Chefs for MAUI Benefit@Moon Rabbit gets raves (9-9-23)

Chefs Kevin Tien and Tim Ma are well known in DC not only for their skills as two of the best chefs in town, but also for their generosity in supporting charities and those in need.

Over several days last week, Chef Kevin hosted many diners at his new pop-up of MOON RABBIT is the most un-presuming spot at Bryant Market in NE DC! I found the place on Saturday in the pouring rain, and it is part of an elongated food court behind a huge bowling alley or such! No matter, I was welcomed by Chef Kevin at the door with warm arms and settled in with another very nice gentleman who works for Amazon for a whirlwind dining experience by five stellar chefs.

As the pop-up has not opened yet, they did not have a liquor license, but did have a drink event license, but I really wanted wine, so Kevin told me to head down the little food court to grab a bottle of Cabernet at another dining venue; it was lackluster, so I look forward to when Moon Rabbit has its own wines!

There were chefs and CEO's from World Central Kitchen and much talk not only about Maui and how things are being handled there, but also the previous days devastating earthquake in Morocco. The setting is simple with comfy chairs and simple tables, but the music levels were a tad too high for my tolerance. Ultimately it was toned down, especially so we could hear the chefs speak about their dishes.

There was a yummy brioche roll with delicious, whipped butter with chilis which was gone in seconds. Chef Tom Cunanan who opened Bad Saint here in DC and now helms Soy Pinoy in Houston, a Filipino restaurant, flew in for the event and prepared a unique LABANOS at PINA ITUM, which i thought was a Latin legal term but is really daikon radish with burnt coconut cream, toasted pistachio and agave syrup. This was a fun, delicious and novel salad loaded with flavors and not sweet due to the agave, but I adored the radish with pistachio which Chef Tom called his Filipino play on the traditional French Radish with Butter,

Chef Tim Ma of Any Day Now in SW DC (stay tuned for more openings from him) spiced it up with BEEF & TOMATO (the name sounds drab, but the dish certainly was not) which featured Sichuan Peppered Teres Major Steak(beef shoulder) that reminded me of the most tender flank steak with beautiful green and red heirloom Tomatoes and a Green Goddess dressing with Chili Crisp and Shallot. I noted that I would have been happy if there was another course that was the same, and i think our server was about to bring another potion, but I quickly remarked I was just joking.

Chef Matt Adler of Caruso in DC brought in the Italian side with a Spicy Neapolitan Ragu with House-made Ziti featuring tomato and red wine braised pork and beef ragu with a yummy topping of Whipped Ricotta. The dish was less spicy, but no less tasty and quite filling to boot and the ricotta was a perfect foil.

Chefs Kevin Tien and Judy Beltrano of Moon Rabbit prepared SWEET & SOUR PORK with a pork loin in plum sauce (cooked sou0-vide for 3 hours) and a Hot Chinese Mustard Cream with Endive and Plum Mostarda. It was also not too spicy but had all the flavors popping in your mouth that made us all very happy.

Chef Susan Bae of Moon Rabbit finished us off with a dessert that had everything in it except the kitchen sink: GOLDEN PARADISE CAKE was an homage to Maui with Passionfruit & Coconut Chiffon Cake, Yuzu Custard, Confit Pineapple, Mango Gel, Lime Meringue, Coconut Sorbet, Whipped White Chocolate Ganache and Coconut Turmeric Anglaise!! There was not a single bit of cake, sauce or ingredients left on my plate as this dish was a real winner.

What a wonderful evening and what a great wy to support those in need. In addition, please note that you can support victims of the Maui fire at Maui Community Fund, Maui Strong and World Central Kitchen as well as so many other charities.

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Restaurant Week take #3 took me to a disappointing DAIKAYA (9/1/23)

 We all know that some restaurant week menus can be pretty sad and while I specifically chose IZAKAYA at DAIKAYA as it had been way too long since we last dined there, I was pretty excited about the fun menu based on a cute Japanses story (which I did not really understand).  The 5 course $40 menu had a choice for each course, and I spoke at length with my server Katherine, and we decided on each choice and then I chose a Hoyo Shining Prince" Tokubetsu Junmai Sake which she recommended which was polished, smooth and wonderful.

My first course arrived, and KAKI FRy was two plump oysters breaded and fried with a superb veggie-egg remoulade and shredded cabbage, but when I popped one into my mouth, I practically burned the entire inside of my mouth as it was beyond piping hot. I waited a while before I enjoyed the second one and purposefully bit it in half so it could cool a tad. This is one problem when using chopsticks, I suddenly realized.

The second course was a choice between eggplant and sweet potato, so I chose the latter which was a Japanese "baby" yam baked ever so simply with butter. It was so simple it had no seasoning, and the potato was huge. I also needed a knife and fork as I do not think anyone can eat an entire 1/2 pound potato with chopsticks? The potato was yummy, but very boring.

My next course was Udon with Abura-age, scallion and Kombu dashi that really was soy intense as far as the broth was concerned. It was a simple dish as well and seemed a tad chintzy and cheap, although I must admit it was filling.

The main course was much better flavored and also very filling. CREAM STEW was made with bacon, butter, onion, mushroom, carrots, napa cabbage, broccoli, milk, chicken stock, tofu and a crouton. By now I had moved to a Mantensei "Star filled Sky" Junmai Ginjo sake that was also quite tasty and paired very well with this creamy dish.

It was odd that at each course serving I had to ask for a soup spoon or stew spoon or utensil.

I asked Katherine for a short break before dessert and after 15 minutes I asked her to bring the strawberry dish I had ordered. The room was getting very noisy, and the a/c was cranked up so high I was beginning to freeze. After 30 minutes I said I really needed my dessert and then about 10minutes later I asked for the check which arrived as my dessert did; I sent it back and left. Katherine apologized profusely and had no clue what had happened with the simple dessert. 

I have to say that what used to be a finer dining spot has become a bar scene as the bar was jammed and extremely noisy, and I did not see people there really enjoying food, but simply drinking and socializing. My food was okay but would have been a total loss if this were not Restuarant Week, but that should not be an excuse, given the two fab meals I had earlier in the week. It was indeed a big disappointment.

Santa Fe's PALOMA is pretty tasty (8-20-23)

 Well, I forgot to write this one up and it was a really nice experience for the most part. We arrived at an adorable little spot with stone floor and stucco walls and tons of Mayan art that we had not known about and has been getting raves. Wooden tables and leather banquettes with lots of Central American woven goods abounded. A cool antique mirror was on one wall and a small bar at the other end featuring many bottles of tequila and mezcal.

I saw they had Spicy fruit margaritas and our server Natasha said they were out of that flavor(I forgot what) but had passion fruit, so we tried them and while they were tasty, they were NOT very spicy even though Natasha stuffed and extra chile in the glass for us!

Will and I decided to split starters and mine was the Beet & Melon Aguachile which was a cold soup with golden beets, pickled onion, cilantro and jalapeno that was amazingly refreshing on a hot day. Will chose the Tuna Tostaditos which were indeed spicy with yellowfin tuna, chipotle mayo, salsa macha (very macho kick-ass indeed) and wonderful crispy scallions on top. I loved going back to my "soup" after to get the spice washed away!

We both ordered the Short Rib Barbacoa served with Nixtamal Grits, Swiss Chard, Calabacitas, Grilled Onions and Pinto Beans which sounded so good we could not resist. 

The dish sadly suffered from a LACK of spice and needed something and some of the meat was quite fatty. 

We both wanted a glass of red wine, but they seemed to be out of many of the ones by the glass so we chose the fruity Rogue Vine "Pipeno" Tinto 2020 from Itala Valley in Chile that was okay but we really needed something bigger with the red meat.  I should note that our favorite Mexican wine (Adobe Guadalupe) was available here for $95 a bottle while it was $150+ several nights earlier at the overpriced Sazon!

Our dessert was a huge hit with White Chocolate Ice Cream and Churros with a super Mexican Chcolate dipping sauce.

You gotta go to NAMA KO (in DC)--Restaurant week #2(8-30-23)

 In my search for a second choice during DC's now-running Restaurant Week, I wanted something Asian and lighter and new that had been getting rave reviews, so I chose NAMA KO (www.nama-ko.com) on 14th Street(just of U St NW). 

Imagine to my surprise when I walked in the door and saw my old buddy Aziz at the front. I first met Aziz over 35 years ago when I lived at Dupont Circle and was a regular at Enzo's, a superb Italian restaurant just off the Circle! He is now the General manager at Nama Ko and I am truly thrilled that he is doing so well, and this place is run superbly to boot!

The space is quite large with a long bar on the right and a sushi bar with a dark brick wall behind that you can sit at on the left, an open kitchen is at the rear and of course the 14th Street side is all floor to ceiling windows. The music was unassuming but did seem to get louder as the evening progressed, or maybe the place got so full that it was the din of the crowd. Indeed, by 730pm there were virtually no empty tables. The chairs are super comfy here and you do not feel any rush to depart, so I enjoyed my evening at length and told my server Jenna that I really wanted to dine leisurely, which she adhered to spot on.

I ordered a "What's In a Name?" which is serrano-infused Espalon Tequila with Ancho Reyes(a superb spicy Mexican liqueur), honey, pineapple and a Togarashi(Japanses chili) rim. It was a kickass spicy drink with a slightly sour flavor, and I fell in love. There was a regular menu(I can't wait to return to try that as well as the huge sushi selection!!) as well as a Restaurant Week 4-course option for $55 which I could not resist, so I perused and debated and consulted with Jenna and finally made my decisions. There was a flight of sake as well for $25, but when I saw the gentleman at the next table order it, I realized the three choices might not be the types of sake I tend to like as he said one was dry, one slightly sweet and one cloudy one very indistinct.

My first course was the Crispy Shrimp Tempura (which does have a $5 surcharge on the $55 set menu) which was out of this world with a Yuzu Chili Sauce. I was about to order a bottle of sake when a complimentary glass of Soto Junmai was brought over by Aziz; I was in heaven. After that I did order a small bottle of sake, but the Soto was only available in a much larger one that was way too big for one person. My choice was the Hakutsuru Sho-Une Junmai Daiginjo which is a style I always like and came highly recommended by Jenna; I loved it.

My next course was the Lemongrass Chicken Dumplings which Jenna recommended as well and came with a Yuzu Ponzu and scallion relish(always photos on FB) that I loved. Relish can be a funny item, and on a dumpling, I was not sure it would work, but these four large dumplings were so enhanced and so wonderful.  

The main course was a Smoked Pork Belly which at first, I shied away from as perhaps too fatty. Jenna told me it was awesome, and she was spot on as it was crispy with virtually NO fat and served with slow cooked Japanese rice topped with an Onsen egg all covered with this fabulous chili crunch that was basically small chilis battered and deep fried! WOW!! The sake was the perfect pairing as the dish was indeed rich but so tasty and loaded with flavor.

Who thinks of dessert at a Japanese restaurant, but here it is a must as they have Nama-Ko Soft Serve Ice Cream, and I chose the Honey Miso Black Truffle with Dark Chocolate & Caramel Sauces topped with Chocolate Toffee Crunch! Need I say more??

I felt like I was at home all evening as the staff were helpful and Aziz was as kind and wonderful as ever and I was so glad to bump into him after not seeing him for several years! That won't happen again as long as he is at Nama Ko, as I will be back there very soon for sure!!

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