When Congress is in session, the place to power breakfast in Washington, DC is the Seasons Restaurant, a bright spot on the posh lower level of the sleek Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. But don’t expect to eavesdrop on the rainmakers: Tables are distanced far apart, for privacy, and discretion seems to have been the designing principle, diffused into the DNA of a recent redesign. (Including, of course, a private entrance.) The menu features “Capital Classics,” from steak and eggs to smoked salmon, and, if temperatures rise, indoors, you can always cool things down on a crisp fall day by opening the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on a tranquil garden.
When I visited recently, it was after the blackout, but outdoor temperatures were still spiking to 100 degrees. After a relaxing Amala Custom Facial at the Spa at Four Seasons, featuring the luxury botanical organic skincare line that was just introduced to the property, I took a brief stroll through the hotel’s cozy courtyard. By the time I walked back inside, hot and sweaty, I was ready for a refreshing summer drink.
Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak bar and restaurant features a cool casual vibe that attracts travelers, Beltway policy wonks, journalists, financiers, designers and other DC over-achievers. In fact, anyone who appreciates a beautiful and comfortable place to relax in the capital will want to head to the bar and enjoy a drink created by award-winning Four Seasons Washington mixologist and head bartender Duane Sylvestre.
I did not want to dilute my recent spa experience with alcohol, and Sylvestre leaned over the wide, glossy dark-wood bar with the perfect antidote: the deliciously refreshing West Indian Limeade Mocktail, a “zero-proof libation,” he says, with a smile. (Sylvestre shared his recipe with Organic Spa Magazine , below.) A native of Trinidad, Sylvestre was inspired to mix lime juice, a Trinidadian staple, with ginger, a local Jamaican favorite. “I married the two, and it works.”
Duane Sylvestre’s West Indian Limeade Mocktail
Four Seasons’ Bourbon Steak Restaurant, Washington, DC
1 oz. ginger syrup
.75 oz. fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
3.5 oz club soda
Serve over crushed ice and garnish with a lime wedge, mint sprig, or both. Enjoy!
Now fortified, I headed back out through the lobby, which strongly resembles your-best-friend-the-architect’s living room, a place where you want to sit, relax and enjoy the Helen Frankenthaler paintings on the wall. Then, who could resist a stop at M29 Lifestyle, a delightful shop across the way that features many sustainable, one-of-a kind, hand-crafted pieces: resusable children’s lunch sacks by Fluf, recycled cashmere and organic cotton dolls by Jess Brown, recycled-plastic pillows designed by Alexandra Ferguson, and beautiful hand-hewn wooden bowls, and clothing by Kalo Soma, Issey Miyake, Matta and more.
This fall, M29 Lifestyle will expand by 1000 square feet, and will also feature a brand-new cafe. The perfect stop for a spot of Fair Trade tea after a stroll through neighboring Georgetown.
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