Crumbs & Whiskers in Georgetown, DC

My life goals include owning two cats and a husky.

 

I'm not ashamed to admit it, but I am your friendly residential cat lady and before you all abandon my blog mid sentence raging about dogs, just hear me out: I'm NOT opposed to dogs (see husky clause above) but I just find something so attractive about cats. They're classy, soft, independent, and nap-enthusiasts - what's not to love?

Crumbs & Whiskers is one of the newest start-ups in Georgetown and it's definitely getting quite a buzz. DC, let alone the US has never quite seen anything like it; partnered with the Washington Humane Society, it's a cat cafe. Yup, you pay money to go play with kitties and perhaps get some baked goods or drinks if you're feeling like a sweet treat.

I have been anticipating the opening for weeks, but because I had to work double shifts during opening weekend, my visit had to be pushed back until the first Tuesday it was open aka yesterday. The space is small as is typical of the Georgetown neighborhood, but Crumbs & Whiskers operates on a reservation-based system, so the number of humans didn't seem to overwhelm the space or the  cats.

A cover charge of $10 on the weekdays and $12 on the weekends gets you an hour's play time with over 10 cats, though half of them will be sprawled out on the "human seats" napping at any given time. Small cushions and baskets of cat toys are spread throughout both floors for patrons to relax and play with the awake kitties and the store sells cat-themed merchandise as well. Just to fuel all of your feline-loving obsessions.

If you truly fall in love with any of the napping fur balls, most, if not all, of the cats are up for adoption through the Washington Humane Society and Crumbs & Whiskers will happily help you along with the adoption process.

But honestly, can I just has all of them?

Crumbs & Whiskers

Coffee, desserts | $

3211 O St NW

Washington, DC, 20007

Chobani SoHo in New York, NY

I think I've just taken my love for greek yogurt to a whole new level.

Chobani SoHo is every health-food-loving hipster's dream come true. A simple yet sleek cafe located in one of the most chic New York neighborhoods, it is the perfect place to stop by for a chic snack. 

The cafe menu takes Chobani's greek yogurt up several notches from grocery-store mass produced mediocracy and presents it in a upscale, artisanal way that makes me able to justify the hefty price markup. While it's not something I can afford as a daily afternoon snack, I would gladly come back for it again and again. 

The menu isn't too large and is comprised of sweet and savory yogurt creations, sandwiches, coffee, and tea. What I like most is that they use what I suspect to be full fat yogurt as the base, which has the creamiest, most full-bodied mouth feel imaginable. Trust me, try out full-fat greek yogurt; you'll never go back to 0% ever again. 

Pistachio + honey // pistachios + dark chocolate flakes + sliced orange + fresh men + clover honey // 4.75

I had never tried mint with my yogurt before and absolutely loved it. The decadence of the creamy yogurt base, rich dark chocolate, crunchy pistachio pieces, and bright mint notes harmonize in the most divine yogurt masterpiece. This is a combination I plan on making again and again at home.

Word on the street is that you can actually take the glass bowl home after you're done with it as a cute little souvenir. Unfortunately I didn't know at the time of my visit to try it out, but I'm definitely doing that next time I visit!

Chobani SoHo 

150 Prince St
 New York, NY 10012

Ess-a-Bagel in New York, NY

When in New York, eat bagels.

Dense, chewy but not "too-chewy", and doughy most New Yorkers will agree that there are no good bagels out of the city. It's the water, it's the yeast, it's because well, it's New York.

To be honest, prior to this experience, I've never had a "real bagel." I mean, I grew up eating grocery store, Einstein's, and Panera bagels which frankly, I find to be perfectly delicious. Especially Panera bagels. Life. Changing. Sorry, my inner tween girl is showing. I digress.

Being in the city, trying out a real New York bagel was near the top of my to-do list, after all, I had to see what the fuss was about. With locations in Stuyvesant Town and Midtown, Ess-a-Bagel was certainly packed, though I feel like most of it was tourist hype; I don't think I saw many locals there. 

Though it offers other baked goods like breads and muffins, the real attraction here are the bagels and Ess-a-Bagel has offerings for any time of the day, from simple, plain bagels and cream cheese to breakfast and lunch sandwiches. 

If you're planning on a visit, be prepared to wait a long time and possibly eat standing up. Table space is valuable real estate here. We ended up waiting in line for about half an hour and guarded over a couple who was about to leave to snag a table #absolutelynoshame. 

Nova lox // onion bagel + plain cream cheese + lettuce + onions + nova // 10.75

Bagel sandwiches here are not cheap! However, they are tasty. A toasty bagel slathered with cream cheese, cold nova, and crunchy lettuce offset by a slight bite from the raw onions, it was an extremely filling breakfast. BF and I had originally planned to just have half a bagel each, but ended up unable to resist and both polished off the other half as well. 

Pumpernickle-raisin bagel // plain cream cheese // 2.95

I think pumpernickel is more of an acquired taste, but something that I love. The malty flavor complimented the sweet, juicy raisins perfectly, unfortunately, and this might just be a matter of taste, there was just way too much cream cheese on the bagel for my liking and I ended up scraping most of it off.

To be honest, I was pretty underwhelmed by my first bagel experience. Maybe I just built it up too much in my head or maybe it's just because Ess-a-Bagel isn't too great, but I thought that the bagels were good, but not "wait-half-an-hour-and-pull-teeth-for-a-table" good. In fact (and don't stone me for heresy), they were not too much better than my weekly Einstein.

Nonetheless, mission accomplished, adequately carbed and caffeined up, morning off to a good start.

Ess-a-Bagel

Midtown

831 3rd Ave Ste 1
New York, NY 10022

Stuyvesant Town 

359 1st Ave
 New York, NY 10010

Sidamo Coffee & Tea in H Street Corridor, DC

Pro tip: next time you have to catch a ride at Union Station, do yourself a favor and plan to arrive at least an hour in advance and swing by Sidamo. You're welcome.

A family-owned small coffeeshop roasting its own fair-traid (mostly) Ethiopian coffee in an eclectic but homey setting, Sidamo is a bit far from me, but I'd gladly spend a whole afternoon lingering around over a cup of their artfully brewed coffee. 

 Bacon, egg & cheese muffin // 4.95

The breakfast sandwiches here are simple but tasty. Everything is made to-order and one of the employees brought it out directly to me rather than putting it on the counter and calling out my name. It's the little things that show a business cares about its customers.

Maybe it's because I went early in the day or because its location is a bit out of the way, but Sidamo is much slower-paced than the typical DC independent coffeeshop. Most patrons had their coffee to go, so I was easily able to find a table leisurely spend my Saturday morning.

And the caffeine quality - absolutely delicious. It's velvety, bright, and fruity while still maintaining a rich body, a bit different from the Brazilian coffee that I usually get, but of flawless quality nonetheless.

My friend ordered a white chocolate mocha, which I managed to try a few sips of and enjoyed as well. While the milk and flavoring did dull down some of the more complex notes, I could still detect a distinct flavor that unmistakably comes from expertly roasted and brewed beans. I especially appreciated that the sweetness did not completely overwhelm the delicate bitterness of the brew. Nope, not a "want-some-coffee-with-your-cream-and-sugar" situation here. Faith in flavored espresso beverages restored.

Fueling my inner-hipster needs; Sidamo, I'll be back.

Sideman Coffee & Tea

417 H St NE
 Washington, DC 20002