BOO! Halloween Night in Georgetown and at Bill Dean's

COME TO GEORGETOWN TONIGHT AND THIS COULD BE YOU!

As I walked along M Street this afternoon I looked toward 29th Street and saw a mess of flashing blue lights. OMG, I thought, is the President headed this way! What's going on? Or perhaps a head of state arriving at the Four Seasons Hotel. Nope. None of that. It was a fleet of tow trucks descending on M to haul away any cars still parked at meters at 2:55 p.m. The deadline was 3. Tow trucks as far as the eye could see. They roared into action like an avenging army. So, be warned. The pressure is on. 

Earlier I noticed almost a dozen parking enforcement operatives swarming among parked cars down by the waterfront, slapping pink tickets on windshields. Go team go! Let's make the village as inhospitable as possible. 

THE SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE AT GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE

Oh, what a Friday night. Bill Dean's annual Georgetown Halloween party at the Dodge Mansion. My friend Sally Hosta came in from Middleburg because A) I told her "you've got to see this party," and B) I was required to bring a woman as my plus one. Bill and his co-hosts prefer the ratio to be about two women for every one man. The costumes, as always, were outrageous, though fewer naked painted women than last year. Sally and I were the Merry Widows. She was the Merry Pirate Widow and I was the Merry Pulp Fiction Meets Coco Widow.  

Before the party I followed my own advice and we stopped by the outdoor terrace at The Four Seasons Hotel to have a drink by the fire. Also caught up with Mark Politzer, the manager of Bourbon Steak. As expected, sitting by one of the outdoor fire pits is warm. It's also intimate and pretty and ideal for quiet conversation. They serve the full Bourbon Steak menu out there, too. The way the weather forecast is looking right now that may not be an option tonight, but Mark said they will be serving outside well into the chilly season. They even hope to offer jackets to customers, if needed.

After the party we returned to my house and nibbled on some amazing cheese I bought at Griffin Market. It was recommended by Riccardo Bonino and it was an excellent recommendation. Probably 1,000 calories per teaspoon, but creamy, runny, stick, gooey, stinky and delicious with Honey Crisp apple slices and chewy French bread. Epoisses from the Berthaut Fromagerie. It is a traditional Burgundian cheese, washed with Marc de Bourgogne. Pair it with your favorite Oregon pinot noir or French red burgundy, though also not bad with a Belgian beer.

We also watched some nonsensical Halloween movie that had lots of slicing and dicing and blood spattering but was not scary at all.

If you haven't bought your Halloween candy, go get it now. I was at Palisades Safeway at 9 a.m. and they were sold out. The nearby CVS was almost depleted. I was able to score five bags of Dum Dums. 

BARTENDER AT BILL DEAN'S HALLOWEEN PARTY