Saturday Snacks with friends

I had a phone date with my best friend in Australia, so my boyfriend caught up with two friends at an art gala.  He invited his friends to come over afterwards for some wine and to hang out.  I made some nibbles to go along with white wine we had picked up earlier at Trader Joe's.  Judging by the splitting headache I had this morning, I should have made a bit more to eat.  Really great to chat with my friend for a few hours and meet my boyfriend's friends afterwards.

 Smoked trout dip with horseradish.  Flake 1/2 pound of smoked trout.  Mix with sour cream, mayonnaise, diced onion, horseradish and pepper.  Next time I'll add a bit of lemon zest to make the flavor pop.

 Spinach and artichoke dip. My boyfriend said he didn't understand why Americans like this dip so much.  I was determined to make one that would change his mind.  Frozen spinach and artichokes from TJs with cream cheese, sour cream, diced onion and pepperjack cheese.  Hot and creamy, it was great spread on the fresh-baked baguette.

Some marcona almonds, pistachios and grapes rounded out our nibbles.

Hank's Oyster Bar in Old Town Alexandria

Friday night was date night.  After a long work week with late nights at the office, we went out to dinner at Hank's.  It's Restaurant Week in Alexandria, but we decided to indulge in some raw oysters and share some dishes along with a cold bottle of pinot grigio.  Hank's has a nice and laidback atmosphere that we enjoy, and some great seafood.

 Caesar salad with anchovies.

Lobster roll with fries. Larger chunks of lobster towards the bottom of the buttered bun.

Fried oyster po'boy with coleslaw.  Super plump and delightful oysters in a buttered bun.

***

We shared everything and it was nice to have a bit of chilled lobster roll as well as the warm fried oyster po'boy.  Wonderful way to end the week with my favorite guy.

To Hellburger and Probably Not Back

North of Rosslyn on Wilson Boulevard there's a nice little cluster of restaurants.  Guajillo, Pho 75, Rays Hellburger and the second Rays with interesting meats.  A friend works down the street and confessed she has never been to Hellburger. I thought that was unbelievable.  However, after my latest excursion, next time I'll follow her lead and just go to Pho 75. 

The boyfriend loved his burger and said it was juicy, spicy and a beefy explosion.  He said that it's no t-bone steak, but it was satifying.  Mine was blah and not worth cheating on my diet.  Overcooked and dry in areas but oddly pink in others, not juicy, not flavorful and cold toppings.  My side of mac and cheese was lukewarm at best, and don't get me started on the sub-par bun.  I was surprised when our order came out relatively quickly, and even the photos do not look nearly as gorgeous as previous visits.  Soul Burger #1 back in August versus January.  Where's my lettuce and tomato slice?  http://wanderingchopsticksdc.blogspot.com/2010/08/rays-hell-burger.html 

 The Big Punisher - covered in a spicy green garlic sauce.

Soul Burger #1.

My favorite food since 1995 has been a bacon cheeseburger.  Ask any of my former students in Japan. I've waxed profound about the merits of a Palena truffled cheeseburger, mentally compared the incarnation at 5 Guys to Clyde's, Chadwick's, Boulevard and Whitlows, and even enjoyed a fancy rendition at the Ritz Carlton.  But I think my love affair may have run its course.  This bumps ramen up to the number one seed, but I'm willing to audition some other contenders.  I'm still searching for a new favorite sushi joint and a close but authentic dim sum place too.  Looks like lots more food adventures to come.

Jjambbong at Home

We picked up a frozen jjambbong kit on the last trip to Super H Mart.  It's great to have in the freezer for those cold winter nights when I'm home hours before my boyfriend.  With the addition of some frozen vegetables and shrimp, and some fresh red pepper, I had a fast meal that was easy to put together again later when the hardworking boy finally made it home.

 You can find this in the freezer section of Super H in Fairfax.  At $7.99 for 2 servings it's fine as is, or you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand to make a more robust bowl.

 The noodle package with frozen seafood, mushrooms and chili peppers.  A sauce packet is also included.

 We also had a some frozen mixed vegetables and shrimp in the freezer. 

 Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add the frozen vegetables and noodles.  Stir in the sauce packet.

Enjoy.

Tokyo Banana Omiyage

Tokyo Banana.  You either love it or hate it, but I think it's one of the best omiyage to receive other than fresh ramen.  You can find it in Tokyo Station or Narita airport among the omiyage stalls.  It's always a nice surprise when my former colleague visits DC for work and brings me a box of Tokyo Banana.

 Pretty wrapping and an odd poem decorate the cover.  “People gather to TOKYO with memories of their home. And then, Tokyo gets the everyone’s hometown. TOKYO BANANA.”  (The nonsensical Engrish is just another reason to love it.)

 Each one is individually wrapped.  Makes it easier to share.

Soft outside, like a Twinkie, with a delicate banana-flavored middle.

Cooking at home

We've been busy apartment hunting, and our big weekly grocery shopping has fallen by the wayside.  Fortunately if you have a decently stocked freezer and cupboards, you can still make something healthy that only requires picking up a fresh vegetable at the store.  My boyfriend picked up the vegetable while he was out running errands, and I defrosted a frozen salmon.

 Coat the salmon with a blackening spice mixture. Bake fish on parchment paper in a 400F oven for about 4-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

With a brown rice medley, zucchini and a mango salsa, we had a light dinner.  

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.