The first DC installment of the Real Housewives franchise wasn’t exactly a winner. Canceled after only one season for reasons not limited to (but definitely including) the Salahi’s infamous state dinner crashing, we weren’t sure if the District would ever again have the pleasure of hosting Bravo camera crews. But the network didn’t give up on us! It just moved outside the Beltway.
The first episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac aired this past Sunday, and the cast gathered with friends, family, and press for a viewing party at Sax to celebrate. Even if you don’t get to watch ’em for longer than a season, you can at least pretend to live like ‘em with this guide to everything they love—and where they hang out—in Washington.
Where they go for great cocktails:
Ashley Darby: “I love The Gibson—it’s this really cute little speakeasy. And I also love The Park. I used to work there—great cocktails and an awesome happy hour.”
Where they work out:
Gizelle Bryant: “Equinox.”
Ashley Darby: “I like Orangetheory, actually. It’s so fun.”
How they spend a family fun day:
Katie Rost: “We love to go to the park. We do a lot of arts and crafts now. We’ve been doing these nature walks where we take all of the things we find on the nature walks and then put it into like a cool collage. So I’ve got a whole setup in my house. I’m not going to say that they’re like, Picasso’s, but my kids are pretty close.”
Where they shop:
Robyn Dixon: “Tysons Galleria.”
Ashley Darby: “Zara is my favorite.”
Katie Rost: “I really enjoy going to some boutiques in Georgetown. I also love the Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Jandel, Jimmy Choo [Wisconsin Avenue area]. That’s a fun little spot.”
Karen Huger: “Honestly, I’m going to say Tiffany’s on Wisconsin. That’s as DC as I get with the shopping.”
Where you’ll find them on a Saturday night:
Ashley Darby: “I’m working at the restaurant.” [Darby runs Arlington’s new Australian eatery, Oz, with her husband Michael Darby.]
Gizelle Bryant: “I’m on a hot date, and I don’t want you to find me.”
Robyn Dixon: “I’m on the couch with my kids.”
Karen Huger: “One of the local DC restaurants that has a rooftop on a summer night. I love that. I’d have to say the W is one of my favorite places to just go sit.”
Katie Rost: “On a Saturday night, I’m probably hanging out with my kids, trying to get them to go to sleep so I can sneak out of the house.”
Where they go to eat guilty pleasure foods:
Karen Huger: “Sweetgreen. But they just got rid of the yogurt—we have to call that back in! Did you know that? I was so upset.“
Where they dine out:
Katie Rost: “My favorite place to eat, right now, is Mix in Potomac.” [The Housewives make an appearance at Mix Bar and Grille in the first episode.]
Where they bring their out-of-town guests for touristy fun:
Ashley Darby: “I love the museums. The Spy Museum is so fun. I have a ten year old sister, and she loves that stuff.”
Karen Huger: “Oh God, I get on one of those dreaded tour busses for them.”
Gizelle Bryant: “I love to ride down the [C&O] canal, biking, with my kids.”
Who does their hair:
Katie Rost: “Darrell Thompson. He comes to my house. When I was pregnant and I was living in New Jersey with my ex-husband, he took the train to New Jersey just to do my hair. Awesome guy.”
Where they go for a girls’ night out:
Gizelle Bryant: “I like a nice restaurant with wonderful drinks, so Joe’s. I like [Food Wine & Co.], which is up closer to us.”
Ashley Darby: “Barcelona is really nice. My friends love to go there.”
Where they spend a driveable staycation:
Karen Huger: “Ooh, Salamander.”
Ashley Darby: “We have a beach house in Bethany Beach, Delaware, so I’d probably go there.”
Who their favorite Housewives casts are (besides themselves):
Gizelle Bryant: “I’m a Beverly Hills fan–slash Atlanta.”
Ashley Darby: “I like Melbourne, actually. My husband is from Melbourne.”
Where they most enjoyed filming the season:
Ashley Darby: “Barrel.”
Gizelle Bryant: “Barrel is actually in Southeast.”
Ashley Darby: “It’s a whiskey bar.”
Gizelle Bryant: “I think I liked it because I was drunk, and you like anything when you’re drunk, right?”
Ashley Darby: “Gizelle, yeah, she had a good time.”
What they plan to teach us about Potomac:
Robyn Dixon: “I feel like on the outside Potomac gets kind of a bad rep for being stuffy, but you’ll learn that yes while it’s a family town, there’s a lot of families and women in Potomac that like to have fun.”
Karen Huger: “I think you’re going to learn how culturally diverse and rich it is. I really hope people take that away. It’s a jewel of a town to raise your kids and I think you can see that.”
Tune in to Bravo on Sunday nights at 9 PM to keep up with The Real Housewives of Potomac.
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
