Redwood

DC Restaurant Week happens twice a year in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia, for those not from these parts), and as a bit of a foodie, it is one of my favorite things about late August.  We always try out a new restaurant and splurge a little on the $35 prix-fixe three course dinner. Some restaurants also participate in a $20 prix-fixe lunch, which is equally as fun.

This week we went to Redwood, and I am SO glad that we did. We've been meaning to try this spot for a very long time, so restaurant week was the perfect excuse. Also, we were celebrating my husband finishing up his psychiatry clerkship. Hallelujah! 6 down, 3 to go!

A few things stood out:

1) The happy hour. We arrived a little early for our reservation, so we went to the bar for a drink. The happy hour menu was very well priced and pretty extensive. We will definitely be going back for this.

2) Good service. We were seated outside (by choice), but never felt forgotten. The water glasses were never less than half full.

3) Unique and yummy food.  The menu was a mix of classics as well as more inventive dishes. Everything was delish.

4) Food allergies were labeled. Whether you are vegetarian, gluten-free or have a nut allergy, this restaurant had everything nicely labeled as such. Makes for easy ordering, and definitely a place I would take my in-laws.

The finale of the prix-fixe meal- chocolate peanut butter cake and chocolate mousse with strawberries.

Just lovely...  

We Made It... Again!!

Y'all might have guessed by my absence from blogging for the past week or so that we've changed locales yet again! Two days ago we arrived in Bethesda, MD at a friend's condo... no hotel rooms for 6 whole weeks! Hallelujah!! 

This is Ron.  He comes with the condo for a week. We're bonded :)

He thinks this is his couch. I'm trying to convince him otherwise.

Our last week in the Pacific Northwest was so awesome, and I will be sharing everything very soon!

Pediatrics Clerkship

I've mentioned bits and pieces about what my husband is doing in Texas, but some of y'all want to understand a bit more about how we got here.

A typical medical school consists of two years in classes and two years in hospitals. My husband's medical school (USUHS) reformed their curriculum recently so that the students spend one and a half years in classes and two and a half years in hospitals. Just before Christmas, he finished up the classroom part (hallelujah! So proud of him!), and so here we are in Texas, as he begins his hands-on education. After we finish this year on the road, Michael will have a year and a half left to do advanced rotations through other specialties and audition rotations for his residency. But that is another adventure in a land far far away from here :)

So, in order for Michael and his 170 other classmates to receive their schedules for this year, they had to participate in a lottery system. I would try to explain it here, but it was so darn complicated and stressful that I just can't bear to relive it. Just know that it took over two weeks to complete the entire process, and we didn't really hang out with any friends during that time period.  It was cutthroat.  Especially Hawaii... go figure.

My husband, being the wonderful man he is, was more concerned with the specialties than the locations, so, here we are at Fort Hood, "The Great Place"... I haven't been able to figure out that moniker yet, but I'll let you know when I figure out where they keep the great in this place :)

Darnall Army Medical Center... with a helicopter flying overhead.

Michael's pediatric rotation is five weeks that is structured like this: 2 weeks in the clinic, 1 week in the newborn nursery, 2 weeks in the inpatient unit.

Tomorrow will be his last day in the pediatric clinic! He has had a great time learning from some amazing physicians.  One of them being Dr. Kunz (the clinic's director)... apparently Michael's long lost brother according to some of the clinic staff! He has really enjoyed his patients, too... ranging in age from two weeks old to fifteen years old.  My favorite moment from his time in clinic: his confession yesterday that he no longer even hears the screams of fussy children/crying babies.  I think that is an invaluable skill :)

Milestones

Today has been a big day for us in Texas!

First of all, thank you to everyone who has been reading about my (mis)adventures.  My blog reached 1000 page views today! I can't believe how many of y'all take time out of your days to follow along. Thank you so much for your support :)

Secondly, my husband texted me earlier today (he volunteered to work in the hospital from 6 am until 5ish) that he performed his first circumcision! I'm very sorry if this is too much information for some of y'all, but it is the first procedure he has ever done on a real patient!  It's kind of a big deal for a medical student (and their obnoxiously supportive spouse).

Hopefully he will be 'home' soon to give me the play-by-play.  Yes, our dinner conversation can be a little much for most people... I'll spare y'all the details :)

Red Onion

Even though I was FINALLY able to have the opportunity to cook tonight, the chance was thwarted by Michael's clerkship director, Monica.  She is so lovely and welcoming that she planned a dinner out with her and another pediatrician and their husbands. Although I was infuriated by her hospitality, I went along with Michael and the other two pediatric clerkship students, Jill and David.

Note: I am pretending to be upset about not yet using my crock pot in our tiny motel room in order to give myself something to look forward to tomorrow.  In reality, no sane person would be disappointed to eat yummy Indian food off post after spending the better part of a day in the previously mentioned tiny motel room. I'm mostly sane.

The Red Onion Indian Bistro was very delicious. I have been trying to convince Michael to go to an Indian restaurant with me for years (not that he has ever been especially resistant, there was just always somewhere he or I wanted to go to more), so I was especially thrilled about this first foray into the cuisine of Killeen, TX.

I had chicken tikka masala and Michael had tandoori chicken (which they served with tikka masala sauce, making it practically the same dish).  We also had rice and some very garlic-y naan.  I wouldn't change a thing about our meal. Heavily seasoned Indian food totally makes my tastebuds sing :)

The only thing that was less than desirable (not for me, but for a certain med student I know... rhymes with Schmichael) was that it was a two hour long dinner on a Tuesday night.  Studying is a much higher priority, especially after spending a few hours with REAL patients.  As for me, I like to facilitate avoidance of 'I'm not studying and I want to be' anxiety as much as possible.  

Takeaway- The food was amazing.  The people were sweet.  The dinner was too long. We will probably repeat this adventure in the near future.