Okay! I’m going to start posting some of my restaurant pics from 2010 that I never got around to, so do bear with me as I bumble through with my faded memories. A few months ago, I finally got around to trying Sushi Taro in Dupont Circle. I know it’s been a while since they changed over their interior design and menu concept, but I hadn’t actually dined there since the switch. I was really curious to see how they would fare, since I’d heard quite a few mixed reviews. I personally loved the former Sushi Taro, so I was a bit sad that they’d changed, but still hopeful that their new menu would delight.

I walked in and the interior was remarkably different from before. The former homey look with the tatami mats was gone, replaced by a very natural, wooden design with a fresh and modern feel. I liked it, actually! And it was well lit, which isn’t something you can say for a lot of restaurants in DC. (And this is one of my pet peeves…why so dark, DC restaurants? I’d like to see my food too!)

You can order from the menu or ask for the omakase kaiseki-style tasting menu for $80. (You can get it with the wine (sake?) pairing $138). Kaiseki is traditionally a seasonal meal, so this particular menu – from October – reflected what was fresh from the market at the time. If they’re doing it right, you won’t see the same menu now if you stop in for their kaiseki. By the way, if you get the tasting menu on a Tuesday, you get a free bottle of Sushi Taro sake (normally $30), which is what we did!

Pictured above is actually the second course – the “signature dish” of goma (sesame) tofu with uni (sea urchin). I love fresh tofu. I’m used to the grocery store kind, but a homemade tofu is creamy and delicious in ways that you could never imagine tofu could taste like. Apparently my mom used to make tofu fresh, back when I was a kid and you couldn’t just go to the supermarket for a ready-made block of this stuff.

The rest of the meal under the cut!

The first course (apertif), fig wine. A refreshing palate cleanser to start! Love how elegant this looked.

Third course (oshinogi, the rice dish) is matsutake rice with blue crab. Matsutake is my favorite mushroom ever. (It’s also extremely expensive to get any of this stuff fresh). I love matsutake infused rice! It’s got that earthy and savory flavor that I adore and it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I think this was a pretty great dish, though perhaps the matsutake could’ve been a bit more aromatic.

Fourth course (sashimi) was as you see, a platter of fresh raw fish. You can supplement with “premium” sashimi for an extra $15, but we didn’t do that.

The fifth course (soup) came in this adorable teapot with a cup. You pour the broth into the cup, and sip on that while picking out the meaty bits from the teapot with your chopsticks. This is a style of service called “dobin mushi,” which means it’s steam boiled in an earthenware pot. They served soup like this back before the switch over, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This one was a hamo (conger pike) and matsutake mushroom. Delicious! Loved the squeeze of lime for a bright acidity.

Here’s the inside of the pot.

Sixth course (hassun) was this awesome platter of seasonal goodies. I don’t even remember most of what was there, but rest assured that it was all amazing. (I should’ve taken notes, but ah…I was too busy STUFFING MY FACE).

Seventh course (yakimono) was a sanma pike mackerel, prepared in a “houraku-yaki” manner. Which I believe refers to the vessel it’s cooked it. It’s a bit hard to see it from this photo, but it’s a lidded pot that had a block of salt with what looked like dried buckwheat noodles.

By the way, I’m not sure why I keep shooting all these photos at weird angles. I’m probably trying to get as much of the dish in the frame as possible, but I think it’s a problem when I’m giving myself a cramp in my neck when I go through these in Photoshop. XD

Next up, eighth course (shabu shabu). Every one of us got our very own little pan of broth and fiery mini-stove to cook with. I love activity food! I usually think of beef and veggies for traditional shabu shabu, but this one was just for oysters.

Aren’t they gorgeous? Such pearly looking perfection! I almost didn’t want to cook them, because I prefer raw oysters, but i figured I should consume it the way the chef intended.

Another weird angle shot. You can see the dipping sauce, salt dip, and the little cute scoop used to sweep up the oysters.

Ninth course (sushi). You get a choice of 3 nigiri from a selected list, or for $10 extra, you can pick 5 from the entire nigiri menu.

Maki was another option, I think. But I don’t exactly remember if it replaced a nigiri..

For the tenth and final course (dessert), you got to choose from a selection of three: kuro goma (black sesame) ice cream, hoji-cha (roasted green tea) pudding, or locolat cake. I got the tea pudding, pictured here. Fabulous! Not too sweet, and I do love tea flavored desserts. It was a nice touch to use houji tea instead of the traditional green.

Here’s the black sesame ice cream. It tends to taste like peanut butter, but less sweet. I like it.

In all, this was a fabulous meal! I don’t remember too much about my kaiseki meal at Makoto, but I remember being less than impressed by that one. This was also miles above the dinner I’d had earlier that month right next door at the famed and totally overpriced Komi. (I won’t be doing a post on Komi – chiefly because they don’t allow you to take pictures!) I would love to go back for another kaiseki meal, winter version. X)

Aaah, ramen! Nothing like a hot and tasty bowl of the good stuff when you have a salt craving. I finally got to try Ren’s Ramen a little while ago, after hearing that it reopened in Wheaton. The place is located in a tiny strip mall on a side street. (The parking lot is pretty small, so it’s better to park on the street).

The ramen comes in one size, ranging from $10~11. Slightly pricy for ramen if you ask me, but it’s not like there’s a plethora of ramen shops to choose from in this area, so I guess it’s a markup for the novelty of it. They have the classic choices of miso, shoyu (soy sauce), and shio (salt) in addition to things like tonshio (I’m guessing it’s a mix of tonkotsu – pork bone stock – and salt), and a spicy variety.

I got the tonshio, which came with bean sprouts, pork, bamboo shoots, and scallions. I ordered corn for an extra 75 cents. In all, I think it was really tasty, though for this price point, I’m not sure about how often I’d come. I actually felt a bit ill afterward too, but perhaps it was just that I haven’t too much oily foods in a while.

Ren’s is cash only, and no reservations, so you might have to wait a few minutes to be seated!

I love Pinkberry. I think the froyo trend is kind of overrated, but I have to make an exception for this place, because their frozen yogurt is the bomb. It’s not too mouth puckeringly tart, and it still tastes like it’s not a thousand calories. (I don’t actually know though – I’ve never checked the data). I work near one, which is pretty dangerous. Thankfully it’s been a little too cold lately so I haven’t been showing up there every week.

My favorite is the mango, and though they always have an ample selection of toppings to choose from, I usually only get two items: the mochi and the homemade gummy bears. The mochi doesn’t really taste like much but I love the chewy texture of it. The gummy bears are quite possibly the best I’ve ever had, and they’re coated in a crust of sugar.

I also love that these come in a ‘mini’ size, which is usually just the right amount for me when I need a quick sugar fix!

Okay, so totally belated, but I really wanted to post these pics from Thanksgiving because it was an amazing time with lots of great food, and it would be a shame to let these linger away on my hard drive.

Hosted by my favorite foodie pair N & I, Turkey Day 2011 was bound to be a dazzling affair and it did not disappoint. Pictured above is the turkey that was purchased from an (Amish?) farm somewhere, and shipped fresh and express. I thought it came out really well, succulent and perfect. (Sorry it’s at a weird angle…it was hard to get it all in one shot!)

The rest of the feast after the jump:

I made a roasted beet and clementine salad with arugula and sherry vinaigrette. This was actually pretty labor intensive for a salad. What took the most amount of time was peeling every single sliver of orange. I thought it came out pretty tasty though, if I can say so myself. xD;;

Corn souffle, but the hostess. Aah, airy and amazing! I love corn, so of course this was one of my favorite dishes. If I were ambitious enough, I would ask for the recipe.

What’s a Thanksgiving dinner without a great cranberry sauce? This was the homemade version, though they also had the canned variety.

Brussels sprouts hash, also by the hostess. I love brussels sprouts, for their slight bitterness.

Another hostess-made dish, the leek mac and cheese, always amazing!! Love, love, love this recipe.

Someone brought mashed potatoes, and they were creamy and fab.

Pearl onions! Nice and sweet.

Candied sweet potatoes, also brought in by a guest~

Vegetarian stuffing! And I remember this because they put a green pot holder behind it to distinguish it from the non-vegetarian.

…which would be this one.

Desserts were also had, though I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of them. =( There was pie, ice cream, cupcakes…and most importantly – sticky toffee pudding! In all, a wonderful meal and a lovely Thanksgiving spent around fabulous people. ♥

Woot, an update! I’ve decided to just start with a more recent meal, since slogging through the folders of old food pics is getting a little daunting… And by recent I mean last night’s dinner! This must be some kind of record for me. (^__~)v

I admit I haven’t really dined much in the Silver Spring area, which by my own cursory observation, is mostly filled with chain restaurants that don’t warrant a special visit or blog posting. I’m not so confident that this is actually the case. There are probably a number of nice little places in the city that I’ve never heard of, and I was recently introduced to two such places within the course of a few weeks. One was 8407 Kitchen Bar across the street from the Metro station. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures of that meal so there won’t be a post about it, but it was very good (and I hope to make another visit soon). The other place was Jackie’s Restaurant, which is the one I went to last night.

I think Jackie’s has been around for a while, because I’ve been seeing it for a long time from my train window as it pulls into Silver Spring station. I’d never actually been inside it until yesterday though! The interior is pretty cute, and very pink, with kind of retro looking chairs and comfortable booths stuffed with throw pillows. The lighting was pink as well, which was an interesting contrast to the rustic stone walls and almost warehouse like windows. I liked the open kitchen, but hated the ceiling. It’s one of those ceilings that are open, so you can see all the wires and pipes that should normally be covered up. I know people leave it there as a design element but I have always despised this look, as it feels very unfinished and I frankly think it’s very ugly.

Moving on to the food! I was kind of intrigued by the menu, which offered things that aren’t all that commonly seen in area restaurants, like wild boar and pheasant. I was curious about the pheasant, so I was glad when my friend ordered it. Pictured above: Pheasant ragout with black trumpet mushrooms over trofie pasta and pecorino toscano. I had a bite of it, and it was as the waitress described – like a hardy stew. It’s definitely a gamey bird, probably a good choice for a stew to bring out its rich flavors. I thought the pasta was interesting, as it had a dense texture to it. There were actually a few bones it this dish though, which I’m guessing was a mistake.

The rest:

I got a hot apple cider. Nothing particularly remarkable, but it sure warmed me up on a cold night!

I got their lentil soup, which had nice onion crispy things. I don’t actually remember what it was, but there was definitely chunks of some fruit in there as well, which was…interesting. The lentils themselves were actually rather bland.

I had the pan roasted rockfish with pork belly and peewee potatoes, brussels sprouts and citrus beurre blanc. The fish was light and fabulous, perfectly cooked with a crispy sear on the skin. Loved the brussels sprouts, which retained some great texture and color. (I’ve never had brussels sprouts so green before!) Pork belly, you can never go wrong with, in my opinion. Loved the bright citrus sauce as well.

After dinner, we popped in to the Sidebar next door for a cocktail. They have a really great drink menu there, and I had a champagne cocktail with elderflower that was pink and fabulous. X) It’s a nice little lounge and they have a pool table in the back that you can use for free (so long as you’re paying for something else). They have an intriguing list of $25 cocktails that use some rare liquors in the mix, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. =)

WOW. Okay, so I’m an utter blog failure. After being away for so long, it gets harder and harder to come back, haha. However, I do have a whole lot of stuff on my computer that I can post, if only I remember the meals themselves. And with the year coming to an end and all, it seems as good a time as any to start again. Hopefully I’ll be posting more regularly for 2012…or at least that’s the plan. ♥

Meanwhile, I hope everyone has been having a great holiday and Christmas! It always feels a bit anti-climatic when Christmas falls on a weekend. It’s a day off ANYWAY so it doesn’t feel special at all. And tomorrow is back to the grind, which is no fun at all. The week between Christmas and New Year is kind of a drag, too. I didn’t really do anything too special this year. Being Japanese means Christmas is just about presents, more or less. (We’re more New Year’s people, and even that has been more and more low-key in my family in recent years). But I always try to get a log cake since it’s any excuse for seasonal sweets is a good one.

I got it from Les Delices bakery again this year. Last year’s Bûche de Noël was from there as well, and I had been a bit disappointed by the mildness of the praline cake. I decided to go with the classic chocolate this year, and it was definitely much better! The vanilla cake was very moist and soft, and the chocolate mousse icing whipped and wonderful. Not too sweet, which seems to be a pretty consistent trait with the bakery items at Les Delices.

More pics under the cut, including a poached pear tart, also from the same bakery:

The decorations are a bit large and maybe somewhat crazy but it’s festive and colorful!

Red wine poached pear tart! I thought this was very good, but definitely on the less sweet side. The wine poaching left the pears a little on the tart (haha) side, but not too bad.

One more~

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a ravioli dinner party. I actually didn’t think I’d be blogging the event, as I didn’t even bring my camera. I kind of regretted not bringing it after seeing how beautiful everything was! Happily, one of the dinner guests (Dan) did bring a camera, so all the pictures herein are credited to him. Thanks, Dan!

The party itself was really lovely. We must’ve opened half a dozen wine bottles while chatting about everything from international travels to hypothetical animal life-companions (don’t ask) all the while Cibo Matto played ambient music in the background. (I don’t remember if their “Shut up and eat!” song was in rotation). At one point in the evening, we witnessed something quite amazing: an enormous flock of birds circling the building next door in a surreal ritual of sorts. After circling around for about an hour, they dived into a chimney, one after the other. It was the most bizarre thing I’d ever seen.

I digress. Aside from the wonderful company and appropriate dinner room conversation, the highlight was definitely the fabulous food. Our hostess went all out with everything! Pictured above is the crustini, with grilled veggies and crumbly cheese. (^__^)/

The rest after the jump:

Our hostess set out these colorful Japanese-inspired napkin holders, complete with name tags and adorable senko hanabi (sparklers). I haven’t used my sparkler yet, but it’s sitting prettily on my shelf here.

There was a cool gazpacho soup for the appetizer course. Loved the little cubed bits of cucumber that added a nice crunch! The bowls were darling, too.

Here’s some of the pasta after it was rolled out via ravioli making attachment to the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. You roll the dough into a little slot, spoon in the filling, and just turn the lever. Out comes the ravioli in miraculous sheets!

And here’s the finished product, a cheesy filling ravioli topped with a luscious homemade tomato sauce. Delicious! There was also a wonderful beet ravioli that was quite good.

♥

Hey everyone! Hope you all survived Hurricane Irene this weekend! I lost power for about three hours early this morning, but other than that, things are pretty much back to normal. I’m quite shocked that the outage didn’t last longer. Pepco is either stepping up at last, or things weren’t as bad as expected around here. I’m accustomed to being out of power for days in such situations, though “accustomed” doesn’t mean it’s any less annoying…

In any case, hello again! I figured it would be quite remiss of me to end August without having blogged once during this month, so here I am. (^__^)/

Today I’m posting about Kaz Sushi Bistro, a place that I actually went to a few years ago and just had a so-so impression of at the time. I’m not sure why that was. Maybe it had something to do with high expectations. I went there shortly after a presentation I’d seen at the Smithsonian on Japanese cuisine, where Chef Kazuhiro Okochi and the illustrious Chef Masaharu Morimoto both did presentations. (This included an awe-inspiring demo of Morimoto breaking down a large fish with masterful knifing skills. It’s not the same watching him on TV vs live-action. I was in the presence of greatness). I am a huge fan of Morimoto, so when I heard that he’d sat down with Kaz at his restaurant and talked shop with him, my expectations just skyrocketed. Perhaps this was somewhat unfair. Regardless, I just never had a chance to try Kaz’s for a second go, so I went back again about a month ago, with optimism.

It probably helped that I was with an equally enthusiastic food-lover (the “Digital Nomad” Drew). I find that when you dine with other food aficionados, the meal just ends up tasting better. Such was the case this time.

Pictured above is the sushi we ordered a la carte. They were all quite fabulous, though my particular favorites were the sweet shrimp and the Walu (Hawaiian white toro). Everything was fresh and tasty. The rolls could have been a little more tightly bound, as some were falling open at the seam, but the flavors were spot on, at least.

The rest after the jump:

Age dashi tofu was wonderful! It was a smooth tofu with a flavor of its own, not to be overpowered by the broth. It was definitely one of the better versions of this dish I’ve had in the area.

These short ribs were ridiculous. Tender and juicy and just about perfect. Loved the added texture of the fried onion crisps on top.

There were so many great desserts we had a hard time picking just two! They were out of ginger creme brulee, so we ended up with lychee panna cotta with mango sorbet instead. An excellent second choice. The flavor of lychee was very prominent, and the silky feel of the panna cotta was amazing. It paired very well indeed with the tartness of the mango.

The green tea tiramisu was equally fab! I love green tea anything, but this might have been my first green tea tiramisu. Hopefully not my last, because I could eat this everyday. The cake was airy with just a hint of sweetness. The plate was drizzled with a sweet bean paste sauce, the natural accompaniment for any Japanese dessert.

In all, a great dinner! I can’t wait to go back. ♥

Dickson Wine Bar on U Street is a bit tricky to find…I walked right past it, even though I was specifically looking for it! But it’s worth the trouble all the way. I stopped in there for dinner and a glass of wine (a lovely Muscadet domaine de la Foliette 2008) and enjoyed every moment. The restaurant itself is small and narrow, with a few floors (3, I believe). My friend and I took a table on the middle floor by the bar. The place was dark and cozy, and on the night we went, it wasn’t very crowded. It was a nice change from the rowdy places I’ve been to in the vicinity. The service was attentive and nice.

Pictured above is the braised leek and goat cheese flatbread, my favorite dish of the evening. The leeks were absolutely delicious, sweet and simple. It came with a nice fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette.

The rest after the jump:

Arugula and pear salad with parmesan and vinaigrette. Another simple but wonderful dish! I love the idea of putting together the peppery flavor of arugula with fruits.

I loved this mini chicken pot pie, which came with a flaky crust. A lot of pot pies can become doughy and dry, but not so here. My only critique is that it was too small! ;)

Pork belly banh mi. Not really a banh mi, but a very good sandwich nevertheless. I think it was a bit of a mouthful, but I suppose that’s always a risk when you order a sandwich for dinner. This one came with a salad too.

Chocolate Pot De Crème. This was like a very thick pudding of sorts. Rich and very chocolately indeed! A sumptuous end to a well rounded meal.

Dirty Martini, located a few blocks up from Farragut North, describes itself as “a unique, upscale, sophisticated and casual place to enjoy great food and drinks, do business and more importantly have a good time!” I suppose a place can be “upscale” and “casual” too, but it does seem like they’re trying to be a whole bunch of things at once. On the day that I went, they were trying to be a night club in addition to restaurant. They had a live band playing near the back, which was anything but fun times. It was so loud I could barely hear a thing over the din, even though I was sitting in a nice rounded booth so it wasn’t as though I had to yell across the table or anything. The fact that the bar area was right next to the dining tables didn’t help the noise level either. Service was just okay, ranging from a little absent to overly eager. I guess this contrasting service is a reflection of their own confused identity. We would ask for extra plates for sharing, get them, and then some other waiter would walk by and sweep them away! (Perfectly clean plates, mind you. Why would they do that?? Clearly those plates were sitting there for a reason!) I was a bit flabbergasted after the second time that happened…

The food, however, was actually quite good. Pictured above is the chipotle honey glazed Cornish hen with grilled papaya salsa, sauteed vegetable medley and orange zest infused yellow rice. It was absolutely delicious. The glaze did amazing things for that Cornish hen, leaving the skin crispy and golden while keeping the meat tender on the inside.

The rest:

Roasted beets and goat cheese with extra virgin olive oil and tamarind-balsamic reduction. This is always a winning combination – the sweetness of the beets with the tangy goat cheese go perfectly together. I thought this was an elegant presentation! I sort of wished there was more of it, though.

Crispy sea bass with red-skin garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Another wonderfully composed dish! The fish was flaky and gorgeous, and the potatoes creamy and divine. Loved it.

We got an apricot meringue cake for dessert. Not too bad, though nothing stand out about it either. Light and not too sweet, and pretty to look at.

I walked out feeling full and satisfied, but with a little ringing in my ears.