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.

Cooking at Home

I like to ask my hubs what he would like to have for dinner, although I generally have a preset idea of what I'm planning on cooking for dinner. No matter how expeditiously I try, it always seems to take at least an hour to prepare everything. I swear this is why I detested Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals. That and her use of "yum-o". 

 By request, Japanese curry with parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onion and pork loin.

***

Another day when the heat and humidity were high, I made a light meal for dinner.

Shrimp Ceviche