It’s been awhile….

I hope everyone is doing well!  Maybe I can put a real post together.

Taste of Wheaton – This Weekend!

This Sunday, come on out for the Taste of Wheaton MD at the corner of Grandview Avenue and Reedie Drive. I hope to see everyone there. If you see me, feel free to say hello!

The event’s information can be found here

I’m very excited for the food and wine/cocktail pairing.

This will take place from 12am – 4pm.

Hollywood East will be serving Salmon Run Gewürztraminer, Seven Sisters Bukettraube, Teliani Valley Saperavi, and Seven Sisters Pinotage/Shiraz.

Saigonese will be serving Château Bianca Pinot Gris and Salmon Run Coho Gamay/Merlot.

Moby Dick will be serving Sho Chiku Bai.

Marchone’s will be serving Limoncello Granita.

Los Cobanos will be serving Horchata.

The Limerick Pub will be serving Guinness Floats.

Download the event program here.

Not to Miss Booths at Taste of Wheaton

Another week closer to Taste of Wheaton on May 20th.

The Wheaton, MD Facebook page just posted some great photos of the event from years past, courtesy of Debby Adler Photography.

They are having some great booths this year, such as:

Moby Dick Sushi – This is one of my favorite sushi places in the area. Amazing sushi and every visit there has been a pleasant experience. They will also be holding a sake tasting. My review of Moby Dick can be found here.
Hollywood East Cafe – A Wheaton staple for dim sum. I imagine they will have an excellent booth as the small plates are perfect for tastings. They will also have a wine tasting.
Los Cobanos – This is a place that I am yet to visit in Wheaton so I am excited to see what they will be offering. They are also hosting a wine tasting.
Saigonese Restauraunt – I am a big fan of their banh mi, curry chicken, and shredded tofu with vermicelli. They are also hosting a wine tasting
Marchones – My favorite place to get a sub in Wheaton. They have the best meatball sub. The people who work here are extremely friendly and that makes all the difference. Marchones will be hosting a cocktail tasting.

Hope to see you all there!

Florida Trip, Part 1

Last weekend, I went down to Florida for my buddy’s bachelor party/birthday weekend. He lives in Sarasota, a part of Florida that I had never been to before.

I flew down on Thursday into the Sarasota airport and we immediately headed to the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Tampa. Just a tip if you plan on visiting. Some of the hotels in the area have brochures that allow you to get $20 of free play in the casino if you have never visited before. I’m sure if you call they can tell you where to pick up the brochure.

Before arriving, we made a quick stop at Brandon Cross Liquors to grab some drinks as the casino does not offer free ones. I didn’t expect much as it was just a small shop in a strip mall. However, this was a really great shop. They had a good selection of beer and liquor. We picked up a 6-pack of Laughing Skull Amber Ale, a beer made by Red Brick out of Georgia. This turned out to a good, not great beer.

Later in the night, we decided to grab some food at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was pretty empty, although it was a Sunday night. We were seated way in the back and a cover band was playing on the stage. I think they played “Happy Birthday” at least six times.

I ordered the chicken fingers and my buddy ordered the nachos. The nachos weren’t too bad. We ordered them with pulled pork and they tasted like standard bar food. The chicken fingers were good but they were really small and cost about the same as the nachos. Nothing award winning here, but we just wanted some food in our stomachs.

The next morning, we were starving and wanted something delicious for breakfast. I had read about this place not too far called Daily Eats so we decided to check it out.

For a Friday morning, this place was packed! It was definitely a younger crowd. I ordered the Tijuana, which was a breakfast bowl filled with scrambled eggs with vegetable chili, shredded pepper jack, jalapenos, and guacamole served over home fries. It was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this place if you area in the area.

After breakfast, we wanted to shoot some pool so searched what was in the area. We found a place called The Tiny Tap Tavern which seems to be a popular place in the area.

Unfortunately, they were getting new pool tables as we walked up so we weren’t able to play but if I ever come back to the area I am definitely making a stop here.

Luckily there was another place not far away called The Rack.

This was a sushi bar/pool hall. It seemed like a pretty cool place to hang out. They had plenty of pool tables and also a ping pong table. We didn’t try the food so I can’t comment on that.

Taste of Wheaton

Well, we are now into May and Taste of Wheaton is right around the corner on May 20th. They have not released the lists of participating restaurants yet, but I am very excited to go because it will be my first year. There are still tons of restaurants that I have not had the chance to try in Wheaton so I’m hoping that a few of them will participate.

I’ll keep everyone posted when the full list of participants is released and what I am looking forward to trying.

The basic information for the event can be found here.

Silver Fountain – Silver Spring, MD

Wow, I haven’t posted in a long time. School and work have kept me plenty busy. However, a few weeks back, I was able to get some delicious dim sum at Silver Fountain in Silver Spring. This was only my second time trying dim sum. I’d heard good things so I suggested that we try out Silver Fountain.

It’s located in the Aspen Hill shopping center. I had heard that it gets packed so I went early to secure a table for our group. I arrived around 1pm on a Saturday and was able to be seated right away.

The place is bigger then it looks from the outside.

It was pretty crowded and loud, with a good mix of young and older people. We were seated at a large, rotating table. They brought us out tea to start.

We tried a little bit of everything. Truthfully, it was loud and we couldn’t always hear what we were ordering so I’m not sure of all the dishes that we tried.

I really liked the shrimp and pork dumplings. I also was a big fan of the pork buns. The prices are extremely low. We were a pretty large group and did not break the bank even though we all ate until we were full. The food kept coming and was always piping hot. This place is definitely worth a visit.

North China Restaurant – Bethesda, MD

A few weeks back, my girlfriend and I were in Bethesda and wanted to order some good Chinese food. We decided to try North China Restaurant, because they had a menu that looked to have more then your regular Chinese delivery place.

We ordered over the phone and the food came fast. Really fast. Definitely gets points for speediness. We ordered the fried pork dumplings, dan dan noodles, crispy squid, and the beef brisket stew (extra spicy).

For $5.95, we got six pork dumplings and they were excellent. Dan dan noodles were something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. Dan dan noodles are a mixture of vegetables, minced pork, chili oil, Sichuan pepper, and scallions served over noodles. This dish was really spicy and probably my favorite thing that we ordered. The crispy squid was great and had just enough breading on it. We asked for the beef brisket stew to be spicy, so it had a nice added kick. It tasted great served over rice.

We were very satisfied with this meal. The prices were good, the food was great, and the service was extremely fast.

Tonic – Washington, D.C.

A few weeks back, I won tickets to see a speaker at National Geographic. I invited my Mom to come out with me, and we met beforehand to grab something to eat. One of her favorite places for an easy meal is Tonic in Foggy Bottom.

It looks to be a place where a lot of GW students hang out. As you walk in, there is a bar straight ahead and a flight of steps taking you up to a dining area. We sat upstairs, which was pretty empty as they had just opened for dinner. This place is huge! I thought it was cool that you can draw on the paper table cloths and they also had books for people to read.

My mom ordered tea and I tried to order the Bell’s Two Hearted IPA on draft. Unfortunately, they were out but the waiter suggested I try the Spiced IPA from Widmer Brothers. This is part of the Rotator series. I really liked the beer. It had a nice balance of hoppy and spicy.

We both ordered burgers. I ordered the Southern BBQ burger, which came with Bourbon BBQ sauce, aged cheddar, apple-wood bacon, and fire griddled onions. I got it with a side of tater tots. This was a great burger, and I liked that when I ordered it medium rare, it was actually medium rare. The tater tots were also awesome and are hugely popular here.

This is a great place to grab some food and a couple drinks. It’s a very casual atmosphere, the food is great, and the prices aren’t too bad.

Recent returns – Minerva – Gaithersburg, MD

Last year, I reviewed Mineva in Gaithersburg, MD. That review can be found here.

Well, I went back with a couple friends for the weekend lunch buffet. When I was initially recommended this place for that reason but last time went for dinner. I liked it, but found that the portion wasn’t all that large for the price. I’m glad I went back for the lunch buffet, because the food was great and the price was just right.

We arrived mid afternoon on a Saturday and the place was packed. We were still seated right away and were told to grab a plate and begin eating. They had plenty of options to choose from. Some of our favorites were the goat curry, butter chicken, lamb biryani, and the tandoori chicken. The naan was also really good. They were very fast to refill the dishes that were running low and also refill the water.

All in all, this is a great lunch buffet and I’m glad to know it’s here.

El Pollo Rico – Wheaton, MD

When I first started working in Wheaton, the first thing my co-workers told me is that I need to eat lunch at Pollo Rico. They made sure that I had my cash ready (at the time, it was still cash only) and that I knew exactly what I was going to order so that I would not be intimidated. They told me to order a quarter chicken with double fries and extra sauce. Everything went without a hitch and I was hooked.

Fast forward to a present day.

Pollo Rico has long since moved to its new spot on University Boulevard. I’ve been to the one in Arlington a few times recently, but never to the new location in Wheaton. My buddy and I decided to meet there for lunch.

The parking lot is located behind the restaurant. It’s the first time I’ve ever parked in that lot.

We entered and headed down the steps to the restaurant. There was a pretty good crowd for a weekday at lunch time. The restaurant is small, but it’s still bigger then the old location.

The menu is pretty much the same, although they now serve a wider range of sides then before. It used to be just fries, yuca, or cole slaw but now you can get beans and rice or salad among other things.

Not much can be said about Pollo Rico that hasn’t already been said. The chicken is delicious, the sauces are great, and the prices are low. I ordered the half chicken with rice and beans. I’m not shy and I quickly dismantled it with my hands.

I don’t eat Pollo Rico often, but when I am in the mood for Peruvian chicken it still reigns supreme. If you haven’t gone yet, you are making a big mistake.

There are tons of options for Peruvian chicken, but Pollo Rico is definitely the gold standard. Even though Crisp and Juicy delivers.