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hapatite

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Everything posted by hapatite

  1. hapatite

    Hopefully this sweet guy will be coming home with us in May! #adoptdontshop he currently h… https://t.co/CWXc8xraO3 https://t.co/kXj5hWYE85

  2. hapatite
    I got my vanilla bean paste at Home Goods. I used it to make some marshmallows in the holidays and the difference was quite noticeable, in a good way!
  3. hapatite
    [Source]
  4. hapatite
    Caffe Amouri is my favorite stop if I'm going out to the 'burbs. The staff is incredibly nice and their coffee is always *delicious*.
  5. hapatite
    I also use an Aeropress. Used to use a delonghi espresso maker, but the Aeropress is just as good without all the fuss.
  6. hapatite
    Caffe Aficionado is my favorite coffee place in the area. They have almond milk and great well balanced lattes. The staff is always friendly as well. I heard that they are opening another location in the Watergate, which doesn't help me but I'm glad for them! I do wish they were open on Sundays for my own selfish reasons.
  7. hapatite
    When I lived in Clarendon, I would go to South Block almost every day on the way to work. I appreciate the fact that they carry alternative milks and when they first opened they used Intelligentsia coffee.
  8. hapatite
    I love this place, and I loved Coffeesmith (same location). The coffee is always really good, I just wish they advertised their latte flavors! I heard they have a rose latte?
  9. hapatite
    I went here with a group of friends and had the following: Lucy Cocktail Sparking Sake Pork Buns Fried Chicken Tuna Poke Uni Waffle Venison Heart Tartare Tonkotsu Ramen Miso Apple Panna Cotta Yona Puffs I echo the sentiment others have shared here that the small plates are much better than the ramen. The ramen (I tried the Miso Porky and had the Tonkotsu myself) was incredibly salty. At other ramen places I can't finish the whole bowl and I was able to finish this one after having several small plates so the portion size is also smaller. I couldn't drink too much of the broth after the noodles had been finished because of the salinity. The drinks were nothing special, even though they sounded great on paper. The pork buns and fried chicken were typical menu items that you could find other alternatives for at places like Dak Chicken or Bon Chon. Tuna Poke was plain and underseasoned; I know they can season food because the Venison Heart Tartare was seasoned the way a poke should be! In fact, the venison heart was my favorite savory item of the night. I don't care for uni, but the waffle helped to soak up the strong flavors of the sea urchin and the salted fish spread and make the bite more balanced. Miso Apple panna cotta was forget-able but the yona puffs filled with yuzu cream were absolutely delicious. Tart, crunchy, creamy, and just the right amount of sweetness to end the meal. Because of the price and underwhelming ramen, I'll probably just go there for small bites to start off an evening of eating or drinking elsewhere. Bummer, because I live across the street!
  10. hapatite
    The history of Hawai'i is a very sad one (I encourage you to watch the movie Princess Kaʻiulani). Hawai'i was a self-governing nation that was forced to be a Hawaiian territory. Their existing monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani, was imprisoned in the upstairs room of 'Iolani Palace and abdicated her throne in exchange for the release and commutation of death sentences of her supporters. Hawai'i never wanted to be part of the United States. This can be easily seen when Alaska and Hawai'i celebrated their 50 year anniversary of joining the USA. Alaska celebrated and Hawai'i ignored it. My grandmother remembers being in high school at the time that Hawai'i became a state. It came as an announcement over the PA system. In '93 President Clinton signed the Apology Resolution: Although the histories of Native Hawaiians and Native Americans are significantly different, there is still a widely held perception that Native Hawaiians have received similar kinds of unfair treatment from the U.S. Government as Native Americans. The Apology Bill is thus seen as a means of acknowledging historical grievances that they believe are valid. Some also see it as a step towards identifying Native Hawaiians as an indigenous people to preserve for them specific legal rights based on ancestry; some also see it as the beginning of a process to provide compensation or reparation to native Hawaiians for alleged past injustices.
  11. hapatite
    Thanks for the recommendations @Gary Tanigawa and @JoshNE. Bouchon is too expensive I think. Aloha Specialties is on the bookmarked list! I was looking at Raku but was leaning against small plates since my dad and brother can put away a lot of food and that could add up quickly ($$$) though could be cheaper for lunch. The Raku Sweets place looks like a great place to go for a snack! I also like that they carry Lupicia teas. Are there any good *dim sum* places in LV?
  12. hapatite
    I looked at Rick Steves but it seems a bit too intense for my mother. She can't be lugging her bags up several flights of stairs or going on hikes. She doesn't like Indian food, so I might need to just get her some fish and chips and then sneak some Indian food into the hotel! I was looking at Disney tours because the hotels are nice and they do a nice job of the educational "fun" things and have the outing to Stonehenge, but $7k (not including airfare) is a little rich for my blood! It is a lot of work to plan when you're the only planner. I'm going to Vegas this weekend with a jaunt out to the Grand Canyon. I've never been to Vegas and we're only going for a week but it was difficult to plan with picky eaters! I was able to make a list of about 50 places that I would be happy going to (4+ stars, not too expensive) so we won't be forced into the I'm-starving-lets-eat-this-horrible-$13-freezer-pizza-from-the-hotel regrets. That's basically my family every time we go to Florida (Cracker Barrel, Panera, Chik-fil-a, and freezer meals from Walmart). If I try to force my family (read:mom) to eat something more adventurous, they'll starve and complain. I'll be interested to know if anyone has had any good tour experiences. I've only heard negative things except from my Grandparents but they go on old peoples' tours. I think I'd freak out not being in control, but who knows?
  13. hapatite
    I'm thinking of taking my mother to London for her birthday next year, but I don't know where to start. She is very picky but would like doing the touristy things like double-decker bus, harry potter studio, gordon ramsay restaurant, etc. She hasn't been overseas before so I was leaning towards a pre-planned tour with a bit of free time but they seem either too jam packed (most time spent on buses shuttling between locations) or too expensive. Has anyone had a good experience with any arrangements? I could always plan it from scratch, especially if it's a shorter trip, but I've never been to Europe and would be completely overwhelmed. TIA
  14. hapatite
    Heading to Vegas this Friday for my Dad's birthday celebration. All he wanted for his birthday was to visit the Grand Canyon and go to Vegas. My tastes are more in-line with my father's but the other people in my family are much pickier. Because of this, I need to go places that will appeal to everyone and aren't just sushi/japanese/etc. My mom will only eat chicken or steak. So far I have: - Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill - Treasure Island Buffet (free with our hotel, though the reviews are so bad I'm considering passing) - HoneySalt - Roy's (didn't like the San Francisco one, but the LV one has much better reviews) - Some sort of Hawaiian b/c my dad is from HI and has been jonesin' for some - Lunch @ Giada I'm wondering if there are any good coffee places, and if there are places that we can go to to or from the Grand Canyon. I'd like to try Raku, e, or some of the other high-end restaurants, but I would just hear complaining from those with simpler palettes (no poke I guess!) I'm pretty much resigned to not eat well while we're in the Grand Canyon, which is ok.
  15. hapatite
    ^^ China Chilcano! Our meal was bad there, so we didn't get to stay for dessert. Long waits for dishes and 2 things were sent back.
  16. hapatite
    I went two weeks ago and enjoyed everything. They were quite busy and it's a bit awkward of a layout. The line starts at the end of the retail space, but you can surpass the line and get drinks at the bar, but if you want to eat you need to get back in line! We had the pork buns, pickled vegetables, and tawainese fried chicken. The chicken was great but it's served on bread. I like how the bread gets soggy and sops up the sauce, but some people don't like soggy things texture-wise (ahem, my husband), so it's off-putting for some. I also had a mala colada which was a frozen coconut drink made with sichuan peppercorn -- perfect balance of sweet and savory and very refreshing. The deep, minimalist, mix-use space reminds me of a lot of places in LA that I visited recently on Abbot Kinney blvd. It's refreshing and I haven't seen a location quite like it in DC.
  17. hapatite
    I tried Zenebach yesterday and I really liked it. It was a nice spice level and the greens and cabbage were great, but I like Hawwi in Alexandria better. They're about the same price but I like the texture and flavor of the meat better at Hawwi. You can also control your spice level because of the chopped pepper served on the side. The decor is nicer at Dama, but the price is literally two times that of Zenebach and Hawwi, and you can't get a combo! So you're only getting one meat where you can get 2 or 3 meats with the other places, and vegetables.
  18. hapatite
    I have been wondering about this place because it is close to where we live. I've heard mixed reviews and it doesn't have that great of feedback on Yelp. It seems like it might be better to go for brunch than dinner service?
  19. hapatite
    I dropped by here tonight for dinner and was very happy with my experience! (P.S. Loved the music selection & the fact Cartoon Network was on the TV). The decor inside is a brighter, larger, and friendlier version of what is at Rogue 24 (can't wait to see the rooftop!). We had: - Bread Basket $6 but all of the breads are made in-house. The lard one was my favorite and we may have accidentally received 2 of these instead of the cornbread, but I wasn't complaining. Served with slices of room temperature butter with large flakes of salt. - Fried Chicken Skins These were addictive-ly yummy. They were crunchy without being too greasy and the sauce was sweet with a hit of spice at the end. The whole platter of calamari-like chicken skin chips were devoured immediately. - Short Rib with Chow Chow Per the server's recommendation (and warning that it had sold out previously), we ordered the short rib. I was surprised that it was moist but not fatty and that it didn't immediately send me back to my pot roast days as a child. The acidic vegetables were the perfect tang to cut through the richness of the meat. - Stephen Stills (Toasted Coconut/Fresno/Lime/Ginger Ale/Thai Basil) To be honest, this was a really nice spicy ginger ale with basil. I didn't pick up on the toasted coconut or fresno, but it was refreshing to have some gourmet non-alcoholic beverage choices from the Cheftender. - Lemon Sponge Cake & Blackberry & Spruce Great but TOO small! I was done with this in 2 bites and wish I had at least 2 more. I'm glad that this restaurant has joined the Mosaic District and I can't wait to go back, especially for brunch!
  20. hapatite
    I LOVE kukicha. I've only seen one place that sells it, House of Steep (called "Twig Tea" there).
  21. hapatite
    Also, I don't know how I feel about this, but I read an article recently that talked about all the chemicals and pesticides in teas and tea bags. I already drink mostly loose leaf teas, but I purchased some bleach/chlorine free paper tea bags for tea-sharing. I was really shocked to find out that some major brands, including those sold at Whole Foods & MOMs, tested high for pesticides or unnatural additives (Yogi, I'm looking at you). They didn't test some of the other teas I drink (Harney & Sons / Lupicia), but I do have Teavana, Liption, Yogi, Trader Joe's, Twinnings, Tazo, and Tea Forte in my cupboard. Some others might not believe this article or care about the findings, so I thought swapping these teas might be better than just throwing them away.
  22. hapatite
    I agree, I like the variety of flavor and caffeine levels that tea gives you. I made a resolution to switch to 100% tea last year, but... then I got an espresso machine for Christmas. Since I have over 100 different types of teas, I resolved to drink through all of my teas before buying anymore and thought a swap would be a good way to accomplish 2 things at once.
  23. hapatite
    Even though donburi is easy to make at home (unlike ramen), I'm excited about checking this out since I miss non-ramen Japanese comfort food (which I've only seen at Temari in Rockville). It's also an excuse for me to try out the new bakery, Sugar Daddy's, up the street.
  24. hapatite
    Everytime I go back, we only order from the Laotian menu -- it just looks more tasty for some reason. I want to keep trying more dishes, but I keep levitating back to the same dishes. I do like the watercress salad (it DOES remind me of Rasika's palak chaat!), but the crispy rice salad is definitely my favorite. That's great to know that they do tasting menus with a week's notice. I can't believe that I've lived this close to BG for so long and just recently discovered it. It's definitely my new go-to fix. Has anyone tried the lunch buffet?
  25. hapatite
    Hi fellow food (and hopefully tea) lovers! In an effort to keep my tea stash rotating and to try new teas, I looked around for tea swaps that I could participate in. The few I found seem to be inactive or strict about membership requirements. After polling facebook friends, I decided to create one myself! A Tea Swap is a great way to try new teas, clean out your cupboard, re-discover teas you own, and meet new people. It's also a great piece of snail mail during this digital age. Who doesn't love coming home to a surprise in a mailbox? Using Foodie Penpals as inspiration for the framework, this is how it will work. (This process may change and evolve over time). - Fill out the Tea Swap Participation form by the end of the month to be included in the next month. - Each month the form will reset so you'll need to sign up again. - You will be informed of your Tea Penpal via e-mail (you get a new buddy each time you participate). Please reach out to your penpal and get their mailing address as well as any specific preferences they may have. - Send out your Tea Penpal Package by the 15th of the following month (February 15th in this case). - Your package should consist of: ----- At least two (2) different types of teas {or} ----- At least four (4) servings of tea ----- Something handwritten (this can be a note, an explanation of the tea, a recipe idea, etc) ----- Hint: ask your penpal if they prefer loose-leaf ("naked") teas, or tea bags If you have a website, twitter, or even instagram account, feel free to share the love using #teaswap, #teapenpal, or #sipdown Information on signing up can be found here (sign up will close Jan 31st) http://hapatite.com/tea-swap/
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