• 15Jun

    Zumo Thai in Chinatown has an all you can eat sushi special. It’s good quality sushi for the price, but there are a bunch of rules to follow (check the rules pic). So, go in with a plan:

    Keep an eye on the clock since you only have 90 minutes and order your next 5 pieces as you receive a round of sushi. Make sure not to order more than you can eat in the last round. Talk to your group beforehand to coordinate whether you’re ordering the $25 or $35 option since the whole group must order the same special. Personally, I tell the staff not to include regular salad in the bowl with the seaweed salad, since it seems like a waste to pad seaweed salad with lettuce. Oh, and don’t eat too much of the “white tuna” as mentioned below.

    Ok, here are the words of caution. They have white tuna listed in the AYCE special, which in this case is escolar (a deceptive naming practice sushi restaurants use to push less expensive fish), also known as the “Ex-Lax fish.” Escolar (sometimes along with other options known as butter fish) is fatty and delicious, but because of its “wax esters,” eating more than 4-6 ounces can have unwanted consequences occurring 30 minutes to 36 hours after consumption. I ate two pieces of the white tuna and was fine, but I’m concerned that people will unknowingly eat too much of this delicious but somewhat dangerous fish in one sitting. A piece of white tuna nigiri is shown in the top left image.

    The $25 option with tax and the set top percentage totaled $33, which was IMHO definitely worth it.

    -JAY

  • 10Jun

    Critter Hill Farm (based in Carrol County, MD and Adams County, PA) is a new vendor at the Rose Park Farmer’s Market in Georgetown. This is a weekly Wednesday 3-7pm Market on P Street, near Dupont Circle. Critter Hill Farm will back at the market June 24th and every other Wednesday from that date through the market’s season. Their prices are very good for a farmer’s market meat vendor in DC. I added a pound of their smoked ham steaks to a collard green soup I was cooking last week, and it worked out really well. I also like their meat sticks — they are like Slim Jim, but IMHO better.

    -JAY

  • 17May

    Next week, the way the DuPont Farmer’s Market is setup will change:

    1. Q Street will be closed at the market
    2. More room to walk on 20th Street within the market
    3. Some vendors like Veg Heaven will be in different locations within the market

    The below image is from last year’s Freshfarm Market Share CSA pickup at Foggy Bottom. The Market Share program has relaunched for the season.

    -JAY

  • 25Apr

    Mezete produces products in various middle eastern countries. These authentic products are available in the US at stores like Giant Eagle, ShopRite, Meijer, Albertsons, World Market, and Barnes & Noble. These items do not contain preservatives, and are Project Non-GMO Verified, Halal certified, vegan, and shelf stable.

    We sampled several hummus options (Original, Roasted Red Pepper, Red Hot Chili, and Zaatar), as well as Baba Ganouj and Shatta Sauce. The main selling point for us is that these products are shelf stable, so we can keep several of the individual packs (with the breadsticks) around for hummus emergencies at work. Of the hummus options, we preferred the original flavor — you can really taste the tahini. The Baba Ganouj is good too, with a creamier texture and smoky flavor. The Shatta Sauce (hot sauce/paste) seems like it would work well with felafel and a tahina sauce).

    -JAY

  • 27Feb

    We recently tried Della Barba in NE for the first time. My friends have been raving about this place for months, so a neighbor and I decided to try it out. It is in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of Capitol Hill (not near a metro (rail) stop). We were there just before 1pm on a Saturday and it was empty except for a couple with two (sometimes screaming) kids. When they left, another couple came in with two (sometimes screaming) kids. It seems like families tend to dine here on weekend afternoons.

    Della Barba makes four styles of pizza, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Nonna (Grandma). We tried the Detroit and Chicago. We both loved the Detroit Style — the crust, cheese, and toppings worked well together. We ordered the Chicago as a meat lovers (their bacon is really good) and it was pretty dense and one note as a whole, so if we order the same toppings next time, we will probably add banana peppers for brightness and to change the texture a bit. That said, the next table had a Nonna pie and it looked amazing, so we definitely want to try that pizza style next time we dine there.

    -JAY

  • 16Jan


    Terra Gaucha (based in Jacksonville, FL) recently opened its first DC area outpost in the new Twinbrook Quarter development Rockville, MD. The restaurant is a 7000-square-foot indoor venue offering an “immersive Gaúcho-style dining experience featuring the traditional flavors from southern Brazil.” Yes, we are talking rodizio style with various gauchos slicing cuts of meat at your table, a hot food area (Feijoada, rice, scalloped potatoes, etc.), and a cold food bar. The above images capture some of the meal’s highlights.

    They did a good job with the cheese bread, cold food bar (lots of great options), capirinhas (my guest enjoyed his lemonade), chicken hearts, and the cuts of beef and lamb (including the brisket and both the beef and lamb picanhas). The desserts (passionfruit mousse and flan) were good as well. I feel like they need to do a little more work on the shrimp and salmon recipes, but they just opened, so have time to perfect those.

    The service was excellent, as expected for this type of restaurant. Staff is always ready to answer a question, remove used plates, or bring you chicken hearts (yes, I requested them).
    The dancer was entertaining and knew how to work a room.

    So, do I recommend Terra Gaucha? Yes, definitely give it a try, and arrive hungry. This was even a great first rodizio experience for my guest who had never tried a rodizio restaurant before.

    -JAY

  • 17Dec
    Guava Cosmo

    Moxies, a restaurant group with locations in Scottsdale, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Plano, Southlake, Fort Lauderdale, and Boston opened its first DC location at 20th and L NW a few weeks ago. It a good location on a corner downtown. Every staff member we met (Hosts, Manager, and especially, Kelly our waitress) was personable and added to a great experience.

    The cocktails were excellent, although I did not personally try the Rosemary
    Grapefruit Tonic mocktail pictured above. The “Porn Star Martini” is the “do it yourself” cocktail, since you pour the prosecco shot into it. It felt like Kelly was a little embarrassed every time she had to say, “Porn Star” (the first time I thought I heard “corn smut”), but maybe that isn’t the best name for a cocktail. I did not ask why the cocktail has that particular name, but you can inquire on your visit.

    The multilayered Tuna Sushi Stack appetizer (sushi grade tuna stacked with seasoned rice, avocado, mango, soy ginger glaze & spicy mayo + seasoned prawn crackers) was tasty and a fun concept. I’d order that again next visit.

    They did a great job with both the steak and mahi mahi. We debated medium and medium well, and wound up ordering medium, with the steak arriving kind of in between those two temperatures (which worked for us). The broccolini that accompanied the steak was handled expertly.

    My guest enjoyed the key lime pie. I can’t eat eggs, so there was not a dessert option for me.

    This was definitely a nice meal, so I’m happy to welcome Moxies in the area. Check out their Happy Hour or brunch and report back, since we’ve only dined there for dinner.

    -JAY

  • 16Oct
    Metro Diner, Fredericksburg, VA.
  • 11Jun

    It’s been a while since I’ve posted a FRESHFARM Market Share CSA image. Above is this week’s Family Share. It includes One huge zucchini, two packs of strawberries, two packs of grape tomatoes, four cucumbers, Swiss chard, radishes, and bok choy.

    The Family Share sells for $40 per week, while the personal share is $26. They also have a grain share for $10 a week. There are about a half dozen pickup spots including Foggy Bottom, City Center, and Columbia Heights. Their website states that EBT/SNAP customers get a huge discount, so be sure to tell anyone who needs the info.

    -JAY

  • 20May

    Last night we attended the preview opening of Sushi Gaku in Georgetown where sampled a nice variety of fresh sushi as well as a vibrant and flavorful seaweed salad. The official grand opening is Wednesday, May 21st (tomorrow) at 1338 Wisconsin Avenue NW. They even have a small back patio. Above are images showing some of the highlights from last night.

    Chef Yoshi is planning to serve very fermented ancient-style sushi for the upcoming Omakase course but give him some time since it takes at least 2 months to prepare. He is one of the only chefs in the area to hold a fugu (pufferfish) preparation license; fugu must be meticulously prepared in order to be eaten safely. Sushi Gaku’s three-page menu is available for your perusal.

    -JAY

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