Recent Returns

Hi, everyone!

Been back to eat at a few places recently and I thought I would share my experiences.

Los Chorros

Los Chorros is still one of my favorite restaurants in Wheaton. My original review can be found here. This was only my second time eating in the restaurant. We went on a Friday night and it was pretty busy but there was no wait for a table. They brought out complimentary chips and salsa while we decided what to order. I decided on the Tacos al Carbon, which is three corn tortillas filled with steak and served with rice, beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Really good tacos, and a great portion for $11.95. I never leave this place hungry. My friends were very happy with their dishes as well. My buddy got the Especial Doña Reina, which came with steak, sausage, an egg, avocado, rice and beans. It was a huge portion and according to him, also delicious. My girlfriend got the Chef’s Taco’s, which is three corn tortillas filled with steak, chicken, and beef tongue. it comes with cilantro, pico de gallo, avocado, and rice and beans. I can personally testify that this dish is also delicious. For those who are hesitant about the tongue, give it a try. The meat is very tender and flavorful. This place remains one of my go to restaurants in Wheaton for the good food, good prices, and comfortable atmosphere. They also have great service.

Nava Thai

Nava Thai is still the most frequented restaurant by my family in Wheaton ever since Suporn closed. My original review of Nava Thai can be found here. I’ve been trying to order some different things. I usually go for the Duck Kaprow or Panang Curry, but I decided to try the Pineapple Curry with chicken. I liked this dish because of the sweet mixed with the savory. If the sauce is good enough to drink at the end, I’d say it’s a thumbs up. We also ordered the spring rolls which are consistently good here.

Silver Diner

Silver Diner is like a reliable friend that you don’t need to visit all the time to know that things are good. My original review was here. I ordered the chicken tenders (my food of choice as a kid) and a Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ale. The chicken tenders were pretty good but the beer was amazing. This beer is actually from Bethesda, MD. It’s an American Pale Ale with a 6% ABV. I can’t recommend this beer enough.

Royal Mile Pub – Wheaton, MD

As Wheaton Calling reported earlier in the week, Royal Mile Pub is back with new owners as of Friday, the 16th. They have done a great job staying on top of the story. Their latest can be found here

Last night, my family and I went for a birthday dinner. My parents tried to stop by on Friday and said that it was so crowded that even Nava Thai was packed, presumably because of people being discouraged by the wait at Royal Mile. From the looks of it, people really missed it.

We went about 6:00 or so last night, and there was no wait for our party of five. The new owners were at the door, individually greeting each person and we were seated right away.

The menu seems to be pretty much the same as before, if not a little smaller. The beer list is also slightly smaller. I ordered the Goose Island IPA, which was delicious. My Dad tried to order the Baying Hound Pale Ale, but it was not available. Every time we come we try and order this beer and it’s never available. I’m unsure as to why they keep it on the menu.

The service was a little slow, but being that they just reopened, we were willing to cut them some slack. To their credit, the food actually came out really fast. I ordered the corned beef and cabbage, and was pretty underwhelmed with it. Their was a huge half a head of cabbage with only a little beef and a few potatoes. They may be still be ironing out some of the kinks in the kitchen, as well. I did try some of their buffalo wings, which were good and very meaty.

After we finished our meal, it took a very long time for our waitress to come back and give us the check. When we got the check, we waited for some time and nobody came back to collect it. We had to flag down another staff member in order to pay. Again, we realize they are just reopening but the service needs to improve, especially because it was not all that crowded.

I’m glad that Royal Mile is back, and think it’s an excellent part of the neighborhood, but I hope that they continue to improve.

Let’s drink some beer

It’s getting to be beautiful outside, so it’s the perfect weather for grilling and having a couple of beers. Here are a few I’ve tried over the last couple weeks:

Newcastle Founder’s Ale

This pale ale from Newcastle debuted back in January. I haven’t seen it around much. I believe it will be available through April 2012. It’s a good beer, if not lacking a little bite. However, it’s great cold and I think most would enjoy drinking this.

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA

This beer is fantastic! It’s the new Spring seasonal by Sierra Nevada. Although it has ruthless in the name, it’s a very drinkable IPA. There’s even a little taste of citrus in the beer, which makes it a good Spring time beer. Very impressed by this beer and I highly recommend it.

Harpoon Celtic Ale

Generally, I find Harpoon to be pretty good and I knew this was a new offering from Harpoon so I gave it a shot. Truthfully, I was pretty underwhelmed by this Irish red ale. It would probably pair well with some corned beef, but it didn’t do much for me on its own. I’d order it if I was out and in the mood for a red ale.

Magic Hat Vinyl

Magic Hat never really blows me away, but are usually pretty good. Their Spring seasonal, Vinyl, wasn’t bad but nothing about it really stood out to me. It’s am American Amber with a fairly low ABV which would make it good for a BBQ.

Flying Dog Garde Dog

I really like this beer! It’s Flying Dog’s Spring seasonal. It’s a French farm house ale, not too malty and not too hoppy. This would be a great beer for people new to craft beer. It would pair well with seafood, bread, and cheese. It’s a refreshing beer, and it’s a nice change from all the heavy winter beers I’ve been drinking in the last few months.

Breckenridge Pandora’s Bock

This is a seasonal offering from Breckenridge. It’s only offered January through March. This is a good beer, with notes of coffee and chocolate. It packs a high ABV (7.5%), but it doesn’t taste too strong. This would be a great after-dinner beer.

Goose Island Honker’s Ale

Last Friday, I was going to a party to try crickets for the first time. I decided I needed a delicious beer by my side in case they tasted terrible. I stopped at Wheaton Winery and saw they had Honker’s Ale, which is an absolutely delicious beer. I think I may have tried it before when I was just starting to drink nicer beer. It’s an English Bitter with a low ABV, but this beer was a hit with everybody. Now that I know Wheaton Winery has it, I’ll be back to pick up more.

Dogfish Head Aprihop

I don’t like very fruity beers, but I was intrigued by Aprihop. It’s an IPA brewed with Apricots. The brewer Sam Calagione was quoted as saying this is a fruity beer for people who don’t like them. I definitely agree with that. It’s a nice balance of citrus, fruit, and hops and has a 7% ABV. This is a great Spring time beer.

Tröegs Nugget Nectar

Tröegs has quickly become one of my favorite breweries. Everything I taste from them is delicious. I plan on visiting the brewery since it is not all that far away. I’ve heard a lot about Nugget Nectar but this was the first that I’ve been able to try it. It’s an American Amber with a 7.5% ABV. The key word here is nectar. If you like hops, this is your beer. This stuff sells fast, so if you see it, grab it!

More to come!

Odds and Ends

Just a few odds and ends today.

Wheaton Calling are back from vacation with good news: Royal Mile has found a new owner! Wheaton Calling have done a great job of keeping on top of that story. Their post is here.

Thayer Avenue posted the menu for Silver Spring’s new State Burger Lounge. Haven’t read any reviews yet, but I’m interested to see how it will compare with Ray’s and Quarry House. The post can be found here.

Cutting Edge Creativity had a good meal at Woomi Garden. I’m yet to try this place, but I intend to do so soon. Her review can be found here.

She also reviewed Color Music Studio, located on University Avenue. I went once during the week just to check it out. The place was pretty empty, but it looked like it could be a lot of fun. There were two people sitting at the bar talking and the karaoke was all set up in the main bar area. They also had a couple karaoke rooms for rent. The drinks were EXPENSIVE and the bartender did not know how to make a Jack and Coke. I asked about the karaoke and they tried to charge me to sing a song. I declined, but then they changed their mind and let me sing. I finally settled on a song and the man told me that they only have older songs. Like 80’s and older. I chose “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by the Scorpions. The private karaoke rooms look great, however. You pay $30/hour and you can order food and drinks. They serve Korean fried chicken, which definitely interests me. I think if you were to pregame before hand at Limerick and then walk over and sing karaoke, that would be an amazing night. Cutting Edge Creativity’s review is here.

Wheaton got some love from Eater DC a few weeks back, Jonathon Copeland, former chef at Palena Cafe, revealed that his favorite place for El Salvadorian food is Juanita’s Kitchen. I think I walked inside once and was intimidated because at the time I was still new to the area. I’m going to check this place out. The review is here.

Wheaton Patch reported that Tastee Diner won the award for best late night meal in Silver Spring, Wheaton, Kensington, and Takoma Park. I like Tastee Diner, but for a late night meal I’d rather head over to Hollywood East Cafe. That story can be found here.

In addition, Wheaton Patch recently wrote a great post about Irene’s Pupusas III. We are very lucky to have such good pupusas in the area. That post can be found here.

Been There, Eaten That enjoyed the food at Jewel of India. I’ve been hearing really great things about the place. The review is here.

FoodiePop had a great time revisiting Ren’s Ramen. Read the review and see the great pictures here.

More to come soon!

Oriental Gourmet Chinese Restaurant – Arlington, VA

A few weeks back, my girlfriend and I wanted to eat something good and not the same old thing. We did a little research, and decided on Oriental Gourmet in Arlington, VA.

The menu was fairly standard, but it also had some interesting things on it. We ordered the steamed dumplings, shrimp in lettuce wraps, wonton soup, crispy shredded beef, and Chinese pickled mustard cabbage with intestines.

We ordered over the phone and they arrived extremely fast. The steamed dumplings were filled with pork and were delicious. We also really liked the shrimp in lettuce wraps. The lettuce is sent on the side and you fill it up with the shrimp to your liking. The wonton soup was good, although it would be hard to mess up something so simple. The crispy shredded beef was alright but it was too sweet. The cabbage with intestines was good, but not as good as when I ordered it at Paul Kee in Wheaton.

Overall, some interesting stuff on the menu and the meal was pretty good. The service was fast and the prices were good. I’d order from them again, although I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so. I’d like to try their dim sum one of these days.

Chicken Tacos

We eat a lot of chicken in my house, and most nights we’ll just do some kind of easy stir fry. The other night I realized we had tortillas and salsa so I decided to make some chicken tacos.

I love tacos, and I love chicken, but I usually gravitate towards steak or pork tacos. However, this recipe turned out really good. I found it here. I edited it slightly based on what ingredients I already had.

Here’s what I used:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
Black beans
Baby spinach
Broccoli slaw

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, lemon juice, and olive oil. Simmer the chicken for about 15 to 20 minutes until it is no longer pink. Warm the tortillas in the oven until they are soft. Heat the beans in a small pot on the stove top. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a bowl. Put spinach, beans, salsa, and broccoli slaw in serving dishes. Each person then assembles their own taco to their liking.

The spinach and broccoli slaw I just had on hand, but surprisingly it all went together pretty well. This is a good recipe to use what you already have laying around the house.

Asian-Glazed Pork Shoulder

To continue my recent slow cooker obsession, I wanted to post about the Asian-glazed pork shoulder I made when it was actually cold outside. I found the recipe here.

The recipe actually calls for a pressure cooker, but we just used a slow cooker. I’ve never actually cooked with a pressure cooker, but I’d like to try one of these days.

Here’s what we used:

3 cups soy sauce
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 pound brown sugar
6 scallions, white and light green parts cut into 2-inch lengths, dark green parts thinly sliced
3 small chilies
One 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
1 medium tangerine, quartered
One 4-inch cinnamon stick
One 4-pound piece of boneless pork shoulder, quartered
Freshly ground pepper

In the slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, wine, water, vinegar, sugar, scallion lengths, chiles, ginger, garlic, tangerine and cinnamon stick. Cook over high heat while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Season your pork with the pepper and then add it to the slow cooker. Let it cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Thinly slice the pork and serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

With all of this cold weather we have been having, I was really in the mood for cooking something in the slow cooker. My girlfriend and I found this recipe for slow cooker pepper steak. The recipe can be found here.

Here’s what you need:

2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
garlic powder to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place the bouillon cube in the slow cooker. Add hot water, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved.
Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

We actually started too late and only had time to cook it for about 2 hours. Even so, it still turned out delicious and the meat was nice and tender. I can only imagine how could this would be if you cooked it the full 6-8 hours.

Piratz Tavern – The Good and the Bad

I feel like I need to add my two cents being that I’ve been to Piratz Tavern countless of times. I’ve been to Rock Hall’s Pirate and Wenches Fantasy Weekend twice. My review of Piratz Tavern can be found here.

Here are my pros and cons of the bar.

Pros:
– Located right on Georgia Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring, right next to a parking garage and the Metro.
– Good food. Despite what I read in the reviews, the food is actually pretty good.
– Strong drinks. The absolute best bang for your buck here is the Grog. A huge mug only costs $11 and you can sip it all night.
– People watching. Piratz Tavern attracts an interesting clientele. I know a huge draw for me is just sitting at the bar and seeing who comes and goes. There is never a normal, quiet night here.
– Staff. I’ll address the service in the Con’s, but for every unpleasant staff member are some extremely nice and helpful staff members. Unfortunately, the person tending the bar that night can greatly impact your experience.
– Space. Although its kind of like a giant hallway, they do have pretty good space. The patio out back is a really nice area to hang out and have a couple of drinks.
– Entertainment. They have gone out of there way to do theme nights to encourage business, which shows that they are trying to bring more people in. Pirates for Sail are a lot of fun, the fire dancing (which takes place in the alley behind the bar) is entertaining, and it’s cool that they have belly dancing.

Cons:
– Prices. We love coming here for drinks, but if you try and do food and drinks you will break the bank. They need to find a way to make it more affordable.
– Service. I’ve had some really unpleasant experiences with the staff here. I’ve been asked to provide my ID multiple times in same night. I’ve had staff grumpily drop a plate of food in front of me as if I had greatly inconvenienced them. As I mentioned above, some people working here are great and they do what they can to ensure you have a good time. However, the bad attitudes of a select few here can really ruin the experience for some.

I think if they were able to find a better balance between food and drinks as well as get rid of some of the unpleasant staff members, they could take Piratz Tavern to the next level.

Chicken Basket – Wheaton, MD

Hey everybody! I’m sorry that I haven’t had much time to post. I’ve been extremely busy with school and work.

Last week, I stopped in to Chicken Basket to get some food for the Super Bowl. I’ve been going to Chicken Basket for some time, although the management has changed within the last year. We always affectionately referred to it as Chicken Casket. There used to be a disturbing mural on the wall of a chicken pushing a wheelbarrow full of friend chicken.

Well, that mural is gone and the food is still really good. You can get a good meal and it’s nice and cheap. Some of my favorite things to order are the steak and cheese, the burger, and the gyro.

This last visit, I ordered 10 buffalo wings and a steak and cheese with fries and a soda. This set me back about $13.00. The steak and cheese was delicious and the crinkle-cut fries are just crispy enough and seasoned well. Truthfully, the buffalo wings were not all that exciting. I thought they used a little too much breading.

As I was heading to my car, somebody stopped me and asked if the food was still good after the change in management. Although I don’t eat here a ton, the food is definitely good, the prices are low, and the staff are extremely friendly. The woman taking my order was very friendly and seemed to know everybody that was coming in and out of the restaurant.

Chicken Basket is a great place to grab some quick food without any fuss. The staff are very nice and the prices are excellent.