Sushi Taro Parade of Amazing Plates

We went to dinner with a colleague of my husband to Sushi Taro. He told us, 遠慮しないで, which roughly translated means don't hold back or please do not hesitate in ordering anything we were interested in. What followed was a parade of amazing Japanese dishes.

Omakase Sashimi Platter $75

Ikura, salmon, octopus, amberjack.

Golden thread snapper, black snapper, fatty tuna, amazing scallops, maguro

Sujiko fresh salmon roe in natural casing $10

Slightly different flavor than the ikura on the sashimi plate.

Softshell crab with squid ink tempura $14.95

Looks like it's overfried, but that's just the squid ink. Good but not great if you eat with your eyes first.

Myouga Tempura, fried ginger blossom $6.50

Lovely and delicate.

Kurobuta kakuni $14.25

Small in portion but huge in flavor. The pork belly is braised for 10 hours and is super savory and delicious. Bok choy and daikon on the side.

Jikasei tofu $8.95

If you have never tried fresh tofu, I strongly recommend it. The dish takes 15 minutes to prepare, and has an unbelievably smooth and creamy texture.

A mixture of scallions, soy sauce and seasoning is combined and poured over the fresh tofu. Next time, I would skip the sauce, the fresh tofu by itself is lovely enough.

Sasami Shiso-Age battered and fried chicken tender with plum shiso leaf $4.95.

One of my favorite yakitori specials like this is grilled and not fried, but both are delicious.

Shishito Yaki-pon $7

Grilled sweet peppers with ponzu sauce.

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Following the parade of delights and lovely wine, the men finished their meals with some noodles and sushi.

Teuchi Soba $12

Simple but well-prepared.

Omakase Sushi $45

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I also made the same mistake as a previous visit by ordering a kurobuta kushiyaki, skewers of pork belly and onion. The buta kakuni is a far superior dish to order. I also highly recommend the fresh tofu. ごちそうさまでした!

NY Strip Steak Dinner

For the hubs' birthday, I cooked roasted bronzini with roasted brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes. For the next day, I prepared a grilled NY Strip Steak with grilled zucchini and an arugula salad with shaved parmigiana cheese.

Splitting on steak was the perfect portion size.

Jettie's Surfside Sandwich

I really like sandwiches from Axian, but decided to try something new. Jettie's sandwiches are gourmet combinations at higher prices and considerably larger portions. One of their more popular combinations is the Surfside.

One half of the Surfside sandwich.

Thick-cut turkey, avocado, bacon, cheese, grain mustard on soft white bread.

Murasaki Nigiri Maki Catering Combo

At the recent welcome party for my new coworker, we ordered a sushi platter from a place near the boss' new apartment. On a positive note, Murasaki in Tenleytown is super responsive by email for arranging a catering order. 

Nigiri and Maki Combo (54 pieces) $100

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Service-wise, two thumbs up. Presentation was nice. Taste-wise, this was good but not amazing sushi. More than enough for four people, the guest of honor was happy. The following week, my boss ordered a sushi platter from Yosaku Restaurant for a similar quantity for $75. He was more impressed with the variety and freshness of the fish selection from Yosaku. The downside for Yosaku, you cannot place an order ahead of time and must call the day you plan to pick up before their lunch hours are over at 2:30 pm. 

Fredericksburg Sightseeing and Chasing Peter Chang

The hubs has been super busy for the last few weeks with golf. This weekend was all about me. Given the go ahead to think of whatever I would like to do on the weekend, I froze. What should we plan to do? Would the weather still be ridiculously hot and humid? I mulled a zoo trip for a while, but in the end the news that a Sichuan chef had opened a new outpost in Fredericksburg, VA, sealed the deal... 

 First we toured the battlefield at Fredericksburg, VA.

What a stunning place in history this region held during the War between the States. So many Union soldiers died in their fateful attempt to take the city in 1862-1863. We toured the sunken road, cemetery and Chatham House in Fredericksburg before searching for the Peter Chang restaurant.

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Peter Chang, the man, the myth, the legend, has inspired better food writers than me to wax poetic about his Sichuan dishes. What perhaps makes him more amazing is his penchant for mysteriously leaving his restaurants without little to no warning after the word gets out. His latest restaurant is located in a massive strip mall complex with big box stores and myriad restaurants in Fredericksburg. 

Hot and Numbing Shredded Tofu Skin $8

This dish was phenomenal. Super spicy and the yuba skin had a nice chewy texture.

 Dan Dan Noodles $9

Nice spice, good beef and the noodles were still chewy. Not super spicy but very good.

 Hot and Numbing Combination in Hot Pot $18

Chicken, shrimp, beef and fish with vegetables, tofu skin and glass noodles in spicy Sichuan sauce. This is similar to my favorite dish, tender beef in spicy sauce, except with a variety of proteins instead of just one. I appreciated that they served this dish with a heating element to keep it bubbling hot.

 Mapo Tofu $10

A nice rendition, although I really like leeks in mapo, and a little more mala from sichuan peppercorns. We brought home the rest and I think with a little tinkering, I can elevate the leftovers to my preferred taste.

Golden Mountain Chicken $14

Crispy fried strips of chicken in a sweet and savory sauce, this reminded me of sesame chicken.

***

Prices were a bit elevated at Peter Changs, especially given the location, however the restaurant's interior was much nicer than the Sichuan restaurants we've tried out in the Washington, DC area. Our server was nice, and we were there on the early side. The only other diners included a toddler who screeched like a howler monkey throughout the brief time he stayed sitting at the table. The only downside, the traffic jam on the drive home. 

Panda Gourmet at 2700 New York Avenue, NE

I'll admit that I tend to shy away from trying out places too far off the beaten path. Sometimes I need a nudge. A friend read a review of a Sichuan place called Panda Gourmet located at a Days Inn in NE DC. After checking my normal food blogs and boards, I noticed a number of other people had been pleasantly surprised by the spicing and dishes available at Panda Gourmet. While the hubs was off at a golf tournament, she scooped me up and we tried it out.

 A fairly easy to navigate menu with pictures of some of the dishes was presented to us.

 Mapo Tofu with ground Sichuan peppercorns and leeks.

Fabulous flavor and spice-level. The best dish we ordered.

 Dan Dan Noodles

Really stunning photo of a less than superb dish.

 The noodles were overcooked and on the mushy side.

The sauce had a strong hint of bean sauce and was not as spicy as other versions.

 Beef in Spicy Sichuan sauce

Second best dish we ordered and one of my favorite dishes at Sichuan restaurants.

Sufficiently spicy and hot, with tender beef and vegetables. I wish there was a little more cilantro.

Chengdu Mung Bean Jelly Salad

Worst dish choice, way too sweet for me.

***

Prices were very reasonable, spice level was sufficiently fiery and I know my husband would love the mapo tofu. It's a bit out of the way, and not the best neighborhood, but I would totally recommend Panda Gourmet for any spicy hounds and Sichuan food fans. I think a larger group would be good so we could try more dishes. Our server was super nice despite initially not knowing if we spoke Chinese or not. There's a large banquet room in the back past the restrooms, and they have a full bar available after 4 pm. 

Back to the Grind

We hired a new person for the office, finally, and everything has been moving in double time since the start of September also means tons of events on the schedule to attend. With handling the new employee's orientation and working on developing research skills and writing style, I've been busier than normal. I feel we did a good job with recruiting, and have been impressed with how well the new person is adjusting to the office. Most days I've been bringing in my lunch, although some days you have to indulge.

 Axian Club Sandwich A

Unfortunately they did not have my favorite marble rye bread. The wheat bread was only decent.

Stoupsy's at Farragut West Food Court gyro sandwich

Huntington-Wilson Bridge-Old Town Alexandria Walk

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge trail  connects Alexandria, VA to National Harbor, MD. On Labor Day, the hubs and I walked from our place in Huntington to the bike trail, over the Potomac River on the Wilson bridge on the pedestrian walkway to the Maryland side and back to Old Town Alexandria. This was my first time to walk the bridge and it's a really nice walkway. A number of people were out running despite the 90F+ temperatures. Following our major trek, we indulged in some well-earned burger gluttony at BGR. 

September Burger of the Month

Burger cooked medium topped with cheddar cheese, bbq sauce, onion ring and two slices of fabulous bacon on a toasted sesame seed bun. Unable to resist, I ordered a side of onion rings. So unbelievably delicious.