Friday, March 16, 2012

Mio - Hit & Miss

Mio was right by the Westin, where we were staying. It was even on the list of restaurants that the concierge gave us even though I went online to check it out. Then I made OpenTable reservations after learning about the Hamilton...reservations for dinner in DC are a must if you do not want to wait more than an hour or so for food.
The place was very nice and spacious, with a lounge at the front and a bar to the left of the entryway.
Decor was sleek and modern with interesting lighting and a very open atmosphere. I would venture to say that it was quite relaxing and service was superb.
Spicy Machu Pisco
After perusing the menu, we decided on the drinks first, of course - Spicy Machu Pisco, made of Machu Pisco, Aji Amarillo (yes the same peppers in the green sauce), Passion Fruit & Lime Sour for Barb and the Pasion Urbana made of Banana & Pineapple Cruzan rum, Passion Fruit and Guava!
Pasion Urbana
Barb said hers was really really good. That was saying something since she is not much of an alchy. :)  I think she is in love with Pisco. I loved mine and if I didn't have 2 more bottles of Mike's Hard Lemonade in the hotel, I would have gone for a 2nd. It had not a huge wallop in the alchy department but I love guava and this drink had alot of it. In fact, if you did not like guava, you might not want this drink. It was sweet and deliciously refreshing.
Complimentary Bread
The bread was awesome. Barb did not take a piece but I did and let me tell you, it was some good bread.  It was quite soft but had good texture and some crunch from the crust on top. They did not have fresh butter but the bread made up for it.
Pollo a la Braza Mio con Yuquitas

After debating between the large and  whole fish and chicken, Barb chose the chicken, roasted with yucca, otherwise known as Pollo a la Braza Mio con Yuquitas. In hindsight, she probably should have gotten the fish... When it came, she was all excited until she took a bite. Apparently, it was not seasoned well or marinated long enough because it was very bland. She had to ask for salt and pepper and the waitress asked her how it was and she said it was bad. So the waitress spoke to the Chef and offered to take away the plate and dish something else up. And so, Barb decided to take her up on it and got the Ceasar Salad with real anchovy and the Filete de Salmón a la Plancha con Salsa de Piña or aka the Plancha Seared Salmon, Pineapple Salsa.
Caesar Salad
This she liked because it had real anchovies in it. Weird. And the croutons were made from Yucca! Yum.  I was just glad she found something else to eat!
Filete de Salmón a la Plancha con Salsa de Piña
Then she got the seared salmon and they forgot to not serve the squid ink rice with it. But she wasn't too happy because she didn't really dig into everything. You could totally tell by her face!!! I digress though because I never tried it since I do not like salmon because it's just too fishy for me. So round 2 was not so much of a success which is why I think she should have just gotten the Chillo Frito con Purée de Batata Dulce y Mojito Isleño which is Fried Whole Red Snapper, Sweet Potato, Island Mojito, and Avocado-Papaya Crudo. The lady next to us seemed to really enjoy it, despite having the head still on it.
Filete de Cerdo con Manchego Frito y Salsa de Guayaba
I however,  had long debated the quail stuffed with foie gras because I never had quail stuffed with foie gras! Uhhhh, liver paste...lol. However, it is a small appetizer. I went opposite. Yep, grilled pork tenderloin with fried manchego cheese in guava/red wine reduction. Do you see a theme here? Guava. Yum.
Up close and personal with pork..delicious pork
Despite having just devoured a whole crepe only 2 hours prior...I tucked into this big juicy slab of meat. Manchego cheese, one of my most favorite cheeses was gloriously melted over the entire slab which was grilled to perfection and had a melt in your mouth quality like a fine steak.

And let me just reiterate that this was one *very* good pork tenderloin. It was finely seasoned, perfectly grilled and had Manchego cheese melted all over it... What is not to like or enjoy?! I just had to mention it again because I did leave a lot left...
Remains of the battle with the huge slab.
This is not because it was not good but because it was too big. You could totally feed 2-3 people on this alone and still be full. Note that the salad and potatoes went virtually untouched. o(*^o^*)o  To quote Adam Richman - Food won this time...food won...

If you enjoy pork, the next time you are in DC - go to Mio and try this. You will not be disappointed by it or the service!

Mio Restaurant
1110 Vermont Ave NW,
Washington DC 20005
Tel. (202) 955-0075
Hours:
Lunch:  Monday – Friday 11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday – Thursday 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Bar/Lounge: Monday – Thursday 5:00pm – 12:00am, Friday and Saturday 5:00 pm – 1:00 am
Happy Hour: Bar: Monday – Friday 4:00pm – 7:00pm, Selected House Drinks, Wine and Draft Beers
Happy Hour: Lounge: Friday and Saturday 11:00pm – 2:00am, Selected House Drinks and Draft Beers

Mio on Urbanspoon

Savory and Sweet Crepes

This unpretentious Pointe Chaud cafe was about a block away from our hotel. It is a very casual metal filled storefront with al fresco dining if you wish. As it was quite cold, we so did not wish! Saturday morning was a chilly morning in DC and we decided to get crepes as they are hot and usually yummy and filling...

We ended up rounding back to this cafe where we had an unpleasant encounter with short, brunette, pretty but rude clerk who really shouldn't be in food services...or any services that included human interaction the evening before when we were walking to our hotel and saw crepes. Barb thought perhaps they could deliver - like a snack or something but alas, she had that rude person to deal with.

And there she was again. Unpleasant as ever. Fortunately, Barb ordered her crepe from the nicer tall pretty model type girl instead. I got the unpleasant one but ignoring her tone, you could deal with her. ;)
DC Brunch Special
Barb ordered the DC Brunch Special, which is made of Turkey, Cheese, Eggs, Mushrooms, Avocado, and Tomatoes.
Innards of the DC Brunch Special
She said it was very tasty and good. It sure was fast! I think she opted out of the mushrooms. It looked tasty and was not made from wheat flour.
Ham & Cheese, Whole Wheat
I chose the ham and cheese with whole wheat crepe. It was lightly seasoned and tasted pretty good. I would not say it's the best crepe ever - that is in Japan or France or Europe, in general. But it was pretty good and fresh.

They served Damman Freres teas, which are pretty good but I don't like how it was served - you get a cup of hot water and dunk the tea bag into it... Not cool and not how tea should be served, ever. Yes, I am a tea snob. They also serve illy coffee items so if you opt for that...I can say nothing for it's just illy!

Later after we walked all over including to the International Spy Museum, Teaism and its cafe next door, where we warmed up with some spice chai tea, we stopped by again, for some sweet crepes - served by a friendly woman who even let us sample the dark chocolate vs nutella. Nutella was already quite sweet so I opted for the dark chocolate and banana crepe. Barb asked for the almond and chocolate crepe.
The wrong crepe with coconut
They served her the wrong crepe with coconut which she didn't want.
Both Crepes - Barb's above, mine below.
Then, they served her the right crepe - almond powder with chocolate with no coconut. She said it was quite good. The only thing we know for sure is that they used reddi-whip and having tasted fresh whipped cream, this was the only detractor. 
The right crepe, sans coconut
Mine was the banana and chocolate crepe. This was super good. I love the combination of chocolate and banana. This was delicious and sweet enough. I think the nutella would have been tastier but too sweet as chocolate tends to get sweeter once you heat it up.
Chocolate and banana innards of my crepe
So I was quite satisfied with this crepe since the only other thing I ate that whole day was the savoury ham and cheese crepe in the morning!

And my poor tired feet didn't want to leave but alas we did - to rest up in the hotel for a bit before we headed out to dinner.

Overall, dessert crepes were nicer than savoury but be prepared for poor service 'tudes should you get the brunette one. Also this is only for the one below - they have another one closer to Logan Circle.

Pointe Chaud

1012 14th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20015
tel. (202) 783-0304
Hours: 
Not sure but they closed at 10 pm on Fridays.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Hamilton in DC

We actually stopped by this other club/restaurant first but it was a toss up as to whether we would get a table so Miss Barb asked the bouncer to recommend a place because we could not wait to eat...at least we could not wait more than 10 minutes to find out if we could get a table just to *eat* food that we are paying for...

So he recommended the Hamilton - all he said was the food was really, really good.  He did not talk about the drinks...

I think we probably chose the wrong drinks. After an hour's wait, we finally got a table to eat. We also realized that the efficiency was just not great. They had many an empty table and we think this was due to the fact that people wanted to go to the main dining room instead which is smaller but closer to the bars.
Complimentary Bread with fresh butter
It was quite slow and the drinks came out quite late. We were served bread which came much later as well. The bread was pretty good, nice and crusty with a soft chewy center and was divine with the very  fresh butter they gave with it. Yes, folks, the butter was super fresh because it didn't come in wrapping and it even had the fresh dairy taste.
Betty's Apple
The drinks - we got this drink called the "Betty's Apple" which was terrible. Not at all palatable. It was a poor version of the Appletini, which is saying a lot about how bad it was. Oh, and did I mention how the drinks arrived when we already were served dinner? Yes, they did.
Braised Beef Shortribs
Anyway, I was feeling quite disappointed until the food came out. Let's start with Barb's food as I don't eat beef [much]. Barb got their braised beef shortribs which came out with farro, kale, butternut squash, and its own juices. It looked tasty. Barb seemed to enjoy it a lot.
Upclose and personal with the beef shortribs
 I opted for my favorite - PEI mussels with beer, fennel, chorizo, french fries, and saffron aioli! And I actually liked the fries...really!
All the deliciousness together...in one shot...
The fries were well seasoned - not just salted, crispy and hot. They were some of the very best fries, I've had and I usually don't eat fries!!
Very delicious fries...surprisingly!
As for the mussels... What can I say? I'm a sucker for crustaceans. And these shellfish were fresh, with a lovely taste and except for all the fennel on top, perfect. The mussels were clean and plump, and the sauce was absolutely yummy with bits of chorizo floating around it. Had I not finished up the bread earlier from my hunger pangs, I would have dipped the bread into it and eaten it that way!
Prince Edward Island Mussels with fennel, saffron aioli and chorizo
This was a very satisfying meal and yes, I ate all but 2-4 mussels! But guess what? We had the nerve to ask for a dessert menu...:) Did I mention that all I had that morning was a piece of whole wheat toast and a bit of peanut butter? Well I did! And that's why I was starving by the time 9:30 pm came around and we got our table!

However, dessert was decidedly uninspired so we went to CVS and our hotel in that order. :)

Hamilton is great for the food alone - drinks not so much and service a dismal *SLOW*. However, I deem it worth it to eat there...at least once. Just make reservations first.

The Hamilton
600 14th Street, N.W. (14th St & F St)
Washington, DC 20005
tel. 202.787.1000
Hours: 24/7

The Hamilton on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Chimu...Best Peruvian ever???

So a while back, I wanted to go to Otafuku but didn't make it. However, Japan week started and I was able to go with Barb! It wasn't much but I spied Otafuku and yes, I bought takoyaki! o(^▽^)o
Takoyaki under Orange lights
It was so good and reminded me of Osaka!!! I apologize for the pic but the whole place was sooo orangey! It is a delicious ball of flour with octopus inside. Simply scrumptious!

After the octoball goodness, Barb said she was hungry and something was chanting Chimu at her so we went. (It wasn't me, I swear. Umm, yeah...Anyways.)

Chimu was already pretty packed when we got there at about 7pm. However, there were available seats and we got to sit away from a bulk of the crowd and the door.

The host was attentive as was the waiter. We got a full rundown and all of our questions were answered graciously.
Fried Corn Kernels - no flash so the color is not that great.
They automatically place their green sauce on the table. They also served fried corn kernels, salted. The fried corn was addictive and I am not sure if it was hunger or the fried saltiness of it. It was good though. 

The waiter recommended a drink not on the menu, Pisco Sour, which is made from the national Peruvian drink called Pisco, lime, syrup, egg whites and bitters. It tastes not unlike a margarita but somehow, better.
Pisco Sour
We decided to split the empanadas - one beef and one chicken.  They all look the same outside. ;)  What put this empanada over the edge was the garlic oil sauce they served with it. It tasted like something my mom makes or that a chinese place would serve with plain chicken. It really made the empanada stand out.
Empanada x 2
 The empanadas were crispy outside, filling was seasoned just right and the garlic sauce put it over the edge. It's not really a sauce but minced garlic in oil. But it was *delicious*.
Chicken on left, Beef on right. Both yummy
I ordered the regular roast chicken with rice and beans. Now, their roast chicken itself was not as yummy as their Aji Amarillo sauce. I am not saying it is bad but Pio Pio's chicken is tasty as is whereas the pieces I got weren't as tasty at Chimu's. 
Roast Chicken
The rice also was not very tasty. I really had to use the Aji Amarillo sauce which is *the best* in the city. Spectacular - right amount of heat versus tastiness.I would love to have their sauce...and other dishes when I return. :)
Rice + Beans
And here is the full dish, together one a single plate - because the table was small and we needed the space!!!
Voila - entire dish on one plate!
And just so, Barb took her time and got the Vallarin Verde With Skirt Steak, which is a basil pasta with skirt steak. The steak was lightly seasoned and cooked well. She asked for the garlic oil and poured it over the pasta. Then took the left overs home.

Vallerin verde with skirt steak and roasted potato

Of course, gluttony does not end here but finished off with dessert.

Special dessert - pumpkin fritters in brandy sauce...served only Friday, Sat, and Sunday
 Pumpkin fritters were delightful - I took the bulk home for my parents to consume and they loved it.

But our favorite was definitely the dulce de leche crepe. The crepe is served with a light fresh whipped cream which is very delicious. It was one of the most delicious items I had ever eaten. Truly delicious.

Most awesome dulce de leche crepes
This place is now a favorite and we will be back for more...

Chimu
482 Union Ave, between Conseleyea & Skillman Streets)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
tel. (718) 349-1208
Hours:
Mon - Sun, 10 am - 11 pm 


Chimu on Urbanspoon