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!
Ren’s Ramen
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!
Kaz Sushi Bistro
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:
Sushi Bistro Shun
Can’t go to Hawaii without checking out a sushi joint, and so we headed to Sushi Bistro Shun in the Moilili neighborhood after it came highly recommended by a friend. We sat at the bar (another recommendation) and I ordered up a bunch of things from the sushi menu a la carte. Of course, I had to try to the chutoro (pictured above), buttery and fresh as it should be.
The rest:
L & L
Some time during the trip, we naturally had to stop at by the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue for a quick bite. L&L is a fast food joint that serves Japanese-esque comfort food. They do franchise their brand – mostly in the west, though they do have a branch or two in New York.
Pictured above is the pork katsu (breaded and fried pork), which came with a side of rice and macaroni salad. I’m not sure what was up with the macaroni salad, but that seemed to be the usual accompaniment to the meal. I thought the pork was really tasty, if a little bit overdone.
I had the beef teriyaki:
Tsukuneya
Okay, back to Hawaii!
One of the things I loved about Honolulu was how there were SO many Japanese restaurants. And not just your typical all-in-one joint where you can get sushi, tempura, teriyaki, ramen, whatever at the same place. They had more specialized places like you would find in Japan, and one such place we went to was a Nagoya cuisine-inspired izakaya (pub) that served chicken tsukune’ or meatballs. The restaurant, aptly named Tsukuneya, had a very extensive list of various tsukune to choose from, which they cooked up on their robata grill. They also made tofu in-house, which I definitely took advantage of as well. ♥
This was actually my first experience having tsukune. In all, I thought they were pretty good, though some were a little on the bland side. I think it’s definitely a satisfying meal to have with a glass of beer (if that’s your thing), and relatively inexpensive. You can order as many different flavor combinations you like, and you pay by the piece.
Pictured above is the bainiku (dried plum) topped with fresh shiso leaf, one of my favorites. The tartness of the plum provided a nice contrast to the tender meat.
Many more under the cut:
beverage lunch restaurants: japanese rockville sushi tea
by Lindsey
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Rolls ‘n Rice
I had driven past the Rolls ‘n Rice a number times while en route to the Whole Foods in Rockville and was rather curious about it…so one day, I stopped in there for lunch with my mom. The interior was nice, with wide spaces, high ceilings and warm colors that were welcoming. I liked the wood paneled shelves on the walls, but the large stone fireplace confused me a little, as it seemed more hunting lodge rustic than zen.
The format is the same as the Taipei Tokyo across the street – you order your food at the front, get a number, take a seat. They’ll bring the food to you. I never really know what I’m supposed to do with tipping in such places. I usually leave a couple dollars, since they do bring the food and then bus your table later, but it’s just a little confounding.
Pictured above is the sushi combo A (8 pieces of nigiri with California roll). Price point was pretty good at $12.95. I thought the fish was decent, though maybe the rice could’ve been more tightly molded.
Sticky Rice
I’ve wanted to try the sushi at Sticky Rice for a long time, as I’d heard so many good things about it. So of course, I was thrilled when a few friends of mine treated me to a fabulous birthday dinner there a few days ago. Thanks so much, Awesome Friends! (^____^)/
Sticky Rice is in NE, a part of town I’ve never really been to. It’s rough going at the moment, since they’re tearing up H Street for the new trolley system, but the area will probably be building up after all the infrastructure is put in place. In the meantime, for those who don’t drive, there’s either Metro bus or the free shuttle that stops in Chinatown.
The restaurant is pretty narrow and dark on the inside. When we got there, they told us we would be seated outside – a prospect that we weren’t so sure about at first – but we decided to go ahead with it anyway. They led us upstairs, past the bustling dining room and onto a covered patio deck in the back of the restaurant. The weather was pleasant that day, and the seating was perfect! In retrospect, it was much better out there than inside, where the music was blaring full-blast and you could barely hear a thing over the din.
I actually hadn’t studied the menu ahead of time, oddly enough, so it took me a while to decide what to get. Everyone else *had* done some research though, so we started ordering up a storm after getting settled in. (By the way, they have a pretty decent sake menu, if that’s your sort of thing. I thought a few of them looked interesting, but I just went ahead with green tea, since I can’t imagine having sushi without it. It came lukewarm with a Bigelow teabag in a mug with a handle, so definitely not your usual sushi bar tea).
Pictured above is the Sticky Balls, which apparently had rave reviews at Yelp. It must be pretty popular, because all the tables around us were ordering it too. It’s described on the site as “tuna, crab, siracha rice in an inari packet deep fried, topped with scallions, wasabi dressing and eel sauce.” Inari wrapping is just a tofu wrap that’s used to make (surprise surprise) inari-zushi. This was pretty tasty, even though it seemed to have a whole lot going on in there. I’m not sure what they mean by “eel sauce.” Perhaps they mean the marinade that’s typically used for kabayaki style eel?
The rest:
Current Sushi
I’m still backed up on some restaurant posts, but I’m jumping ahead just to cover a couple places I went to last week, for my birthday. (^___^)v
My friend treated me to a lovely Happy Hour dinner at Current Sushi, which is located between Farragut North and Dupont Circle. The decor is sleek and modern, with a very cool vibe and glowy blue lights. We sat at the bar, and it was surprisingly not too loud or busy that night. They seem to have pretty good happy hour deals (check out their menu here). They also apparently have a more clubby area upstairs that opens up later in the night.
Pictured above is the salmon and avocado roll and yellow tail nigiri sushi. Both were very tasty! I thought the fish was fresh and cut in generous portions.
The rest:
Chirashi zushi
Chirashi zushi is a whole bowl of sushi-fabulosity that’s relatively easy to make at home. Pictured here is my mom’s chirashi, and I gotta tell ya, no one makes it like my mama. XD I suppose I’m just accustomed to this palate, but she’s got a subtle hand that coaxes out the best balance of vinegar, sugar, and salt in the rice. She also makes the best Japanese omelet, which is almost always my favorite topping in her chirashi. ♥
Toppings can be chef’s choice, though obviously raw fish is usually key. This chirashi is topped with tuna, omelet, marinated eel, fake crab meat, and squid. Radish sprouts, shredded seaweed, and shiso leaves to garnish.
A few more pics:
Warabi Mochi
Ah…muggy DC summer has arrived. I feel like we’ve hit the 90’s way too early this year. We’re barely into June, and we’ve already had several days where it’s so humid it’s hard to breathe! A cool, refreshing dessert is much needed and deserved in times like these. *nods* (^__^)
The Japanese dessert “warabi mochi” is technically not mochi (rice cake) at all, but made from konnyaku, a transparent jelly type thing. It’s a big Kansai (Western Japan) thing where my own folks are from. The konnyaku itself doesn’t really have much flavor on its own, so it’s usually served with kinako, a powdered soybean flour. Kinako has this vaguely sweet, nutty flavor to it that provides a strange but not really undesirable contrast to the wet and slinky konnyaku.
If you like very sweet desserts, this probably won’t be your thing. But it’s nice and light for a hot summer’s day.
A few more pics:
Sushi Oishii
Sushi Oishii is a bit out of the way, near the northern border of Rockville, but it’s pretty good sushi at a reasonable price. ♥ The name means “delicious sushi,” which is kind of funny sounding, but cute. (Though perhaps not as cute as “I Love Mr. Sushi” in St. Louis). I popped in last week with my mom for a nice weekend lunch. The sushi places around here tend to close up by 2 for lunch, but Sushi Oishii stays open until 3, which is convenient for late starters.
Pictured about is their ootoro, or ultra fatty tuna, sashimi style. I’d initially asked for the chuutoro (medium fatty tuna), but they were out of it at the time. Obviously the fattier the tuna, the more expensive. This little number set us back about $14. I *think* the sushi version was the same price, and if that’s the case, why would anyone get the sushi version, when you can get so much more tuna for the same price in the sashimi? XD Anyway, you can see the lovely pale pink color and lines of fat that gives it that rich and gorgeous flavor. I wished they’d served their sashimi with shiso leaf instead, though.
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:
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, everyone! \(^O^)/ Hope you had a great start to 2010, and a lovely winter holiday. I apologize for neglecting this blog for the past few weeks. I kept meaning to update, but it’s been a bit of a lazy Christmas season for me. I’m resolving to be more active hereon for the new year, and to catch up on my backlog of posts I’ve been meaning to get to for a while.
New Year happens to be the biggest holiday of the year for Japanese people, and like most celebrations, it centers around the food. Wiki has an article about the traditional “osechi” food here, which is served on New Year’s Day. My mom prepares it every year, though this year’s spread was much more scaled back than usual.
But first, we must have the “toshi-koshi” noodles on New Year’s eve:
Ozumo
I’m finally getting around to my big dinner post from my San Francisco trip, and I realize only now that I’ve made a terrible mistake. I forgot to photograph the menu. Of course, any versatile and active sort of restaurant will change up their menu month to month. It’s a month later (actually, exactly a month later, to the day), and naturally the restaurant has updated their menu, as reflected on their website. And despite the memorable nature of the meal, I cannot recall the specifics of the dishes that are no longer up. (;___;) Very upset with myself.
Enough of the moping.
The good news is, I have preserved the meal in photographs, so I can at least remember it visually, if not to a great degree of specificity.
The restaurant we chose for dinner was Ozumo, a Japanese restaurant that came highly recommended from two independent sources! Obviously I’m a big fan of all things Japanese, especially sushi, and it would’ve been a damn shame to visit San Francisco and *not* partake in their excellent seafood.
Pictured above is one of the more magnificently plated dishes of the evening, the Shacho roll. (“Shacho” means company president) It had Maine lobster, mango, jalapeno, cilantro, tuna and spicy sesame sauce. It was topped with black caviar, and served with strawberry slices – something I’d never seen before with a sushi dish. The mango could’ve been a little more predominant, but I really enjoyed this roll!
