite reasonable, what really drove up our bill (despite ordering the entire menu) were the 2 bottles of wine from the premium list. SO WORTH IT, by the way! Our server recommended a white Burgundy that was fabulous and complimented the food perfectly.

I’m not going to describe all the food as I truly believe that, with the guidance of the staff, you cannot go wrong. Everything is delicious, but there are 2 things that have sort of become their signature dishes, remaining on the menu since the beginning–the pork sausage, habanero, peanuts and lychee salad and the family style brisket with white bread, horseradish, and slaw–so if you’re a meat-eater, order them both and maybe throw in the citrus salad as well for something on the lighter side. With the exception of the veal (for moral reasons), I would eat everything on the menu again and again and again.

Since I left, I can’t stop thinking about when I’ll return. It’s worth the line. It’s worth the wait. It’s worth everything. GO!

 

Happiness courtesy of Rose’s

**They are opening a fine dining restaurant next door called Pineapple and Pearls. You make a reservation up to 4 weeks in advance and pay $250 per person, including alcohol and gratuity. P and P is currently open as a coffee bar but I’m eager to try that restaurant based on how much I loved Rose’s.

For additional DC spots and tourism info, look here.

My Next Adventure…

/ SheaTripper / 13 Comments

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself getting deeper and deeper into what I call a “life rut”. Not any one thing is really the culprit and, objectively speaking, I have an amazing life, full of love and adventure, but still… something is missing.

This feeling started creeping its way into me around 2012, so I changed jobs in an effort to mix it up, challenge myself in different ways, and see if that would help. It didn’t. In the course of that change, I met some amazing people (both professionally and personally), learned some new job skills, and, most importantly, proved to myself that I could excel under pressure.

Still though, I wasn’t happy, and made another job change, hoping simplification would improve the situation. Much to my dismay, that didn’t work either, and I found myself constantly trying to escape–by traveling at every opportunity and spending WAY too much money. Don’t get me wrong, traveling at every opportunity is not a bad thing, unless the kind folks at Visa and Amex are paying for all of it.

Let me preface my woes by saying I am extraordinarily lucky for my station in life. To have family and friends who support me, a successful career, the means to travel and experience amazing things is a gift. In spite of all that, I have the audacity to want, dare I say it, M-O-R-E.

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

~George Bernard Shaw

An offhand comment to a friend about my “unhappiness situation” had me set up with a lifecoach (Mike Halsey, in case you need one), something I never would have pursued on my own. Mike was unique to me–a little older than I, a former naval fighter pilot, current commercial pilot, AND lifecoach. Someone who had already experienced so much of what life can offer and I trusted to push and guide me. Several months of work with Mike, along with the unfaltering support of my best friend Kathryn Budig, a wonderful talk with the brilliant Marla Gottschalk, and I had a plan to depart my current situation.

I tossed around the idea of quitting my job without any prospects, but due to my ridiculous student loans, car payment, and overall life expenses, decided that wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had. Plan number two: take a temporary position of the 1099 variety, therefore rendering me… self-employed and holding all the control over where I go, when I’ll work, and how much. I’d love for this blog to pay my salary (I have a handful of regular readers, so I’m about as far from that as one can get). I’d love to travel, write reviews, and give my opinions to make a living. Since I haven’t figured that out quite yet, I’m staying in my current profession, but changing the rules of the game a little.

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.

~Gilda Radner

So, on December 19th, 2015, I packed my possessions into a storage unit and moved in with a couple of roommates my parents to save a little nest egg and sustain the upcoming adventure. My last day at work is March 25th, after which I’ll join Kathryn on our her Aim True book tour around the US. A few weeks of that, and I’m off to Minneapolis, MN for a work assignment. I will write entries along the book tour on anything that is worth sharing–with regard to cities, hotels, restaurants, and so on.

Once in Minneapolis, I’m going to shake things up and try to break my rhythm. I’m an incredibly routine-bound person, which is part of what currently ails me. I go to work, hang out with the same people, spend a fair amount of time alone (which I love), and stick in my oh-so-comfortable rut.

NO MORE!

I am doing this to force myself out of this comfort zone and open up to new people and experiences. A common misconception is that I am doing this to meet a mate–should that occur, great, but it is not my motivation. That being said, I’m going to embrace the 21st century (several years late) and online date the shit out of the Twin Cities. I’m going to say “yes” (within reason) to everything that comes my way because, why the hell not?

So, that’s where I am, where I’m going, and what I’m thinking.

In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, “You’re on your own and you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.”

Here goes…

**Keep up with me here. I have big plans for my freedom to come. Along with book tour updates, keep an eye out for the Minneapolis scene and a future trip to Australia/Vietnam/Cambodia. I’m always up for sharing my adventures… maybe even a good/bad dating story or two.