Best New Summer Dish

I was walking on the treadmill to work out some lower back pain this weekend and caught an episode of Barefoot Contessa in Napa. Instead of Ina's normal fat and heavy cream-filled recipes, which I love, she made a lovely summer dish I was interested in recreating with a few twists.

Israeli Couscous with Tuna Salad

Roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, capers, tomatoes, basil, scallions, oregano and red wine vinegar with tuna packed in olive oil and Israeli couscous. The original recipe called for fresh basil and lemon juice, but I forgot to pick up some fresh lemons when we went grocery shopping. The red wine vinegar was a nice alternative. Placed on a bed of romaine lettuce, this was a nice detoxing dinner after a heavy lunch of Sichuan leftovers. Best of all, the hubs loved it.

TNT Bar

After a long week, we were having our normal debate over where to go out to eat for dinner. We have a number of regular favorites, but sometimes it's nice to try something different. Taking a different turn, we ended up at TNT Bar on Columbia Pike in South Arlington, which is connected with Eammons. This restaurant has a larger menu than the Old Town Alexandria's Eammons. 

Pink Shadow Cat

Love Makes You 10 Feet Tall

Shepherd's Pie

Mixed Greens Salad

Curry Chips with Large Cod and Tartar Sauce

Metal Surrenders When Oak Trees Meet Fenders

Thymes Like These

The cocktails are inventive with amusing monikers, and they pack a wallop. The Eammon's menu helps balance the cocktails. The cod is great, and the curry sauce on the chips is surprisingly hot and spicy. I was really surprised how much the area has been built up in such a short time. We walked by the underground Xsport fitness place, Giant, Taqueria Poblano and new apartment buildings. 

Just a Regular Thursday

On our commute home, we saw something a little out of the ordinary. Not often you see a tricked out car-airplane cruise on by. 

Somehow I missed where the dealer is located.

Kaz Sushi Chicken Teriyaki Bento with agedashi tofu.

The Hamilton

The hubs and I tried out a new restaurant for lunch after an energy conference this week. Unfortunately I hadn't checked the weather forecast, and the skies were open when we walked outside and we did not have an umbrella. Running down the street, we wound up trying the Hamilton. I had heard it was a music spot with a sushi bar, and it was even larger in size than I had imagined. We were able to get a table right away. 

Caesar Salad

The shredded boiled egg was a nice additional topping to the salad, which had a piquant dressing.

An order of chamomile tea is not the ordinary cup.

The iron teapot keeps the tea really nice and hot. 

Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage

Hamilton Burger with Bacon, Fried Egg and Cheese

Perfectly cooked egg adds an unctuousness to a decadent bacon cheeseburger. 

***

The Hamilton is owned by the Clyde's Group, and the food is inventive American with a side of Americanized sushi. Overall I was pleased with the service and the menu options, and the booths are large and comfortable. 

Columbia Firehouse

Caught up with a friend over lunch on a lazy Sunday. I managed to get to the gym for a few miles and a batch of laundry before we met up. We headed into Old Town, found parking and wandered down King Street to Columbia Firehouse to see if they had any tables. Perhaps we missed the brunch rush, or Father's Day might not have the same pull as Mother's Day, but we were able to get a table in the bar area without a problem.

 Oysters

The house version of cocktail sauce was really nice, with lots of horseradish and good tomato flavor.

 Croque Monsieur

I should have gone with my gut feeling and ordered the Eggs Benedict. This was ok, but a little too heavy for the hot and humid weather.

 Frites

Pot of Mussels with Green Curry sauce.

***

Our server was really helpful, with thoughtful suggestions and just the right amount of attentiveness. It was a nice chance to chat and leisurely enjoy a late lunch.

Mosaic's Red Apron Butchers and MediterraFish

Following the film at the Angelika, we took advantage of the shopping options at Mosaic. First we picked up fresh vegetables and grocery items from MOM's Organic. Then we stopped in Red Apron Butcher for a bottle of white wine and a 1/4 lb of sopressa.

 Really delicious. Highly recommend.

The shop attendant who helped us said there's a hint of cinnamon in the sopressa, and the flavor is brilliant.

***

At the fish market, we looked at what they had on ice, and there were two types of sea breams, Branzino and Orata. I selected an Orata, and for $9.99 per pound it was a great deal. They clean the fish for you and even pack it on ice, which is great with the hot and humid weather we've been having lately.

 Oven-roasted on thinly sliced potatoes and scallions.

With a sprouts salad, this fish was more than enough for two people. 

Super simple preparation with oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. We didn't have any lemons, but next time we pick up a whole fish, we'll do a lemon herb preparation, which I think will be lovely. Just another time I wish we had a grill. 

Cava Grill

We headed to Merrifield to see Man of Steel at the Angelika on Saturday. As usual the hubs was up bright and early, cleaning the apartment, working out and even squeezed in a basket of golf balls at the driving range. Meanwhile, I was sleeping in later after a super late night emergency call to support my friend in Australia after finding out her wedding dress was ordered in the wrong size and doesn't fit. Wedding is in  3 weeks....EEK!!

I love how you select your seats when you buy your tickets at the Angelika. It's far and away my favorite movie theater in the area, plus the seats are very comfortable and the stadium seating means every row has a great, unobstructed view. We arrived at the Mosaic shopping area, which feels like someone who loved Sim City designed it, and found a parking spot in the garage near Moms Organic grocery store. For lunch we tried out Cava Grill, the fast casual alternative to Chipotle. It's a bit confusing with all of the options.

 Hers

Bowl of yellow rice topped with spicy lamb, hummus, tzatziki, roasted red pepper hummus, pickled red onions, kalamata olives, cucumbers and tomato and red cabbage.

His

Bowl of yellow rice topped with harissa, red pepper hummus, lamb, quinoa tabbouleh, kalamata olives, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.

***

Definitely good, and you could easily be healthier by choosing a salad instead of rice, with many vegetable toppings to select. I liked how each bowl can be customized, and the toppings were all very fresh. 

Lighthouse Tofu Set A

The value meal sets they created at Lighthouse is a ridiculous amount of food for two people. It is enough for two meals for two people over two days, so we took home whatever was left.

 Mandu with choice of spicy pork with vegetables

Along with two bowls of spicy mushroom soon dubu. 

***

I have faithfully been handing over my Lighthouse point card each time, although wondered what and when it would reward our patronage. Just after I said that, the waiter returned and said we had earned 4000 points, which is good for $40 off our next bill. Score!

Omurice

I have fond memories of eating omurice (combination of omelette filled with seasoned rice) during my days teaching English in Japan. With limited foodstuffs left in the refrigerator, I used leftover rice and some vegetables to recreate one at home. 

A little on the large side, I saved half for lunch the next day.

Pizzeria Paradiso in Old Town

Following Union Market, we headed over to Old Town Alexandria to walk around, window shop and grab a light bite. People in Old Town tend to have a lot of dogs, and we saw a number of super cute four-legged friends enjoying a Sunday walk. We dropped in Pizzeria Paradiso after wandering in and out of stores on King Street.

Paradiso Salad

Arugula with mushrooms, pine nuts and ricotta cheese.

Special pizza with pesto, sliced potatoes, prosciutto and ricotta cheese.

There must have a been a touch of honey as well drizzled on.

Union Market in DC

Met with a friend nice and early to check out the relatively newish Union Market over near Gallaudet University. The market opens at 8 am on Saturdays and Sundays, although the oyster bar does not open until 11 am. We arrived around 10 am and wandered around the building to check out all the different vendors.

Mediterrean Foods

Clean and airy space with wide aisles.

Cheese Shop

Gorgeous flowers for sale

Really colorful bouquet

Wildflowers

Best Homemade Smoked Salmon Bagel with cream cheese, red onion and capers.

Really lovely and worth a try.

Finally 11 am and we could sit down at the oyster bar.

Raw oysters were $2 each. Olde Salts, Rappahannocks and one that escapes my memory.

Outdoors there was an Israeli festival with dancing, food stalls and live music.

Gom Ba Woo in Annandale

I've been interested in finding an alternative Korean place in Annandale other than Lighthouse. Although I love the soon dubu, branching out and trying a few of the many other Korean restaurants can be a good thing. We tried Gom Ba Woo, a small Korean restaurant near Tok So Jip, Honey Pig and next door to the amusingly named "Jiggle Jiggle BBQ". 

8 pm on a Saturday night, the restaurant only have 1 other table when we arrived, although a few other tables were filled up after a little while. The atmosphere is nice and sedate, with two TV screens showing Korean nwes.

Ban chan

Spicy tofu, julienned potato, kimchi, soybeans and kimchi radish.

Hamul Pajeon (Seafood Pancake)

A fairly rustic version with nice chunks of squid and scallions. 

Steamed Mandoo (pork and chive dumplings)

The dumplings had a really nice flavor and were exceptionally enjoyable steamed rather than fried. I would order these again instead of the pajeon. 

Seolleongtang Soup

Broth is made from beef bones with noodles and slices of beef. Scallions and salt are added to taste. This soup was a major fad for awhile in Japan because of the purported effects of the collagen in the soup for the skin.

Yukkejang (spicy beef and vegetable soup)

The beef was tender and the soup was nicely spiced. 

Our delicious feast. We took home most of the pajeon. 

***

The atmosphere and service of Korean restaurants can really make or break the experience for me. GBW was fantastic. The ladies were very kind, and the menu is full of pictures you can point to if you're not sure of how to say the names of the dishes. The room is not frenetic and the pulsating music is missing, letting people have a nice conversation with each other. I'm looking forward to the next time we go.

Full Kee

Due to my Sichuan food affinity, we haven't been back to Full Key in ages. We made plans to remedy that absence. Knowing we were heading out for Chinese after work we met up and hit the gym for an hour to work up an appetite. We arrived and ordered a feast for two. We would have been better off with one less dish, but we took home the leftovers and had them for lunch the next day.

 Shrimp and Pork wonton soup with gai lan and egg noodles.

 Quarter Soy Sauce Chicken

The soy sauce is nicely lacquered on, and super flavorful yet tender.

 Crispy and Spicy Squid

Craving something fried, I we had battered and fried squid. The little green peppers are shockingly spicy.

 Sauteed Snow Pea Tips

 Seafood Pan-Fried Noodles

The noodles are nice and crunchy, and the saucy mixture slowly melds with the crispy noodles.

Glorious feast.