chiko

chiko
423 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 558-9934

what was consumed: chicken spring roll, cumin lamb stir fry (noodles), wagshal's brisket

short for chinese korean, chiko is a welcome addition to the DC eating scene. located near eastern market on barrack's row, this fast casual restaurant can get super crowded (no reservations!), but it is totally worth the wait.

bjl and i head over for my birthday. while this was a more casual meal for a birthday, i'd been wanting to try out chiko for some time. i'd heard that one of the chefs is also the chef/owner of mandu. definite bonus points, imo. we walked over right church, beating the large crowd that almost immediately followed us (great timing!). we were seated at the "bar" (it is a 4-seat bar that is usually reserved for those doing the tasking menu, which i wished we were doing), and that was great because we got to see the kitchen staff put together all the meals.

some of the dishes (like the wagshal's brisket) really reminded me of some dishes i used to eat as a kid (though, admittedly, what i ate was not as fancy as chiko's version!). but the slab of butter that binds the bowl together was not only delicious, but also brought back so many happy memories of yummy dishes my mom would make in my childhood. YUM.

bjl and i gifted one of the "kitchen counter" meals to c and j for christmas and they totally loved it. note that it's a little bit of everything on the menu, so be sure to have an empty stomach and be ready to gorge on some delicious food! i can't wait to go back.

online: chikodc.com/

pineapple and pearls

pineapple and pearls
715 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
tel:202) 595-7375

what was consumed: the day's set menu

everyone has been talking about pineapple and pearls (including the michelin folks). and i can see why. yes, it's on the pricier side. yes, it's more fancy than i'm accustomed to. but there's something about the creative, fun, and super delicious treats that are served at pineapple and pearls that make this a must-have dining experience. 

k and i had been wanting to go, so we nabbed a few reservations (mind you, weeks in advance) and looked forward to an evening of delicious bites and lots of chatter. upon arrival, we were greeted by a welcome drink (non-alcoholic varieties were also available) until we were escorted to our seats (at the bar. no worries - same menu at the bar!). pineapple and pearls proceeded to delightfully overwhelm us with an adventure for our taste buds. each course came out, timed perfectly, with a knowledgeable staff who explained what we were eating and, as appropriate, the recommended way to enjoy the dish. i could have relished in everything pineapple ad pearls had to offer, but (sadly) there's only so much room in my stomach. sigh. 

so save your pennies, find a fun person to spend a couple of hours with, make a reservation, and enjoy everything pineapple and pearls has to offer!

online: https://www.pineappleandpearls.com/

rose's luxury

rose's luxury

717 8th street se, 20003

tel: 202) 580-8889

what was consumed: the entire menu. seriously. we said, "one of each please." 

bon apetite named rose's luxury the best restaurant of 2014 (or something like that). i can totally see why.

the bunch of us decided to take others' recommendation and wait in line for the first seating. while some people say that a 5:30pm dinner time is too early, i prefer eating early. the only challenge is that everyone in our party has to be in attendance for the restaurant to seat us. sadly, that was the problem. but fear not! we parked ourselves at the upstairs bar, where all of the food options were still available, and began our plan of action.

there were enough of us for us to decide on a mini tasting menu of our own. minus a few of the pastas, we decided we wanted to try everything. so that's what we did. "minus xxxx and xxxx, we'll take one of everything." and being able to order like that? yeah, felt really good.

now, about the pastas. there was a little incident (we received some bad customer service from some of the wait staff and expressed our frustration to our bartender, mostly because we were shocked that that was something we'd experience at roses). nonetheless, our bartender/server brought out tasting plates of the pastas to soothe our wounds. wounds, what wounds? woohoo! we were happy with his genuine apology; the pastas were heaping scoops of cream cheese icing on the cake!

now, about the other food. DE-LI-CIOUS. i loved some dishes more than others, though i was happy to have tried them all. the egg dish i could have eaten a gallon of and i wished i had a larger stomach so that i could enjoy a whole order of the ginormous brisket dish (served for sharing). the presentation was comfortable, but classy. though that didn't matter all that much since all of our food was devoured pretty much as soon as the plates hit the tables.

the ambiance at rose's is also pretty spectacular. comfortable and casual, sorta hipster, sorta pretentious, sorta country bumpkin, sorta sophisticated, sorta avant garde ... all wonderful. and i enjoyed the family style, sort of farm-to-table sense that the restaurant oozed from its pores. but you know what? totally enjoyed it all.

rose's does a rotating/seasonal menu, so i will definitely go back to try other things. and maybe even dish out for the rooftop special dining situation ... yes! more delicious food please!

online: http://rosesluxury.com/

the sweet lobby

the sweet lobby
404 8th street SE, washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 544-2404
hours: monday-thursday 10am-9pm, friday-saturday 10am-10pm

what was consumed: macarons! i've had a variety of flavors, but my favorite is the salted caramel. by far. once, they didn't have any (they were making more) and i almost cried. seriously. k also tells me that their cupcakes are delicious. i trust her opinion. you should too.

i'm not big on sweets. i've even once said, albeit facetiously (because all presents are wonderful), that i'd waaaay rather receive a bag of beef jerky over a box of chocolates (and FOR SURE over flowers. flowers suck. no offense). i'm also the lame restaurant patron who will ask if a side salad or fries (always fries!) may be substituted in a price fixe menu. nevertheless, my desire to try all things food does not preclude me from trying delicious desserts. so, when k told me that i had to try the "perfect macarons" from the sweet lobby, i couldn't resist. per usual.

after a nice lunch, k and i were looking for a little something to have with our mid-day cocktails (yay mid-day cocktails!). she mentioned that there was a (relatively) new place on barracks row that i had to try. she knows that i'm not one for sweets (she really isn't either), but she said that i just had to try the macarons. i, of course, was happy to oblige. so, we head over to the north end of barracks row into a really tiny tiny store front, where we were greeted by a glass case of cupcakes, neatly lined up. looking oh so sweet and pretty. on the other side of the L-shaped counter was the glass case of the macarons we were there to enjoy.

i don't have lots of experience with macarons. i've had some delicious ones in san francisco, but that's about it? i understand, though, that the texture is just as important as the flavor of the macaron. agreed!

k and i got a box of 6 to share. the sweet lobby has a variety of flavors for you to choose from. some are more ... traditional flavors as well as unique and new flavors. we got a few of the more interesting flavors (including passion fruit and green tea). she told me that i just had to try the salted caramel, her favorite; we each got one.

the macaron shell was just perfect - light, soft and yet crisp on the outside, just the right texture. the filling was chewy, but not gummy, sweet, but not overwhelming. i'm glad k suggested i get the salted caramel - it is now my favorite macaron. a nice combination of salty and sweet. YUM.

the sweet lobby also has a neat story - be sure to check it out on their website (they do a far better job telling the story than i do).

k has since gone to, and returned from, paris and had authentic macarons. i'll have to ask her how the sweet lobby compares. in the meantime ... i'll take another salted caramel macaron, please! thanks ^_^

online: http://www.sweetlobby.com/

cava

cava
527 8th street SE, washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 543-9090
hours: monday 5pm-10pm; tuesday-thursday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm; friday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-11pm; saturday 11:30am-11pm; sunday 12pm-10pm

what was consumed: some variation of the following - taramosalata (whipped salmon roe, citrus), green beans (sautéed, roasted garlic, dill) lollipop chicken (fried, honey, walnuts, greek yogurt), shrimp orzo (san marzano tomatoes, wilted bitter greens), grilled baby octopus (baby octopus, grilled to perfection), kokkinisto (braised beef short ribs, tomato, cinnamon, burgundy, evoo crisped fries), roasted beet tartare (dodonis feta, sea salt, evoo, onions), donuts, and monday half-price wines (yay!)

yay small plates, yay sharing, yay cava!

right as you sit down, a friendly server (all male, btw. i thought that interesting) comes to take your drink orders and drops off some tasty bites of pita bread with oil, olives, and tapenade-like spread. now, this spread. it is so delicious. a bit spicy, the spread ended up finding itself on all sorts of things as the meal progressed. apparently, you can purchase it retail (maybe at whole foods?). as for drinks, cava has a variety of specialty cocktails as well as the standard beer and wine. they also have a half-off bottled wine day which is always wonderful, especially because i think their wines are good and reasonably priced (even more so when they're half off!). cava also has their own lemonade (with and without alcohol). it was a bit sweet/sour for my palate, but when i mixed it with a glass of club soda, it was perfect (i know - weird), though that was on a non-drinking day. some cava lemonade, a splash of club soda, and a clear adult beverage sounds wonderful.

on my first visit to cava, it was a seafood day - taramosalata (whipped salmon roe) and grilled baby octopus. i love seafood (not see food), i love roe, i love octopus. so, while i'm biased in that i probably have a higher tolerance for bad seafood, i most confidently say that these two dishes were wonderful. the taramosalata was lightly whipped, great as is or spread on some pita. i probably could have eaten twice the amount that was served, on my own, in one seating (though sitting with k prevented me from such gluttonous activities. i share, people!). and it was just the right amount of roe-y-ness. if you don't like roe, don't try it! but if you do, or are curious, it's a must. the baby octopus was also delightful. grilled just enough so that there's a bit of char and crunch, fresh octopus that is soft and chewy at the same time ... and with some lemon sprinkled? wonderful.

at subsequent visits, i've had the pleasure of trying out more plates (not-pictured as where we were sitting was light enough as a diner, but too dark to take some good photos). as a whole, i can confidently say that i thoroughly enjoyed all of the plates that i have the pleasure of tasting. i would recommend getting a number of plates and sharing them among you (i guess that's sort of the point of tapas and small plates, no?). the ingredients are fresh, the dishes are well seasoned. and at the end of the night, all gone.

i would also like to note that cava has some great outdoor seating. of course, this also meant that people stopped by to say "hello" to k so often (k is really popular), but it was such a nice day it was worth it! i am more of a washingtonian than i'd like to admit (haha). all the better that the waitstaff is good about making sure we were well taken care of. that's important!

cava, i can't wait to visit you again!

online: http://dc.cavamezze.com/

ted's bulletin

ted's bulletin
505 8th street SE (between E street & G street), washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 544-8337
hours: monday-sunday 7am-10:30pm

what was consumed: walk of shame breakfast burrito (sirloin steak, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheddar, green chile sauce (yes, it’s all in there), served with hash browns), 7:00am breakfast burger (english muffin, country ham, hash browns, fried egg, chipotle ketchup), the reuben (grilled marbled rye, corned beef, sauerkraut, 1000 island, served with hand-cut fries and pickle), green green salad of home (egg, cucumbers, tomato, onions, croutons, tossed lovingly with green goddess dressing) ... and a bunch of sides - corn bread, cheddar grits, bacon & blue cheese brussel sprouts

oh, barracks row, how i miss you. i miss you more now that i don't live in that area and i find it harder to make my way down there. which is even more sad because there are so many awesome places that have since popped up! shucks!

so, friends and i decided that we'd head out to get some breakfast for lunch (i took the day off - yeah!) and decided to check out ted's bulletin. w and k had been before and made sure to let me know that there was a new place on barracks row that had breakfast all day long! now, i'm not a huge fan of the breakfast foods, but my interest can always be piqued! on top of that, they have adult milk shakes, aka, milk shakes with alcohol. some people think about that and make yucky throw-up sounds. but the ones at teds, from what i hear, are different! t ordered a regular milkshake and said it was super duper delicious. and while we were pondering the different milkshake options, the individuals sitting at a table near ours insisted that the adult versions were delicious and way better than without (alcohol). hmm ... interesting!

non-breakfast folks! not to fear - they have quite a few non-breakfast items for your dining pleasure as well. their take on classic american fare is delicious and filling. fresh cut fries, a burger in between an english muffin. yum. as i was having a hard time making an entree selection, i opted for a series of sides. this allowed me some wonderful grits (one of my favorite breakfast foods ... though i guess it's not just a breakfast thing, especially when they call it polenta and serve it for dinner - ha!), roasted brussel sprouts (always delicious), and corn bread (my favorite of all the breads). of course, this did not detract me from tasting others' food, per usual.

overall, the food was fresh and well prepared, the service was prompt and friendly, and the ambiance was casual - all huge pluses. while some people may say that there's nothing special about ted's, but i would beg to differ - their take on the "normal," but doing it so well, definitely makes them wonderful! who doesn't like a local diner to go to and enjoy? i like it, i like it! oh, and i'm determined to go back to ted's to try one of their adult milkshakes, anti-lactose intolerance medicine in hand (tmi? i hope not. i'm just excited about the prospects! ^_^).

p.s. if/when you order take out from ted's, they have this cool take-out window that faces the street. neato!!

online: http://tedsbulletin.com/

belga cafe

belga cafe
514 8th street SE, washington, dc 20003
tel: 202) 544-0100
hours: lunch (11:30am-2:30pm), sunday-thursday dinner (5:30pm-10:30pm), friday-saturday (5:30pm-11:30 pm)
what was consumed: beer, mussels, fries

christine kept telling me about some pleace she would go to in eastern market to eat this and that. i would always tell her to take me with her the next time she goes, but she'd always reply with one of those "oh, we went on the fly" sorts of things. yeah, right (haha - just kidding!). point is, i finally got a chance to go (woohoo!!).

so, we had reservations for a friday night meal, which was good because the restaurant was pretty filled. maybe that's the nature of restaurants in DC this time of year - the people sitting next to us were tourists (they told us they were from the midwest when they asked about how to eat mussels). or maybe it's because it's just a friday night ...

soon after being seated, we ordered our beers (leffe for me!). it's nice to have a couple of belgian beers on tap, i'm sure. and then, of course, the bottle beers ... and then, the eating selection! there were so many things on the menu, i wasn't sure where to begin. do i go the mussels route? or do i go the fancy entree route? or do i do a smorgasboard of small plates (as i'm often seen to do)? or ... aish. when at new restaurants that have such large selections, these are the things that plague my mind - ahhh!!

so, i decided on the mussels - who can resist? of course, that was after contemplating other dishes. i was trying to see what other people were ordering, but i didn't get to see all that much. nonetheless, the mussels we ordered were served quite quickly and they were also quite delicious! the mussels came with fries as well. now, while they didn't seem to be the color of the twice fried fries that i've seen at other places, they were delicious enough~ even funnier was when ketchup was asked for, the server looked so taken aback - ketchup? how could we! haha ... i prefer my fries with ranch and/or other sauces anyway ...

belga cafe also had some great service. our server was attentive and i believe the head guy came out at one point! i don't know what it is, but i think it's great when the owner/chef comes out to greet and interact with his/her patrons.

i'm sure i will head to belga cafe again sometime soon. it's close proximity to my house helps, but it is more the food and ambiance draws me back!

online: http://www.belgacafe.com/