Thank you everyone who attended Wednesday’s DC Food Blogger Happy Hour, including the two wonderful local authors mentioned below. And, thank you to Cuba Libre for being our venue and providing wonderful food for us to sample. It was fun being the event host for this one.

The happy hour was a book launch for two local new releases, a cookbook, The New Chesapeake Kitchen by John Shields, and a book about eating local, The Chesapeake Table by Renee Catacalos. Both authors spoke at the event. There was even a raffle which included free copies of both books, and several bottles of Dizzy Pig seasonings. Plus, we had Pacari Organic Chocolate gift bags and Dizzy Pig sample packets on hand.

Above you can view images of the food we sampled. Personally, I was most impressed with the Cauliflower Hummus (I made everyone try it), Tropical Chips, Spinach & Manchego Bunuelos, and Albondigas (meatballs). They had various caipirinhas available as happy hour specials; I sampled the guava version.

Somebody make sure to inform me if Cuba Libre ever puts the Blood Orange Salmon Ceviche back on the menu.

-JAY

Editor’s Note:

An attendee posted these pictures from the event:

https://www.facebook.com/d.c.foodblogger.happyhour/posts/1875772049171380

Jinya Ramen Bar has recently opened their third DMV location at the ever-expanding shopping center of Pike & Rose located at 910 Prose Street, North Bethesda, Maryland. Having frequented Jinya’s first location in Mosaic District (Fairfax), Virginia, I had high hopes for their soft opening at their newest spot. From taking the first few steps into the Burbank-California based ramen restaurant, it was clear this was no replica of Mosaic’s setup. It was much brighter, with far more exposed windows revealing plenty of natural sunlight, with dangling mini pendant lights twinkling from the ceiling.

Brussels Sprouts Tempura.

The most delectable Small Plate item of the night was hands down, the Crispy Chicken. The temperature, the batter texture, the juiciness, everything was just right. Not too salty, not too garlic’y. Just right.

My second and third favorite Small Plate items were the Pork Gyozas (fried handmade potstickers), and the Brussels Sprouts Tempura (crispy/fried with white truffle oil). The Takoyaki (battered Octopus Balls) was my least favorite due to its creamy texture (thanks to the kewpie mayonnaise) but if creamy is your thing, you’ll probably enjoy it much more than I did.

Pork Gyoza.

Now, for the main attraction, the ramen. The ramen sampling feast kicked off with the Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen. The tofu cubes had a perfect balance of creamy while holding its solidity. The thick noodles were a plus and being a huge fan of chili oil, its presence was much appreciated. To be honest, I wish I could have added in more chili oil.

Next up, the Jinya Chicken Ramen. Now in this bowl, the noodles are thin, swimming in both chicken broth and chashu. It seemed a bit bland for my taste buds, but perhaps it is due to the fact that I typically do not choose chicken as my choice of ramen protein. Give it a shot if you prefer leaner protein in your bowl.Last but certainly not least, my personal favorite, the Jinya Tonkotsu Black. Served with thin noodles in pork broth, the contrast of the seasoned egg with its runny yolk is magical alongside the fatty pork chashu, garlic oil, green onions, kikurage, and fried onion, topped off with nori dried seaweed and garlic chips. Like I mentioned, it was my favorite but next time, I will be sure to ask for extra spicy sauce or chili oil. Yes, I like my ramen SPICY.

The soft opening eventually wound down and came to an end with samples of green tea Mochi Ice Cream. These cold nuggets of pure joy were so heavenly and savory that I forgot to take photos because I was too busy asking for seconds (possibly thirds). The green tea Mochi was the perfect palate cleanser after indulging in all things salty, sweet, fried, and mouthwatering goodness. Jinya at Pike & Rose also offers outdoor seating for a maximum capacity of 18 guests out in the front patio, along with a communal fire pit. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend stopping by for dinner, drinks, or both! They are open Sunday – Thursday, 11AM to 10PM, and on Fridays and Saturdays, from 11AM to 11PM.

Cheers!

-EHY (Elina)

Popular chain JINYA Ramen Bar has been in Virginia’s Mosaic District for a while now, but has just opened their Logan Circle location in D.C.

I had not been to to the VA location, but was happy to visit their new place during their grand opening party. The staff was super excited, friendly, and happy to have us. While I think there were some communication issues and the staff needs more training, that will likely come with time. JINYA was very generous and that is much appreciated. The vibe was awesome–it was really was a great party.

As far as drinks, I mostly stuck with the passed sake or Prosecco, though I did try a light, fruity, Dragon cocktail that was quite good. The appetizers were passed as well, and the Brussels sprouts tempura and fried chicken were both really tasty and perfectly crisp. But what I really loved was the pork gyoza, pork chashu and kimchi tacos, and poke tacos. The gyoza is nicely seared with plenty of flavorful filling. The tacos are crisp from the wonton shells and while it’s a toss up between the pork and poke, I think I prefer the poke. The pork is amazing, but the poke is so light and fresh, yet delicious. For ramen, I went with the chicken ramen, and that is not the way to go; it was so bland that I had to add both sriracha and seasoned vinegar to coax any type of taste from it. I heard from others at my table that the pork ramen was good, so that will definitely be my choice when returning. We also got to try the mochi, and the chocolate mochi was rich with the perfect amount of chewy dough.

I do look forward to returning to JINYA. I’m a huge ramen fan and JINYA offers plenty of styles to try, plus all of the sides were great. It’s also needed in the neighborhood, so it will be popular additions.

-LEM (Lia)