Gingerbread House

Just thought I’d share our Gingerbread house! We bought the gingerbread house at Ikea and built it with materials we bought at Wegmans and some that I received in my Christmas stocking.

Gallery is in the full entry. Continue reading →

The Wisdom of Sai Min

So, yesterday I decided to research “Sai Min” (saimin/saimen/saimian), one of my favorite dishes that combines the best things in the world in one bowl of happiness and yumminess. I’ve had it at the hands of my island-famous great-grandfather (who used to own a store/restaurant in Hawai’i, and would cut the noodles by hand).

I thought it was a Cantonese dish, but after much research, I have found that it is unique to the islands! No wonder everyone I talked to about it had no clue what I was saying. Now of course, my family’s Sai Min (famous, let me remind you) is the Chinese version, with no spam, sausages, eggs, or fish cakes like the Filipino/Japanese/Portuguese versions. This has led me to realize that I’m not ethnically or culturally Chinese at all – my family is Hawai’ian, and any Chinese parts of us came as a result of being Hawai’ian, and got mixed up with the Japanese and Filipino aspects that also worked their ways in there. In fact—even our Chinese New Years dinners have Guava Chiffon Pie and Lau Lau sometimes.

Recipe and pictures under the cut. Continue reading →

Washington Post Magazine 2008 Dining Guide

Thats right folks, the 2008 version of the Dining Guide (courtesy of Tom Sietsema) is out and about! I stole mine from the beau’s newspaper last weekend, but was too busy with the goodness that was “Taste of Georgetown” to read all of it and narrow down the list to restaurants I would like to try. You can see the full online version of the dining guide here.

2008 Dining Guide Restaurants I would go to:
Central Michel Richard
CityZen
co co. Sala (Would like to re-visit)
Comet Ping Pong
Corduroy
Cork (Wine Bar)
Et Voila!
Great Wall Szechuan House
Inn at Little Washington (This is just an un-realistic hope though)
Majestic
Marcel’s
Marvin (Only if I were at U-Street already)
Me Jana
Michel Richard Citronelle
Minibar
Oyamel
Palena (Would like to try non-Cafe)
Proof
Rasika
Restaurant Eve’s Tasting Room
Saigon Cafe
Sushi-Ko
The Source
2941 (Would like to try the new chef)
Volt

Ratings are based primarily on food quality but take into account service and ambiance. Restaurants that earn no stars are rated poor. * Satisfactory: Restaurants that are useful to know about if you are nearby; they may have only a few dishes or a single quality, such as a view or atmosphere, to distinguish them. ** Good: Restaurants with generally appealing cooking, service and settings; they tend to be worth driving across town for. *** Excellent: Rewarding destinations, no matter where you’re coming from; they typically blend high-quality cooking with the environs. **** Superlative: An unsurpassed dining experience; these restaurants do what they do extraordinarily well.

Other restaurants in this edition of the Washington Post Magazine I would like to go to:
Two Amys (Pizza)
Good Stuff Eatery (Burgers)

Ceiba

CEIBA
CONTEMPORARY LATIN (YUCATAN, BRAZILIAN, PERUVIAN, CUBAN)
http://www.ceibarestaurant.com

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
25	22	25	$45

Located in Metro Center, this member of “Passion Foods” is a multi-faceted restaurant. With many different dining areas (casual with wicker chairs, business casual with simple wooden tables and plants, lounge, and private rooms with doors), Ceiba really can give you anything you want. You can come here for happy hour, a romantic evening, or an office meeting.

The staff was very attentive to us (we stated on the reservation site, opentable.com, that it was our anniversary, and we were given a great location in the more upscale dining area, “Happy Anniversary” was printed at the top of our menu and written on our dessert plate). Many of the dishes sounded very interesting, but we were only able to get 3 appetizers because the portions were so generous (as opposed to other restaurants that might charge $20 for an appetizer that is eaten in 2 small bites). In fact, we chose a more tapas approach to the experience and ate only three appetizers and no entrees (and of course drinks and dessert), therefore being able to sample many more dishes.

We ate: Crispy Fried Oysters with Mango Torilla Slaw, Chipotle Remoulade (11), “Hot Lava Stone” Queso Fundido with Shaved Ribeye Steak, Poblano Chilis, Oaxacan Cheese and small yummy tortillas (13), Grilled Argentinian and Mexican Chorizo sausages with Roasted Eggplant Raisin Chutney, Sweet and Sour Mustard, Warm sugar Canela Dusted Churros with Dark Rich Hot Fudge (and a candle w/ happy anniversary written in chocolate), Almond Marshmallows, and caramel and almond popcorn (this was complimentary and tasted like a non-sticky, grown up version of Cracker Jack). For drinks, the Dark and Stormy [Goslings Black Seal rum, Goya ginger beer & fresh lime ] (a little too much rum for us) and Yucatan Sunset [Bacardi Razz rum, Citronge, mango puree, fresh orange juice & grenadine] (had pockets of just fruit juice and just alcohol taste…). Both drinks came with little neon-orange bulls on the side of the glass. I see how this would be appropriate in the lounge area, and it was cute for a souvenir, but not style-appropriate for where we were dining.

Overall, it was a great experience, and I would love to go back for their $5 mojito happy hour (with comp. food) or for lunch or dinner again so I can try the rest of the menu that we were too full to eat (like the red snapper, jumbo shrimp, or grilled octopus salad). In the end, you don’t pay just for the food, but for the experience as a whole, and it was worth it, because they made us feel special. [Not to mention the super-cute parrots painted on a mural behind us and on the outside of the restaurant]

From Zagat:

With “wonderful” South and Central American-inspired dishes “bursting with complex flavors” and presented in “beautiful” Downtown digs, this “happening” Nuevo Latino is as “great for an anyday meal” as a “business lunch” or a “special occasion”; so start with a “mean caipirinha”, move onto the “must-have” ceviche sampler, then get an “amazing” crispy whole fish before enjoying the “best part” – complimentary “caramel popcorn brought with the bill.”

Food: 24, Decor: 24, Service: 22, Cost: $48
701 14th Street. NW (G Street, Metro Center station) 202-393-3983