Mexican Food is Always the Answer

Today for lunch, I went to a Mexican restaurant next door to my parent’s apartment building with my mom and dad. The restaurant is called Pepito and it is located in Arlington, VA. When we first sat down, we were a little worried because about 85% of the menu is drinks. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a great drink menu, but we were there to try the food, so we were in fact concerned.

The waiter settled our nerves when he came over and began to explain almost every item on the menu to us. He was extremely kind and patient as we asked question after question and still needed time to look the menu over again before actually ordering.

We started off with chips and guacamole. The guacamole was out of this world delicious. My parents and I are extremely picky with our chips and guac seeing as how we spend a week each year in Mexico with the best chips and guac in the world (we think). Luckily, this guacamole did not disappoint. My dad and I tried the guacamole at the same time and as soon as we realized how good it was, we both looked at each other wide-eyed and said “oh my, this is amazing.” I feel as though that truly explains how great it was.

For lunch, I got two chicken tacos. The chicken was shredded and had a light sauce mixed into it that was slightly spicy, but not too overwhelming. There was also a slice of avocado and shredded radishes on the taco. I was not expecting anything too crazy because I am not the biggest taco fan, but I was really impressed. The taco was full of flavor and I enjoyed every bite. I would highly suggest them to anyone who goes to Pepita.

Pepita is a great new Mexican spot that definitely needs to be checked out if you are in the DC area. It is a great lunch spot, but makes an even better evening spot to go sip on drinks and have a small meal to go along with the alcohol you will be consuming. Whenever I walk past at night, it is always packed. I know I will definitely be heading back there to take advantage of the other 85% of the menu that I missed out on at lunch time today. I hope you choose to not miss out as well.

My Last American Adventure (for the next month)

So here I am on this flight to London, England and yet all I can think about is how good my lunch was yesterday as well as my day in general. Crazy, I know, but that just tells you how good it was.

My parents recently purchased lake front property on Lake Anna in Virginia. My mom and dad both really wanted me to see the property before they started to build the house (and I guess I also wanted to see it too). Because of this, my mom drove me out to the lake yesterday. The first thing we did once we got there was go over to the property to check it out. Right now it is literally a miniature forest, but I know that once the house is built and the landscaping is done, it is going to be absolutely breathtaking.

This is all well and good, but let us get to the meat of this post, the lunch. I know that is what you are all truly here for. We went to a restaurant that is about a 12-minute drive from the property. It is called Tim’s. It is a super cute restaurant right on the water with an outdoor deck when the weather is nice enough to sit outside. Luckily, yesterday was perfect “sit outside” weather. It was hot, but not too hot, windy, but not too windy, and sunny instead of rainy. Pretty much a dream day.

My mom and I walk into the adorable restaurant to be greeted by a hostess who happily sat us outside. Our waitress was extremely nice and kept our drink refills coming (much needed on a summer day). My mom and I both ordered the crab cake with a side of hushpuppies because how can you say no to crab when you know it is fresh and hushpuppies…do I even need to explain myself there?

After waiting for a top of 15 minutes, our lunch was ready. Everything about it looked delicious. The first bite of the crab cake sent me straight to heaven. It was amazing. They serve it on a bun, but my mom and I decided to take our cakes off the buns and just appreciate them for what they truly are. I put a bit of tartar sauce on the top of my crab cake and it really brought the flavor out. We got ours broiled (trying to be a bit healthier) and it was just as good if not better than any crab cake I have ever had before.

Now let us take a moment to think about those delicious hushpuppies I got to eat. I kid you not, the best hushpuppies I have ever had. Perfect fried round balls of goodness. For whatever reason, I have been in love with hushpuppies ever since I tried them when I was 10 and we took a drip down to North Carolina for two weeks. Being a New Yorker, hushpuppies were hard to come by until I went off to Kentucky for college so I get super excited whenever I get to try some at a new restaurant. I am going off on a rant now. Basically, the food was delicious and the hushpuppies were to die for.

The moral here? Head out to Lake Anna and spend a day on a beautiful lake and eat some amazing fish (or meat if that suits you better) to truly satisfy yourself. A summer day at a lake is not complete without an outdoor meal on the water!