Toro Toro

Toro Toro has replaced Tuscana West at 1300 Eye St. NW. Richard Sandoval has taken over and sexed this place up. The decor is dark, sensual and mysterious. Amber, iron bars, and leather adorn the decor. There is ample room for seating, and a lounge downstairs. The outdoor patio is also available for seating on warm weather days.

My last minute friend texted me on a Sunday and asked me to figure out our brunch situation. I remembered seeing something about Toro Toro's $39 unlimited brunch, so of course it was an easy sell. We were able to get a last minute reservation for (3) at 11:30. Boom. Ready. Set. Seat. Drink and Eat. We were ready to go. The staff there was amazing. They were extremely friendly and attentive, and the waiters were a ton of fun.  What exactly is an unlimited brunch, you ask? It's exactly what it sounds like. For $29 it includes everything at the food bar, hot and cold. for $39 you can throw in their unlimited mimosas and bloody mary's. I'm a hungry lush, so it feeds the beast happily.

I'm always hesitant about buffets and brunch bars. It always seems as if you only end up liking 1 item at the bar...This was PHENOMENAL. The cold bar consisted of ceviche, (white fish, I cannot remember which one and shrimp), salmon dip, guacamole, avocado salad, shrimp cocktail, oysters, asparagus, mozarella salad, cheese & charcuterie. I was obsessed with the salmon dip and the ceviche. There were also chocolate waffles. CHOCOLATE WAFFLES!!!!!!

The warmer offerings were comprised of picanha steak, chorizo, chicken, and a variety of quiches. There was a delicious looking quiche that happened to be ham and cheese. While I was chatting with the chef as he explained what everything was I told him I was sad that I couldn't eat the quiche because I don't eat pork. He said he also had prepped a mushroom and spinach that he could make for me. Which he did, and delivered to my table when it was ready. He was VERY engaging with everyone and answered all questions.

While we gorged on all the amazing food, we had to wet out whistles, and we did so with the unlimited bloody Mary's and mimosas. If you want to partake in the bloody Mary bar, the waiter gives you a glass of vodka and you can take it to the bloody Mary station to craft your own. There are a variety of items and hot sauces you can choose from and use to your tasting. There are 5 different flavored mimosas. My particular favorite was the Blood Orange Mimosa.

I highly recommend Toro Toro for brunch, groups, dates, and casual drinks.

http://www.richardsandoval.com/torotorodc/

Mie N Yu "Social Underground" Blind Tiger Prix Fixed Menu

UPDATE: Mie N Yu is no longer open for business. it has been replaced by Ri Ra Irish Pub

I've done a write up on Mie N Yu, however it's been quite some time since I've revisited the restaurant. I recently got an invitation to try out the new "Social Underground" Blind Tiger Prix Fixed Menu. For $25 whopping dollars you get 3 courses. If you've ever been to Mie N Yu, you know the concept and theme of the restaurant is the Silk Road. It is amazing because they have trained and educated their staff extensively because they are quite knowledgeable about the topic, the restaurant and the menu. Despite the fact that I was invited to try the menu I will still give you my review the good with the bad.



When I walked in and checked in with the host she seated me and gave me a forewarning that I was going to have a waitress that had just started. (I believe her name was Karya). Despite the fact that she was new, she was knowledge, quick, efficient, and a pleasure to chat with. There is quite an extensive wine menu and I tried two cocktails on the cocktail menu. I didn't quite like the first one (Pink Pagoda) because it was just too sweet, but the second one (White Tiger) rectified their mixed cocktail menu.

The first course was an option of Zataar Hummus with Ful and the Sonomono Blue Crab Salad. My fiancee was with me so we tried both. We weren't fans of the Zataar Hummus with Ful. It was just a bit overwhelming and the spices actually took away from the Hummus. It was almost as if someone took all the powdered spices that are used in a curry, pan fried them in olive oil and just tossed it on top of the Hummus. The Sonomono Blue Crab Salad however, was AWESOME. The vinaigrette complimented the soba noodle salad quite well. The edamame, green veggies, soba noodles, and vinaigrette was well thought out, and a great cooling dish in these hot hellish weather days.


First course =)

Second Course Options - Char Masala Lamb Kabob and Beijing Style Lacquered Duck. Once again me and the fiancee tried both. The lamb and duck are both locally farm raised (in Virginia and Pennsylvania). The lamb kabobs were served with a roasted coriander yogurt sauce which went well with the gamey lamb. The duck had a sweet and spicy taste that had me craving for more. The flavor was really infused in the meat.


The Beijing Style Lacquered Duck

By the third course we were almost completely stuffed but we kept going. There are four options on the menu Pakistani Cinnamon & Ginger Striped Bass, Indonesian Scallop "Kare", Lamb Wild Mushroom & Tofu Fried Rice, and Indonesian Chicken "Rica Rica". We decided to go with the striped bass and the scallops. The striped bass is a MUST. The sauce was creamy, complimenting the spiced bass. I was in heaven with each bite. The scallops were surprisingly not as good as I expected them to be. I wasn't thrilled. The scallops seemed a bit over carmelized. I reiterate I HIGHLY RECOMMEND trying the bass dish.


Third Course

All in all the Blind Tiger Prix Fixed menu is not a bad inexpensive dinner option. The cost is recession friendly and dishes are palate worthy (plus or minus a few items). It's definitely a nice option to have, heck this is a great option for a large dinner party. With a few tweaks to the menu it could be superior. The decor, and options of seating on the Silk Road are a nice touch as well.

Againn

UPDATE: This venue is now CLOSED. It has been replaced by Casa De Luca

Area: Downtown (suggest metro McPherson Square or Metro Center)
Location: 1099 New York Avenue NW, Washington DC 20001
Cost: $$
Website: http://www.againndc.com

It was a gray and cloudy afternoon when I met an ex coworker of mine for lunch at Againn. I've been wanting to check this place out for quite some time. Driving by in the evenings the dim amber lights emitting from the glass windows that adorn a majority of the restaurant seem so inviting, particularly to the bar. So I decided this would be a perfect opportunity to check it out. There was the option to sit on the patio area however, I was skeptical with the thick gray clouds hovering above, and as of late haven't really trusted the local weather forecast, so I chose the safe route and decided to sit inside. On the inside the restaurant looks like what I would assume a gastropub in England would look like with dark wood booths and tables. It's very simple and to the point. Farther back in the restaurant there is a vast selection of wines lining the wall and private "scotch lockers". It was cute, simple, and seemed like an upscale cafe.




The Scotch Lockers

Now let's get to the real deal...The FOOD! The cocktail and wine menu was quite extensive. The food menu was scaled down and to the point. Definitely pub food with a bit of pizazz. My previous co-worker decided on the crab cake sandwich with the Brussels sprouts with chunks of ham and I decided on the fish and chips with mushy peas with the pan fried bubble and squeak and organic greens for my sides (I opted out of the chips on this one, I was trying to make it as healthy as possible).


Fish sandwich and organic greens


Brussell sprouts and the Bubble and Squeak

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the pan friend bubble and squeak but it was surprisingly good. It was like a flavorful hash brown patty. The fish was on a sandwich and it was quite interesting, it was a white fish and was a little mushy, but quite honestly simply one of the best fish sandwiches I have had that wasn't fried. The fish was buttery and fresh. The dressing on the organic green tasted homemade. I was only able to eat half of the sandwich (which was even better the next day) and half of the bubble and squeak.

My ex co-worker was thrilled with her crab cake sandwich and even ordered a second helping to take home for dinner. I did take a taste of the brussell sprouts and fries and if I wasn't so full from my own platter I would have demolished her sides as well. I also had the homemade lemonade, delish and refreshing.

I can't wait to come back and try out the rest of the menu and get a chance to check out the cocktails. The food is tasty, and the dishes are pretty awesome without all the fuss. I checked out their happy hour menu online and they have my kinds of deals on food and drinks. Againn, you will see me, well, again. This is a great place to hang with friends, or a great lunch spot for a meeting or just convening with friends and old colleagues. The patio area is now open, so add this to your selection of patio seated dining options. This place deserves all the rave reviews it has received. To top the food, the service was pretty good.

Oyamel

Area: Penn Quarter (Archives Navy Mem'l Penn Quarters metro stop, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Green line)
Location: 401 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $$$
Website: http://www.oyamel.com/

During SnoGasm I had plenty of time to eat. On the first day of snow a girlfriend of mine and a friend of hers decided to grab something to eat for a late lunch. Her friend was from Brazil and highly recommended we meet up at Oyamel. I've always walked past it and noticed it was uniquely decorated with little skull clad looking dolls that are reminiscent of New Orleans Mardi Gras vibe.

Anywho I digress, I walk into Oyamel and noticed how interesting the decor really is! I love it, there are these really cute metal butterfly fixtures on the ceilings, the booths are intimate, and there is a party room in the back. The butterflies are a nice contrast the more dark latin theme, that is actually very festive (think Mardi Gras).

I strongly urge folks to make reservations for the restaurant. As they tend to always be busy unless you are coming in just after they have opened when business tends to drag for the first hour or so. However I strongly suggest making reservations. Well we were quickly seated. The servers are really good, I've had a few that took a little time getting to our table, but overall they all have been good at making suggestions. The first thing I HAVE TO ORDER is the guacamole, you can get it mild, medium or spicy. With my foreign roots I have to get mine spicy and they never fail to deliver.

The menu is fairly basic with tacos, salads, soups, and its meats, poultry and seafood dishes, but they have perfected having a diverse variety of flavors. There is also a very extensive vegetarian selection on the menu, which is a big plus when you are eating out with groups of people. People who have dietary restrictions to only Halal, Kosher, or vegetarian have no problem ordering food from Oyamel.

There are a few distinct items on the menu that make this place stand out: Grilled cactus paddles, beef tongue tacos, and grasshopper tacos. I wasn't brave enough to try he grasshopper but I did try to beef tongue tacos, and despite the fact that the texture is a bit tough, it wasn't so bad. I'm not a fan of the tacos, but the fact that they have unique types of tacos helps. The tortillas are pretty authentic though. I had the goat and that was probably the best out of the selection of the tacos. The chicken taco's were okay but not super savory.

The ceviche is awesome! I've had the tuna and the yellowtail ceviche and they are both so delish, I can't wait to try to the blue marlin ceviche. =) I highly recommend getting the scallops. They are savory and seasoned just right. The black bean soup is really, really good. The mussels are fairly decent, as well as the camarones dish. The tamales are small but are decent bite sized deliciousness. They have the right amount of seasoning and cheese where it's not overwhelming.

I'm sure there are more dishes that I tried but cannot remember. The plates are served antojitos (small plates) style so you definitely have to order more than one plate to fill up. It's pretty good for groups because you get a chance to try a little bit of everything but beware if you order the tacos, you usually only get one so there aren't too many to share, but if you don't like it you won't be stuck with eating more than one. Makes life simple. The plates are reasonably priced, however your tab can start adding up after order all the different plates.

One benefit of this place is the variety of non-alcoholic beverages. Don't get me wrong I like my liquored up beverages but my palate doesn't always require it so it is nice to have other options. Their menu has some very authentic drinks from milky spiced to the sugary sweet flavors.

All in all, if your craving some good Hispanic food and you want a nice atmosphere I would HIGHLY recommend Oyamel. You really can't go wrong. If your having a large group dinner plan it in advance and they can set you up with a prix fixed menu, however it can be slightly costly, but really worth your money (learned this from experience). And like all restaurants if they are busy expect the service to be a bit slow.

Lauriol Plaza

Area: Dupont Circle (Red Line Dupont Circle metro stop)
Location: 1835 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009
Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $$

Lauriol Plaza has had a LOT of hype. Ever since I have been in DC all I ever hear about is everyone going to Lauriol Plaza for happy hour to order their famous pitchers of margharitas. I must admit, they are DELICIOUS! I can probably finish one alone. But it is always more fun to share. Anywho, I'm transgressing. I've always heard so much hype about Lauriol Plazas drinks and their food. Now I definitely agree with everyone on the drinks part, because like I said the margharita's are a must have. They also offer some pretty decent selection of beers, if you are a beer person. Me, not so much.

Lauriol Plaza has outdoor seating outside, which is where I usually like to sit because I love people watching. There are two floors, a bar at the front of the restaurant, and an outdoor deck upstairs on the second floor. It is almost always a long wait to get a table. Oh, and parking is usually pretty bad, they have valet, but they usually fill up pretty quick. My suggestion, park far and just walk, use public transportation, or just save the Earth and walk.

The service can be iffy. Sometimes the waiters take forever but they are usually so on point you don't even notice it. As long as the margharitas are flowing I'm not complaining. They serve you salsa and chips to tide you over while you wait, which is always nice and I almost always end up asking for a second batch. The food itself, well it's pretty average. I'm not really a fan of the entrees. The mussells are pretty amazing, which is why I'm constantly being dragged to dine there, even against my will. The avacado salad is pretty good as well. Healthy, but fills you right on up. The tamales and enchiladas are okay, but your safer ordering the quesadillas. There is more hype to this place than the food is really worth. But hey if your the type to follow the hype, this place is definitely it, as it's always packed (all floors including the outdoor seating), and the drinks and mussells can con you into coming back time and time again.

Belga Cafe

Location: 514 8th St. SE, Washington, Dc
Neighborhood: Barracks Row
Cost: $$$
Cusine: Belgan

I had an informal business meeting at Belga Cafe one evening. Reservations are strongly suggested as this place tends to fill up fast. It's small and quaint with romantic dim lighting and the chef's corner is visible in the back. I can't lie I was a little skeptical because I was very naive about Belgan food, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well I'm glad I didn't have any reservations. I may have found a new love that evening. French fries with mayonaise? Absurd! But, AMAZING! The fries are hand made and they add a little something to the mayonaisa but, man those things were so good, maybe even better than my moms homemade fries. Next up for the appetizers were the mussels, and man Belgians sure know what the heck they are doing with mussels. I mean the creamy white wine sauce that the mussels simmered in made you want to keep digging for more mussels in the pot after you had already ran out.

The menu had a good variety. Duck, lamb, scallops, chicken, beef, were all offered on the menu. But the way they were presented and the sides they offered with the entrees had to have been carefully crafted by the chef gods themselves, because it took me forever to reach a decision on what I would order. I had the lamb, my date for the evening had the duck. I think I may have even offered to swap plates because his duck was sooooooo good. I have actually had cravings the past couple of weeks for this particular duck dish. The lamb was pretty good, perfectly seasoned and grilled to perfection. But I can't stop raving about the duck. For beer lovers, Belga Cafe has a pretty lavish list of Belgian beers on tap.

Don't be surprised if I take advantage of Belga Cafe and restaurant week, just hope my duck is as I remembered it...

Famoso

UPDATE: This venue is now CLOSED and has been replaced by Mi Cocina

Location: Chevy Chase/Friendship Heights
Nearest Metro: Redline Friendship Heights
Website: http://www.famosorestaurant.com/

This is what you call a place that has Hollywood Swank. How could you not when the restaurant is located next to Tiffany & Co. & Barney's Co-op. Don't be surprised when you see plenty of famous and infamous people here. On the warmer days the patio is available for seating. Decorated with a grand style bar and white formica chairs and tables. The servers and waiters/waitresses are decent.

Now onto the juicy good stuff, the food! I strongly suggest this place for brunch. It's perfect with an Italian menu crafted with pizza, pasta, salads, foccaci, and paninis. The brunch menu also includes breakfast items such as omelets and waffles, which are all very delectable. The food isn't as pricey as you would expect, but the presentation of the food would make you think that your pockets would cry when you walk out, but quite the contrary. The pizzas are AMAZING. Thin crust, fresh ingredients, you cannot go wrong ordering one of these creations. The other day for brunch I had the salmon and baby goat cheese foccaci with arugala. I must say not only was it larger than I expect, but it was awesome. I might have to sneak back and grab another one this weekend.

Sei

Location: 444 7th St. NW, Washington DC, 20004
Penn Quarters
Nearet Train: China Town (red, yellow, green line)
Website: http://www.seirestaurant.com/

Sei is a new restaurant in Penn Quarters, that just opened in late January, by the same people who have produced Oya. When you walk in, you can have the same expectations of Oya. It's clean, modern, upscale, and has awesome service. The white walls and contemporary decor really take you outside of Penn Quarters and put you somewhere else. It's definitely noticeable that the management puts a lot of emphasis on customer service and it shows, good job. The bartenders were pretty good at making great drinks, and the saki menu is pretty extensive. The waitress was quite personable and so were the runners.

The menu is creative and keeps the basics of sushi with a flare. I enjoyed the appetizers they offered. Sei is a little pricier, but not unreasonable. I would strongly suggest this place for a happy hour or for a romantic date. Definitely need to check it out. I think it's the next IT Sushi spot.

Hank's Oyster Bar

Location: Dupont Circle (Q & 17th st)1624 Q St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Metro: Red Line Dupont Circle Metro Stop
Cuisine: Seafood
Website: hanksdc.com

So a couple of friends of mine planned a surprise birthday dinner at Hank's for my roomies birthday. It was a Sunday night, and they don't take reservations, you just have to get there to get your name on the list and wait. Since it was a Sunday night they weren't particularly busy, so it wasn't long before we could get a table. However while we were waiting for the rest of the group & the birthday girl to show up, we decided to grab a few drinks at the bar. Everything was going fine, UNTIL, a little bug decided to run around our drinks and nearly attack us. I grabbed a napkin and quickly killed the little fellow. I was HIGHLY disappointed with how the bartender reacted, he didn't even comp our drinks or grab a manager to let them know what just happened. It was a BUG on the bar!!! Right near our glasses. I was SHOCKED that the bartender didn't go out of his way to correct this one. This action made me skeptical about the rest of the dinner, but I was put to ease once we were seated to our table and we had the most patient waitress ever!

The restaurant is pretty small and fills up pretty fast. We had a party of 10, and I know from my own experience as a waitress, that waiting on large parties can be ANNOYING. You constantly have someone asking for something or making changes to their order, and it takes a lot of patience to work with. As the waitress gave us a chance to look over the menu (which isn't that extensive but sufficient) we were given goldfish crackers to snack on. I ordered 12 Malpeque oysters on half shells (@ $2/oyster, it's not bad although I wish I would have selected a variety of oysters), the lobster bisque, and a side order of collard greens. The oysters were pretty good, the lobster bisque had nice chunks of lobster and was seasoned pretty well. The collard greens were a bit on the sweeter side, but the quantity was pretty large, a dash of tobasco sauce was the solution so it wasn't too bad.

Anytime we needed anything the waitress was excellent at being attentive and quickly solving the problem. I like this place, and would definitely try it again. Everyone enjoyed the oysters (the toten's and sister oysters are pretty good) and the sauce they serve with it, are EXCELLENT! I strongly recommend this place, it's modern, casual, and cozy perfect for these cold winter days.

Hello Cupcake!

Location: 1351 Connecticut Ave NW, DC
Cuisine: Desserts, Cupcakes
Price: $
Nearest Metro: Red Line Dupont Circle

So lately I've been having this sweet tooth and annoyingly haven't really had anything that would satisfy it. So I found out about this little spot in one of my daily email alerts from www.dailycandy.com saying that Hello Cupcake! was opening up. Well I figured why the heck not. A girlfriend of mine, her 18 month old son, and a mutual friend of ours decided to try this place out. Well when we got there (a Saturday afternoon around 3), it was a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG line leading out the door! Once we got inside there were clean pastel colors decorating the walls, and everything looked so clean and crisp and just made you feel so happy. So we patiently stood in line, unfortunately they were out of most of the cupcakes that I wanted to try (for you vegans and Gluten free dieters they also have something to accommodate you), so I decided to get real exciting and went for the hc Original with buttercream icing. I love white cake with triple coconut (I REALLY wanted the dulce de leche cupcake but I was told they weren't going to sell it until the owner perfected the recipe), but nonetheless I was not let down. I ordered the 24 carrot (carrot cake, get it) for my friend whose birthday it was (I did sneak a taste and it was AMAZING. I will caution you, these minicakes are pretty rich and you may need a glass of milk to top it off, so be prepared. They are so goood! Oh a little thing I forgot to mention they change the menu daily so try checking out the website before you make your way over there, some of the flavors are sold daily and some are sold on certain days. So if there is a particular flavor you want to try make sure you are visiting this cute clean shop on the right day.

http://www.hellocupcakeonline.com/flavors.html