I’ve written about 2941 before (here and here), but not since they revamped their restaurant to be a little more casual and less intimidating. We had been checking their ever changing menu online, but nothing really caught our eye until recently. Then, all of a sudden, the whole menu matched what we were craving and off we went! Be aware that this menu is from a few months ago.
Steak tartare with basil, Parmesan, toasted bread, and micro greens. This is really a 1 per person size, and trust me – you won’t want to share.
Zucchini fritters with a feta and mint dip; salmon carpaccio.
Beet salad (sorry for the fuzzy photo – somebody was impatient to eat it).
Tuna tartare with avocado, crispy shallots, and jalapeno. I was actually I little disappointed because the avocado was more like guacamole, which wasn’t what I was looking for. But by no means was it bad.
Asparagus ravioli with white asparagus, mint, thyme, burrata, and Parmesan.
Duck confit ravioli with tomato jam and fiddlehead ferns.
Yummy steak fritte dish.
Strawberry shortcake with coconut, shredded phyllo, and white tea ice cream.
Overall, everything was as fresh and beautiful as it’s always been and the more relaxed atmosphere was refreshing. I don’t think the remarketing has done any damage to 2941 and I hope it helps to bring in more people.
The new Mosaic Shopping Center in Merrifield, VA is super cool. There’s a Target, an indie movie theater, a gym, boutiques, and cafes. Sea Pearl is one of the larger, less casual restaurants in the center. The website describes it as “Asian inspired modern American cuisine.” The main focus is seafood – they have both cooked dishes and sushi – but they also have some meat dishes and a pretty good brunch (on Saturday, too, which I love). It’s quite large and the decor is really lovely. It’s a little on the feminine side, which would make it perfect for ladies’ brunch or girls’ night out (the drinks are good, but with DC prices). I’ve never seen it packed, so large groups could be seated easily.
Let’s start with Brunch, because that is what I go for most often.
Cinnamon churros with warm chocolate dipping sauce: these are super awesome – hot, fresh, crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. Love it.
Ricotta fritters with honey and seasonal fruit (this time it was apple): these are good too, fluffy and rich. If you had to choose only one pastry though, I’d go with the churros. (more…)
This fairly new Adams Morgan located bistro was crowded and noisy when we went on a Sunday night. The decor is all rustic farmhouse and the tables are crammed in to fill up all available space like some kind of massive game of tetris. So I was a little nervous when we sat down, despite great reviews, but the attentive service and stellar food soon made me forget the crowd. Here, plates and utensils are cleared and replaced after each dish – service I would expect from a much more upscale joint. A well-stocked and well-priced wine list and unique cocktails (hello, “Farewell to the 20’s”) are icing on the cake. As usual, I was more excited by/impressed with the small plates, but the mains were very good as well. Some of the dishes are reminiscent of the style of DC star Michel Richard, which makes sense because Executive Chef Cedric Maupillier apprenticed under him.
First up – the beet and goat cheese “mountain pie”. This was so delicious – thinly sliced beets layered with buttery lettuce gained depth from shallots and chives, while toasted bread served as the crust for a warm goat cheese and beet tart. I eat beet and goat cheese salads all the time, but this one is truly special.
Bacon and Onion Flammekeuche – an Alsatian style flatbread that seems simple, but is just awesome. Crisp, smoky, creamy – I could have eaten 5 of these.
Lamb tongue moussaka – this was good, but not as good as the other 2 small plates. Part of that may be that it didn’t actually taste like moussaka to me. Chickpeas and heavy cumin (as opposed to cinnamon) made it seem more Middle Eastern than Mediterranean. That being said, it was still tasty and interesting; the tongue was very tender and it had a nice subtle heat.
Tagliatelle Bolognese – signature dish, gorgeous presentation. Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of this – heavy fennel made the ragu taste like Italian sausage, which I am just not that into. Sausage lovers – this is for you.
Shad filet topped with shad roe and lardo, over a potato and broccolini hash, with brown butter and lemon demi-glace. The roe topping was not my favorite, but the fish was well cooked and the hash and sauce were excellent. I seriously want more of that hash right now.
Pine nut tart with vanilla bean ice cream. I hate pecan pie, but I love this tart – the buttery pine nuts were so soft and just melted into the sugary base. There was also a creme brulee that I didn’t photograph because everybody knows what creme brulee looks like, right?
All-in-all this place was great. I would love to come here for drinks and apps before hitting up Adams Morgan, but I don’t know that I would go out of my way for dinner. I would love to try brunch, though.
Yes, yes – I know I am way late in posting this, sorry. This year for V-Day we went to Sushi Taro for their special tasting menu. It’s what we did for our first Valentine’s together in DC 3 years ago and I wanted to go back. I loved the whole meal, but Jasper was a little disappointed. I think he wanted more sushi, but I liked the combination of hot dishes and raw fish. Anyway, here’s what we had:
Taro’s signature tofu with uni. I love this stuff, it has the best texture. I always look forward to this dish at Taro.
This was a mixture of different raw and pickled vegetables with some gelees and monkfish liver. I thought it was playful and interesting; I think this is one of the ones Jasper was disappointed with. (more…)
I have been going to Maple Avenue Restaurant (located on, you guessed it, Maple Ave) for lunch pretty regularly the past couple of months. I am so sad that I didn’t discover this place sooner, because it is awesome! It is super tiny (like 20 seats max) and not much to look at, but the food is super fresh and seasonal and local and just great all around. I don’t know much about the chef, I haven’t been to one of their “meet the farmers” events, and I haven’t even been for dinner, but I just love this place. They have a super awesome lunch deal of 2 courses for $20 which, considering a main is like $22 usually, is a pretty good bargain. The menu changes all the time, so it’s likely that dishes I post about here won’t be on the menu any more, but they can give you an idea of what you can expect.
The baked mac and cheese – this is one of their most popular small plates, and for good reason! Really good pasta, cooked to the perfect al dente, with gruyere and cheddar, topped with an herbed panko crust. (more…)
I recently returned to Rice University, my alma mater, to celebrate their centennial – 100 years since the founding! There were all kinds of events – a football game (which we won!), parties, galas, picnics, speeches, lectures, you name it!
And our first President – Edgar Odell Lovett – finally got his own statue! About time! William Marsh Rice (Willy) may have provided the money for the institution, but Lovett provided the vision for what it should be.
For something really incredible, click HERE to see a video of the Spectacle – an amazing work of art combining architecture, history, and technology into something the likes of which I have never seen before. Seriously – watch it. For real.
Ok – moving on. Most of my food was provided for me at the events, but I did have the chance to eat out one night and was fortunate enough to go to Kata Robata – a sushi restaurant and Japanese grill. Headed up by Manabu Horiuchi (aka Chef Hori), my favorite sushi chef from college, the concept is Japanese tapas and the food is AWESOME. The service is pretty incredible, too. Our server, Thai, was very knowledgeable and comfortable making suggestions. The pacing was good and we always felt like we were being taken care of. I tried to order a good balance between sushi and tapas to get a really good idea of the place. (more…)
Last year we made our first trip to The Inn at Little Washington over Labor Day weekend and we had a wonderful time. This year we were debating whether to spend the holiday weekend at the beach, or return to the Inn. Eventually our taste buds won out and we decided to head to Washington, VA.
Unlike the year before, we decided to stay at the Inn itself (instead of one of the less expensive B&B’s nearby) and our room was absolutely gorgeous! We stayed in the Norman House Garden Room with a living room, wet bar, huge bathroom, and private garden – just wonderful! We also upped the ante this year by having 2 dinners at the restaurant – one of which was at the chef’s table in the kitchen!
Here we are with Chef Patrick O’Connell in the kitchen!
After years of wanting to go and not being able to due to finances or timing, we were finally able to make a trip to the best restaurant in Las Vegas. Located in the MGM Grand, Joel Robuchon is one of the highest rated and most awarded restaurants in the country, including being one of only a dozen 3-star Michelin rated. So, as you can imagine, it’s kind of a big deal.
image courtesy of bestofvegas.com
And they certainly give you the start treatment. Reservations are required and if you are staying on the strip they will send a golden limousine to pick you up and take you to the private entrance at the back of the casino. Through a big set of iron gates is the entrance to The Mansions at MGM Grand (exclusive villas for high-rollers); here the hostess will meet you and escort you through the property to the restaurant, passing though a gorgeous temperature controlled atrium with custom scents piped in (I’m not even kidding).
image courtesy of lasvegasrestaurants.com
The interior of the restaurant is beautiful – opulent, but not old fashioned, and decked out in rich purple. The flower arrangements and table settings change seasonally – ours were bright orange and gold. There is also a lovely enclosed terrace with a vertical garden that I would love to be seated in next time. (more…)
The Cosmopolitan Hotel has lots of great food options which was a nice bonus for staying there. My favorite has to be Holstein’s Burgers, which has a huge selection of glam burgers and adult milkshakes. They also have a good bar with a whole menu of drinks based around my favorite liquor – St Germain.
This was my first meal at the trendy burger spot (yes, I went back) – The Billionaire Burger with Kobe beef, foie gras, port onion marmalade, frisee, and truffle mayo. Fan-freaking-tastic. I got it with sweet potato fries and the Drunken Monkey Shake (Reese’s, banana, malt, Frangelico).
So sorry for the long break! Being in Las Vegas and then recuperating from the trip have taken some time. Every year at the end of July, my husband gets sent to Vegas for training. Since the hotel room is payed for, I like to tag along and relax while he is working hard (poor guy). The food scene in Vegas is pretty stellar, so we always like to try some new places in addition to hitting up old favorites.
The first half of the week of training is located at Caesar’s Palace. Sometimes we stay there, but this year we wanted to try out the brand new Cosmopolitan Hotel. The photo is the amazing view from our balcony out over the Bellagio fountain show (which I totally love). Yes, the Cosmo decided to be risky and is one of very few places in Vegas with balconies! (more…)
