dinoue

I had meant to make that comment as well. You don't know bare bones until you've been to our favorite place back in Chicago. That was a hole-in-a-wall and all they did was sushi, but it was soooo good. One thing about Sushi Capitol, the cramped toilet adds a bit of Japanese authenticity as well.

Tried this out last night for the first time. Planned a day at the museums and then take the kids for dinner right at opening. That was a mistake. Their website is incorrect and they don't open till 5:00 though the website says 4:30. Initially their response was sorry, tough luck we f'ed up on the website, wait outside till we open. Then I think they realized not such a good thing to make a family with two young kids wait out in the cold and wind. Of course by then we realized we had to deposit a check so we walked across the street to the ATM. Got back about 10 till and they let us in right away, with a little half hearted apology. Not off to the greatest start. We of course ordered the best they had to offer which was the omakase dinner for two plus a few other things for the kids and us as well. Kids got edamame which turned out to be a very generous sized bowl, hamachi kama, which is by far the best deal with a cost of $8.95 considering a frozen kama from Hana grocery store costs $7-8, and a small plate of sushi with tekka maki, tamago, unagi, and kani kama nigiri. Tekka was a little too tight for my preference which also made it a little difficult for the kids to eat since it was pressed so hard. We also got one of the daily specials of anago shirayaki which was really nice tasting, but way overpriced at $17.95 for perhaps the equivalent of 1/4 of an eel. Everyone thought it tasted great, but not sure I would have paid that much had I known the price when I ordered it. No prices on the daily specials. As for the omakase dinners, first the menu is a little misleading. It describes the omakase as a "chef's choice of sushi, sashimi and rolls." Turned out to be a large selection of nigiri and a hand roll plus a set of three small dishes. The selections for the nigiri were all very good and I would say comparable to the omakase sushi combo at Sushi Taro, also comparable in price, perhaps a little better even as it came with both chutoro and otoro. It was a little heavy on the tuna variations with 4 of the 12 pieces being some variation on tuna, whereas Sushi Taro hits it better on the variety of fish. The three dishes that came out after we had nearly finished the sushi seemed a little out of place in that they consisted of ankimo, eggplant with shaved bonito, and salmon with white miso glaze. If anything, the ankimo should have been served first, before the sushi, and likely the eggplant as well. All three were very good, just seemed a little unusual and the menu didn't indicate anything to the effect that such dishes were to be included. I suspect it was in response to my query about the lack of sashimi, which by then it would have been VERY unusual to send out a sashimi course after the sushi, though it didn't stop Kaz's Sushi Bistro from doing so (we have not been back there since they did that). So while I do question their menu description for the omakase, at least the chef has the common sense not to try to make up for it by doing something very wrong in the normal flow of Japanese dining. Overall, the fish was of exceptional quality and we agreed that if it were closer to where we live, this would rank high on our regular dining locations. We asked our daughter which she preferred between Sushi Capitol and Sushi Taro, which she chose not to answer as the waiter leaned in to hear her answer. I think she has a future in politics. It was not cheap as for the four of us (2 adults and 2 kids) we ended up over $200, but I would say we got our money's worth, with the exception of the anago, and of course the kani kama nigiri, though I knew that when I ordered it. Space is definitely an issue as I was sitting on the wall side of our table and felt very cramped. Also, it became very clear that you need a reservation to eat here on a Saturday night. Several people tried walking in and were turned away. Definitely a place for anyone looking for good quality sushi at a fair price. And definitely get the hamachi kama for $8.95.

Was wondering about that. Drove by Thursday evening and it looked dark.

Sushi Taro is running a deal right now open for a few more days. Good only on certain days and early in the evening or last seating so I'm guessing they are just trying to even out the service flow through out the night and week. I think they used to do Savored too and only had slots early in the evening or for the last seating. Sure hope it's not a bad sign...

Not sure if it was related to the one up in Ithaca, NY, but the lentil chili brought back memories of college. The one in Ithaca also had the decadent desserts as well.

Drove by on my way back from the football game, Go Bucks!, and there is a sign that says "now open." This could be very bad for my waistline.

Just came across this about proposed new yakitori, apparently named Yakitori, and sushi restaurants headed by Koji Terano in Georgetown. Perhaps it has been reported here, and I missed it but can't find anything and can't believe this news slipped by all of us for over a month. "Pair Of Japanese Restaurant Set To Locate On Wisconsin" by Katie Pearce on thegeorgetowndish.com "Sushi Won't Displace Salon At Wisconsin Avenue Site" by Katie Pearce on thegeorgetowndish.com

Oh, and you probably already know this, or at least your sister probably does, but with kids, it's best to go right at 5:00/5:30 when the restaurant opens. It's usually less crowded so fewer people to bother and kitchen is able to get stuff out quicker, and of course, you get the kids home earlier for bedtime. We've used this strategy to take the kids to some pretty nice restaurants. Another place that might not be too hard to get to is Jackie's in Silver Spring. Go straight up N Capitol to Blair and then GA Ave and it shouldn't take more than 15-20 min. We went there a few weeks ago for the first time in a long time and really enjoyed our dinner. Still need to post on it here, but much improved over the past year. They have a space in the back which is a little secluded from the main dining room.

On H St we often took our then infant daughter to Granville Moores and Argonaut, before Argonaut had the fire. We used to live a lot closer to that area and since moving to NW haven't really been in a while. Did take kids to Toki a few weeks ago for lunch and there was an infant there with a couple. I probably wouldn't go there with a large group though. Haven't been to Dino's new place, but the old was always very child welcoming. Seki might work well too. We take our kids now 2 and 5 there fairly often. With a 4 month old, there's a good chance they will be sleeping in their car seat for much of the meal, so that opens a lot of possibilities as they can just sit next to the table if sleeping. That first six months is actually kind of a sweet spot where you can still eat out while the baby sleeps. It's once they start waking for longer periods and start eating solid foods that it becomes more difficult. Of course every baby is different.

Anyone have any new info on the Lancaster area? Going up to Strasburg to do a train weekend in a couple weeks for the kids and want to try something beyond the all you can eat, though we'll probably do that at least once too.

KeithA, that is exactly what should be happening, whole fish get cut into the fillets as you should see displayed in the case. Unfortunately, a lot of chefs think they can gain some efficiency in speed by pre-cutting the pieces for the nigiri as well which in my opinion degrades the quality of the fish with little gain in speed of preparation.You don't want to be eating a piece of that pre-cut nigiri stuff at 10:00 at night, or even worse, hope they don't re-use unused pieces the next day. Another practice that annoys me is chefs who wrap their makisu with plastic wrap so rice doesn't stick. Makes it easier to do inside out rolls, but awful for doing traditional maki with the nori on the outside.

Having worked as a sushi chef to pay my way through grad school, it is definitely not good standard practice to pre-cut the fish. That said, it has become common practice at many restaurants. It will dry out quickly when cut like that. Also if it's not used after having been pre-cut, it's probably going to end up in the spicy tuna the next day. I personally don't think there is that much of a speed factor gained by pre-cutting unless you're doing huge quantities and a place like Kaz is not doing that high of volume for the number of seats in there. As Don notes, for catered events, it is often pre-cut, but not the night before. I would go in to the restaurant a few hours before leaving for the event to prep everything, and even then, it depended on the event. Sometimes we would cut per order for smaller events.

I've also been to Yasaka and found it to be good quality sushi at a reasonable price. I tend to go for simple traditional sushi, none of the creative rolls. Ate at the Sushi Gari location across the street from the Nat History Museum and felt it was good, but not worth the premium they charge. Every trip for us to NYC includes a meal at Inakaya because we took our daughter there when they did a tuna carving so now it's her favorite place to eat up there. They have good set menus which are reasonable, but my father remarked that not only is the restaurant modeled after the Japanese originals, but so are the prices. Also agree that the yakitori places are good options for good Japanese food, though unfortunately often do not take reservations, which is problematic with kids in tow.

Should be easier since ABC board lifted the moratorium on new liquor licenses in Adams Morgan today.

Is closed From their website: To our wonderful patrons and ramen lovers, we're sad to announce that Taan Noodles has closed. Thank you for all your support over the last couple of years. We will miss the wonderful community of Adams Morgan.

Haven't been back to Columbus in years, but if you want casual, City BBQ was always really good BBQ. No sauce needed since the meat was so good. Sides left much to be desired though. We'll be making the drive to Cincinnati on Thurs night, and our daughter now expects a breakfast stop at White Castle as we exit off I-71 just before pulling into my mom's Fri AM.

I've never called it Chinatown since moving here from Chicago 13 years ago. It's always been China-block. And at least back then there was a Chinese grocery on H St. I think that's where Vapiano's is now.

Been closed a while. Here's the plans for what's going in.

Ate at the Ellicott City location tonight and absolutely loved it. Started with the edamame for the kids and it was a decent size portion for $5. The pajun was a little weird in that it was a LOT of white onions. It was nice and crispy and our son had 1 1/2 slices. As for the chicken, we got strips for the kids (and the rest of us) in soy garlic and 40 wings split between hot and soy/garlic. Damn these were hot, but it is a nice burn, a very straight heat where you just taste the hot pepper unlike buffalo wings where there's the butter and vinegar. And of course the crispiness lived up to its reputation. I think this is what Hooters fried hot wings wish they could be. The soy garlic has a nice flavor to it, though it's really hard to tell after torching my mouth with the hot wings, though I did have a piece of one of the tenders before the wings came. There was a little too much sweetness for me to the sauce. Would prefer more of a straight soy/garlic flavor, maybe more like bulgogi marinade? When Pollo Campero came to the area, everyone was raving about how great it was, then when I tried it I was really underwhelmed. This lived up to all the hype and certainly is in a different class of fried chicken. I don't know what size drums they use since we didn't get any. Sorry.

Unfortunately our cake maker is moving to San Diego for a couple years due to her husband being stationed on a ship out of there, but she is around for another month or so and hopefully back in a couple years. My wife's birthday cake is the one in the March16 post.

Oh ,and of course Hopkins if they want to go to Baltimore, though they could also go to Sibley which is part of the Hopkins network, though the specialists would likely be in B'more.

I'm confused. Did he get the typhoid vac in response to illness? Vaccines need to be given prior to exposure, after exposure, would likely need antibiotics or an anti viral medication. I would think GW hospital might be the best option due to their fairly reputable school of public health which often has some specialist(s) in tropical disease if typhoid is the illness in question.

For me it was hanging out in my grandparents chop suey restaurant on the south side of Chicago. I would help out with packing rice cartons and such and my grandmother always cooked stuff for me, especially my favorite pepper steak. I remember once asking for eggs for breakfast and getting egg foo young. Also there was going to Chinatown and not wanting to eat Chinese food. I was a fussy eater as a kid and only liked steak and potatoes so my grandmother would always make sure that we had what was called Hong Kong steak for family banquets so that I would eats something. I would kill now to get some of the other stuff I refused to eat back then. Also grew up with both parents doing cooking. Whenever we had Japanese food, my dad would do the cooking as well as for standards such as Saturday chicken noodle soup which culminated in sitting around the table pulling chicken meat and skin off the carcass used for the broth and eating it right off the bone with salt and pepper. About as simple but pure a taste you can get.

Silver Spring location is "closed for renovations" according to sign on door. No target re-open date posted. Store is pretty much cleaned out and no apparent work being done.

Decided to try this out tonight since they have a Happy Hour sushi deal of $1/piece. he selection of the $1 pieces is actually quite extensive including maguro, hamachi, sake, unagi, tako, ika, and more. Generally fish was pretty good, though the tuna looked like it had been frozen as it had a bit of an off color to it. The rice tended a little more towards the sweet side of what I like relative to the amount of vinegar. The technique on most pieces was surprisingly good. The rice had the right amount of stickiness vs falling apart. It was quite the contrast to Ikko sushi where we ate a few weeks ago with friends and the nigiri was like eating rice balls. There was however some inconsistency in the size of the nigiri rice. Some pieces had a nice small amount of rice, but others seemed overly large. The unagi and anago sauces were overly sweet. For appetizers, we got gyoza, takoyaki and edamame. The gyoza were interesting, though I don't think I would call them gyoza in the Japanese sense. They were good fromthe perspective of being dumplings, but they had edamame in the filling and the sauce was again an overly sweet soy based dipping sauce. The takoyaki were OK, but cold barely tell there was any tako inside. Suspect these might have been frozen. We had tea to drink with the dinner though beer prices are pretty good with Sam Adams available for only $3/bottle. Generally for the sushi, the technique seems to be pretty good on how well it was prepared, but the fish could use some improvement in quality. For $1/piece happy hour, it's OK, but we still ended up spending $70 on our dinner for 2 adults and a 5 yr old and 2 yr old. I'd recommend staying away from the other "Japanese" dishes, unless your expectations are not for truly "Japanese" style foods. For example I noticed on the menu that Sukiyaki had a hot pepper next to it. I cannot imagine any iteration of sukiyaki being spicy.