Momiji

The first truly good sushi place I’ve been to in DC, Momiji is located down the street from the Gallery Place/ Chinatown Metro. You enter down into the restaurant and you can either eat downstairs (near the hibachi grill, which makes for some rather entertaining people watching) or upstairs. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, but it does fill up fast because it’s a small space. For sushi I ordered an assortment from the menu where my friend ordered one of the entrees. The entrees appear to be the good option for the more budget side as the rolls already come with a soup or salad. I also ordered the salad to start and got the standard lettuce house salad one would expect from a location with hibachi.

Salad

The entrée (Maki combo) presented on one plate with a nice display of each of the three types.

Entree plate

I ordered one piece of sushi a la carte. I’ve been told to always try the Tamago sushi so that’s what I ordered. The egg was well cooked and the sushi stayed together remarkably well. It was actually too large for one bit and I had to break it down a little to eat it.

Tomago & Hand Roll

I also ordered a Sweet Potato Hand Roll. The whole thing was crisp and warm. The potato was very sweet (without being sugary or over the top) and well breaded. Overall I thought the execution was excellent.

Sweet Potato Hand Roll

The real winner for me was the signature roll. I went for the Dancing Eel and I’d highly recommend it. The roll itself was lightly fried which warmed the rice and the cream cheese on the inside. The combo of warn cream cheese and eel was suburb. The roll was full of flavor and unexpected richness. The size of the roll was the perfect portion for a meal and I almost wish I had just ordered that (not that the other sushi wasn’t good, but I wish I’d had more room for this).

Dancing Eel Roll

Overall, I found the atmosphere charming and the sushi excellent. I have been searching for almost a year trying to find a decent sushi restaurant. This is not just a decent restaurant it’s an excellent one. The price in general is as to be expected at a sushi restaurant in DC.

For my overall review I give the restaurant a 4.5 out of 5 for amazing sushi, friendly service, a good location, and a reasonable price.

Founding Farmers

This restaurant is located a short walk from Farragut West Metro. You definitely want a reservation here because the wait can be exceedingly long. In the same location as the IMF, this restaurant seems to focus on local products when creating its food. Going around lunchtime on a weekend will give you a choice between lunch and brunch menus.

"Drag through the Garden"

One of the best things we ordered was a plate for the table to share: Baby Beignets. I definite must grab these were buttery and soft and came warm to the table with different options for dipping. We were warned they could take a while so have them placed at the same time (although our came out right before the food).

Baby Beignets

Everything on the menu seems fresh and there is a long list of options to choose from. In general it seems that the food was well flavored and appropriately proportioned in general, but nothing too crazy. I ordered the Stuffed French Toast with Bananas Foster, so I was expecting sweet but my meal was almost too sweet for mw to eat and the portion was twice what I could eat.

Stuffed French Toast - Bananas Foster

The real stand out were the sides and drinks. With fresh squeezed juice it’s probably not all that surprising other things would be homemade. However, It was impressed to see the ketchup for the fries appeared to be homemade (with a richer flavor profile) as well as what appeared to be churned butter.

Burger came with a Homemade Ketchup

In general I’d recommend things from the menu that stuck as close to the garden and homemade tradition as possible (and avoid anything that looks too fancy). The price was very reasonable for the area with everyone getting their full meal for around 20 bucks.

For my overall review I give this restaurant 3.5 out of 5 for good food, wonderful homemade touches, fairly easy location, good price and friendly service.

Migue’s Magnificent Mini Donuts

Here’s another review out of Eastern Market. It’s easy to reach from the Eastern Market Metro. This one I haven’t seen around a lot and I didn’t see any social network connections so I can’t really give hours or times but I saw them there on a Saturday morning. If you do find them they serve adorable mini donuts. Generally the gentleman in the tent makes the mini donuts fresh while you watch. It is an automatic machine but that means everything comes out even. Once you get your donuts you have the option of adding your own toppings including powdered sugar and other expected toppings, which means you can get them exactly how you want them (I’m a bit of a donut purist so I just had mine plain).

Mini Donuts

The flavor was full, with enough seasoning to give the plain donuts standout flavor without overpowering. The price was the best part of this deal. For only three dollars you get eight mini donuts which are probably enough for an individual. For nine bucks you get a whole box which should be plenty for a party.

For my overall review I give this “restaurant” 3.5 out of 5 stars for good food, fairly easy location, and super price.

Eastern Market Crepes

Eastern Market Crepes is one of those food tents that set up on the edge of Eastern Market in downtown DC. Easy access from Eastern Market metro, the only real availability obstacle is that it’s only around weekend in the summer (that I’ve found). It’s a guy making handmade crepes with just about every food combination under the sun. You can choose from one of the standards (which I’d recommend the first time, whoever put the menu together knew what they were doing). All cash transactions, and you put your money into marker wine glasses, so bring exact change or plan to tip. Average price for crepes are 7-8 dollars which is a good price for a very filling meal. Be prepared for a long line though as quite a few people have discovered the crepes. The crepes come straight off the grill and into paper wrapping so make sure to grab some napkins (or a plate!) because it is hot.

Crepe

My favorite flavor combo is from the savory side (my personal preference when it comes to crepes) and is one of the standards. It’s Ham, Apple, Maple, and Munster.  It works well in that you get the savory from the ham and cheese, the sweet from the maple, and a little acid from the apples to even out the flavor. I find it to present a well rounded flavor profile and great for munching while walking around the market.

Ham, Apple, Maple, and Munster Crepe

Overall, the price is very reasonable and the food is amazing, but I wish I was able to get it more than only on weekends in the summer.  When going I’d recommend a savory crepe, and stick to one of the recommended crepes before making your own.

For my overall review I give this “restaurant” 4 out of 5 stars for delicious food, fairly easy location when available, and reasonable price.

Zaytinya

Another place ventured to for lunch, this restaurant is literally across the street from the Gallery Place/ Chinatown Metro station. Super easy to get to from the metro it was also another restaurant which I was able to book for online. Although the size of my party changed greatly between reservation and arrival, the staff was very accommodating and sat my smaller party (2) at a more appropriately sized table. The decor was a bit like a modern twist on Greek roots. The food appeared to be Mediterranean tapas. We decided to get the four-course lunch. Before the meal the server gave our table a basket of pillow-y bread which we were eventually given a olive oil and balsamic to dunk it in.

Bread

Each person gets to pick one food item from each section.  To start we got a deep fried eggplant with a sauce on top. I felt the eggplant slices were perfectly fried so that they were soft and warm on the inside while still maintaining their crunch on the outside.

Fried Eggplant

The other appetizer was a cold salad with pita, tomato, and other vegetables.  Normally I can’t stand raw tomatoes but in this salad, the yellow ones especially, were superb. This was a nice refreshing change of place from the fried choice.

Fresh Salad

For the next course we got a Panini-type dish with ground lamb in it and meatballs (sorry for the fuzziness in the pictures, something apparently got on the lens). The spices in the Panini were too strong for my palate to really enjoy. And the meatballs weren’t anything too special. Overall I would have taken a second helping of the appetizer round in a heartbeat.

Meatballs

Ground Lamb Panini

For the main course we ordered lamb meatballs and the piece of lamb. I am a huge fan of lamb so I was part of the reason it appeared so much in our choices. After the last round I was a little dubious but this lamb stuck true to its roots and really brought out the flavor. The straight lamb piece with tomato and onion garnish was a good example of getting the simple things right (and again this was another instance in which I loved the tomatoes, the grilling left them warm with an explosion of flavor upon the first bite).

Grilled Lamb

The lamb meatballs were obviously hand packed and well cooked. The flavors were rich and filling and the goat cheese in the dish complemented the richness of the meatballs nicely.

Lamb Meatballs

There were only two choices for dessert so we got to try both from the sampler menu. The ice cream dish I expected more from. Although it wasn’t bad the general construction made it a bit tricky to eat without making a mess (our ice cream kept sliding around the plate).

Ice cream Dessert

The second dish was a fruiter dish in a glass. The peach flavor in this was delicious. All the flavors in the glass combined perfectly and each element on its own was superb.

Peach Dessert

Overall the price wasn’t too bad considering we got a four-course meal (heads up, everyone at the table has to order it) and I did feel full at the end but it is one of the more expensive places I’ve been to lunch. (This may also be because I’m cheap). If you go I recommend the multi-course option, I think it gives you the best chance to sample the menu for the dollar.

For my overall review I give this restaurant 3.5 out of 5 for a decent price, very easy location, good food, and good service.

Co Co. Sala

Co Co. Sala is located a very near the Gallery Place/ Chinatown metro. Heads up, it looks super fancy from the outside and I walked by it once assuming it was too fancy for the place I wanted. The inside is even nicer with gorgeous swaths of cloth everywhere. My one regret of the whole experience was I went to a restaurant with cocoa in the name and didn’t get hot chocolate. Shame on me, obviously I will have to rectify this one day (you can even go in to the bar just for the hot chocolate). I went here during restaurant week so I basically picked from a specific three course menu. The appetizer was an artichoke tart. Which was delicious, excellent flavor pairing, but very tiny.

Artichoke Appetizer

I ordered the Cheese Magic for lunch. While I was most looking forward to the cheese soufflé, it was really the salad and marmalade with lovely bold flavors which stole the show. Overall the three foods paired together and made a well rounded meal. Again, the presentation was amazing but the portions were tiny.

Cheese Magic

For dessert I selected Onyx which gave me two chocolate boxes. Wow was this dessert good. It’s obvious why the specialty is chocolate.

Onyx

Overall the food was superb but the portions were fairly small. It did make me feel like I was dinning in a fancier location (I have no idea why I associate very small plates with fancy but I do). Presentation and taste was amazing but I would recommend breakfast in the morning if you’re going for lunch. Overall the price wasn’t too bad for me (although certainly not dirt cheap), but I was also going during restaurant week.  I’d recommend going here for dessert and a drink because it’s definitely worth seeing.

For my overall review I give this restaurant 3.5 out of 5 stars for price, fairly easy location, amazing flavors in small portions, and excellent ambiance.

Firefly

Next up is Firefly; I’m apologizing in advance as I only have one picture. The restaurant is located an easy walk from DuPont Circle metro. The décor is beautiful inside, although the restaurant itself is located on the ground floor of a hotel (in the blink and you might miss it sense). The tree inside is gorgeous during the day (I went for lunch, not shocking, I know) and I can only imagine how pretty it must be at night. That being said, I wish the food had lived up to the décor. For an appetizer I had the salt roasted baby beets. I love the flavor combo of beets and goat cheese and so I was hopeful. While the food was good it was very small in portion and nothing about it jumped out and grabbed me. For a main course I ordered beef burger. There is something to be said for executing a good well-done burger. I order all my burgers/ meat well-done which means I always run the risk of getting a charcoal briquette.  I was very pleasantly surprised by this burger. For a thick burger it was perfectly cooked. All the flavors worked well together in this classic pairing. I was also able to pair my burger with greens instead of fries (I was feeling healthier that day). The beer-battered pickle was a whimsical addition to the dish and it really added a lot. I’m not generally big on pickles but this one went so well I actually ate the whole thing.

Burger

Overall the cost wasn’t bad but I think I would have found it to be a better deal if I had just gotten the burger. I’d recommend skipping the appetizer and going straight for the main course.

For my overall review I give this restaurant 2.5 out of 5 stars for reasonable price, fairly easy location, solid food, and excellent ambiance.

Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub

I went out to this restaurant, located in the Village of Shirlington, one Saturday recently. I was able to book in advance with OpenTable, which I always appreciate as I’m not a big fan of having to call for reservations. Parking in the area was free (in the garage) and easy to find.  I went with a group (note, more than 4) and they had no trouble giving us a nice and private table. The restaurant’s outside was bright red and easy to spot. The layout worked well so it felt like we had our own area. The staff was super friendly and very attentive without hovering. Ordering off the Brunch menu still offered enough breakfast and lunch options to make sure everyone could get what they wanted. Food ranged in the lunch category from salad to traditional Irish fare.

Smoked Salmon Salad

Shepherd's Pie

I ordered the Daily Chowder (Clam that day) and the Bangers ‘N’ Mash (read: Sausages and Potatoes).  

Bangers 'N' Mash

The portions were good for brunch being a larger than one would expect for lunch. The chowder was well done with a nice balance in the cream sauce to accompany the seafood. It certainly tasted homemade. It also came with brown bread, which paired nicely with the soup as well as being able to stand on its own with a sturdy and soft construction and a distinct flavor. The mashed potatoes in the Bangers ‘N’ Mash were excellent although I found the spice in the gravy to be a bit strong for my palate. The rest of the party all enjoyed their dishes and had no complaints.

Traditional Irish Breakfast 

Overall I felt it was a good value; I was able to get my meal, appetizer, and a drink for around 20 bucks. If you go I’d recommend picking one of the Traditional Fare items for the specialty and quality.

For my overall review I give this restaurant 4.25 out of 5 for a good price, fairly easy location, good/ unique food, and excellent service.

First Bite

Hey out there. So, this is my attempt at a blog (bear with me, I'm learning). I'm planning to write about the restaurants I've been to in the greater DC area, especially which restaurants I liked and why. I've been keeping a log of various places I've been and taking pictures of food along the way. At some point it was mentioned I should make it an official. In general I tend to visit these restaurants during the lunch hours so my reviews will reflect those menus. So, here we go. Let me know what I can add to the reviews to make them more useful and if there's anywhere you recommend I try.