dangerously delicious pies

dangerously delicious pies
1339 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 398-7437

what was consumed: theater menu! sausage tomato fennel pie, steak chili pie, chocolate peanut butter chess pie, baltimore bomb pie

when in and around the H street corridor/atlas district, and especially if you're going to catch a show/performance at the atlas district, be sure to hop in next door for some delicious slices of pie at dangerously delicious pies. they have a pre-theater menu (1 savory slide + salad and 1 sweet slice) that is sure to satisfy your stomach.

i'd only had this baltimore native's treats via their truck (and this is now years ago). i'm glad there's a brick and mortar location i can look to whenever i'm in the market for some delicious bites!

online: http://www.dangerouspiesdc.com/

  

  

maketto

maketto
1351 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 838-9972

what was consumed: pork steamed bao, veggie spring rools, wok fried rice noodles, taiwanese fried chicken

i love the dual purpose concept at maketto: part retail, part restaurant. that way, i can do some eye shopping before/after/during (?) my delicious meal. and delicious is definitely what our meal way.

we started with the bao and the spring rolls - pretty standard stuff. maketto serves these solid appetizers. but the wok fried noodles (we were told it was the most popular) is definitely one to order. wide rice noodles, seasoned with a soy sauce plus lots of spice, veggies, etc. i wished i had space for another order of these noodles.

and the taiwanese fried chicken! lightly battered fried chicken, served with some cabbage stuff with fried chicken sauce. the sauce is sweeter than i usually like, but it worked for me as it was coupled with strong and delicious fish sauce flavors. i could go for some right now ...

online: http://maketto1351.com/

liberty tree

liberty tree
1016 H St NE, washington, DC 20002

tel: 202) 396-8733

hours: monday 5pm-10pm, tuesday-friday 11:30am-10pm, saturday 11am-10pm, sunday 11am-9pm

what was consumed: new england lobster roll (with celery, mayo, griddled hot dog bun & garlic butter drizzle) served with housemade hand-cut fries, atlast burger (8oz angus beef, blue cheese spread & caramelized red onions) also with fries, old school hot fudge sundae (with vanilla ice cream, candied pecans, whipped cream)

i used to meet with a nice little girl named ines (i've mentioned her here before) through a mentoring program back in washington, dc (i really need to look back into volunteering opportunities!) and we used to meet for a nice sunday lunch. sometimes, it was really stressful because i didn't know what was open, what she liked, what i wanted to eat, etc. in the end, my conclusion was that we could go to new places, as applicable, and we wouldn't go to the same place again. this was also a chance for me to show ines parts of the city that she may not see otherwise. and a great chance for me to eat massive amounts of food. yay!

when liberty tree opened, what is now years ago, it was during the whole lobster roll craze (could we call it a craze?) liberty tree was really advertising their "true" new england lobster roll and, of course, i just had to try it. ines and i head over to liberty tree on one day just for that occasion. and boy, it was worth it! the bun was toasted in butter, just enough for me to get excited about the butter but not enough for it to be oozing with grease. the lobster was tossed in a bit of mayonnaise, and such, but not so much that all i taste is mayonnaise. the lobster was fresh and delicious. some have told me that their experiences were different, and that makes me sad. especially because my lobster roll was so delicious! of course, the fries that accompanied it were delicious. but i love love love fries, so there are very few that i will not eat. 

ines and i finished off our meal with a large ice cream sundae. that is, ines ate most of it and i just watched. a little spoiling of her on my part and great indulgences on her. hey, i was her mentor and saw her just a couple of times a month! i wanted her to like me (haha). 

and so, while on the expensive size, i'd go back to liberty tree just for the lobster roll. and maybe when i do, i'll get a chance to try some of the other things they have to offer as well. delicious!

online: http://www.libertytreedc.com 

boundary road

boundary road

414 H street NE, washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 450-3265

hours: 5pm–2am daily, sunday–thursday dinner 5:30pm–10:30pm, friday-saturday dinner 5:30pm–11pm, tuesday–friday lunch 11am–3pm

what was consumed: charcueterie and cheese plate (including a delicious pate), foie gras torchon PBJ (grilled country bread, homemade peanut butter, peach vanilla jelly), grilled hanger steak (chestnut purée, spicy kale, sauce charón), paprika dusted flounder over a spanish fishermen's stew), seared arctic char (wilted turnip greens, duck fat potatoes, salsa verde), pork (cooked medium with some sides that i don't remember exactly and isn't listed on boundary road's sample menu online), cocktails (such as the seelbach made with bourbon, cointreau, sparkling wine, peychaud’s & angostura bitters), apple pie for dessert

boundary road, i finally made it!

i'd been hearing about boundary road for some time, way before they even opened. bartender friend d told me about how he was helping his friend who was opening a place out on h street. friend d/j, on a separate occasion, told me about his friend (who also is a neighbor) who was opening a place out on h street. turns out, he was my neighbor as well! point is, i didn't put two and two together to realize that d and d/j were talking about the same person - brad who is the main guy at boundary road. small world!

and then, president obama visited.

blergh.

good for boundary road, bad for me and the prospects for getting reservations (even with knowing people who know people who know people -__-). though, that didn't stop me from requesting boundary road as one of my last meals before moving out of washington. yay for c for making the reservations!

like most places, boundary road wouldn't seat us until our entire party was present (they also asked us to remind our party to be on time, that 15 minutes beyond our reserved time, they would give up our seat. i think that's fair - respect the reservation time and they'll respect our reservation). c and i were early, so we sat at the bar for drinks while we took in the place. c ordered a recommended drink (she says the seelbach was delicious, and totally perfect for the warming washington weather) and i proceeded to break a glass (with my bare hands! er, no. the glass tipped over and broke into some large pieces when my clumsy elbows knocked it over as i arranged the glasses to take a photo) during the 2 seconds we were at the bar. the rest of our party were right on time. and right as they arrived, we were seated. yay!

we were starving, so once seated, we quickly looked through the menu (which wasn't too large - good!) and decided to order a bunch of things to share, my favorite way to have a meal. the menu is supposed to be seasonal. while that should be the norm and anticipated, i realize that that's not necessarily the case. i'm as guilty as anyone else regarding this, though, as i often want to eat foods (especially veggies) out of season. i like that i can eat brussel sprouts and broccoli all year long, leave me alone! i know - first world problem -__-

we began our meal with a wonderful  charcueterie plate which included a wonderful pate. granted, i love love love pate and will eat almost all variations (from average to excellent) of it, but boundary road's was delicious. creamy, soft, and seasoned just right. we also had to try the foie gras torchon PBJ that everyone has been talking about. like pate, i love foie gras, so i was excited to read about it and see it on the menu. when i first heard about it, the whole pb&j idea seemed a little odd (though i love pb&j). if not for any other reason, i'd recommend trying it because it's different. my opinion? loved it. it's different and it may seem odd, but there's something about the foie gras mixed in with the sort of savory sort of sweet peanut butter and the fruity jelly that ... just works.

our entrees came out just as we finished with our appetizers (i was very happy with the service that i received while at boundary road). the portions were reasonably sized (which has grown increasingly important to point out, i've come to understand), but my large appetite really wished for more. no surprise there. anyway, the servers described the entrees well, and the food was seasoned well, cooked perfectly, and the flavor combinations were interesting and a twist on traditional american dishes. and that seafood stew! such a deep seafood flavor that also wasn't stinky.

all in all, i had a great experience at boundary road and recommend that you check it out whole heartedly. just make sure that when the chef comes around and asks how you enjoyed the food, be sure to remember that you're at boundary road (not boundary stone - long story). i hope it's still delicious and doing well when i am back visiting washington ... !!!

online: http://www.boundaryrd.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/

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/

tacos impala

tacos impala
1204 H street NE, washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 375-0537 (call tacos impala directly! don't call erik! haha~)
hours: sunday-thursday 12pm-10pm-ish, friday-saturday 12pm-3am-ish

what was consumed: carnitas taco, steak taco, beans and cheese taco, red sauce, green sauce, chips and salsa

so, erik (a key person behind tacos impala) is a friend so you may say that this review is biased. but it's not! seriously, only good things about tacos impala - here goes!

the toki underground website (which looks great and delicious) went up, so a bunch of us got all excited and set a date to go. turns out, toki isn't open yet (hurry up!!), but their sort of related taco stand has been up and running for some time now and we decided to try only their wares instead (this turned out to be better as our original thought was ramen, then tacos. i.e., waaaay too much food. per usual.)

i got to tacos impala before the rest of my group, so after some foolish waiting, i decided to walk over to 'the pug' to grab a beer while waiting (a few notes about the pug: 01) they have a great beer selection (and a full bar, of course); 02) toki underground is above it; 03) they used to have cheese balls, but didn't see them when i was there last; 04) i love this bar). i walked in and saw erik there ... who let us know that when we were ready to order, he would help us out with getting our food (and some how finagled it so that we could eat at the pug. or maybe we were just the rude customers who brought in 'outside' food to the bar. oopsie poopsie!). we put in our orders and waited with great curiosity about what was ahead of us ... a bit later, erik came back with our fares - one of each of the three types (steak, carnitas, and bean & cheese (veggie)) of tacos for j and me, and just the veggie taco and cheese quesedillas for m. just in time! i was famished.

let me tell you about these tacos. these delicious, delicious tacos. the steak and carnitas were cooked perfectly - tender and seasoned wonderfully. the bean&cheese one was surprisingly filling and while i usually opt for black beans, the pinto beans used here were flavorful and delicious. the corn tortillas, made in-house, that the tacos came in were probably the softest corn tortillas i've ever had. and then, topped with just a few little fixin's, the tacos were simply delicious. while i had 3, i probably could have easily ordered (and consumed) 3 more. easily. the tacos were served with both a red and green sauce - a bit different in flavor, both with a bit of heat, both delicious. i tried each of them and prefer the green tomatillo sauce over the red, if i have to choose one. but the best is, per erik's recommendation, is the green sauce topped with a touch of the red. yay combos! i seriously think we gobbled up the tacos in what couldn't have been more than 5 minutes. sigh. the deliciousness was so ephemeral ...

chips and salsa rounded out our meal (thanks, erik!), but i didn't get a photo because by the time i remembered, we had pretty much demolished the crispy (homemade!) chips and fresh pico de gallo, while saying things like, "i don't know why i can't stop eating these chips!"

as we concluded the night, we all contemplated getting more tacos (after all, there was no line - maybe that was our destiny!), but refrained. for now. ... i could go for some tacos impala right about now.

tacos impala is in the philadelphia water ice space, being used while philadelphia water ice is closed for the winter (brilliant!) ... and it is literally just a stand. order up at the window, pay for your food, wait for your food (you won't have to wait long, but keep in mind the tacos are made to order. imo, part of the deliciousness of the tacos is due to this face. totally worth it!), get your food, try to eat while walking/standing (i probably would not make it if i were to wait to eat the food "at home"). so, be sure to get out to tacos impala before they close for the summer - spread the word! i guarantee it will be worth your time and effort. i will surely be going back. can't wait!

online: no online website for tacos impala (though there are lots of people talkin' about 'em!), but check out the toki underground website: http://tokiunderground.com ... hurry up and open guys - we can't wait! ^_^

sticky rice

sticky rice
1224 H St NE(between N 12th St & N 13th St) Washington, DC 20002
tel: 202) 397-7655
hours: monday-thursday 11:30am-2am, friday 11:30am-3am, saturday 5pm-3am, sunday 11:30am-2am

what was consumed: bucket of tots, halibut something, tilapia ceviche, godzirra roll, snap crackle and pop roll, millennium roll, green curry ... chef's special/chef's choice ... beer, sake ...

i heard about sticky rice from friends before it even opened. despite everything else friends said, the only words that stuck were "sushi" and "tator tots." what a GRRRRRREAT idea - sushi and tots! i couldn't wait. unfortunately, it wasn't for some time that i actually got the opportunity to visit sticky rice. friend s was visiting and as we were thinking of neat and uniquely-DC locales, sticky rice came to mind, so we head over. we walked in a little bit earlier than the standard dinner time. sticky rice was just starting to fill up and when i saw that seats were available at the sushi bar in the upstairs seating area, i asked if we could sit there. we took a look at the menu, made a number of selections, and anticipated our food. and good thing too because it was worth the wait as we gorged on delicious eats!

now, while the more traditional japanese/asian fare is available and delicious, i would recommend the more creative selections available on the menu. between quite a few vegetarian options, new combinations of rolls, and (of course) tator tots (come on!), there are definitely a plethora of things to try. try things! be adventurous! and be filled with delicious combos~

the last time i visited sticky rice, we made reservations (just in case. turns out, though, that because we made reservations for the sushi bar, there were special "sushi bar reservation" dishes that had been set aside - so excited!) and just as we walked in, we were directed to our seats at the sushi bar and ordered the chef's special, i.e., chef's choice, i.e., chef, give me what's good today. friend johnny was working and i was totally looking forward to the good eats that would be coming my way.

i love getting the chef's special and the fare at sticky rice definitely did not disappoint. we were served a slew of "small" plates (they actually weren't that small) of different sushi and sashimi, all super fresh, many which incorporated flavor combinations that i probably wouldn't have thought of, but was glad they were there because they were delicious! seaweed salad, grilled fish, ceviche, spicy plates, not spicy plates, fried plates ...

as we were eating, the main sticky rice guy came in and we all began to chat (i asked him if the tator tots really was a sort of homage to his hometown. turns out, his grandfather was a potato farmer (or something like that), so yes, a sort of homage. so cool!!). as we continued in our consumption, he proceeded to ask us what we were eating, what we liked, and whether or not we liked to try new things. heck yeah we like to try new things! he then proceeded to have us takes a few prototypes. some favorites? sashimi guacamole (who would've thought that guacamole including chunks of fish would be so delicious? trust me - we gulped that stuff down), tempura fried tomatoes (sorta an asian take on the whole fried green tomatoes dish - yum), carrot (or was it sweet potato - point is, what a great idea!) nigiri. despite having already been filled with lots of other delicious dishes, our stomachs definitely made room for more deliciousness. ahhh~

we didn't order tator tots this last time (despite my initial desire to do so), but that turned out to be a wise move. mauri literally had to roll christine and me down the stairs and out of the restaurant. i think c and i sort of scared mauri with our never-ending and exorbitant delicious food consumption - ha!

i can't wait to go again! DELICIOUS!

online: http://www.stickyricedc.com/