The Week in Review

I was traveling for work most of last week, so I haven’t been able to blog. So here are some highlights to catch you up:

1. Sunny FL. I was in Orlando from Weds-Friday for a work-related class. I didn’t feel like staying at a boring old chain hotel, so I found this cute little place for the same price, Eo Inn and Urban Spa. The best part was that I took advantage of the spa aspect and got a much-needed back massage. My back was “a disaster” according to Mike the masseur. The inn was right on the border of Lake Eola, and I walked to my class every morning along the lake. Orlando actually has a cool, happening downtown area and I ate dinner one night at Hue, which reminded me of the Carlyle in Shirlington.

2. Belated V-day on Saturday. Jeffro and I never really had a chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day because I arrived back in town that day from seeing my sister in FL. So we decided to celebrate on Saturday by purchasing pretty decent tickets to see Keith Urban in August, and then we went to lunch at Farrah Olivia by Morou in Old Town.

3. Best meal ever. The meal at Farrah Olivia was by far the best I’ve had in a long time. I chose from their fixed price $28 lunch menu and had their black eyed pea fritters to start, pork loin as the main course, and lemon cheesecake for dessert. Jeffro started with goat cheese pot stickers, followed by scallops with truffled grits, and mocha mousse for dessert. His lunch might actually have been better than mine. Eating here was like being a judge on Iron Chef America. The food was exquisitely prepared, with great attention to detail in the presentation. The desserts were absolutely divine, and we ate every bit of them, even after having consumed all the rest of the food. The waiter highly recommended the Sunday brunch, so I’m curious to check that out soon.

4. Salsa. We also went that night to the Black Cat to see Jeffro’s friend play in the band Orquesta Ashe, a salsa band. They were pretty good, and if you like to salsa, check them out the first Friday of every month at Duke’s City Restaurant on U Street in DC.

5. Last but not least. My sister in FL is still in the hospital. She’s out of ICU, the chest tubes are now out, but she’s still filling with fluid and her breathing is starting to suffer again. They’re now planning on administering her 2nd dose of chemo today, and she may be able to travel in a week’s time. I doubt the doctor’s will approve her to fly, so I am likely going down there with my other sister to drive her back here.