Suna @ Eastern Market

I literally just came back from dinner with my food buddies at Suna and it was one of the most unexpected dinner of my life.  Usually, I will wait a few days before I write my blog, but since I was exposed to so many new flavors, new ingredients, and culinary techniques (not that I know any) used in this meal; I am afraid if I don't capture it right now, I will not be able to remember all the details.

Suna offers two tasting menu options: a four course and an eight course.  We wanted the full experience, so we chose to go with the eight course menu and it was definitely the right choice.  Since Suna only offers tasting menu, the menu changes constantly based on what's in season.
(Sorry for the bad picture quality, the lighting in the restaurant was not photography friendly)

Root Vegetables

The first course was root vegetables.  It was a salad combined with candied yam, pickled or raw beet, celery root, parsnip and topped with arugula granita.  I probably missed like ten other ingredients in the dish when the server was describing it, but those were the main ones I can remember.  This dish, being the most unique dish through the meal, caught all of us by surprise.  There was so many different flavors on the plate and every bite tastes like a brand new dish.  Depending on which combination of root vegetables was on your fork, the collaboration of flavors were different every time you take that bite.  One of my favorite root vegetables of the dish was the candied yam. The candy coat gave yam a new texture and 100% more sweetness.  It was so good that I can just snack on it by itself.  The most surprising element of this dish was the arugula granita.  I mean....who makes granita out of arugula or any vegetables? You will have to try it and be the judge of that. All of us had a different feeling about the arugula granita and I will leave it up to you to experience yourself.

Kampachi

The second course was fish.  We were served a mackerel inked with cured eggplant and pickled husk cherries.  I don't think I have ever had husk cherries nor eggplant ink nor all of them together on one plate.  I also never had mackerel served like this, but I think I like it.

Dashi Custard

The third course was dashi custard with scallop and roasted mushrooms.  This was my favorite out of the three cold dishes.  The custard were so smooth and creamy, and the scallop and roast mushrooms were also the perfect toppings for it.  This was a fun dish with fantastic flavors and texture.

Shellfish

The fourth course and also the first hot course of the meal, was buttermilk crab meat with crab mustard served with crispy rice chips (I think).  Once again, it was fabulous.  Every bite screams crabs!

Fowl

The fifth course was fowl.  For the night, we had squab breast with sunchoke, grain, broccoli and a crispy squab skin to balance the texture.  The squab was seasoned and cooked perfectly; it was flavorful and tender.  The grain which included sunflower seeds and oat was not your typical grain, but it was delicious.  Half way through the meal, I think we learned to expect the unexpected and just enjoy the ride.  One complaint though, I wish there were a couple more slices of squab confit on my plate.

Pork

The sixth course and also the last entree, was pork shoulder with tahini garlic puree served with daikon and kale chips.  This was another phenomenal dish.  I loved the tahini garlic puree and kale chips.  It was really hard for me to decide which meat dish I liked more, but luckily we got the eight course meal, so we didn't have to choose.  I would be sad to miss either one of them.

Apple

The seventh course and also the beginning of our dessert journey was caramel ice-cream served with cilantro apple and salted malted milk crumbles. When the server was introducing it, I thought I heard the word cilantro and I was thinking in my head....cilantro and ice-cream?  But again, we are at Suna, and all things are possible, and we have seen many ingredients that are not typical used together, but somehow, worked.  It was the perfect dessert after a savory meal and salted caramel had never failed me.

Hazelnut

The eighth course and our last course was a hazelnut parfait with coco and hazelnut crumbs.  The texture of the hazelnut parfait was indescribable.  The parfait was such a spotlight of the dish, I don't want to ruin a great movie for you if you ever decide to watch it, so I will just leave it as it is.  You will be surprised but you will not be disappointed.

The food was delicately prepared, well-planned and very labor intensive.  With all the thoughts that came behind this meal, I was very satisfied.  While every dish has its own characteristic and a whole different unique flavor, there was  a common theme through out the whole meal.  Despite the combination of all the different ingredients used in every dish, the texture were always perfectly balanced and the flavor were always new.  For Suna, you would definitely need to have an open mind in order to fully appreciate such a unique experience Chef Spero is exposing to your taste buds, and when you are ready for it, I bet you, it will be eye opening.

Also, special thanks to the great dinner company and helping out with the photography!

Suna

Fishers Farmers Bakers @ Georgetown

Located right next to the Washington Harbor in Georgetown, Fishers Farmers Bakers offers a wide selection of dishes from East to West pair with exotic cocktails and local brewed beer...sounds familiar?  

Created by the same restaurant group as Founding Farmers, and operating with the similar concept, I think if you enjoy Founding Farmers, now Fishers Farmers Bakers is another good alternative.

Scorpion - Chef Mix Style

You can order any scorpion mix cocktails in this scorpion bowl, and if you get the Chef Mix like we did, you get flaming 151 in the middle.  It definitely has an eye popping factor to it (who doesn't like fire?), however to get the most bang (ahem...alcohol) for you bucks, get the zombie.

Zombie

I think this is bad because there's absinthe in it, and it's on the menu that you can't get more than 1 bowl per guest.  Drink responsibly!

Flying Dog

If crazy cocktails with fire is not your taste, FFB also offers a good selection of local brewed beer and seasonal beer that's changes all the time.

Duck Fat Chicken Wings

Duck fat are amazing; these chicken wings fried in duck fat are very crispy and flavorful.  A little asian twist of on the sauce with green scallions and soy sauce and a side of the mustard was also the perfect dip for the wings.  Tender, flavorful and crispy.  I don't know what more can you ask for in fried wings.

Beer Mussels and Fries

Fresh mussels cooked perfectly in beer.  Another good appetizer on the menu.

Fishers Fry Combo Platter

The combo platter comes with scallops, shrimps, and fish.  I am not a fan of fried seafood, so as long as the batter is not super thick and doughy, I will give it a pass.  Credit to the restaurant, the fish and shrimps where both decent size and fresh.  My favorite thing of the dish is actually the sweet corn, it's so yummy, I  will order that by itself as a side.

Detroit Red Top Pizza

The Detroit Red Top Pizza is a deep dish pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.  It was a little disappointing for me, since I am so used to District of Pi Pizza's deep dish pizza which comes with tons of sauce and toppings.  This pizza is small and doesn't have a lot of toppings, however they did a good job on keeping the crust crispy, but still not on par for me.  On a side note, go to Pi Pizza in DC for their deep dish pizza, it's so much better! Hopefully one day I will write a review on it.

Seafood Jambalaya

The Seafood Jambalaya - Chesapeake Style, comes with crabs, mussels, sausages, and shrimp.  I am indifferent about his dish, I think the generosity of the amount of seafood that comes with it, but the dish was dry.
  

Flounder with green peas and grits

It's always a good thing to end a meal with a strong dish and the flounder did it well this time.  The flounder was cooked perfectly.  It was crispy on the outside and flaky in the middle.  The two side items: green peas and grits where also good tasting.  Definitely a strong item on the menu.

Farmers Fishers Bakers

Izakaya Seki

Traditional Japanese bar like Izakaya Seki is a rare encounter in the DC metropolitan area.  Izakaya Seki offers a causal and relax atmosphere that allows you to spend a night with a couple of good friends nibbling on authentic Japanese bar food while sipping sake and imported Japanese beer.  

Izakaya Seki

Izakaya Seki has a small entrance on V St, but look for the Japanese lantern and you won't miss it.    Shall we take a look inside?

Echigo Rice

Since this is a Japanese bar, there are a large variety of Japanese beer and sake on the drinks menu.  The beer are a tad on the pricey side, but I am hoping for some Happy Hour deals at a later date once the restaurant settles.  

Echigo Rice Cheers

In the Asian culture, it is very common to share a big bottle of beer among your party whether than getting a gigantic mug of beer for yourself like in the Western culture.  Asian dining is all about the art of sharing, we share our food, we share our beer, and that's the reason why we were given the small drinking glasses.  

Steamed monkfish liver and yuzu miso vinaigrette

Monkfish liver with beer? YUM! The fish liver has really smooth creamy texture and excellent taste.  The yuzu miso vinaigrette adds the right sweetness and tart to the liver.

Basil octopus salad

This was on the daily special menu, so it's not guarantee that it will be available all the time.  The octopus was really fresh and not overcooked, so it was not rubbery at all.  The basil sauce on top makes this a very refreshing dish.

Tarako (salted cod roe) rice ball

 While this is a Japanese bar which means food are suppose to be small portion and compliments your drinks.  However, if you are really hungry, rice balls would be a great and cheap way to suffice your hunger.

Kurobuta pork sausage

 The pork sausage tastes really good and the skins add a crunchy texture to the sausage which makes them unique.  The mustard sauce goes really well with it as well.  Sometimes when I eat sausages, they are usually on the salty side, so if you eat too much, it gets overwhelming, but the Kurobuta sausage has a mild taste to it, so I didn't get that feeling at all.

Mero grilled with miso 

Mero is chilean sea bass in Japanese.  I have always enjoyed Japanese fish with miso and this dish is definitely on the top of the list.  It is such a simple dish cooked perfectly. I highly recommend ordering this when you go to Seki.  Just give me some rice and this will be the perfect meal.  This is the one dish which makes Seki memorable and worth coming back for.

Kara-age: Chicken thigh with garlic puree

This is a good portion of fried chicken thigh and it's another good option on the menu if you are hungry.  The chicken thigh were well seasoned and lightly battered which makes it crunchy on the outside and tender in the inside. The garlic puree that comes with it is the perfect dipping sauce.

Fried oysters

The fried oysters were also the daily special, and it was fantastic.  I am not sure what the dipping sauce was made of but it was delicious.  Once again, the batter is light just to give the oysters enough crunch.

Kalbi: BBQ beef short ribs

Thin slices of short ribs, seasoned with sweet soy sauce and grilled.  The flavor was excellent and the short ribs were also very tender.  Overall, I really like this dish except there were small bones with some of the pieces. I think Seki just need to rinse the ribs more thoroughly before cooking them.

I can honestly say that I like all the dishes we ordered at Seki.  There were more interesting dishes on the menu we didn't get to try, so I will definitely come back for more, and hopefully they will have a Happy Hour deal by then. As a new restaurant, Seki has lived up the hype.  I think Izakaya Seki is a very good addition to the DC dinning scene and it offers the DC diners a good alternative outside of those fancy sushi joint.

Izakaya Seki

1789

The legendary 1789 Restaurant, named as one of the "100 Very Best Restaurants" by Washingtonian, is celebrating its 50 years anniversary.  For celebration, they are currently offering a 5 course tasting menu for $50, which if you ask me, it's a steal.  It is a good opportunity to try 1789 without breaking an arm or leg.  The deal only works from Sunday - Thursday, and it's expiring next week, so hurry if you are interested.   

Bordeaux

You always have to pair good French food with a good glass of wine.  Bordeaux has became my favorite French wine ever since my trip to Paris.  It was on the wine menu and I think it was the quickest wine decision I have ever made at a restaurant!

Bread and Butter

An authentic French restaurant should always take their bread very seriously.  We were given three choices of bread and three choices of spread.  Being a hug fan of bread and butter, this could be a meal of its own.  

Chilled Cucumber Soup

This was a complimentary course, more like a treat to clear your taste buds before you dive into the real thing.  It was a chilled cucumber soup with green onions, lime juice, and olive oil.  It was on the sour end with a hint of sweetness from the cucumbers.  It was refreshing.

Beef Crudo Two Ways

On the left side of the plate is a beef tartar with truffle oil; delicious! On the right side, we have a carpaccio with shaved cheese and baby arugula.  The carpaccio was good, I really like the fried garlic slices which really give the carpaccio a good flavor and crunch.

Tomatoes and Burrata

This is a French version of the tomatoes and mozzarella.  My food buddy and I both thought that the Burrata cheese taste like a blend version of mozzarella but with a very soft texture, it's almost like yogurt but yet it's cheese.  After some quick wikipedia, Burrata is made with mozzarella and cream.  Now it all makes sense.  I think I prefer the traditional Italian tomatoes and mozzarella more. One up for the Italians! 

Duck Confit Strudel

This is duck confit stuffed pastry with foie gras cream, topped with cranberries.  I love the pastry, and after all, we are at a famous French restaurant, and it is almost expected for a good French chef to make killer pastry.  The duck confit on the other hand was a little dry, I think if this dish was stuffed with lamb, it might be better dish.

Roasted Pork Ravioli

This was probably one of the weakest dish for me, the roasted pork inside the ravioli was kind of blend.  To their credit, the homemade ravioli was good.

Black and White Tagliatelle with Shrimps

This was my food buddy's dish, and I thought the homemade pasta, shrimp, and flavor of the dish was good.  I like hers better than my ravioli.  However, the English peas were slightly undercook.

Red Snapper with lobster sauce

This was my food buddy's entree.  The red snapper which you can't really see in the picture was seared on the side with the skin. The fish was amazing.  The fish was not overcooked, so it still has a creamy and flaky texture, and the skin was seasoned with salt and seared perfectly which gives it a good crunch.  The lobster sauce came with pieces of lobster, and I don't know who can complain about lobster on your plate.  We were both impress with this entree.

Teres Major

It took another research session to find out what kind of beef cut is Teres Major.  Teres Major is a shoulder muscle, that is one of the most tender and comparable to filet mignon but cheaper. The server suggested to have it served medium rare which is perfect because I only eat my steak medium rare to rare.  The steak came out perfectly medium rare, which I can always rely on the French to do very well, because they don't like their steak overcooked.  I once had a raw steak at a restaurant in Paris and it was delicious! The steak was seasoned very well, and the bordelaise (French red wine sauce) was a good compliment for the dish.  This dish was amazing.  It was at this point of the meal where I finally feel that 1789 was not overrated.
 

Ice Cream Profiteroles

Profieroles or the American version of cream puffs with hazelnut, expresso ice cream with warm bittersweet chocolate poured over at the table.  Now, if there were three things the French do very well, they are definitely their wine, pastry, and DESSERT! I alway say it's much harder to make really good dessert than a main course.  Good dessert requires precise measurements and need to be prepared with delicacy, an extra 1/4 teaspoon of flour or sugar makes a big difference.  But the French are so good with their dessert!  This dish has everything I like in a dessert, hazelnut, coffee, chocolate, ice cream, and it was prepared so well.  I was so full at this point but I still cleaned out the plate and wanted more.  This is hands down, one of the best dessert I have ever had, and it is the strongest dish of the meal.  Can't ask for a better end for the meal.

S'mores

Chocolate cake, graham cracker, with marshmellow ice cream (which you can't see in this picture, it's behind the cracker).  This is your fancy version of s'mores.  I love the homemade marshmallow ice cream, it was unique and interesting.  Overall, I like the profiteroles better than this dish, but this was still a very good dessert.

Overall, it was a delightful meal.  Even though I was expected to be WHOA much more, but there was some memorable dish that 1789 do very well on.  You can't expect any restaurant to make everything on the menu mouth dropping good, but if there are dishes which made an impression and you can't find anyone else to deliver it the way they do, it's a good reason for a return trip.  Maybe this is the reason why 1789 is still one of the best DC dining spot after 50 years in the business.

Merci!

Fiola @ DC RW 2012

 Thank you to my food buddy - Ting for introducing me to this excellent Italian restaurant.  Before I went on my Europe trip, I really wan't a big fan of Italian food, but after you had real Italian food from Italy, you can't help but fall in love.

Restaurant Week Menu

A pretty good selection of choices for the Restaurant Week, I might consider coming back next time for another RW.

Italian Moretti Beer 

I was never a big fan of Italian wine, so I opted for an Italian light beer, which was pretty decent.

Beef Tartar

This is hands down, the biggest Beef Tartar I have ever had in my life, and with a fried egg!  This was delicious, and the toasted Italian bread was a perfect balance for texture.

Veal Meatballs

My food buddy ordered the Veal Meatballs for her appetizer.  I had a small taste from her plate, and it has a really good texture and flavor.  I would recommend this as another appetizer choice.

Squid Ink Risotto

For entree, I ordered the Squid Ink Risotto.  Ever since my Italy trip, I have been looking for a squid ink pasta that is on par with the Italian standard.  This is probably the most successful attempt.  Even though it is not as good as what I had in Italy, but this was pretty close.  I would definitely get this again.  If I was to be really picky, my only complain would be  it is a tad salty and oily, but in terms of flavor, I am totally satisfied. 

Ricotta Cavatelli

This homemade pasta dish was very good as well.  The pasta was cooked al dente and it has a very good texture.  I would still prefer the squid ink risotto, but this is a good alternative.

Gelato and Sorbet

I am a big fan of the homemade gelato, the sorbet is good too but cherry is not my favorite flavor.  Overall, I was satisfied with the meal and Fiola was good at delivering in terms of flavor, texture and presentation.  Fiola is definitely one of my top Italian restaurant in the US and I would consider coming back for the next RW.