Official Bourgie Saturday #1 - Type D for Disaster

When I first came up with the concept of Bourgie Saturday, I found few friends who were interested in participating. There was a lot of whining, a ton of excuses, and some unreturned facebook messages (you know who you are). The date was set, the theme and venue chosen, and off the four of us went to plan our first Bourgie Saturday.

Picking the Theme

Bourgie people love theme parties. Whether they're ugly sweater parties (more on that later), dinners with a specific TV show theme, or a night out on the town dressed a certain way, bourgie people love them!

My three bourgiest friends and I went through several ideas before finally landing on what we thought was the best idea for our first outing: A bourgie hike, followed by a bourgie picnic. We decided, since the weather last fall was pretty mild, doing something outdoors would be a fantastic idea! And who doesn't like a picnic? I mean, really.



Bourgie Picnicking


If you're going to have a bourgie picnic, you need to make sure you have the essentials: wine, cheese, and various dips. For our adventure, we decided to venture into the Dutch Country Farmers Market in Laurel, Maryland. (If you live in the Washington or Baltimore Metro Areas, you must schedule a trip!)

• Cheese: The H&S Cheese stand inside the market has an incredible variety of cheeses. (Make sure you sample some of them. You'd be surprised by some of the more unusual flavor combinations.) For our trip, we picked up about 4 cheese, one of which was the spicy Buffalo Cheddar. Yum!
• Dips: They have amazing dips in the Farmers Market as well! It's basically a one-stop shop for deliciousness. Like the cheeses, you can also sample dips!
• Side note: This is going to sound weird, like a soundbite from Snooki, but they seriously have the best pickles I've ever tasted in my life. Ever. There are so many different kinds of pickles. It's like pickle heaven for any pickle-lovin' girl!

While you can't get wine in the Dutch Country Farmers Market, you can get delicious hot meals and beverages. The Lantz Restaurant -- located near the exit -- has a great menu. I got a hot turkey sandwich, and wished I had ordered three of them! They are famous for their fried chicken, so make sure you order some on your first trip! They serve both breakfast and lunch, so you can grub regardless of when you're shopping.

• Wine: For this important element of our Bourgie Saturday, we came prepared. We packed up some  red wine in a fancy wine cooler (to keep it classy), and added it to our growing collection of picnic goodies in the trunk. I'm going to go slightly off topic here for a moment, because I have to share info on where we often purchase wine. 
• One of our favorite places to purchase wine is Corridor Wine & Spirits (or, as one member of the Bourgie Saturday crew dubbed it, "Liquor Mart"). It is like the Target of spirits. Domestic, import, wines, champagne, prosecco, beer, vodkas - you name it, they have it. I have tried some great local wines at Corridor, as well as some unique imported beer. The staff is very knowledgeable, and they even have wine tastings on the weekends for those looking to try something new.

Go Take a Hike

Since we decided to go hiking, we had to get dressed for the great outdoors. This is where things started to go wrong...

One of these outfits is not like the other ones...

Having gone hiking many times, I know that, regardless of temperature, you want to make sure to have your legs and arms covered when traipsing through the woods. Ticks and other insects live in these places, and poison ivy/oak are found in abundance in our region. I find that dressing in layers allows you to cool down, but ultimately, you want to make sure you're covered. (Check out this expert advice from REI)

Footwear is another important element of any hike. If you're hiking on an actual mountain (like we did), you want to make sure you have supportive shoes that aren't going to slip on rocks or leaves. I have this awesome pair of Merrell hiking sneakers that, though they appear bulky at first glance, are perfect for a low-impact hike. Hiking isn't about looking fly anyway...

To merge the hiking with the picnicking, make sure you pack a sturdy backpack, but more importantly that you check the policies of your hiking destination to ensure that you are not getting ready to break any. Which brings me to my next point...

You Can't Drink Wine at Sugarloaf Mountain

This was kind of a shock, considering there's a winery right at the base of the mountain. It also sucked because it meant that we couldn't drink any during our picnic. Which brings me to yet another point...

Stink Bugs Suck. They Can and Will Ruin Your Picnic!

You can't see them, but the stinkbugs
are definitely there...waiting for you!

Now, I'm not one to be afraid of insects, but stink bugs are pretty awful. It's not that they're going to bite you or anything, but they're just a nuisance. We have our share of obnoxious insects in our area (including cicadas every 17 years), but those stinkbugs are some of the most obnoxious. They're hard and crunchy, which is not something you want to think about when attempting to picnic (which is why we had to take our picnic inside).

So here's how our hiking trip ACTUALLY went down.

Yogi and Boo-Boo? No Thanks!

1. Went to pick out the food at the Dutch market. Got hungry from sampling so many different foods (how does that even happen?), which set us way back on our trip.
2. Started down the road to Sugarloaf Mountain, which is on the border of Montgomery and Frederick Counties in Maryland. (One of our Bourgie Saturdayers kept referring to it as Sugarfoot Mountain.)
3. It was over an hour away, but it was a beautiful trip to the mountain. The Agricultural Reserve in Montgomery County is absolutely gorgeous.
4. Pulled up to the base of the mountain, and saw a sign that said something to the effect of, "there was a bear cub spotted on the trails today." 
5. Convinced one member of our group to keep driving. 
6. Parked. Truck got covered in stink bugs.
7. Convinced our designated Bourgie Saturday driver not to turn around.



Some random dude told us which trail
was the best for us. He was wrong.

8. A couple of us checked out the map so that we could pick a trail. 
9. Walked around the picnic area. Observing a gazillion stink bugs, we took our food back to the vehicle (after already having to leave the wine in the truck).
10. Proceeded to walk the trail. It was a pretty steep slope. We later learned that the "helpful" gentleman at the map had identified the most challenging trail on the mountain.
11. Climbed about a half mile up the mountain (much of which was literally climbing), turned around, and headed back to the start of the trail.
12. Tired, sweaty, hungry, and dirty, we decided to do the most logical thing: Have the picnic inside one of our apartments.
13. Reflected on the day. Decided that, although it was a bummer that we didn't actually picnic during our hike climb up the mountain, it was a win because we had fun, got some fresh air, and had tons of laughs. 
14. Vowed never to plan a hiking trip during the peak of "stinkbug season."

We will be planning another hiking trip at some point in the future. At least now we know the do's and dont's!

Need ideas for planning your own Bourgie Saturday excursion? Send us an email or tweet us @bourgiesaturday for free pointers!

Official Bourgie Saturday #2 - High Tea in Annapolis

High Tea at Reynolds Tavern, Annapolis


For our second Official Bourgie Saturday, The Bourgie Saturday Team headed out to Annapolis, Maryland for a high tea. 

From BourgiepediaHigh tea: High tea is typically served in the late afternoon - typically around 4 p.m. Often served are savories (small sandwiches), scones (yum), and pastries. Read about the history of the afternoon tea and the Duchess of Bedford here. 

Location, Location, Location


Reynolds Tavern is a delightful bed and breakfast/tea house/gift shop/pub located in Church Circle in beautiful Historic Downtown Annapolis. When you walk into the historic building, you are greeted by a delightful staff, and feel that you're in a different time period. The dining room is located to the left, and the hallway is filled English antiques and photographs. 


The dining room is beautiful! It is very cozy, which means it is not ideal for large parties or groups with small children. It is a truly intimate setting, which is great for tea. 


Tea

Miss CeeCee had the prettiest tea at the table. She ordered a pot of blooming tea, which really came to life at our table. It was almost too pretty to drink! (It was also delicious.) Everyone else's teas paled in comparison to this lovely blooming tea. (Read more about blooming teas here)


Normally, when visiting a tea house, one would order... well, tea. Having visited Reynolds Tavern before, I had taken advantage of their Afternoon Tea Selections; however, we were HUNGRY!


Eats


For an appetizer, Miss CeeCee ordered the crab dip, which she kindly shared with the table. If you're ever in Maryland - especially Annapolis - you must try crabs! Nobody does crabs the way we do crabs in Maryland, and Annapolis is the Mecca of Crab. The crab dip was delicious, and at $9 was a good amount of food for the price. 

The best appetizer at Reynolds Tavern has to be their cream of crab soup. Order a bowl because a cup just won't be enough of this delicious soup! Sometimes the server will offer it, and sometimes you have have to ask, but make sure you get a splash of sherry in soup. It definitely brings out all of the flavors of the soup, and adds an extra dose of bourgie to your meal. 

Side note: Sometimes I pick up some of their soup during my lunch breaks in the winter. It is so warm and delicious, and helps take your mind away from your work day for just a few minutes. 

Those who like sweet appetizers will love their sweet potato fries. They are a very generous serving, and are very sweet. Share these with a group of friends when you come and have your first Bourgie Saturday.


For our meals, three of us ordered the jumbo lump crab cake. Crab cakes can be hit or miss: some places make heavily breaded crab cakes which should really just be called jumbo cakes since they're missing lumps of crab, while other places mostly season the crab meat and form it into a cake (the proper way). Reynolds Tavern definitely knows how to make a jumbo lump crab cake. I ordered spinach and mashed garlic red potatoes to accompany my crab cake. Perfection! The spinach wasn't too salty, and the potatoes really complemented the crab cake. 


Triston wasn't too fond of the turkey reuben, but I can't exactly explain why. If I ever find out, I'll edit this post. (It has become a Bourgie Saturday tradition for Miss CeeCee, Jean, and I to love our meals, and for Triston to hate his. He's always the anomaly!) 


Bourgie Fashion


We really bourgie'd it up for RT. We looked chic and bourgie - but never flashy!

• Alexis was representing Ann Taylor with one of their black virgin wool sheath dresses,  a light pink blazer, and added a leopard scarf for the drive in. Every bourgie lady should own a sheath dress!
• Miss CeeCee added a twist to a modern tea outfit by wearing a soft peach cardigan over a white colored shirt, and khaki-colored pants instead of a skirt (it was cold!). 
• Jean went with the H&M/Top Shop/Urban Outfitters trifecta for this Official Bourgie Saturday outing. Pair a blazer with a skirt/shirt combo and you've got a chic, bourgie look for all seasons.
• Triston - Every self-respecting bourgie man needs an argyle sweater in his arsenal. Throw an argyle sweater over a white collared shirt, and you have instantly gone bourgie! 

Get Your Bourgie Up


Craving tea after reading this article? If you want to try some interesting teas, head to your local Teavana. You can buy all kinds of tea accessories in their stores, sample teas mixed by the staff, or even order iced tea to go. Think of them as the Starbucks of Tea. (Their prices are similar as well.)