9 March 2010
After paying our respect to our man, Larry Layne, at church yesterday, one of our colleagues who grew up around the neighborhood showed us the real Southern home style cooking at Saints Paradise, which located at 601-A M Street, NW, Washington, DC.
Set in cafeteria style, you take out the tray and order the food you see in front of you including beef short ribs, salisbury steak, pork chops. Between the fried crispy chicken wings and mouthwatering bar-b-que ribs, I had to make a hard choice and I went for the latter. With the tangy sauce marinated inside the juicy ribs, I made the right the decision. On top of that, I also had sweet corn and mash potato with gravy. I cleaned up everything except for the cornbread, which I could only finished half. Although it was tasty, I had no room left. I felt like I just finished a Thanksgiving dinner and ready to take a nap.
The folks behind the counter and the cashier were so friendly. One of the bus ladies is eight-seven years old. She was still working and smiling at that age. God bless her. I will have to take Dana to this place again pretty soon. We felt in love sharing fried chicken wings so I can’t wait to try them with her at Saints Paradise.
4 March 2010
After Duke’s doctor appointment, Dana and I hit The Burger Joint on Washington Street in Alexandria before heading to work. We split The Burger, The Cuban and some fries. Because Dana can’t eat raw meat (for the baby’s sake), we ordered our patties to be medium cooked. It turned out to be quite dried. I wasn’t feeling the prime beef on The Burger. The Cuba was a bit over the top with an addition of roasted pork. The crispy fries were banging though.
21 February 2010
We went to Todai last night for the first time and it was definitely overpriced. Almost 30 dollars a pop for dinner is not worth it. From sushi to salad to hot entrees, Todai’s food selection is much lesser than Minado’s.
Lobster only served every two hours and it was not that great either. The creamy sauce was overpowering the lobster meat. Raw oyster was served three pieces at a time. Chinese buffets cost less than half of Todai’s price, yet they always have oyster available.
Most of the dishes were just decent and the service was just alright. Since the place was packed, I can’t really blame the girl for not keeping up with the customer’s requests. If I go back again, it would be for the pretty girls who adored Cu Dao and not the food. I’ll stick with Minado for sushi buffet.
19 February 2010
I took Dana out for lunch today at Notti Bianche to celebrate her work promotion. This Italian restaurant, which located at the lobby of The George Washington University Inn., is small and cozy. For starter, I had the hot chic pea, pasta and parsley soup. I was thinking of little Duke while I was enjoying this delightful soup. He would have loved it.
For lunch, I had the excellent bucatini with savory clams and sausage. I loved the pasta. Dana ordered the panzanella with salmon, but the chef made the chicken instead. The waiter left us the chicken dish and made another salmon for us. Both the chicken and the salmon turned out great. They both grilled to perfection: cooked outside and juicy, flavorful inside.
With the food quality, exceptional service and affordable price, this little joint is an ideal spot for classic Italian dishes. We will definitely be back again.
3 January 2010
Mexican food-chain Chipotle has been our preferred alternative to McDonald’s and Burger King. We dig the taste as well as the quality of the food. My favorite is the Steak Fajita Burrito with all the fresh ingredients including guacamole and fresh tomato salsa. Of course, a glass of margarita is essential in complementing the meal. What I really like about Chipotle is how it takes simple materials and turn them into creative, delicious dishes catering toward each customer’s own preferences. From the architectural design to the menu layout, clean and simplicity reflect the concept behind its food.
17 December 2009
Tonic is now my favorite burger joint at work. Once in a while I treat myself to a big, juicy burger. The first time I had the Sliders and they were banging, even though they were a bit dried. The second time I had the Hawaiian and I loved it. The pink patty combined with grilled pineapple and grilled ham were heaven-sent, even though I felt like hell after shoving down all that meat. The day before Thanksgiving, I went for the Foggy Bottom, which included roasted Cremini mushrooms, gruyere cheese, and garlic aioli. I also had a glass of gin and tonic to wash it down. Today I went back for the South West, which included grilled ham, pepper jack, pico de gallo, avocado and cilantro-jalapeno aioli. I just went for a Coke because I had to head back to work. I am now going to grab a cup of coffee now because I am feeling mad sleep with all that meat and tater tots and coke in my system. The service was very nice as well so I’ll be back every now and then for a different flavor of burgers.
15 December 2009
Living closed by a sister-in-law who makes delicious desserts is very dangerous. It’s like having free access to a bakery. Her flans, cheesecakes and cream buffs are murderous. Knowing that those three sweets are my favorites, she always doubles up my serving. Everyone one else gets one piece, me and her husband, who is also a sweet lover, get two. Not only that, she would also make extra pie for me to take home.
A couple weeks ago, I was having flan everyday at 2:00pm. To stay in shape, I tried to run first before I eat. It was so painful because all I could think about was the rich, creamy, caramelized piece of flan while I was running. I just wanted to get the jogging done and over with so I could reward myself.
Her strawberry cheesecake is no less addictive, especially with a thick layer of whip cream on top complemented by a cup of tea. Her cream puffs are so packed that the cream oozes out every time I try to take a bite. One piece after another, my hands automatically reach for more.
Running doesn’t help keeping the weight down at all. My pants are getting mad tight and all I can think about is those desserts. I am so looking forward to the family’s Christmas parties.
9 December 2009
My sister-in-law invited me and my wife to lunch at Pasara, a Thai restaurant located a block from USPTO. The place is a bit small, decorated with heavy wooden furniture and Asian arts. Even the menu cover is made out of wood. The food was not outstanding but savory enough for a revisit. We had fried calamari, which is my sister-in-law’s favorite appetizer and she could make it better. We also shared clay pot shrimp, chicken green curry and drunken noodles. The noodle was the best out of the three dishes. The service was not all that bad either.
4 December 2009
Before headed over to the Kennedy Center for Sonny Rollins’ concert on Wednesday, we wanted to try out Founding Farmers but the waiting list was at least 25 minutes. We went across the street for El Chalan, a Peruvian restaurant.
The place is located in the basement so it had a very cozy feel to it, especially with the pouring rain outside. The waitress brought out bread and butter and some sort of spicy dip that I really liked. For appetizer, we shared Anticuchos El Chalan (marinated beef hearts). The hearts were a bit chewy but had a pleasant flavor. Dana had Parihuela (fish broth soup with fish, shrimp, clams and mussels) and it was just passable. I had Cabrito Norteno ( traditional goat stew cooked in beer, vinegar, onion and spices) and it was like goat curry, nothing extraordinary.
Today Dana took the Metro over to have lunch with me. Once again we wanted to check out Founding Farmers. I was standing in line and the host went right past me to a white lady behind me. He greeted her, put her on the waiting list and left me stood there. What was that all about? I didn’t even bother to find out so I just left with Dana and I don’t think I would come back again either.
We walked toward Tonic and it was 45-minute wait. We finally ended up at the Foggy Bottom Pub. A Chinese-Vietnamese greeted us and asked if we’re Vietnamese. She then told us in Vietnamese to follow the waiter. The place has the typical American food except for Pho. After glancing at the menu, I decided to go with Pho even though it was not on the menu. All you get for $6.95 are noodle and three or four pieces of flanks. It didn’t taste all that bad then, but now the MSG is really kicking in.
18 November 2009
Because today is my sister-in-law’s birthday, her husband treated us to Izakaya Blue Ocean Japanese restaurant (its web site needs a serious redesign). The place was pretty dead for a Wednesday evening. We had some pork dumpling and fried baby octopus for started. They weren’t too bad. I ordered a seafood udon for dinner but ended up switching with Dana for Katsu Don. Dana tries to stay away from egg because Duke seems to get eczema every time she has eggs. I didn’t like Katsu Don that much because it had a sweet taste to it. I never liked my pork, rice and eggs sweet.