TheMatt

Just now, Ericandblueboy said:

Went to the new location today.  A sign says they no longer have hot water.  So no hot tea.  They give everyone a bottle of water instead.  I was with the kids and we just had some seafood pancakes, bulgogi and chicken noodle soup.  Everything was good, but nothing really stood out.

Yeah, I went there a week or so ago and noticed the same thing. So...weird. I mean, I can't imagine bori cha is crazy expensive or labor intensive. And then bottled water must be more expensive than just...tap.

Indeed, I've tried many a times to duplicate the A&J cucumbers...and I keep failing. Too hot, too mild, too much garlic, too little, etc., etc.

They are just too addictive! One of these days, maybe!

Dang. That’s sad. To Sok Jip was a monthly visit for me. I hope they can rebuild. 
 

Went back to Taiwan Cafe this afternoon with my parents. We once again got our two standbys: tomatoes and eggs, and cabbage with garlic. This visit, however, was prompted by my mom reading an article about their three-cup chicken. So we got that, and it was good! Maybe the best rendition I've had in the area. Though I have to say, it's a bit "exciting" when you bite into some ginger without expecting it. 

1 hour ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

I have driven back and forth past the block on many occasions without stopping in. Today I stopped in, and I'm not likely to pass it by so frequently in the future.

My previous go-to banh mi sandwiches were always DC Sandwich in Falls Church and Le Bledo in Springfield. Both are very good. But the char siu pork banh mi with added egg and a side of fries from Balo was spectacular. I will return many times for that sandwich. It survived about an 8-mile trip home while retaining its deliciousness and texture, and Lady Kibbee devoured the near-perfect fries when I arrived home. 

As if that wasn't enough, the combination dumplings from Bold Dumpling at the next stall over also survived the trip and was a nice treat. A lovely meal all around. 

Worth the detour to Annandale.

I won't say Balo Kitchen does everything perfectly, but the dishes they do well, they do *very* well. I'm a fan of their chicken nuggets!

Mmm. Pandan soft serve sounds good to me!

7 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

Anyone have a good carry-out/delivery experience from any of the Ethiopian restaurants in Arlington/Alexandria/Falls Church area?

I've had good experiences getting carry-out with Enat a few times over the last few months. I always get the vegetarian combination and get food enough for two meals. Here's a pic of what I get:

I think there were two little containers of shiro in this. I don't mind that though as I like shiro. Everything else was unique. 

I also had a good experience with Sora Market as well, but I tend to stick with Enat.

3 hours ago, hopsing said:

Looks like it's in Falls Church and not Vienna.  Thanks for the tip!

Huh. You are right. I guess I just think of that area as Vienna...incorrectly. Not sure how to change the title...

I didn’t see a topic here on it, so I thought I’d make one. Namely, I’ve visited Bing & Bao (https://www.bingandbao.com) a couple times and so far, I like what I’ve had.

It’s a small joint specializing in, as the name says, jianbing and baozi. Each time I’ve gone, I’ve gotten pretty traditional jianbing (second time, a two-egg one because...egg good) and I’ve been satisfied each time. one can definitely fill you up!

I also tried the veggie bao and thought it was good, but the main attraction for me is the jianbing. From what I can tell they use the mung bean and millet batter that I’ve always liked the best in the limited amount of jianbing I’ve tried. (I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than me can inform me on what part of China that is common in.)

It’s located in the Idylwood Plaza center with the Whole Foods just south of the Beltway on 7. I recommend stopping by if you are in the neighborhood and trying it out. 

2 hours ago, ziv said:

Fried Turkey slices w home fries and eggs. 

The best breakfast!

I pretty much get the same thing when I've gone to B&E: turkey and eggs. Not turkey sausage, mind you, but turkey. As in deli sandwich slices of turkey griddled on the griddle.

I forgot to make a post about this last weekend. Odd considering it was one of the first dining out I'd done in a while.

To wit, I was in Annandale thinking of getting a crazy Korean corn dog at Siroo Juk Story when I saw a new restaurant in the old Blue Sand Seafood spot: The Stone Tofu House (website, Instagram). The are nominally a soondubu jjigae (spicy soft tofu stew) joint with the added bonus that they apparently make their own tofu everyday. That would put them one up on Annandale stalwart Lighthouse Tofu (which I'm pretty sure does not).

Now it being a zillion degrees, I didn't do "regular" soondubu but I did try curry soondubu which was new to me. And it was good and different. Not as spicy and I'm a fan of curry, so thumbs up from me.

Unlike Lighthouse, though, The Stone seems to have a much more comprehensive/varied menu. They have a few more odd flavors of soondubu (like curry and jjajang), intestines, and even biji jjigae which is made with the pulp leftover from making tofu. Beyond that, many dishes including some focused on tofu that I'd like to try sometime (though it'd probably be better/easier with more people).

As for COVID awareness, since it was newly open and early in the day, I was definitely separated from the few other diners. All the servers wore gloves and masks as well as it should be.

1 hour ago, ktmoomau said:

A lot of the Asian companies/ shippers don't ship items that may melt during certain times of the year when it is a long journey. 

I think for the moment it’s due to the fact that there is so little passenger traffic that it’s not cost effective to use air shipping. But, yes, shipping chocolate  in summer is wary at any time!

I was going to suggest online through omgjapan which has things like this variety box, but it looks like Japan Post isn't shipping to the US at the moment (at least by air).

The two places that first come to mind are Hana Market in DC and Maruichi Grocery in Rockville. The are the two Japanese markets I can think of. 
 

The other place is that candy store in Tysons Corner Center...Lollipops? Something like that. They have weird candy from all over, but not sure if anything in the mall is open. 

I'm a fan of "fast casual" salads, so much of my feelings are based on those places.

I agree with Cava. You get their Splendid Greens (or whatever it's called) with roasted veggies and you have a good meal. And yeah, SweetGreen is good, but prices go up fast! I have always like Chopt as well. I like their Mexicali Vegan for its flavor. And, actually, one of my favorite salads is back at Panera Bread: their strawberry poppyseed salad. Now that I can buy that dressing in store, I often use it to make my own salads.

Beyond that, I think there's a True Food Kitchen in Bethesda, and I've always liked their salads when I've had them. Not really fast casual like the others, but often "fancier" salads.

ETA: I forgot that most poke places will do a poke bowl with salad greens instead of rice. And to me that's just a salad with some fish on top. I'm sure Bethesda has quite a few places as it's a trendy food.

I do like cheeses and I've been eating on a wheel of Cougar Gold for a while, so a change would be nice.

FYI, Clarity has gone full take out like many places. If you visit their website, you'll see the menu for the current day. The focaccia pizza sounds nice to me, though I think his thought that a quarter sheetpan serves 3-4 is a bit optimistic.

I'm hoping I might be able to go by later this week.  

5 hours ago, deangold said:

Just want to gauge the interest in a dinner here. Probably under $30 per person. The menu will be pre selected with a balance of spicy and milder dishes. But if you are not into hot, garlic etc, this is not the best place for you. If there is general interest I will post an event in the events section

I'd be interested depending on date/time!

5 hours ago, deangold said:

Just want to gauge the interest in a dinner here. Probably under $30 per person. The menu will be pre selected with a balance of spicy and milder dishes. But if you are not into hot, garlic etc, this is not the best place for you. If there is general interest I will post an event in the events section.

I'd be up for it, depending on day/date/time.

Yeah, Miso is a fun, good little place. I like to get the cold soba noodles combo with...well, whichever katsu I feel like. 

On 2/9/2020 at 5:05 PM, deangold said:

turnip cake cubes deep fried w/xo sauce: I think this is their hallmark dish and it is WAAAAYYYYY better when split 7 ways than 2. It is a dense, richly flavored dish. The XO is a rumble of finely crumbled dried shrimp & other dried seafood, black bean, red pepper, soy and more but it really isn't a sauce as much as a crumble topping. Someone at the table could't stop spooning up the last of the XO!

I think these are best when split 0 ways and I eat an entire order myself.

Dekopon season again! HMart was even pushing the Jeju Hallabong (Korean name for the fruit) tea. I tried it but it was like hot orange water compared to the my favored honey citron tea (yuja cha).

Another place to look for them is Safeway. I think Whole Foods (as usual) is the most expensive, but Safeway seemed to be a better price.

@Ericandblueboy Since that is President's Day Weekend, I believe I can make it. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to (I wake up at 4:30 am for work, so I go to bed early), but since I have Monday off, I think I can do it!

I'd be interested depending on the date.