brothers and sisters

brothers and sisters
1770 Euclid St NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 588-0525

what was consumed: brussel sprouts, a rice noodle dish with sausage, salmon (large plate), and a delicious desert (i think the song saa, probably our favorite and most unique thing we had)

BJL and i head to brothers and sisters for a belated celebratory dinner. i'm glad we made reservations, as so many people have been looking to the line hotel's restaurants for delicious bites (they've been getting lots of good reviews).

i've been to erik bruner-yang's other places (going back as far as his pho hot dogs that he served at u street music hall back in the day, before toki underground!), so i was excited to see what he had up his sleeve. we also happened to go on chinese new year, so a dragon dance team went through the restaurant, in celebration. that was definitely a nice final touch to our meal (though def out of the ordinary).


as for the food, i'd have to say that our dishes were pretty solid, but (honestly) nothing really surprising or out of the ordinary. i love the fusion-y  aspect of the dishes, and it's fun to see some of the inventive ways chefs are putting dishes together. our dessert, in particular, was definitely noteworthy. not sure of its origins, but we definitely enjoyed that the most. the well prepared cake dotted with fruit that wasn't too sweet and topped off with a light cream. YUM.

i'm curious about the other spots at the line hotel. i'll have to check those out ... soon!

online: https://www.thelinehotel.com/dc/venues/

siren by RW

siren by RW

1515 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005

tel: 202) 521-7171

what was consumed: their entire HH bar bites menu -- fritto misto, shrimp pupusa, lamb ribs, croquete, tuna gahoush, savory caviar cookies

happy hour at siren! k and i sat at the bar and ordered one of everything on their HH menu. you know. just to try. one of my favorite ways to eat!

the highlights were the fritto misto and the lamb ribs. the lightly battered fried treats in the fritto misto were crisp, well seasoned, and light (i.e., not greasy and not heavy). it was mostly veggies along with a few pieces of fish. it also included lemons. lemons! a sour but wonderful surprise. and the lamb ribs! fall off the bone, smothered in a delicious ribs sauce ... 

online: http://www.sirenbyrw.com/

wild rice

wild rice
serena hotel (khayaban-e-suhrawardy, islamabad)
tel: 051-287-4000

what was consumed: east (chinese and japanese) and south east asian favorites! fried spring rolls, tom yum soup, kung pao chicken, salads, noodles, etc. so many bites of delicious food! but no papaya salad (they didn't have it, not that it wasn't on the menu) :( and, really, only bites because there were so many of us! still - works for me.

the ladies' dinners strike again! with everyone back from holiday, and before others go out, the ladies got together to have a nice dinner. so many folks come to wild rice for work-related activities, but this was my first time! the first for a few of us, in face. i was ready.

wild rice sat us in a nice back corner, maybe because we were so large, maybe because we were a bunch of women, who knows. it was fine for us, though. we looked through the menu and were overwhelmed with the options. they have a nice sampling of dishes from all over "asia," interesting only in that i thought it was a thai restaurant (not sure where i got that idea). we decided that we'd all pick one and share. works for me! we ended up with a hodge podge of stuff - chinese kung pao chicken, japanese sushi rolls, thai soups and salads, indonesian noodles ...

the service was also quite good - the servers know what they're doing. that said, we had a big group and our server was overwhelmed (and we could see it). still, he slapped a smile on his face and did the best job he could. that's all we ask! fab job!

people who'd been here before say that they haven't had anything they didn't like. and i believe it! i'll have to go back to try more. happy eating!

online: http://www.serenahotels.com/serenaislamabad/dining-en.html

west end bistro

west end bistro

1190 22nd street northwest, washington, dc 20037

tel: 202) 974-4900

what was consumed: my order included hand cut beef tartare, moulard duck breast ...  and dessert!

bjl has the great opportunity to work with great people while in wdc. and when meeting with one of his contacts (let's call him the charming arab), i got to tag along. the charming arab was staying at the hotel that houses the west end bistro (it's a fancy hotel, but i can't remember what it's called right now!) as he and his family is waiting for their residence to be completed (fancy pants!), so meeting at the west end bistro was an easy choice. and lucky for me, i'd wanted to go for some time.

we sat at the fancy bar, waiting for the rest of our party to arrive. the bar was well stocked, the bartender had a heavy hand when pouring drinks, and they offered a series of homemade sodas (so i was happy ^^). once the rest of our party arrived, we were quickly seated.

the charming arab is a regular, so he ordered a special version of the roasted chicken. the charming arab is super health conscious, but the "healthy" version of the roasted chicken still looked so delicious! i got to indulge with some steak tartar, topped with a mashed guacamole-like sauce. it's a combination i wouldn't have thought of, but the creamy avocado brought out the smooth-ness of the tartare. then, i enjoyed the superbly prepared duck. it was presented in a small pool of seasoned broth that i couldn't get enough of. a bit of sweetness that followed the savory goodness that was based in delicious duck fat. and at the contact's insistence, we ordered one of each of the desserts - donuts with caramel, chocolate lava cake, and a fruity cheesecake. how decadent!  i definitely felt super fancy and very pampered. and if i was half as charming as the charming arab, then my job is done and my delicious dinner deserved (hehehe).

i remember reading, once, that eric rippert was the executive chef at west end bistro. yes? no? if yes, cool. if not, i still had a great time. either way, i look forward to future encounters to eat delicious things and have fun conversations. yay!

online: westendbistrodc.com

mosaic bar and grill at the montague

mosaic bar and grill (at the montague)
30801 coast highway, laguna beach, ca 92651
tel: 949) 715-6020

what was consumed: shrimp cevice, lobster salad, and a delicious burger!

there is no better way than to spend an afternoon at the beach when the weather is absolutely gorgeous, with good friends and good food! so, when kdk and mbb were in town, i was happy to meet up with them. that it was at laguna beach, so close to my hometown, i was happy to share a bit of my childhood with them.

the montague has an incredible reputation for its facilities and its service. just by virtue of this laguna beach location, i'd say that all of the talk is for real. as a result, the food, service, and vie at their mosaic bar and grill is no different.

as a group, and per usual, we decided that we were going to order a few things and go share-sies. we opted for a few things that was fitting of our mood - cool, fresh, and delicious. also note that all of the dishes came with ample amounts of (perfectly ripened) avocado. ahh, california, i miss you when i'm away.

thank you, mosaic bar and grill, for offering the fare that you did. because, as we sat, overlooking the beautiful view of the pacific ocean as we had good food and good conversation, the meal was just perfect. 

online: http://www.montagehotels.com/lagunabeach/dining/mosaic/

shabistan

shabistan
crown plaza hotel

what was consumed: the ramadan special! lots of rice, flat bread, and grilled meats 

i may still be unsure of what constitues "persian" food. what i do know if that each time i am eating what i am told is persian, i super enjoy it. b and b's mom makes some delicious persian rice and s and h's friends do some awesome persian style grilling (even if they claim that what was served was subpar). and so, when invited to persian food during one ramadan, i couldn't say no!

friends got together to break their ramadan fast at shabistan, what i've heard is the place to go for persian food. and i was not disappointed. the meats were grilled with enough spice (i.e., not overwhelming) with just enough char. and when coupled with rice (my favorite is the one with the little berries) and delicious oven baked flatbread, your bellyis just ... happy :D

notti bianche

notti bianche
824 new hampshire avenue NW, washington, DC 20037
tel: 202) 298-8085

what was consumed: marinated olives, eggplant carbonata, organic baby lettuce salad (pine nuts, golden raisins, apple, goat cheese, balsamic vinegar), baby arugula caesar salad (white anchovy, garlic croutons, parmigiano reggiano), buscatini with mussles and sausage (turnip greens, pecorino romano), hand crafted pappardelle bolognese (wide flat noodles with meat sauce, fresh herbed ricotta cheese), herb marinated grilled chicken breast panzanella (garlic chicken, tomato, cucumber and bread salad, salsa verde), grilled salmon (eggplant caponata, sun-dried tomato butter, bagna caoda bruschetta), chocolate budino (pistachio gelato, cocoa nib brittle)

americanized italian food is often the 'go to' meal when i'm cookin' up a storm at home. it's easy, tasty, and filling ... and there's so much variety! but sometimes, you want something special, or something you can't make, or has ingredients that are not readily available to you ... or you just don't want to make your own spaghetti. to an italian restaurant we go! but where? there can never really be too many italian restaurants. unfortunately, more often than not, i find myself not being able to select any particular one as my "go to." places are either family style (i.e., too much food for as many as there are in the party - i know. it happens. shocking), too expensive, or just flat out not good.

notti bianche had been thrown around as a place to try for some time now. being a hotel restaurant made us apprehensive (though hotel restaurants are usually pretty reliable), but more than that, it's in an area that's sort of inconvenient. that is, there really isn't anything else around notti bianche. but when you have something goin' on at gw's lisner auditorium, or if you're looking for a place to eat before something at the kennedy center, then notti bianche should most definitely be at the top of your list. and those days when you want some good italian food, make the trek out to foggy bottom and visit the good people at notti bianche!

so, parents were in town and sister's husband had a rehearsal at gw's lisner auditorium and it became my job to find a place to have dinner (which i was happy to do). so, after a quick walk around the kennedy center, we got to notti bianche right when they opened. we had made reservations, though it didn't look like that would've been necessary as the dining area was surprisingly empty. maybe that's because our reservation was for 5pm. no matter. we were happy to be greeted, immediately seated, and waited on with much attention. and so, after asking some questions and trying to accommodate everyone's tastes (which is pretty easy to do with my family as we are not really particular), we put in an order. a large order. hey, there were 5 of us!

we began our meal with some appetizers of marinated olives and eggplant carbonata (what a carbonata is was one of our questions). the olives were deliciously marinated with some herbs and olive oil. i find myself enjoying the firmer olives over the squishier ones, but that didn't deter me from helping c consume the entire bowl. we smeared eggplant carbonata (cooked eggplant stewed in a chunky tomato sauce with herbs) on our delicious bread (by the end of the night, we consumed 2 baskets of bread - delicious!).

the rest of our food then arrived, just as we asked it too (that is, the salads didn't come before the rest of the entrees - wonderful!). so, between the salads, the pastas, the entrees, and all of the things that were already on our table, it got pretty cramped (and we were at a large table!). the entrees were really tasty. the herb crusted chicken was juicy and paired well with the salsa verde, interestingly. and having the chicken sit on a bed of well seasoned fingerling potatoes and brussel sprouts (yum!) made the dish so very complete. the salmon was also grilled deliciously (though i guess i don't find anything super special about grilled salmon. i can, though, each pounds and pounds of it - so yummy) and came on a bed of the eggplant carbonata - yay! more eggplant carbonata the better! haha ...

but the pasta. the pasta was definitely the hit of the night. at least for me. the pasta was cooked just right - "al dente," but not too al dente. chewy, but not too chewy. you know. delicious. as for the gravy, i have friends who say that bolognese is how they determine the quality of an italian restaurant. i think they would approve of this place! the bolognese was served with super duper wide pasta - different from what i've had in the past, but all delicious. the buscatini was also something i'd write home about. with an oil based sauce, we slurped up the pasta and all of the fixings that were included. i've tried to use bucatini in the past and felt like it was long elbow macaroni. but not here at notti bianche! i think i could've eaten another bowl of this (granted, i'm a fan of oil based sauces).

we ended our dinner with a taste of their chocolate budino and pistachio ice cream. not being a fan of desserts, i had no more than a taste; there were others at the table who are bigger dessert fans. the budino was delicious and went really well with the crunchy cocoa nib brittle that topped the dense budino. the illy coffee i had with dessert was a nice end to the meal.

some may say the ambiance at notti bianche is ... quiet. it is. the clientele that was there when we were there was also older (but i think that's more because we got there at 5pm!). i liked that it wasn't all crazy loud and it wasn't overrun by massive amounts of people (though i frequent and enjoy those places as well). but the service was great, so i didn't particularly pay attention to the ambiance!

all in all, i'd have to say that dinner at notti bianche was a great success. delicious and super fresh food with good company. i can't wait to go back!

online: http://www.nottibianche.com/

art & soul

art & soul
415 new jersey ave NW, washington, DC 20050
tel: 202) 393-7777
hours: monday-thursday 6:30am-10:30pm, friday-saturday 7:30am-11pm, sunday 7:30am-10pm

what was consumed: sunday brunch - chesapeake benedict (jumbo lump crabcakes, tasso ham hollandaise, skillet potatoes), picnic basket hoecake (pulled pork, baked beans, cole slaw, “corn on the cob”), po' oyster hoecake (fried oysters, chow-chow remoulade, romaine), capitol hill salad (local apples, blue cheese, pecans, apple cider vinaigrette)

hotel bars, hotel restaurants ... it isn't until very recently that i've recognized the availability of great eats affiliated with hotels. that isn't to say that i haven't eaten at hotel restaurants in the past and i haven't had great food - i just didn't really think about it much. but visiting places like 'art and soul' is quickly changing my mind.

i first heard about 'art and soul' from my summer roommate (thanks, teresa!). she met up with a friend of hers here and told me about her great experience soon after. so, when ines and i were thinking about a nice place to check out for brunch, art and soul came to mind. what's more, we were delighted to find that art and soul has quite a bit of outdoor seating - perfect for that gorgeous sunday (gawd, i'm turning into a washingtonian as i look forward to (and maybe excitedly freak out about) the nice days where outdoor seating is desirable. that hardly used to be the case in the past. oh well~).

we were seated outside (by a sort of rude hostess who was condescending and not at all friendly - not good characteristics for people in the service industry) and we quickly began to scan the menu with what we wanted to eat. what to have, what to have! i had heard about their hoecakes, but was pleasantly surprised with all of the other options presented to me for brunch. ines chose a hoecake for herself and i proceeded to order 3 dishes (a hoecake for me, crabcakes, and salad, the last two for sharing, of course). i just couldn't decide!

once we put in our order, the food began to come out, in a pretty quick manner. first was a delightful cinnamon roll, of sorts. it was baked in a sort of cast iron and placed onto a plate (for consumption and presentation, i guess?) at our table. the soft and warm bread/bun, the flavorful but not overwhelming tastes of cinnamon, and just a bit of sweetness (from some fruit ... maybe apples?) instead of the more popularly appearing slather of frosting/sugar was a great way to begin the meal (and totally unexpected! that is, i didn't know that it was going to enjoy it. additionally, as one who is less of a fan of sweet things and bread, i would totally go back for this, among other things of course). along with the roll, we enjoyed some salad (so fresh! sweet and savory at the same time. the blue cheese was a bit much, but that's also because i prefer other crumbly cheeses on my salads) and crab cakes (the crab cakes were small, but i'm a sucker for them. the cakes with the eggs benedict? one of my favorite brunch menu options. i'm not a fan of hollandaise (i know, i know), so i could've done without it. no matter - delicious). oh, and the skillet potatoes that came with the crab cakes were really yummy - country fried style sauteed with other vegetables, seasoned well. no need for ketchup (though, there is hardly ever a reason for ketchup, imo - haha). yum yum yum yum yum!

the hoecakes, though, were definitely the highlight of the meal. hoecakes are these flat, 2"x4"-ish corn meal cakes that come in different "flavors" that get its name because they, supposedly, were cooked on the blades of hoes in times past - point is, SO delicious. i ordered the hoecake version of an oyster po' boy - delicious and lightly fried oysters, crispy lettuce, and a special dressing (i probably would get the dressing on the side and while that would probably take away from the "integrity" of the dish, i just don't like that much dressing. but that's just me). ines ordered the "picnic basket" hoecake with pulled pork, cole slaw, and beans on top of the hoecake. but when you cut into the hoecake and place all of the flavors in your mouth, it will remind you of a southern-style bbq cook-out. DELICIOUS.

writing about the food is (per usual) making my stomach growl. grrrrr~~~

if there was a downside to the dining experience, i'd have to say that i had a hard time getting the attention of my server (oh, and the hostess, which was mentioned earlier). when he was around, he was great! but then he would disappear. i was thinking it was because there were a lot of people, but that wasn't the case (on top of that, there were quite a few individuals "on staff" bussing tables, running food, etc.). i admit, though, that i was in a bit of a hurry towards the end of the meal, so my thoughts were probably heightened. but still! no matter - this is not going to deter me from making efforts to visit around and soul again and telling people to try it out (hopefully with me! can't wait ^_^). YUM.

online: http://www.artandsouldc.com/