Kaz Sushi

Some restaurants you like for a while, but they fall out of the regular rotation.  I used to love Kaz Sushi Bistro in early 2003.  The Asian short ribs in the bento box were meltingly tender and flavorful, and the sushi combinations were inventive.  But then price point and atmosphere seemed so much livier and relaxed at Sushi Taro so I stopped going to Kaz.  Fast forward a few years past Sushi Taro's major renovation, concept change and price increase.  It's birthday time for my sushi-loving friend and we needed a good place to celebrate.  Sushi Ko in Glover Park is just inconveniently located, especially on bitterly cold winter evenings.   Since we were going after work, I made a reservation at Kaz. http://www.kazsushi.com/  

 Age-dashi Tofu ($5).  Good but I like

the dashi to be hotter.

 Coriander-Crusted Calamari Salad with a Ginger Dressing ($8).

Assortment of sushi. 

Yellowtail-scallion maki ($6.50), salmon-jalapeno maki ($5.25), spicy tuna maki ($5.25) and ume-shiso maki ($4).

Tuna tapenade nigiri ($6) and seared Albacore tuna w/ chili-daikon nigiri ($6). 

Kaz uses koshikari rice, which is cooked and seasoned well, and the portion size of both rice and fish is done correctly.  Definitely the best sushi I've had in awhile.

***

The evening started out nicely.  We ordered some hot sake and caught up.  Everything on the menu sounded good to me, and we decided to share appetizers and sushi, which is one of my favorite ways to eat with friends.  Then a loud, inebriated couple sat down nearby.  It was like a car wreck in progress. You know you shouldn't look, but you're compelled to see what happens next.  A regular customer came in, gave the waitress a hug and put his fedora on her.  The gentleman next to us seemed to have a nice time surreptiously watching us watch the drunken antics across the room.  It was almost like dinner theatre.  If only there had been a mute button.

Maggiano's Tyson Corner

One night in Orlando, we tried to go to Maggiano's http://www.maggianos.com/ because my boyfriend had a craving for linguine with clam sauce.  We wandered in the crowded door at 9 pm and the brusque hostess said the wait was 2 hours.  We ended up going somewhere else down the street.  I feel like very few places are worth waiting that long for a table.  Friday we ended up driving to Tyson's to the nearest Maggiano's for a late dinner.  We were seated quickly, and the host even called me ma'am.  sigh.

 We started off with calamari and a small caesar salad.  I ordered the linguine with white clam sauce and the pasta was overcooked. 

My boyfriend chose the Classic Pasta Angel Hair with Sausage.  A surprising special was the inclusion of a choice of Classic Pasta to take home with you when you order from the Classic Pasta list.  When the pasta feeds two easily, it's a pretty good deal for the price.  Carmine's tastes better for family-style Italian-American, but pricewise, Maggiano's is a solid contender.

Kellari Taverna DC

It's a fabulous conundrum to choose a restaurant for lunch with your coworkers when someone else is treating.  My boyfriend asked for some suggestions with food, service and close proximity to their office being the most important parameters.  I suggested Tosca, Central, Blue Duck Tavern, Bourbon Steak, Ris or J&G.  Those were a little far, so they went to Kellari Taverna, the Greek fish restaurant on K Street.  http://www.kellaridc.com/ Kellari has a great Business Lunch special for $24.95 for 3 courses.

 Spanikopita - spinach, leeks and feta stuffed in phyllo dough.

 

Grilled Calamari

 Rockfish with polenta and rapini

Grilled Salmon - grilled fennel, roasted tomatoes

 Galaktoboureko - vanilla bean semolina custard with phyllo dough

Yogurt Cheesecake

***

These days with many offices cutting back on holiday parties, it was a lovely gesture by their coworker to take everyone out for lunch.  Sometimes I forget how lucky my boyfriend and I are that we work with really nice people.  I've been lucky to never experience the office mean girls or caustic bosses.   

All of the food was good and a perfect portion size for someone like me.  For my boyfriend, he could have used a little more I think. 

Logan Tavern

Maybe I've always been lured in by the bright lights of Whole Foods, or the super grilled cheese at Stoney's, but until last night I never tried Logan Tavern. After reading some less than glowing online reviews, it's easy to be a bit wary. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the endearing server; the manager who warned us about the rise in thefts from purses hanging off the back of chairs; and the eclectic menu. Forewarned is forearmed, and my clever friend gave me a purse table hook one year for Christmas. Clearly I was less than clever since it took me over 8 months to realize how to use it, but now it goes every with me and my purse hangs securely by my lap. Our server was attentive without being intrusive, and thoughtfully remembered to provide a dessert with a sparkler after hearing our group was gathered to celebrate a birthday while we were ordering cocktails.
Logan Tavern is offering a Restaurant Week menu for the entire month of August. They include a glass of wine to the dinner RW menu for $35, but if you opt to forego the wine, the price lowers to $28-30 instead. http://www.logantavern.com/

Buffalo Shrimp (small) - I didn't read the menu very well, perhaps over-excited about the chance to have a Buffalo-style non-meat item. I had envisioned fried shrimp tossed in a picante Buffalo wing sauce with a side of bleu cheese sauce. This version mixes the bleu cheese into the sauce. An interesting dish, the shrimp had a nice crunchy coating, but it could be a bit spicier.
Ginger calamari (small) - flash fried calamari mixed with a ginger sauce and red cabbage. Wonderful aroma and a surprisingly large portion.
Seared sea scallops with truffled polenta, wilted greens and sundried tomato coulis. Coulis is just a fancy word for a light tomato sauce. The truffled polenta was thoroughly enjoyed.

Grilled rack of lamb (medium-rare) with creamy polenta, green beans and a minted chili sauce.

Side order of crab and shrimp mac and cheese. Maybe the seafood was more subtle than I imagined, but it tasted like pasta with a light cheese sauce. The toasted bread crumbs added a nice textural juxtaposition.

***

I would definitely go back and try a few more dishes. When the weather cools down a bit the patio seats would be an excellent perch to dine and watch the denizens of Logan Circle parade by.

La Strada in Del Ray

My better half loves Italian. After a long afternoon of cleaning, we decided to head over to Del Ray to try some place new. I remembered there was a place called La Strada that makes their own pasta, breads and desserts, and luckily it was open. Right on Mount Vernon Avenue, it's a quaint neighborhood restaurant with an outdoor seating area. http://www.lastrada-ontheave.com/
La Strada has some nice touches, like their herb-infused olive oil to dip the soft focaccia bread from their bread basket into, and mood-appropriate Italian music playing unobtrusively in the background.

We started with their fritto misto of calamari, lemon and fennel. The coating was very light and crispy. The spicy tomato sauce had a lovely robust flavor. We also shared a insalate caprese with ripe tomatoes and sliced housemade mozzarella topped with basil chiffonade, olive oil and champagne vinegar. The special of the day was a rigatoni pasta with tuna and capers in a spicy tomato sauce. The meaty tuna paired surprisingly well with the sauce.

I love a good linguine con vongole in a white wine and saffron sauce, and the fresh pasta elevated this dish. The linguine pasta had a lovely tooth-feel that is missing from the dried variety.

La Strada makes their pastas and desserts in-house, and the cannoli were excellent. The sweet creamy ricotta mixture with a hint of vanilla was very light. It paired well with the raspberry puree and fresh fruit.