Weekend Ideas

Perfect Stay

Political campaign season is enough to make anyone drink, and at Topaz Bar at the Topaz Hotel (topazhotel.com) you can sip to your favorite presidential candidate. Mixologist Rico Wisner creates the Romney Float (Old Dominion root beer, house-made caramel drizzle and cream) and the Obama Home Sweet Home (Bulleit bourbon, lime and pineapple juice, club soda). They’ll keep tabs on which drink is ordered most often—an unofficial November poll.

Perfect Bites

New York isn’t the only town rediscovering a classic comfort food. Cleveland Park’s Ripple (rippledc.com) recently opened its grilled cheese bar, complete with deluxe sandwiches made with gourmet cheeses. Creations include Swiss Bank Account, with hand-sliced prosciutto and challerhocker, and the Krusty Krab, a tribute to “Spongebob Squarepants,” with jumbo lump crab imperial and béchamel. But don’t let the menu hem in your appetite. Create your own sandwiches by selecting your favorite cheeses, breads, spreads and toppings. The grilled cheese bar is open Sunday–Thursday from 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m. and again from 10:30 p.m.–midnight. The accompaniment: half-price tap beers and wines by the glass from 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m., Sunday–Thursday.

Perfect Treat

Cupcakes have their place in the pantheon of trendy confections, but waffles have elbowed their way into the scene. Wicked Waffle (wickedwaffle.com) offers airy, slightly crunchy and abundantly hot confections topped with fresh strawberries, nutella or a scoop of Moorenko’s ultra-premium ice cream. Now, that’s wicked.

Perfect Buy

Old Town Alexandria’s new Lucky Knot boutique brings together a mother and her daughters for a nautical celebration of clothing, a throwback to the family’s Mediterranean roots. Find colorful clothes and accessories from Vineyard Vines, Elizabeth McKay, Jude Connally, Lilly Pulitzer and other fashion-forward lines to help you look shipshape this spring.