Happy hour $5
SEI, Washington DC
I wish there was less cheese and more kimchi shrimp inside these quesadilla. They tasted good, but I wanted more of the kimchi flavor in the forefront.
Shenandoah National Park.
Open sushi hand rolls. Happy hour $4 each
SEI, Washington DC
I definitely liked the spicy salmon more than the garlic scallop. The scallop hand roll tasted off and the texture was mushy. The spicy salmon had a more distinct flavor and a nice firm texture.
Faux Punishment: rum, star of anise, aromatic bitters, citrus. Happy hour $8
Shiro-miso, roast pork (chashu), bean sprout, onion, garlic, ground pork, nori, and scallion. Add butabara kakuni (pork belly). $16.25
Daikaya, Washington DC
This place is super popular and busy during lunch (and I’m sure at night as well). I was able to squeeze into the counter to enjoy my bowl of ramen. The spicy miso broth very tasty, but I feel like it was a bit on the salty side. I’m glad I opted for the additional pork belly.
Small kitchen area where the magic happens!
Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Volcano: shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, eel, avocado, cucumber, roe, spicy mayo, eel sauce. $9
Dynamite Wasabi: tuna, salmon, yellow tail, wasabi fish roe. $8.50
Raku, Washington DC
These rolls were ok. The sushi rice was really dry though so I couldn’t get over that part. I liked the flavors of both, but they were difficult to eat because of the crappy rice.
Kirin Ichiban Japanese draft beer.
Old Post Office Pavilion.
Dynamite: tempura calamari, spicy scallop, spicy lump crab, habanero tobiko, soy bean paper. Happy hour $7
Spider: tempura soft shell crab, spicy napa cabbage, asparagus, habanero tobiko. Happy hour $6
The Hamilton, Washington DC
Thank goodness The Hamilton was able to restore my confidence in DC’s ability to serve sushi worth eating after my horrible experience at Asia Nine! These rolls were fun and delicious, and you can’t beat their happy hour prices!
Dancing Manhattan: Dancing Pines bourbon, Dolin Vermouth Rouge, splash of Angostura bitters, bourbon soaked cherry. $13
The Concert For Valor. We couldn’t get very close to the stage, but there were screens everywhere and everyone had a great time!
California roll, baked salmon roll, nigiri of tuna, salmon, yellow tail, eel, and shrimp. Served with house salad and miso soup. $16
Asia Nine, Washington DC
This sushi was GROSS! The nigiri were dry and definitely NOT fresh. The sushi rice on the rolls were also dry and flavorless. At least you could hide the horribleness with the baked salmon roll since it was hot. This was my first experience with sushi in DC and it traumatized me! And the service and food timing was horrible. One guy didn’t receive his roll until we got our check. Really, that’s acceptable service?!
House salad and miso soup.
Federal Triangle Flowers, Stephen Robin.
Seaweed out, cucumber, avocado, asparagus, carrot. $6
Sala Thai, Washington DC
Ugh, this roll was even more dry than the previous! Their sushi rice just isn’t very good. Without decent sushi rice, you’ll never make a decent roll.
Logan Circle.
Soft-shell crab tempura, asparagus, avocado, masago, topped with eel sauce. $12
Sala Thai, Washington DC
I think it’s kinda weird that an “authentic” Thai restaurant offers a large sushi menu, but whatever… Anyway, the roll wasn’t very good. It was dry and pretty bland. The unagi sauce was also a weird consistency.
National City Christian Church, Thomas Circle.
With brown rice and hot curry. $8.45
Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill, San Francisco CA
Mmm, I love the curry at Muracci’s! This chicken curry was really tasty and I love their hot (spicy level) curry option. I just wish there was a little more chicken, but the price is great regardless. Noms!
Pork cutlet with hot curry served with brown rice and house special pickles. $2.75
Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this little pan was really yummy. I bought it on a whim and I’m glad I did. I liked the texture of the bread and the beef curry was pretty good too. A great little snack before the main dish.
$8
Izakaya Roku, San Francisco CA
I liked this fusion. Udon is usually great with anything, and it tasted pretty good in this Italian style. That said, the carbonara wasn’t authentic in any way but it still had a pleasant texture and was nice and creamy/cheesy. It wasn’t the best dish here, but it was a nice change of pace.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2014
Edamame. Happy hour $3
Ika kimo yaki with scallions. $13
Izakaya Roku, San Francisco CA
Ugh, I did not like this dish at all. Maybe it was the kimo sauce, but it tasted very iron-y and metallic. The squid was also kinda chewy and unpleasant. Yucky.
Vittle Monster 