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/

tony cheng's mongolian bbq

tony cheng's mongolian bbq
619 h street NW (between 6th street & 7th street), washington, DC 20001
tel: 202) 842-8669
hours: lunch carryout monday-friday 11am-3pm; dinner carryout sunday-thursday 11am-11pm, friday-saturday 11am-12am midnight; dim sum hong kong style (daily) 11am-3pm, all you can eat mongolian bbq (i'm assuming daily, during all operating hours)

what was consumed: all you can eat mongolian bbq (of course)

so, childhood friend steve has been in town for the past few weeks doing a training here in DC. as he was about to finish, we (c & i) got together, with some other friends, for a sort of departing dinner. we were thinking of matchbox because, for whatever reason, we always find ourselves taking friends visiting from out of town. steve, however, had visited matchbox not once, but twice in the past few weeks (that's a lot!), so we decided on tony cheng's. not only had i never been there, but it is also on my never-ending list of places to eat, it's in a relatively convenient location, and they have an all-you-can-eat option. excellent!

now, before i continue, a couple of words about chinatown. i've been to a couple of chinatowns in my day. heck, i've even been to china. DC's chinatown may be the most not-chinese chinatown ever, even despite the chinese writing, the chinatown gate, and the chinatown busses (haha). the best chinese food in the area (in my opinion, of course) isn't even in chinatown. now that so many have moved out to the 'burbs, where is this (albeit wannabe, i admit) city-girl supposed to go for chinese food if she can't (for now) drive out to the city?! - sigh - ...

anyway ... we walked into tony cheng's and were sort of confused. there's an upstairs and a downstairs and nothing is really labelled (that is, nothing is labelled in english. these non-chinese speakers (who are on occasion mistaken for chinese peeps) were lost lost lost). but some friendly people soon directed us - seafood upstairs, mongolian bbq downstairs. the place was pretty empty, but that it was soon after 6 (i.e., still on the early side for dinner), we figured it would fill up later (it did ... sort of ... but mind you, the dining area is quite large).

so, for those of you who have never had mongolian bbq, this is how it works. you choose all these veggies, noodles, and meat that you want to be bbq-ed. you give it to the guy at the huge (for real, like, 4 foot diameter) skillet sort of thing that gets really really hot (something like 4x the heat of a regular pan or something) and he sautees your selections, including some special sauces, garlic, hot sauce, etc. once sauteed, he puts your concoction in another bowl and you go back to your seat to enjoy. YUM. i remember going to mongolian bbq when i was a kid, but after some time, we never went back. that place was all you can eat as well, and my dad once said something about not going back because the owners didn't like that we ate a lot. but come on - an asian family of 4? we do have voracious appetites, but we cannot be compared to some (if you know what i mean). anyway ...

so, once at our seats at tony cheng's, we got right back up and headed to the bar to create our bowls. noodles, carrots, broccoli, lots of sprouts, and thin slices of beef later, i took i to the guy to sautee. he then proceeded to ask me if i wanted garlic (yes) and hot sauce (yes), and then added all of these other sauces to my bowl. while delicious, it was a bit too salty for my liking. i reminded myself to ask the guy to add less sauce. and so, the second bowl was the same thing, but i opted for lamb instead of beef (and this time, while seasoned better, but i was not really a fan of the lamb). third bowl was essentially the same as the first. but by this time, i was SO full that it probably would have mattered less.

all of the ingredients were pretty fresh to begin with, so i would imagine it would be sort of hard to mess up the dish. but still - the combination of flavors and ingredients filled my stomach over and over and over again (yes, in total, i had 3 bowls. while that seems like not that much, you must believe me when i beg to differ and say that it was. a lot. YUM).

all in all, i'll have to say that the meal was grand and we all left thinking that our money was well spent, and not a lot of it was spent at that (mind you, we didn't drink - does that matter? i know, so uncharacteristic). especially on a day where we are super hungry and we want some straight up veggies and beef, asian style, i know i will have a hankering for tony cheng's!

online: http://www.tonychengrestaurant.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/

2 amy's

2 amy's
3715 macomb street NW (between 38th street & wisconsin avenue), washington, DC 20016
tel: (202) 885-5700
hours: monday 5pm-10pm, tuesday-thursday 11am-10pm, friday-saturday 11am-11pm, sunday 12pm-10pm

what was consumed: deep fried squash blossoms, norcia pizza (tomato, salami, grilled peppers, fresh mozzarella, grana - for me), pepperoni & mushroom pizza (for ines)

i love pizza. my friend (frank) once called me a teenage mutant ninja turtle because of my love of pizza (and my superb ninja skills, of course). i like pan crust, thin crust, thick crust, wood-fired, pizzagna, pizza rolls, calzones (which pretty much are folded and baked pizza, no?), cheese-less, sauce-less, etc. i like cheap pizza, gourmet pizza, microwave pizza. you name it, pizza related, i will eat it and enjoy (much like most delicious foods, of course). with this love, it's a surprise to some that it's taken me so long to visit 2 amy's. but when they think about how difficult it is to get there sans car, they understand. lucky for me, i had a car last weekend, and i loaded up ines in the volvo and head to the nw of the nw in DC to visit 2 amy's.

now, 2 amy's opens at noon on sundays. with ines in tow, we got there at 12:30 and already the restaurant was packed. i asked if it would be ok for ines to sit at the bar; when the hostess said ok, we made a bee-line for the bar and bypassed any and all waiting for another table (oh, and we were not about to sit outside in the opressive summer heat of dc). yay!

we got ourselves situated and started looking at the menu. i took a glance at their specials and saw that they had fried squash blossoms. i remember kristina saying something about how squah blossoms are so delicious, so i had to try. YUM. maybe it's because they were fried? no matter. ines and i polished off the appetizer real quick. they tasted like a cross between what you think flowers would taste like and vegetable tempura. yum yum yum yum yum ... ines said that she like the greet part better than the orange part (or was it the other way around ...?). all of it was delicious to me. i wish the order came with more than 5 ... sigh ...

when it came to ordering the pizza, i think ines got really confused with what to order (who am i kidding - i was a little confused too. i just have a voice that's louder than hers, so i asked the questions) ... in the end, after my little chat with the bartender, i passed on the info to her by pretty much gaving her a few options to choose from - she chose a pepperoni and mushroom pizza. good choice, ines!. i asked the bartender what he recommended/what was popular and he told us about this one woman who comes into 2 amy's at least one a week (and has for the past 2 years) and orders the norcia (is that true? whatever). norcia it is!

the pizza at 2 amy's is italian style (or so i'm told) where there's a thick crust, but it's thin everywhere else. when our pizzas came, i could barely eat even half my pizza (what was wrong with me that day? i don't know) not because it wasn't delicious, but because i was full. ines fared much better than me finished 2/3 of hers - good job! i had her take all of the leftovers home, so i don't know how it heats up, but i'm sure it's delicious. the dough is delicious, the combination of flavors is delicious, the cheese is all gooey (but not too gooey) when the pizza comes out, and food comes out pretty quickly. yu-um.

there was an older gentleman who sat next to us and ordered this baked meatball thing (in fact, he asked the bartender what it was because it wasn't on the menu (?)). omg, they looked so delicious. maybe i'll order that next time. too bad i don't live closer; otherwise, i would order 2 amy's all the time. maybe that's a good thing (can you imagine how enormous i'd be?). no matter - i look forward to visiting 2 amy's again - YUM.

online: http://www.2amyspizza.com/

oegadjib

oegadjib
7331 little river turnpike, annandale, VA 22003
tel: 703) 941-3400

what was consumed: all-you-can-eat gogi! yum~

oegadjib (more or less) means "mother's house" in korean (that is, the house on my mom's side, that sort of thing. there's a whole explanation about korean society and culture behind all of this, but i won't get into that here. ask if curious/interested). in my attempt to find good korean food, friend leonard and i ended up at oegadjib. that is, once we found it. for whatever reason, it was hard to find. probably because it's in a sort of shopping center (different from others) and sort of set back, to the side (but behind) a salon/bath house. i remember making fun of it, but i'll have to admit it's been a bit of time since i've visited oegadjib.

above all else, i kept hearing about oegadjib for their all-you-can-eat special. oh, and that they have dduk-bo-ssam (a la sikdorak, etc. in so.cal). so, when i finally got the chance, i was super excited. they also have all-you-can-eat shabu shabu, but we didn't have that (everyone in the party has to eat the same thing - all gogi or all shabu shabu).

we opted for the all-you-can-eat gogi. yum.

once we ordered, the food came out pretty quickly. and once the plate of gogi was gone (primarily consumed by me - wtf, leonard? man up! haha), another plate was quicly offered. hurrah! on top of that, the beef was cooked on top of this rock-plate-slab-thing (i don't know how else to explain it ...). it cooked the gogi well and was quickly consumed (yes, by me).

the bahnchans were good and the meal also included dwenjang jjigae as well as gyerahn jjim (the steamed egg bahnchan - delicious. what korean bbq is complete without it?!). and so, i can definitely say that i enjoyed my meal. the downside? the dduk for the dduk bo ssam was totally not to my liking. -sigh- too bad! especially because i luuuuuuuuv dduk bo ssam (have i already mentioned that i have it at least once when in so.cal?). the dduk was mooooshy (i.e., overcooked) and not so good. sucks. but that's ok. everything else made the trip worth it.

so, all in all, delicious meal! i look forward to visiting again ... let's go!!! i hunger~

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

central michel richard

central michel richard
1001 pennsylvania avenue (between 10th street & 11th street), washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 626-0015

what was consumed: oysters on the half shell, cheese puff balls, french fries, cassoulet, beef cheeks, sea bass, braised rabbit ...

michel richard is known for some of the best french food in DC. here's the thing - i don't know that much about french food besides the fact that i enjoy it (i know i've said that before). oh, who am i kidding. food is exciting to me (thus this blog, of course) - i like eating and talking about the things i eat. it just so happens that central is a french place.

so, teresa's cousin was in town and they wanted a recommendation for a nice place to eat. last minute! not enough time! it's saturday night - need to make reservations! ahhh!!! i made calls, made arrangements, etc. why do i say yes when people ask me to do that sort of thing? probably because i enjoy it more than i admit, but ... anyway, we decided on drinks at poste, then dinner at central - hurrah, we got reservations! and thanks for taking me along ^_^

all of us finally met up at central and i (at least) was STARVING. and everything on the menu looked absolutely delicious. madonna (cousin) suggested oysters (who doesn't like oysters?!?!), cheese puff balls were recommended, and you know me and fries - always on the menu. totally get the cheese puff balls - light and airy, with a lovely cheese in the middle (don't know what kind of cheese, don't really care. totally delicious).

we all decided on getting different entrees (i got the cassoulet - remember? starving - despite it being more of a stew because who doesn't like a stew-y combination of a gillion meats?!). not only were the dishes so pretty in their presentation, but the flavor combinations were absolutely delicious. fresh, seasoned well, and most definitely pleasing to the palate. i was thinking that stuffing my face with the appetizers and bread would diminish some of my thoughts about the entrees, but that was not the case. i had a bite of the others' dishes (which were all delicious) and proceeded to finish off my dish as well. and for those of you who have ordered cassoulet before, even a small bowl is deceivingly filling (but my bowl was large). all gone, and totally delicious.

no dessert for us fancy ladies! maybe next time. and i do mean next time. can't wait to go back! maybe i'll have the mussels. or the rotisserie chicken. or ... so many things to choose from, that is for sure. yummmmmmm~~~~

my couple of notes: i would recommend making reservations. better to than not. the place seemed to get filled up pretty quickly and they turned their tables over a few times in the night. and if wine and dessert are going to be added to your tab (and for sure you should add wine - we had a great white wine. don't remember what it was, but much of it was consumed), this won't be an economical meal (but totally worth it, let me tell ya); however, the portions are not small ... something to consider.

online: http://www.centralmichelrichard.com/

spezie

spezie
1736 L street NW, washington, DC 20036
tel: 202) 467-0777
hours: lunch monday-friday 11:30am-2:30pm; dinner monday-saturday 5:30pm-10pm

what was consumed: restaurant week - chicken salad, gnocci, radiccio and pear salad, quail, seafood pasta, mushroom risotto, creme brule, tiramisu, fruit tart

on my way to and from the metro near farragut park, i pass spezie. and when i look in, i always see happy people drinking wine, eating good food, and generally looking like they're having a good time. so, when we saw that spezie was on the list for restaurant week (AND their entire menu was open for selection), we were happy to dish out the moola for a nice little restaurant week eatin'~

our meal started off with small appetizer plates. i was SO happy to see gnocci on the appetizer list - you know how i can't resist. that way, i could get gnocci AND something else! what a great day - yeehaw! spezie has a nice combination of flavors and options for appetizers - some are heavier than others, but all are delicious.

our meals continued with entrees. so many options, but diminishing space in my stomach (sadly). i opted for the mushroom raviolis not only because mushroom ravioli is always delicious, but also because it was with crushed pistachios (and who doesn't love pistachios?). friends had the quail and the seafood spaghetti, both which were delicious. i'm glad we all shared (because sharing is caring!).

for dessert, we got one of each offered. being the non-dessert person of the group, i let the others choose first and i ended up with the fruit tart. i tasted all of the desserts and they were divine! rich, creamy, sweet, delicious. but those 3 bites were enough for me. worked out well for friends because they polished off my fruit tart without a problem.

so full!

i'm curious to see how spezie is during non-restaurant week times. probably delicious. i will have to visit again! i look forward to it~

online: http://www.spezie.com/

amsterdam falafelshop

amsterdam falafelshop
2425 18th Street NW, washington, DC 20050
tel: 202) 234-1969
hours: sunday-monday 11am-midnight, tuesday-wednesday 11am-2:30am, thursday 11am-3am, friday-saturday 11am-4am (yay for such a great late night eating option!)

what was consumed: falafel (duh). fries and soda on occasion ...

i'm relatively new to falafel. that is, it's only in the last 5-ish years (that's a not a long time for me - shuddup, i'm getting old) that i actually started to consume mediterranean/middle eastern cuisine, including the likes of falafel (my only regret is that i started to enjoy it so late in life ... sigh).

in the bay area, i enjoyed many a schwerma place as well as the falafel drive-in (which has also been featured on guy fiore's "diners, drive-ins, and dives" or whatever show on the food network). i'm sure i will find myself blogging about the falafel drive-in one of these days. at the drive in, they would sell falafel (i referred to them as "falafel balls") sans pita, sans veggies ... just the falafel ... for 25 cents a piece (i don't know how much they are now). they're not huge falafel, but i felt the 25 cents was reasonable. i'd get myself a nice bag of 'em on eat them on my drove home. ahhh, yet another joy in the bay area. i miss it!

anyway, i had heard about a falafel place with a falafel fixin's bar that served just falafel (sandwiches) and fries. this was my kind of place! the downside was that it was in adams morgan and, at the time, getting to adams morgan was a royal pain in the arse (it still is today, but i'll suck it up and head on over there). one day, i finally made it. and boy, was i glad i did!

so, here's how it works. once at amsterdam falafel, you get in line and you order - small or large, white or wheat (i usually order the small, especially if i'm getting fries). the difference is in the size of the pita the falafels come in as well as the number of falafel that fill the pita. next, you pay (CASH ONLY - they have an atm inside the eatery) and wait for your falafel. once it comes out, you crush the falafel balls a bit inside the pita (as to allow them to spread throughout the pita as well as absorb the great fixin's) and proceed to the fixin's bar. at the fixin's bar, you proceed to fill your pita with as much stuff as well fit, but be sure to spread it out throughout the pita so that when you bite into it, you're not getting a mouthful of fixin's in one spot and not in others. for the bulkier things (e.g. cucumbers), i often find myself helping myself by putting them outside of the pita, but inside of the wax paper wrap that the pita and falafel come in (they don't have forks and plates and stuff. while they do have "to go" wrapping things, don't ask them for it if you're not really taking your falafel to go. and even if you are, don't ask for it!). some people will put their falafel in the cups that are there (or other fixin's in the cups) as to maximize on the fixin's, but i try not to do that (i think it's sort of ... tacky (no offense), but that's just me). i can barely finish what i put in my pita as it is.

from the fixin's bar, i like to get the garlicky spread, the spicey spread (they're labelled as such), hummous, cucumbers & tomatoes, chick peas (if i have room), and tahini paste (if/when i remember). is there anything else? i'm sure i'm forgetting something. when people ask about it, i just tell them "get what looks good - i'm sure it is" - ha!. with my fries, i'll get the mayonnaise (one of the few times i like mayonnaise) and a little bit of the peanut sauce. i usually only have a little bit of it, but i usually can't leave without at least a taste of it.

i'll sometimes take the long walk from work, pick up the falafel, and walk back to work, enjoying the falafel on the way. for real, i'm addicted. i love it. sometimes you just crave the combination of spice and garlic along with all of the other fixin's. YUM. this is making me hungry. if it wasn't (weren't? darn the conditional!) so hot these days, i'd probably be all about the amsterdam falafel today ...

i've been to other falafel places in town and, more often than not, if a mediterranean/middle eastern eatery has falafel, i will try their falafel (at least once). i will have to say, though, that amsterdam falafel is my preferred location and where i default to when craving delicious falafel. oh, amsterdam falafel, i will be back! and it will be often~

online: http://www.falafelshop.com/

cafe promenade

cafe promenade (in the mayflower hotel)
tel: 202) 347-2233
hours: breakfast - daily, 6:30am-11:30am; lunch - monday-saturday 11:30am-5pm; dinner - monday-saturday 5pm-11pm, sunday 5:30pm-11pm; afternoon tea - reservations only - monday-saturday 3pm-5pm, sunday 3:30pm-5:30pm

what was consumed: restaurant week - carpaccio of roasted beets, seasonal mesclun salad, pistachio crusted rainbow trout, paillard of beef, fresh fruit tart, white chocolate mousse, coffee latte cream brule

a few restaurant week seasons ago, my co-workers and i head over to the mayflower hotel (soon after the whole elliot spitzer scandel) to enjoy the culinary fares of the hotel's cafe promenade. this was actually my first experience with restaurant week (as well as the hotel altogether), so i was looking forward to dining sensation, good times with good people - what more can you ask for?

we made reservations for lunch (despite the protests of some in our group) primarily because we didn't want to spend too much time waiting. good thing, too, because the place filled up pretty quickly, and despite getting there at an earlier time. we sat in a large dining area, well lit by open skylights and decorated with some fancy shmancy chandeliers. we began our meal with the standard bread and butter. loved how there were little herbs on the butter! man, it's all about those little touches.

then came our appetizers (or what the french call entrees. i know, totally confusing! i will err toward the americans being the ones who got confused - haha). i had the lovely beet carpaccio. i'm new to the world of beets, but let me tell you ... DELICIOUS. the combination of flavors made things not too strong, not too bland, not too salty, not too sweet. even their "standard" spring mix green salad had a lovely vinegarette-ish dressing (how come i can't make anything like that at home!?!?).our selected entrees for restaurant week quickly came out. i, of course, chose the option that came with fries - the paillard of beef. and it's beef - what more can you ask? cooked just right so that you don't even need a knife to cut it. it also came along with this fancy butter that made the meal that much more rich in flavor (that is, i remember it being rich in flavor. maybe i'll have to go again to refresh the memory ^_^). others had fish (which i was considering as well, but i couldn't pass up the fries) that was in a pesto sauce. also yum!!!

and then, of course, dessert. now, let me make a comment here about dessert and restaurant week. i'm not a big fan of desserts so i usually don't order them (i'm sure i've mentioned this before and i'll mention it again). but as a part of restaurant week, the 3-courses includes dessert. many a time have i wished i could exchange the dessert for an appetizer (and you can be sure that i'd ask!), but the answer is usualy no. sigh. oh well~ i have to admit, though, i have had quite of number of completely delicious sweet treats.

of course, our experience here at cafe promenade would not be complete without photos. not only did i take photos of the food, but of us as well. many of these photos ended up on our work intranet page as the lighting of the restaurant was so wonderful. hahaha. people ask where we were when they see the photos on the intranet; we just tell them it's a secret (haha).

i have to admit, as we were leaving cafe promenade, we wondered who the people were around us. why did they choose to stay at the mayflower hotel? and, of course, we couldn't help but to wonder if any of them were following in the footsteps of other scandal makers - ha!

online: http://www.marriottmodules.com/restaurant/hotels/hotel-information/travel/bwiih-marriott-baltimore-inner-harbor/cafe_promenade/ (hey - i didn't know the mayflower hotel was a marriot hotel ... )

hong kong palace

hong kong palace
6387 seven corners center/leesburg pike, falls church, VA 22044
tel: 703) 532-0940
hours: sunday-thursday 11am-10pm, friday-saturday 11am-11pm

what was consumed: among other things, dan dan noodles, cumin beef, tofu and veggies, some green beans things, some shrimp thing, mapo tofu, fried rice, some of these crazy fried potatoes that tingled in your mouth ... and, of course, tsingtao beer!

it's been just about a year since i've been to the hong kong palace. part of it is because it's far (remember - i'm sans car! for now), part of it is because i really do feel like it's a place you can't go to by yourself (i.e., you have to order a variety of different dishes in order to get the full experience. this necessitates quite a number of people to be in attendance). why has it taken me so long to write about it!? especially when i'm often looking for chinese food (yes, it is true that the options in chinatown are few and far between. oh, the irony). maybe it's because i'm lazy. maybe it's because i'd forgotten and only recently came across my photos again. maybe it's because it's almost my friend's birthday (sort of the reason we were there to begin with). most likely, it's a combination of all of those, with the biggest blame being on the laziness. leave me alone!

anyway, here's the story. i'm at an afternoon bbq (i think it was a baby shower?) and it's also my friend's birthday. i get a call saying that they're meeting at hong kong palace and i respond with, "huh?" i then proceed to arrange for some sort of ride situation (i had ridden with others to the baby shower). of course, i had no idea where hong kon palace was and all people kept telling me was, "oh, it's in virginia." hello, that is not enough information! but if someone else is driving, then i'm not one to ask questions. just drive me home, please. oh, and thank you (these days, i feel really restricted not being able to drive myself around. does this mean i'm "growing up" and becoming more adult-like? or maybe it means i'm being more frivolous. a combination of both?! who knows. anyway ...)

so, once we figure out the ride situation (thanks, mike!) and we actually find the place, we meet up with the rest of the crowd and begin to order. there were probably a good 8 of us there ... and here's what we ate:

YUM.

what a great combination of foods! apparently, a mix between szechuan and cantonese cooking (who am i kidding, as though i know the difference outside of the most obvious) and despite having been still full from the previous event, i proceeded to consume my fair share of the lots and lots of food that was presented to us (lots of people were also recovering from a night of debauchery - how great is chinese food for that? awesome). they have the standard chinese dishes as well as some special ones. i still remember those crazy tingle-y fried potatoes (bottom right). i think we concluded that it was the boatload of msg that was in it (love me some msg!!). i have no idea if that was the case, but i want to go back and eat them. besides, you know me and fried potatoes ...

hong kong palace is also right next to the dogfish head alehouse. so, after a filling meal of chinese goodness, maybe a nice dessert and some great beer is in order. that's what we did last time. let's do it again!

online: www.hkpalace.webs.com/

hello cupcake

hello cupcake
1351 connecticut avenue NW (at N street), washington, DC 20036
tel: 202) 861-2253
hours: monday-thursday 10am-7pm, friday-saturday 10am-9pm

what was consumed: cupcakes (duh). i've had the you tart!, 24 carrot, peanut butter blossom, prima donna ... yeah, for someone who doesn't like sweets and other desserts, i've tried a whole bunch ...

i teach classes in dupont circle. for the most part, i go to and fro the dupont circle metro station. for a long time, there was a store space that had at one point been filled with a stationery store. one day, i passed by, and i saw the sign for "hello cupcake, coming soon!" i was very excited.

i'm not all up with the cupcake craze, nor do i eat an incredible amount of sweets. but i do like trying new things, so i wanted to give hello cupcake a try as well. additionally, i'm usually the one who brings the cake to birthdays and other functions. i like cupcakes because they allow for variety - love it!

so, once i knew they were open, i made the short walk up from work and had the prima donna:

yum.

a nicely flavored berry frosting (the sugar kind, not the butter cream. i'm not a fan of the butter cream), moist and delicious chocolate cake that wasn't too sweet and just the right amount of chocolate. YUM.

now, some people cannot justify paying $3 for a cupcake (yes, they are $3 - sort of pricey). but if you think that people pay a lot more for desserts at restaurants, doesn't this sound pretty reasonable? and what about people who pay $5+ for danishes and the like? and, you know, sometimes, you just need that perfect sweet bite. in that case, $3 is nothing.

anyway ...

i've tried other cupcake places in the city (which i will write about in due time) - georgetown cupcake, cake love, red velvet ... but i'll have to say that hello cupcake is my favorite. the way that they make their frosting, the combination of flavors, etc. their peanut butter blossom is always a favorite one - a dollop of peanut butter frosting atop lovely chocolate cake, and a hershey kiss as decoration. their carrot cake cupcake has just the right combination of carrot-y goodness mixed in with the other flavors that often accompany (e.g. cinnamon) topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. one of my favorites, though, has to be the you tart! cupcake. a lemon cake with a just-enough-tart tart frosting and a twist (as in lemon twist). christine agrees with me - this is her favorite.

don't get me wrong - their classics are great too (e.g. chocolate cake with chocolate ganache aka chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, vanilla cake with chocolate frosting ... ), but if the option is available, why not choose one with a bit more ... flair? they have a number of cakes that are the standards (i.e., hello cupcake serves them on a daily basis), but they also have a few that sort of rotate during the week. their schedule is available online. and for those who have issues with gluten, hello cupcake has a gluten-free cupcake. i believe they also have a vegan cupcake (i believe both are availabe all week long ... ?). try 'em and let me know how they are ^_^ because i'm pretty sure i'll be spending s'more time at hello cupcake.

online: http://www.hellocupcakeonline.com/

chop't

chop't
1105 1/2 19th street, NW, washington, DC 20050 - there are a number of different locations here in DC (and, apparently, in NYC), but i've only been to the one near work ... su's dprk encounter (encounter? confrontation?) happened at the chinatown location, in case you were wondering ... if you don't know about su's experience, let me know and i will happily share - haha ...
tel: 202) 955-0665
hours: monday-friday 10:30 am-9pm, saturday 11am-5pm

what was consumed: chop't salad - make it yourself, folks! i usually put spinach and mesculun mix, corn, tomatoes, chick peas/garbonzo beans, mushrooms, and broccoli with a little bit of the texmex ranch dressing

growing up in so.cal, the idea of salad bars was pretty ... normal. that is, there were always salad bars (even in the carl's jr.s! ahh, i miss carl's jr. ...) and the idea of "make your own" was found everywhere. when i first came to DC, this was one (of many) things i missed because salad bars are no where to be seen. not really, anyway. i mean, there are places that will make salads for you (e.g. cosi), but nothing really comes close to souplantation/sweet tomatoes!!!

then, i started seeing chop'ts everywhere. they sort of reminded me of cosi with their plastic containers and the like, so i didn't think anything of them. then, one day, i had a hankering for a nice salad (as i often do - i will always take a salad over dessert ... even if i've already had salad - ha!) and thought i'd give chop't a try ... and then i proceeded to visit them 2 more times that week. i will have to say, then, that chop't is good to go in my book!

so, for those of you who don't know (or who've never been), it works like this: you pick your lettuce, you pick your fixin's, they chop up all of the different ingredients (thus their name), mix in the dressing, and then you eat. simple.

though, if you go during lunch, there is usually quite a line. the line moves pretty quickly, but you'd better know what you want by the time you get to the middle of the line (i say middle because that's where they begin taking your order). if not, the people behind the counter will move onto the next person and when you get back into line, people behind you get all mad. don't mess with hungry cubicle folk during lunch! haha ...

chop't also has a variety of pre-set combinations. you tell them you want "---" on the menu and they will make it (i.e., they're not pre-made; rather, the ingredients are just already pre-set). in addition to salads, they also have wraps. something for everyone! i think the reason i like chop't better than some of the other salad places is because i can make the salad the way that i want, with the ingredients that i want, at a pretty reasonable price. they have lots of fixin's, lots of dressings, so if i wanted, i could get so many different combinations (this is starting to sound like a math problem: how many combinations of chop't salads can i get if i have 4 lettuce types (no half-and-half as grace does), 4 of the 15 fixin's, and 15 dressings, provided that even something as little as changing the dressing changes the option ... ? any takers? haha ...)!

and while i have yet to go again this week, i imagine they will be seeing more of me now than they have in the past. hooray for salad!!

online: www.choptsalad.com

arisu

arisu
1734 wisconsin avenue NW, washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 333-8822
hours: monday-thursday 11:30am-10:30pm, friday-saturday 11:30am-11pm, sunday 11:30am-10pm

what was consumed: haemul (seafood) soondooboo jjigae ... others had dduk mandoo gook and stirfried noodles

korean food in the city! there is definitely a dearth of (good) korean food in DC. and i, sans car (for now), have a hard time getting out to annandale and other koreatown-y places to get my fill of k-food prepared by others. and as much as i don't want to admit it (sometimes), having access to korean food, marketc, etc. is really important to me (shoot, i even considered living in annandale!) anyway, when i heard about arisu, i was super excited to try.

so, my coworkers and i drove up to the georgetown area once we decided we were going to try out arisu (one of my coworkers is always asking me about korean food in the city. it was nice to be able to tell him that we have another option to add!). by car, this place seems pretty accessible. it seems it's off the main georgetown drag, so i imagine that'll be helpful with parking during other times of the day. parking in georgetown is always a pain ... or so they say.
anyway, it looks like arisu is a row house turned restaurant, as many of these restaurants in dc proper are. we entered to see a little bar-y area on the first floor and a sign instructing us to go upstairs - that's where the main dining area is. and by main dining area, i mean seating for about 25?30? not a whole lot (which was fine because there were only 4 other people there at the time).

their menu seemed a bit small (maybe it was condensed because it was lunch? maybe it's because i've grown accustomed to teh immense menus that other korean restaurants seem to have?), but i did see the yookgehjang that i usually use as my marker for good/bad korean food. but i didn't order it this time because i wanted the seafood in the soondooboo jjigae. i was also concerned that my meal would be hurt by the absence of banchan (i had heard you normally have to pay extra for it), but when my jjigae come out, so did 3 banchans. works for me! anyway, the food came out in good time and while it wasn't the best korean food, it was most definitely not the worst. i will say that the mandoo in the dduk mandoo gook was handmade - not too shabby!

so, heres a quick overview ...
pros: it's korean food in the city! and pretty ok korean food at that. what else is there to say about that?
cons: 01) though in the city, it's still hard to get to! argh ... 02) no website! 03) (potentially) having to pay for banchan. umm ... there were some others, but i can't seem to remember right now (i seem to be overcome by incredible fatigue, thus making my brain not work. or maybe that's just a normal condition of mine ... ?). when i remember, i will update and add ...

so, while it looks like the cons seemingly outweigh the pros, i wouldn't totally rule out arisu for k-food.

online: none. fail!