vatos

vatos

서울특별시 용산구 이태원동 181-8

tel: +82 2-797-8226

what was consumed: one of everything! tacos, that is. and tamales. and my favorite? kimchee fries. YES.

i remember a time when being able to eat taco bell 8 hours after items were purchased was the highlight of the year. and now, chefs have come out with creative ways to mix korean and american style mexican food - my two comfort food genres. and so, vatos has turned in to a regular place for me to visit. for kicks, with guests, whenever.

the first time i went to vatos, friends and i went specifically to order "one of each." vatos serves their tacos in pairs and triplets. we sat down, ordered drinks, and ordered one of each of their tacos, primarily just to say that we did, but also, for me, to see which of the options i prefer. my recommendation? the short rib taco in a corn tortilla (flour is the default, what the koreans prefer. i like corn!). the beef is marinated  in just the right amount of korean spices, topped with just a few fixin's, including a cabbage slaw. sort of similar to the "kogi" truck, so.cal style. that said, grab your appetite and try one of each and decide for yourself which you like! hehehe.

and the kimchee fries! sounds weird, but the combination is really great. a bed of french fries, topped with carnitas, then topped with kimchee (though i'll have to ask them to go easy on the onions next time). i sometimes dream about these fries. for reals.

speaking of drinks, vatos provides healthy portions when it comes to in-house beverages. i like their georgia peach ice tea because while it's a little on the sweet side, the peach flavor is yummy and it's served in a very large mason jar. hehehe. i hear vatos were the first to offer the beergaritas (a margarita with a bottle of beer stuck in the glass) as well as makolitas (a margarita + makgoli (korean rice wine) combo). they also serve a variety of local craftworks microbrews. yay for local!

so, when do you wanna go? now? excellent. see you there!

online: http://vatoskorea.com/en/

range

range

inside chevy chase pavillion

5335 wisconsin avenue nw #201, 20015

tel: 202) 803-8020

what was consumed: oysters! and woodfire oven pizza. and desserts. and homemade soda!

bryan voltaggio! beginning with the top chef days, who didn't have a crush on either of the voltaggio brothers? i still want to make it out to volt (it's faaaaaaar), but in the mean time, i'll make it out to range.

after getting rained out from a washington nationals game, and then some earlier eats at daikaya, friends and i head to range to meet others for some late night treats. friends and i head to range because we heard that they did a reverse happy hour for their oysters. i even called ahead of time to see if their seafood tower was still on the happy hour menu (it wasn't). that said, they still had a reverse hh special and we most definitely enjoyed quite a few oysters. so fresh, expertly shucked, accompanied by countermand that i might have thought about eating alone. 

not knowing when we'd get a chance to come back to range, we also ordered a few other things because 1) we wanted to try, and 2) we were getting reverse hungry (i.e., hungry again after dinner had digested). i enjoyed the creative toppings that sad atop my thin crust pizza. and while i used to be one to use a fork and knife to consume pizza, i now just shovel slices into my face.

and the desserts! with just enough sweetness to curb that little tug for sugar at the end of a delicious meal. and so pretty! almost too pretty to eat. of course, that didn't prevent all of us from digging in to get small tastes of our own.

thank you, bryan voltaggio! range's food is delicious. i can't wait to try the rest!

online: http://www.voltrange.com/

comet ping pong

comet ping pong
5037 connecticut avenue NW (at fessenden street), washington, DC 20008
tel: 202) 364-0404
hours: tuesday-sunday 5pm-10pm

what was consumed: arugula salad, the smoky (smoky mushrooms, garlic, smoky mozzarella, smoky bacon, melted onions), the hottie (jalapeno, comet sauce, pepperoni, fontina), the philly (as a pizza, not calzone - house-roasted pork, garlic, red pepper, grilled broccoli rabe, provolone), stanley (our own italian fennel sausage, comet sauce, mozzarella, roasted peppers), and the one with the egg (as had by guy fieri on 'diners, drive-ins, and dives', but isn't on their online menu!)

i've been to comet ping pong a number of times, but have been there to try their pizzas only once. in fact, i was very excited to have pizza and chicken wings, but they were out of chicken wings when i went! sigh. our server did profusely apologize (though it's not her fault) and even stated that this sort of thing (not having their famous wings) hardly ever happens. oh well. anyway, their woodfired pizza (is that what this style is called?) is simply delicious, though it does take some time for your order to come out (be patient - it's totally worth the wait). comet ping pong's ingredients are fresh and the combinations of flavors are well thought out, while not ordinary (they have ordinary combinations and allow you to make your own pizzas as well). i also like that comet ping pong has a nice selection of libations - they have dale's for $4 a can! good pizza with some good beer is wonderful (granted, i'm partial).

comet ping pong, as depicted in their name, also offers a number of ping pong tables for you to play on. not being a ping pong afficionado myself, i'm not sure what the rules are for using the tables (is there a fee? do you have to purchase food/drink? do you get in line? do you bring your own ping pong paddles and balls? etc.), but i have seen quite a few people play ping pong. some even bring their own paddles (does everyone have to bring their own?) which i find funny. for whatever reason, i equate that to the people who bring their own bowling balls and shows to the lanes. and i laugh and laugh and laugh ...

i've also been to comet ping pong to hear bands play (yes, this is where i saw this one band where there were more people actually in the band than there were audience members. the band was huge!). they clear out the area in the back where the ping pong tables normally go and the musicians set up there. it's not really an area with a stage, but the space is large enough while being intimate at the same time.

guy fieri also visited comet ping pong on his show. i looked it up and saw that he had a "fresh from the farm" sort of show, which then made sense (i wouldn't call comet ping pong a diner, drive-in, or dive). i'm happy that comet ping pong has gotten some well deserved national attention.

i can't wait to go back to comet ping pong. this time, they'd better have wings. can't wait!

online: http://www.cometpingpong.com/

modern times coffeehouse

modern times coffeehouse (in the politics and prose bookstore)
5015 connecticut avenue NW, washington, DC 20008
tel: 202) 362-2408
hours: monday-saturday 8am-10pm, sundau 8am-8pm

what was consumed: coffee! prosciutto, basil & mozzarella panino (prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, and olive oil on mini-ciabatta loaf, served warm); turkey, apple & brie (sliced turkey breast, granny smith apple, brie, and honey mustard on baguette, served warm)

i love bookstores. i could sit in bookstores all day long. reading, browsing, watching, sitting, spending money (and it is for this reason that i try to avoid bookstores if i can). and now that bookstores have coffeeshops attached (or has that always been the case?) all the more reason for me to spend hours and hours there.

in DC, there are a number of 'famous' bookstores for their guest authors, special events, and overall coolness. politics and prose is one of them (they always have lots of events and stuff that, yes, i've been meaning to go out to). what's more, i heard friend anna was working the affiliated coffeeshop. with that, i took the opportunity when meeting with ines to enjoy the bookstore, visit anna, and try out modern times coffeehouse.

located in the basement of 'politics and prose,' modern times offers a lot of the standard coffeeshop favorites - drip coffee, lattes, etc. additionally, they have a nice list of delicious soups, salads, sandwiches, baked goods, and breakfast options for one to choose from to go along with their delicious coffee.

ines and i visited on what had intended on being a sunday of good eats and reading. books in hand, we were ready for all that modern times had to offer. just as we walk in, we are greeted by a hustling and bustling cafe with not an empty table or chair. what to do? luckily, a nice young lady who was just about to leave offered us her table. thanks!
after quick glance at the menu, ines opted for the turkey, apple, & brie sandwich while i asked anna about her favorite (and/or popular) sandwich option and went with the panino. all of this, of course, to accompany my coffee (iced tea for ines).

our sandwiches came out not too much later. they were nice and warm, toasted, and oozing with cheese. so delicious. and a pickle on the side! the sandwiches were neither overly large nor ridiculously small. ines and i went halvsies and enjoyed bites of both sandwich types. delicious.

ines and i had a great time (and i finished the book i was reading at the time - hurrah!). i look forward to my next visit to modern times for some good reads and great eats!

online: http://www.moderntimescoffeehouse.com and http://moderntimescoffeehouse.blogspot.com