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/

toki underground

toki underground
1234 H street NW, second floor, washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 388-3086
hours: monday-wednesday, sunday 5pm-10pm; thursday-saturday 5pm-12am

what was consumed: toki hakata classic, kimchee ramen, curry chicken hakata, masumi vegetarian, pan-fried pork dumplings, fried beef dumplings, taiwanese style cold tofu, pickled cucumbers, dessert bento box, warm cookies
toki underground is FINALLY open!!! woohoo!!! toki's chef, eric, let m know that they were doing a sort of unofficial opening. bunches of us, then, put ourselves on the reservation list and counted the days. yeehaw!

i remember when, while still under construction, i had the pleasure of visiting the (then future) site of toki underground. i got the low down on what the space was going to look like, some of the knick knacks that they planned on putting up, and the flare that sort of represented their version of youth. the space was once described to me as "a boy-hood playground for me," and i think it pretty accurate (haha). the decor of toki underground is chock full of skateboards, bar-like seating, plinko, and japanese culture-infused figurines (ok, so i probably butchered what all of the things are called. sorry!). point is, the decor is a lot of fun, well thought out (minus the hooks for ladies' bags - i hear they're coming), and a great effort regarding the efficient use of space.

we started our meal with some appetizers. one of the things that they want to make sure they get good at is dumplings - a great pairing with ramen. i personally like the pan fried option the best. when we went, admittedly the dumplings needed some work - the deep fried ones were too fried and the pan-fried ones were fried strangely. BUT, m went back and said that they adjusted their dumpling times and now, they're just right. and delicious. that's great to hear! so yes, pan-fried pork dumplings is what i would recommend.

in addition to the dumplings, we also enjoyed some of their other appetizers. for some reason, i looked at the cold tofu and thought it said cold noodles (i know - brain fart). but that's ok becuase they were delicious. the soft tofu was in a more salty than sweet sauce, topped with all sort of goodies (fish flakes? what are those things called?). i could eat this all day long - i love tofu. m got the pickles (yay pickes!), cucumbers that were slightly pickled in the asian way (i.e., more salty, a bit sweet. not dill or sweet like american pickles). yum.

and then, the ramen. i love ramen (makes sense, seeing that i love noodles. i've mentioned that here, i think). all kinds. even the cheap-o top ramen (seriously, you can make it pretty darn tasty), though that's not necessarily my "go to" (obviously). i've had real japanese ramen (i.e., ramen IN japan) and have had delicious japanese american variations. i got the kimchee version of the toki hakata classic (a way for me to get a taste of eric's kimchee along with the ramen. the kimchee was good, but i prefer my mom's kimchee. isn't that how it always is?). the pork broth was delicious, full of flavor, and salty as ramen should be (i know that it's just the right amount of saltiness when i, in the middle of eating, have the need to dilute the broth with some water. i know. gross. but i like it that way (and i do it, hopefully, discreetly). leave me alone!). i wish there were more noodles; i will order the extra noodles the next time i go. the noodles, in and of themselves, were also delicious - just the right amount of chewiness, not soft and mushy at all.

m had the vegetarian option and it was GOOD. i mean, really good! the broth had a lot of flavor, resulting from seaweed/dashi, soy sauce, radish, etc., i imagine. i tried making a vegetable broth (also for m) when making seaweed soup once and it was hard (though i'll have to say that mine didn't come out half bad. i will try again). oh, and i like the pork broth. what's wrong with that? nothing! haha ... for me, i think if i was wanting a lighter ramen option, this vegetarian bowl would be great. lots of other little toppings came along with this bowl. i wish all of the other bowls of ramen came with it as well. a girl can dream~

w had the curry chicken ramen. i was curious as to how this would be, as japanese style curry has its own flavor and flare. i would say that the chicken was cooked well and the broth, while chock full of curry, was more along the lines of se asian-style noodles in broth. the curry wasn't overpowering, which is good, and a nice option for those who may want an alternative to the more pork-y ramen (i don't know who says no to pork, though). now, w doesn't eat a whole lot. but while i was barely halfway through my ramen, he had demolished the whole bowl and was on the verge of licking (literally) up the droplets left. now that's a good sign!

to round out the meal, we had dessert. i'm not really one for dessert, but the containers that the dessert came is was just so darn cute. the dessert bento box was filled with chocolate truffles, all a different flavor (coconut and lemongrass, some sort of liquor, miso, and sea salt). we all literally took tiny bites of them, just to taste. delectable. i didn't think i would like some of the flavors because they sounded so ... odd. i mean, miso powder on chocolate? weird. but delicious. i like miso, i like chocolate (for the most part), why not put them together! i didn't get to taste the milk and cookies (and yes, it comes with actual ice-cold milk), but the presentation (imo) was just lovely.

i think there are a few kinks that the staff at toki are trying to iron out. it's also super hipster (for those of you who are not into that), but it's also on H street NE, so i guess you can't really avoid that (no offense). nonetheless, it sounds like it's already a great hit (yay!) and have full confidence that it will soon join the others on the list of DC's "must-dos." yay yay yay! now, if only i could get a seat ... hee hee~

online: http://tokiunderground.com/

bojangles' famous chicken 'n biscuits

bojangles' famous chicken 'n biscuits 50 massachusettes avenue NE (inside union station), washington, DC 20001

what was consumed: gravy biscuit meal (with soda and bo-tato rounds), 2 piece (thigh and leg) chicken dinner, buttermilk biscuit, bojangles' dirty rice, bojangles' cajun pintos, bo-berry biscuit

yay for bojangles' in DC!

ok, so i didn't grow up with a bojangles' around the corner, so maybe i don't get the hype (though i appreciate it. after all, i get all worked up for my childhood favorites and other people don't get it either - ha!). but as some coworkers and i considered where to go for our friday lunch outing, we were highly intrigued by the brand spankin' new opening of bojangles' in DC proper. so hop on the metro we did and head from the downtown area to union station.

i was hoping that we would get to the union station food court before the crowd (after all, it was bojangels' opening lunch service). but alas, we were greeted by a line 50+ people deep that wrapped around the food court's dining area a la disneyland. i was more astonished with how surprised all of the security people there looked at all of the people who came to eat at bojangles' ... though i may be more in tune with the food fanatics' crazy behavior than they. anyway, we got in line and began the wait (on an aside, just as i get in line, i run into friend L! what great fortune! awesome to see friendly faces ^_^). about 45 minutes in (which isn't too bad considering the number of people in line), we put in our orders. for real, i ordered two "set" menus. don't laugh at me! i wanted to give bojangles' a good try. who knows when i'll be back at union station! anyway, we put in our order, got our food, then proceeded to fight to find some place to sit in the food court.

once seated, i was excited to try the food. what's not to like about (fast food) fried chicken? a tasty batter covering the outside of the chicken with a slight bit of spice, buttery biscuits, biscuits covered in gravy, salty cajun rice, hash brown-like tator tots ... YUM. though there was something missing in the bojangles' cajun pintos. even just adding a bit of the bojangles' hot sauce (a variation of tabasco) added good flavor to the beans. if i were to make a really general (and maybe even "sacriligious") comparison, i would equate bojangles' to popeye's (though, for you popeye's haters, i will have you know that the bulk of my popeye's experiences took place in seoul - delicious!) - southern-style fried chicken and sides. well aware of my huge purchase, i dished out the extra 5 cents for a plastic bag thinking that i would have plenty of leftovers to bring back to the office. i was wrong, though, as barely a biscuit was left. nonetheless, i ceremoniously placed it into the bag and carried it all the way back ... with jealous stares coming from all around.

the final the verdict? i would visit bojangles' again and will be highly tempted to enjoy if i were to see it included in a list of eateries at a rest stop. would i go back to union station specifically to enjoy bojangles'? less likely. nonetheless, successful trip! bojangles' lovers, i concur!

online: http://www.bojangles.com/

pasta mia

pasta mia

1790 columbia road NW, washington, DC 20009

tel: 202) 328-9114

hours: tuesday-sunday 6:30pm-10pm

what was consumed: bread, caesar salad, gnocci in pesto, pappardelle pasta in meat sauce, and wine! yum.

one of my biggest gripes about food in DC is that there seems to be a dearth of affordable italian restaurants in the city (or maybe it's my arrogance that says that i could "make it better" at home. is that true?). every time i mention it, though, there's always someone who says that i really shouldn't say anything until i try pasta mia ... to which i'd always respond with "i don't want to wait in that line" or "it's just pasta" and so on and so forth. i finally caved. and it was delicious.

c & i planned it all out. the first seating at pasta mia is right when they open, so we got in line about 30-40 minutes before (c got there first and was still behind, like, 8 people - what?). soon after my arrival, the line started to go eastward on columbia road. some people, in fact, got in line, considered their chances of getting in on that first seating, and decided to go elsewhere. when pasta mia opened their doors and we were ushered in, i could hear a little cheer coming out of my mouth (ok, so it was actually a verbalized cheer. don't judge).

c and i were seated right next to the window - wonderful seats. since we'd thought about this dinner all day long, we were already ready to order by the time our server arrived (which was soon after we sat down). a basket of bread was soon served and while it was so delicious (was it the bread or our hunger? no matter), dipped in olive oil, we had to remind ourselves that we had huge meals coming our way. our large caesar salad came next (good thing we ordered one to share). the lettuce was crisp, and was light on the dressing (just as we asked), with a hint of fish which is what (imo) makes caesar salads so delicious. so simple, and so delicious!

i'd heard that i should be patient and wait as all of the food is cooked to order. but soon after we were finished with our salad, our pastas came. hurrah! and boy, were people right about portion sizes! the mountain of gnocci and what would otherwise be a box of pappardelle pasta were placed in front of us, covered in sauce, and piping hot. yes! more please! the meat sauce over the papperdelle was generous with the meat and seasoned well in the tomato sauce. all of which was covered with cheese. and the pasta was cooked just right - not too soft, but cooked. the gnocci was super soft, maybe some of the softest i've had, but not mushy and formless - just the opposite in fact. and the pesto it sat in was light and flavorful (some people ordered the gnocci with the meat sauce - so heavy!). i've never eaten so much gnocci in one sitting. and i love gnocci! nom nom nom ...

c & i left with small containers to go (instead of the large ones that everyone else seemed to have). admittedly, this was a point of pride for the two of us. tee hee hee. and note. my (long) run the next day was awesome. yay carb-o loading!

some will say that pasta mia is their favorite pasta place in town. i can see why they say that. despite all of the negatives (i.e., waiting in that line), i can see it rising to the top of my list as well. quickly. yay carbs! haha~

online: no website! argh ... though so many people have review pasta mia (a la yelp and other sites). better that than nothing?

pho viet

pho viet
3513 14th street NW, washington, DC 20010
tel: 202) 629-2839
hours: monday, wednesday, thursday 11am-9:30pm; friday-saturday 11am-10:30pm, sunday 11am-8:30pm

what was consumed: summer rolls (an order of 2 for me, an order of 2 for c~), papaya salad, bahn mi (accompanied by fried sweet potato slides and a soda), pho (with beef eye round & flank)

though i didn't have pho until i was well into my college years, i haven't been able to get enough of it since. and that i grew up next to the 'little saigon', i will admit that i have been spoiled, thus affecting my preferences when it comes to vietnamese food (as much as that is possible, anyway). so when i found out that there was a large vietnamese population in washington, dc, i anticipated the hope that there would be many vietnamese eatery options ... but was quickly disappointed to find out that there were very few (and that the good ones were out in the 'burbs ... as is the case with lots of asian food options). lucky for me, a few have popped up as of late ... and close to where i live! wonderful! and so, when c and i were thinking about a place to go for a nice warm meal on a chilly day, pho viet was at the top of the list.

our meal began summer roll appetizers (an order for me, an order for c - i love summer rolls!), papaya salad, and a bahn mi platter (to share). yes, we ordered a lot of food (we may have scared our server. what kind of girls order enough food for an army? no comment). we gobbled up our fares quickly, but couldn't help comparing them to similar options at other places. "i like it better when summer rolls have ...", "i like it better when the papaya salad is ...", "i like it better when the bahn mi has ...", you know. that sort of thing. don't get me wrong - we still enjoyed, of course.

when our pho arrived, i was pleasantly surprised! so surprised (or maybe more excited?) that i forgot to take a photo (how is that possible?!?!?!?!?!). our bowls of pho arrived as they should - with the slices of (raw) meat on top of the properly cooked noodles in a hot broth ... hot enough for the meat to cook in the broth as the bowls are brought to the table. the broth looked a little light, but i enjoyed the unexpected flavor with my first spoonful. as is my way, i scooped out all of the green onions and cilantro (they add to the flavor, but i don't like to chew those buggers), added my bean sprouts underneath my noodles (as to slightly cook the veggies), added a bit of sriracha sauce for spice, then mixed it all up ... and thoroughly enjoyed. and all this despite having already consumed a meal of "appetizers."

while i may not go back to pho viet for some of their other fare, i will definitely think of them first and foremost when i'm hankering for a nice bowl of pho. more pho please!

online: http://www.phovietdc.com/

the argonaut

the argonaut1433 maryland avenue NE, washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 250-3660
hours: monday-thursday 5pm-2am, friday 4pm-2am, saturday-sunday 10am-2am

what was consumed: hush puppies, sweet potato fries, benedicts (smoked salmon on two poached eggs on english muffins with classic hollandaise; bacon; rosemary potatoes), cheese grits, huevos rancheros, arboretum salad (mixed greens with red onion, dried cranberries, walnuts, and blue cheese; lemon vinaigrette), bottomless mimosas

the first time i went to the argonaut, it was for a bridal shower, when the h street corridor/atlas district (maybe) just barely qualified for the "up and coming" status. we were intrigued that the argonaut was there altogether and pleasantly surprised by the english-style tavern fare.

and then there was a fire.

we'd heard that the argonaut came back from the fire, in full force! so, as a few of us contemplated where to head out for brunch after church, we decided on the argonaut. and we went, curious as to how it had changed ... and were pleasantly surprised! while many things were renovated and things were moved around, the same comfortable feel seemed to emanate ... and i was glad!

we took our seats, and in between all of our girly chitter chatter, we managed to order our brunch items. which began with hush puppies. and sweet potato fries. the hush puppies weren't on the menu, but there was another table that ordered them. which we then proceeded to do as well. the hush puppies were nice and crispy on the outside, but nice on the inside. and while the hush puppies came with some spreads, they were delicious on their own. as were the sweet potato fries! they were fried just right and sprinkled with a bit of salt that contrasted the sweetness of the potato. delicious.

our brunch items were quick to arrive (yay!). i, of course, could not pass up eggs benedict (or 'the argonaut's version of eggs benedict), with the eggs poached just right on top of smoked salmon - yum! and hollandaise on the side, just like i like it. AND it came with delicious bacon. AND it came with home fries. ahhhh~ and to top it all off, i got a bowl of the cheese grits (no brunch is complete without grits!). okokok, so it was a lot of food, more than the norm. but there was something about the creamy, cheesy-ness of the grits that did not prevent me from pretty much consuming the entire bowl ... after the entire plate of food, of course.

m and s also had much success with their entrees (of which i tried, as usual. don't worry - i shared mine as well!). a fresh salad for s (with delicious bacon - yay!) and huevos rancheros with vegetarian bacon! what a plus - vegetarian meat options for the vegetarians in your life. how progressive? no matter - totally awesome.

and don't forget the bottomless mimosas! for the price of a regular mimosa elsewhere, you can enjoy mimosas all morning long~ more or less, anyway. the argonaut also has a bloody mary bar for those who prefer a more tomato-y drink. and i will have to say, both the mimosas and the bloody mary were definitely not easy on the booze. just the way they're supposed to be!

welcome back, argonaut! i'm sure i will see you again soon.

online: http://www.argonautdc.com/

acacia mid-town

acadia - midtown
2601 west cary street, richmond, VA 23220
tel: 804) 562-0138
hours: monday-thursday 5:30pm-9pm, friday-saturday 5:30pm-10pm

what was consumed: price fixe dinner! butternut squash soup with bacon, mixed greens salad, pan roasted duck breast (with fois gras lentils and greens), pan roasted beef rib-eye (with roasted fingerling potatoes), 3-cheese plate, moulton chocolate cake

m and i planned a day trip to the capital of virginina - richmond. i'd never been there and he'd attended school there, so it was high time a trip was planned (woohoo!). so, after a bit of touring (i love hearing people's stories about where they grew up, where they went to school, etc.) and walking up and down the cary street area (so cute!), we were off to dinner. finally!

i got the name of acacia off the list of "critics' favorites" list in the local richmond magazine. the critics can't be too wrong, but they can select restaurants out of my price range. additionally, the james beard award nominations? awards? anyway, the james beard award list had just come and and what was on the list? acacia - midtown. we had to try it. provided the prices were reasonable and the food looked good, that is ... and they were! on both fronts. BUT, when we checked, they were not yet open (what?) because we were too early. we figured we'd check out some other places and if they were better, we'd go to those other places. but in the end, we both were in agreement to stick it out until 5:30 to try to fare at acacia.

right as we walk in, we're greeted by the hostess who asks us if we had a reservation (we didn't), but sat us right away (the restaurant was empty) after asking for our names. weird, but we didn't question it. despite what we were each thinking of ordering (which wasn't available anyway. apparently, acacia changes their menu every day), we both resolved to get the price fixe menu (that was only available that first hour). yay for early dining!

we were first greeted by some rolls that were de-licious. and super buttery (maybe that's what made them so delicious!). they served us 2 and i wondered if we would get more if we asked (though not necessary). our server mentioned that there was something special about the butter, but i have since forgotten. honey butter? something like that.

appetizers: m opted for the mixed green salad. the addition of other veggies (i forget which. i think endives, among others) as well as dried fruit gave this otherwise common salad what felt like a acacia twist. fresh and dressed just right, it was a fresh way to begin a meal. because he got the salad, i opted for the soup - a creamy and thick butternut squash soup. unlike many butternut squash soups i've had, this one wasn't overly sweet. instead, it was squash-y (is that even an adjective?) and creamy. and about every other spoonful had a bit of bacon. bacon! you can't go wrong with bacon.

entrees: i was having a hard time deciding between the pan-fried duck and the fish. our server mentioned that the chef was sort of known for fish, but that the duck came with lentils in fois gras. duck it was! and it was delicious. the pan-fried duck was nice and juicy, offering more juice to mix with the lentils for increased flavor. it wasn't too tough or stinky (as something poultry can be) and it was a pretty hefty serving (in fact, both of our meals were. i mean, they seemed comparable in size to the things that others were ordering ... we think. in the end, it didn't matter as it was still a lot of food. that we ate all of). m ordered the steak which came with this amazing green sauce. his steak was cooked more than he wanted, but that didn't prevent him from eating the entire plate (though i did suggest that he say something about it - he didn't). i think it was my duck that came out rare (look how red it is!), but i like it that way, so ...

dessert! we were afraid that dessert would be totally overwhelming. after all, we were already filled with all sorts of goodies. i had selected the cheese plate. when it came out, i was pleasantly surprised. bits of cheese just enough to let me taste, and then some. they told me which each one was, but what do i know of the names of cheese? all i know is that each had a slightly different cheesy flavor, and one was really creamy and had the consistency of a spreadable cheese. yum. m got the molten chocolate cake with ice cream. with just the right amount of chocolate and just the right size (small), the cake oozed richness and deliciousness. a great way to end the meal!

a quick comment about one of their drinks. i forget what it's called, but it comes with ginger beer. apparently, acacia makes their own ginger beer. and even m, who says he doesn't particularly enjoy ginger, enjoyed the ginger drink. it was ginger-spicy-y, but delicious.

the next time you're in richmond and thinking of going somewhere with delicious food and a sort of modern/chic ambiance, be sure to put acacia on your list!

online: http://www.acaciarestaurant.com

the passenger

the passenger
1021 7th street NW, washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 393-0220
hours: sunday 2pm-12am, monday-thursday 5pm-1:30am, friday-saturday 5pm-2:30am

what was consumed: gourmet hot dogs (cole slaw, kimchee, etc.), hummus plate, route 66 chips, nachos, and libations (beer, wine, and spirits)

the passenger is one of my favorite bars in town. i've been with small groups, i've been with large groups, i've stood around, i've sat at tables. when i go, though, i try to sit at the bar (which is generally a favorite seat of mine) as to have immediate access to their bartenders. the servers are great, but one of the awesome things about the passenger is that you can tell the bartender the type of beverage that you'd like (e.g. a bitter, whiskey based drink that is not sweet) or ask for one of their specials ... and you will always be pleasantly satisfied. the passenger has a nice selection of beers and wine as well - everyone will be satisfied!

as for food ... they have a small menu, which seems to always change just a little bit, and is not on their website. i've had bites of a variety of different things, including their kimchee hot dog which was one of the first things that intrigued me (it was delicious. in my k-snobbery, though, i made comments on what i would do differently ... all the while happily polishing off my order. tee hee hee). the hot dogs come with chips, which luckily doubles as wonderful ahn-joo (drinking snacks). i would most definitely be able to eat more than one hot dog on a hungry day (i.e., every day - ha!). all in all, the fare, while more snack-ish than meal-ish, is inventive, fresh, and delicious.

a quick comment about one of the passenger's fixtures. they have this ceiling fan in the middle of the main room that i look at every time i visit. it's a 2-legged (legged?) ceiling fan that has regular desk fans on the end of them! so, the desk fans are oscillating while the ceiling fan's "legs" also oscillate (does this even make any sense? yeeees ...). anyway, how great is that?! i love i - so there!

oh, passenger, i've had a lot of fun with you - great drinks, great snakcs, great ambiance, great company! i will be back for more. yay yay yay!

online: http://www.passengerdc.com/