Sunday, June 26, 2011

Saturday Strolling

Is it possible for your shins to ache from so much walking?  Seeing how it's the only form of exercise I've been doing, I won't complain..

Yesterday we were craving for some dim sum!  Instead of hopping on the metro, we decided to walk the mile stretch from our place (Courthouse) to Rosslyn for some China Garden Dim Sum.  It was 80 degrees with a nice cool breeze (thank god!)

I've had my fair share of amazing dim sum in S.F, Boston and L.A in places so packed that you often had to share tables with strangers just to get a seat.  So naturally, I had to try out the dim sum in Arlington!

1) China Garden Restaurant (Arlington, VA)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/china-garden-restaurant-arlington

Located on the 2nd floor of the Twin Towers that houses Raytheon, ABC News and other offices, a dim sum house here seemed a bit...odd...but nonetheless, the humongous restaurant was fairly full of Asians (a good sign if you're eating Asian food) at 1:30 p.m.

 I got a bit more excited when the server handed us a large bowl of spicy soy sauce!!!  mmm mmm!
The spare ribs at this place was actually one of the best ones I've tasted--nicely seasoned and tender!
 This lady's frying up our order of Shrimp and Chives dumpling
 These babies were HUGE! And they were served on a bed of sweet soy sauce..something new I've never seen before..
(P.S Debs: I'm using my macro setting you showed me =D)
 Fried turnip cake with hoisin sauce
 Chrysanthemum tea served with sugar cubes--this was pretty cool.
5 dishes for $23 dollars--not too bad!  All in all, this place was a bit overpriced than what we're used to in S.F but comparable to LA/Orange County prices.  It was a pleasant surprise--much better than the 3 stars it received on Yelp.  The food was actually seasoned pretty well and no weird MSG side affects after we ate!  We're definitely coming back when the parents come to visit!

After lunch, too full to move, we hopped on the metro for D.C!

Saturday metro crowd...For a smidge of a space, you're gonna have to squeeze, shuffle your feet and learn to enjoy the smell of stannnnkkkyy sweaty pitts!

 Eff...The escalator at Adams Morgan, D.C Metro stop broke..so up 6 stories of flights of stairs we went...My body's not made for climbing....
 Adams Morgan district in D.C--reminds me of downtown S.F Civic Center and the Castro--tons of coffee shops and eateries..and a bit ghettoA bum purposely bumped into George just so he could yell at him..lol
 Eeek!! S.F Pride in D.C!! =D
 This was our 2nd Boba stop..I needsta have my boba fix!!! One thing I've noticed east coast is majorly lacking? Good BALLS!
This place is most famous for being filmed in "How Do You Know" with Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd as Mr. Phung--a bubbly Vietnamese man showed me his pictures.  The drinks were pretty good too!  Made with real fruits and finally!! Some chewy balls!
 1 metro stop later we were in Dupont Circle (D.C)

 Taking a break from eating by window shopping.  
Note to self: Come back to Lou Lou and buy pretty much everything in the store


It's never too soon to eat again!  Off to Bistrot Du Coin we walk!



http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistrot-du-coin-washington
4 Stars, 500+ reviews on Yelp, a bucket of juicy mussels with a side of fries! Yummy in my tummy!

Get got the Moules Mariniere--simply steamed in white wine, tons of garlic and parsley.  The sauce was not as thick for dipping..but major slurping was done! 

And last but not least..you know we have room for dessert!
Pineapple Gelato with mint!  Very light and refreshing!

Our car is scheduled to arrive in 1 hr!!!! I'm so excited! Fat eating pants CHECK!

It's Grubbin' Time!

Without our luggage (thanks American Airlines for the 3 day delay!) and our car and house items still somewhere across the U.S, we hit the pavements to explore VA on foot and metro! Guided by Yelp and our growling tummies, George (the bf) and I hitted up:

1) Ray's Hell Burger (Arlington, VA)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rays-hell-burger-arlington-2

I like a good burger now and then but it's definitely not something I crave for since there's so many other amazing things to eat!  But 5 blocks away from our apartment is the place made most famous by President Obama when he took Russian President Dmitry Medvev there for a cheddar cheeseburger.  So after some whining from the boyfriend, I gave in and walked in 80 degrees humid heat to Ray's.  Thank god it did NOT disappoint.

Packed even after the lunch rush, we split up--George to order food and me to fight for a table.  I got the "B.I.G. Poppa" and George "The New Jack"

B.I.G POPPA: Look at that peppercorn crust!
Check out them bunssss
Perfect medium rare AND sherry sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions and a bunch of amazing toppings are FREE!


The only downside? The burger is so large, you can't wrap your mouth around it and the buns gets soggy if you don't eat fast because the beef patty is literally dripping and smothered in beef juice!

P.S.  I was knocked out into food coma land instantly after lunch!

2) Hanks's Oyster Bar (King Street in Alexandria, VA)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hanks-oyster-bar-alexandria

Bars, cute boutique shops and restaurants run a 2-3 mile stretch on King Street surrounded by old brick colonial homes. 

Friday night crowd at 11 p.m
I am a huge fan of raw oysters!! Even better when they're for $1 each!!! And Hank's serves 3 kinds: blue point, alpine, and edwards on Friday & Saturday night at happy hour at 11 p.m!! A little lemon, some tabasco sauce, and a dollop of cocktail and horseradish --> 24 oysters later, I'm a happy girl.


After Hank's, we moseyed on down to:
Hard Time's Cafe 
(http://www.yelp.com/biz/hard-times-cafe-alexandria#query:hard%20time%20cafe).  

We read that this placed served up delicious chili and who doesn't love a bowl of chilli piled with cheddaaa cheese and a side of corn bread at 12 midnight!

Complimentary Sampler of all 4 chillies
 George's chili over hash potatoes!
 My favorite was the Terlingua Red chili but it was a bit salty so I asked for it to be mixed w/ the vegetarian chili which had a lighter sweeter flavor.

It's 3:30 a.m here right now but I'm still stuck on pacific time!  More food and new places tomorrow =)

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Landed!

My boyfriend and I recently made the big move from CA to Arlington, VA for work. We're both originally from San Francisco (& lived 5 yrs in Orange County). Although we've traveled to the east coast many times, there's nothing like packing your beloved pet, all your belongings and car to move cross country!

So far--I think I'm in love.  It's an exciting feeling--to take a blind jump and find happiness in something totally unexpected. Don't get me wrong, I was and still am skeptical and nervous--I mean who the hell moves to Virginia? When I told a friend of mine that I would be moving to Virginia to live next to a river (the Potomac), she laughed and exclaimed "omg..you live next to a river?! you're a country gal now!"  People who's never visited here thought I was moving to a farm...

But so far, this area's captured a piece of my heart. Being a huge fan of city life (awesome food and a working bus system b/c I absolutely hate driving!) and places rich in history, I find Virginia/D.C Metro Area to be the perfect mix of old and new--century old red brick buildings and colonial homes infused into dense bustling neighborhoods next to tall modern high rises. It's a mix of San Francisco, New York, Boston and everything in between. And best of all, my two feet and the metro system will get me everywhere!


Thus I decided to create this blog to document my new adventure and mainly of all the eating we'll be doing! Because there's two things that make me really giddy, traveling and EATING!  I love love love love FOOD! So watch out east coast, I've got a suitcase full of stretchy pants and I'm HELLAAA ready to EAT!

With that, I will leave you with two signs I bumped into while strolling the streets:
 

Life's too short to not eat what you want and go wherever your heart tugs you!