Merry Christmas!
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:
Les Delices Bakery
A friend of mine highly recommended a bakery in Rockville called Les Delices a while back. (I did a post on their Christmas cookies a few months ago). I love this place! It’s off of Gude Drive in Rockville, in a rather smallish strip mall. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but once you walk in and the buttery aroma wafts around you, you know you’ve come to the right place. ♥
I’ve only tried their mango and black currant cakes so far, and they’re both quite delicious! Pictured above is the black currant cake. It was a great balance of tart and sweet. I loved that it wasn’t too heavy or cloying!
Remember to bring cash, as they don’t take credit cards there.
A few more pics:
Amalfi
Ah, finally back to posting about home! These first few posts are going to be kind of vague, since I didn’t really takes notes and it’s been a few months little while since I’ve had these meals. (^___^);;;
I’ll start with a lunch I had at Amalfi, a family owned Italian restaurant located in the back roads of Rockville. It’s apparently been there for a while, probably even back when I was taking my dogs to the veterinary hospital right next door, but I never knew about it! Funny enough, it also happens to be next to a bakery I discovered recently – St. Michel (cash only).
The decor is pretty dated but it’s cozy enough. Pictured above is the clams in garlic broth, which were simple and delicious.
The rest after the jump:
Holiday Cakes
What’s any holiday without a tasty cake to celebrate it? Every Christmas for the last few years, I’ve gotten a Bûche de Noël – Christmas log cake – and each year I try to get them from different bakeries.
This year I decided to try one from the aforementioned Les Delices bakery in Rockville. They had a choice of praline or chocolate, and I went with the former (pictured above). I thought it was okay…maybe a little subdued in flavor? At least the icing wasn’t too oily or thick, but it left me feeling like it could’ve been a little sweeter. Perhaps the chocolate was the way I should’ve gone.
More after the jump:
Christmas Cookies
Happy Christmas Eve, everyone!
Just wanted to drop in with this cookie post, since I got such cute and colorful ones at the Les Delices Bakery today. (I’ll be doing another post on this bakery later). I ♥ this bakery very much! This cash-only place is off of Gude Drive in Rockville.
I really liked these cookies! Nice, and not too sweet. They paired perfectly with my cup of Prince of Wales tea with milk. (^__^)
I also got a tin of Christmas themed cookies from Yoku Moku, a Japanese cookie company. (Not at Les Delices – these were a gift). I love their smooth, buttery cookies! It’s a bit of a hassle to unwrap each one when you just wanna dive in and eat them all in one go, but I suppose it helps to restrain yourself so you don’t consume an entire tin at once.
Obviously, I took the above picture after several cookies had already been eaten, but you can still see how cheerful it looked with all the pretty colors. As for the cookies themselves:
Taste of Saigon
One night, a friend and I got a hankering for some pho, so we naturally headed out to Pho 75 in Rockville, which still has the best pho in the area, in my opinion. Except…they were in the process of closing, and weren’t accepting new customers. Devastated, we poked around on the iPhone to see if any other pho-serving establishments were still open. We chose Taste of Saigon in Rockville Town Center and promptly headed over for some late evening pho-ness.
We were ushered into a dining area by the bar, which I thought was somewhat awkwardly placed behind a partition screen. But we did get a nice view of the bar, where a man in a panda suit (no joke) was hanging out, pretending to be drunk. I’m not sure if he was supposed to be one of the establishment’s attractions or not…? Anyway, in the midst of this bizarre performance, we ordered the calamari dish to share, and two small sized pho each.
Pictured above is the calamari, which was decent, though nothing spectacular. I thought the sweet sauce was a bit cloying, but maybe I just prefer salt and pepper flavors with my calamari. Or something bright and citrusy.
The pho:
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.
Againn
I visited the Againn Rockville branch for lunch a little while ago (actually, it was quite a while ago XD;;). I thought that the Rockville branch would be somewhat more affordable, but it was still on the pricey side – especially for lunch. The food was pretty good though, and I thought the decor was nice and cozy (if a little on the dark side).
There was one glitch in the service – my waiter removed my drink (peach iced tea) when it was still half done. When he brought me a fresh one soon after, I thought he’d switched out the old for new so the ice wouldn’t dilute my drink. I was a little vexed later to find out that he’d charged me for the second drink that I’d never asked for. I probably should have said something, but I don’t like causing too much fuss.. Aside from that minor incident, the service was good and attentive.
On to the food! Pictured above are the mussels with white wine and garlic broth. These were very succulent and lovely. I enjoyed the broth very much, and would love to try it out at home.
The rest:
Oro Pomodoro
I poked around on the internet a few weeks ago, looking for a restaurant I’ve never tried before in Rockville. I’m actually not sure how long Oro Pomodoro has been around, but it’s one of the restaurants in the Rockville Town Center area, which has seen quite some development in recent years. I decided to wander in for a lunch one sunny weekend afternoon.
I really liked the interior of the place, which had great high ceilings and a very airy feel. It was a lovely spring day, so the glass wall panels had been opened up to the alfresco dining area in the front. Even though I sat inside, I could still enjoy the pretty weather and nice view.
Of course I had to try their pizza, so my main course was the Margherita, pictured above. I thought it was pretty decent. I wouldn’t say it’s the best in the area, but not too bad!
The rest:
Tara Thai
Aah, Tara Thai. I used to come here a lot back in my college days. It’s relatively affordable, and it’s not sports bar food, which was usually the other option back then. I poked around their Yelp page today, and was amused by how varied the reviews are, ranging from “I love it!!” to “Worst Thai food evar omg!!” (paraphrasing). I can’t vouch for its authenticity, having never been to Thailand myself, but it’s fairly decent. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to dine here, but it’s a nice option if you’re in the area. Some people might find the underwater themed decor a little cheesy, but I don’t mind it so much.
My brother and I went to their Rockville restaurant last week when he was visiting for the weekend. I got the pad thai, pictured above. I think it was okay, if a little on the bland side.
The rest:
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.
Sushi Damo: Part II
Last weekend, I sauntered in to the Rockville branch of Sushi Damo for lunch. (They also have a New York restaurant, apparently). I’ve blogged about this place before, but I thought I’d revisit it here because I tried a few things I don’t usually see on the menu of a Japanese restaurant.
I actually started with dessert. And why not?? A fresh, zingy little sorbet is great for refreshing the palate. In any case, I so rarely have dessert on an empty stomach, when I can appreciate the flavor of it best. This is the lychee sake sorbet, topped with what I believe is a jelly made from pomegranate. It was actually quite good indeed, and very refreshing. A bit reminiscent of a lychee martini.
A & J
This is a fitting header image because the food here is so damn good you just wanna say to hell with food blogging, I’m gonna dig in RIGHT NOW.
A&J in Rockville has some kickass dim sum of the Northern style, and I’m telling you this place is slammin’. This isn’t your cart style dumpling centric dim sum. Instead, you get a menu where you circle off the items you want. (Be sure to go early before they run out of their popular items). They have a separate “breakfast menu” aside from their regular menu, which offers some of my favorites: the tasty scallion pastry (see above), sticky rice stuffed with dried meat, etc.
Stella's Bakery
Yay~ lovely pastries from Stella’s! I’ve been going to this bakery for years, and I really love it. I usually go here for special occasions such as picking up a birthday cake (the Grand Mariner mousse being the go-to flavor).
Of course, they’ve got plenty of other things besides cakes, from breads to flaky savory turnovers. I like their mini pastries because you can taste a bunch of different things without over-indulging. XD These are a few of them: mini eclair, mini cream puff swan, and mini napoleon.
They’ve also got cute fruit tart minis as well:
Temari
I actually had lunch at Rockville’s Temari last weekend, but have been too lazy to post about it until now. (What it is about first thing in the morning before work that gets me blogging?) Anyway, it’s a nice little casual Japanese style cafe, conveniently situated near the Japanese grocery that I frequent in the area. It’s a pleasant place to sit down for a quick lunch, and I’d definitely recommend getting one of the specials, because you get the best bang for your buck. The specials are listed on a board at the bar, not on the menu you get in your hand.
I got the sashimi and fried oyster set. The set came with rice and miso soup, and two appetizer courses! Very nice.
More pics (+ my dessert) under the cut.
