• 24Dec

    Sesame Balls

    We recently had a wonderful meal at the first restaurant Chef Liu Chaosheng ever opened, Hong Kong Palace in Seven Corners. It was definitely time to try Hong Kong Palace, since we had featured his newest restaurant, Asian Origin (in Tysons). Chef Liu is known for making everything from scratch in his five restaurants, including the tofu he uses in the Ma Po Tofu.

    While many of our favorites (Ma Po Tofu, Scallion Pancakes, Sesame Balls, etc.) are available at both Hong Kong Palace and Asian Origin, the Tea Smoked Duck and Cumin Lamb are only available at Hong Kong Palace. The Cumin Lamb is a must order for lovers of both lamb and spicy food. The noodles and wontons are good appetizer choices, and are available at both restaurants.

    We were informed prior to this meal by a popular poster on Chowhound.com that the specials written in Chinese on the wall include a “preserved pork” version of the Cumin Lamb that is also quite good. The same poster also recommends the Chicken with Crunchy Peppers from the same menu on the wall.

    -JAY

  • 24Dec

    We miss you, Michel.

    Michel Richard’s Central has continued to hold a annual benefit for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, even a year and a half after his death. A few weeks ago, we were thrilled to sample Central Michel Richard‘s delicious French desserts and donate toys to St Jude. Above are some images of of the highlights from this benefit.

    Our Previous coverage of Michel and his events can be found here. You can easily see how he was a beloved fixture in the DC restaurant scene.

    Happy Holidays everyone!

    -JAY

     

  • 16Dec

    What’s better than local BBQ joints coming together for a BBQ Bash to compete for bragging rights? Having it held at Metro Cooking D.C. alongside a flock of restaurants, breweries, wineries, cheese shops, juice shops, and other establishments within the food and restaurant industry for guests to sip and sample. Also, having celebrity chefs speak and perform demos is a plus too.

    The 2017 BBQ Bash winners are:

    Best BBQ Sauce/Rub: Jadean’s Smokin Six-O

    Best Ribs: Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster BBQ

    Best Beef Brisket: Hill Country Barbecue Market

    Best BBQ Pork: White Swan BBQ & Fried Chicken

    Best BBQ Chicken: BBQ Bush Smokehouse

    And *drumroll* … Overall BBQ Bash Champion is Lefty’s Barbecue!

    Aside from BBQ, there was a variety of other participants at Metro Cooking D.C. Being a juice lover, I was drawn to a new locally organic and cold-pressed juice company called Jinsei. They offer both cold-pressed and tonic beverages and recently opened a juice bar on the upper level of Tysons Corner Center in McLean, VA. My favorite is the Detox Tonic, consisting of organic kale, spirulina, coconut nectar, cayenne pepper, alkaline water, lemon, and lime. All ingredients are slam packed with health benefits, which sounded like an excellent idea at the time (I bought a bottle and thoroughly enjoyed it) in order to detox after sampling heap amounts of briskets, hot sauces, and pork ribs (not that I’m complaining).

    John J. Bowman, a local single barrel straight bourbon whiskey, proudly holds the title of 2017 World’s Best Bourbon awarded by the World Drinks Awards. How would I describe it? Simply smooth with a slight sweet finish. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates bourbon. Plus, we gotta support our local businesses!

    Last but not least, celebrity chef Jacob Ponder presented a ‘Taste Talk’ segment and answered various questions from the audience ranging from topics such as locally sourced fish to cooking temperatures. Guy Fieri was also in the house but unfortunately, I was unable to take a proper picture due to the crowd. I’m excited to see which celebrity chefs will be in next year’s lineup for Metro Cooking D.C.!

    Until next time everyone. Cheers!

    -EHY

  • 16Dec

    We attended Liberty BBQ‘s packed soft opening yesterday evening. The restaurant is owned by the group behind Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall, and Northside Social, and is located in the old Famous Dave’s space on West Broad Street. A second Northside Social will open down the street from Liberty BBQ soon.

    Our favorite items were the ribs, followed by the brisket and pulled chicken. We also enjoyed the pickles they serve on the side. The collards and Brussels sprouts were alright, but we did not enjoy the baked beans, which were made with navy beans and included an odd flavor (mustard?) for that particular dish. We will definitely return for the smoked meats, especially the ribs. The chocolate sheet cake was decent, but I probably would not order it again.

    We do want to return to try out the pickle-brined fried chicken.

    The food was a good value with three smoked meats and three sides costing $19.

    -JAY

  • 15Dec

    Chocolate Chunk Cookie Pizza

    Oath Pizza (out of Boston) recently opened their first DC area location. This Mosaic District Pizzeria is definitely worth checking out. On our first visit, we created our own combinations, but returned the next week as a group to try some of Oath’s creations.

    Oath Pizza is a farm-to-pizza concept. Their pizzas are designed using sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients, making Oath the first pizza chain to be granted Certified Humane approval.

    We sampled most of the pizzas on their menu including the following:

    The Luau

    Luau

    • Mozzarella
    • BBQ Pulled Pork
    • Fresh Pineapple
    • Crushed Red Pepper
    • BBQ Drizzle
    • Scallions

    Walley

    • Basil Pesto
    • Mozzarella
    • Baby Spinach
    • Diced Tomatoes
    • Feta
    • Roasted Garlic

    Shrimpwrecked

    • house-made black bean spread
    • Mozzarella
    • chili-spiced shrimp
    • roasted corn
    • guacamole drizzle
    • fresh cilantro
    • scallions

    Spicy Mother Clucker

    • Mozzarella
    • Pickled Red Onions
    • spiced Chicken
    • Sriracha
    • spicy aioli
    • Scallions

    Bella

    • Mozzarella
    • Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
    • Roasted Garlic
    • Ricotta
    • Balsamic Drizzle
    • Grana Padano cheese
    • Fresh Basil

    Dougie

    • Mozzarella
    • Roasted Potato
    • Smoked Bacon
    • Ranch Drizzle
    • Scallions

    Chocolate Chunk Cookie Pizza

    • Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough
    • Ricotta
    • Powdered Sugar

    The Cookie Pizza is an overwhelming group favorite. The Dougie’s potato and bacon combination was another crowd pleaser. I was the one who seemed to most enjoy the Luau, but I added crushed red pepper to offset the BBQ sauce’s sweetness. The Spicy Mother Clucker seemed like it would be improved by the addition of the shrimp from the Shrimpwrecked. We had them design for us an off menu meat lover’s pizza, which was quite good. The vegetarian in the group loved the Bella and Walley.

    -JAY

    Editor’s Note:

    Other local Oath Pizza locations are planned, including one near the Verizon Center.

Categories

Archives