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.