From Laetitia Brock. Email her at laetitia[AT]borderstan.com. You can follow her at @FrenchTwistDC and on her own blog, French Twist DC.

Memorial Day is just around the corner and with that the (un)official kick-off to pool season in many of DC’s apartment and condo buildings, mine included. That means I need to start watching what I eat, which isn’t easy these days. I mean, I love to eat out and there’s practically a new restaurant opening every other day; how am I ever to fit into my bathing suit comes Saturday?

Which is why I love that the Ici Urban Bistro, located in the French luxury hotel Sofitel Lafayette Square, is currently offering a calorie conscious menu. Last fall, the restaurant introduced a new De-Light menu, developed exclusively for Sofitel Hotels by Thalassa Sea & Spa. De-Light by Sofitel is offered at Ici Urban Bistro in conjunction with their regular menu and offers well-balanced, low-calorie meals without sacrificing any of the taste.

Right now, I must say, it’s quite an appealing option for someone like me who loves to eat out without feeling guilty afterwards. But, on top of the wonderful De-Light menu, there’s another reason why you should head to Sofitel’s Ici Urban Bistro right now: a special traveling exhibit of 25 photographs by famous French photographer Gilles Bensimon, former international creative director of “Elles.”

“Elles” is a magnifique exhibit celebrating 25 beautiful and powerful women in the arts and entertainment industry. The stunning black-and-white pictures of Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Catherine Deneuve, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Tina Turner have never been seen by the general public before so they’re quite a treat (also, extra inspiration to order the De-Light menu!).

The exhibit launched in New York right around International Women’s Day earlier this year and will remain in Washington, DC until June when “Elles” will head to the Sofitel hotels in Chicago (July/September) and Beverly Hills (October/December). The exhibit is also a good reminder of Accor (Sofitel’s parents company)’s commitment for women to represent 35% of its hotel managers worldwide by 2015. A great goal if you ask me.

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