Wow. Fast away the
old year passes..
Just a couple of things.. I had intended three subjects but
due to the brilliant writing of the Feeder, the intended rant on
commercialization of Christmas will have to wait..
Food (short) another La Rive (I can’t stop!)
And this will probably be the last La Rive for a while. MFO and I joined some friends for dinner a
while ago. Alert readers may remember
that earlier I said I had a dish I had never experienced before. On the
evening we went, there was an “Octopus” salad among the first course
selections. I envisioned the little deep
fried ones you occasionally get in dishes like fritto misto, so I ordered it
up. Well, when it arrived at the table it was quite a surprise
Quite the presentation. Never having had that particular
style of octopus I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. While innovative visually, I have to admit that
I found them a bit chewy and not overly flavorful.
On the other hand (or tentacle) my main dish of crispy Duck
Confit was quite nice, classically prepared
Anyway, it’s nice to see new items appearing on the
menu. People still seem unsettled about
the place.
Holiday Music
Last weekend, we journeyed up the road to attend a concert
in the Basilica in DC, properly known as the “Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception… The shrine
is the largest Catholic church in
the United States and North America, one of the ten largest churches in the
world, and the tallest habitable building in Washington D.C. Construction of this church, notable for its Neo-Byzantine architecture, began in 1920
under Philadelphia contractor John McShain.
It opened unfinished in 1959. An estimated one million pilgrims visit the basilica each year.”
For those of you
unfamiliar here is a (borrowed) picture
Note that this is
NOT the National Cathedral. Which is currently under seemingly endless repair,
rivaled only by the Washington Monument.
Anyway, each year
the Chamber Choir from the Catholic University of America in Conjunction with
the Choir of the Basilica put on a Christmas Concert for Charity, free to the
public but with a chance to donate (through baskets on a pole) and the “proceeds”
go to a designated charity, this year the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese
of Washington.
It is a very
popular event and people arrive quite early to get a “good seat”, although it
is of dubious value since even if you’re in front, you are quite a distance
from the singers.
It is video taped
for showing on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) so you can see the “boom”
in front, which became intrusive at times
Eventually the
place filled up
And the concert
began, first with the Catholic University Choir, then the Basilica choir, then
the combined choirs. Mostly sacred
music, sung sometimes in original Latin, sometimes in German, but they did include some traditional
Christmas Carols like "Joy to the World" and the audience were
invited (stand and) to join in. The knees appreciated the chance to flex, as well as the backside getting relief from the solid wooden pews.
Although this is
not my favorite form of music, 200 voices singing praises to the Lord is indeed
impressive, especially in such a setting.
The concert ended
with Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.
Welcome to the season.
Sidebar Review (which got longer the more I typed)…
We decided to
stay over rather than drive home after the concert. There is a new Hyatt property near our friend’s
place and so we decided to stay there (he was kind enough to drive for the evening). Most readers know we prefer Marriott facilities,
and unfortunately this experience did nothing to shake that loyalty. It’s a weird hotel; the lobby is on the third
floor for instance. The rooms are very
nice,
I kept being unsettled by that combination of art
and the windows afford interesting
views of the neighborhood…
And allow clever artsy
shots
The hotel has been open
a year but still have some edges to hone (at least in our one time
experience). For instance, they don’t
have traditional room service (cost saving?)… you have to call in your order and then go pick it up. We were tuckered out and hungry after the
concert and decided to use their non-room service “24/7” option.
Except that when we went to call, the phone was dead. So MFO went down to the lobby and ordered,
and was told it would be ready in 20 minutes.
Upon returning in 20 minutes, nobody knew about the order, so she waited
some, only to discover it had languished behind the desk for a while, rendering
it stone cold. (so-so flatbread and (lunch meat) Turkey Club on (dry cold) toast).
Breakfast was
included in the room rate so next morning we went down for the Buffet (only
choice) which was nicely laid out
Oddly enough the “exit”
sign for the food service line was nearest the entrance to the dining space with the “enter” located at the far
end of the room. Needless to say, and understandably, most people went in the exit.
Once inside all the food was on “hot plates” making them more accessable instead of the usual
Chafing dishes, avoiding the normal juggling of tongs, plates, and the lids that
want to slam shut on your hands.
And the contents
of the serving dishes seemed to come directly from the Sysco truck (potatoes always the give away). Standard stuff with minimal taste..
And one of the
attendants in the room seemed to want to emulate a Wizards player. Upon clearing a table, she did a gorilla dunk
with the silverware into the tubs, causing a loud and continuous clatter. She seemed like a nice lady, spoke to the
children etc., just created a din. She
also had an odd habit of asking you if you were finished when your fork was between
the plate and mouth..
Lastly, since our
phone was dead we stopped by the desk, and when staff’s private conversation
behind the desk ceased and they noticed us, we asked for a porter to help us
with our bags. We agreed that 9:10
would be about the right time. We went
up to the room, tidied and finished packing and……. At 9:25 we shouldered our
own bags and went back to the lobby for our receipt checkout (no envelope under
the door here) “Oh, didn’t anyone come to help?” Uh, no.
Graciously declined her offer to personally help us out..
Since the
location is very convenient both to our friend’s place and the mall, we would
stay again and hope that maybe some improvements have been made. I gave them an ear full on their “take time
to fill out this survey about your recent stay”. I’m sure it will have the same effect the
other hundreds I’ve filled out in the past..
our nation's capitol
The Cheery Part… on
delay
Well, due to the
usual verbal run on, I’ll save my ire at Christmas commercials for next
time. Does anybody really give somebody a surprise car with a bow on it for a gift? More later
Meanwhile the
holidays offer many opportunities to
DFD
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