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goodeats

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Everything posted by goodeats

  1. goodeats
    My last post of this morning--I felt I had to share of this special little place before I forget about its details. I cannot remember how I came upon reading about Sakaya, a mom-n-pop-owned store by Rick Smith and his wife, Hiroko Furukawa, but I knew it had to be on my visit list before I left Sunday evening. A super quaint little shop in East Village, its decor and organization are remarkably Japanese in its Zen-like serenity. I could have probably spent an entire afternoon in here, looking at the different bottle sizes, options, price-point, and descriptions. Ever so patient, Hiroko-san asked questions much like a skilled-sommelier with a first-time wine novice: dry vs. sweet, clean vs. fruity, et al. It was a very non-intimidating exchange for this unskilled, novice sake-drinker. I came away with something within my price point (under $15) without feeling like I got a "two-buck chuck." If you are interested in learning more about sake, or already are an expert, I would recommend visiting. They also offer online ordering, although, of course, selection will be restricted on your delivery location and state laws. 324 East 9th Street New York, NY 10003 212.505.7253 (SAKE)
  2. goodeats
    Location and Rates for Tonight - Website with Best-Rate Guarantee Being such a fan of Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan, I had to do whatever I could to go watch their performances before it closed at the end of March. Seeing how this past weekend was the only time I could go, I booked transportation first, but fell short in my usual routes to book accommodations, since the famous art dealer exhibition was at Javits this past weekend as well. So, after TONS of research, I came upon The Bowery House. Depending on weekday or weekend booking, the base price for a shared bunk, with shared bathroom, starts between $55-60, post NYC taxes. This was an exceptionally good deal for me, since my goal was to book for a spot under $100. Sure this is a bit like college dorm days, but the bathrooms were neat, clean, and with really good quality bath soap, shampoo, and conditioner. I ended up getting upgraded to a cabin, thankful for the kindness of the lady who checked me in, since she was uncomfortable with my would-be-bunkmate choice. Although the single cabins are tiny (it is only an arm span's worth of space), the mattress and bedding are clean and comfortable. Really don't need much for weekend travel. The only negatives for these single cabins are there is not much noise-prevention. So, if you are a light sleeper, then I cannot recommend the twin cabins; although I don't know what the others are like. The other bonuses are that they have a nice rooftop garden, a bike rental program, and 24 hour security. You hand your key in every time you leave and pickup upon return. It is located in a fabulously convenient neighborhood, with a Whole Foods about a block away. I walked from the hostel to Chinatown, the Village, and Soho areas with ease. I worked with Christopher (who checked my room out) and Jamie (who upgraded my cabin), so I would ask for them first, if you do call. I am definitely planning on a return trip at some point here.
  3. goodeats
    TOTALLY agree with the review above. And do go to the W 51st location instead of the W 52nd Street location because it is slightly larger than its original location of the latter. A bowl of ramen sets you back about $11-13, iirc, which is pretty reasonable given the portion size. Somewhere along my eating expeditions, I decided the best way to judge ramen was by a restaurant's vegetarian order. This place did not disappoint. The broth was rich, clean, and flavorful. My only disappointment was how chunky the veggies were cut, which made it a bit more difficult to take single bites of. Their other stuff looked good, but seeing how this was my second bowl of ramen for the day (I had a disappointing bowl at another place to be reviewed at a later time), I couldn't stuff anything else. Still cash only. Service is also still quick, efficient, but very friendly.
  4. goodeats
    I recommend the Fried Pork dish. It was really good, except for the salt. I found the two dishes I ordered awhile back was really salty. I had to drink a lot of water afterwards, but otherwise tasty. I also like their plaintains (maduros). I will give this place another try because: a. the portions are pretty big for the price point, b. the price point is pretty affordable for a downtown lunch, and c. they are fast and convenient.
  5. goodeats
    It is true, I'm pretty sure. We like pressed meat, and it's not just a Korean thing. It's cheap, salty, pretty tasty, and goes well with rice. Can't ask for more than that!
  6. goodeats
    All I know is that it isn't really worth renting a car. The buses, mrt, and taxis make it so easy to travel when you're not on foot. Start with Bourdain's recent show, then watch Zimmern's episode, and mix it with some of Eddie Huang's stuff to get a sense of where to go, other than the big night markets.
  7. goodeats
    Bluejay satsuma oranges are just super addicting....
  8. goodeats
    Based on my one visits to Kogiya and HP Annandale, my stomach knows Kogiya used much better meats than HP. I got pretty ill from my one HP visit because the meats were sub-standard. Didn't have this issue with Kogiya post-meal. I have this problem with fish joints too--super fresh or tummy goes on violent protest. Sensitive stomachs are no fun, but at least it tells me which places to avoid, such as HP.
  9. goodeats
    This thread should get more attention. You don't have to order the AYCE option, as their a la carte and combo options are pretty good too. Bibimbap's family and mine had a good time tasting just the Pork combo, a la carte Mild Chicken, Seafood pancake (best one in Annandale right now!), and some Mandu for the li'l cowboys. If anyone else is game for another $20 night here, please let me know. Cause no one should do Korean BBQ solo.
  10. goodeats
    Little man requested Chinese food and the only criterion was to try a "new place," or "somewhere we haven't been before." Seeing this place in the Washington Chinese newspaper recently, I thought this would be a good candidate. Good signs: specials written in Chinese on a white board, mostly Chinese families, busy on Friday night with mostly Chinese families, Chinese families sharing a big round table, fish tanks, lots of clay pots and roast animals on tables, and good-looking roast ducks, chicken, pigs, and porks hanging on a window. Not so good signs: the prices. Little man and I shared: half roast duck ($12.50), stir-fry snow pea shoots ($14.95), vegetarian egg rolls ($2.45), and kingdom style pork chops ($12.95). We had more than half of each entree for leftovers, but even so, I had a little bit of sticker shock. I did really like their rendition of Kingdom Pork Chops. It was nicely sweet and sour, with a nice, slightly crispness to them. Little man's favorite tonight. The pea shoots are out of season, so it was slightly tough, but still good, even if a bit pricey. The duck was fine. I think XO or Golden Hong Kong has a slight edge to this duck. I didn't get to ask any questions about the chef or when they opened, as they were swamped tonight, but little man placed this restaurant in his top-eateries list. So we will be coming back. It is a great option for those living close to here. Taste @ Hong Kong (Ignore the wrong Chinese characters on the website's main page. The ones I used match those shown in the picture.)
  11. goodeats
    I did forget my disclaimer that this is based on one visit, so further visits and tests need to be conducted before definitive conclusion may be made. That and I'm picky, so ymmv.
  12. goodeats
    Wow. I think this place is firing on all cylinders for Cantonese and dim sum cooking, so go! Menu and dim sum scan to be added soon. I don't know if this applies every night, but they offered dim sum from the menu tonight. I would say this place has the best dim sum in this area, based on the places I've tried in both Virginia and Maryland. Chinese name is 金城大飯店 (Golden City Restaurant). Little man, myself, his godmother and family tried it out, both Cantonese and dim sum, and everyone gave it a thumbs up on dishes from both menus. We tried: Three BBQ platter (roast duck, soy sauce chicken, and crispy pig (skin not as crispy, so slightly off, but pork flavor there)) Stir-fry snow pea shoots (very tender) Steamed ginger-scallion flounder (a little over-steamed but straight from the tank and good flavor) Steamed shrimp dumpling/har gow (best in this area) Roast pork bun (didn't try, but little man liked it) Sesame ball (didn't try, but others said it was their favorite) Fried taro dumpling (nicely done, not too oily) Fried glutenous rice dumpling (I liked it, but not as well done as some other places) Fried turnip cake (very nicely done--it had a crispy touch to it that I liked) Chicken feet (others liked the flavor) Shrimp rice noodle (a slight miss only that the rice noodle was a bit flimsy) Spareribs with black bean sauce (very nicely done without too much bean sauce) Good variety, with other options I can't wait to try. But hopefully dim sum will stay this way, so I can come often.
  13. goodeats
    ^ the only thing comes to mind is Chinese celery, which tastes & looks different from its American variety. Marketing?
  14. goodeats
    While I understand the SF is the home base, I found myself laughing when reading Don's post, since there is a beautiful storefront here in Penn Quarter, where he didn't have to travel all those miles to nibble on some glorious and tasty cheese....(Btw, I am not being mean, just thought it was funny.)
  15. goodeats
    Good question, Lydia! I've never had lamb when I went to the night markets, since other tastier things beckoned to me (never enough hours and stomach room to try everything). So I did a search typing in the characters and not a specific dish came up with that exact name. Rather, lamb-based stuff that is sold at night markets showed up, like lamb kabobs, or lamb intestines that were stir-fried, etc. Guess we just need to try it! Maybe a dinner next weekend?
  16. goodeats
    Yikes, I wouldn't know which is which name of the Shopping Centers along Leesburg Pike. They all have the same names, to me. But then again, many folks look the same to me too... She is right - it is called "K Fusion" on the sign of the plaza and the restaurant. But the carry out menu they sent to my house is "Kenji Fusion." My theory is either there wasn't enough space for the Kenji to fit, or they wanted to sound trendier to attract more diners. Thanks for the write-up, Catharine!
  17. goodeats
    As promised, the menu.
  18. goodeats
    Don, a transliteral meaning is: "Top notch (é ‚) Fresh (é®®) Taiwanese Cuisine."
  19. goodeats
    I found out about Bambu on yelp, actually, when I was looking for pho places this past weekend. Since it was a few doors down from Rice Paper and kiddie-corner from Song Que, I thought it was a good time to try. The shop is small, with very minimal seating (a few chairs and benches). The interior is much like a frozen yogurt shop but more zen-like. It just has chè, cold and hot coffee/coffee-based drinks, and smoothies here, which was a great way to end a meal. I got a green bean, grass jelly, coconut milk chè ($4) and it was good, but a tad on the sweet side for me. I would definitely come back to try the other options.
  20. goodeats
    After a chilly 4-inning, coach-pitch baseball game, all little man and I wanted was noodle soup. At first, I wanted pho, but I can't recall where to go for pho at Eden Center (closest to where his game was held), that didn't serve beef stock as their pho base. So, I thought this would be a good place, as the menu is so versatile. I was initially disappointed to find out that the Chicken pho could not be substituted with a non-beef stock, but then the lovely female server directed me to page 11 (see above menu link) to other types of noodle soups. We ended up splitting the Hủ Tiếu hoặc Mí¬ Tí´m Thịt ($8), which was noodles with/without soup and choice of egg or clear noodles with sliced roast pork and shrimp. We chose clear noodles with soup, and it really hit the spot (even with the roast pork slices a bit tough to chew). I am never disappointed here and we left satiated and happy.
  21. goodeats
    I went to the Fairfax location two weekends ago, and found myself envying the items on their menu compared to the Arlington location, as they had more options. I will have to scan the two menus too. Their Pork Cutlet Rice ($12 or $13, I think) was a HUGE portion and lasted three meals, somehow, even with little man helping me. Anywho, the chicken was really good, even after a bit of travel from Fairfax to Arlington. Fairfax is definite a great go-to area now, as I found myself here after a trip to the stores at Mosaic (Target, Mom's Organic, and Red Apron Butchery) District. Hot Spot (Hot pot restaurant) is two doors down from here. Arlington: Fairfax:
  22. goodeats
    The chef and staff all looked familiar, but my experience was a little disappointing. I think, though, it was an off-day, so I will be going back again. The staff was super nice. Definite other worth ordering items are: 1. Stinky tofu (same as the really old, in the former space Bob's 66 taste) 2. Minced Pork Stew over Rice (Taiwanese comfort food) 3. Braised Pork on Rice (also traditional) Stir fry veggies are still the same. KenL's soup is listed as "Four-herb soup." I keep meaning to, but will definitely work on scanning menu tonight. Chinese character for restaurant is: é ‚é®®å°ç£æ–™ç†
  23. goodeats
    Let me know when! Monday will work too.
  24. goodeats
    Little man and I went last night. He was concerned because he heard his first restaurant-related rumor that this place might close if more business doesn't pass through. So, by request, we went. We had lots of fun playing Battleship there--I really like how they have board games available. The food was great as always (fish crispy, not fishy tasting, large portions, et al.), but the rumor is partially right. We were there for about almost 2 hours, and only three tables and one carry out came in, including us. I know it is a Tuesday night, but even TNT side was visibly forlorn. Then I inquired further, and frankly, many of the Pike businesses aren't doing well, even RedRocks, apparently. I think only Tacqueria and Lost Dog are doing well. So, how can we as a community or the area try to help? I really like the fact that this area is building up and it is close by my new place.
  25. goodeats
    Now that my neuro fuzzy is teetering on temperamental, and my sister said she wanted one of these, I decided that I would like one too. Except for the price...
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