dessert dinner restaurants: d.c. ice cream japanese kaiseki sushi
by Lindsey
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Sushi Taro
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!
dessert dinner restaurants: american d.c. ice cream pastries seafood seasonal soups
by Lindsey
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CityZen
CityZen at the Mandarin Oriental has always been on my “must try” lists, and several weeks ago I finally went! Their menu is seasonal and ever-changing, so my friend and I definitely wanted to check them out when the selection looked especially appealing.
We tried their three course option ($80), and though their actual menu differed a little bit from the one they had online, we found plenty to keep us happy.
Pictured above is from the entree course: Atlantic halibut with tarragon panade, served with applewood smoked bacon risotto, fava beans, beer battered spring onion and spring onion coulis. The fish was perfectly cooked and buttery. Loved the risotto with it, and the coulis added a wonderful light layer of flavor to the dish. Definitely one of my favorites of the night.
The rest:
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Häagen-Dazs Amaretto Almond Crunch
Spotted this new “limited edition” Häagen-Dazs Amaretto Almond Crunch at the grocery store and I had to snap it up! Almond liqueur has a sweet and distinct flavor that I absolutely adore, so I was very excited to try it as an ice cream flavor.
They added almond brittle in this Häagen-Dazs version, which I actually enjoyed. I usually prefer ice cream without much thrown into it, which is why Ben & Jerry’s usually is not my thing. (Too much to chew on…it makes my teeth hurt). But the brittle wasn’t so overwhelming here, and the caramel and almonds added a nice layer of sweetness. In short, I loved it! ♥
Picture under the cut:
Häagen-Dazs Lemon Ice Cream
Aaah…Häagen-Dazs. Their ginger ice cream was my first ever blog post here. (^__^)v Last weekend, I discovered a new flavor from their “five” series…lemon. I was so excited to try this! I had seen lemon gelato or sorbet before, but never an ice cream.
This was heavenly! It was rich and creamy, as you can expect from their fabulous “five” series, and there was just the right amount of tartness from the lemon. It tasted a bit like a lemon curd dessert. The little bits of lemon peel added some nice texture. I hope this will be a permanent addition to their flavors!
A pic under the cut:
Kushi
There’s been a lot of chatter about the new ‘izakaya’ Kushi, a Japanese style pub that’s opened up in Mount Vernon Square just this month. Naturally, my foodie friends and I had to take an early peek to check them out. ;D
Though their website is kind of non-existent at the moment (they’re only on Tumblr and Twitter), I was able to find a full menu on Thrillist, which proved to be very helpful. I went through the menu several times, ticking off all the items I wanted to try, well in advance of my 7 o’clock reservation. (By the way, the guy said they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more. I’m not sure if they have hence changed this policy…)
My first impression of the place when I stepped inside was: HUGE! On one end of the restaurant was a sushi bar. The mid section housed a bar, a raw bar, and an open kitchen with a wrap around seating counter so you can watch them grill your food if you wanted. Further on was the dining area, which felt very open and airy, like everywhere else. They had some great music playing, and I have to say the whole atmosphere was very cool and casual. It can get a little loud in there, but I didn’t mind that so much as the exposed pipes in the ceiling, a design feature that I kind of hate.
When we first sat down, it was relatively empty in the dining area. But the place quickly filled up, and the wait staff clearly was not able to keep up with the influx. They were trying very hard, and I do understand that they’d only been open a week and were probably still working out some kinks. I have to be honest, though…service was utter chaos. Certainly at a restaurant of this nature, where their menu consists of smaller items in large variety – they need to be prepared for very long and complicated orders. The waiter kept mixing up our order, sending out things we never requested, or sending out multiple items of the same thing. There were also some items that we’d ordered but never received. Fortunately, they were pretty accommodating about it when we were sorting out the bill at the end.
I was feeling pretty frazzled myself, trying to keep up with all the dishes that kept coming and coming. “What’s that?? Wait!! I need to take a picture of it!!” After this and Ping Pong, I need to take a break from the “lots o’ lil plates” kind of establishments for a while! XD;;
Alright, on with the meal!
Uh, despite the very extensive sake list, no one actually ended up getting any! No one ordered any sushi either, which was a strange oversight. (In retrospect, I should have at least gotten one order, just to test it out).
Pictured above are three different kinds of chicken kushiyaki (grilled skewers): plum sauce & shiso, wasabi, and scallion. Except, we were pretty sure that was asparagus, not scallion! My friend swore up and down that it was definitely asparagus! Strange… Whatever it was, it was mediocre, as was the plum sauce/shiso that I had. I don’t think the wasabi was well received either. I thought mine was really dry and bland. It didn’t bode well that Kushi – specializing in kushiyaki – could not produce an excellent yakitori. But the rest of the meal wasn’t so bad:
beverage dessert restaurants: chocolate d.c. ice cream pastries
by Lindsey
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Co Co Sala
After taking my friend to dinner at Central, we headed over to Co Co Sala [warning: annoying music plugin] for dessert. ♥ I first tried out this chocolate bar / lounge when it opened a few years ago. It was for a “dinner,” but hardly fit the bill on that account. We’d ordered several appetizers and three different dessert courses and I still went away hungry! However – though the portions were tiny, the quality was excellent. (I still think the crab cake I’d had there was the best I’d tasted in my life, despite fact that it was the size of a golf ball).
This place is definitely more ideal for dessert, after you’ve had a full dinner. We started out with the hot chocolate, of course:
Onboard the Hakone Romance Car
About a 1~2 hour train ride outside of Tokyo, there’s a famous area of hot springs called Hakone. The private Odakyu line for Hakone departs from Shinjuku station, which was pretty convenient for me, since my hotel was in Shinjuku. It’s feasible to do a day trip, but I stayed overnight at a Japanese style ryokan to partake in the full experience. The room I stayed in had a private indoor bath, which is definitely the way to go for utmost pampering!
Speaking of pampering… There are two ways to get to Hakone from Tokyo via train – the commuter line or the “Romance Car.” You can take the commuter line using the Hakone Free Pass, but for the Romance Car, you’ll need to pay an additional ~700 yen each way. Do it. Trust me, the comfort is worth the extra money, and you’ll get there faster because it doesn’t stop at every station.
Plus you get decent in-transit food service for a reasonable price! I got a coffee and a strawberry “daifuku” (mochi) ice cream. So delicious! It had chunks of soft, chewy mochi that went very well indeed with the strawberry ice cream. Pic under the cut.
Häagen-Dazs Ginger Ice Cream
It’s only fitting that I should begin with the inspiration of this blog’s title: ginger. You have no idea how excited I was when I first heard that Häagen-Dazs was releasing a special series called “five” – just 5 ingredients of pure and simple ice creamy bliss. I’m a big fan of adding spices to desserts, particularly the sort of flavors that are more commonly used in savory dishes. I’ve tried rosemary ice cream, cardamom ice cream and even olive oil ice cream, but never ginger ice cream…until now.
This is truly a savory masterpiece of ice cream genius. It is smooth! Creamy! And it’s got a hint of gingery heat that takes it to the next level of spicy perfection.
Definitely a must-try for all ginger lovers.
