For my birthday last week, my sister treated me to a very grownup and fancy evening out at the Citi Open Tennis Classic in Washington, DC. Not only were we going to see some professional tennis matches, but we also had tickets to the Chef Challenge featuring a cook-off between Top Chef Star Chef Bryan Voltaggio and Chef Victor Albisu. I was psyched – but I also had no clue what to wear.
The first thing that came to my mind was “Tennis Whites!” but since I don’t play “real” tennis, I didn’t have any. Besides, I wasn’t entirely sure that Tennis Whites are supposed to be worn by spectators too, or meant only for the actual players. Shows you how much I know. I settled on a LOFT sun dress sheath that was mostly white, but that had blue and yellow stripes.
I just realized that I probably should give you some context: Hubby was going to be at work until 5pm and the tennis matches began at 4pm, which meant that I needed to deposit the children somewhere until he could pick them up. My friend, A Shorter Mama, graciously agreed to watch them for me, so by the time it was about time to leave my house, I was a frantic mess, trying to get the kids presentable and ready to leave, along with packing some snacks and toys, all while getting myself together.
I threw on the aforementioned sundress and shoved my feet into some matching sandals and grabbed a necklace before running out of the door. Luckily, a actually had my straw visor from The Bahamas, hanging on the coat rack near the front door, and tossed it into my purse. The end result was this:
I felt very summery and tennis-y and was pleased with the final product. We enjoyed the tennis matches but we both were really excited about the Cooking Challenge. We were in the VIP tent and sampled gourmet hors d’oeuvres and ice-cold beers courtesy of Corona all while watching the chefs battle it out using crab as the secret ingredient. Each chef also brought along their mixologist from their restaurant to make cocktails to accompany the dishes they were creating.
A crazy amount of laughing and a few gin-based concoctions later, I actually CHIPPED MY SISTER’S TOOTH ON HER DRINK GLASS…as my special way of saying “Thank You” for the evening, apparently.
Chef Victor ended up winning – but ’tis Chef Bryan who will always have my heart.
Love the look and love me some Chef Voltaggio – Bryan AND Michael
Sounds like a great way to spend a birthday. Happy Belated!
I can’t even tell if the picture is pre or post tooth-chipping….