OH MY TORO - Taka Sushi and Passion

Happy Belated Birthday to my adorable, forever-young Mom!

And birthdays in my family mean one thing: awesome birthday dinners.  My siblings and I usually have no trouble whatsoever picking out where and what we want to eat -- this has ranged from Canton Cooks, to the Optimist, to home-cooked kong ba bng (Taiwanese for braised fatty pork belly over rice), all which have been enjoyed fully.  But when it comes to my mama?  I think she's so used to just going along with the food we want to eat - we are a family that does not hesitate in indulging in our cravings - that she rarely ever has something in particular that she wants to eat.

And in those few and far between times?  It's always something kind of weird and short-lived, like the Wendy's fish sandwich, or some sort of vegetable thing they used to have at Chili's.  We joke that if she likes something a lot, it's going to be taken off the menu soon.

For this birthday dinner, we originally had reservations for Tomo, but after looking at a couple of Yelp reviews, we changed our location to Taka.  I was particularly stoked for this, since I've been following Chef Taka's blog for quite a while now.  It's actually a really interesting read.  He talks about a lot of the fish they get in and posts up pictures, while also posting articles regarding health, diet, and exercise. Confession: sometimes I do skip the articles because a.) they make me feel bad about my very sedentary lifestyle and b.) I'm more interested in what treasures he found in Costco or what different Japanese dishes he is preparing.  Or the quality of the tuna for that week!

And I was not disappointed.  Me and my sister opted for the chirashi - "DUH," says anyone in my social media network - and we convinced my mom to go for the Omakase, chef's choice.  Awesome decision.  The chirashi had a lovely, diverse selection of fish, and my mom loved her dishes.  I was worried because the waitress let us know they were going to use a lot of pickled wasabi as the sauce for the fish, and my mom typically can't handle too much of that sinus-clearing sensation, but it was super nice and more flavorful than tingly.  AND THERE WAS TOROOO!  I feel like I have to use all caps/more volume when writing or speaking about fatty tuna to appropriately convey my excitement.  I think at some point my mom was disappointed because the waitress hinted there may be uni (not today) but this definitely took care of that.  It was the last dish of the omakase, and the perfect ending.

I was a little disappointed because the waitresses talked really fast when bringing the dishes (it was pretty busy that night), so I didn't quite catch what everything was.  But it was all delicious, which is what really matters.  Anyway, I'm of the opinion that when it comes to sushi/sashimi, pictures capture much more than words really can.  Enjoy!

 Chirashi $29.  So much fish, and all of it so tasty.  They had the raw sweet shrimp, which I don't even think I've had in Atlanta.  Also, that tamago was. SO. good. So sweet. So smooth.

The following: $50 Omakase, in order

You should definitely check this place out for some quality sushi! They have a lot of sushi rolls, too, if that's more your thing, and I'm sure they're awesome, too.  OH and I almost forget to mention their plum wine sangria! Mm Mm Mm.

I do still want to try Tomo at some point.  Any opinions on that place?

Foodtrippin' - DC Edition

Weekend trips! They are the best.

I just came back from visiting a friend in Washington DC -- and it was really, really difficult to drag myself back here.  Apparently, Atlanta didn't want me back either; my first flight was cancelled, and the one they put me on got delayed for nearly 3 hours.  I absolutely wouldn't have minded spending more time (aka my life) in DC, though it's probably for the best that I don't....says my wallet. 

But my stomach definitely misses the place.  I feel like I should be on some sort of cleanse right now after all the food this weekend.  

(Ha ha ha. One of my post-trip meals was at Ming's BBQ.  But in my defense, who out there can say no to Ming's BBQ??!  The beef chow fun there is my weakness.  Also, I just made some soy sauce braised eggs and chicken...pass the rice, please.) 

Anyway, here is my trip in food pictures, in the order items were consumed/enjoyed.  Sorry about some of the bad quality...there was just a lot of excitement to start eating!

1. Georgetown Cupcakes 

Yum! I went to do some shopping around Georgetown and noticed the line for this place was pretty short.  Last time I visited DC, the only cupcakes I tried were at Sweet Lobby at the Eastern Market, so I was pretty stoked to try these.  They were nice and light and not too sweet, just the way I like them.  I got the strawberry and chocolate ganache.  Not sure I would wait 45+ minutes for these, which I imagine some of these people did...

2. Kintaro 

Super yum! Anyone who has seen any of my Facebook mobile pictures will know that I am a big chirashi fan.  Mainly because I'm very indecisive and like a lot of variety.  Or/and I think it's a good deal.  This one has my stamp of approval.  I've had a couple of chirashi-dons lately that has underwhelmed me with the fish quality, so Kintaro was a nice breath of fresh air in that department.  My friend said they have really good ramen as well, but it literally felt like summer in Taiwan outside, so...that didn't happen.  Also, I really like that this place is run by the cutest old Japanese couple ever. 

3. Baked and Wired

So, naturally, we had to compare Georgetown cupcakes.  We got the dirty chai cupcake here, which was ginormous!  Very moist.  I would say they're pretty different from Georgetown Cupcakes though, so no clear winner for me here.  I did try my friends' chai latte and coffee here though, really really good.  I'm not a coffee person by all means, but if I were, this is probably the kind of place I'd want to go. 

4. Nando's Peri Peri Chicken

This is a place I've heard about since last year but wasn't able to try during my previous trip.  So glad to have made it this time!  My friends and I shared a whole chicken platter (with corn and garlic bread) as well as a serving of medium spicy chicken livers.  You order at the counter, pick your sauces/spiciness level, sides, etc. and sit and wait for your feast to come.  Y'all...I am NOT a garlic bread person.  Which makes absolutely no sense as I love bread and absolutely adore garlic.  But this bread? I loved.  Especially paired with the spicy chicken livers.  Mmm.  We also got a pitcher of sangria to share, which was a nice sweet accompaniment to the meal.  Yeah, so the lighting was not great for these pictures, but...well, I was hungry.    

5. Shake Shack

Another recommendation I had heard about; perfect that it's literally next door to Nando's.  My sister had told me about the black and white shake, which she swears by, but we decided to share a "concrete" which is even thicker.  We got the Washington Monu-mint (hee hee), which has marshmallow swirl, mint, and cookie dough.  It's like all things that I love in ice cream but never had together...but it works! Really, really works. I'll have to go back to try their food, which I hear is good, too. 

6. Ardeo

I found this place on some sort of list of places you need to eat in DC.  Ardeo does a $27 bottomless mimosa/champagne brunch...and they are not playing around with that "bottomless" business.  I never finished my drink.  I would look down and surprise! Completely full glass. I got the brunch, which comes with an appetizer, entree, and choice of mimosa or champagne; my friend got the french toast.  It was probably a smart choice, the plates were pretty generous.  I really loved my brussel sprouts - they were cooked with mango and peanut and had a sort of Asian taste to them.  Nice and roasted and crispy on the outside.  The french toast was awesome...not too sweet, and the creme anglais on top was so nice.  For my entree, I ordered the braised leg of suckling pig over grits.  It was good, but just too heavy to finish.  I think it would have been nice for the brussel sprouts to have come out with the meat dish to balance it out.  The fried pig skin on top was a nice touch though!

7.  Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato 

Perfect for the weather.  My friend got the Thai Coconut Milk gelato and I got 1/2 Lime 1/2 Pineapple Mint Sorbet. Nothing else to say except, perfect end to my trip! 

Anybody have other favorites must eats in DC? Have to start building up my "To Eat" list for next time.