amanda mcclements

Since the words "blogging" and "honeymoon" just don't belong in the same sentence, please pardon the slow down in posts this week. I'm out of the country celebrating my recent wedding. In the meantime, here's a recipe for a Goombay Smash, a traditional drink on Harbour Island where I got hitched. Goombay Smash 2 oz. light rum 4 oz. coconut rum 4 oz. pineapple juice 2 oz. orange juice Touch of grenadine (variation: apricot brandy) Mix, pour over ice and then garnish with an orange slice.

Acadiana kicks off the summer season with the first of its weekly Friday crawfish boils on May 2 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the patio, pictured above. You'll get a choice of crawfish or shrimp, priced at $13 per pound for crawfish and $17 per pound for shrimp. Add potatoes and corn on the cob, and wash it all back with a bucket of four cold Abita Lights for $12. The weekly patio event is weather permitting and first-come, first-served. Have crawfish boil aspirations of your own? Register for the restaurant's crawfish class May 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (raindate is May 31). You'll learn to make the customary boil and get treated to crawfish and accompaniments with buckets of beer. The class is $75 per student. To register, contact Darnell Howell at 202.222.0987 or darnell.howell@dccoast.com.

Today's Five Bites come from Lee Moses (at right), a Columbia Heights resident who works for DOD. "I spend my weekends, after cashing those government checks, huddled up at the fantastic new Red Derby , which would be No. 1 on my drinks list," he says. 1. Tostones con mojo at Rumberos 2. Moscow borscht at The Russia House 3. Huevos rancheros at brunch at Asylum 4. Lax pudding at Domku 5. Oyster loaf "Peacemaker" at Louisiana Express Let Metrocurean readers know which dishes you're enjoying around town by e-mailing five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.

Butterfield 9 is adding a kick to a childhood tradition. Each Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m., the restaurant is hosting a lemonade stand happy hour with complimentary snacks at the bar. Fresh-squeezed lemonade cocktails, each $10, include the Lemonade Sunset with brandy and creme de cassis, the Brandy Apple Lemonade Cooler with cherry brandy and sour apple liquor, and the Verde Lemontini with vodka, triple sec and parsley. Chef Michael Harr will offer various seasonal snacks, such as housemade pork sausage with grilled apricots and fried artichokes and yucca fries.

The always pet-friendly Kimpton hotel group is offering dog owners another chance to socialize with pooch in tow. The new Hotel Monaco Alexandria is hosting a Doggie Happy Hour every Tuesday and Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the hotel’s courtyard. Dogs get complimentary gourmet treats and bowls of fresh water, while humans sip cocktails and snack on light bites from Jackson 20 ’s chef Jeff Armstrong. The happy hour is scheduled to run from April to October, weather permitting. Pictured above is Charlie, the hotel's "director of pet relations."

Today's seafood edition of Five Bites comes from Metrocurean reader Karen Late. 1. Hole In One shrimp (shrimp, butter, garlic, and cheese served with bread for soaking up the garlic butter) at Joe Theismann's 2. Black cod at Rasika 3. Crab cakes at Oceanaire 4. Fish tacos at Taqueria Nacionale (at right) 5. She crab soup at the Market Inn Let Metrocurean readers know which dishes you're enjoying around town by e-mailing five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com. (Metrocurean photo.)

Vermilion will celebrate Earth Day with a farm dinner on April 22. Chef Tony Chittum (pictured above) has chosen three of his farmer partners to attend and talk to the group. The five-course menu for the evening will feature the farms' products, like New Frontier bison and Davon Crest squash blossoms. Click here for the full menu. The cost is $85 per person, $110 with wine pairings.

Some delicious details have finally emerged about chef Jamie Leeds' next restaurant, CommonWealth , set to open in Columbia Heights in mid-summer. Leeds and operating partner Sandy Lewis, who also run two popular Hank's Oyster Bars , have dubbed the new venture “the people’s gastropub.” Located in the Highland Park building at 1400 Irving St. NW, CommonWealth will have a serious case of Anglophilia. Young Brit bands will play on the sound system, and British football will air when available. Checkers, backgammon and chess will be set up in the pub area, which will stay open between lunch and dinner and for late-night snacks. Each week will end with a traditional British “Sunday Roast” — an afternoon supper, featuring a selection of roasted meats like lamb and rabbit, purchased locally when possible, with accompanying sides served family style. The regular menu will offer a lighter version of traditional British fare using local ingredients and modern techniques. Yanks may need ...

You may recall that last fall a major chef shuffle led two of Manhattan's brightest culinary talents to 2941 in Falls Church. The first name to take the helm for a three-month guest chef stint was Scott Bryan, and rumors followed that he might stay in the area when his time was up at 2941. But when last week brought word that he'd taken a job back in NYC as top toque at Lever House , DC restaurant-watchers cried silent tears. Well, dry your eyes. Sources late last week tipped off Metrocurean that Bryan was already off the Lever House job and possibly headed back to the DC area. The New York Times ' Diner's Journal confirms with word from Bryan himself: “I might do something else in Virginia with Rick Adams.” Adams is the owner of 2941. Stay tuned.

As the food blog world grows, plenty of culinary professionals are jumping into the fray. I had the pleasure of meeting up with one of those new bloggers, Marriott corporate chef Brad Nelson, a few weeks back. The chef has the tremendous task of working with hotels domestically and abroad to develop menus and taste and test recipes in the company's test kitchen in Bethesda. His blog, Marriott In The Kitchen , gives readers a look at the inner workings of such a large operation, along with some personal musings. Check out this recent post with some appealing asparagus recipes for spring, including asparagus topped with a fried poached egg (pictured above). (Photo by Brad Nelson.)

Today's all-Arlington edition of Five Bites comes from fellow blogger Jacob Grier , at left. 1. Ghormeh sabzi (stew of beef and kidney beans) served Mondays and Fridays at Kabob Bazaar 2. Chicken platter with "amazing chicken, tasty yuca, and the best sauce around" at Crisp and Juicy 3. Classic cappuccino at Murky Coffee 4. Chat papri ( flour crisps, chickpeas and potato with yogurt and tamarind chutney) at Delhi Club 5. All natural burger and fries at EatBar . "One of the best burgers in town, perfectly cooked fries, housemade ketchup, and plenty of beer to accompany it all." Let Metrocurean readers know which dishes you're enjoying around town by e-mailing five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.

I'm a big fan of the gorgeous and delicious chocolates, pictured above, that Jason Andelman creates at his Arlington shop, Artisan Confections . If you've never tried the sweets, this weekend is the perfect opportunity. On Saturday, April 12, Andelman is hosting an open house at the shop to celebrate its two year anniversary. Stop by from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for complimentary samples. Andelman will introduce his two latest bonbon flavors, pineapple-passion fruit and honey-pine nut, as well as an unnamed treat made with caramelized crispy rice cereal, toasted almonds, and sweet and sour dried cherries, all coated in bittersweet chocolate. Give it a try, suggest a name, and if yours is chosen, you'll score a $50 gift certificate. Congrats to Jason on the second anniversary!

April showers may have put a damper on patio season so far, but the forecast is looking up for the rest of this week — just in time for the kick-off of PS 7’s beer and brats patio promo. The Penn Quarter restaurant opens its patio today with a deal inspired by baseball season: a housemade brat on a Parker House bun and a pint of Brooklyn Pennant Ale for $10. “I’ve tried about 10 brat recipes in attempts to create the perfect baseball brat, and I am excited to share the result," says chef Peter Smith. The deal is offered in the lounge or on the patio Monday through Saturday. Or take them out to the ballgame. For $10, you'll get two brats packed up to-go with buns and three of the chef’s housemade condiments. To-go orders are available from noon to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

When Katie Test, public relations manager for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy , gets hungry after a day of running or biking the trails, these are the five bites she craves. 1. French onion soup from Les Halles ("The best I've had in the city.") 2. Batomo sandwich with basil, tomato, fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper and pesto from Java Green 3. Grilled pork and chopped spring rolls over vermicelli (#32) at Minh's 4. Sugar and cinnamon donuts at Tabard Inn 5. Braccio di ferro, the spinach and ricotta pizza (#23), at Piola Let Metrocurean readers know which dishes you're enjoying around town by e-mailing five of your favorite dishes or drinks and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.

Ever heard a bigger-city transplant complain about how early DC goes to bed? Well, times they are a changing, and staying out late just got tastier. Aiming to satisfy after-hours appetites, Proof recently unveiled a late-night menu, served Thursday through Saturday from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Among the dishes on offer: drunken grilled cheese on brioche ($11), foie gras scrambled eggs with toasted brioche and truffle butter ($11), a spicy meatball sandwich with marinara and buffalo mozzarella ($12), and pictured above, ahi tuna tartare ($13). Watch your back, jumbo slice ... (Photo by Darko Zagar.)

Wish those cocktail creations you've been whipping up at home could bask in the glory they so rightly deserve? Throw your hat in the ring for Helix Lounge 's spring and summer cocktail competition. The winning mixologist will have his or her name and cocktail featured on the lounge's cocktail menu and scores an overnight weekend stay at Hotel Helix . Oh, and a complimentary couple of the winning cocktail. Here's the deal: Submit your best seasonal recipe to the lounge until April 20. There are no restrictions on what products can be used, just make it appropriate for the spring and summer seasons, like the Cool as a Cucumber (pictured) from last summer's menu. Entries will be narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists, who will be invited to the lounge April 29 to test their cocktails. That night, a panel of Helix staff will choose three finalists. The winner will be determined on Saturday, May 3 at 10 p.m. Patrons at the bar will be able to sample all three of the...

It's cherry blossom time, and area restaurants get on board with cherry-inspired dishes. At Mio , newly installed chef Stefano Frigerio is serving a decadent foie gras ballontine nicely complemented by dried cherry sauce and cornbread. Check out other cherry dishes on this handy festival web site , which also provides recipes for a number of cocktails and foods.