Phillips Seafood- Washington DC

Our last day in the District, we headed to a place our good friend & housesitter recommended. It is called Phillips Seafood.

This buffet has it all. There's an area with these giant kettles filled with mussels, clams, crawfish, and crab legs.


There were also various stations throughout the restaurant including your typical carving station, hot items station, and this "seafood" hot items station. The seafood one had things like jambalaya, grilled fish, and crab cakes.

The crab cakes weren't anything spectacular, but hey, they're all you can eat. We paid less here per person than what a typical crab cake dinner would cost anywhere else in the district.

It's almost an art form when eating these critters. Good thing a friend of mine used to live in NOLA. He said to take the head off and suck'em dry. That's pretty much all it takes.

They even had their own seasoning.

They give you a bucket for all your shells. Our friend told us he polished of enough seafood to fill four buckets. We only managed to put away one bucket.

Did I mention the dessert station. The cakes are typical of what you would find in most buffets. But, this is the first I've seen that's offered funnel cakes. They also had a mini ice cream parlor station. There was actually a guy who manned the station scooping up ice creams of your choice.


Phillips Seafood
900 Water Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024
(202) 488-8515


I'm from LA Trick

Clyde's- Washington DC

Tonight we decided to have dinner in Georgetown. I saw an ad around town somewhere about this place called Clyde's and how they had crab cakes. So we went for it. We made reservations online, but when we got there, it looked like they would welcome walk-ins as well. It's definitely a casual place. You don't really have to get too dressed up. The thing about this area is that everyone seems to wear clothes straight out of the Polo Ralph Lauren and J. Crew catalogs. You see polo shirts and khakis everywhere. So, in SoCal lingo, business casual is probably the way to go.

The table water came in these cool metal pitchers.

We decided to start off with an app. This was probably the best dish we had tonight. It is called the "Crab Tower". I know, it sounds like bad news happened in your pants, but hey, I didn't name it. It is what it is. Anyway, its lump crab sitting on top of seaweed salad, and a coconut curry rice cake. It is topped with tobiko (fish roe) and avocado and drizzled with a ginger miso sauce. This thing is awesome. The crab was delicious and the Japanese components blended with it well. The rice cake wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be one of those dry styrofoam type of rice cakes in the health food aisle. It was actually rice cooked in the coconut curry and had a crisp shell around it. A very nice dish.

Then it was time for dinner.

The wife had the single crab cake served with corn, tomatoes, and potatoes. The crab cake was definitely better than our first experience yesterday at Martin's Tavern. These cakes had the nice lump crab and were not deep fried. So, there was no battered coating this time around. The only thing about this dish is that it is not very filling. It could have made for another nice appetizer.

I went with their cowboy steak. This was kind of depressing. The steak is not aged. I'm fine with that. After all, it's not really a steakhouse. But describing it as a 14 oz Bone-In Ribeye on the menu, got my hopes up. I was expecting a nice steak on a decent size rib. I got a thin steak with a bone nugget in the corner of it. It is very much like a steak you could get at places like Denny's or IHOP. Not that I'm knocking those places... I love moons over my hammy and rooti tutti fresh & fruty. Definitely don't order steaks here.


For dessert, we went with their chocolate and croissant bread pudding. This was pure buttery bliss. I've had more than my fair share of bread puddings. At this point in my life, this one is my favorite. What a great concept of using croissants for a bread pudding. Because they use croissants, the bread pudding was not as heavy and dense as your typical pudding.

Not that the bread pudding is already good enough. There's chocolate hidden at the bottom. Good stuff.

Till next time kids...
Peace Out.

Clyde's of Georgetown
3236 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-9180


I'm from LA Trick

Martin's Tavern- Washington DC

Martin's Tavern is a super old bar in Georgetown. We heard it might be a good place to try some crab cakes. We know that if we wanted some real crab cakes we'd have to head out to Maryland, but we didn't have a rental car or the time. This will have to do.



Apparently, many presidents made their way to this joint including JFK.

Also, they have had some spies come through their doors as well.

We opted for the petite crab cakes just to sample them. They did have lump crab meat which was nice. But we weren't particularly enthusiastic about them being fried. Once you get passed the fried coating, the crab was really quite tasty. You can taste a hint of mustard in them.

We also picked up their triple play which included a tuna sandwich, some fruit, and their Brunswick Stew. There's nothing really notable about the sandwich. It was a typical tuna sandwich, what more can I say?

As for the stew, I was really interested in trying it because of the description on the menu. It looked like it was something they were famous for. It was a bit underwhelming. The chicken was soft and tender, as it should since its been in the stew for hours. But, if you refer back to the description, it says "fresh garden vegetables". Hardly fresh. They're the same frozen peas and carrots (you know, the ones diced like little squares) you see in chinese fried rice. And don't give me the "fresh frozen" argument. There's fresh vegetables and there's frozen vegetables. There is no in between. So, that was definitely disappointing. One last note, the stew was kinda sweet. I'm not sure what that's all about either. When I hear stew, I imagine a hearty soup dish. Not really the case here. I would have guessed that this just came out of a can. That's enough ranting for now.

Martin's Tavern
1264 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-7370

I'm from LA Trick

Chinatown Garden- Washington DC

After a long day in the District, we stumbled upon Chinatown. It's a pretty small area. From what we could tell, it was about a couple blocks long. Nothing like back home. In any case, we decided to give Chinatown Garden a try.

The wife went with the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce. As always, the garlic sauce was quite oily. The great thing about their preparation was two fold. First of all, they quartered the eggplant. This makes every piece more manageable to eat. Most places we go to typically prepare it halved. The second bonus was the fact that they do not over cook the eggplant. Most of the time, it comes out too soft and stringy. Chinatown Garden's version remains crisp more enjoyable.

I went with the Szechuan Style Beef Brisket Noodle Soup. I won't lie to you, the brisket is fatty. But, I knew that going in. We all know the fatty beef gives it more flavor. The noodles are typical egg noodles, and the broth has some chili to jazz it up. But, it isn't too spicy. It was a hearty soup that hit the spot.


Till next time kids...

Chinatown Garden
618 H Street, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20001
(202) 737-8887

Medaterra- Washington DC

The wife is Washington DC this week for work. I decided to meet up with her to check out the District. Since I arrived pretty late, our options for dinner were limited. Luckily, just down the street were a row of restaurants. We decided to try out Medaterra, a Mediterranean bistro. It was already 10:30pm. Luckily they were still willing to serve us.

The wife went with the hummus topped with spicy lamb. Unfortunately, they ran out of the regular hummus. They offered us the herb hummus instead. We went with it. I couldn't tell you exactly what herbs are in there. It was nothing too spectacular. But we really had no complaints either.

I've been sitting on a couple planes all day, so I was ready for a nice dinner. So, I ordered their braised lamb shank. I enjoyed how it was prepared in a very simple matter. The lamb was tender and juicy. A light fresh tomato sauce was placed over the meat along with with a side of rice. It was a great meal for under $20. The service was great considering we walked in not too long before closing time.

I'll keep you posted with more joints in and around the District during our stay out here.
Till next time... peace out.

Medaterra
2614 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008-1521
(202) 797-0400


I'm From LA Trick

WITNESS... King Taco

I've been hearing about this chain of taco shops in the SoCal Area. They are mainly in LA County. So, after attending the 2009 NBA Championship Celebration at the LA Coliseum with the LOS ANGELES LAKERS...

We found ourselves in the Long Beach location of King Taco. This is a lot like your typical taco shops. You simply go to the counter, place your order, and wait for your number to be called for pick up.

Today, I went for the Puro Carne Carne Asada Burrito. This is a great item for any taco shop menu. A burrito where you don't have to tell the counter "No beans, no rice, etc." It's just a simple burrito with some onions, cilantro, and their hot sauce (aka Salsa). Let me warn you now, the hot sauce definitely has a kick. So, use your best judgement. If you're unsure, I'd suggest getting it on the side. The burrito is great. It's not huge like most places where you feel like a lard arse after eating. It's just the right size (about the size your fists together). The meat has great flavor. The lime juice is very distinct. I won't lie to you, I can be kinda oily under that tortilla. Then again, what true taco shop doesn't have oily food?

I also ordered a couple of Tacos Al Pastor. I felt compelled to do it because I saw that they actually have the Al Pastor cooking on the spit in the mexican rotisserie thing. It looked just like the street tacos you see in Tijuana. The tacos were average for me. I remember the street tacos having more of a pineapple essence to them. Its probably because the place I went to had a pineapple at the top of the spit. King Taco had an onion on the top of their spit. The Hot Sauce (aka The Salsa) was a bit overpowering for these little gems. Next time I would probably tell them to ease up on the sauce when its going on any tacos.

All in all, not a shabby meal for under Ten Bucks. I'd definitely hit up one of their locations again. They have a pretty vast menu. I just went with my typical go to items since it was my first time at any of their establishments.

Till next time...
Peace Out.

King Taco (Keep in mind they have several locations)
1841 Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90806
(562) 218-9118


I'm From LA Trick

Get Your Ginobili On

On Saturday, the wife and I were back in Old Town Pasadena. We walked by an Argentinean restaurant called "1810".

They had a sign promoting a $25 prix fix dinner. We were sold. The dining room was simple and eclectic. We, being walk ins, were welcomed without a reservation. This was great considering it was dinner time on a Saturday night.
Now on to the prix fix.

We started with the risotto. They called it Croquetas de Arros. The rice was cooked just right and the melted cheese gave it a nice creamy and smooth texture. It's pretty amazing how all of that was inside this batter shell. The two croquettes were were sitting on top of a simple yet flavorful tomato sauce. To be honest, I would have preferred to have the risotto with the tomato sauce, minus the fried batter shells.

For the main course, I had the Bife de Chorizo. Which was just a simple new york steak and a mixed greens salad. The salad was nice. It had a great light but flavorful vinaigrette. The steak was pretty plain. I was expecting something that would give it some Argentinean flair. I'm not sure what would make it more Argentinean, but it definitely needed something more. I think that could have ordered a similar steak at Norm's. But, I did order this from the bargain menu, so I can't really complain.

For dessert, we chose the Flan con Dulce de Leche. It tastes like a typical filipino flan. Sweet and a little heavy. Just the way I like it. But, it had this caramel sauce (dulce de leche) on top which made it even tastier.

If you're wondering what the wife had for her meal. She had the grilled vegetables plate. Nothing really to report there. Like most of her healthy meals, it was just a plateful of veggies. Not much to really expect there. Her meal was not part of the prix fix special.

1810 is a nice little joint to try out the next time you are on Colorado Boulevard. Maybe next time, I'll delve deeper into their Argentinean menu. That's all I've got for now.
Over & Out.

1810 Argentinean Restaurant
121 W Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-5658


I'm From LA Trick

Crikey... An Australian Bar in San Diego

This past weekend, the Wife ran the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon (she finished in 4:28:00). I think she's Kenyamese (a Vietnamese Kenyan)... okay, dumb joke. Anyway, before leaving "America's Finest City", we grabbed some lunch at this Australian Bar called Bondi.

There are two bars in the place which looks like it could be a happenin' place at night.

The weird thing about this place was the table. Imagine an upside down wooden "U-shape". Then sticking your legs under there. Kinda strange right?

I've never been Australia, so I couldn't tell you what's really Aussie Food. But, this menu looked a lot like an English/ Irish Fusion menu.

So I went with the Bangers & Mash. This one is a little different than what I'm used to seeing (at Irish pubs). They put this brown gravy with onions over everything. And, they throw in some carrots and peas. All in this plate sized cast iron skillet. Maybe it's just me, but I kinda dig having the Irish Style bangers & mash with a side of steamed cabbage. This gravy kinda throws it off. I also asked for some spicy mustard (Irish pubs usually have Coleman's Mustard... good stuff). All they had was regular yellow mustard... boring. All in all, it was okay. It looked better than it tasted.

There was one thing that kept us entertained while dining here. Our waiter, although had an Aussie accent, reminded us of Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. So the accent was a little off, but still hilarious.

The wife kept on singing this song every time he walked away from our table.


Maybe it's better spot to hang out at during the night.



Peace Out Kids.

Bondi
333 5th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 342-0212

I'm from LA Trick!!!

The Red Crane- Cupertino, CA

This Memorial Day weekend, the wife & decided to drive up to Northern California where the food is Hella good (that's NorCal talk). Our first stop was in Cupertino, a snazzy town near San Jose.

An old friend of mine started a restaurant over a year ago called The Red Crane. So, this one is going to be really biased (hey, I'll be upfront about it).

The Red Crane is located in an inconspicuous shopping center, so it's definitely a destination spot. The dining room has a modern Japanese inspired vibe about it. The clientele seems to cover the spectrum. We had an old geezer sitting next to us who couldn't stop staring at our table. Then across the room you have the hipster twenty-somethings. The couple we brought with us were vegetarians which Chef Royce Mori (that's my buddy) gladly accommodated.

The food is Japanese fusion. You can tell from the dishes that these guys were trained in fine dining (Royce used to work for Roy's).

First up was the fusionized edamame. They cook the soy beans up in a teriyaki like concoction. Who would have ever thought of jazzing up your basic edamame. Good job Royce.
Next up were some takes on sushi rolls. First was a Dragon Roll-like dish. It contained Shrimp Tempura, Salmon, Avocado and Tomato Salsa. The salsa made this one a winner.
Then there was the Kinoko Maki. It looked interesting enough. I dig the plating at these fancy joints. This one was for the Veggie people. They loved it. Maybe I'll give you my take next time. Eh, who am I kidding, I'm a carnivore. Maybe I'll ask to have it with some eel rather than mushroom. Or maybe eel and mushroom!!!
The last roll was the D-Pesto Roll which had Maguro, Hamachi, Sake Cucumber Roll with Japanese Pesto. The sauce on this one was awesome. Pesto on sushi, who woulda thought. I guess I was all for the new sauces on the sushi tonight.
You would have thought that after all that sushi, we'd be finished. But oh no... Royce wasn't done. Next up was a veggie version of the Salmon Tartare where he used tofu instead of fish. I'll be back for the fish version.
The next veggie friendly dish was the Roasted Garlic Chow Mein. I guess this would be Chinese Fusion, right? These noodles had a buttery flavor about them. The veggie people were happy.
Next was something for the carnivores. Have you ever had Chinese Char Siu Pork (aka Barbeque Pork)? Well, take that sweet smoky char siu goodness, and put it on some fish. This is the Char Siu Marinated Alaskan Black Cod. My wife approved this one because she knows how much I love that char siu pork. But this version is much healthier. Women... Geesh.
Now for the star of the evening. Definitely not wifey approved. She didn't see this one coming. Royce sent out one of the best beef dishes I've ever had. This is his Honey-Mustard and Miso Glazed Boneless Short ribs. The beef was so tender, it just fell apart on my fork. The sauce is sweet but not overpowering. If anything, you need to try this. I wonder if he'll give me the recipe to try at home. I'm not sure how the wife feels about driving six hours for some short ribs.
We finished off the evening with the Panna Cotta Sampler which consisted of Lychee, Passion Fruit and Mango. They were creamy and full of flavor. A good way to end a meal. Although they are samplers, you definitely want to share them.
Royce, you've out-done yourself. You've come a long way from bacon fried rice days in college. Although, I would have ordered that too if it were on the menu.
(That's right buddy, I jacked a picture of you from your Facebook).

That's all for now kids.

The Red Crane
7335 Bollinger Rd, Suite C
Cupertino, CA 95014
tel: 408.725.1990


I'm from LA Trick.