Ootek1

Miso Cafe in Annandale also has an okonomiyaki on the menu. I've only had it there once, so I cannot speak to consistency, but it was very tasty when I had it, if a bit on the smaller side. I've had Okonomiyaki previously in Japan and in Hawaii. I would say the Miso version is lighter tasting/less dense than is probably traditional, but it really hit the spot and satisfied my craving from a flavor perspective. They also had takoyaki on the menu, but I did not try them. One thing to keep in mind is that most okonomiyaki places have multiple varieties of okonomiyaki with different fillings. The few places serving it up here seem to only have one. I'd be pretty happy to find a great okonomiyaki place here, but I'd also happily settle for someone doing teppanyaki garlic shrimp like they do at Chibo Okonomiyaki in Honolulu.

Even better info! Thanks guys. : )

A group of 10 of us is planning on heading to Hollywood East for dim sum this Sunday. Assuming we want to be there for the first seating (they open at 10:00), how early do we actually need to be there? Will there be a long line already gathered to get in, or would we be fairly safe to arrive actually fairly close to 10? I'd rather not get there at 10 and find that I have to wait a full cycle before tables open up again... Thanks in advance for any info!

Very excited to hear that Acqua al 2 has opened up in DC. I've eaten at the Florentine original a number of times and at its San Diego spin-off once while visiting my brother. Frankly, I think the restaurant is stalking my family... but I am happy to have such a delicious stalker. Hopefully, I'll get to our DC branch soon, but I tend to think you are better off using the pasta sampler as a means to identify which of their pastas you like, because some of them could be really good, but some were just mediocre. The star of the menu, though, is the filet in either the balsamic reduction or the blueberry sauce. I started out a firm believer in the superiority of the balsamic and came around over time to recognize the greatness of the blueberry. There's just nothing like it... and I can hardly wait to have it again now that it is in my backyard. (Not literally. That would make for a huge backyard.) I'll put up a report on how this one compares to the original after I get a little firsthand experience with the new Acqua al 2.

As someone else noted, Hard Times does have surprisingly good buffalo wings. I'm pretty sure the best buffalo wings I've had around DC, though, were the ones at Rhodeside Grill in Arlington. They also have some tasty honey-pepper wings, but the buffalo wings seem pretty worthwhile to me. I should probably point out that I am not in any way a Buffalonian (Buffaloon?).

This sounds fantastic - please put me on the list. Question: I have a couple friends who are not yet DR members who would like to come along for this. Do they need to sign up for DR first, or can they comes along as guests? Also: what time does this get started? --M. Berman