blonde photo :: have more fun! » food + wine

windows: food tasting!

the blonde photographer — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:01:04 +0000

lunch with two amazing women, by my favorite caterer in dc.

a few weeks ago i was invited by the fabulous danielle couick to a tasting lunch at windows! danielle is a senior event coordinator at windows catering which is highly regarded as one of the premier caterers in dc. i absolutely love working with windows and was so thrilled to be invited to their tasting room! i was joined by my friend + fellow photographer julia macinnis, who wrote an incredible entry about our experience on her blog!

windows is absolutely gorgeous – a light-filled space adorned with gorgeous images of their food + events, i was impressed the moment i arrived. we were welcomed with mango bellini’s and entered the stunning tasting room decorated with the sparkling colors + textures of their amazing dinnerware. a sublime 4-course lunch followed, featuring tuna tartare, maine lobster, lobster pasta, filet of beef, the freshest vegetables, and a decadent chocolate dessert. each course was paired with wine and it was all perfectly incredible!

afterwards, we toured the facility, admiring the impeccable kitchen with it’s stellar staff and impressive organization. windows provides catering for corporate events, weddings, and even private dinners with as few as two guests! (a *fantastic* idea for valentine’s day or an anniversary!)

i absolutely loved my windows experience – i already loved working with danielle at weddings, and now i can attest to the fact that they serve absolutely incredible cuisine. stellar service, attention to detail, and amazing food – what more you could you want from a caterer?

lobster-pineapple.

maine lobster with cannerozzetti pasta.

strawberry-tuna.

the filet of beef.

mango + cocoa bomb.

the incredible array of table + dinnerware!

the great room.

the blonde photographer — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 04:48:46 +0000

i had such a good time tonite at the “soft” opening of the great room at the doubletree hotel in bethesda. i covered the event for washington life magazine and met so many great people – including a fun couple who lives in my building…how crazy is that? they were like “you look like this photographer who lives in our building…” what do you know? the blonde photographer! it turns out he’s an amazing plastic surgeon so i introduced him to my dear friend aubryn from hela spa who was there with the ever-stylish lotta…the owners of the hotel also made an appearance along with tons of bethesda + dc socialites…i got to chat with two lovely ladies from panama one of my favorite countries! there were incredible performers, delicious sushi, lots of wine, and an entire room full of gorgeous, decadent chocolate creations.
bravo doubletree, what a great evening!

the elephant symbolized wealth + prosperity…the man on stilts? well, he sang for hillary clinton last night.

the view from the sushi bar.

treats from the chocolate room – hats off to executive chef timothy jones + the culinary team.

the hotel owners.

the very chic samira a. + abdulwahab a.

the impressive performers:

jon e. + teri g. enjoy the entertainment.

maribel a. + marianne m. – yay for panama!

one styling little boy + the smokin hot aubryn g. + lotta l.

shahram + sarah s.

a very fun group – candi + howard r., paul a., jeff k., marc r.

b&b.

the blonde photographer — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:26:41 +0000

i had a spectacular dining experience last week at mario batali’s fabulous b&b ristorante located in the venetian hotel + casino in las vegas. in fact, it was without a doubt the highlight of my trip.

the bartender – an awesome guy named joe – was well-versed in the cuisine and wine, and entertained me with his wit and an impromptu wine tasting. i was lucky enough to sit down next to a couple of local guys (producers for the phantom of the opera) and another traveler in town for work…we chatted intermittently and compared notes on food and wine – i had just finished day 2 of the MFE conference and had my camera in tow…can you say impromptu photo essay of my dining experience? absolutely. luckily my 5D captured some sweet images in the low light and now i can remember all the wines i sampled…

as one who savors nothing more than a fine meal and good wine, i highly recommend b&b ristorante, or any of batali’s restaurants that can boast such impeccable cuisine and stellar service.

bon appetit!

my wine glasses. there are lots.

grilled octopus – chickpeas, basil oil, watermelon.

i love italian wines. i also love any chef who decides amaretto cookies should be ground atop your pasta.

pumpkin raviolis – yum!

a perfectly balanced chardonnay:

got over my dislike of beets with this tangy, delightful salad:

rose moscato + molten chocolate lava cake = heaven.

a sweet ice wine to end an unbelievable meal!