joselito's

joselito's

660 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 930-6955

what was consumed: restaurant week menu! in a nutshell (and because i've forgotten the names of all the delicious dishes): mushroom soup, fish, roasted veggies, fried anchovies (always!), duck with creamy risotto

sometimes, you don't know what you're missing until someone points it out to you. that's who i felt with joselito's. kdk, the purveyor of all things delicious, suggested joselito's for their restaurant week option, and i was happy to oblige. if you're looking for a place that offers delicious small plates with wonderful flavors, be sure to add joselito's to your list! i'm glad we did ...

online: www.joselitodc.com/

tenpenh

tenpenh

closed, as of 01 july 2011 ... sad ...

1001 pennsylvania avenue NW (between 10th street & D street), washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 393-4500
hours : monday-friday 11:30am-2:30pm, monday-thursday and sunday 5:30pm-10:30pm, friday-saturday 5:30pm-11pm

what was consumed: restaurant week! must-have monday! ... peking style duck roll (moo shu pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber, scallion - which i didn't pick out! i'm growing up!), stir fry minced chicken lettuce wraps (shiitake mushrooms, pine nuts, mustard sambal), chef's special (kabob-ed shrimp and scallops on gnocci and broccolini in a curry sauce) ... some other stuff too, but i've since forgotten the first time i went to tenpenh was for restaurant week over a year ago.

i remember being quite excited for the lunch and leaving the restaurant totally full and greatly satisfied. recently, my friends and i participated in their "monday must-haves" menu - sort of like restaurant week, but just on mondays (most mondays?). we chose appetizers from their list of appetizers, any of the entrees on the menu, and any of the desserts. we admitedly concluded, at the end of the meal, that an appetizer/entree/dessert for each individual was a lot of food. of course, this didn't prevent us from eating the bulk of our the food that was served. and all was consumed deliciously!

we started out meals with our appetizers. i had the peking style duck roll - delicious. 4 pieces of duck, cucumber, and scallions wrapped in a moo shu pancake. it sort of reminded me of a spring roll. a delicious and ducky spring roll! topped with the hoisin sauce, i would've been happy with just this part of the meal. but i knew (and was excited about) what was to come. love it. i've also tried their fried spring rolls, calimari salad, roti, lettuce wraps. all delicious.

entrees. a lot of the choices avaible at tenpenh is seafood. a lot of fish dishes (yeah!) cooked in a variety of different ways, with a whole lot of sauces, accompanied by all sorts of veggies, grains, and other deliciousness. the dishes are plated so appetizingly that all you want to do is dig in and fill your belly! maybe it's the way that they're plated, but one may think that the servings seem on the small side. but as you begin consuming the deliciousness, you realize that you're a lot more full that you thought. so much so that you may think you can't finish the meal (of course, not a problem i have. whoops).

one of my favorites is the whole fried fish (though both visits, i didn't order it for myself. i just consumed large quanities from my friends who ordered it. i keep telling myself to order it, but knowing that others will order it, i find myself ordering other things to accompany the fish. hee hee). the entire fish, coated in a delicious and light batter, fried. bones and all. the fish is seasoned and fried so well that i just take pieces of fish straight from the bone into my mouth. for those that would like additional flavor, the dish comes with a delicious complementary sauce. the fish is accompanied by a nice and light cucumber salad, season with a light soy sauce/sesame oil/etc. dressing. one day, i will order it myself. but until then, i will enjoy my delicious entree (which i share, of course) and proceed to eat others' fried fish. oink oink (haha).

finally, dessert. the dessert at tenpenh is delicious. i'm usually not a dessert person, though i've been increasingly craving sweets as of late (perhaps a result of my non-drinking?). the ice creams that are served with many of the desserts are light and creamy, not too rich. this perfectly accompanies the rich pastries, cakes, and other sweets. but a must have? the donuts. light and fluffy, served with a light chocolate mousse. when the servers told us that it was the chef's speciality, we should've listened! it's not that the other desserts were disappointing - they were not. the desserts were delicious. it's just that the donuts were delicious-er (which, i know, is not a word, but how else can i express this?). in other words, i was happy to have had tasted a variety of their delicious desserts, but secretly i agreed with the rest of my party in that we could've (should've?) all ordered the donuts (hee hee). ahh, hindsight is 20/20.

while waiting for your party or when you're just hanging out, enjoy tenpenh's bar. i have not enjoyed many of their adult beverages, though they have a lot of them. i have heard, however, that they have quite a few (delicious) speciality drinks. friend j told me that she once had a cocktail with a real live octopus! that's so RAD!! perhaps i'll visit their bar to look for the octopus beverage when i'm back on the sauce (haha).

to top it all off, the service at tenpenh is amazing. your water glass/soda is always filled, you're always asked if you would like another adult beverage, your napkin is always folded for you if you ever leave the table. we also received tastes of butternut squash soup before our appetizers and bites of sweet rice cakes after dessert, all compliments of the chef ... and all delicious!

i can't wait for the next time i get to dine at tenpenh. yay!

online: http://www.tenpenh.com/main.htm

dino

dino
3435 connecticut avenue NW (between ordway street & porter street), washington, DC 20008
tel: 202) 686-2966
hours: monday-thursday 6pm-9:30pm, friday 6pm-10:30pm, saturday 5:30pm-10:30pm, sunday 5:30pm-9:30pm

what was consumed: restaurant week!
what i ordered: antipasto della macelleria (pate & salumi - wild boar prosciutto & sausage, house-made wild boar pate (with rosemary, pine nuts & dried cherries), house made duck pate (with apricots, pistaccio & ginger), fegatini (duck liver crostini), house made ginger mostarda), insalata d’anatra (duck confit (house-cured leg & thigh, crispy skin), lemon caramel glaze, arugula salad, young fresh ginger mostarda), “flat iron” (vande rose flat iron steak, lemony anchovy salsa verde, tuscan roasted potatoes), budino di pane (warm bread pudding, vanilla gelato, whipped cream)
what others ordered (and i tasted - yum): insalata di barbabietole e agrumi (beet & citrus salad - a variety of colors of local organic beets, uncle matt’s organic florida citrus, mache, shredded ricotta salata (a firm aged style of ricotta), cracked black peppercorn, citrus vinaigrette, “silk road” spiced salt), scamorza (smoked mozzarella (from lioni in nyc), broiled, topped with oven roasted tomatoes, crostini), polpette di pesce (fish “meatballs” - ricotta, bread crumbs, herbs, onion, taurino’s salsa piccante), pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar ragu - a light stew of cubes of wild boar, a touch of pork belly, crushed tomato, onions, golden raisins, currents, celery, carrots, red wine, herbs & spices, grana cheese, house-made ribbon pasta), gramignia con salsiccia (sausage sauce - house-made duroc pork & rose veal sausage, spicy greens, a bit of tomato, house-made curved pasta tubes), petto d’anatra (duck breast - dr. joe’s pekin duck raised for the succulent layer of fat under the skin, seared medium rare, crispy skin, dried cherry & amaro sauce, garlicky tuscan 4 bean & farro stew, chestnut, prosciutto & pancetta braised cabbage), arrosto d’orata (whole fish - venice’s favorite, the most prized of the bream family, rich, meaty, mild, head & tail on, grilled & finished in the oven, capers, lemon & spiced olio), pescespada selvaggio (hawaiian swordfish - sustainably caught, grilled, house made summer heirloom tomato sauce, kalamata, garlic & olio sauteed local organic spicy greens), "cappuccino" di nutella (nutella & mascarpone crema, bourbon soaked cherries, whipped cream, cocoa powder), tiramisu (lady fingers, mascarpone, frangelico & drumgray scotch cream liqueurs), gianduia “nico” (bittersweet chocolate gelato with chopped chocolate, hazelnut gelato with toasted hazelnuts, chocolate sauce & whipped cream)

whew. that's a lot of food.

so, the dc eating crew aka grub club rang in the new year with our first meal ... at dino! thanks again, jenny, for organizing!

while waiting for others to arrive, drinks were ordered. i was thinking that i should've sat at the bar because they have complimentary antipasti (but i didn't). i will have to next time, though - the olives looked really good. i ordered a rob roy. i thought that was the name of the drink that i like, but it turns out it's not. the rob roy was good, but my search for the name of the drink that i like continues! i should just go back to the bar where i had it before and ask the bartender. but i digress. as the rest of the party joined, we dove into the bread along with some really good wine. we then quickly proceeded to order our RW meals.

course 1. a series of super yummy starters. i ordered the pate (you know me and pate). i wish there was more fegatini and proscuitto because those were my favorite things in the collection. i probably would eat a whole plate of the fegatini and proscuitto. yay for salty and cured meats and pates (yes, despite all of the conversation i hear about how duck pate is made. sigh). the other pates were good, but maybe too complicated in their flavors for me. of course, that didn't prevent me from consuming the plate (haha). others ordered a number of super yummy dishes. citrus-y greens, mozerella flown in from italy (or so we were told), and fish balls! you can't go wrong.

course 2. the pasta course. except i didn't order pasta. duck confit was on the menu! and arugula! i couldn't resist. the duck confit was nicely prepared, crisp, with just the right amount of duck fat that oozed out when i cut into it and mixed in with the arugula salad. my friends were generous with their sharing - they are caring! the wild boar ragu, the sausage sauce ... delicious!

course 3. my main entree - steak. i was torn between the steak and a spare rib dish (which, i was told, was flavorful, but fatty ... which is probably why it was so flavorful - yum). the steak was nice and juicy, cooked medium rare. the steak came out a little more rare than i thought it would, but i still enjoyed the flavor of the beef. then again, i love steak in lots of different forms. the roasted potatoes that the steak came with, though, were a little over cooked. sadly. i love potatoes! but i couldn't finish these. alas. oh, and the steak dish also came with a green pureed sauce (the salsa verde) that i was sort of confused about. it had a good flavor, but i wasn't sure what the sauce was for. so the salsa verde stayed on the plate. though by this time, i was so full that i wasn't thinking too much of what was left over on my plate. the fried whole fish, though, was probably the best of the entrees (even better than the steak!). seasoned well, crisp, cooked just right. ahhh~ oh, and the conversation about eating fish eyeballs was definitely interesting. hahaha~

dessert. of the 7 of us, only one of us (jason) actually ordered dessert as a part of our RW meal. but, as you can see, there were quite a few other desserts that came with our meal. the gelato (cold, sweet and creamy, and delicious), the nutella creme (a sort of thick pudding, rich in chocolate/nutella-y flavor. just an espresso cup full would've been enough for all of us, but it was more the size of a cup of coffee. definetly for the chocolate lover~), the bread pudding (that came out warm! coupled with the ice cream, the bread pudding was delicious. quite a contrast from the other desserts that were chock full of chocolate and other sweets) ... but my favorite was tiramisu. light, moist, not too sweet. it was like a puff of delicious dessert once placed in my mouth. there is just no other way to describe it. and i normally don't eat a lot of sweets! we were comped these desserts (minus jason's tiramisu, of course) because 01) we were hit on the head by some other restaurant patrons who, on the 2nd floor, had file folders filled with papers. i don't think it was intentional, but it fell on our heads. well, not all of our heads. thanks for takin' one for the team! haha ... and 02) we (apparently) were given old menus, altering what we ordered. neither one of these things were a big deal, but we were comped nonetheless. that's the interpretation i got from what our server said. no matter - it was a generous act by the restaurant and we were happy to receive it! thanks!

the end of the meal also came with coffee and aperetifs (of which i chose limoncello - yum). others had grappo and that was really strong smelling. the limoncello, though on the sweet side, was what i call a great dessert! haha ... what a great way to end a ginormous meal! so full. i literally rolled home, thinking about the rest of the dino menu and what i would have the next time i visit. i hope it's soon!!

online: http://www.dino-dc.com/

d'acqua

d'acqua
801 pennsylvania avenue NW (between 8th street & 9th street) washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 783-7717

what was consumed: restaurant week! roasted scallops wrapped in pancetta served with a warm spinach salad with goat cheese and red onion; arugula, fennel, and shaved parmesan cheese; stozzapreti pasta with rock shrimp, mussels, and cherry tomato in a roasted zucchini sauce; rockfish fillet lightly fried in pastella "italian tempura" served with mashed potato duchesse; beef scallopine in a wild mushroom sauce served polenta; chocolate ganache cheesecake; pear and custard mousse sponge cake

the last of my restaurant week meals ... sigh. i love RW. the idea of having tasting menus and for chefs to have the increased breadth and share their creations with people who would otherwise not even consider their fine establishments is great (and not only for the economy, but also for the taste buds! hurrah!).

i had only heard about d'acqua in passing and new it was in that area in penn quarter with all those other restaurants. i have to admit, though, that it hadn't occurred to be to visit any time before RW. anyway, our meal began with some nice bread and then our appetizers. the bread with the tomato on it is my favorite! i love tomatoes. i thought it odd that they only brought out 3 of each when there were 4 at our table. maybe that's just how they do it, i don't know. i just felt bad that one of our group (i don't remember who) didn't get to have a bread with a tomato. and if she didn't want it, i was sad that i couldn't eat it for her (hee hee - oink oink). but that's ok. our appetizers slowly came out after that and my pancetta wrapped scallop was de-licious! the bed of spinach it came on was deliciously seasoned, making a great addition to the seafood and pork combination (i wish scallops were bigger - sometimes i feel like i could eat dozens of them that have been well prepared. dozens.). and, of course, there's nothing like a good arugula salad. combined with the cheese, fennel, and dressing, it was a light way to begin. myrna said she couldn't eat it all, so the rest of us polished it off for her (after our initial taste, of course).

our entrees slowly came out after that. i saw the seafood pasta on the menu and was immediately sold. while not a fan of the type of pasta that was served, it was nice to fill my belly with carb-y goodness. the pasta was a little overcooked on the outside and a bit undercooked on the inside (one of the difficulties with cooking that sort of pasta), so while much of my pasta was left over, there was quite a bit of seafood in my dish that filled me right up. the grilled rockfish, though, was delicious, as were the mashed potatoes it came with (but myrna got that, so i got something else). d'acqua is supposed to be known for their seafood (italian style?), so i imagine that they are the preferred dishes. the beef was nicely cooked in a good sauce, but others felt that the sauce was a bit bland. i thought it was fine and enjoyed the shared bits that came my way. and my love of polenta was fed as others were not so keen, so i ate the yummy polenta in the yummy sauce for them ^_^ thanks, ladies! hee hee. so, per usual, i "looked forward" to dessert with an already full stomach.

dessert! yum. it's restaurant week, so i thought they'd come out with "tasting" desserts. but no, not these italians! they brought out large slices of their dessert deliciousness. i opted for the chocolate cheesecake (as did pam), but after a few of the rich rich bites, i had to stop (pam took the rest home - i hope she enjoyed!). the pear and custard mousse cake was also quick light, fluffy, and moist. myrna (uncharacteristically) ate the entire thing - good job!

all in all, i'll have to the meal was pleasing to the stomach. if i had any qualms, it would be with the waitstaff. while it was restaurant week, it was a rainy day, so it didn't look like a lot of people were out and about. on top of that, the restaurant was hardly even half full with a number of different servers, food runners, bussers, etc. but it took what seemed like forever for the server to come and take our order, refill beverages, bring out the bill, etc. i was thinking that maybe it was because i was really hungry, but the others in my group agreed with me. sigh. oh well~ we all left with full bellies. literally, bellies.

friend dave (who went to d'acqua a few days before me) said it best - d'acqua has solid food. more or less, i agree! now, if only my waitstaff experience had been different ...

online: http://www.dacquadc.com/

acadiana

acadiana
901 new york avenue NW (between 10th street & 9th street) washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 408-8848
hours: monday-thursday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm; friday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-11pm; saturday 5:30pm-11pm; sunday 11am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm

what was consumed: restaurant week! classic turtle soup (traditional garnishes, dry sherry splash), trio of deviled eggs (crabmeat ravigote, pickled shrimp, duroc ham), smoked chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, southern shrimp & grits (sauteed gulf shrimp, cheddar cheese grit cake, tasso ham), southern style thin crispy fried catfish (with sweet pepper tartare sauce, blue cheese cole slaw), seafood chopped salad (spiced shrimp, crawfish tail meat, marinated crab, cucumbers, grilled corn, shaved radish, fresh basil), chocolate raspberry cake (with raspberry caramel and vanilla ice cream), warm raisin bread pudding butterscotch (with vanilla ice cream, toasted almond creme brulee (with steen’s cane syrup)

in the spirit of restaurant week, friend made reservations for RW at acadiana (thanks, dave!). i had passed this place a number of times and was always intrigued (also, i wanted to go to their summer crawfish HH, which i never made it out to. maybe next year!). i finally got my chance, and i was happy to take up the offer - woohoo!

so, we walk in, our reservations are ready to go, and we are promptly seated ... boy, were we glad (there was a whole taxi debacle on our way over - ask about it and i will tell you the tall tale, but i won't get into details here. no one got hurt, so that's a plus?). we were quickly greeted by a bubbly, but not too saccharine, server who kept our water glasses filled, answered all of our questions, and was an overall great server - hooray! enough about that. once seated, our meal began with some buttery biscuits (i love buttery biscuits!). what made it better? the "jam" and butter. more butter on buttery biscuits makes it all the better. but the jam! i will have more of that, please. it looks like some strawberry or other sort of berry jam. but, when you dip into its reddish gooey-ness, spread it over your biscuit, and put it in your mouth, you realize it's more of a spicy jam. DELICIOUS. i'm not a big bread person, but i was tempted to risk filling my stomach more than i should with another biscuit just to have more of the jam. at this point, i was already sold (am i too easy to please? hahaha).

our meal continued with our appetizers. i was sorta torn between the crab soup and the turtle soup. our server even did mention that the creamy crab soup was her favorite (though she did also mention that the turtle soup was super popular and definitely worth the try if i hadn't ever had it). i succumbed to my intrigue and ordered the turtle soup ... and i'm glad i did! turtle (my first time) had the consistency and flavor of beef, but a bit more chewy. the soup had a sort of reminded me of dishes with okra in that it was sort of ... slimy? not in that gross way, but yeah, slimy. also, i have to admit, it was a little salty for me, but that did not prevent me from eating all of it, every last drop. delicious. the turtle soup also came with a splash of sherry. our server told me that i was to add it to my liking. what did i do? eat the turtle soup and down the sherry as a sort of 'after.' hahaha ... i also got to try dave's deviled eggs and gregg's gumbo - both delicious. i wish i had a bigger stomach to eat all of their selections as well, but silly me - i shouldn't be so selfish. haha ...

next, entrees! i had the shrimp and grits. when my dish arrived, i was sort of glad that i didn't get the crab soup earlier because the shrimp and grits were in a cream based sauce. my shrimp were nicely grilled/cooked and the grits - oh joy! they were cooked, then packed into a nice triangle, then fried. who doesn't like that? also, the grits were really really smooth, more like polenta (which i love as well). i can't really say if i knew whether the grits were actually polenta and not grits (usually grits are more ... gritty?). no matter, both are corn based and i love them both. the combination of the shrimp, grits, and the cajun cream sauce was ... delicious. and filling. and rich. yum ... oh yeah - dave's fried fish were light and crispy and gregg's salad was big, filled with seafood, and so fresh. please see aforementioned comment about larger stomachs and selfishness (haha).

dessert, dessert, dessert! i'll admit, i didn't finish my dessert, per usual (dave did for me - thanks!). i had the chocolate cake and it was chocolate-y and rich without the raspberry and even more rich with the raspberry. bread pudding? creme brule? rich. sweet. and oh so delicious. even for a non-dessert person like me.

i can't wait to go back to acadiana ... yuuuuuuuuuuuum~

online: http://www.acadianarestaurant.com/

kinkead's

kinkead's
2000 pennsylvania avenue NW (between 20th street & 21st street), washington, DC 20006
tel: 202) 296-7700

what was consumed: restaurant week! new england seafood chowder; grilled squid with creamy polenta, tomato fondue, and pesto; pistachio crusted salmon medallion with saffron acini de pepe served with a fennel, arugula, and olive salad, savory tomato butter; brioche crusted cod with artichoke puree, garlic mashed potatoes, and spinach; warm molten bittersweet chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream; vanilla creme brulee with pistachio biscotti ...

it's restaurant week! yeehaw! while some people don't think restaurant week is a "good deal" (i had a conversation about this with my coworkers yesterday), i don't look at RW as a time for "good deals," necessarily. it's a time to chekc out restaurants that i would not otherwise think of, otherwise not be able to afford (not really anyway). and yes, it's totally an excuse to go out, splurge a little, and eat totally yummy food. but whether or not RW is good is a whole other topic (we won't get into that here).

anyway, c & i decided to get together for lunch, commencing our RW, and we headed to kinkead's. it's been on my illustrious (and ever growing) list for some time, and what better time than RW to check it out! oh, and it's 2ish blocks from work. score!

after we ordered, we were served a basket a bread. and while i'm not a big bread person, they had 3 different types of bread in the basket that i just had to try. there was one with cardamum that i wasn't particularly fond of, though i did eat the enter center part (not a fan of bread crust). my favorite? the bread that had a layer of cheese. yes, cheese. cheese makes things better. delicious.

after the 3 different breads that filled our baskets, we started on our appetizers. grilled squid, seafood soup ... YUM. what is with pesto on things that make them so good? pesto on grilled squid? totally lovely. and why doesn't the poleta that i or c make ever come out like the polenta that appeared on my plate? creamy and delicious. no fair. must try again. and the seafood soup? don't think it is anything even remotely close to campbell's chucky soup clam chowder. while campbell's version is tasty in its own way, it does not even compare to kinkead's seafood chowder. creamy and delicious, not overpowering in that often strong seafood smell (which i actually enjoy - leave me alone!). do you think the servers were alarmed that not only did c & i inhale our food, we practically licked our plates because it was so delicious? ok, we didn't lick our plates, but i can tell you we were totally tempted. yikes.
entrees! i went in wanting to order the pistachio crusted salmon. c was easily swayed to get the cod. i don't know a whole lot about fish outside of thinking that they're delicious. but when they're cooked properly, crusted, and with some delicious sauces, you really can't go wrong. the accompanying sides were also quite delicious. a comment about the artichoke purree on the cod - DELICIOUS. i'm not a big sauce person, but there was just something about this puree that made me want to slather it onto everything and lap it up. yum. overall, the combination of flavors between the fish, the side vegetables, the included starches, the sauces ... fabulous. fresh, delicious, totally appetizing. i need another stomach so i can eat more ...

we ended our meals with dessert (of course). they had a cheese plate on the menu which i sort of wish i had gotten. but as i get older (notice older, not OLD >.< ...), my body seems less able to digest lactose (which is also in cheese). -sigh- ... and i love cheese. so maybe it was good that we opted for other options. funny, though, how it didn't deter me (and c) from ordering other desserts that are filled with cream, butter, and other dairy products. we win! and the stomach is good - so far so good, anyway. point is, we're not really dessert people, but we ordered desserts anyway. talk about rich is flavor! not sweet as in sugary; rather, sweet as in super chocolaty, super vanilla creamy. and what delicious biscotti! there's something about the almost flavor/scent that makes them so delicious. and, of course, like the rest of the meal, we ate all of it. and we even finished before the couple before us (who had ordered the same thing for their entrees as well as their desserts! but they were at kinkead's way earlier than us and started way earlier than us as well. whoops. oh well - as the woman told us, we must have good taste ^_~).

now, if only they would fill my water glass when it's empty ...

no matter. i look forward to visiting kinkead's one of these days for their regular menu (btw, kinkead's is extending their RW menu for an additional week - check 'em out!). i read, i think in the 'washingtonian,' that they have some amazing fried clams. i. must. try. YUM.

online: http://www.kinkead.com/

mio

mio
1110 vermont avenue NW suite 1 (between L street & thomas circle), washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 955-0075
hours: lunch: monday-friday 11:30am-2:30pm; dinner: monday-thursday 5pm-10, friday-saturday 5pm-11pm; bar/lounge: monday-thursday 5pm-12am, friday-saturdya 5pm-1am; happy hour (selected house drinks and draft beers): monday-thursday 4pm-7pm

what was consumed: restuarant week - beet soup, egg & clap appetizer, salad, grilled chicken with rice, mini burgers, skate, desserts~

as the summer 2009 restaurant week is upon us, i'm reminded of a time in the recent past when my co-workers and i head over to a delightful downtown eatery: mio.

so, christine met up with the rest of my co-workers as she was green with envy at all of my stories of the good food we were eating during restaurant week. of course she was always welcome to join us, but it wasn't until this trip that she finally took us up on our offer. after making the short trek from the office to vermont avenue (which felt longer than it actually was. yes, we are wimps), we finally entered a pretty empty dining area that was mio. now, i don't think it was empty for any other reason than us getting to the eatery right when it opened (literally, we saw the people unlock the doors right before we reached over to open them to enter) to ensure that we would get a table (one of my (now former) co-workers refuses (with us, anyway) to make reservation. yes, you know who i'm talking about - hee hee). additionally, there were 5 of us hungry hungry hippos - not relaly a pretty sight (i.e., the servers may need extra help to accomodate us hooligans).

4 of us decided to participate in the restaurant week menu while one of us decided to get the mushroom and veal ravioli (which was tasty, but not a part of the restaurant week special. shucks). anyway, we started with a cold beet soup (c was working at domku and i imagine i had recently left my position there; we couldn't help but make comparisons. our conclusion? both are delicious in their own way. yay for diplomatic answers! haha), a poached egg with clams (i ordered this one!), and a mixed green salad (i'm sure there were fancy names for all of these things, but i have since forgotten). can you ever really go wrong with clams? there were also bits of bacon/ham in the mix and everyone knows that everything is better with bacon.

for our entrees, we had an assortment of things: grilled chicken and rice (2 of us, one of whom was me ordered this), mini angus burgers, and skate. the burgers were fantastic, as was the skate. even mr. i-don't-like-burgers (who is also the same mr. i-don't-make-reservations) even said the burgers were delicious! and oh, wow, the onion rings. deep fried onions? delicious. the grilled chicken and rice was cooked "oaxaca style" (i don't really know what that means) was tasty as well, but a bit salty for my liking. yes, even me who prefers the savory over the sweet. it was just a bit salty. of course, that didn't prevent me from eating the whole thing because it was still so freakin' delicious.

and then, dessert. the dessert lovers always fight for whatever they love and i usually get what's left over (for tasting). since there were 4 of us and 2 options, we got 2 of each. a tart lemon flan like custard thing and chocolate cake. the lemon dessert was quite tart, causes faces to pucker just a bit. but, you know, some people really like it. once you get past that sourness, though, it's such a refreshing (albeit on the sweet side) dessert. the chocolate cake was good too, but i think it was a german cake (i'm not so much a fan). of course, that didn't prevent all of the people in our party from polishing off all of the desserts - ha!

during the meal, there was very little talking (if i remember correctly) beyond compliments about the food and the sharing. that's a good sign of deliciousness, but does not lend to as entertaining of a post. just look at the photos and wipe the drool from your mouth please (oh, wait, that's just me). gawd, this is making me hungry ... per usual.

in the past, mio has extended their restaurant week specials up to a month (thus the appeal for us - if i recall correctly, we visted mio after the official restaurant week was over). looks like they're extended it this year (summer 2009) as well. in fact, looks like they're doing different "restaurant week" menus every week. definitely something to check out! YUM.

online: www.miorestaurant.com