Girls Night Out at Lacy Couture Apparel

courtesy Lacy Couture

This looks like fun:  Girls Night Out at new Potomac boutique Lacy Couture this Thursday. The store carries jewelry, dressy tops and  two of my faves: Billy Blues pants (the fit like a dream) and Leifsdottir shoes (above, and also seen at Anthropologie). Owner Lacy Ezra used to be an interior designer. Now, she says, she's "decorating people" by helping them find the perfect look to express their unique style and personality. Enjoy spring specials, champagne, cupcakes and shopping with the girls from 6-9 pm. 1081 Seven Locks Road, Potomac, 20854. 240-453-9007. 

Hoppy day at Klaradal

It's a party at Klaradal. Sue Kopperman's cozy Swedish shop is full of wonderful linens, dishes, garden tools, art and surprises this weekend. On Saturday the store is celebrating an Easter Egg Hunt and Sale. Yep, there are eggs hidden throughout the store with free gifts, treats, discounts or happy spring wishes. Take an extra 15% off if you show up in an Easter bonnet. Eggs are limited to three per household, so you may want to delegate your "hunters" if your brood is in tow. I particularly like these Robert Frost quotes, courtesy of Sue, who was inspired by the beauty of the white blossoms lining Norbeck Road:
"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today
And give us not to think so far away…
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night"

Bethesda Row Restaurant Week April 11-17

Decisions, decisions. Where to dine? Bethesda Row is celebrating Restaurant Week through Sunday with specials at 11 of the area's top restaurants--most are offering two or three-course lunches ($12/$15) and three-course dinners ($30). Find exquisite Asian at the popular Raku, try Redwood for innovative uses of seasonal, local ingredients and don't forget to try the array of Jose Andres' tapas at Jaleo. And, most have outdoor seating, so when the sun is shining and it's 70 degrees on Friday, you'll be soooo wishing you had made that reservation. Here's what's cooking at American Tap Room:


7278 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
301.656.1366 www.americantaproom.com/bethesda
Lunch
Starters
Choice of  
Soup of the Day
Tap Room House Salad

Entree:
Choice of
Seared Atlantic Salmon Salad
Greek Chicken Flatbread Pizza
Open Faced Meatloaf Sandwich

Dessert:
Choice of
New York Cheesecake
Spring time Fruit Tart

Dinner
Starters:
Choice of
Soup of the Day
Tap Room House Salad

Entree:
Choice of
Seared Tuna Salad
Shrimp and Scallop Angel Hair with Tomato Crab Sauce
Drunken Strip Steak with Kennebec Potato Pancakes

Dessert:
Choice of
Lava Cake
Banana Bread Pudding

Here's a complete list of participating restaurants:

American Tap Room, Assaggi, Café Deluxe, Jaleo, Lebanese Taverna, Le Pain Quotidien, Mamma Lucia, Mon Ami Gabi, Parker's Classic American, Raku and Redwood.

Weekend Update: Style Tour

Westfield Montgomery Mall's Style Tour comes to Bethesda this weekend. Free and open to the public, the event features Stacy London's Style for Hire--personal stylists trained by London of TLC's What Not To Wear. Shoppers can visit the Style Lounge for a personal style survey and to learn about current trends before meeting one-on-one with a personal stylist, who'll dip into the Style Closet (full of clothes from stores like Eileen Fisher, BCBG, Michael Kors, Banana Republic, Zara, and more) to help create a fresh new look. A makeup consultation follows. Shoppers then receive discount cards so they can shop for their new look. At 2 p.m., there's a runway fashion show and at 3 p.m. three lucky people will get total style makeovers.  Believe it. The Style Tour continues through this weekend and happens next weekend as well. For more info, click here.
• Saturday, April 9 (11am-7pm)
• Sunday, April 10 (12-6pm)
• Saturday, April 16 (11am-7pm)
• Sunday, April 17 (12-6pm)

Late-night musings: A lament in the face of progress

Ok, so yesterday I was at LOFT using my 30% family and friends coupon (I love that store) and realizing that these are my last few days for making my traditional rounds through Congressional Plaza as we now know it. Whole Foods is the anchor of Congressional Plaza and the excuse for shopping at LOFT, White House and Last Call Studio. On April 12 Whole Foods closes its doors here and moves down the Pike to the new North Bethesda Market. There have been subtle hints of the closing--my Cajun catfish is no more and neither are my Dr. Krackers. The new store will be closer to me and undoubtedly bigger and dazzling with large displays of prepared foods and produce--but lonely with underground parking.  The draw to Congressional is the large outdoor lot, and the opportunity to amble from store to store before finally hitting the bustle of activity in Whole Foods (yeah, remember what walking outside in a suburban shopping center is like?). I love the familiar smell of the store, and yes, the fish guy recognizes me.  I have charted a course through the aisles that doesn't deviate too often. I like finally having a "routine" I look forward to. I don't have many. In a town constantly pelted by "progress," growth and change, familiar routines are hard to come by. But I will adapt. Pretty soon, I'm sure the euro-market-style Fresh Market moving into Whole Food's space will seem like it's always been there. And I may finally learn to love parking garages. 

Hump Day spring specials at Ginger

There are so many new spring styles at Ginger boutique in Bethesda that the store's offering 20% off starting today and continuing through the weekend. Don't miss fab new looks from Yoana Baraschi (my fave), House of Harlow, Tracy Reese, Calypso, White + Warren--and more. Don't forget that Ginger also carries handbags and fabulous shoes. The store is a pretty place to shop with clever, eye-catching windows and lovely, feminine paintings by local artist Maggie O'Neill.