Outside City Lines

Nicaro

Silver Spring, MD 20910

8229 Georgia Ave
(301) 588-2867

www.nicarorestaurant.com

You might have learned by now about my non-seasonal non-pollen allergies to the MD & VA suburbs, there are only a few places in these areas that don't make me feel lost, bored and itchy - namely, Goodwill and other thrift stores, my family's house, forests, and I think that's pretty much it - until last week when I went to Nicaro in downtown Silver Spring.

The space is sparsely light and decorated, too sparsely on both counts for my taste, but it has an inviting atmosphere which is heightened by the attentive staff.

I knew Pedro Matamoros, executive chef from Tabard Inn in Washington DC, was running the show at Nicaro - so my expectations where set higher than would be with most, but they definitely were not set high enough to match the fantastic food I ate there.

These were the eats:


Oysters on the Half Shell. Pickled Shallots & Carrot Mignonette.


Buffalo Mozzarella Bocconcini. Vine Ripe Tomato. Basil. Olive Oil. Balsamic Vinegar.

Waiter says "-This is some of the best Mozzarella I've ever had" I said "-Yeah, ok, I'll be the judge of that." A bite later I am preaching the same claim. It was outstanding, and so were the perfectly ripe and sweet tomatoes.


Buttermilk Fried Calamari. Jalapeno-Cilantro Aioli. (sorry for the dark picture, I didn't want to use flash for this one and it turned out a little dark)

Waiter once again claims "-This is the best calamari I've ever had." I, once again, say "-Sure, it is buddy, you used that line with me already". A bite later I am writing notes for my review that say "Best calamari, I've ever had." Not kidding. All this time I've been thinking that fried calamari is inherently chewy, turns out I've been eating crap because Nicaro's squid is tender, the batter is light and flavorful not overwhelming or fatty or greasy, and the Jalapeno-Cilantro Aioli -WOW- I was tempted to take the left-over sauce home and eat it all by itself with my finger.


Soup of the Day - I don't remember all the ingredients but it was a mix of squash, zucchini and other roots topped with croutons and a dollop of pesto. This was the only dish that didn't impress me, specially after reading the glowing review by Tom Sietsema of the butternut squash soup. I was looking for a broth packed with flavor, which this one lacked, and the floating poorly seasoned vegetables didn't help my palate.


Pan-Seared Sea Scallops. Roasted Sunchoke. Hazelnut. Arugula. Citrus Buerre Blanc.

I've never had Sunchoke with scallops before, it was a surprisingly harmonious pairing, and the scallops were cooked to perfection.


Seafood Bouillabaisse. Shrimp. Scallops. Mussels. Fish. Fennel. Aioli.
I only tasted a bite of this bouillabaisse's broth, but the succulent flavors were all there deliciously condensed in it.

I'm so glad I experienced semi-suburban life for a night and tried this little Silver Spring gem. I forgot to mention that they also serve brunch, my favorite meal of the week - so I will MOST definitely be back for more.

Little Things

If it seems like I spent the entire weekend shopping it's because I actually did, no, the intermittent rain didn't stop me. The Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair was very large, and although I felt like half of the shops were selling the same thing I still found some very very special little items and developed a new obsession for ceramic animals.



One of my favorite jewelry shops Imogene from Baltimore

Fluttering Heart Necklace - Sterling Silver with a Gold Filled Heart :)


Sterling Silver Seahorse


I looooooved this shop - kg + ab - it was hard for me to restrain myself from buying every single little thing on the table. I bought one of the little foxes, and a pair of dancing bears :)














Another great store - Tasha McKelvey's clay pieces, I bought the green flower ring below and some yellow leaf porcelain earrings.







My favorite photography shop at the fair - Splut Photo - I also think I saw every guy that walked by stop and childishly stare at the prints wishing they covered all their apartment walls. There's this perfect mixture of comedy, darkness, beauty and satire in Steve Strawn's photographs, they are like nothing I've ever seen before, the complexity of the scenes!! WOW!!


Human Spatter


Chest Shot


Exploded Wine


Doll Deads on Sticks (my personal favorite)

Listopad at Mercedes Bien

What better way to begin a Saturday morning than drinking mimosas and shopping for vintage clothes with your girlfriends, and mingling with Morgan (she found the cutest ethnic printed dress) and the Listopad girls. It was my first time at Mercedes Bien and despite the tight quarters I found a great selection of vintage party dresses and jewelry.















Here are the pics of the party minus my purchases (I will show you those later):



I'd like to wear those necklaces all at once


Accessory Table


Mercedes Bien's coats and sweaters


The frenzied crowd


More shopping


Listopad's shoe selection


Don't you love her outfit?


And her mean gladiators?

Light and Space

We've probably all seen pictures of Donna Karan's Manhattan apartment, but I personally have never seen such beautiful shots as the following ones from Yatzer. Perfectly composed by Richard Powers, the images eloquently convey the serenity and balance of the space. Not to mention the light, both natural and strategically placed ambient light, which give the entire place a "morning glow."

As with the previous interior space post, I didn't resize the images so you could get as close to being there without stepping out of your own home.

Cold Shoulders

I found this gorgeous "morning cape" inside a coat closet at one of my favorite vintage furniture/decor stores in DC. It looked like it was 100 years old and I have no idea what it was doing in the coat closet, which also looked like it was 100 years old, maybe they both belonged to the same person - how sweet. I didn't buy it because it was very Edwardian, and long and heavy and a bit expensive, but it did give me the idea of getting a mini version of it and although I still haven't found something that looks like it I have found some other adorable little capelets.



Clockwise from top left: 60S vintage cape from Lullie Vintage, Custom hand-made lace shrug from Holly Stalder, White ruffle capelet, Vintage knit wrap pattern, Custom beaded fur capelet

Speakeasy

What I wore to the Goodwill Event, I thought the 1920s-flapper-inspired dress would be fitting to the event's "Under Paris Skies" theme:



Dress: Juicy Couture
Vest: Vintage boys blazer (KT and I cut the sleeves off and silkscreened the skull during one of our "craft days")
Shoes: Michael Kors
Bag: Vintage

Under Paris Skies

The Fashion of Goodwill Runway and Auction at the French Embassy took place last night and it was buckets of fun. There was an amazing array of items up for auction and a sale of all the clothes from the runway at Goodwill prices!!!! It was mayhem! My girlfriend and I managed to fight a few people off and took home a couple of adorable dresses.

More importantly than shopping, I learned about Goodwill's mission of providing education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages. It's so wonderful to hear how these services allow individuals to gain personal and financial independence as well as to build their confidence. Such a fun night for such a great cause!! Thanks Em!!

Here is the reprise of the evening via photographs I took (please excuse their quality, my photographer did not come with me so I had to fend for myself)

The Party:







Maria and Morgan



Such a lovely dress







The Auction Items:

Chanel Earrings


Vintage Brush Set


Christian LaCroix Book


Fur Coats


The Awards:




The Runway:


Dancers


Love the coat on the left, I stood in line behind the woman who purchased it. It looked like a million bucks on her.




The trench-coat on the left was adorable.


My favorite dress from the runway, I was one inch away from buying it.


Love the color and subtle shine.