April brings a fresh mix of flavor, fun, and a little nostalgia to brighten the season. From comfort foods to classic tunes, and even a few unexpected throwbacks, there’s something to enjoy nearly every day of the month. Thanks to Carla Besosa for pulling together another thoughtful and entertaining lineup of days to celebrate. Take a look and find your next reason to indulge, reminisce, or try something new.
“April is a reminder that something better is always around the corner.”
-Terri Guillements
Apr. 2 NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY DAY
Creamy or crunchy, peanut butter always sticks to the roof of my mouth! The most popular jellies are grape, strawberry, and my fave, raspberry. Top ranked is Jiff creamy with concord grape.
Apr. 5 DEEP DISH PIZZA DAY
AKA Chicago Style, deep dish pizza can be enjoyed at Stracci (Hume Ave.), Jett (Glebe Rd.), and The Haven (Bell Haven Rd.) New Yorkers are welcome, but please keep your criticisms to yourself!
Apr. 8 NATIONAL EMPANADA DAY
These crescent-shaped pastries originated in Spain and Portugal. Try La Posada in Crystal City and MPANADAS (not a typo) on Columbia Pike. I also like to explore the empanada of the day at Tequila & Taco.
Apr. 11 NATIONAL EIGHT TRACK TAPE DAY
Between cassette tapes and CDs, there were eight tracks. Does anyone remember? In college, we used to joke about putting in a blank eight track to facilitate quiet study time!
Apr. 12 NATIONAL GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH DAY
Considered to be the ultimate comfort food! My picks are Cheesetique’s Grown-Up Grilled Cheese, Hops N Shine’s Herbalicious, and Audacious Aleworks’ Rialto.
Apr. 13 NATIONAL SCRABBLE DAY
The highest scoring word in Scrabble is OXYPHENBUTAZONE (which is an NSAID).
Apr. 14 NATIONAL EX-SPOUSE DAY
This day is to inspire forgiving and moving on. Before researching that, I thought it was a day to celebrate that your ex-spouse was no longer your spouse!
Apr. 16 NATIONAL EGGS BENEDICT DAY
This delicious brunch dish was created in NYC during the late 19th century. Based on Yelp ratings, you should be ordering your Eggs Benedict at First Watch (now open in Kingstowne) or Jula’s on the Potomac.
Apr. 19 NATIONAL GARLIC DAY
Garlic has many health benefits (too many to list), not to mention keeping werewolves and vampires at bay. The first products that come to mind are Aldo’s garlic bread and Fratelli’s house dressing. Gilroy, California, is the garlic capital of the world. Closer to home is Rebec Vineyards Festival of Garlic (or F.O.G.) in Amherst, Virginia, (Oct. 10-11) with live music, crafts, Virginia wines, and everything garlic. Tag line: “It’s Chic to Reek!”
Apr. 27 NATIONAL PRIME RIB DAY
High marks go to Farmhouse Tuscan, Virtue Feed & Grain, Ada’s on the River, Matt & Tony’s, The Majestic, Mike’s American Grill, and Jula’s on the Potomac.
Apr. 29 DENIM DAY
I’m retired; that makes every day Denim Day! This commemoration was a protest against victim-blaming and sexual violence, challenging the conception that clothing implies consent.
Apr. 30 INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY
Blow the dust off some old faves like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Billie Holiday. Explore some newer artists such as Samara Joy, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Kamasi Washington, Nubya Garcia, Esperanza Spalding, Ezra Collective, and GoGo Penguin. The Rehoboth Jazz Festival is a must for the live music enthusiast, Oct. 15-18.
Carla Besosa has been a Cameron Station resident since 2000, and a Compass contributor for more than 20 years. She earned the title of "Cameron Station Foodie" for the many restaurant reviews she wrote for the newsletter, many of which can be found in The Compass archives on the community website, www.cameronstation.org. Carla is a huge supporter of Cameron Station and very tuned into the fun and delicious ways to enjoy life in and around our community.
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