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Showing results for tags 'Pan-Asian'.
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"Sala Thai Rebrands as Toku Japanese and Asian Cuisine on U Street," PoPville -
Last night, we went to Raku in Bethesda again. My wife and I always seem to enjoy their cooking. I've heard not so great things about the Dupont Circule location so we always trek up to Bethesda. Anyone have opinions on the Dupont outlet? As for our meal, we started off with their Tuna Tartare which blew us away. It is an amble size portion of tuna, a very nice green, citrusy accompanying sauce and a few slices of perfectly crisped, but not toasted, baguette. They also include a small green leaf salad with a nice vingarette that has a bit of a zing. This was the first time I tried this dish and I wish I had ordered it all for myself as an entree. We also had a yellowtail and scallion roll for appetizer. It was very good. We usually find their sushi to be good quality. My wife had their Tokyo Dashi soup for an entree. She chose to have it with udon (big white wheat) noodles and vegetables and tofu. My wife loves this soup and I'm a big fan too. You can pick what types of noodles or meat or fish you want in them. It doesn't matter though because the broth is the same and it is the best part. It is a medium brown color that has a rich flavor that manages to feel light in your mouth too. It is also a steal at around $6-8 for a big bowl. I wasn't super hungry so I had their "healthy tofu" salad which is actually quite large and it was very good. It has lots of cubes of soft, silken tofu that is very fresh and then a melange of different salads veggies. Some western: lettuce and shaved carrot and peanuts and some eastern: seaweed salad. It has a citrus vinagrette too which may be yuzu flavored. A nice dish which would probably be a good appetizer to share. Overall, another nice visit. The only two downside to Raku is that it is often busy with waits and it can get loud when full, but it is much more bearable than some other places. -
My husband and I were walking in Clarendon Saturday night looking for a place to stop for dinner (we had planned to get a salad at Northside Social, but squatters who weren't eating were still taking up tables for work at 7:30 p.m.). We walked past Bar Bao, which we've been looking forward to trying once they opened, and saw activity inside. It turned out they were having a soft opening and it was their second night open. Because it was a soft opening, I won't report in any detail other than to say we enjoyed our meals thoroughly. (We liked the music, too - it was loud, but it was not EDM which can set off headaches for me, but rather a good mix of some '80s/'90s/'00s energetic music). They had a more limited menu than they will for the true opening, but there were still plenty of things on it and we were quite happy. It's mostly Asian-inspired street food / bar food (including several kinds of bao, steamed dumplings, and at least one vegetable side). We had one of the nicest and most attentive (in a non-annoying way) servers we've ever had, too. We definitely plan on going back and may become semi-regulars. -
Mi and Yu Noodle Bar opened on S. Charles Street a few months back, and they are a welcome addition to the neighborhood. This is a non-traditional "ramen" restaurant in that you mix and match a protein (currently buttermilk brined fried chicken, roast duck carnitas, 5 spiced bbq pork belly, soy-miso braised short ribs, or seared tofu), noodle (ramen, pho, or udon), and soup (spicy kimchi, miso, or adobo duck) to create your meal. I've tried all of the meats except the pork belly, and they are all well-seasoned, flavorful, and tender, although there are some dry bites here and there. The ramen noodles seem to be imported and are pretty good, while the udon noodles are what you would except, but personally don't seem to work that well with the heaviness of the soups. The miso soup is lighter and more reminiscent of your typical ramen place, while the duck soup really packs a punch on your initial slurp, but gets a bit overwhelming with salt and umami as you work your way through. All of the soups come with a soft-boiled egg and a tasty bean sprout/cabbage/carrot salad. The end result is several different combinations of delicious flavors, although some work better together than others. The noodle bowls are $12-$14 for a LOT of food; I've never been able to finish the soup. This is the perfect meal for a cold day or a long week at work. The other thing that I love about this place is the online ordering system (using ChowNow) on Mi and Yu's website. Choose a pick up time, order your meal, pay, and they'll email you when your food is bagged and ready to go. Walk in, take it home, get a BIG bowl ready to go (remember, it's a lot of food), combine, and enjoy. -
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On this chilly snowy Saturday morning, I made my inaugural visit to the MGM casino in National Harbor. The blackjack dealers are mostly shitshows - slow, unable to follow normal procedures. I went to Ginger, because the online menu looked interesting. Yes, I would've loved to try their Sampan spicy Dungeness crab but not at $88 per order. Ginger looks nice, but it's just the pan-Asian restaurant that every casino has to cater to their Asian clients. The premium is completely not justified based on their food. Oily Vietnamese spring rolls, overcooked and flavorless shrimp wontons in a mediocre broth, and underseasoned dim sum spareribs. But which casino restaurant isn't overpriced? -
General Tsao's Chicken from the steam table. Hot and quick. In fact, it was good. Eating at International Square Food Court (brettashley) -
[posted on eGullet 2003-2004] Tom's April, 2003 review is here. I finally made it to Bambu for a light lunch, and while I found it edible, my meal was very ordinary. The sushi-sashimi lunch special ($8.50) included a pretty good miso soup, with finely cubed, custardy tofu, scallions and a fair amount of dark-green seaweed. The pickled ginger on the fish plank was distressingly pink, and the blandish, powdered wasabi had the texture of thick mashed potatoes. The sashimi consisted of six chunks of good, fresh medium-fatty tuna, presented atop a typically boring pile of seaweed (with sesame seeds/oil and hot pepper flakes); the sushi was one piece of flounder and two pieces of very thick-cut salmon, all fresh, but inexplicably served with no wasabi, and sitting atop poorly vinegared rice; and then there was the unfortunate California Roll, with the usual shreds of pollock, decent avocado and a bit of curiously cranberry-colored fish roe. Nothing was so terribly bad, but there's no reason to go here for sushi when Kotobuki and Makoto are just down the street unless you're driving by and want a quick, low-calorie carryout lunch. The menu also has an odd blend of Chinese and Thai dishes interspersed with the Japanese fare. Cheers, Rocks. -
I went today, picked up a few things for a group. It is even less "authentically" the cuisine of any particular country or group than Chipotle is, and the people who are bothered by that sort of thing will be very bothered. But if you don't mind that, the food was pretty tasty. I got what they call the "banh mi," with tofu. The tofu, which is closer to a scramble than to big chunks, has something close to a Malaysian curry flavor (in my non-expert opinion). They add a sort of slaw, and some cilantro, and some crushed peanuts. The bread is fine, for fast-food sub roll bread. So it's a good sandwich, again leaving aside arguments about whether it's a banh mi. Bowls are made with your choice of brown rice, white rice, or cold rice noodles. Then you add your choice of a meat or tofu, your choice of a vegetable (chinese brocolli, long beans (which may or may not be actually long beans as contrasted with regular green beans, I don't know), etc.), your choice of sauce (a couple of different curries or a tamarind vinaigrette), etc. Perfectly tasty, and spicier than I would have guessed the mass market was ready for. Everything costs somewhere around seven dollars. Bottom line - significantly better, in my view, than what you would get at some rice-bowl sort of place in your average food court. Perfectly nice. -
PoPville reports that Rakuya (concept change for Dupont Raku) has opened. Rakuya's Facebook page lists the Raku website. Neither the Facebook page nor the Raku website have been updated to reflect Rakuya's opening.
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The space housing the failed DC branch of Mandalay has become "a 1920's themed Japanese Restaurant and Cocktail Bar" called Chaplin's. It offers an assortment of appetizers (gyoza, fried chicken, "adult dumpling shooters") and seven types of ramen, and a very long list of cocktails, wines, and beers. The place is dynamic; it was hopping on a Monday night, lots of young people drinking (some of them were eating, too), loud music, friendly servers bustling about. It seems like the kind of place you'd go to hang out for awhile after work, and maybe get a bite to eat, too, while you're at it. The ramen was perfectly acceptable but nothing to rush back for. The Chaplin ("sesame paste and tonkatsu flavour") was actually quite a tasty broth, the noodles slightly overcooked and lacking the springiness of truly great ramen. I had tastes of two other broths and liked them, but can't really describe them usefully. I'm not inspired to write more about the food. This is the kind of restaurant I'd go to if I lived nearby, if I was tired and hungry and didn't feel like cooking and just wanted a bowl of soup for dinner. Perfectly acceptable, but not a destination. Sorry for the vagueness, just wanted people to know it's here. -
Wow. This place was bad. We were there for Fourth of July so we could watch fireworks. That is perhaps the only redeeming quality of this spot. Surly bartender. Salt and pepper squid rings? I was expecting what I would usually get at a Chinese restaurant, nice bits of sea salt and cracked peppercorns with thick white rings of squid. I got thin rings that could easily have been rubberbands with some terrible batter that I don't think came within spitting range of pepper. That was the only thing I ordered, but with an app that bad, I can't even imagine what the other food must taste like. -
I've never considered Cafe Asia's sushi anything other than mediocre. CA's a better meet market than restaurant. When the resident sushi 'chef' is from Myanamar, I wonder... -
Fusions Alley is actually excellent, and the staff is soooo nice. A million times better than Lex - give it a try! -
So, we've gone from zero to two "Fast-Casual Asian Bowl Places" on H Street over the past month or so. Last night I picked up carry-out from the brand new Pow Pow, which just opened this past Saturday. They don't seem to have a menu available online, so I can't remember the names of everything we ordered. This is refreshingly not a Chipotle-like concept, and instead has you just pick actual items off of a relatively small menu. They have bowls, with stuff served over rice, as well as gigantic, burrito sized fried egg rolls. We didn't go with one of the egg rolls, and instead got two bowls, Fugazi Osbourne (beef with hoisin sauce and a bunch of stuff) and something I can't remember the name of that had pork and a poached egg. Everything was solid, although I wasn't a huge fan of the coconut rice, in both flavor and texture. Between this and BAB Korean Fusion, I think I prefer BAB. But both are good, and I'm happy this is here.-
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Considered adding it to the "places we don't talk about" thread, but I thought I'd jump directly to giving it a thread of its own. The only mention I found with the search function was applause for their mojito. Great place for dinner before or after a movie in Georgetown -- it's practically right across the street (K Street, that is) from the Loews Cineplex, on the waterfront. We stopped by again after Shopgirl on Saturday. Verdict: movie, eh; food, yay! The lobster and pine nut dumplings come with a tangy balsamic sauce and a little heap of cubed fruit, and I swear I could eat a kajillion of these. The chicken buns and pork/crab shu mai were good too. I'm sure you can get more authentic versions of these elsewhere in town for a lower price, but then you wouldn't get to enjoy them in such pretty, stylish environs, while sipping a Tomkhatini (coconut cream, pepper vodka, ginger, lemongrass, and lime.) The entrees are basic -- rice bowls and noodle bowls and curries -- and they're all good. Had the chicken and peanut noodles, which is listed as a salad, but was definitely big enough for an entree, especially with the buns and dumplings to start off. Entrees are mostly in the $12-16 range, I think. Cocktails under $10 and between $6-10 for those dumplings, two to four to an order, depending on which you get. The bartender was excellent, very capable and sharp and quick with everything from the cocktail menu to the check. Anybody else been? Jael -
The new market in the north part of Del Ray just opened (a small regional chain, I guess), and I went in this morning to check out the scene. First glance, it's a typical small, yuppie market with a small amount of good looking produce, limited meats, but has the other staples (canned goods, cereal, soups, condiments, baking stuff, etc.), as well as a good amount of fair priced to expensive wine. They have a small beer area, a deli counter, a baked goods counter. It's expensive, but not that crazy ($2.99 for a gallon of milk, but the produce is pretty pricey). The most interesting part to me was the cafe/restaurant/bar area. It's adjacent to the deli, and pretty cool - looks warehousey/loft style with a long bar, seats there, and tables. The menu had ... korean fried chicken made to order, three different types of ramen (I think shoyu, miso, and something else), and then various small plates. How strange! It wasn't lunch time yet, so they weren't serving, but I'm certainly interested in trying it. If there is halfway decent Korean fried chicken and ramen walking distance from my house, I may have to reconsider my feelings about a higher power. Curious to see how it will do, location is in those new apartment buildings on Mt. Vernon, north of Hume but south of San Salvador.- 3 replies
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The empire continues to grow. "Weidemaier Reveals Name, Chef For New Bethesda Restaurant" by Andrew Metcalf on bethesdamagazine.com -
News by metrocurean (OliveDC) - Zentan. -
For our Baltimore friends, Streets also has a location Downtown at 222 N. Charles Street.
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Well that was just brutal. Pei Wei is a new-ish fast casual restaurant from PF Changs which just opened a south Dupont Circle location, on 18th Street next door to Nando's. Mmmm...Nando's. Their menu follows all the fast casual asian trends..choose from noodles, rice bowls, lettuce wraps, etc, then add a sauce and a protein. http://www.peiwei.com/menu/menu.aspx?menu=s&sid=0506 Now I imagine the folks on this board aren't big fans in general of PF Chang, but I've found if you order carefully, you can get a decent meal there. That could also be the case here, but my first experience isn't likely to lead to enough visits to find out. I went with a "Pei Wei Spicy" with brown rice and steak. First the positive: the brown rice was fine. The steak was about the lowest quality you can use and still actually call it steak. Spongy, chewy, tasteless, the whole nine yards. The thick, goopy sauce had a slight hint of spice in the background, but the taste was predominantly sweet....so very sweet. The whole combination was utterly distasteful...I picked out and ate the inoffensive pea pods, tried another few bites of steak, then threw it away. To be fair, there are a zillion combinations to choose from, and I'm sure there are plently of things that are better than what I got. I like PF Chang's kung pao shrimp...maybe I'll try that at Pei Wei if I have a short memory and choose to give it another shot. But really, this meal made Panda Express seem gormet. Now for the good news...a Coke Freestyle machine! Can't go wrong with Fanta-free Grape. Finally, I don't care a lot about nutrition when it comes to eating out...I generally try to turn a blind eye and accept that I'll have to balance out any restaurant meal with a few days of fozen yogurt...but the small amount I ate at Pei Wei was sitting so heavily in my stomach that I called up the nutricional info when I got back to the office. Had I eaten my whole bowl, it would have been 1690 calories, 53 g fat, and 2310 mg of sodium. Zowie. Again, they have a really big menu with many healthier options, but still. Incidentally, the only reason I went here was because Newton's Noodles was still closed. I blame you, Newton's Noodles and DC inspectors!!! -
Have folks tried Rien Tong which is located where Hope Key used to be? Their menu is half Chinese, half Thai food. We've ordered delivery from them a few times, and we've liked the dishes we've tried so far. I don't know that it would be worth a special trip to go there, but seems like a decent delivery/neighborhood place. I had a crispy fish filet with basil and hot peppers that was still crispy when it arrived, and their kung pao tofu is pretty good. The steamed vegetarian dumplings taste similar to the ones that Meiwah has - which means some may like them (like us), some may not. They have a thicker, doughy shell and the filling has thin noodles, egg, and vegetables.
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Loved Beacon, we got there last winter. We got there as it opened on a Saturday evening, no tables for us either, but the bar was available, and it was the best place to sit, and mingle with the locals. Our waiter had a brother who lived in DC, and loved baseball, so we talked about the Nats and DC. Would highly recommend it, but who knows now that months have gone by, it is probably nothing that special anymore. -
Had a few business related meals and my company's Christmas Party at Hoang's in Falls Church. I'm surprised it hasn't been written about, but I think I understand that. With all the genuine Asian food available all over the Falls Church area, this little restaurant would never really be my first choice. But if I had a "Pan-Asian" choice strictly PF Chang's and Hoang's, I would pick Hoang's in a heartbeat. Add Cafe Asia to the mix and I would pick Cafe Asia for food, Hoang's for atmosphere/ambiance and PF Chang's for service. The food here is credible, not special. The lunchtime menu is a once-over Asia, and the flavors are fresh and bright. But if you have a real hankering for Thai, or Chinese, or Vietnamese, then go to one of the many options available all over Falls Church. -
Didn't give this place a second thought when it opened, thinking "another strip mall sushi place" However, today's review by Eve Zibart in the Post makes it sound like a place definitely worth checking out. -
We visited last night for the first time. Really like it. We were at the bar upstairs, which has a much different look and feel than downstairs. From what I understand you can order food, beer and wine downstairs, but no cocktails. Loved the look and feel of the place upstairs, although it is small. While last night it was not crowded at all, I could see it being a bit tough to navigate on a busy weekend night. They have a good, although for me at times challenging to read cocktail menu, designed around classic drinks. It's hard for me to describe exactly how it's laid out, so just know that it's laid out exactly like this. In addition, on the board behind the bar they had a large section featuring different variations on the daiquiri. I'm not certain, but I believe that they will be changing that up periodically to spotlight a different drink. The drinks were well made, and service was fantastic. On the food, we ordered nearly everything off of the menu, and quite enjoyed it. I preferred the dumplings. In short, this is now, probably, the second best cocktails on H Street (behind the Atlas Room), and a great spot to go to get drinks and some relatively inexpensive food. Happy that they're here.
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