Bobby's Burger Palace on K Street

Feeling like a burger after two days of bland chicken at the conference, ended up trying out BBP with my fiance. We met at 11:30 and headed over to beat the lunch rush. Judging by the lines we saw while we were there, going early or going after the lunch rush is a great idea. What surprised me most of all, was it was already beer o'clock for a nearby patron. Two beer o'clock at that. 

 We went with the standard American cheese burger with lettuce, tomato and onion, with a bacon addition.

The burger was cooked really well, to the requested medium, and was nice and juicy. The sesame seed bun was nice and soft. 

Fries with special dipping sauce

Love all the different sauces on the tables. Onion rings looked nice too. 

***

BBP is a good burger. Some of the options are a little too fussy for me. In hindsight, it's also a super salty burger, and I spent part of the afternoon fighting a serious salt-induced food coma. I like the burger taste at BBP better than BGR. My fiance liked the burger too, although I think he may be partial to Shake Shack's griddled burger.

Sichuan Pavilion on K St

This week was worst than most. Had a 2-day conference in a Woodley Park hotel. The main challenge was surviving the 90 minutes commute including transferring to the Red Line at Chinatown, which is an exercise in extreme restraint. Too many people trying to fit into the trains, with massive clumping around the doors. Add a brute who shoves you out of the way to get on the train after you couldn't fit onto the first two trains, and it's a recipe for a miserable morning commute. 

After 9 hours of conference time, returned to the office to find a slew of time sensitive research requests. Five hours later, finally finished and met up with my hard-working fiance. Lacking the energy to head home and cook something, we went to our favorite Sichuan place near our offices.

 beef dumplings in spicy sauce

Sauce lacked the normal umph.

 Dan Dan Mein

My favorite dish. Love the noodles with fiery meat and spinach sauce.

Baby Bok Choy with Shiitake Mushrooms; Steamed Beef

This spicy red bowl of beef is intensely hot and spicy. The beef is soft in texture. On a cold night, this was super warming. With a Tsingtao and good conversation with my special guy, fabulous way to end a long day.

I heart Axian Sandwiches

I officially heart Axian. It's a tiny, slightly hidden basement lunch spot that has some of the best sandwiches around. Totally better than Potbelly, Lawson's and Pret a Manger. I really love the marbled rye bread. 

Turkey and provolone sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mustard. Exerting a great deal of self-control, I ate half with an orange and saved the other for the next day's lunch. Definitely tough when the sandwich tastes this good.

Delhi Club in Clarendon

Met up with a former MBA friend for dinner. While waiting for her, I stopped in the brand new Trader Joe's in Clarendon. We went to Delhi Club for an early dinner.

 Baigan Bharta and Chicken Vindaloo

Keema Naan

Work Day Lunches

I know I need to hit the gym after this week of gluttony. Work has been super stressful, with last minute, time sensitive research assignments for briefing the company President. Working until 8:30, 9 pm to meet deadlines and juggle seminars and think tank events, this has been a rough week at work. Man I need another vacation already. 

 Sichuan Express Buffet

Love the mapo tofu and sauteed baby bok choy. This is always the longest line in the food court, and for good reason. Great value and delicious food.

 Axian Daily Special

Chicken Cheesesteak and Bacon with Fries.

I should have stuck with a less caloric indulgence, but I needed some grease after my meeting fell through with the ethanol lobby. Definitely hate when someone cancels the meeting via email less than 3 hours before.

Havana Cafe Quarter Chicken with two sides.

They are very generous with the sides, with a piquant salad dressing and good black beans. This time the chicken was perfect, still juicy and wonderfully flavorful, falling off the bone. Delightful. Super filling.

What to Do with Thanksgiving Leftovers

With the remains of our Thanksgiving feast, it becomes a effort to be creative in using leftover bits. I made the obligatory homemade turkey stock and turkey orzo soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie, and then this bit of creativity.

Roast Turkey Leg with Thai Green Curry and Rice.

I used leftover bell pepper, enoki mushrooms, onion, green beans for the curry. Spicy and delicious.

Choong Hwa in Annandale

It appears almost every country has their own Chinese-influence cuisine. Unlike the grease-laden American-Chinese, Korean-Chinese food is spicy and delicious with a plethora of vegetables. Heading to Annandale with a friend to catch up, we ended up having lunch at Choong Hwa, a Korean-Chinese place near Shilla Bakery. 

 Bibimbap with rice on the side

Hamul Pajeon (seafood pancake) with jjambbong (seafood noodle soup)

This pancake was nice but not as delicious as the version served at Lighthouse (Vit Goel). The server cuts the noodles with scissors if you wish. In a spicy broth, it's a great warming noodle soup. Delicious lunch with a lovely friend. We had a stimulating talk about the nuclear crisis in Japan and how the radiation has turned her beautiful Fukushima hometown to an area of continual concern. While she wishes her family would leave the area and move elsewhere, it's not that easy to find new employment and a home. I understand that there's a fighting spirit and I hope the people will がんばれ!

Too Much Discovery Channel Deadliest Catch

Part of our post-Turkey Day weekend tv marathon included hours of Deadliest Catch. Really eye-awakening how hard a job it is for these Alaskan fishermen. I loved Captain Phil, and admit to crying while watching the episodes covering his illness and subsequent death. Part of me is really rooting for his sons to continue his legacy and succeed, although the episodes I saw did not bode well for the Cornelia Marie.

After watching the catch, I had a incredible craving for some crab legs. With this in mind, we set out to Old Town for dinner. With a seat at the Anchor Bar, connected to the Fish Market, we ordered a pupu platter of items. Some fresh oysters on the half shell, Buffalo wings (bit dry), New England clam chowder, and 2 pounds of snow crab legs. We shared everything and it was a delicious indulgence. Best part was sharing everything. It was a pricey meal. Next time we should stock up on some snow crab clusters from Super H Mart for a fraction of the price.