Casa Oaxaca

Filete Oaxaqueno

De Borrego

If you don't know, I am a fan of Mexican food. I can eat it everyday. I beg my husband to find me a Mexican cook and bring them home to live with us. So when I got an email about a daily deal for Casa Oaxaca I was immediately tempted. I receive daily deals from many places but this one came from http://www.opentable.com/ and offered a $50 gift certificate for only $25. I bought the certificate and made a reservation through opentable, it worked like a charm.

The restaurant is located close to the intersection of Floridy avenue and 18th street. It is technically a part of Adams Morgan but not right in the thick of the crowd and restaurants and bars. From the outside it looks like a small hole in the wall but once you walk in the decor is nice and contemporary and cozy. We were able to find parking right in front of the spot, I think thats just my luck with DC though :)

Or hostess, waiter and even the bus boy were all very friendly and helpful. Atmosphere and service all get high marks from me. The menu is well put together and focused. It is short but covers all the bases. Its not a typical mexican restaurant it is more authentic and contemporary then chevys or taco bell. The menu offered foods from chicken to steak, lamb and shrimp. Each meat was seasoned with a different mole or pepper sauce. The appetizer menu even offered one dish topped with grasshoppers, no we did not try that..not today! We tried the guacamole, salsa and chips appetizer. The guacamole was fresh, creamy and flavorful while the chips tasted just as fresh like they were being cooked in the back. This appetizer was a cool $5. Along with our appetizer we tried something from the bar, mojito and a mango margarita. Tall glasses and a Mexican heaping of tequila in the margarita made each drink well worth the $9.50 asking price. I hate it when I get a $10 drink and I cannot even taste the liquor. They also offer happy hour specials here, I think it would be well worth the visit. Next our entrees. I opted for the lamb tacos all Ihave to say is OMG! tender, flavorful well seasoned moist lamb in small sized fajita's topped with red onion slices, paired with black beans and rice. It was great portion size, not too much food for only $12. We also had the filet mignon which was topped with cheese and paired with fajita shells and black beans and rice. The steak was cooked perfectly, not over or underdone. Again the flavors ad seasoning were perfect and delicious.

I apologize that I was too stuffed to order desert, I felt horrible! But my waiter recommended the churros and the tres leches. Check out the menu on their website and make your selections! This place is a nice little gem on the outskirts of Adams Morgan, go out and enjoy the food then go walk down adams morgan to walk the food off. I give this place 4 out of 5 stars. yumm must try, I will return.

Cupcake Wars

So i recently went on the hunt for cupcakes for a birthday party. I work in Baltimore and have had a cupcake from Charm City Cupcakes before, so i chose to order from them. I filled out an online ordering form which said i would be contacted to complete my order. Needless to say, I was never contacted and Since I have a problem with calling places, I kind of forgot about it and never called the place to confirm my order. A friend at work recommended I try Georgetown Cupcakes which she likes much better then Charm City Cupcakes.

So i went on their website and instantly fell in love. I was able to see the entire menu online and what each cupcake had in it and on top of it, as well as a nice picture. Georgetown cupcakes offers the regular everyday flavors including red velvet, vanilla and chocolate as well as special flavors for each month like this months Cherry Cheesecake and ginger peach AND special daily flavors like my favorite PB fudge. So i ordered a personalized 18 cupcakes online and i had the option to pay online or pay in the store and I got a reciept to print out right away. I chose to pick up from the Bethesda location but they of course have a location in Georgetown D.C. as well.

One of the perks of ordering ahead is that when you get to the store you get to skip the line. This was a sunday morning, 11am the line was out the door and down the sidewalk. I went right up to the counter, paid and got evil stares from the people in the line..but oh well not my fault!

Now to the most important part...The cupcakes! How shall i describe them, hmmm.... moist, flavorful, not too sweet, but just enough, perfect small cupcake size not too large, the icing was the perfect compliment to the cupcakes. The icing was well flavored, fresh and light. My favorite, the PB fudge was a chocolate cupcake filled with a thick fudge and topped with peanut butter frosting. It was like a large, perfect, reese's cup, delicious! while i didn't get to eat all 18 cupcakes :( everyone at the birthday party raved about their cupcake flavor, and the 3 I did eat (red velvet, carrot, PB Fudge) were all delicious and worth the trip and the expense ($2.50 each, $15 for 6 and $29 for 12)

I will definately be going back to try some of the monthly and daily flavors in the future. These are also good for events such as birthdays and babyshowers.

This was my first time going to a gormet bakery specializing in cupcakes so the War begins, I will be trying some other spots in the future. But Georgetown gets 4 out of 5 for their sweet treats

2010 Summer Restaurant Week!!!!

Yay!!! its that time again..just wanted to let you all know that restaurant week(s) is upon us!!!

First up is Baltimore restaurant week. I work in Baltimore but have yet to try any good places to eat out here. Check out http://www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com/ for a list of participating spots. Baltimore's restaurant week runs August 13-22 with many places offering 3 course dinners for $35 and lunch for $20. An added bonus, discounted parking at many downtown garages! Some places that i would recommend, Lebanese Taverna, I sampled some of there food before at an event downtown and it is delicious greek/medeteranian food. Hummus, and great olives. Here is a list some friends of mine gave me of great places in Bmore that are participating:
-RA Sushi Bar -Brewer's Art
-Flemings Prime Steakhouse -Milan
-City Cafe -Salt Tavern
-Rusty Scupper (for sunday brunch)
-Saute

Next is D.C.'s Restaurant Week http://washington.org/restaurantwk/ August 16-22. Some places of interest on this list are Ceiba, Bombay Club (which i have reservations for, i'll let you know how they are) I've also heard good things about Chart House, Georgia Browns, La Tasca, the Melting Pot but have not yet dined there myself.

And you can never go wrong with Zaytinya, Poste Brasserie, Ruth's Chris, Mortons, McCormick and Schmicks and Art and Soul all places i've tried myself, and love :)

Finally, if you're still hungry Alexandria Restaurant week is August 20-29 http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=9&pid=426 . Most VA places are included in the D.C. restaurant week list, so this list is pretty short. Delia's Mediterranean Grill has a nice review (scroll down) from Ria on restaurant rundown..check it out. La Tasca is also on this list, so you may be able to wait until this week to visit there instead of using up your time during D.C.'s week. Besides that you're on your own with this list, i haven't visited any of these places yet.

I'm so excited! wish i could visit every place on each list for the next three weeks..but i promise i won't. Good luck and let us know how the places turn out ;)

Teatro Goldoni

Spinach Cappellaci
Buffalo Mozzerella

Veal Chop
Roasted Salmon

"2009 Rammy Award for Favorite Restaurant and was named DC's Best Italian Restaurant by Washingtonian and Esquire Magazines." All these awards and top reviews, I thought this restaurant was a perfect place to take my husband for his birthday. While the ambiance, service and cleanliness are very important when going out to eat, lets face it the food is most important and their food disapointed me big time!

So this time my review will start with the food:

We started out with some fried calamari and buffalo mozzerella as an appetizer. The calamari was bland and needed the tarter sauce to add flavor, this would be the theme of the night...no flavor. The presentation of the food was excellent and beautiful. The calamari had fried red peppers and zuccini mixed in the basket which was fun and different, but the zuccini had more flavor then the calamari. On the plus side it did taste fresh and was not chewy like some calamari i have had. The mozzerella was something new for me, i'll admit but the texture and flavors of it were not pleasing to me. This was the one dish that had a little too much going on. The candied cherry tomatoes, balsamic gelatin and eggplant on top of the mozzerella overpowered the cheese and gave it an abrupt flavor. I ate one piece and did not want any more.

I chose to order the Spinach Cappellaci which was under the pasta section, (pictured above) it was 4 small pasta's filled with butternut squash which was sweet and very different. It was a nice soft fresh pasta dish but tasted more like a desert with the sweetness of the butternut squash inside. Next I had the roasted salmon which was topped with crabcake and laid on top of sauteed spinach. The spinach was crunchy and tasted slightly burnt. the salmon needed salt and pepper and the crab cake had pieces of shell in it. King of like when you buy the cheap grocery store brand of crab meat insted of the phillips crab meat to make crab cakes at home. So i was picking crab shells out of my mouth. My husbands veal chop looked gorgeous and huge. It also was bland and needed some seasoning and flavor. It also had alot of fat on it and was slightly tough and chewy.

After dinner i had a taste for something sweet to get the other flavors out of my mouth, but the desert menu consisted of fruit, gellato and nothing that looked worth my time.

My main complaint about Teatro Goldoni was the lack of flavor in the food, obviously but I was also unhappy that it was not an italian restaurant. Nothing about it made me think italian. There was techno music playing, there were african masks on the wall for decoration. I can see a spin on traditional itialian but this place was just confused. To be fair i will mention the service was excellent, prompt and friendly. they even took the mozzerella off our bill when i told them i hated it (not in those words:) and the prices were reasonable for the dishes they offered. The drinks were also delicious and strong...maybe you can visit the bar for happy hour 5-9pm mon-fri...we couldn't get happy hour prices sitting in the dining room (seriously).

So i think the best thing i learned from this experience is that its best to go off word of mouth to find a good place to eat (like restaurant rundown:) and not off top 100 list or places that have won awards or rankings from the Washingtonian!

2 out of 5 stars for this place..and I won't be going back no thank you

Delia's Mediterranean Grill & Brick Oven Pizza

Yesterday I visited Delia's Mediterranean Grill. This was actually a rather haphazard choice to dine after a movie. Located in Alexandria, VA right across from the Hoffman Ctr movie theater, this place can easily be overlooked with the other casual dining options in the area. The atmosphere in Delia's was very relaxing, yet mildly upscale. An interesting combination, but somehow it works for this restaurant. The staff was extremely pleasant and helpful, from the hostess to the wait staff that all seemed to be very familiar with all of the menu options.

The food was pretty good. For starters we had the Pizza Knuckles...essentially pizza rolls stuffed with cheese and pepperoni. They were excellent! For an entree I had the Capellini Santorini, which was capellini pasta (spaghetti, but a little thinner) with lump crab meat, scallops, and shrimp, topped with a cherry tomato sauce. The pasta was decent; it had just a bit of a spicy kick to it. I personally think it would have tasted better with a vodka sauce or maybe tomato basil, but I’m not chef. My guest had the Gamberetti alla Montese, really difficult to say, but so much easier to eat. Fettuccini pasta with shrimp and crab in a creamy white wine and parmesan sauce. It was excellent (I actually had a bit of food envy). The portions sizes were perfect for the style and price of the restaurant. In terms of drinks I had the house special which was pomegranate sangria. It was perfect, tasted a bit like juice though which could get you in a bit of trouble if you have too many.

If you happen to be dining with children they have a reasonable sized $5 kids menu with various types of pasta and the classic fries and chicken fingers. I ordered some raviolis with marinara to take home for the boy. To make them more "kid friendly" they were tri colored ravioli, with blue food coloring in the filling. Cool if your child is into odd food (like my child is, he loved it).

Overall I enjoyed the meal and would visit this restaurant again. There were some other menu options that I look forward to trying. The atmosphere was conducive for a first date, casual lunch with friends, or a place for the family to eat after a movie.

Copper Canyon Grill

rotiserie chicken #1 salmon

This was my third time visiting Copper Canyon Grill in Silver Spring Md, and i got there and realized i've never shared this place with my RR followers! I'm sooo sorry for holding out on you guys. CC Grill is amazing and they get better and better every time i go. First lets start with the fact that parking is free in the garage by the restaraunt on weekends, thats a major plus. Next the service is always excellent. The staff is over the top friendly, but not annoying. They pride themselves in using fresh never frozen ingredients and having every server take care of you. So if you need something just grab the first person that walks by and they will take care of it. This helped all our needs be taken care of quickly. The staff was also very knowledgeable about the food and the ingredients, they really could sell the menu to you. The atmosphere is nice and cozy, the grill is open so you can see it and the flames shooting up. They have nice booths as well as tables for larger parties. They also now have call ahead seating which i love.

Now to the food. Off the appetizer menu you must try the crab dip. It has large chunks of crab and is fullof flavor. the dip is served with a loaf of french bread fresh from the oven. The entree's are all american favorites such as steak, salmon and chicken but each dish is loaded with flavor and delicious seasoning. The rotisserie chicken is one of their specialties and they season it with 35 seasonings and you can taste each one. The chicken is juicy and falls off the bone. Also their salmon is the best, THE BEST grilled salmon i have ever had. Order it medium and it is the perfect combination of juicy and tender melt in your mouth goodness!!!. Even their vegetables are full of flavor and seasoning. The spinach and honey carrots are both excellent. The mashed potatoes are also delicious, i can never get mine to come out that smooth and creamy at home. .. The jumbo lump crabcakes are also very good. They are all crab meat and not filled with bread and other things like most places. The side of salsa and also the crabcake sauce top it off and follow the trend of flavor flavor and more flavor.

Overall CCGrill is a great place for a date or a family dinner with the kids. The menu is delicious, nothing i've tried has disapointed me yet. The staff and the decor are excellent and i would recommend this place to all of you!!! Even the bathrooms are great! 5 out of 5 stars all around, evertime.

Art and Soul

salmon

crabcake appetizer

I recently had dinner at Art and soul restaraunt located in the Liason Hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. While I did not dine with my normal group and was not able to taste everyone's food, I can give you a rundown of what i did taste in food and atmosphere.

The establishment has a nice, romantic atmosphere. It is quiet, low lights and comfortable intimate seating. The hostess was friendly and helpful. Our biggest complaint of the night was our waiter, who was attempting to amuse us with a fake accent and made up nicknames that we didn't appreciate. He was however, attentive and prompt. The crowd of people were what you would expect on capitol hill, an older more mature crowd wearing business suits and appearing to have just left work late on a friday night. We even recognized a DC councilman.

Now to the food...
The menu was very short and included some southern dishes such as hoecakes and shrimp and grits as well as seafood dishes including fish and crabcakes. The crabcakes were considered an appetizer at $14 and came with a side of cole slaw and fries. If you are a light eater this would be a good choice. The crabcake was fairly tiny however. I opted for the " ATLANTIC SALMON roasted stone fruit, wheat berries, black pepper fennel sauce". The salmon was well cooked and had a good amount of seasoning and flavor. The fruit and fennel sauce complemented the fish well and the flavors were delightful. I also ordered a side of seasonal vegetables which included carrots, squash and green beens that were full of flavor and cooked just enough not too steamed and raw. I also tried a french martini from the bar which was pretty good, nothing to write home to mom about. The bartender could use a little heavier hand.

Overall I would visit this place again because of the ambiance and calm atmosphere. Even though i enjoyed the salmon i would try something else off the menu next time to give it a more thorough review. For now we'll give it 3 out of 5 stars

Ketchup-DC

I have almost made it through all the new restaraunts at the National Harbor. I love that the Harbor is full of an eclectic bunch of restaraunts that you don't see everywhere and I am slowly working my way around to eating at each 1..so you don't have to ;) I was excited to try Ketchup after my fellow bloggers told me how great the one in Los Angeles was. While I had to sit at the bar while waiting for my seat, I promise i didn't let those drinks cloud my critique of the food.

The restaraunt had a very fun and fresh decor. Bright colors, clean and very new. The atmosphere was laid back and service was friendly and fast for 4pm on a saturday afternoon. Our waiter was great..quick and very attentive. When we first arrive there was a 15 minute wait while the staff prepared to switch from lunch to dinner service. So we sat at the bar. Their drink menu was different and creative, so i chose a random house mix. I am no lightweight at the bar, and let me tell you my first drink gave me quite a buzz. I also heard others at the bar complimenting the bartenders on how great their drinks were. I would be happy to visit this place just for the bar..it was that great.

After we were seated it was pretty easy to choose our meals. The menu is short and to the point. I hate restaraunts that give you a 5 page menu and it takes you 20 minutes just to read through it and decide what to order. Right away the fried chicken and waffles stood out to me because it was a "cheddar bacon waffle" that sounds different. I ordered the flat iron steak and let my companion order the waffle which i intended to pick off. We also ordered the spinach and artichoke dip which was served with flat bread and carots.

The appetizer, spinach and artichoke dip was very tasty. Full of flavor and the flat bread went well with the dip and helped make the appetizer not so heavy and too filling. We opted out on the threesome of three different types of fries, waffle fries, sweet potatoe fries and curly fries..just seemed too boring for me :) The chicken and waffles were a great spin on the traditional. The chicken was crispy and well seasoned, juicy and delicious. The only complaint about the waffles were that they were small. Only two little traingles :( the waffles were Great! buttery, flavorful and very unique. We also tried the lobster mac and cheese which our waiter recommended. He said it was originally a microwave mac and cheese, but now the way they make it was much better. I would have to disagree. I've had lobster mac and cheese at a few places now, and many of these places seem to forget to season their macaroni and cheese before adding the lobster. I found it bland and tasteless..not worth the $12.

The second entre we tried was the flat iron steak which came with musrooms and veggies in a "spiced Shiraz reduction" . Now i know i know...i would never order a steak from a non steak restaraunt...but i did :( big mistake. The steak was cooked perfect, which is a plus because i hate when i say medium well and its too well or too medium. Juicy nice piece of meat, but missing in the flavor department. I cut pieces of steak and dipped it in one of the 6 ketchups they placed on my table to add flavor. The vegetables were very lightly steamed and the wine reduction was not a good compliment. thumbs down on that dish.

Lastly we had to at least try the onion rings so we could dip something in our assortment of ketchups. The onion rings were basic..frozen onion rings. Again nothing to write home to mom about and not worth $10.

Overall I would give this place 3 out of 4 hearts for the ambiance, cleanliness, friendly staff and great bartenders! They could use a little help in the kitchen however.

Yummy Yummy

The spot

Last night my husband took me to a portuguese restaurant in downtown dc, 1 block from the Verizon Center. Their website says they have two locations downtown, the 1 i visited was 819 7th street NWWashington, DC 20001. When you first enter you are greated by a happy staff who all welcome you to the building. Next they explained how the place works. They sit you at a table with a number, and you go over what you want from the menu. Once you've made your choice you walk to the register, order and pay. Once that is done you go over to a counter filled with difference sauces: Garlic, lemon-Herb, medium, Hot, Extra Hot. Grab your napkins, silverware and fill up your drink, then return to your table. It only took a few minutes for our foot to arrive at our table by our friendly waiter and everything, EVERYTHING, was delicious.

The Food

I ordered the Hummus as an appetizer, after which the guy taking the order yelled HUMMUS to the cook staff..I loved that. The Hummus was creamy and full of flavor and paired nicely with pita bread slices. They also offered a peri-peri drizzle to pour into the hummus. The drizzle added extra flavor and a little spice..fantastic. Next was my glass of sangria! Great sangria, just the right amount of liquor and fruity flavor. The waiter suggested I get the pitcher, but it was a worknight ;)
Since this was my first time I kept it simple by ordering a half chicken and I chose medium heat. You get to choose lemon & herb, medium, hot or extra hot, which are the same sauces you get to dip into, they just marinate the chicken with that sauce then grill it. I ate my medium heat chicken and dipped it in the lemon & herb sauce. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. It had great grill marks and just the right amount of grill taste. I paired my chicken with red skin mashed potatoes and also tasted my husbands garlic bread. The mashed potatoes had a great consistency and were also well seasoned. The garlic bread they give you are two large pieces of french bread that are softly toasted with butter and garlic and pair nicely with the chicken.

Overall the food was excellent, no complaints at all. This is a fun and laidback restaurant with a nice atmosphere. The location is perfect (except for parking) right in the center of chinatown. The only thing i would change is the whole routine of going to the register to order and pay then pick your own silverware, napkins and drinks...what do the waiters get paid for?