Finally got to Toki Underground

I’ll admit I’m getting on the ramen bandwagon a bit late.  I first heard about Toki Underground from a coworker who raved about the food.  Because of that, I knew it was a place to try because she’s a bigger foodie than I am.  I think a couple of reasons why we haven’t gone until recently is it’s Northeast, an area Hubs and I don’t frequent, and there’s often a long wait.  I’m more apt to go to a place in DC if I can get a reservation and luckily, there is a small window Toki Underground has for reservations, which hubs and I were able to get the night before. 

My first thoughts about the place is it’s has really neat décor and it’s a bit cramped. We were seated at a bar next to the window and were practically (if not literally) touching elbows with our fellow diners.  While both Yelp and Washingtonian rated Toki Underground as moderately priced, Hubs and I spent quite a bit since we got drinks, appetizers, ramen, and dessert.  

Drink and appetizers  I enjoy whiskey cocktails, though I should be more specific and say that I enjoy bourbon cocktails.  But, I’m a bit pickier about drinks with Scotch whiskey because I’m not too keen on peaty flavors.  I ordered the Toki Monster, not realizing that there was Scotch in the drink.  However, the little bit of pork belly that came with the cocktail was the perfect compliment to the smoke given by the Scotch.  This would definitely be a drink I’d go back to.

Hubs and I were pretty hungry and ended up getting two sets of appetizers, the pork dumplings (fried) and the fried chicken steam buns, both of which were delicious! I would go back to Toki Underground just for these appetizers.

Toki Monster

Pork Dumplings

Chicken Steam Buns

Toki Classic Ramen

Ramen  Of course we couldn’t have done to Toki Underground with out having some of Ramen.  I ordered the Toki Classic and Hubs got the Red Miso.  He also got a little Endorphine sauce on the side.  Both had a lvery meaty and flavorful broth.  The Red Miso broth had an added miso flavor, but was similar to the Classic broth.  The Endorphine sauce was a great add on, and wasn’t too spicy for me (I’m a spice wuss). Hubs also ate up all the baby kale that was in the soup, which is a rarity since kale is typically a veggie Hubs avoids.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Milk, and a hint of Miso Butter

Dessert  Who doesn’t like fresh baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies? While I was probably too full to, we went ahead and got some. I think fresh out of the oven is when they’re the best, and the neat surprise was the miso butter that came with them. The miso butter gave the cookies a hint of salty nuttiness that complemented the sweet chocolaty cookies.

All in all, it was a great meal and would be worth coming back (and maybe even wait in line for if we forget to make a reservation). It also started a desire to find a place that serves up a good ramen that is closer to home.

So....Let the search begin!

Southern Comfort on a Rainy Day

A few weeks back, my mom-in-law came up to the DC area for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.  While she, hubs, and I were excited for the festival, we weren't excited about the cold rain that hit the DC area on that Saturday.  Since the weather dampened our plans, we decided to go to the Mosaic District for a showing of Inside Out and a late brunch at Gypsy Soul.

This wasn't the first time Hubs visited Chef R.J. Coopers restaurant.  We visited earlier in the spring after our friends, the Taylors, recommended it. We liked it so much that we immediately put it on our list of "go-to" places, that is when we aren't trying new-to-us restaurants.

Unlike the brunch with the my college roommates, I didn't take pictures of everyone's dish.  But, everything was so good that we were all part of the clean plate club. ;-)

Starters: Deviled Eggs
Who doesn't like deviled eggs? Well, in truth I do know someone who doesn't - but I always remind him that he's missing out. Hubs and I had these the first time we came by and we enjoyed them so much that we had to get them again.  And of course they were delicious.

Chicken Liver and Waffles No lie, when I think Southern breakfast, chicken and waffles is one of the items that come to mind.  But liver?  It piqued my culinary curiosity.  I happen to like liver. Especially a well prepared liver dish. And this one met exceeded that expectation. The meat was tasty and didn’t have the mineral-flavor and grittiness that can be associated with offal.  The breading was light and crispy, but didn’t feel oily.  The waffles were soft and not too sweet.  And the mushroom and gravy that topped the dish gave it an extra meaty flavor. Another CPC-experience indeed!  And I was more than sufficiently stuffed.

Overall, this brunch experience was a nice diversion from the rain that happened outside. And writing about it today makes me want to head back to have some more of Gypsy Soul’s southern breakfast.  Will we go again? Of course!  This Mosic District restaurant is great for any time of day.

Below are some pictures of dishes that Hubs and I got from the first time we visited Gypsy Soul this past spring.

Tuna Tartar

Fried Chicken 

Broiled Whole fish over potatoes

Brunch with the girls at Barrel & Bushel

Mrs. K, Dr. Black, ADP, and me

I love these ladies! We lived together at VT during the early part of my Ph.D. years and had all sorts of shenanigans - Weekly Food Network inspired dinners, TRPH, Man Wall, Big Foot Tests. Admittedly, we don't get together as much as we like. But our last meet up we went to some fabulous breakfast over at Barrel & Bushel at Tyson's.

After pursing the breakfast menu, we were at a loss of what to get... everything on the menu sounded delicious. But after a few recommendations from our server, here's what we got.

Crusty Bread and Ricotta (Me) Under the mound of figs was a creamy fresh ricotta. Paired with some season grilled bread, this dish was nice and light. Simplicity at its best.

Avocado Toast (Dr. Black) I stole a bit of this one. It's very tasty and makes me want to improve on the egg and avocado breakfast that I sometimes make for myself. 

Grilled Cheese Eggs Benedict (Mrs. K) This looked tasty, and the description by the Washingtonian makes me wish I got it too.

Sabra Pastrami Hash (ADP) ADP recounted a time that she made up breakfast with pastrami, because .... why not? She and Chef Dan definitely have similar thoughts because pastrami was on the menu for this hash. 

Bourbon French Toast (all) The name of this dish hides the fact that this is basically a pan fried Nutella sandwich with a side of butter and syrup. And it's DELICIOUS!! We split it and it make for the perfect "dessert" to our awesome breakfast. 

While we were dining, we noticed that there was an event being set up in the court yard outside of the B&B. Little did we know that the same day we decided to have brunch, we'd also be able to participate in a in a burger challenge. We didn't have enough stomach space to fully participate, but the burgers that we did get to try were flavorful and made it really hard to pick a "favorite."

Would I go again? Hands down yes! The cuisine is the local Americana food hubs and I often have at our "go-to" places. Plus, they have a lunch & dinner menu and an entire refrigerated wall full of libations to try. I have a feeling that I'll be back soon. 

Peruvian + Asian deliciousness

For our 4th wedding anniversary, Hubs and I went to China Chilcano, José Andrés's most recent addition to Penn Quarter.  Like many of Andrés's other restaurants in the area, items on the menu were mostly small plates.  Never having Peruvian dishes before, much less the Asian-influenced Peruvian dishes inspired by Chinese and Japanese immigrants to Peru, Hubs and I decided that we would rely on our server's recommendations for our meal.  

Decision #1: Drinks? 

Five-spice Old Fashioned

Pisco Sour

There was a bunch of different drinks to try that I wasn't sure where to start, so I went with the Pisco Sour - a Clásico de Perú.  This surprised Hubs since I normally get a bourbon based drink.  However, I wanted to try the Peruvian Pisco and having it in a cocktail that was a bit tart also really appealed to me. It was light and refreshing, and not too tart. Hubs went with the bourbon option instead with the Five-Spice Old Fashioned - here Chinese Five Spice worked well against the bourbon and citrus notes. 

Decision #2 - Small plates (round #1)Per our servers recommendation, we got the Yuca fritters (even though Hubs wasn't really too keen on the wood ear mushrooms). And because I love dumplings, we also go the "Lucky" - a sampling of the siu mai flavors listed on the menu. The Yuca fritters were excellent and what sent them over the top was the spiced brown sugar glaze that is poured table side on top of them. The dumplings were excellent. My favorite were Dorado because of the creaminess the quail egg gave to the dumpling. The Pollo was the one hubs liked the most, though the Concha was a very close second for both of us. 

Pollo, Concha, and Dorado Siu Mai

Yuca Fritters

Decision #2 - Another small plate, an entree and a little street food (round #3)

Ceviche Nikkei

Lomo Saltado

For the next course, I wanted to get a ceviche since I love the flavor of fish and citrus.  Hubs is a bit more apprehensive about these because he often feels like the citrus/lime flavor overpowers any other flavor present in a ceviche. In the Nikkei, I really didn't get a huge citrus flavor. I felt like it was more like a poke (fish salad) rather than a ceviche. But, the flavors were worked really well together and the saltiness of the soy sauce was balanced with the avocado and citrus flavors. The only entree we ordered was the Lomo Saltado, which we shared. The steak was cooked perfectly - nice and tender - and the peppers and shoestring fries provided an excellent textural complement to the steak. We also ordered chicken on a stick and duck tongue on a stick (not pictured). I loved the little roasted potatoes that came with each "meat on a stick" and were covered in a nice paprika sauce.

Spiral cookie, chocolate cream, and molasses-like ice cream

Decision #3 - Dessert? 

Even though Hubs and I split each item we ordered, we both were starting to get pretty full and I have an obnoxious sweet tooth. We decided to split dessert and went with the Ponderaciones de Kiwicha. It had such a cute presentation! 

In addition to dessert, we got a chilcano, a pisco based drink that reminded me of a lighter margarita, and decided to be a little bit more adventurous by getting the piscos that had been mixed with another flavor. I got the cinnamon and star anise one, and Hubs got a spicy pepper one. The drinks themselves were refreshing - the spicy pepper one had a slow to build kick of spice - but I'll admit that I wish I would have gone for the traditional chilcano as I thought the anise over powered any other flavor in my drink. 

At the end of it all, we were presented with a glass of bubbly to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. Hubs was happy surprised and a we bit confused - until I told him I let the restaurant know about when I made the reservation.

Overall, we had an excellent meal at China Chilcano and I can definitely see us going there in the future with friends or family. 

Post graduation celebration at the Wine House

Graduation selfie with my buddy Jon
(photo credit Jonathan Manuel)

Yay! I'm finally done with graduate school round 2! I've been working on my Masters in Public Policy from George Mason University for the past couple of years and as much as I like learning new things, it feels so great to be done with school.

Since I was told that the commencement ceremony could possibly run over two hours, I didn't really make plans to go out for a celebratory dinner since we would not have eaten until after 9:30pm - and that would have assumed we would have left right after the ceremony.

After pictures with family and giving celebratory hugs to some of my fellow graduates, Hubs and I went over to one of our favorite places in Fairfax, the Wine House.

Hubs and I came across this place through a LivingSocial deal  in 2011. It's a cute little wine shop and restaurant with a really knowledgeable staff. Because we enjoy the food and wine so much, it's become one of our go to places.

I don't know if it was a good or bad that my graduate program was run from GMU's Arlington campus. Had it been at the Fairfax campus, I might have spent my pre-class time at the Wine House.

Normally, I would go through what we ate by the course, but Hubs my phone battery was running really low and I didn't have the chance to take pictures. :-(

The food at the Wine House is absolutely delicious! I can sincerely say that we haven't had a bad meal there the times that we went. The food is always has great flavors and comes in filling portions. For my post-graduation dinner, I had the rack of lamb. Hubs is not a huge fan of lamb, but he said it probably was the best lamb dish he's ever had.

The last time Hubs and I went to the Wine House, it was in February for their Valentine's dinner. It was a three course dinner, where we got to pick from a selection for each course and opted for the wine paring as well.

Dinner started with a cute little amuse bouche of Gravlox salmon with a little mustard sauce. Since we both loved oysters, hubs and I each got a the panko breaded fried oysters. We both were surprised by the size of the appetizer; there were so many oysters on each plate, I was afraid that I would get full from that alone. For our main course, I got the veal shank, which was HUGE! I didn't have enough stomach space for all of it, but the leftovers made for the best lunch the following day. For desert, I had the chocolate cardinal, a rich and creamy mousse on top of a chocolate cake and raspberries with a side of fresh whipped cream.

Fried oysters with a mango sauce
and celery root and carrot salad

Gravlox appetizer

Veal Shank

Chocolate Cardinal

Catoctin Creek Distillery Dinner at Trummer's on Main

Catoctin Creek Tasting Photo Credit - Rebecca Goodman

Last fall, my friend Becca organized a VA beer and whisky tasting trip. The highlight of the trip was visiting the Catoctin Creek Distillery in Purcellville for a tasting and tour. I had such a fantastic time, that I signed up for their email news letters to stay up to date on their events and news. Unfortunately, Hubs was out of town for business, so he wasn't able to join us for the trip.

One of the awesome things Catoctin Creek does is pair with local restaurants to have a tasting dinner that feature its gins, whiskeys, and brandies. Hubs surprised me with one of these dinners that was at Trummer's on Main early in March. Since these are prix fixe meal, I didn't have to worry about making decision, just enjoying the meal.


Round 1: Appetizer Blue crab salad roulade and Cucumber Gin Cocktail.

Gin is not one of my go to hard liquors, however this drink I really enjoyed! The cucumber and Granny Smith apple balanced well with the juniper flavors of the gin. And the appetizer itself was fun. But then again I love blue crab. And the use of the gin in the appetizer tied the pairing very well.



Round 2: Entree #1 Pork belly and Smoked Manhattan

If you like smokey flavor, this course would have more than satisfied your smokey desires. The smoke flavor was pervasive in the Manhattan, to the point it was almost too smokey. However, when you paired it with the pork belly - which just melted in your mouth - you felt like you were eating some of the fanciest pork barbecue ever.





Round #3: Entree #2 VA Black Angus beef and bone marrow

So this course was fun because after you finished the marrow, you had to use to bone as a luge to take in your whiskey. And the Roundstone Rey 92 had a great warming quality. The fun thing to note about this experience is that you don't have to attend a tasting dinner to experience a whiskey luge, Trummer's has it on the menu.

(Video of me doing the whiskey luge at that bottom... the video is a bit dark)

Round #4: Dessert Smoked chocolate puffed pastry and cream.

In case we didn't get enough smoke from the second course, there was some more smoke in the dessert. There was smoke in the cream inside of the puff pastry and the cherries that garnished the plate. Delicious! This was paired with the Catoctin Creek 1757 Brandy, which went really well together.


All in all, it was a great dinner and a fun way to learn more about the Cactoctin Creek liquors from the owners themselves!

Hubs and I had a lovely dinner, but we weren't quite ready to leave. So we stayed for an additional round at the bar. I got this awesome chocolate espresso cocktail.

We'll definitely have to go back to Trummer's on Main for a non-event meal. The food was fabulous for this evet and I'm sure their regular fare will not disappoint.

Yay! Founding Farmers has a Tyson's Corner location!

It's not often Hubs and I go to a restaurant soon after it opens, particularly one that has recently been named as one of the "New Restaurants to Try." So the fact we tried it in advanced to this Washingtonian's list is pretty cool in my head. 

Hubs and I are really big fans of the farm-to-table concept and Founding Farmers is one of those places that ranks high up on our list. It's one of the first places we think of whenever we venture into DC. However, being suburbanites in VA, trekking into the Capital isn't always appealing. When we heard that Founding Farmers opened up a location in near by Tyson's Corner, the restaurant went towards the top of our "places to go" list.  

Left to Right: Optimal Wit, Kolsch 151, Farmhouse, Vienna lager

Decision #1: Appetizer?  Normally, I want to try "all the things" when I go into a restaurant and have the appetite to do so. And it's a rarity that I don't force Hubs to get an appetizer. But this visit I was feeling a little less famished. Instead of getting raw oysters, devil-ish eggs, or blue cheese bacon dates, I decided to get a liquid appetizer. True to the local concept, all of the beers on the menu are from Virginia. Both Hubs and I got the Beer Flight, he chose his four and I went with the "Dealer's Choice" - where the bar tender or the waiter/waitress will select from their beer list. I was very satisfied with the beers that I got. 

Decision #2: Main Course I had a really hard time making a decision, having so little stomach space for all of the great foods that were on the menu. I narrowed my choices down to the chicken dishes and asked our waitress for a recommendation. She suggested the Spicy Fried Chicken and Jefferson Doughnut.

Oh. Man. Was. That. Good.

Before I start, I have a confession to make, I am terrible when it comes to eating fried chicken - I normally will eat a few bites with the breading, then peel it off and eat just the chicken. Not the case. This is perhaps one of the best fried chickens I've had. The breading was crunchy and peppery - so good that I ate all of it. The meat was moist and flavorful. Before we started eating, I made the decision that I was going to take one of the pieces home, but kept picking at it after I finished the first one. The mac and cheese was gooey and just oh-so-yummy (I also took part of that home too). The green beans were perfectly cooked, crisp and well-seasoned. And then, there's the Jefferson doughnut. Basically, I didn't need to get dessert because it came with my meal. The dough was savory and the vanilla filling and glaze gave it the perfect amount of sweetness. If we were going to get a dessert, it would have been another one of those.

So, Hubs was jealous of my meal. He said that it was the best thing ordered between the two of us - and mine cost way less than his. If you can't think of anything else to get when there, I recommend the Spicy Chicken and Jefferson Doughnut.

Midweek lunch date

Thank goodness Spring is just around the corner! However, hubs and I did not let February's bitterly cold weather keep us from going to try new (to us) places. We had decided to go on a mid-day date a few days before Valentine's day, which included going to Iron Gate for lunch. 

While I am sure that Iron Gate has come across my list of DC restaurants to visit, it stayed on my mind after a White House staffer mentioned it. She over heard me me go on about my love of fine dining and recommended it. This was right after

the intern lunch with Dr. John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in the Navy Mess within the West Wing. Another awesome experience! But, I digress. 

After playing tourist, hubs and I went over to Iron Gate. We loved the atmosphere of the whole place. To get to the dining room, we passed through the carriageway-turned bar and garden patio areas. The dining room had a cozy, tucked away feel. And we were seated near the fireplace, which was great considering how chilly it was outside. 

Crispy feta

Round #1: Small plate starter

On the menu, there are a number of small plate items and a handful of entrees. Hubs and I decided that we would start the meal with an small plate recommended by our waiter, the crispy feta with local honey and balsamic vinegar. 

Have you ever had an appetizer that was so delicious that the first few bites made the trip worth it? I would say that's how we felt about this dish. And that's considering that feta is one of those cheese we just like. If we had not ordered entrees, we might have gotten more of the crispy feta. 

Scallops in tomato broth

Round #2 Entrees 
There are a few entrees that are automatic go-to's for hubs and I. For both of us, it's any scallops dish. The special for that day was scallops and beans in a warm tomato broth. However, I'll also gravitate towards any dish that has lamb in it - in this case the open faced lamb sandwich. Scallops or lamb! I just didn't have the stomach space for both. And since I had a hard time choosing, hubs decided to forgo the gyro special and went with the scallops dish. So I was able to try both. And they were very tasty!

Open-faced lamb sandwich

Lemon tart with rosewater whipped cream

Round #3 Dessert? Um... Yes!
I really should curb my sweet tooth. But after reading the sweets menus, I begged pleaded pouted asked for dessert. And I love lemon desserts, so we got the lemon tart (also highly recommended from the waiter). While the lemon tart was very tasty, the rosewater whipped cream was memorable. I feel like the taste of the rosewater lingered for a long while after the meal. 

During our meal, Exec. Chef Tony Chittum came out to talk to one of the tables near us. I will admit that I'm not the best at following chefs or even looking them up before going to their restaurants. This is partly because I'm less focused on who's making the food and more focused on the whole experience, especially if was worth it to come back. Hubs and I have been to a few places where we had been intrigued by the name of the chef but were disappointed with the meal.

Anyway, when saw Chef Tony come out, we both were thinking, "He looks really familiar." Hubs was the one who remembered that Chef Tony was the one who prepared and explained the the farm table meal we had at Vermillion a few years back. We were both really excited we were able to enjoy his creations yet again at Iron Gate. We even got a few moments to tell him that. 

Will we come back to Iron Gate again in the future? Considering that it will warm up soon and that there are dining opportunities for brunch and dinner as well as an outdoor patio for happy hour, I think so. 

The tasting menu from the farm table meal we had at Vermillion in 2012

Asian-inspired fare at Restaurant Eve

In early January, my friend Becca suggested we go after seeing a Washingtonian article. And, of course, I said yes without a second thought.

My thoughts after reading this: HOLY COW! YES! WHEN ARE WE GOING!

I was excited for this meal because 1) I'm going to an awesome dinner with friends, 2) I've wanted to try this restaurant for a long time, and 3) they're serving up Filipino food! An under represented ethnic cuisine in my opinion. (Side note: I'm Filipino, so naturally, I'm biased)

Now, since I'm posting this in February, I realize that the Filipino-inspired menu is no longer available. But, I still think it would be worth the while to share the experience and foods we were able to enjoy.  No lie, I want to go back sometime to have the Irish-inspired meal Restaurant Eve is known for.

The meal is Prix Fixe - no having to think about the various dishes, the chef has already thought of it for you. The only decision we really had to make was what are going to drink with the meal.

While we could have gone with the drink pairings that was offered with the menu, we as group decided to go for a red wine for the night. This Californian Cabernet Sauvignon had a medium body with a dark berry flavor that started crisps and a light to medium tannic finish. It's a nice wine, and one that I would be willing to get if I come across it again.


Before our dinner starts, we had an amuse-bouche duck liver mousse on a brioche crouton, a gruyere puff, and a deviled quail egg. While these wonderful little tastes were not Filipino, much less Asian in their cuisine, they were delicious! No lie, the table wanted more of these, but alas we only got one of each!

Appetizers. 

I don't think I've ever been at a dinner where there were two round of appetizers. Unlike the main course, which was served family style, both rounds of appetizers were served individually.

First up, a Thai broth with yogurt and raisins. The soup was smooth and slightly briny. Despite the color and opaqueness of the broth it wasn't a thick creamy broth, which was a nice surprise. The yogurt and raisins provided a nice tart and sweet compliment to the salty broth.

The second appetizer was a surf and turf duet - pork belly with a side of egg and rice, and Japanese white fish sashimi with radishes. The pork belly and egg were probably the only things in the entire meal that reminded me of Filipino food, more specifically Filipino breakfast. I loved the lightness of the sashimi and radishes. The duet also came with a spicy vinaigrette that went well with both the pork and the fish.

Main course - family style 

There were a number of dishes that came out and I wasn't able to remember exactly what they were. The descriptions are all from memory, so they might not be as accurate. There was a tofu stew that had some good spice to it, prawns (with heads on!) and scallops in a curry sauce, a clam version of a Brunswick stew (hub's description), a beef stew dish, and spicy sautéed mushrooms. There were also a quartet of sauces, most spicy that could be paired with each of the entrees. I believe I've admitted to my "spice wuss-ness" before, and opted not to try them. The spice adventurous among us, however, really enjoyed them.

All-in-all, the flavors were wonderful. Some were mellow in spice and others were a bit of surprise on how spicy they would be. I think my favorite was the shrimp and scallops in curry, I really enjoyed how the sweetness of the shell fish paired with the mild spice of the curry.

Dessert Coconut ice cream with sticky rice. It reminded me of the Thai dessert sticky rice and mango, just without the mango. The coconut ice cream was a hit with the few in our group were were less than thrilled with the flavors of coconut and (if my memory serves me well) hint of licorice (fennel or anise?).  

I should note that the meal was described to be an "Irish man's take on Filipino cuisine;" however, it was more an "Irish man's take on Asian cuisine." Filipino cuisine is more known for the sour and salty notes instead of spicy. To that point I was a little bit disappointed. The meal I would say had more Thai influence, and there were also Korean and Japanese nods throughout the meal too. That note aside, the meal at Restaurant Eve was excellent in terms of food and service. I really enjoyed this meal. It's always fun to see and taste a chef's take on a cuisine that is not his/her own.