Sips & Suppers 2014

Posted on January 27, 2014 by mayliang429

We attended one of the Sips & Suppers that were hosted last night. Sips & Suppers benefits Martha’s Table and D.C. Central Kitchen. Chefs from across the country (and sometimes from around the world) cook meals in private homes to benefit the charities.

Our dinner was prepared by Scott Drewno of The Source and Peter Chang of Peter Chang (he has pop up restaurants throughout Virginia). The theme of the dinner was Chinese New Year (which is actually on January 31 this year–the Chinese calendar is based on the lunar calendar so the date changes every year). It will be the Year of the Horse.

We started the evening with a variety of hors d’oeuvres, most of them very spicy (a specialty of Peter’s). Accompanying these was a 2005 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee champagne.

The amouse bouche was a Chinese tea egg custard, consisting of a lapsang souchong tea-smoked egg served with caviar on top. I am afraid that all I can show you is the empty egg shell because I ate all of it before I thought to take photos (this will be a recurring theme in this blog post).

tea-smoked egg with caviar (empty)

The first official course was a quartet of Chinese New Year dumplings. The crescent shape of the potsticker dumpling is a similar shape to the gold “coins” from the Yuan Dynasty and symbolizes prosperity. Accompanying these dumplings was a 2007 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne.

assorted dumplings

The second course was a Chinese-style steamed lobster. Red (the color of the lobster) is the color of joy and happiness in Chinese culture. The wine served with this course was a 100 point wine, the 1999 Chapoutier Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree.

Chinese-style lobster

The third course was a dry aged New York strip accompanied with a spicy five vegetable stir fry. The five vegetables represent the five blessings of the New Year (longevity, riches, peace, wisdom, and virtue). You’ll have to take my word for it that the presentation was beautiful, as I was too busy eating the dish to take a photo. The accompanying wine was a 2001 Rudd Oakville Estate Proprietary Red.

The final course was a Chinese New Year tangerine cake and house made fortune cookie served with a banana custard with a blood orange glaze. The pronunciation of the word “tangerine” in Chinese is similar to the pronunciation of the word “money” and symbolizes prosperity. There were two dessert wines served with this—a 2009 Doisy Daene L’Extravagant and a 1927 Alvear Pedro Ximenez Solera.

tangerine cake, banana custard & fortune cookie

The meal was a smashing start to what I hope is a fabulous New Year!

minibar by Jose Andres

Posted on September 24, 2013 by mayliang429

We visited minibar by Jose Andres with some friends this past Saturday night. It was the first time we had been to the new space, which is spare and minimalist with high ceilings and lightly painted wood. (It’s located at 855 E Street, NW, Washington, DC.)

The food definitely catered to the “foodie” crowd and was innovative, fussy, and delicious. Here are the evening’s dishes:

We started out with a series of amuse-bouches (I would say a series of appetizers, but the entire dinner is made up of appetizer-sized dishes). The introductory dishes were pineapple short bread,

pineapple shortbread

pizza margarita (the crust is made out of potatoes),

pizza margarita

a parmesan canele,

parmesan canele

pressed flowers (they were edible), and

pressed flowers

almond tart with blue cheese, which was good, even though I don’t like blue cheese and which was served on rocks that had been bathed in liquid nitrogen (to prolong the life of the almond shell).

almond tart with blue cheese

One of the cutest dishes we were served was the rubber ducky (the inside was filled with foie gras ice cream):

rubber ducky

One of the most interesting dishes was the beef tendon churro (once was enough for me):

beef tendon churro

The Waldorf salad was an extremely creative rendition of a traditional Waldorf salad:

“waldorf salad”

The late night chicken shawarma was amazing and even more amazing was the side of yogurt accompanying the shawarma

chicken shawarma

The Vietnamese pig ear was excellent—spicy and full of texture:

Vietnamese pig ear

The Iberico sea urchin would be good, I suppose, if you like sea urchin. The texture wasn’t my cup of tea, but the flavors were excellent.

sea urchin

The shabu shabu included coconut shrimp ravioli in an extremely flavorful broth:

“shabu shabu”

The most straightforward dish (and quite delicious!) was the beech mushroom papillot with truffles:

beech mushrooms with truffles

The smoked oysters with escabeche was a myriad of flavors and textures:

smoked oysters

The fabes con almejas (white beans and clams) were clams with essence of white beans. The dish was delicious!

white beans & clams

The espardenyes (sea cucumber) with bone marrow proved to be a surprise. I loathe sea cucumber, but the chef had prepared it in such a way that the texture no longer resembled the gelatinous, slug-like creature that it is (unlike Chinese restaurants). It was actually quite tasty, and, combined with the bone marrow, was amazing.

sea cucumber & bone marrow

Next up was a squab liver mousse bite:

squab liver mousse

To prepare us for the roast squab with oysters and seaweed.

roast squab

You have to like goat cheese to like the bonne bouche cheese puff, but I’m told it was quite yummy for those who do like goat cheese.

goat cheese puff

The bloody beets and yogurt course were beets with a little hisbiscus juice covered with frozen yogurt snow. Yum! (And I’m not that fond of beets.)

beets with yogurt snow

The mango floating island was refreshing and palate-cleansing.

mango floating island

And the assortment of desserts included a raspberry bon bon, Thai pocky stick, lemon-mallow (lemon marshmallow covered in white chocolate), a bluberry coolant, a boozy bear (a gummy bear filled with muscat), and doughnuts, made with Krispy Kreme doughnut ice cream, reformed to look like a Krispy Kreme doughnut and covered with chocolate and sprinkles. (No photo of the doughnuts, unfortunately, as we had to eat them quickly before they melted.)

assorted desserts

We were impressed by the skill of the chefs, and the meal was delicious and innovative. But it definitely isn’t for the steak-and-potatoes type of diner. Still, if you are an adventurous eater or are looking for new food experiences, it’s definitely a worthwhile visit.

(Disclaimer: we are investors in ThinkFood Group, the parent company of minibar.)

Town (restaurant in Honolulu)

Posted on August 30, 2013 by mayliang429

We discovered Town (located at 3435 Waialae Ave) on a recommendation by some friends the last time we were in Honolulu and returned on this past trip to see if it was as good as we remembered. It is as good and possibly better. Here are some photos of Town’s magnificence:

Appetizers include a baby arugula salad with beets, orange, fennel, mint, chickpeas and ricotta. The salad eater among us thought it was excellent.

Baby arugula salad

The ahi tartare on top of risotto cake and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar was amazing. The portions were also quite generous.

ahi tartare

The most picky eater had the New York strip steak served with French fries.

New York strip steak

There was also gnocchi with guanciale.

gnocchi with guanciale

And risotto with Waimea roma tomato and baby fennel.

risotto

For the carnivores, a Shinsato pork belly served on a bed of polenta and local vegetables.

pork belly with local vegetables

For dessert, orange sorbet and panna cotta served with local honey.

orange sorbet

panna cotta

We highly recommend Town the next time you’re in Honolulu. The food is fabulous, and it’s clear that the chef cares about his ingredients and cooking. The service is friendly and excellent. We will definitely be back!

Town’s motto is “Local first, organic whenever possible, with Aloha always.”

Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha

Posted on August 9, 2013 by mayliang429

Only in Hawaii can you get away with a name like that. But Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha (located at 820 West Hind Drive #116 in the Aina Haina Shopping Center in Honolulu) not only has some of the best shave ice we’ve ever had, but it contains something even better—Uncle Clay himself.

First things first. The shave ice. Very fluffy and powdery, the way the ice should be. But, more importantly, all of the flavorings are natural. So rather than the oh-so-authentic looking blue raspberry, you have flavors such as lilikoi (passion fruit), mango, pineapple, and strawberry. We highly recommend the lilikoi and the pineapple. As with traditional Hawaiian shave ice, you can add ice cream to your shave ice (which the locals assure us is quite delicious, but which we have never tried). There are fruit toppings available as well. And the portions come in keiki (child-sized), medium, and large.

strawberry & lilikoi shave ice

Uncle Clay himself defies description. He is a gentle, zen-like soul who is genuinely flattered that you have come to eat his shave ice. But the best way to describe him is to give you The Pure Aloha oath, which he wrote himself.

The Pure Aloha Oath

I solemnly promise

To live every heartbeat of my life

From this day forward

With Pure Aloha.

Every single word that comes out of my mouth

And every single action, be it large or small

Must first come from my compassionate heart

And be supported by my thoughtful mind.

With an open heart and an open mind

I will unconditionally love

Every person who crosses my path in life

As a fellow member of our one world ohana.

If I truly try my best to do all these things

I will become the person I was born to be

Filled with inner peace and complete happiness.

Living every heartbeat with Pure Aloha

I can

Bring love into the hearts of others

And make our world a better place.

(www.houseofpurealoha.com)

July 4 in New York City

Posted on July 9, 2013 by mayliang429

We had one of the best July 4 holiday weekends ever! To begin with, we spent most of it with one of our favorite families to hang out with. And we spent it in one of our favorite cities, New York, and at one of our favorite hotels, the Carlyle (located at 76th & Madison).
Our many stops included Dylan’s Candy Bar, which is a must for those who thrive on sugar, candy, and ice cream. The sheer volume of offerings is a bit overwhelming, but it’s great fun and definitely a New York landmark for those with a sweet tooth. We also paid a visit to the Kate Spade store, to which I’m hopelessly addicted. The summer sale was not helpful for my addiction at all (or, rather, it was helpful in feeding the addiction but not in overcoming it). FAO Schwarz is a requirement every time we go to New York, for the grownups as well as the kids. It’s the best toy store. Ever. And the Armani store and the Ralph Lauren store were also on the shopping list. (Did I mention that I am also hopelessly addicted to Armani?) When I looked at the Armani store receipt later, I realized that all of the merchandise we bought there (the summer merchandise) was 40% off. Which almost makes Armani affordable (but not quite).
Educational visits included the Central Park Zoo and the Cloisters. I love the Cloisters, as it fulfills every medieval history loving bone I have. We also visited the New York Public Library to see the original Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga, and Eeyore.
We watched the 4th of July fireworks from the Chelsea Piers where you could see not only the fireworks (which were spectacular and seemed longer in duration than the ones on the Mall), but also the barges on the Hudson that were shooting the fireworks off. The barges looked like they were shooting anti-aircraft guns. It was quite cool. The fireworks were as well.
Dinners included meals at the North End Grill (in Battery Park City), the Modern (in MoMA), and Jean-Georges (in Trump Tower). All three meals were phenomenal, but I probably have to vote the Modern as the best of the three. The food there manages to be delicious, beautiful, and fun.
Dim sum was at the Golden Unicorn in Chinatown. We think there’s pretty good dim sum in the DC area, but it was nothing compared to the quality in New York. Décor is the usual Chinese tacky, but service was surprisingly friendly and helpful (although it helps if you speak Chinese).
We saw two musicals—Cinderella and Pippin. Cinderella was the Rodgers & Hammerstein version, updated with a couple of new songs and a bit more humor than the original version. It was extremely well done, and all of us enjoyed it very much.
Pippin was excellent with very 70s-style music (or, as our daughter puts it, old people music) and a complicated and morally ambivalent plot. I liked Cinderella better myself because, of course, it had a happily ever after ending. Which Pippin also has but in a much more complicated way.
We always have a wonderful time in New York when we go and wonder why we don’t go more often. And then the credit card bills hit, and we understand why. ☺
Nevertheless, it was a marvelously fabulous trip!

Another Authentic Chinese Restaurant (in northern Virginia)

Posted on March 12, 2013 by mayliang429

100 Degree C (3903 Fair Ridge Drive, Unit H, Fairfax, VA 22033; 703-537-0788). Its website is www.100degreehot.com, and it is an appropriate website title. The restaurant specializes in spicy Hunan cuisine, and it’s a great addition to the several Chinese restaurants in Fairfax that serve authentic spicy cuisine that gives no quarter.

Most Chinese restaurants have a “secret” Chinese menu, with authentic dishes listed and nary a word of English. 100 Degree C lists its secret menu at the front of its menu (in English and Chinese) with its American-Chinese dishes towards the back of the menu. We strongly encourage ordering from the front.

We started off with the hot and sour soup, which was both hot and sour and generously laced with tofu. It was good but didn’t stand out. However, the spicy cucumber appetizer brought us immediately back to memories of Beijing. Smothered in spicy chiles, the appetizer is not for the faint of heart but tickles the taste buds and challenges the palate.

The potstickers were not the restaurant’s finest moment. The filling (you can choose from several types, but we had the pork and cabbage filling) was flavorful and generous, but the skins were too thick and a little gummy.

The dish that we judge all Chinese restaurants by (especially those that specialize in spicy food) is mapo tofu, stir-fried tofu with spices and chiles. You can order this dish with or without ground pork. Unlike the version served in Beijing, the Sichuan peppercorns are not served whole but ground. The result is a more subtle pop of flavor in your mouth than you typically get with this dish. So, rather than a bite full of fire, you get a pleasantly tingly afterburn that grows with each mouthful. There is also less oil than in comparable versions (see my other DC reviews), but a quick reminder that the standard has a low bar. We gave the dish our hearty approval.

One of our favorite dishes was the hot and sour chicken. The hot is easily deduced from the hot peppers, and the sour is a result of the diced pickled green beans sprinkled plentifully throughout the dish. It was a definite pleasure to eat.

Another favorite was the cumin beef. You obviously have to like cumin to like this dish. The beef comes in tender slices, coated with cumin and stir fried with scallions and garlic. (Very little that we ordered did not come with garlic.) I like—I don’t love—cumin, and this dish was excellent.

Service, as with many Chinese restaurants, can be brusque and a little perfunctory. It helps if you order knowledgeably (*not* shrimp fried rice, for example), and it helps even more if you speak Chinese.

We definitely plan on going back to try more dishes from the front of the menu!

Honolulu Restaurants

Posted on February 21, 2013 by mayliang429

Thanks to some friends of ours, we were introduced to a fabulous restaurant called Town in Honolulu. No photos of their delicious cooking, I’m sorry to say, but trust me, the food is wonderful. Their website is www.townkaimuki.com. Their motto is “Local first, organic whenever possible, with aloha always.” All we can add is that the kitchen clearly takes pride and care in their cooking. We highly recommend it.
We did dine at Alan Wong’s (of course!) and had their classic tasting menu again (I know I should branch out, but the foie gras and pulled pig sandwich served with tomato soup is to die for, and it’s the only way I can get it).
So, we started out with the appetizer, which was a Chopped Ahi Sashimi and Avocado Salsa Stack stacked on a crispy won ton and served with a spicy aioli and wasabi soy (on the left) and the “Soup and Sandwich,” a chilled vine ripened Hamakua Springs tomato soup and a grilled mozzarella cheese, foie gras and kalua pig sandwich. Really, there was no need for the rest of the dinner after that.

Chopped Ahi Sashimi & Avocado Salsa Stack and “Soup & Sandwich”

The second course was a Butter Poached Kona Cold Lobster served with Keahole abalone, Eryngi mushrooms and green onion oil.

Butter Poached Cold Lobster

The third course was the Ginger Crusted Onaga (Long-Tail Red Snapper) served with a miso sesame vinaigreete, organic Hamakua mushrooms and Kahuku corn.

Ginger Crusted Onaga

The main course was the Twice Cooked Short Rib, Soy Braised and Grilled “Kalbi” Style served with gingered shrimp and ko choo jang sauce.

Twice Cooked Short Rib

And, finally, dessert, Waialua Chocolate “Crunch Bars,” consisting of layers of milk chocolate macadamia nut crunch and bittersweet chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Crunch Bars

We also had dinner at Sushi Sasabune, a sushi restaurant where you eat off a set menu. You eat what they give you and how they tell you (if they say “no sauce,” you eat it with no sauce). The rumor is that you will be asked to leave if you flout their directions. I’m generally cantankerous enough that the attitude is a bit over-the-top for me, but there really is no attitude. The requests are phrased very politely, and the fish is so fresh (Japan quality fresh) and the dishes are so innovative that I just roll with the sushi (as it were).

We do try new restaurants, too, and in addition to Town, we went to Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas. The food here was also innovative and delicious. We opted to order only off the appetizer menu, although there are also entrees available. We started with a Duo of Contemporary Sushi (torched smoked cold Hamachi and miso glazed salmon).

Duo of Contemporary Sushi

Next was the Spicy Tuna, with konbu rice, homemade taegu, shiso, and tobiko.

Spicy Tuna

Then was the Steamed Kurobuta Pork Belly with torched brie cheese, ginger, shiso, fresh WOW Farm tomato-scallion salad, nori wrapped msubi and “adobo sauce.”

Steamed Pork Belly

After that was the Crispy Coriander Dusted Duck Leg served with Shantaku haricot vert, Chinese five spice pepper and soy star anise sauce.

Crispy Coriander Duck Leg

And our final course (because we were bursting at the seams) was the Portuguese Sausage Potstickers served with wilted choi sum, sweet corn, kim chee foam and truffled ponzu sauce.

Portuguese Sausage Potstickers

If we had to rank our dining experiences (and they were all delicious—you can’t go wrong with any of them), we would be forced to rank them in the following order: Alan Wong’s, Town, Sushi Sasabune, and Hiroshi.
And for more low brow dining, let’s not forget the International Marketplace (scheduled for demolition later this month). Where else you can find the world’s most delicious kim chee fried rice?

kimchee fried rice

And that completes the restaurant reviews for the day. ☺

May’s Rules for Ragamuffins in Restaurants

Posted on January 9, 2013 by mayliang429

Tom Sietsema, the food critic for the Washington Post, has a weekly online chat about various restaurant and food-related issues. Every so often, there are chatters who complain about parents who bring children into restaurants. So I have decided to write May’s Rules for Ragamuffins in Restaurants in response. (This is mostly a venting session because I believe parents should be able to bring kids to restaurants but then said parents have a certain set of responsibilities when they do so.)

We have a 14 and an 11 year old, whom we have taken regularly for years to restaurants of all sorts (from fast food to the Inn at Little Washington). But we started early and with a few iron-clad rules starting when they were babies. So, the following are May’s Rules for Ragamuffins in Restaurants:

1. Always bring snacks for younger kids – younger kids don’t yet understand and have difficulty coping with the ebb-and-flow of restaurant ordering. Yes, cheerios or goldfish may ruin a meal, but it’s much better than a hungry, and therefore, cranky, child.

2. Always bring entertainment, whether books or (quiet) toys or iPhones (set on vibrate). Starting at around 9 or 10 years of age, children should be expected to be polite and attentive participants in the dinner conversation.

3. Start out with small, ethnic restaurants that are generally more child friendly. We particularly like Chinese and Central American restaurants. Tip generously for the mess your child will inevitably make.

4. The second your child gets even a little fussy (note: this is well before the crying at full volume stage), take your child out of the restaurant. Eating in turn isn’t as much fun as eating together, but it’s the price you pay for being a parent. Not to mention it’s the considerate thing to do for the other guests in the restaurant.

5. Eat at off peak times so as to minimize disruption to the restaurant’s other guests.

6. Expect and demand good behavior in restaurants. If you, as parents don’t do so, why would you expect your children to provide it?

My children aren’t perfect by any means, but we regularly receive compliments on their behavior at restaurants by waitstaff and other diners. And they love good food!

[Rant over]

Birthday Dinner at Disneyworld

Posted on October 12, 2012 by mayliang429

We celebrated our son’s birthday dinner at Disneyworld at a restaurant called Citrico’s in the Grand Floridian hotel. It’s pretty casual, as most Disney restaurants are, but the food is surprisingly good. With five reasonably sophisticated eaters, there were a lot of fun choices.

Dinner started with an amuse bouche from the chef of venison with capers.

There were a variety of appetizers ordered, including arancini (crispy risotto with crimini mushrooms, asiago, and charred tomato coulis),

a charcuterie plate (with prosciutto, beef bresaola, duck breast prosciutto, and palacio chorizo),

a cheese plate (with murcia al vino from Spain, fourme d’Ambert from Auvergne and petit agour from the Basque region),

a macerated heirloom tomato salad,

and sautéed shrimp in lemon, white wine, tomatoes, and feta cheese.

I’ve also included a photo of the cheese plate description.

There were only two different main courses ordered at the table (evidently, we suffered appallingly from a lack of originality when ordering that night). The most popular dish was Berkshire pork two ways, consisting of a rotisserie pork tenderloin and roasted pork belly with aged white cheddar polenta, escarole, Brentwood corn salsa and cherry gastrique.

The other main course was Madeira-braised short ribs served over trofie pasta with wild mushroom ragout and truffle crème fraiche.

There was a celebratory birthday treat of miniature vanilla ice cream cones with sprinkles on top. Unfortunately, these were consumed before I could get a photo of the dish (I often lose dessert photos that way).

The birthday boy was quite happy with the birthday festivities. Of course, popcorn and hot dogs would have been fine since he was already at the happiest place on earth!

The Late Summer/Early Fall Gastronaut’s Menu at the Inn at Little Washington

Posted on October 1, 2012 by mayliang429

We went with some friends who are being transferred to Singapore to the Inn at Little Washington a couple of weeks ago. We opted to select the Gastronaut’s Menu, the tasting menu being offered.

This time of year is a tough time for restaurants using local ingredients, as summer is drawing to an end but the fall produce isn’t quite fully harvested yet. Not surprisingly, the Inn managed to combine the best of both and create yet another stunning meal.

We started off with truffle popcorn and Parmesan tuiles. Honestly, I could eat vats of truffle popcorn and call it one of the finest meals I’ve ever had. It’s very addicting.

The first official course was eggs in an egg on an egg. It consisted of Osetra caviar on top of scrambled eggs in a ¾ eggshell. Simply delightful.

The next course was poached Maine lobster with citrus jelly. The citrus jelly was just acidic enough to counteract the richness of the lobster but not so sour as to detract from the shellfish. Yum!

Next up was chicken fried frog legs. I actually would really like frog legs, if I could get over the fact that they were frog legs. The meat is rich and flavorful (tastes like (dark meat) chicken!), but we’re still talking an amphibian. They were delicious if you could get yourself mentally past what you were eating.

One of the best dishes of the menu was next—the Asian infused black cod. The cod had been marinated in miso, and it was perfectly cooked—by which I mean that it was cooked all the way through but so delicately that the fish flaked off with a fork. It was amazing!

Pappardelle pasta with mushrooms and Virginia ham was next. The mushrooms and the ham gave the dish a “meaty” texture, even though there was not an overwhelming amount of meat. It was a perfect introduction to the beginning of fall.

The final main course was duck served with fig au jus. I love duck, so this dish ranked among my favorites that night. But even Jim, who is not nearly as fond of duck as I am, thought this dish stood out. The duck was slightly smoky and the fig sauce counterbalanced the heartiness of the duck nicely while not being cloyingly sweet. It was an outstanding dish.

The palate cleanser was plum sorbet served with a slice of plum on top. The sorbet made it seem like summer while the plum flavor is definitely a late summer/early fall taste.

Dessert was blueberry cobbler and lemon pudding cake served alongside a cherry sorbet. The blueberry cobbler was just the perfect balance of sweet and tart while the lemon pudding cake was divine with its zesty citrus taste combined with the delicate but rich cake.

Another fabulous meal by the Inn!

May’s Mutterings

Rants and Ramblings by May

Tag Archives: restaurants

Sips & Suppers 2014

minibar by Jose Andres

Town (restaurant in Honolulu)

Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha

July 4 in New York City

Another Authentic Chinese Restaurant (in northern Virginia)

Honolulu Restaurants

May’s Rules for Ragamuffins in Restaurants

Birthday Dinner at Disneyworld

The Late Summer/Early Fall Gastronaut’s Menu at the Inn at Little Washington

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: