Cashion's Eat Place

I should be studying for my first final tomorrow, but it's lunch time and I've started to think about food.

The night after an AMAZING home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner by the Park sisters, we had dinner with JC at Cashion's in Adams Morgan. Another seasonal menu, which apparently is a sign of quality. The place is part swanky, part homey. "Funky-elegant" is a quote from the website, which I think is pretty spot-on. Elegant is definitely the word, you walk in and everything is very clean and sleek, some interesting architecture around the bar in the middle of the restaurant (sort of like an isolated dome). But if you take the time to look around at the many picture frames mounted all along the walls and in the bathrooms, you'll find that they appear to be authentic family photos - kiddos playing on the hood of the car, grandpa sitting with his arms crossed at the dining table, black and white portraits from back in the day. It makes you feel at home all the while knowing that you're getting quality food and service.

Also of note, you'll find a large proportion of the servers and staff to be Asian. Hmm. We're thinking that someone Asian must have some degree of proprietorship. Which makes sense seeing as a lot of the pictures involve an Asian family. That's all.

So. I knew I liked this place as soon as we were seated and our server introduced himself. Shane. What a great name. And what a great face. I believe the first thing I said after he left us to ponder over the menu was "Can we leave him a big tip?" He wasn't just eye candy, though. He was actually very helpful. He was knowledgeable about the wine list and always aware of us as customers. At one point, we saw "bronzino" on the menu (which Wikipedia tells me is spelled "branzino")... and question marks floated about our heads. Thank goodness our generation comes with smart phones and we were able to look it up. "A delicate whitefish... to be handled delicately." Shane walks over: "The branzino?" Me: "I love you."

Oh, sorry, this is a restaurant blog. Back to the food. We started with drinks and appetizers and nibbled at the bread basket. Wine for Jung-Ah and JC, apple cider for me. I'm not an experienced whiskey drinker and, while the drink was tasty, found it to be a bit strong. I guess I'm just not man enough. It warmed me up quite a bit (given it's meant to be a hot drink anyway) but maybe a little uncomfortably so. Although I probably wouldn't argue against a glass of it right now - it's flipping cooold!! For apps, Jung-Ah had the olive oil sampler, JC had crab cakes, and I had carrot ginger soup. The olive oil sampler came with evoo from Argentina, Chile, and Spain. I think it was the Argentinian evoo that we liked the most; it had a burst of fruity flavor while the others didn't particularly stand out as different from the Romulo evoo I have at home. Bertolli! (Haha! Oh man...) JC's app looked, smelled, and tasted amaaazing. Oh my gosh, as the plate was being walked over I could almost see the smells wafting up into my nose like wisps in a cartoon. My carrot ginger soup I could have done with or without. I was expecting something zestier, but it was a little bland in my opinion. Something was missing. For entrees, Jung-Ah had salmon, JC had lamb gyros, and I had the branzino. The salmon was... just salmon. Jung-Ah was highly disappointed, so I ended up finishing off her plate at the end of the meal. Pff, I thought it was fine. Taken together with the sides, including the pickled beets, it was a lot more enjoyable. But like I said before, it was salmon. Nothing spectacular. JC's lamb gyros were hot, steamy, and tasty. BUT my favorite was my branzino. No stomach space to waste filling up on other people's food. I don't quite recall what it was served with, thus this is not a very good review, but it was absolutely delish. If it wasn't such a nice place, I probably would have licked the plate. Um... I mean... if I were at home. Alone. Private. Can I say - SO good!! It really was excellent. I really wish I could remember the veg and puree it came with, but I can't even look it up on the menu, as it changes.

No room for dessert. But we stopped by Evolve for drinks afterward, a restaurant/lounge next door. I'm not going to lie, it's where the homies hang out. Or so it seemed that night. Haven't had a chance to go by for food, but the menu certainly sounds appetizing. Holler at the owner, Jason Washington!

And so ended our lovely evening at Cashion's. The receipt shows our server as Shane B. I'll call him Shane Branzino. Yummers!!! (I promise I'm talking about the food!)

$$-$$$

www.cashionseatplace.com

Wait for it...

Tasty bites readers:

Prepare yourselves for a gastronomic adventure of epic proportions. The sisters reunite for Thanksgiving weekend 2009 in DC, and our appetites are larger than ever. It's a week before, and I'm already salivating like Pavlov's dog.

Look forward to hole-in-the-wall joints, restaurants we could only afford with coupons or for lunch, Top Chef alumns, and general deliciosity (HIMYM fans, salute).

Get excited.

Olazzo - Silver Spring

You know those days when you need a drink and nourishment, and even though you have the supplies at home, you just want to be served by someone else? I was having one of those, and thankfully, so was JC. I'd never been to Olazzo, either in Bethesda or Silver Spring, so we thought we'd give it a try.

The ambience inside Olazzo is cozy and warm - a TV screen at the end of the bar showcases a digital fireplace, the room is dim, yet there is a warm glow that lights up the place, and the booths are big and welcoming. We settled into one of the cushy booths and ordered a bottle of riesling. I feel like I get a lot of requests for a fruity riesling at work, which we don't carry - for those you who are searching for a fruity and sweet riesling, Olazzo's got it. We sipped away for a while, having girl talk and giggling a lot, as we do often.

We started with the fried calamari, which is a pretty impressive portion. For $9, we got a giant platter of lightly battered and deep fried, hot and crispy calamari with marinara. It was delicious, not overdone, and did I mention, it's HUGE?

Unfortunately, the rest of the meal wasn't that great or memorable. JC ordered the mozzarella neopolitan, which wasn't particularly remarkable, and I made the mistake of ordering what turned out to be a country fried steak of some sort. It had some charming Italian name that lured me to it and I was feeling like some red meat. Without frills, it was pretty gross. It was dry, there was way too much breading that was too salty, and I couldn't eat more than 1/3 of it. Ew ew ew ew ew. Perhaps that's why it's not on the menu anymore. Good riddance, I say.

I like Olazzo. I will go back and perhaps this time, I'll get a pasta...that should be safe in an Italian restaurant, don't you think? Tasty tasty!!

Mamma Lucia - Silver Spring

I just realized how much I dine alone, and that people must think I'm quite strange as I coo over my food and perform a photo shoot before (or sometimes in the middle of) the feast. I must say I have been eating out alone more since I started writing Tasty Bites entries - I used to hate doing that, but now I have a purpose for doing so. It's research, you see.

So this one fine afternoon, I stopped in at CVS at Blair Park, and on the way out decided to grab a bite to eat at Mama Lucia's which is next door. For research, of course. I have never been, so I wasn't sure how the place worked. It seemed a little bit disorganized, you walk up to the counter and there are 3 men taking orders/payment. They are all very nice, but they are also loud and want to know what you want to order as soon as you walk in. I looked at the menu and I wanted to try everything as I was quite hungry. I debated between a pizza or a pasta, decided to get a pasta, then had to choose from about 20 different items, gah!! I wanted carbs but also some seafood, so linguine alla mare chiara sounded perfect. I ordered my food and a bottle of water from one man, paid another man, and then yet another man appeared from (I promise this is what happened) under the counter and handed me the water. The man I ordered from told me to sit at any table, so I did, all the while wondering how the food was going to find me, since the dining room was pretty full. Lunch rush, I guess, it was about 1:30pm.

About 10 minutes later, a young lady came by with a basket of bread and my pasta. How did she know it was mine? How did she know where I was? It was like magic!! I took a bite of the pasta with one of the clams, and oh! It was exactly what I wanted - yummy pasta with yummy sauce with yummy seafood. As a lady pretending to watch her girlish figure, I didn't touch the bread basket, but the contents seemed pretty old and stale. The pasta was of good texture, not overcooked, the seafood was delish, the shrimp, clams and calamari tasted fresh and didn't have the strange, synthetic texture that frozen seafood sometimes have. The sauce was decent, not magnificent, but it was good enough to hit the spot. It was a pretty hefty portion and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I ate the whole thing. After checking my email and Facebook on my phone, I managed to remove myself from the table and waddle out of the restaurant.

If I get a chance to go back, I would really like to try the spaghetti aglio e olio and the penne norcina. They have a couple of specials - Monday nights are pasta nights, where you can get a second pasta dish for $3.99 and Tuesday nights are pizza nights, where you can get a second pizza for $2.99. Oh carbs, you're so delicious. Tasty tasty!!

$ (Lunch)
$$ (Dinner)

www.mammaluciarestaurants.com

Adega Wine Cellars & Cafe

I planned to served mulled wine at Jackie's during dinner service, so I made my way to Whole Foods in Silver Spring for vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. When I was done spice shopping, I realized that I was starving, so I went around the corner to Adega. I'd been there once before and I remembered the sweet potato fries were yummilicious. After looking at their sandwich and wrap selections, I decided on the portabello mushroom with pesto, sauteed onions and grilled red peppers on foccacia and a side of eggplant fries. I did contemplate ordering a glass of wine, but it seemed inappropriate to drink in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday just before going in to work at a bar.

As I waited for my food, I picked a nice quiet table by the window and checked out my surroundings. The part of Adega that I was at was the cafe section, with a counter for ordering and paying and then a separate counter for picking up food, and behind a wooden panel, the exciting action of food preparation was taking place. There were about 10 tables to dine at or there is also counter space at the wooden panel that separates the food prep area from the dining space. The other side of the establishment was dedicated to wine - shelves and shelves of wine which I would have loved to check out up close, had I not been weak from hunger and dying to catch up on what Edward and Bella were up to in my new book, Twilight. There is seating on the wine side also, but not as much as the side that I was sitting at. So I admired from a distance and opened up my book.

I only got through a couple of paragraphs when my number was called. I suppose that has a lot to do with the fact that it was 3:00pm on a Tuesday and there were only about 5 diners. I galloped over to pick up the food and I got excited when I saw my tray. The sandwich was pretty large, the foccacia was thick and they didn't skimp on the filling. I took a bite - no, I took several bites and ate a few of the eggplant fries before I realized I had forgotten to take a picture!! So I paused quickly to take a couple of pictures then went back to enjoying my lovely lunch. The only unsatisfactory item was the cold marinara sauce that was served with the eggplant fries. Why cold? The sandwich is hot, the fries are hot, but the sauce, which I was fully expecting to be hot, was not. Nevertheless, it was delicious. The fries were crispy on the outside and soft and yummy inside, and, might I say, the perfect companion to the portabello sandwich. Before I knew it, I had read an entire chapter of Twilight, was full, and had lunch for the next day as I couldn't eat more than half of the sandwich.

If you are in the neighborhood and want a delicious bite to eat and maybe some wine to accompany your meal, definitely check out Adega. Oh, check out their Monday special: half off Adega selected wines with a purchase of entree, dine-in only. Tasty tasty!!!

$

www.adegawinecellars.com

Seoul Soondae - Wheaton

For the second time this fall, I got sick. So unfair!! So on a nice, sunny Sunday afternoon, I took a nap, and woke up stuffy and hungry. It seemed appropriate to have hot and spicy soup to open up the sinuses in true Korean fashion. The only Korean restaurants I've been to have been in Annandale and I was in no shape to drive that far, so I searched for one in Silver Spring, and found Seoul Soondae. My parents and sister know that I'm a huge fan of soondae, which is a Korean blood sausage filled with rice noodles and delicious spices. It's hard to find, and I've only had good ones in Texas at places that my parents know. Oh, and in Korea.

I took my bloated and sniffly self to Wheaton, with my beloved Chronicles of Amber book under my arm. at 5:15pm, I was the only one in the restaurant, which was fine with me, I could read in peace. I ordered the soondae soup with a side of soondae. First came the banchan (small side dishes), there were about 8 of them and they were all pretty good, kimchi was a bit on the sweet side though. Then came the soondae side, and I was so impressed that it came with a small portion of liver, lung, and whatever other innards it came with (and I love them, especially liver!). Generally, in the US, they don't serve soondae with the other parts - I'm guessing because it's too high maintenance. It's not the best I've ever had, but that could be due to the fact that my ability to taste was hindered by my inability to breathe through my nose. Then came the soup. MMMMMMMMM. It came in a stone pot, which kept it super hot for a long while, not to mention it just looks cool. The soup came with a generous dollop of chili paste and lots of cooked down leafy greens (mystery to me what it was), soondae and innards, and a nice bowl of steamed rice. Engrossed in the strange land of Amber and its shadows (I know, I'm a nerd), and a pot of fantastically spicy hot soup, I think I sat for almost an hour eating and blowing my nose.

By the time I was finished eating, and I almost ate the whole pot of soup and the side of soondae (I was hungry, did I mention?), the restaurant had filled up with a lot of people eating what I had. And why wouldn't they? It was a lot of yummy food for $13! I was happy and full, and wondered why I had never been here before. The service was quick and very friendly - the server wanted to make sure I knew what I was ordering before she wrote it down on her pad, and was ready to answer any questions I had. I would love to go back again when I'm not sick and my taste buds are alive again. Tasty tasty!!!

$

Negril - Silver Spring

For months I've been hearing about a Jamaican restaurant in Silver Spring called Negril, usually really good things about their jerk chicken sandwich and the homemade fruit punch. So one evening, as I was heading home, starving and knowing there nothing edible in the fridge, I headed to Negril. It's hard to miss with its large yellow sign with red letters.

It's definitely a carry out sort of place, even though there are a couple of tables in the room where you order the food at a counter, and a room on the side with many more tables - I don't think they have wait staff service though. So I headed up to the person at the counter and asked for a recommendation as I had never been there. He said that the beef patties or the coco bread would be good as appetizers and if I wanted something more filling, the jerk chicken sandwich, curried chicken, or goat roti are popular. So, being famished, I ordered the beef patty, coco bread, and curried chicken to go (obviously, my eyes were bigger than my stomach). Service was pretty quick, I received my food in about 5 minutes, during which I looked around the place and noticed that the beef patties were being sold in frozen packs, to be microwaved at home. Hmmmm...I don't know how I feel about that.

Once I received the food, I rushed home and took at bite of the beef patty. It wasn't magnificent, but it wasn't awful - the crust was flaky and the beef filling was pasty but had enough seasoning to be not gross or boring. The coco bread was DELISH, it's soft and moist and fluffy and sweet and buttery...mmmmmmmm. I would have it for breakfast with butter and coffee...maybe a dab of good strawberry preserves. Drool. Uh, where was I? Right, moving on to the curried chicken, um...it was disappointing. I grew up with really good chicken curry from India, so I expected lots of spices and heat. Well, spices and heat, I definitely didn't get. Instead I got mediocre chicken with mediocre sauce with a side of very dry rice and beans and a heaping mound of really blah steamed cabbage. Note to self: when getting an entree, always choose the salad over cabbage.

Despite the disappointment, I was willing to give it a second try because I wanted to like it. I really wanted to like it. This time I went for the jerk chicken sandwich - it can't get any more Jamaican than that, right? Then as a last minute impulse, I ordered the fish cakes appetizer also. Oh man, I was even more disappointed than before. The fish cakes - there are 3 huge puffs of them - were so gross, it didn't taste like fish and certainly didn't look like fish, it was like a sticky sponge. I took a bite and then was forced by my brain to throw them out. Even doused in the strange sweet sauce and I tried hot sauce also, it was inedible. EW. As I prepared to bite into the jerk sandwich I said a silent prayer that it would be good. It was ok, but I didn't know what was Jamaican or jerk about it. It tasted like a pulled chicken sandwich with a honey mustard and lettuce. My understanding was that jerk seasoning is hot and spicy and generally the chicken is grilled or smoked...I don't think it met any of those requirements. The best thing about it was the coco bread.

Would I go back to Negril? Probably not. For the mediocre entrees, it's way overpriced - I think I paid $11 for the lame curried chicken. The sandwich though, is a really good deal if you're not really looking for a jerk chicken sandwich at about $4. Oh no, I'm lying. I would go back to get the coco bread but probably not anything else. If you like delicious bread, I suggest you try it for sure! Tasty tasty!

$

www.negrileats.com

Angelo's

Angelo's is another beloved Ann Arbor institution. It even has a song (you can hear it on the website)! If you ask someone where to go for breakfast/brunch/lunch, you'll probably hear "Angelo's".

Warning: Angelo's is very popular, but also a little on the small side, and the two together aren't necessarily a great combination. While it makes for a very local, casual atmosphere, it also makes for horrible parking and sometimes a long wait. They have two parking lots, one behind the restaurant and one across the street, but they're both on the small side. There are parking structures and street parking in the area, but that doesn't mean you're going to find a spot on the first go. As Angelo's is located just off the University of Michigan medical campus, the parking structures are reserved for cars with permits (e.g. staff); and as Angelo's is also located near a residential rea which also houses a university research building, the nursing school, and two dental offices, open street parking is often hard to find. Moral of that story being - set aside time to find parking if you're planning on meeting someone there.

On two out three visits that I remember, I've been lucky not to have a wait ahead of me to be seated. Another time there was a bit of a wait. If you're someone who's just in the mood for something quick like breakfast pastries and coffee or soup or a sandwich to go, Angelo's on the Side - a branch of the restaurant next door - is at your service. Here, you can pick up baked goods, coffee, and takeout orders. The actual Angelo's has kind of a homey, diner-y feel to it. There's some great Michigan football art on the wall which I hear is painted by one of the staff. That aside, let's get to the important stuff - the food!

Angelo's is only open for breakfast and lunch, and you can get breakfast all day. BT and I went last Friday and again this Friday, this time joined two friends. Last week, we were insanely hungry, a bit overwhelmed by particular items on the menu, and took much longer than necessary to put in our order. BT had her heart set on breakfast food, I had my heart set on any food. The first thing that caught my eye was an item on the breakfast specials menu, the crab cake benedict. I love crab cakes, and I love eggs benedict. Naturally, this should be double love. We kind of had our orders set... then saw a server bring over a plate to a table next to us that made our jaws drop. A huge mountain of some sort of breakfasty goodness under a mound of fruit and whipped cream. After asking our server, we learned that it was deep fried French toast with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream, and he recommended going with our other options over the deep fried French toast. And then we saw that Friday's special is fish and chips. Oh my goshhh, I think the last time I had really good fish and chips was in Saudi a very very long time ago. After much internal conflict, I went with my initial crab cake benedict and BT had pancakes (I think?) and a bowl of fruit. I didn't get a taste of the pancakes, but my crab cake benedict was awesome. Two big crab cakes served on two pieces of toast topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. I was really happy with it, and I don't think it was just because I was hungry. Either the toast or the crab cake was drier than ideal, but the overall effect was more than satisfactory. I would definitely order it again. As for BT's order, my position is that pancakes are always good, and the fruit bowl gives you pretty much every fruit you could ask for at brunch - strawberries, blueberries, bananas, honeydew, and pineapple.

This past Friday gave us a little more variety and a second chance at the items we only got to dream about last week. Melanie started with a cup of hot chocolate (as per usual) and got the eggs benedict, Amanda had a cup of clam chowder, BT got the fish and chips (served with tartar sauce and a side of coleslaw), and I had the deep fried French toast. Eggs benedict are a little hard to share across the table reaching over a napkin holder, so I didn't have a taste of that. The eggs benedict comes with canadian bacon and green pepper (surprise!) on their homemade toast topped with hollandaise. I haven't met an egg I didn't like, and I enjoyed the hollandaise on my benny last week. Combine that with the salty kick of canadian bacon and the crunch of green pepper, and it can't fail. The clam chowder and fish and chips were more accessible to me, so I did get a taste of those. The clam chowder was really quite good, and Amanda was happy with it as well. It was creamy, had just the right amount of garlic, and was zesty, which I enjoyed as soup can sometimes be boring. The only fault is there was no actual clam in the chowder. Clam flavor, but no clam. Deceiving? Maybe they should advertise it as clam flavored chowder? Or maybe they should just throw some clam in it and call it a day. I can forgive them for skimping on the clam because it was good, and I would order it for myself next time. The fish and chips had me salivating before BT's order even came to the table. That's because the man right behind me ordered it as well and the smell wafted over and invited itself right up my nose and into the pleasure center of my brain. After BT had her fill, I snagged the leftovers. This might be a strange comment, but I really liked the tartar sauce. It wasn't too mayonnaise-y (which is gross) and not too pickly (the crunch was actually more reminiscent of straight up cucumber than pickle, so I was confused... was it even pickle?), it was just right. As for the actual fish, it wasn't bad, but I don't feel it was anything to write home about. It was good, not fabulous. It was probably better when it was hot, so it was potentially slightly better than good. Now... the moment you've been waiting for. Deep fried raisin toast with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. So... sigh... ok. It didn't blow my pants off. First of all, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing the fruit and whipped cream piled on top of the toast last week, not set on the side in tiny cups (tiny cups = poor fruit/w.c. to toast ratio), the mouth-watering sight having stimulated that pleasure-center of my brain (it gets a lot of action, apparently). So I was a little disheartened right off the bat. Wow, disheartened is a little strong, so whatever word means that to a lesser degree. I arranged my fruit across the toast (which came with a very sad shower of powdered sugar. I'm sure I could have asked for more but I don't want to be that annoying customer) and then laid across the whipped cream. The fruit was just fruit. I expected it to be syrupy from being drenched in sugar, like at IHOP. 'Twas not the case. I took my first bite and decided I needed maple syrup. I poured some maple syrup over it, took another taste, decided I needed more maple syrup. The toast was dense, the fruit was not sweet, and I was basically disappointed. Maybe this is what my server last week was disguisedly (yes, that is a real word, look it up) warning me of. I couldn't finish it all - firstly because it was too heavy, and secondly because it didn't live up to my expectations, leaving me full but not satisfied. Maybe it someone else would have thought it was good, but I had my standards set to high and was didn't allow myself to enjoy it, I'm not sure.

I have to be up in 4 hours, so, though I have at least 4 more restaurants to write up, I'll leave you with this for now and call it a night. And by "call it a night", I mean catch up on last week's episodes of Conan and get 1.5 hours of sleep. I apologize for ending on a sour note with that deep fried French toast, and I hate to say anything bad about Angelo's. So let's me end by saying that Angelo's is an Ann Arbor legacy that you must try - just pass on the deep fried French toast :) I'll go back again to bring you more positive reviews like the crab cake benny and clam chowder. Yummers!!

$

www.angelosa2.com

Wasem Fruit Farm

Happy October!! Fall is here, and in Michigan that means hot donuts and spiced cider. It also means a very happy Nari :)

Very very happy! This weekend was both unexpectedly and unusually cold. The past week, actually, has been uncharacteristically chilly and rainy. If memory serves me correctly, it's not usually this cold in October. Good news is, temps are expected to go back up for the rest of the month. And thus ends the weather forecast portion of this entry. Despite the cold, it was a gorgeous and sunny day, and every day is a perfect 80 when you're in good company (partly cheesy, part clichely, 100% true).

There are a LOT of cider mills and orchards anywhere in Michigan. The one we went to on Saturday is a called Wasem Fruit Farm in Milan (pronounced MY-len, therefore not the one in Italy... more like the conductive sheath of the axon of a neuron), just 20 minutes from Ann Arbor.

A line of eager customers starts outside the building. The setup is pretty interesting. When you hit the inside of the building, on your left you get to observe the donut-making process - from the batter being poured into the piping machine, the machine piping out the rings into the fryer, certain lucky donuts being cinnamon-sugared. Then you'll hit the display/ordering window. You get to pick from quite an array of donuts: plain, apple, and pumpkin; plain, glazed (vanilla, chocolate, maple), cinnamon sugar. You can order donuts by the [half] dozen. We ordered a dozen between the four of us, each getting three of our choice. I had cinnamon sugar apple, plain apple (why didn't I get plain pumpkin?), and chocolate glazed plain. SO GOOD. ALL OF THEM. So soft. Not too dense. Not too bland, not too sweet. Perfect. And no doubt all the other flavors are just as amazing. I think our turn to order was between batches, so the donuts weren't piping hot... so can you imagine how exponentially more heavenly that would be? I have to move on to something else before I drool all over my keyboard. This is also where you can order cups of cold cider, hot cider, or hot spiced cider. Further to the right you'll find a market area where you can buy [half] gallons of cider and fresh seasonal fruits. I didn't explore the rest of the building, but I imagine they also have butters/jams/jellies? Maybe pies? I'm sure this info is on the website. Or just go to the farm to find out! But for sure right now you can buy various apples and pears by the [half] peck and [half] bushel. This is still food talk... still salivating more than is natural. Change topic. Continuing with setup. Once you've picked up your vittles, work your way in reverse back out to the entrance where you'll pay at the register at a table on the porch.

There are a few picnic tables and benches outside so you can take in the nature around you while you tantalize your tastebuds with the tasty tushy-tender treats and warm your body (and the cockles of your heart) knowing that the trees behind you bear the treasure with which the cider steaming in your cup was made. Longest sentence ever. But hopefully you get the picture.

And if the kiddies are restless after filling up on these sweet goodies (or if you're just a kid at heart), there's a corn maze just a stone's throw away. We didn't do the corn maze that afternoon, but maybe one day... hmm...

After an exhaustive and exhausting Google search (I'm apparently into double-adjectives today), I found that there isn't a good place to find cider and donuts in the DC area. Most are deeper into Maryland or Virginia. I found one relatively close that has been given my approval in Baltimore. So anyone in the area, give Weber's Cider Mill a try.

Having grown up in Saudi Arabia and spent my high school years in Houston, I love fall in Michigan- a season you don't really get to experience in either Saudi or Texas. The spectrum of yellow to red trees, people bundled up in a light North Face and hat, and hot donuts and spiced cider will forever have a place in my heart lovingly labeled Michigan. And now I can look forward to moving on with fall having had my first taste of autumn :) Yummers!!!!

$

www.wasemfruitfarm.com
www.talladayfarms.com
www.webersfarm.com

Tastee Diner - Silver Spring

Oh Tastee Diner - it's seen me at my worst, yet always there for me. I visit Tastee Diner after a long night of bartending for some chocolate chip pancakes, or most often, on Sundays after hardcore partying the night before and I need to eat something before I pass out from the vodka fumes being emitted from my mouth.

A couple of months ago, Nari was visiting, and in celebration of her 21st birthday, JC and I got her...hammered. The next day we ended up at Tastee Diner, where we had our breakfast and Nari vomited all over the floor at the table. Thank goodness we were sitting outside - nevertheless, it was embarrassing beyond belief.

Last Sunday, JC and I found ourselves at Tastee Diner again. As usual I ordered coffee and half a grapefruit, followed by pancakes and turkey sausage. JC had the same except she chose waffles instead of pancakes. At the last minute we added on an order of fries. The coffee isn't excellent, but it's not terrible - it's diner coffee. Grapefruit was precut and it was a good size. My favorite was the turkey sausage, they were sausage patties, nicely spiced with good texture. I like the pancakes at Tastee Diner, what's strange is this time, the pancakes had a grainy, cornmealy texture, which I had never gotten before - it was still tasty. JC's waffles was a little tragic, it looked perfectly good, but she put the butter on it and nothing happened - it was cold. She tried to eat it, but couldn't get it down, which was sad because she was hungry. Oh, and we never got our fries. :(

A few days later, I ended up there again for a midnight breakfast with my friend DC. I tried chocolate chip pancakes and turkey sausage. I loved the pancakes, I didn't even use syrup, just a lot of butter. I was expecting the sausage patties, except this time I got the sausage links, which were good, but not as good as the patties. DC had eggs, bacon, and grits - I think he enjoyed his food, couldn't be sure since he didn't finish eating (we had a few drinks before, which could have hindered the hunger sensors). As usual the service was quick and friendly and the server came by several times to make sure we didn't need anything else.

Tastee Diner is usually reliable with quick service at a very reasonable price. If I'm hungry for breakfast or unusually late, you'll find me there. Did I mention they're open 24 hours? Tasty tasty!!

$

www.tasteediner.com

Spring Garden

I've been sick for almost a week and a half. What a bore, I say (try saying it with a British accent, Professor McGonagall style). I haven't stepped out of my apartment unless absolutely necessary, and feeding myself was easy enough with foodler.com at my fingertips. One of my favorite places to order from is Spring Garden in the strip mall at 16th St and Spring St in Silver Spring. They're consistently fast at delivery and their food is mostly decent.

I always get soup, and my favorite is sweet and sour - good flavor and lots of vegetables and tofu. The wonton soup is alright, but the broth is a bit bland. My second favorite soup is the egg drop soup - I know, it's so boring, but I love the tissue paper thin sheets of eggs floating about the gently viscous soup. I usually add a bit of soy sauce and just a touch of sesame oil to it and it makes a pretty good soup about 10 times better. Now, I ordered their seafood soup as an experiment one day, and it was blech, gross, ew. It had quite a bit of shrimp, scallops, imitation crab meat, and calamari, as well as water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, carrots, and celery. But the broth was so boring and no matter what kind of condiments I added to it, I couldn't make myself eat the damned thing.

Their lo mein is pretty good - I have tried their beef, chicken, and shrimp lo mein, and I think shrimp is the best. Overall good seasoning, not too oily and the noodles have a good texture. Hunan chicken's pretty good also - lots of veggies and chicken doesn't taste as fake as some other Chinese delivery places. I don't know if you know what I mean, sometimes the chicken seems synthetic in texture and flavor - same goes for beef. I wish the hunan chicken was a bit more spicy, but that can be amended with some red chili oil or sriracha. My favorite thing about their food is that their sauces don't have the thick, goopy texture of sauces that most Chinese delivery places have - one can almost convince oneself to believe that they don't come in a gigantic tub labeled "brown sauce."

They also have sushi on the menu, so I decided to try it. After browsing through a bunch of items that you can find everywhere, my eyes stopped at crazy roll. It was salmon, avocado, and cucumber rolled in nori and rice, tempura battered and fried, then cut into 8 pieces, and sprinkled with chopped scallions and tobiko. It looked pretty good, but it didn't taste so good. Actually, it was pretty nasty. It was squishy and mushy in texture and there was no flavor - the salmon was pretty flavorless, and the rice was too soft. Even after being dunked in way too much soy sauce it was bland. After 2 pieces, I was forced to throw it out. It's called crazy roll for a reason, you have to be crazy to eat it!!

The almond cookies that I got for dessert was quite good. Nice and crispy but not hard, and you can definitely taste the almonds. I love that it's not that sweet - it goes perfectly with a cup of coffee. There are 4 cookies in an order and out of tonight's order, it was my favorite item.

If you're ever looking for food to be delivered, check out foodler.com. And if you're looking for Chinese food in Silver Spring, definitely give Spring Garden a try, but stay away from crazy roll. Seriously. Do try the lo mein and the almond cookies. Tasty tasty!!

$

www.foodler.com/MD/Silver-Spring/Chinese/Spring-Garden/1507.html

Cork

It was a rainy, chilly Saturday night in September, and CC decided that the lucky restaurant to host her birthday dinner would be Cork, on 14th St NW between R and S St. I had never been, so this was pretty exciting. I was sick with a cold so I was a bit nervous about how long I would last - I was like a video game character and my energy bars were disappearing at triple speed.

We got there at about 7:50pm, and of course, the restaurant was PACKED. I mean, every table was full , the bar stools were all taken and there were many many people squeezing themselves into every nook and cranny of the restaurant while waiting for a table. Since they don't take reservations, we had to wait for a table to open up and for a table for eight, it was going to be a while. As we stood by the bar to order drinks, I noticed 2 gigantic glass jars, one full of a colorful medley of olives, and one of mixed nuts. I made up my mind then that we were going to have olives, and fortunately most of our friends agreed. There were delicious scents rising to meet our hungry noses as we stood around sipping on wine and scotch. Their wine selection is vast, as expected in a wine bar, which made CC, a wine enthusiast, quite happy. They list their wines by color and then by region, and I think we had all tried something different and all were satisfactory.

After about an hour of waiting, we were taken to a table toward the back of the restaurant, which was lovely because it was much quieter than the front. Honestly, my expectation for the food was low since Cork is a wine bar, but looking at the menu, I found myself saying, ooh, this looks good, this looks good, this looks good...ooooh, THIS looks good...um, everything looks really good. So then a crazy thought crossed my mind and apparently CC's also - there were eight of us, so we could possibly get one of everything on the menu - mind you, we were starving. And it would have been perfectly affordable - I did the math and it would have been under $30 per person!! Then reality bonked us on the head and we began to eliminate a few items.

The olives were delicious, especially the big black ones, yum. One of the best things I've ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth (ooh that sounds kinda dirty) is the avocado on grilled bread with chopped pistachios and toasted pistachio oil. It is so simple yet sooooo good. The calamari was also quite good, the batter wasn't overwhelming and the remoulade complements the lemony, crispy calamari wonderfully. Oh and the french fries, oh my gosh, it's all garlicky and the house-made ketchup is amazing with a hint of cumin. My absolute favorite of the night was the duck confit - it was crispy and melt-in-the-mouth tender, wow, suddenly I'm hungry. We also tried the sauteed wild mushrooms, which was way better than expected, with a nice meaty texture and a delicious sauce. Grilled pork tenderloin topped with fried lemon and mustard greens was definitely a hit - the fried lemon was a surprise, it provided a nice contrast to the pork and the bitterness of the mustard greens. The only glitch in the evening was not getting the right cheese on the cheese platter and having to wait 30 minutes after we were done eating for the brussel sprouts (not my fave, btw, too much butter - I know, that's impossible, but in this case its true), but in the end, with lots of good wine and wonderful company, it was a fabulous evening, even though I was exhausted from coughing. We ended the feast with a cookie platter, port for the fancy C sisters, hot chocolate for MJ and me, and scotch for AM.

I think Cork is wonderful. I'd definitely go back for the duck confit and the avocado on grilled bread. You know, I should try making the avocado on grilled bread, I don't have pistachio oil, but I think a good olive oil will do just fine. Oh, so I totally forgot to take pictures of the food...I was sick!! I'm sorry, my mind wasn't working right!! I'll do it next time, so if you wanna go, call me! Tasty tasty!!!

$$

www.corkdc.com

Mei Wah

I was out and about on a rainy day, and I had an hour to kill before I was due at work. I was feeling hungry, and my tummy demanded sushi. I used to be a regular sushi consumer at Mei Wah (the Chevy Chase locations has a sushi bar, the DC location does not) for a couple of years until I noticed their quality was disintegrating. The spicy tuna rolls were strange in texture and definitely not fresh and the yellow tail rolls were - for lack of a better word - gross. I wanted to experiment and see if I ordered and ate at the restaurant instead of getting it delivered, it would be better.

I was impressed right off by the large number of sushi specials available, which is not included in the delivery menu. I especially enjoyed the colorful pictures that came with the descriptions of each item. So instead of going for the usual shrimp tempura roll and the spicy tuna roll, I decided to expand my horizons. I ordered a vegetable soup to start, to be followed by the tuna tempura roll, and I feel like such a failure as a blogger, as I've forgotten the name of the second roll that I ordered - I want to say it had an exotic, mythical creature in its name.

The soup was good, as usual, full of snow peas, bamboo shoots, carrots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts in a yummy broth. Then the rolls arrived. I was very impressed by their presentation! So pretty and colorful. The tuna tempura roll was quite big - it was a long strip of tuna rolled in rice and seaweed, and the whole roll was tempura battered and fried. It came with a wonderful, spicy sauce on the side. It was delicious and I was pleasantly surprised. The mystery roll had shrimp tempura with lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and spicy fish roe, with a drizzle of a spicy and sweet sauce on top. The circumference on this thing is huge, so be prepared to stretch those jaw muscles and look pretty funny as you attempt to chew. Other than the difficulty in consumption, it was fabulous. I had my doubts when I saw the lettuce and the carrots - I don't think they're common ingredients - but they added a nice, cool crunch to the whole thing.

I think the key is not to order sushi or rolls with raw sea creatures from Mei Wah, because I enjoyed a delightful lunch of rolls with cooked sea creatures. I know, if they're not fresh and gross when you eat them raw, they're just as not fresh when they're cooked, but it tastes good (shoulder shrug). That's my conclusion. :) Tasty tasty!!

$

www.meiwahrestaurant.com

Everyday Gourmet by Azi

I was at work, doing tasks on autopilot when JC asked in a very excited tone, "Do you want to go to a cooking class?" I didn't even move, I paused for a moment and just gave her my "Are you kidding me?" face, then very charmingly (by charming, I mean catty), I said, "Why would I go to a cooking class?" Then she said that it was an office outing, hosted by our bosses' friend. Ok, that's nice, but seriously, why would I go to a cooking class? It's not like I ever cook, and if I do, that's what recipes online are for, right? Well, she talked me into it, saying that I didn't have to learn anything, promising lots of wine and a delicious homemade feast.

After an unsuccessful after work shoe shopping spree, we arrived hungry and thirsty at this beautiful condominium with a gorgeous kitchen in Bethesda. Then a lovey, bubbly young lady drifted over and introduced herself as the hostess, Azi, and offered us wine and a seat at the kitchen counter (granite, naturally). She began by explaining the menu her concept - she was going to make a Persian-fusion 4 course dinner. As resistant as I was to learning or paying attention, her enthusiasm and charisma was difficult to tune out.

She must have sensed our hunger because as she laid out the plans of the evening, she served a wonderful puff pastry with roasted eggplants, tomato sauce, and a dollop of yogurt. As we noshed on those, she prepared a quiche-like dish: no crust, lots of fresh herbs, chopped walnuts, and barberries and spices from Iran mixed in with eggs, and baked in small molds. The herbs were aromatic to which the berries gave a nice contrast, and the nuts gave it substance and texture, and to anyone on a low-carb diet, it's carbs free! And wine flowed throughout the whole dinner. Happiness? Yes, oh yes.

Azi was lovely, answering all of our questions and making us feel comfortable with funny stories and sharing her aspirations as a culinary starlet. I was surprised to find out that she was a successful attorney when she decided that she wasn't really happy and culinary arts were her calling. Watching her, I could feel her passion and enjoyment for cooking and sharing her knowledge.

Next course was stuffed peppers with ground veal, lentil, rice, and wonderful mixture of spices, topped with pomegranate molasses. As the peppers were cooking away in the oven, she made a cucumber and tomato salad to go with the peppers. It was so simple yet, delicious - just the cucumber, onions, tomatoes, lime juice, and salt and pepper made a fantastic mix of flavors. Then she started on the dessert - chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. As the chocolate lava cake was baking, we all sat down at her gorgeous dining table and devoured the peppers. Oh my gosh, not only were they pretty to look at, she had used red, green, and orange peppers, they were so yummy. We were all feeling pretty full and happy, but we were made even happier with the arrival of the chocolate lava cake and cardamom tea. The cake was warm and moist, and the tea was a perfect complement to the richness of the cake. If you've ever had cardamom, you'll be able to imagine its aroma - pair that with chocolate...mmmmmm. You're drooling, aren't you?

It was such a fun night with fabulous food and wonderful company. Azi does all sorts of events, like girls' night out, a romantic dinner, and obviously office outings. She's health conscious, so she offers tips on how to make her dishes more healthy. She's a fun and vibrant hostess, if you're looking for a fun night with food and wine while learning something, check out her website and set up an appointment! Tasty tasty!!

$$$

everydaygourmetbyazi.com

Totoro

Classes started today, and this past weekend saw the craziest influx of kids I feel like I've experienced in my college experience. Usually, I feel like it's a somewhat gradual increase in student body presence over the week or so before classes. This time, it was *bam* Friday, EVERYONE is here. It's nice to have people back, though. A college town isn't quite the same without... college kids.

Now that more of my friends are back in town, this should give me more opportunity to go out to eat and share my findings, including two from this weekend: Sava's and Totoro. Sava's has a great story and I fell in love with it immediately, so I'll write about that after I make at least two trips back (and I know exactly what I'm getting).

Totoro. Say it. Totoro! Isn't it fun?? It's more fun if you say it really fast in almost a light whisper, so the words tumble off your tongue in that giddy Japanese schoolgirl way. Totoro-san, hai! Clearly, it's a Japanese restaurant. I went with a couple of girlfriends for lunch on Sunday. My first time. We walked in and the waitress greeted us by pointing out the udon + cali roll special for $8.45. I was pretty much ready to order then. But the three of us sat down and pondered over the menu, considering at one point or another everything from bowls to bento boxes.

We settled on ordering and sharing 3 rolls - crunch crunch, tempura california, and spider roll. Back to the basics. Nothing adventurous, but all very crunchy. I was worried from the moment we ordered until I took my final bite that 3 rolls would not be enough. I'm the kind of eater that doesn't understand the concept of full, and it isn't until I'm rolling around on the couch short of breath that I realize I shouldn't have had that fourth helping. After being dubbed "The Masticator" this summer, I decided I should learn to control myself, so after we finished off our rolls I told myself that I was content and didn't need to order another. To my surprise, the end of our post-meal chitchat found me... full. I guess that satisfied feeling that you get near the end of your meal is a sign that it's a good time to stop eating so you don't suffer through being overstuffed.

Why is this turning into a self-reflection of my eating habits? Back to the subject, spider rolls are always a favorite and I was not disappointed at Totoro. The crab was light, crispy, and perfectly tasty. The crunch crunch is tempura shrimp and avocado topped with tempura crunch and masago with eel sauce. Tempura california is, you guessed it, deep-fried cali roll. Maybe my least favorite of the three because it seemed heavier, what with it being wholly dunked and fried in batter. I don't have a "fancy phone" like someone, but I snapped a few shots with my dinky flip phone. The food looks washed out, but I promise it was yummy! And the sushi chef laughed at me when I took pictures of the restaurant. I don't know why.

Unfortunately, Totoro probably won't be my most frequented restaurant for sushi... but that's because there are literally 3 sushi places within 2 blocks of where I live (a bone of contention which I'm sure I'll rant about some day). But I dare say it may be one of my top three of sushi in Ann Arbor. Will try more special rolls in the future. Yummers!!!

$

No website, but you can find the menu and pictures here.

Nage

MJ and I had our Restaurant Week dinner at Nage, at Rhode Island Ave NW and 16th St NW (there's another one in Rehoboth). It wasn't either one of our first choices, but seeing as we made our reservation kind of late, we had to compromise.

We started out with a bottle of Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc, which was quite refreshing on a hot, humid, and sweaty afternoon. We were ready to order quickly since we were hungry and had looked at the menu ahead of time. Now, I'm no expert in cuisines, but I'm a little mixed up about what their concept is, it's fusion of American (Southern), French, and Spanish or something? MJ started with the chilled avocado-cucumber soup, which was simply delightful - nice thick and creamy texture with a lovely limey finish. It was so pretty in presentation and the portion was generous. I decided on the bbq braised short ribs - oh my gosh, it was so tasty. The meat was so tender, it was melting in my mouth and the sauce was perfect in sweetness and tartness and spice, and the fried green tomatoes and the slaw that came with it were very complementary.

The timing was excellent, as we were just finishing up our appetizers, the entrees arrived. It seemed appropriate to go with seafood, since it's name means "swim" in French or it's a broth that one cooks shellfish in (How the heck do I know that?! I don't know!! I'm so confused - damn it, I hang out with foodies too much, ahem, MJ and CC!). MJ had chosen the pan roasted barramundi (we had to Google barramundi on our phones, thank goodness for fancy phones, how did we ever get by before?!), and it was absolutely delish!! It was cooked well, yet not dry, and the sauce was fantastic - I don't know what it was really, but again, it was fantastic. I ordered the summertime seafood plate, which consisted of lobster, mussels, clams, and shrimp cooked in a lovely beer based sauce with potatoes and little bits of chorizo. There was a lot of food, but shockingly, I ate the whole thing. Yum!!

As full as we were, we couldn't turn down the desserts! I experimented with the tomato and basil frozen yogurt- I know it sounds totally funky, and it was, but it was yummilicious. It tasted like tomato and basil and balsamic vinegar in a most wonderful, palate cleansing, frozen yogurt kind of way. MJ ordered the special of the day, which was a bread pudding, which was good, but honestly, I don't quite remember it, as the delightful frozen yogurt overshadowed it. We were stuffed and tipsy, yet we somehow managed to roll ourselves out of our seats and go home.

There are a few things on the menu that I'd like to try that I didn't get to this time around. I would love to try the grilled octopus salad and the bacon wrapped softshell crab from the appetizer section, and if I were to choose a different entree, I would definitely go for the bay scallops with black fettucini. If I had room for dessert, I would hope that they would have the tomato and basil frozen yogurt again, I wouldn't get anything else! My impression is that they're not that busy, and that's too bad, my experience was awesome!! Tasty tasty!!!!

$$-$$$

www.nagerestaurant.com

Zingerman's Deli

Second share from my night of sad steak.

Zingerman's (deli and marketplace) is always a favorite, but I save it as a special treat. Not to mention it's an Ann Arbor landmark. Apparently people get it delivered across the country, so I guess I'm pretty lucky to have it a stone's throw away.

There are often samples given out at the front door, usually of the special salads offered that day (by special I mean salads not on the menu). The store itself is small, which lends itself to being very cozy and personal. To the left are cheeses and meats, and the employees are always willing to offer their expertise and let you try whatever you want. To the right is the bakery booth (for lack of better words) where you can buy breads and pastries brought in from the Bakehouse (next to which is also located the Creamery). To the front are salads and where you place your sandwich orders. Continue on to the right past the bakery where you'll find the register and a trove of goodies - high quality olive oil and vinegars (samples of which are set out with bread for tasting and an employee that actually knows what he/she is talking about), condiments, pastas, sweets, and more.

Next door is... Zingerman's Next Door, appropriately named. Here, you can find coffee, tea, desserts, chocolate, ice cream, and affogato. Between the two is a deck/patio with tables and benches where you can sit and enjoy your food and company. One of the areas is also tented so you can still have a good time if it starts to rain. There is also plenty of seating Next Door, so don't let the tight space of the Deli scare you into thinking you need to get your food to go.

My go-to sammies: Bob & Roz's Fiesta and Tarb's Tenacious Tenure. Bob & Roz's Fiesta is chicken on lettuce with tomato and meunster cheese, roasted green chiles, and a great roasted red pepper sauce. Tarb's Tenacious Tenure is turkey with meunster cheese, lettuce, tomato, Russian dressing, and - the best part - avocado. Their sandwich menu covers everything from corned beef to fish to hot dogs, using quality ingredients including free-range chicken and all-natural turkey. They also have a small part of the menu dedicated to Jewish foods.

But what I really want to gush about is the best mac and cheese EVER!!! Ever. My guess is the Vermont cheddar. Actually, I don't know what it is. What I do know is that it's divine. Like... little macaroni sprites dancing on my tongue in an aromatic breeze of spices and cheese. That didn't come out quite as poetic as I had intended. Take-home message: it's amazing! Must try!

Next on the wish list: Zingerman's Roadhouse! Yummers!!!

$-$$

www.zingermansdeli.com

14K / Cafe Japone

As of late, it has become tradition for JC and me to go to happy hour on Wednesdays. So without fail, we scampered out of work, super excited for a cheap drink and cheap snacks. First stop was 14K, on 14th St NW and K St NW - their huge "rush hour happy hour" sign caught my eye. In addition to happy hour, they were advertising 5:00pm - 7:00pm, get 2 entrees and receive a bottle of wine, which is a pretty awesome deal, we thought. However, we had happy hour hopping in mind, so we headed to the bar. I got a huge cold glass of Blue Moon and JC got a glass of sauvignon blanc to sip on as we waited for our artisan cheese plate. I'm pretty sure we didn't get the cheese that are listed on the menu, as I know and love Humbolt Fog (goat cheese) and it was definitely absent. However, it was a wonderful assembly of crumbly and soft cheeses served with slices of some kind of berry and nut bread, apples, figs, and strawberries. As we devoured the plate, I started craving sushi (I know, how Asian, right?). For 2 glasses of wine, a beer, and the cheese plate, we paid about $20, which we thought was awesome.

Then we ran across the street to Lotus, as we had heard that they have sushi happy hours there. As we headed downstairs into the lounge, we realize how eerily empty it was...we took a quick look around and then ran back out - in true JC and Jung-Ah fashion, running in our heels and giggling.

Next stop, Cafe Japone since their happy hour went on til 8:30pm! I had very little to no expectations as I had read reviews and most of them were about how awful the service is there. There were praises about their food and huge Sapporos, though. We found an awesome parking space right outside the restaurant and went inside, thirsty for a beer. The girl that greeted us was very nice and sat us right away, however we sat there for a long time and finally had to flag down a server to take our drink orders. She didn't give us attitude though, there were only 2 servers for the whole place, and I guess they were busy. We received our $3, 22oz bottles of Sapporo right away, which made us happy during the million hours we had to wait for our sushi while drunk Facebooking and Twittering. Finally our yellowtail with scallions, spicy tuna, california, and crispy salmon skin rolls arrived. I don't know why we keep getting yellowtail rolls, because everytime we get it, we're like meh, it's not that great, YET we ALWAYS get them. The spicy tuna were very spicy and very tasty - I prefer the ones I had at Saki to these, but these were pretty awesome. The california roll was what I expected, tasty in the fake, american kind of way. The crispy salmon skin roll was intense - the salmon skin was super crispy, super salty and very pungent. I liked it alot, but it was just a bit much on the saltiness. After 3 of the 22oz Sapporo, not to mention what we had prior to coming to Japone, we were drunk. And we thought we could eat more, so we ordered their ramen with pork bone broth. As we waited another million hours for the ramen, the table across the restaurant started off Karaoke night. They were a fun group and sang and danced together and it was all good fun. In the midst of all this fun, we got our ramen, and I must recommend this highly. Oh my gosh, it was nothing like the ramen in packages that you get for 55cents at the grocery store. The noodles were chewy and yummy, and the broth was rich and flavorful with a hint of sesame oil. Sooooo good. And soooo big. We ate, sang, danced, and drank. Before we knew it, it was 11:00pm. Another happy hour success!! Tasty tasty!!!

14K $
www.14krestaurant.com

Cafe Japone $$

Tokyo One

I made myself an unsatisfactory steak with onions and mushrooms for dinner tonight. I didn't know that was possible. I figure any piece of meat presented to me is heaven on a plate. After that unfortunate meal, I'm now looking to treat myself to some Mexican wedding cookies. However... the dough has been in the fridge since yesterday and is now rock hard. So I'm sitting here... watching the dough... giving it the death glare. Hopefully the heat from my gaze will make it thaw faster.

While I was gnawing away at my tough steak, cartoon bubbles floated from my head with images of foods I'd rather be eating, two of which I'll share with you.

Tokyo One is a nice sushi/grill/buffet, not one of those 3.99 all-you-can-eat rib joints on the corner. For $27.99 at dinner, you get the bar, a full sushi bar, soba and udon noodle station, salads, hot foods, fruits and dessert, etc. The full menu would go on for pages - you can see the menu with pictures on the website. But I suggest you don't fill up on those too quick because the star of the show is the Dungeness crab. They're HUGE! A whole crab is the size of my hand!!. Oh my gosh, and soooo delicious!! They're perfectly tender, sweet, juicy. They're not the same as the crab in Maryland that we've talked about before. No seasoning. No butter. Just pure, delicious crab. And it's always fun when you get to pull out and enjoy a huge chunk of crabmeat and not have to fuss with tiny legs and the bother with the complicated compartments of the body of a smaller crab. Drool. Don't even try to keep your hands clean. Just dig in and get messy. It's so worth it! And besides, that's what the bathrooms are for: so you can wash your hands when you're ready. Mind you, the other patrons are probably going to be crazy about the crabs as well. At the Sam Houston Pkwy location, people nonchalantly hang around the buffet pretending to be looking at other items, and when the server brings out a new batch of hot, steaming crabs, there is a mad rush for the crab. A wild stampede and hands boxing through each other to grab the crabs first. I literally had a woman take a crab from my hand. Rude. So what we did was make eyes with one of the cooks in the back and ask him to bring us some fresh crab. Accompanied by batting of the eyelashes. Success: fresh hot crab without the fight.

At the Greens Rd location, you don't have to race for the crab. You won't find crab at the buffet; you order it with your server and they'll bring it right to your table. For some reason... we enjoyed the Sam Houston location better, both environment and taste. But still... Yummers!!!

$$

www.tokyo-one.com