Sunday, August 15, 2010

Foodie Log 20, date August 15, 2010

i believe gom ba woo is best known for sulrangtang (#1 under "rice dishes") - they certainly make it well - it's a very homey dish to me - add a little bit of salt, a heap of rice and don't forget the kimchi! yum-umm-mmmmmm!

still, i'm not always feeling the need for homey and thankfully, gom ba woo does a lot of other things well - everything under the appetizers section is good - i'm a fan of the steamed dumplings or the seafood & scallion pancakes

for shareable dishes, look to the "side dish" section - i really enjoy the kimchi jae yuk bookum (#5 under "side dish") - you have to like kimchi for this since it's pork cooked with kimchi and there's no avoiding the taste ... if you like beef and want something on the healthier side, try the soo yuk (#2 under "side dish") - steamed beef that comes with shredded green onion and lettuce

this last time my family and i were there, an older american couple came in consulting their copy of the washingtonian - that was nice to see (people trying something out of their comfort zone) - it looked like they ordered whatever was recommended in the magazine (they pointed out the dish in the magazine to the waitress) - hopefully they enjoyed their meal and will go back to try other things!

Stats,
Gom Ba Woo, next to the Giant in Annandale
there is only one bathroom - surprisingly clean for a place that often caters to the bar crowd and bachelors (i always see men dining by themselves regardless of the time of day)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Foodie Log 19, date August 14, 2010

an unassuming thai restaurant in one of the corners of sully plaza - which i generally try to stay away from - the parking lot always seems too small with way too many cars and pedestrians

they have such a great variety for their lunch special ($8.95) - an entree with a soup, salad or spring rolls. i liked the chicken lemongrass soup - not the best i have had, but good enough. the salad comes with a peanut dressing which has a nice zest to it.

we got the curry puffs - good amount of stuffing with a nice flaky crust (i hate it when it's a piddly amount of stuffing - i mean, i realize it's an appetizer, but i want to feel like i'm getting bang for my buck! then again, large portions do lead to other large-issues ...)

got my usual chicken pad thai - i liked that they put the crushed peanuts all on one side - i hate it when they sprinkle it throughout. it was quite good -- not great enough that i would go out of my way for this particular pad thai

hubs had the panang chicken which he really enjoyed - although even that was about average

it's a great deal for good food. if i go back, i may try their thai tapas - only available on sat & sun

Stats:
Sila Thai, Sully Plaza
nice restroom (single for each gender) in the back of the restaurant, although weirdly slightly warm ... the fan comes on when you turn the light on. they also have a baby changing station - aka, bag holder - which i appreciate :-D

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Foodie Log 18, date August 8, 2010

the following is a journey through the local cupcake scene - it's in order of my favorites to not-so-muchs ...

Safeway, many locations throughout the region
i know, a grocery store cupcake? but they are really good - as in, they were part of the wedding-good! (they made the cupcake frosting to match our wedding colors - super nice!)
you can't beat the convenience or the price and it tastes great! (again, a little disclaimer - as with some other restaurants i mentioned, i can't tell if i really like safeway cupcakes as much as i do because i enjoy it regularly, the taste is great and the price is right or if they really are that awesome). i recently noticed that they do sell single cupcakes - but i usually go for the dozen mix (6 chocolate and 6 vanilla) which is $7.99 and sometimes they are on-sale for $4.99 - in which case everyone get cupcakes!! i have also gotten a couple of their cupcake-cakes, where they bunched a bunch of cupcakes together and put a single design on top - people are amused and, of course, love the cupcakes! (or maybe just the free-ness of it ... whatever!)

Georgetown Cupcake, Georgetown (33rd and M), there is street and garage parking, but it's georgetown, driving/parking is not going to be a walk in the park
"okay" price for a single gourmet cupcake ($2.75) - it definitely has that gourmet cupcake size (aka - small) - the taste is one of the best! the key is to order online the day before (order by 9pm) so you can be uber cool and skip the silly line ... i can't believe it, but i actually stood in line for an hour for 6 cupcakes!!! and apparently a "proud fan of the baked & wired cupcakes" lives a couple of doors down on 33rd - they had a huge sign going down the side of their house so everyone could see as they waited in line - pretty funny! i definitely want to go back, but i think i'll skip the line the next time!
the key lime was great - although, honestly, i was a little hesitant after the first bite, it tasted like lime rind, but thankfully it turned into deliciousness after the second bite!
hubs really enjoyed his peanut butter fudge - the fudge hid in the middle of the cupcake for a nice surprise!
red velvet - pretty good, i think. here's another disclaimer - i am not a red velvet connoisseur - so take that for what you will :)
a lady in line (a "regular," apparently - although i really don't know why a regular would not order ahead of time, but then again i know well that sometimes a cupcake craving hits you in the middle of the day and you just can't wait until the next day to obey it!!) said that the chocolate mint was really good (unfortunately, they did not have that flavor the day i went), but that the mint cookies & creme was a don't
the girl at the door (one of the employees) said that the salted caramel was one of her favorites - i have not decided whether salted caramel is for me or not, so i skipped it on my first visit

Edibles Incredible, Reston Town Center
the prices vary and tend to run around the upper $3 - but they are so much bigger than the other gourmet cupcakes and they taste pretty good. this one's much closer to our house, so i would probably go here before some of the others (with the exception of safeway, which is even closer and cheaper!). the inside of this small store is very cluttered and the owner/baker has a big ego (shocking) and they always seem a little disappointed when you don't order anything more expensive than a cupcake, so i suggest making the trip as short as possible. if needed, they do have a small cafe table (maybe 2 cafe tables, can't remember) inside the store, but i would take sitting out in the town center first

Curbside Cupcake, nomadic DC cupcakes
think this may have the cheapest per dozen price at $27, although the single is the "standard" $3 (who decided that one? the cheapskate in me cries foul, stupid conniving cupcake bakers! but the foodie in me almost always wins out ... d'oh!). it was surprisingly good for a truck cupcake and if i didn't know that it was a truck cupcake, i would still say it was better than some of the others below. if i'm working in DC, i will be stalking this truck! don't be afraid cupcake truck, i love food!! ;)

Hello Cupcake, Dupont
my first and continuing thought is that they have really small cupcakes for $3 and the dozen price is kind of ridiculous - $33 - apparently they are not huge fans of "get a discount when you order more" - then again, i guess they have to pay that dupont rent somehow! the taste is good, but i can't get over how small the cupcake seems compared to the other ones - then again, that might just be the timing, i have not had a hello cupcake in a while, but i recall thinking this is smaller than a safeway cupcake!

Red Velvet Cupcakery, Chinatown/Penn Quarter
my mistake here was trying a non-red velvet cupcake, it was one of the chocolate ones and it wasn't even as good as a safeway cupcake ... or maybe my tastes run grocery-chic and not refined-snooby-snob - i regretted it afterwards given the $3.25 price tag for a single

up next in the cupcake realm (well, not next-next, but sometimes in the future):
Baked and Wired, Georgetown - my expectations are a little higher about this place after seeing the "personal" endorsement (although given its location, it will probably be a loooooong while before i make it here)
Sweetbites Desserts, nomadic DC desserts - also a stalkable truck! not just cupcakes though, but dessert-y goodness abounds on this one
Best Buns, Shirlington - i love the bread at the great american restaurants, but have not been to its carby mothership ... apparently they too have picked-up on the continuing cupcake-obsession ... hopefully i can make it there one of these days for cupcakes and their yummy bread!

in case you are wondering, i am not missing/forgetting the other famous cupcake outlet - i just strongly dislike it - i dislike the taste, the price is outrageous and i can't think of any redeeming qualities. to each her/his own!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Foodie Log 17, date August 6, 2010

i can't speak to the authenticity of malaysian-ness, but the dish i had was very pleasantly delectable! i highly recommend the mee siam! a friend had been there previously and said that the appetizer and entree she had that time was just as good.

now, the conundrum with having found a really yummy dish on the maiden voyage to a new restaurant is - i am going to want to order the same thing the next time. which is such a shame since i am sure there are many other yummy things, but who knows when i will be able to try any of the other bits of yum-yummies? it's a slight personal defect, but i've lived with it this long and i don't feel too terribly robbed of any yummy in my tummy.

looking forward to the next visit!

Stats:
Malaysia Kopitiam
between dupont and farragut
there is a really strong odor right at the front entrance, but no worries, it does not seem to permeate through the rest of the place

Monday, August 2, 2010

Foodie Log 16, date August 2, 2010

Dined with friends at Jackson 20 after a visit to Hannelore's (local bridal shop - in case you are looking for a wedding dress, this place is not worth whatever hype there is or used to be about it - the consultant for my friend was not very talkative and got more sour and withdrawn over the course of the hour, then the owner or manager or buyer or whoever she was came over and was all - "oh, i know what you need, you have to try on this dress" - funny how that dress was $2k more than anything my friend was looking at - but i digress)

anyway, the Jackson 20 brunch was quite nice. the inside is interesting - the tables are rather large and there's a statue of a large pig near the entrance. i had the Three Eggs for the Price of Two comes with hash browns (good portion and nice/crispy shreddedness) and ham (though there is choice of sausage and bacon). we also got the Seasonal Fruit Plate which came with melons, berries and pineapple - mostly melon, but enough of the berries so we didn't feel cheated :)

Stats:
Jackson 20, American
Attached to Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria
restroom is actually in the hotel - quite nice - numerous stalls and nice paper towels

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Foodie Log 15, date August 1, 2010

when it comes to pancakes vs. waffles - i generally go for the pancake - there are two exceptions to this generality - homemade waffles (and by homemade, i mean the waffles we make with our waffle maker - one of the best kitchen purchases!) and, bien sur, waffle house waffles! love waffle house! from the jolly/sour wait staff to the orange/brown decor and that gal/guy who belts out the orders to the cooks ... ahhhh ... waffle house!

i don't understand why there aren't more waffle houses, the closest one to our house is 20+ miles away - oh but when that waffle house craving sets in, there is no shushing it!

i always go for the all-star breakfast special - waffle, grits or hash browns, toast, eggs and bacon or sausage (i cannot pass up on waffle house hash browns - so i get the grits AND the hash browns. i mean, c'mon, seriously who treks out to a waffle house only to skip out on the hash browns?!?!) ... i will admit, it is a lot of food and i end up leaving some on the plate, but i don't care - it has all of the essential breakfast necessities -> bread + potato + egg + meat = mmmmmmmmmmmm -> and i can't do without any one thing! not one thing!

Stats:
Waffle House, various locations
this particular visit was at the Dumfries location - located right off of I-95 - but as you may have noticed, all the waffle houses look and feel and taste just the same!