Sticky Rice (Stickyricedc.com) is another popular spot in the up and coming H St, NE corridor (1224 H St, NW) that is narrow and simple due to the old townhouse buildings that all seem to be minimally decorated and also have not too comfy seating.
Upstairs here there are some tables with old vinyl and metal chairs, but the booths are all wood with no cushions and quite a nuisance for those who prefer to relax their rearends when dining.
The three of us waited a good 15-20 minutes after receiving menus before anyone approached. Unfortunately, this was what the service was for our entire stay; not impressive at all. We asked our server, (and not to be PC) who was pierced, tattooed and seemed to be at a loss for what he needed to do, for some suggestions and got a bit of input. I think he said it was his first day and then told us what most people liked.
I ordered a Jalapeno Margarita which came loaded with slices of fresh jalapeno and tasted even spicier; it was tasty, but I needed tons of water and food to cut the spice. I love spice, but this was insane.
Samuel and our friend Rick played it safe with the Fried Chicken Potstickers to start which was a large serving of 6 and honestly, I thing the portions could be smaller as they really fill you up if you want two courses (and all mains seem to be under $12!). I tried the special Tater-Achoes as Sticky Rice is famous for it's bucket of Tater Tots with secret tot sauce & Wasabi mayo. The Achoes also had Chili, Cheese, Sriracha, Bacon chunks, Scallions, Refried Beans and Sour Cream creating one giant Tater Tot Nacho dish that was gooey, filling and actually quite yummy, but way too much even for several people to finish (photos on FB).
Samuel also played it safer for his main course with Chicken Sesame Noodles made with thick udon noodles, heavy on the green and red peppers a la Chinese food of the 60's and 70's and a nice sauce, but not a lot of chicken.
Rick had the Coconut Shrimp which are sautéed with onions, more of the red and green peppers, carrots, all in a quite spicy coconut-pepper sauce with cucumber, crushed peanuts and toasted coconut. Many of the mains come with your choice of noodles or sticky rice and he chose the vermicelli rice-thin which was a nice choice for this dish and a foil to the spice for sure.
Sushi is very popular here and I want to go back to try some of the raw fish specials, but last night was attracted to the Spider Roll Special of Tempura Soft Shell Crab with Spicy Mayo, avocado, cucumber and "unicorn kisses" which our server had no clue what it as. I think it was the generous sprinkling of tobiko on top for a nice crunch.
On the way out I saw a monstrous sushi pile called The Volcano and it looked interesting, but again way huge and I think in the future more restraint and more sharing is called for.
