Danji Visited 4/11/2011 3.75 Forks

Danji 346 W 52nd St., (between 8th Ave & 9th Ave), New York, NY 10019

Korean and tapas? In Hell's Kitchen? Who would have thought? Well that is the concept of Danji.  They have a "modern" twist to the menu and a "traditional" twist to the menu.  Everything on the menu is served small plate style which is usually the complete opposite of my usual Korean experiences.  Usually when I have Korean food in K-town it's in a glutinous BBQ style of eating.  The one downfall of this meal was that I was only with one other person and it's pretty hard to enjoy tapas style eating with only two people.

The waitress suggested that we get 5 dishes, which seemed to be a bit excessive and considering that each dish is ~$15, a bit steep as well.  We decided to get 4 dishes instead: 2 from the modern and 2 from the traditional side.  From the modern, we got the fried calamari and wasabi mayo and the bulgogi sliders.  From the traditional, we got the grilled pork belly with kimchi and tofu and the korean fried chicken.  The fried chicken and calamari came out pretty quickly after ordering.  When I first had Korean style fried chicken about 5 years ago, it was like having crack cocaine for the first time.  I was instantly smitten and couldn't stop eating them.  They were so addictive and Dan and I couldn't stop talking about it for days.  Danji's fried chicken did not have that effect.  While they were good, they just weren't as delicious as other chicken I've had before. Nancy made a comment that she thought that they were rather bony.  It did have the sweet and crispy element to Korean fried chicken that I loved but they just could have been a bit meatier.  I'm sure why the fried calamari was on the menu as it's not really a take on Korean food at all but I'm always a sucker for good calamari.  They were actually really really delicious.  They were perfectly and lightly battered with the right amount of crispness (almost a tempura-like texture). They were the least oily fried calamari I've ever had.  The wasabi mayo was a nice addition but it tasted exactly like the jar of wasabi mayo I have in my fridge from Trader Joe's. 

It then took a long time for the other two dishes to come out.  The bulgogi sliders came out next and while I knew there were only 2, it was still a bit shocking when you know you're paying $14 to see two very tiny sandwiches on a plate.  But they were some pretty good mini sandwiches.  The buns were brioche bread (although it was a bit too greasy on the top of the bread for some reason) and the meat was nicely marinated with a definite kick to it.  It's topped with scallion and cucumber for a nice cooling effect to the spice.  We then waited another 15 mins (at least) for our pork belly dish.  This was the one I was really looking forward to because I will sell my first born for good pork belly.  Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing dish of the night.  There was barely any pork belly and the best part of pork belly (which is the fat) was non-existent.  Instead it tasted like sauteed pork slices.  The dish was primarily kimchi which was a bummer because even though it was good kimchi, it's not worth the price of the dish. I did also really like the extra soft silkly tofu that came with the dish but it seemed a bit out of place with the rest of the meal.

The decor of the restaurant was very modern and sleek.  It was also pretty tiny, so I would definitely suggest you get there early.  I would come back with a larger group of people and try more dishes since I'm not sure if I tasted the full range of the menu with only 1 other person.  Total bill $29/pp including tax and tip.  

Dumont Burger Visited 4/9/2011 3.75 Forks

Dumont Burger 314 Bedford Ave., (between 2nd St & 1st St), Brooklyn, NY 11211

 For those of you who have been following my blog you'll know that I gave the regular Dumont a pretty low rating.  I had such a crappy experience there that I vowed never to go back.  But that didn't include Dumont Burger which is on the other side of Williamsburg.  Dan and I were hankering for a good burger and despite having been around Williamsburg for years, we have never gone to this neighborhood staple. 


We went at 9pm on a Saturday and it was packed (with hipsters but what can you expect?)! The place is tiny so it's not hard to be packed but they make sure to use up every single square foot of space so there is almost no place to even stand and wait.  We finally got a seat at the communal table but it was right next to the door, so that was bit annoying.  As you can imagine the main feature here is the dumont burger ($12.50).  I got it with cheddar cheese ($1 extra) and sauteed mushrooms ($1.50 extra) and the green salad (it took a lot of restraint to not get fries or the potato leek soup).  Dan got it with cheese ($1 extra) and caramelized onions ($1.50 extra) and a side of chipotle mayo (another $1 extra) and onion rings.  The one thing that really irked me is the feeling that I was being nickeled and dimed for my burger toppings.  Cheese should always be free and mushrooms don't cost $1.50, nor does a small container of mayo cost $1.  I just wished more places would just offer more robust burgers without charging you extra for everything.  The burger itself was cooked nicely and there was a good bun to burger ratio.  It was the right amount of juiciness (I had to use my napkin several times, but that's a good sign when eating burgers) and flavor.  Size-wise, it was just the right size.  It wasn't flat and thin but it wasn't some monsterous piece of meat that would make me feel sick at the end.  It was just the perfect size.  The bun was a nice and soft brioche bread and I had a good heaping of mushrooms.  The one down side was that my cheese wasn't as sharp as I would have liked it, in fact I could barely taste it.  Surprisingly, the green salad was really good.  It was just mixed greens but it had a great light dressing on it.  Dan's onion rings were battered lightly and had a good crisp to it.  They went really well with the chipotle mayo (I mean what doesn't go well with chipotle mayo?).  

Dumont Burger actually had a very surprisingly good sounding cocktail menu (all were $10) but after a weekend of drinking I wasn't really in the mood for more alcohol, but I would definitely give them a try next time.  While I liked the food there, the atmosphere was just so claustrophobic on the weekends, that I would only consider going on a weekday or off hours. Total bill was $50 with tax and tip for two.     

Hundred Acres Visited 3/13/2011 3.75 Forks

Hundred Acres 38 MacDougal St., New York, NY 10012

 With a name like Hundred Acres, how could they not be a cute brunch place? I had actually never heard of this place before but Aarti had mentioned that she had recently had a great meal there, so I was definitely down with trying it out.  It's owned by the same people as Five Points and Cookshop and you can tell that they are all related sibling restaurants.  It's got that local/organic/farm to table/cute American restaurant feel to it. 

The decor of the restaurant was very homey but yet the actual space was pretty big. We sat in the very bright atrium in the back of the restaurant and it kind of made me feel like I was at a wedding under a white tent.  The menu has a lot of great sounding brunch dishes from pancakes, donuts, biscuits, scrambles and poached eggs dishes.  I got the sausage and eggs ($15), Dan got the chiliquilas ($12), Aarti got the goat cheese bread pudding ($13) and Will got the pancakes ($11) with a side of jalapeno cheese grits ($6) and the table split the warm cream biscuits with homemade spreads ($7).  The biscuits came out first and it was 2 large fluffy-looking biscuits and one small slice of banana nut bread and then it came with sweet butter, apple butter and some kind of fruit jelly.  The biscuit was fine, I wasn't blown away by it. It was a bit dry on the outside and too crumbly but the inside was fine.  I didn't try the banana nut because I hate nuts, but it didn't look like anything special.  Meanwhile the actual homemade spreads and butter were delicious.  The apple butter literally tasted like smooth applesauce.  Our dishes came out shortly after wards.  My sausage and eggs were very beautifully plated, it was almost too fancy for brunch.  You could tell the sausage was homemade and it was flavored well and I was glad that they were fairly thick in size.  Now to the eggs...anyone who knows me or reads this blog frequently knows that I am very strict on my poached eggs and these were poached perfectly! As soon as you cut into them, the yolk was super runny but yet the whites still maintained their structure.  The few disappointing parts of my dish were that it was supposed to be on a bed of grits but there was barely any grits and the part that I did taste wasn't cheesey enough.  The dish also came topped with watercress, which I didn't eat but I did end up tasting a small leaf and it was so grassy tasting, I thought it was totally unnecessary on the dish.  The pork jus sauce also didn't add anything to the dish either, it just made everything too wet.  I tasted Dan's chilaquiles and it was fine, but it was a bit off with the pickled beets on top.  Will's pancake didn't come with syrup, which I thought was weird. I mean who eats pancakes without syrup?! And they looked a bit flat and non-fluffy and the fruit seemed like an after thought tossed on there.  But he said they tasted pretty decent. I didn't try the goat cheese bread pudding but it did look quite tasty.


Meanwhile, the service was a bit off.  Our waiter just didn't seem very interested in us and then when the bus boys came to take our plates, they kept asking if it was ok to take our plates when they were completely clean.  I am usually a bit annoyed by people who ask if they can take my plate when it is very obvious that there is nothing on there. But I guess it's just polite to ask just in case but I did find it weird.  Plus we had to ask about the side of grits as it didn't come out at the same time as our meal and later our waiter brought our check without asking us first which made it feel like they were rushing us out. Overall, it was a very cute place and I can see why it's a popular place for brunch but there were still a few kinks to work out. Our total bill was $100 with tip which is a bit high for just brunch without cocktails.

Tacombi NYC Visited 2/25/2011 3.75 Forks

Tacombi 267 Elizabeth St., New York, NY 10012

 My initial impression of Tacombi was a bit rough.  Aarti and I walked in around 8:30pm on a Friday and they had the entire back section blocked off for a reserved party.  The manager told us that we could eat and stand or wait for a table.  When we saw a couple get up from a table, we immediately sat down only to have the waitress tell us that she needed it for a group of 21 who wasn't there yet.  I gave her this look and she immediately asked the manager who said it was ok to sit but to let them know when we were done so that they could squeeze it into the 21 top. 


The next part that was kind of weird was that you need to purchase tokens in advance of ordering.  But we didn't know that and tried to order and they asked for our tokens and we were a bit confused.  Apparently you order your tokens at another counter, it's $4 per token and 1 token buys you 1 dish at any of the trucks.  There are 2 trucks in the open space: 1 is a VW bus that has beef, chicken, pork, cactus, corn and other tacos and tamales.  The other truck in the back of the room and had breakfast and fish tacos, chicken soupa and taco ceviche.  I originally thought that 1 dish was 1 taco but it was actually 2 tacos per order.  So I originally got 4 tokens which turned out to be 1 too many tokens.  Luckily Aarti took one from me otherwise I would have ended up having 8 tacos.  I ordered the ground beef taco, chicken mole taco and fish taco (6 tacos total).  Aarti got the corn taco and an avocado tamale.  The tacos are on the small side but the ingredients are fresh and simply put together.  The mole sauce on the chicken was pretty smoky and the ground beef taco was flavored well.  The fish was a white fish and it was topped with a red salsa and avocado.  The fish was a bit over cooked and it was a bit dry but the salsa helped with it.  While I did like the simplicity of the food, it would have been nice if they came with a touch of sour cream and other toppings, although I know it's not how it's actually done in Mexico.  I thought it wasn't enough food at first, but I was definitely full by the time I left.  

It would have been great if we could have mixed and matched the tacos instead of getting 2 per order.  There were a lot of big groups there and I could see how it was a fun place for groups.  Although the groups that were there were definitely not my scene. Lots of tall, models with fur vests and their fabulous type of friends.  The place doesn't have a liquor license although it looks like you can bring your own booze.  While I liked the food I had, it would be great to see them expand their menu with more variety in types of food.   

Kanoyama Visited 2/16/2011 3.75 Forks

Kanoyama 175 2nd Ave., (between 11th St & 12th St), New York, NY 10003

 Interestingly enough, I was craving sushi when I got back from California.  You'd think there would be lots of good sushi there, but Vivi was telling me that she and Erik hadn't found a place they like as much as those in NYC.  So a good sushi meal was definitely number one on my list of places to go when I got back, plus it was Dan and mine's postponed Valentine's Day dinner. 

There are tons and tons of sushi places that I haven't been to in NYC, especially the higher tier, pricier places. I was thinking we could try Sushi Yasuda or Sushi Abuzu or 15 East, but for some reason I just can't pull the trigger on places where you could easily drop $100 a person on a few (but I'm sure supremely fresh) pieces of sushi.  So after researching forever, Kanoyama came up as a good compromise.  It's not a dingy low budget place but it was didn't seem like it would break the bank either.  I think I've actually been there before years ago but have no recollection of my meal there. 

Even though this place is in the city, it's fairly quick for us to get there from Williamsburg.  We arrived at 8pm on a Wednesday and it was surprisingly packed but we were able to get a table all the way in the back.  The menu has a nice selection of specials in the front and I had heard the omakase is one of the best deals in town. But Dan and I wanted to share a bunch of stuff so we ended up getting the East Coast Oyster Sampler ($15), the sashimi deluxe ($28), a spicy scallop roll ($11), a lobster tempura roll ($14) and a rainbow roll ($15).  The waitress was extremely soft spoken and had a major accent so it's a miracle that we were able to communicate well and that we understood her when she asked questions.  

They had 2 oyster samplers on the menu: the East Coast or West Coast and they each came with 6 oysters (3 of 2 different kinds).  If I wanted to ball it up, I would have ordered both coasts to try and see the difference.  But we stuck with East Coast and they were fairly good.  The oysters  came with ginger, scallions and a light soy-like sauce.  The first kind I tried was a bit too fishy but the other two were good but not plump enough for me.  Sorry that I can't remember the exact kinds they were.  The sashimi deluxe came with 3 pieces of salmon, 3 pieces tuna, 3 pieces yellowtail, 3 pieces red snapper, 3 pieces white fish and 3 pieces octopus.  They were all very fresh tasting and the pieces were cut to the right size (although I'd always appreciate bigger pieces I know that's just not the sushi way).  Of the 3 rolls we got, the rainbow and spicy scallop were good and the lobster tempura was a bit of a disappointment.  The spicy scallop came with fresh large chunks of scallop  but it wasn't very spicy which was a bit of a bummer.  The rainbow roll was done right with no complaints here.  Unfortunately the lobster tempura seemed a bit soggy and Dan got a piece where is was basically all shell and he was kind of freaked out by it.  I generally don't like any kind of tempura roll but I was open to trying something new, especially if it had lobster in it! Next time I should stick with my gut.  The overall atmosphere was nice and intimate but without feeling too snooty.  Our total bill was $100 without tip (includes a bottle of sake).  So it was a pretty hefty bill for just a night out, but for good sushi, it's hard to not spend crazy money.  Maybe for our anniversary I will finally suck it up and go to Sushi Yasuda or Sushi of Gari and treat myself, but meanwhile Kanoyama will do just fine for those mildly special occasions. 

In-N-Out Burger Visited 2/15/2011 3.75 Forks

In-N-Out Burger Glendale Galleria, 119 S Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91209

When I told people that I was going to California, one of the first things that people told me was "OMG, you have to go to In-N-Out!".  I actually have been trying to go for the past few years every time I've been in California, but somehow I never end up going.  So this time, I made it a point to get my fat ass over to an In-N-Out burger even if I have to go on the way to the airport. 


Vivi and I ended up going to one that was supposedly in the Galleria Mall.  We saw all these signs for it in the mall directory but yet somehow we ended up in the mall parking lot with no In-N-Out to be seen. Finally we find it...inside the bottom level of the parking garage (but there is an actual street entrance that we completely missed).  When I looked at the menu there wasn't much on the menu.  It's basically a single burger or double burger and fries.  I was told to get the double burger but after looking at it, I just really couldn't go there. So I went with the single patty cheeseburger ($2.15) and fries.  I was also told to go Animal style but I didn't see it on the menu and only now do I know that it's on the "secret menu".  Now I know and knowing is half the battle...next time.  Unfortunately, I had just had the breakfast sandwich from Village Bakery about 2 hours before and I wasn't really hungry at all.  So I ended up taking my food to go and had plans to eat it at the airport.  I knew that the food would probably taste better warm but I just wasn't hungry.  I wasn't going to miss out on it again so I just decided to wait to eat it until I was on the plane.


I did end up eating the fries on the car ride home and honestly it wasn't that amazing.  Even though it was definitely salty, there was something amiss about it.  I prefer McDonald's fries to these.  So far I was a bit underwhelmed.  By the time I got to the airport my burger was definitely cold, which was kind of a bummer.  It was funny that while I was waiting in line to board I could see people staring at my In-N-Out bag and boring holes through it.  About 20 minutes into the flight I finally gave in.  I will say that the burger was really good...it reminded me a bit of a Shake Shack burger.  The patty was soft and the meat had flavor and wasn't flimsy.  What made it taste good was the spread and fresh toppings.  It was definitely way better than McDonald's and Burger King and any other fast food place I've been to.  But my mind wasn't blown away at the same time either.  If there was an In-N-Out in NYC, it would definitely be my go to fast food place, but I don't know if I am necessarily craving it like everyone said I would.  Another thing that was annoying about it was that they didn't take AXP...what kind of large establishment like this doesn't take AXP?!

Porsena Visited 2/9/2011 3.75 Forks

Porsena 21 E 7th St., (between Cooper Sq & Taras Shevchenko Pl), New York, NY 10003

Porchetta has been on my list for a while but somehow I never made it there. So why when the chef opened a pasta restaurant I decided to go before it, is still a bit of a mystery to me. Apparently I seem to be on an Italian kick because this is the 2nd Italian restaurant I've been to in 2 months, which is quite a streak for me.  This 2nd Italian outing was good but not quite as good as my meal at Osteria Morini.  

Nancy and I were able to snag a reservation at 6:45pm on a Wednesday,  which is a bit on the early side but surprisingly the restaurant was pretty packed by then.  The menu is actually fairly simple: about 8 appetizers, 8 different pastas, and 3 main entrees.  Nancy and I decided to share everything since we both didn't think we could polish off one bowl of one type of pasta ourselves.  We got the crostini with mozzarella ($8), the lamb sausage pasta ($17) and the roasted roasted cauliflower pasta ($15).  At first I didn't think this would be enough food, but now that it's been a few hours later, it was totally enough food.  The crostini comes out and it's basically large piece of soft on the inside, crusty on the outside bread covered in melted, bubbly mozzarella.  It was pretty good but kind of looked like something I could have made at home.  Next came the 2 different pastas...I personally don't like my pasta too al dente, which is know is probably sacrilege.  I thought the pasta could have been cooked a bit more but Nancy thought the texture was just right.  The spicy lamb dish came with large ring/tube shaped pasta and it was indeed spicy! But my lessons in Thailand have better equipped in these situations.  But the sauce was very creamy super flavorful and was nicely combined with wilted greens.  The roasted cauliflower dish came with penne pasta, small cut up cauliflower, capers, olives, and toasted breadcrumbs.  I normally don't like olives and capers but I didn't hate this dish...it felt "healthy" even though the bowl was definitely a bit oily at the bottom.  By the end, we were both so full that we couldn't even consider dessert. 

The service was good and attentive.  The waitress was pretty knowledgeable and didn't make us feel bad when we didn't order wine or dessert and sat after we paid the bill for a bit longer than we should.  Total bill was $21 per person without tip.

Nam Son Visited 2/8/2011 3.75 Forks

Nam Son 245 Grand St., (between Bowery & Chrystie St), New York, NY 10002

 As many of you know, I am obsessed with pho.  I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday for the rest of the year.  Virginia and I have gone to a bunch of pho places around the city and we have a hard time keeping track of where we have gone already.  Sometimes we walk into a "new" place and then realize that one of us or both of us have already been there.  She had first suggested Xe Lua as a new place to try, but the name sounded so familiar and lo and behold we of course have already been there!  So when she suggested Nam Son, I knew I definitely hadn't been there based on the name.  The place is tucked away on Grand Street, a bit away from the busier streets of Chinatown.  

My initial impression of the place was that it was pretty big and fairly clean but there was a slight strange smell going on which I kind of attribute it to it just being in Chinatown.  The menu is fairly extensive with over 140 items on the menu...and if I could I would have ordered 50 of them.  Instead, we ordered the summer rolls ($4), spring roll ($4.25), I got the regular tai pho ($6) and Virginia got the same with meatballs in it and a fresh lemonade ($2.25).  The summer roll (2 to an order) was nice and soft and had a decent filling although it was slightly heavy on the vermicelli noodles and of course we needed to balance the "healthy" roll with a nice  dose of deep fried spring roll (4 to an order but they were fairly small in size).  They were also really tasty and had the right combo of pork and vegetables.  The pho came out and I liked what I saw.  The meat was nice raw on top and there was a good serving of noodles.  Of course I would have loved more meat, but after downing all those rolls, it's probably better that there wasn't an overload of meat.  The serving size of the overall bowl was just right and it had nice flavor overall.  It could have stand to have a bit more cilantro and spring onion in it, but the intention of the flavor was there. 

The waitstaff was pretty friendly and the over atmosphere was very comfortable and laid back.  It was great that they took credit card because most Asian places (especially places that run on the cheap side) don't take plastic.  The total bill was $26 for two (not including tip).    

Socarrat Nolita Visited 1/29/11 3.75 Forks

Socarrat Nolita 284 Mulberry St, (between Jersey St & Houston St), Manhattan, NY 10012

 I had been to the original Socarrat in Chelsea when it was one of the most buzzed about restaurants a few years ago.  The location is tiny and takes no reservation so it was fairly difficult to eat there.  But when you were able to sit down, the food was delicious.  The paella was slightly overcooked and crispy on the bottom which one would think wouldn't taste good, but the waiter would come by and personally scrape the bottom where the rice had the right amount of crunch and flavor.  So I was very excited that they opened a bigger location downtown.  

Lav and I made a date to meet there at 6pm when it opened so that we wouldn't have to wait for a table and to make a 8pm movie.  This location was indeed bigger but not huge.  It has a similar long communal table concept with a few small tables.  Since it was just the two of us, we decided to get one veggie paella and then one tapas each.  I was all set to get the sizzling garlic shrimp but when they told us the croquette special of the day ($9) was shrimp, I decided to get that instead.  Lav got the egg tortilla dish ($8) because it's always a great classic tapas dish that's hard to avoid.  The croquettes were quite good, perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with a tasty side of a mayo-like sauce.  While the shrimp inside was good, I prefer the usual croquettes with ham.  After seeing other people get the garlic shrimp dish, I kind of wish I got it in addition to my croquettes, but that would have just been too much food with the paella.  The paella came out ($22/pp) and it was HUGE.  It's a bit too much for just 2 people, but if you're hungry, you can come very close to finishing it.  The veggies in it were very good and it had lots of variety: peas, artichoke, cauliflower, tomato, eggplant, mushroom, and others.  The rice was nicely seasoned with saffron but the one disappointment was that the bottom was not burned or crispy at all.  The waitress came to "scrape" the bottom, but there was nothing really to scrape.  All the rice was soft, slightly overcooked and not crunchy.  This didn't make it bad tasting but after seeing how other tables had the crunch, it was a bit sad.  They had a few good sounding desserts and we decided to get the chocolate beignts, which was puffy pastries infused with tons of chocolate on the inside and fried on the outside.  It was good but too chocolate-y for me.  With 1 glass of sangria ($9) - which was ok, it could have been stronger, and 2 glasses of red wine ($12), our total bill came out to be $65/pp with tax and tip.  It's a bit annoying that they charge per person for the paella because given its size, it's perfect for three people but to have each person pay $22 is a bit ridiculous.  While I did enjoy the veggies and felt "healthy" eating it, I would come back and try the seafood version as it's just not paella without copious amounts of shellfish.

M. Wells Visited 1/15/11 3.75 Forks

M. Wells 21-17 49th Ave., Queens, NY 11101

It's amazing how a small diner in the middle of nowhere Queens has gotten so much buzz.  This place was recently written up in the NY Times as a place that was worth flying to eat at.  I wouldn't necessarily go that far, but I would say it's definitely an interesting experience.  Dan and I went at 11AM (it opens at 10) and it was already completely packed and was about a 30 minute wait.  The place is pretty small with about 5-6 booths, 2 communal tables, and then a few counter seats.

The concept of the diner is French-Canadian food, which I wasn't really sure what that meant.  Apparently it just means complete heart stopping food.  We ended up sitting at the counter, which I ended up loving because it was right in front of the main grill and I got to watch the chef make almost every dish on the menu.  I can safely say that this place makes everything with great quality food and with care.  The food is not your basic diner/breakfast food.  There are a few egg dishes, but they have quirky dishes like seafood cobbler, meat pies, tongue salad, scallop/clam ceviche, froie gras bread pudding, etc. Everytime Dan and I go somewhere for brunch we always feel inclined to get something with egg, even though a lot of places probably specialize in better things.  We started with a bloody ceasar ($8) which was a bloody mary with clam juice and the bone marrow with escargot ($9).  This was one fairly large piece of bone marrow, topped with 5 escargot and topped with bread crumbs and then baked in the oven.  It was pretty fatty and melt in your mouth but the bread crumbs were a bit too salty for me.

For our main dishes, I got the sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich ($9) and Dan got the egg tortilla with shrimp and blood sausage ($11).  I know it might sound lame to have gotten a breakfast sandwich but after watching them make it I had to try it out.  Everything about the sandwich was huge: the english muffin was the size of my foot, the sausage patty was about the exactly the same size as the muffin, and the egg was perfectly soft and gooey and it was topped with cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeno peppers that offered the right amount of spice.  It was so filling and heart stopping that I am afraid to learn how many calories were in it.  Dan's meal was also really good: they basically mixed egg, potato, shrimp, and chunks of blood sausage in a little skillet and baked it.  Neither of us have had blood sausage before and it was definitely not sausage-like with a casing.  It was soft in structure but not weird or scaring tasting.  While both our meals were good, the chefs were definitely very heavy handed with the salt.  I came home and felt like I should be drinking a gallon of water.   Everything that I watched the chefs make looked great and different than your basic diner, so I am willing to come back and try other stuff on the menu.

The service was a bit slow but after watching them make all the food from scratch and how many people were flowing through the tiny place, they were definitely trying as hard as they could.  Total bill was $43 without tip.

Salaam Bombay Visited 12/22/10 3.75 Forks

Salaam Bombay 319 Greenwich St, (between Reade St & Duane St), New York, NY 10013

 Now that Aarti has "retired" from work, we thought that it would be fun if we met up for a nice long lunch before we left for the holidays.  Luckily work is very slow the week of x-mas so I was able to take off two hours for one of our favorite styles of food: Indian Lunch Buffet!  The best way to have many types of Asian food is buffet style because you want to be able to try many different dishes...just having 1 main dish just isn't satisfying, so having food buffet style is just perfect.  There are two Indian lunch options by my office: Taj Tribeca and Salaam Bombay.  I had been to Taj before and it's about $18 while Salaam was only $14, so I figured I might as well try Salaam out and see what it's like. 
It was extremely packed when we by the time we got there already (around 12:15).  The restaurant is quite nice inside and much fancier looking than I thought.  I don't remember all the different dishes that were in the buffet line but it was pretty extensive.  I remember there was a lightly battered chicken dish, paneer, chicken tikka, an eggplant dish, samosas, and basically every kind of Indian food you would normally order at an Indian restaurant. They give us fresh, soft naan bread at the table (you can see them making it in this room in front of you) to help sop up all the fattening, but yummy sauces.  I had about  1 1/2 plates before I was completely full.  All in all, it was a great Indian lunch buffet for $14.  The one downside was that it took forever for us to pay the bill.  We had our credit cards sticking out of the bill holder for at least 15 minutes before I had to practically shove it in someone's face to take it.   We are hoping to make it monthly lunch date going forward.  

Viet Royale Visited 11/27/10 3.75 Forks

Viet Royale 6767 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044

In the same vein for trying new restaurants when I am home, I had wanted to go to Eden Center for a while.  It's a very well known Vietnamese shopping complex in Virginia and as a lover of all Vietnamese food (not just pho), I had really wanted to try this place out.  The problem was that there are so many places that I didn't know which specific restaurant to try.  By the time we got to Eden, it was 2pm and I as so hungry that I could have cared less where we went.

Viet Royale was one of the first places we saw and it had a bunch of Washingtonian awards in its window, so how bad could it be? It was in fact very good.  There's not much decor to speak of but I never really expect that in Asian restaurants.  Of course, instead of picking dishes, my mom just asks the waitress what she recommends.  So we ended up getting fried spring rolls, a seafood pancake/crepe, bun with pork wrapped around a sugarcane, and a fish dish with a camarlized sauce in a claypot (sorry that I can't remember the actual names or number of the dishes).  The waitress was extremely friendly and I thought that the overall service was really good.  The food came out quickly and the waitress was attentive and asked us if we liked her selections. 

The fried spring rolls were quite food and flavorful with pork inside.  It was fried just long enough to be crispy on the outside but the skin wasn't so thick that you felt like you were just eating fried dough.  I loved the side of fish sauce and pickled veggies they give you.  It really brings out the flavor of the rolls.  Next came the seafood/bean sprout pancake.  It's basically a giant crepe filled with some shrimp/pork and beansrpouts.  While this was good, it was a bit disappointing to not have more seafood in it and the thiness of the crepe made it a bit difficult to eat.  It did have a slight coconut flavor to it which was a nice twist.  Then the bun with pork sugarcane came out.  Bun is basically vermicelli noodles with some greens/sliced cucumber and then usually a meat.  I had never really had bun before but had heard that it's a popular Vietnamese dish.  While the pork was good, I wasn't too sure what to do with the noodles.  They didn't really have any taste to it.  Maybe I should have wrapped it in the lettuce, but that was a bit unclear. The fish was dish was my favorite.  The pieces of fish were tender and tasty (no bones) and the sauce was sweet but not overpowering.  It went really well with the rice and filled me up perfectly.  The meal ended with complementary "dessert" which was a tapioca,corn,pea cold soup.  It was nice of them to give it to us and it was fine, but as I have said many times before, Asians just don't do desserts very well.  The only reason I'm not giving it 4 Forks is because the bill ended up being a bit more than I would usually like for this type of food.  It was $55 with tip and tax for 3, which in theory isn't a lot, but when you're used to paying $6/dish usually, this seemed a bit much.  But with the American Express Small Business Saturday promo, I ended up getting $25 back on my statement!

Silver Fountain Visited 11/25/10 3.75 Forks

Silver Fountain  13533 Connecticut Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906

Everytime I go home there is a set list of restaurants that I go to, so this time I thought I would shake it up and try places where I have never been to before.  My mom had been to Silver Fountain before and said that many people considered it the best dim sum in town.  So of course I had to try it. 

It's located in the Aspen Hill strip mall and a bit hard to find.  Once inside, it's your typical chinese restaurant.  Huge dining room jam packed with thousands of tables.  We went on Thanksgiving morning a(leave it to Chinese people to be open on a holiday) and it was totally full.  We had to wait about 30 minutes to get a table.  We were seated in the corner, which I generally don't like because sometimes the carts forget to come to your table, which was exactly what happened.  Actually, I'm not sure if it was more the fact that no carts were coming than they were forgetting about us.  A good 15-20 minutes went by before the first cart came and for a while it was the same dishes being circulated around.  We had heard that the steamer was broken, which is a big deal since most of the dumplings need to be steamed.  But once the carts were back in action, the food came quickly.  We got the usual line up of suspects: shrimp crepe, shumai, shrimp dumplings, shrimp balls with a crab claw, sticky rice in a leaf, turnip cake, chicken's feet and a few other veggie and meat dumplings.  I will say that I thought that the shumai and steamed dumplings were much better and fresher tasting than the usual place I go to in Gaithersburg while some other stuff like the shrimp crepe tasted the same.

The problem with usual place that I go to is that the food is hit or miss. Sometimes it's fine but there have been times where the food is lukewarm to a bit cold.  I could definitely tell the difference here and while it's a bit further away, I would not hesitate to come back here again, especially when the prices were about the same.  Total bill for tons of food was around $45 for 3 people.

Spice Market Visited 11/2/10 3.75 Forks

Spice Market  403 W 13th St, (between 9th Ave & Washington St), New York, NY 10014

 Spice Market is one of those ultra trendy, New York scene type of restaurants.  Despite that, I was pretty excited to go for a client dinner this week, after all it is a Jean-George restaurant.  


My first impression is that the decor was gorgeous.  It's got a rustic Asian theme with beautiful wood work and giant paper lanterns.  The waitstaff was also dressed in "asian" wear, which for the women were these shirts that were completely held together by ties in the back. 

It says on the menu that the food should be ordered family style, so you would think that the portions would be slightly larger.  But as we started to order the waitress informed us that the appetizers were pretty small and that we should order 2 of everything.  I don't know if that was a sales ploy or not, but it worked.  We ordered double orders of the crab dumplings, lobster summer roll, chicken samosa, chicken skewers, and spring rolls.  Entree wise we had ordered the seafood laksa, halibut, red snapper, char grilled chicken, strip steak, short ribs, and grilled eggplant.  Clearly after a few ginger martinis, we were ordering like there was no tomorrow. I think we ordered so much food they brought us a complimentary shrimp and pineapple dish.  I'm not sure what the rub/sauce was on it, but it was a very thick brown spicy sauce, but the shrimp was cooked really well and I actually enjoyed the grilled pineapple.

When our appetizers started coming it was very clear that we went overboard with the ordering.  The problem with ordering a bunch of small plates with lots of people at the table is that you don't really get to appreciate or taste the food. I got one or two bites of each dish so it was hard to me to really decide if I liked or didn't like a dish (and the fact that I was on my 3rd drink).  I do know that I did like everything I ate.  Everything was seasoned well and it definitely had that "asian" twist. Most of the dishes came with very tasty sauces like spicy mayo for the rolls, cilantro yogurt for the samosa, and lime dipping sauce for the chicken skewers.  The chicken was cooked to a nice juicy level, none of it was dry which is key.  The crab dumplings were also done well but were a bit flat in texture.  I thought that the aromatic spice sauce was a bit too smokey and thick and the snow peas were overly cooked and not crunchy.  In all honesty, we could have and should have just ended dinner there.  I was so full, but then the entrees came out.  At this point, I could really barely remember the entrees.  There were just too many flavors running around my belly from all the appetizers.  I manage to try all of them except for the grill chicken.  At that point I just really thought I was going to explode.  I think the laksa was a bit thin, but all the fishes were cooked pretty well.  The steak was pretty well done but they warned us that was how they would do it in advance. 

Shockingly, some people were still up for dessert at the end.  Two people ordered the sorbert and it came out in these chinese take-out boxes filled the the brim with sorbet.  But they said that it was too hard and we had to practically hold it over the candle to defrost it.  

The reason I am not giving it 4 forks is that the prices there are pretty outrageous.  I mean they are pretty in line with typical trendy New York restaurants, but I just can never justify prices like these unless the meal truly blows my mind (a la Blue Hill at Stone Barns), which this place didn't.  The appetizers ranged in the $12-15 and the entrees were all over $20.  I don't think I would go here on my own, but I think it's a great place for client dinners or for out of town guests as it really is a beautiful restaurant.  I will say the waitstaff was super attentive.  One person at our table had a celery allergy and the waitstaff went in and asked the chef for the ingredients in all the dishes we ordered and made it very clear which dishes had celery or not. I have no idea how much the bill was, I'm just glad I wasn't the one paying!

Kin Shop Visited 10/30/10 3.75 Forks

Kin Shop 469 Sixth Ave, NY 10011

 A disclaimer: I love Harold Dieterle.  He is the first winner of Top Chef and I loved him on that show and have respect for him given that he's really focused on cooking.  I have been to Perilla and like it a lot, so I was excited to try his new Thai restaurant in the West Village.  Now it's not your typical thai restaurant with pad thai and regular curry.  I don't want to say it's fusion, but it's definitely finer thai dining with a slight twist.  I was initially scared to try to go on a Saturday night without a reservation, but when I called the hostess was nice enough to point out that they had first come first serve bar seating that served the full menu.  


Luckily we were able to snag a seat right in front of the kitchen, so we got to watch the chefs make all the food.  One our way to our seats I saw Gail Simmons, the judge from Top Chef, so I am very curious as to what she thinks about the food. As we were sitting down, I noticed Harold himself manning the kitchen.  He was barking out orders and making sure the food was getting to the right tables. Sigh.  Of course I couldn't stop staring.  I loved sitting in front of kitchen and it gave me a new found respect for chefs.  The kitchen here is tiny, no bigger than most galley-shaped kitchens in New York apartments.  There were 4 chefs lined up practically on top of each other and a dish washer at the end making sure that they had clean dishes.  What I liked about sitting in front of the kitchen was that you can see that they make everything made to order here.  The pots and pans are so small that they can't just cook in batches.  We started with the pea shoot and bay scallop appetizer ($12).  The pea shoots were crispy and the scallops came with a nice coconut garnish.  The whole dish was drizzled with a tasty coconut curry sauce and it made me wish we had ordered some roti to clean the dish.  For main entrees, Dan got the goat massaman curry ($21) and I got the pan fried crab noodles ($21).  The dishes come out sort of family style as they are big enough to share.  I've never had goat before and this was quite tasty and it fell off the bone very easily.  It didn't hurt that the meat was covered in the curry sauce which had a slight kick to it.  It came with cubes of purple yams and mustard greens, which offset the goat meat nicely.  The crab dish was good, but after I ate all the crab (which wasn't a whole lot but there was enough that I could at least see chunks of it in my dish) I felt like I was just eating a bunch of noodles at the end.  It would have been nice if it was a bit heartier with some other vegetables or something else to combine with the noodles.  But the crab that was in it was very fresh and delicious.  The service was great and the design of the restaurant was modern but not too edgy.  The only thing I didn't really like was our cocktails ($12/each).  I got the Phuket Fizz which was vodka and pineapple juice, but it didn't really taste like too much.  Dan got the Kin and Tonic (their version of a cucumber gin and tonic)...Dan's comment was "Now I know what lotion tastes like" and after that it was all I could taste.  I thought the prices were a little bit high for the food but after watching them cook it in the kitchen at least I know it's cooked fresh and with a lot of quality ingredients. Total bill with tip and tax $105.

Red Hook Lobster Pound Visited 10/17/10 3.75 Forks

Red Hook Lobster Pound  284 Van Brunt St, (between Verona St & Visitation Pl), Brooklyn, NY 11231

 I have always been a sucker for lobster rolls. I mean, how can you NOT love them? I had seen the Red Hook Lobster Pound at various Brooklyn outings such as the Brooklyn Flea (where I actually had one) and Brooklyn Bridge Park.  But I had never visited the actual "pound", so I was thrilled when BBE had a 30% discount for dine-in only.  
When they say dine-in, you should know that it's really just a bunch of picnic tables next door (you have to actually exit the space where you order and walk to the space next door).  The menu at the pound is pretty limited: 2 types of lobster rolls for $15/each (Maine version which is the typical cold meat with mayo or CT style which is warm lobster drenched in butter), shrimp rolls $8, or you can get the lobster dinner for $25 which is a 1 1/2 lb lobster with corn and cole slaw.  You can also order lobster salad and buy buns there to make your own lobster rolls.  Dessert wise they offer whoopie pies ($3).  I knew that one roll wouldn't be enough for me, so Dan and I each got a Maine roll and then split a CT style roll and a whoopie pie.  
First there is a good chunk of lobster meat and they are big pieces, not small string-y bits of the lobster.  I started with the CT style first and it was delicious and warm and extremely soaked in butter...and the bun was also very butter-y and well toasted.  I should also mention that the rolls come with a small bag of chips and a pickle.  I really liked this version although I'm sure my doctor would tell me to only have it once a year.  I moved on to the Maine style next, and it was also very lobster-y, but I didn't like the celery in it.  I did like the thinly sliced scallion but the size of the roll which definitely more of a snack than a full meal.  I think for $15 they were great rolls but I would have liked something more substantial than just chips for dinner.  Of course when you go to a place like the Pearl Oyster Bar or Mary's Fish Camp the rolls are bigger and come with fries, but they are also $27+.  But what really put me over the edge for dinner was the whoopie pie, which is just two pieces of dense chocolate cake sandwiched around marshmallow fluff.  It was good, but totally sat like a brick in my stomach afterwards.  All in all, I think it's a cute informal place and they had mentioned that they were going to expand their menu soon, which I think is a great idea.  Total bill $36.50.

1 or 8 Visited 10/1/10 3.75 Forks

1 or 8  66 S 2nd St, (between Kent Ave & Wythe Ave), Brooklyn, NY 11211

 I have no idea why this place is called 1 or 8, but this place is definitely different.  It's in South Williamsburg, a bit far from all the action but it's not incredibly hard to get to.  From the outside, it looks like a small unassuming restaurant but then you turn a corner and you see that it's this huge loft like space that's decorated in all white.  It's a bit creepy and makes you feel like you can't spill but after sitting for a while I kind of got used to it.  The kitchen is open for the entire restaurant to see and the whole vibe is extremely futuristic. 

The menu is not your typical neighborhood sushi joint with lots of rolls.  The menu has a few of traditional dishes but they put a spin on it.  We ordered the edamame ($4) to start (which in general I'm usually a bit opposed getting in a restaurant knowing that an entire bag of edamame costs about $2) and the salmon tartare ($9).  The edamame was fine, they were a bit overcooked since I generally like my edamame crunchy and slightly undercooked.  The tartare came out next...I love tartare but I forget that it's generally more about the flavor rather than being filling.  This came topped with pear, some kind of red beet-like ingredient, and 3 pieces of dried fruit (orange, apple, and pear).  The flavor was quite clean and refreshing but it was chopped so finely that it was a bit hard to get on the fork.  I wish they served it with some small chips or something to help pick it up.
Next we ordered 3 special rolls to share: the double salmon, yellow mango, and mushroom tuna roll ($9/each).  The interesting thing is that each came with their own dipping sauce, which is something I've never seen anywhere.  The double salmon is smoked salmon, cucumber, and salmon skin served with a wasabi cream sauce.  I thought that the wasabi sauce would be my favorite but I actually didn't like it too much.  The whole thing actually tasted like a Philly roll  and once I decided that I couldn't get the idea that the cream sauce tasted like cream cheese.  The mushroom tuna roll was surprisingly good even though I generally don't like veggies in my rolls.  This had sauteed wood ear mushrooms, red pepper, asparagus, topped with tuna and it was served with a aji amarillo sauce, which basically tasted like spicy mayo.  The mushroom and asparagus really gave it some interesting texture but you still got the tuna flavor coming through so it didn't totally feel like you were just eating a veggie roll.  But my favorite of the 3 rolls was the yellow mango roll - yellowtail, mango, jalapeno, served with a cilantro sauce.  The cilantro sauce reminded me of the cilantro chutney that I get with Indian food, but it was surprisingly delicious with the roll.  I barely used my soy sauce during this meal.  The fish in all the rolls were really fresh and in more traditional Japanese style the rolls are not very large...more bite sized, so I didn't really leave super full.  But I definitely left like the quality of the food was pretty good.  It's just a bit pricier than your typical neighborhood sushi place, but at least you know you're paying for slightly better quality .  Don't get me wrong, sometimes all I want is slightly cheap-o neighborhood sushi, so both these type of places have a reason to exist in my mind.  We also ordered 2 glasses of sake ($9 each) because the price of the bottles were pretty expensive - all over $25. Our total bill with tax was $37/pp, so not crazy expensive but while I'm sitting here I am contemplating getting some ice cream down the street.

Boutique Eat Shop Visited 9/18/10 3.75 Forks

Boutique Eat Shop  559 W 22nd St, (between 10th Ave & West St), Manhattan, NY 10011

 Ok, I will admit that this place is kind of out of the way.  11th avenue is a good 15 min walk from the subway, which doesn't really seem that bad, but when you are in the hurry, seems to take forever. 

I chose this place because I had a 25% BBE code and it was close to my friend's Yilin's apartment and it was on the way to the American Natural History Museum, where Dan and I were going to after brunch.  


While the walk is long, it's a really nice walk through a great neighborhood.  Chelsea is really a great part of New York and you get to walk through the Art Gallery section as well.  The inside of this restaurant is quite funky.  It's got velvet couches, the jugs filled with wax as lighting and a giant white house cut-out in front of the back bar.  The menu has traditional brunch food with a slight upscale twist.  My first impression was that the prices were about $2-3 too much for what it should be.  In an effort to be healthy I got the egg white omelet with fresh tomato salsa ($12), while Dan got a smoked salmon benedict with a side of asparagus wrapped in bacon ($14).  Yilin also got the benedict and her husband, Josh, got the french toast.  The waitstaff was super nice there and offered up the fact that the benedict isn't a "hot" dish.  They also ooh'd and ahh'd over Yilin's super cute baby and made no fuss about the fact that we had a baby in a slightly nice restaurant. 

Overall, I thought that the food was very good.  Maybe it's because I went the healthy route, but I still felt a bit hungry afterwards.  My meal came with a nice side arugula salad, which I'm honestly not used to.  I usually get a side of bacon or sausage to help fill me up.  Dan's benedict was very good and it wasn't as cold as they waitress made it out to be.  The twist on it was that it was on a nice fluffy piece of challah-type bread, not your typical english muffin.  It also came with a healthy heap of spinach, which is nice because usually with benedict you have to choose between salmon or spinach.  

With the discount, the total bill came out to be $60 total, which isn't horrible but when you factor in that I had to use a 25% discount to get to that figure, it's a tad bit overpriced.  But if you're in the area or are near the art galleries or Chelsea Piers, it's a good place to eat.

Ayada Visited 9/11/10 3.75 Forks

Ayada  77-08 Woodside Avenue (77th Street), Elmhurst, Queens

 I was fortunate enough to get free courtside tickets to the Women's Final at the US Open on Saturday night.  After having already been to the Open earlier in the week, I knew how expensive the food was there and was determined to get food somewhere else.  Queens is probably best known for its delicious ethnic foods: Chinese, Thai, Indian, Ecuadorian, etc.  I have always wanted to do a food tour of Queens, but this was not the time.  I had thought about going to the famous Sripraphrai but after reading that the food wasn't as good as it used to be and that it was cash only, I decided to look for a new thai place.  I had read about this place in the NY Times recently about how authentic it was and it wasn't too far off the 7 train, so I thought why not? It's a few blocks away from the 7 train stop in Elmhurst/Jackson Heights in a pretty quiet and unassuming street.  If I hadn't read about this place I would have never found it.

The place is small, clean and cute.  The menu had a pretty good list of authentic and your usual suspect thai dishes.  We were kind of in a hurry to make it in time for the match, so we didn't really order with too much thought.  I wish we had more time and more people to order more food.  I had read about some mussels dish, but I didn't see it on the menu, which was a bummer because I love that thai mussel dishes usually use plump New Zealand mussels.  Instead I got my usual chicken pad thai ($8).  I know, as someone who likes food, its kind of a cop out to order pad thai when there are so many other great thai dishes, but in all honesty, a really good pad thai is just as good as any dish.  Aarti got the garlic eggplant with tofu ($8).  The waitress had asked how spicy and surprisingly Aarti had said "medium".  But given our previous experience in more authentic thai places, when you say spicy, it's really is spicy and it can be borderline inedible.  The food came out relatively quickly given that there were 4-5 other tables. 

Aarti took the first bite of my pad thai and she said it was amazing.  So I gave it a bite and it was fabulous.  Just the right amount of sauce and not too sweet.  A lot of times pad thai can be too dry or there is something off about the sauce, but this was perfect.  My only complaint was that there wasn't enough. A lot of thai places gives you an entire heaping plate of food, but this place gives you probably the right amount that one should eat for dinner.  Aarti's dish was also very good, and just like she had anticipated, it was pretty damn spicy for "medium".

Unfortunately, we had to get out of there pretty quickly, but I really enjoyed my meal (total bill was only $17!! and they take credit card...and AXP to boot, which is kind of rare in these mom and pop restuarants).  While the food was great, Queens is just a bit too much of a pain for me to come here often.  I have to take 3 trains to get there and the local 7 train is just brutal.  I would definitely eat here often if it was even remotely close to me (if it wasn't for the location I would have given it 4 forks but in a way it's location is also what makes it different. sigh.).  But if I ever find myself in Queens, I would have no hesitation to come back.  I would love to come back to Queens more and try even more of these cheap and authentic places.   

Japonica Visited 7/31/10 3.75 Forks

Japonica  100 University Pl, (between 12th St & 13th St), New York, NY 10003

This place has been around NYC for years, but I never went b/c it's a bit on the pricier side of sushi.  But for some reason I couldn't seem to find any other suitable sushi place in Union Square, so I thought this place was worth checking out. 

The menu is half in Japanese and half English, which to me is usually a good sign that they are serious about keeping it authentic.  Also another sign of authenticity is that they don't really have a lot of fancy, crazy rolls.  They stick mostly to the basics, but for the basics, the prices there were pretty high.  Most of the rolls (with the except of the super basic like a tuna roll) were easier $15/each and in the rainbow roll case it was around $30/roll!  In the end, Dan and I decided to split the Hot and Spicy Maki combination ($28) and a Fire Cracker roll ($14), plus a large hot sake ($9).  I was a little worried that we would be getting very tiny rolls and still be starving afterwards.  The miso soup that came out was very salty and I wasn't a huge fan of it.  So I started to get worried that we would be spending a lot of money for bad food and small portions.  Usually for the same amount of money we are able to get more food.  But when the platter came out, I was surprised at how many rolls there were (the combo came with 3 different rolls - a yellowtail jalapeño, a spicy crunchy tuna, and a salmon avocado type roll) and the fire cracker roll was actually a bit larger in size, so it seemed like more food.  What I loved about the platter was that it came with a dish of spicy mayo in the middle! Heaven.  I love love spicy mayo and to have it on the side without asking was great.  The rolls were all just the right size with the right amount  of fish in it.  The yellowtail jalapeño was indeed very spicy and there were times where Dan and I just sat there in pain.  All the other rolls were also very well made and tasted fresh.  In the end, I was pleasantly fully and very happy with my meal.  I saw that they had a bento box dinner special for $25 that looked pretty tasty and to be a good deal.  I think the food here reminds me of my favorite sushi place in Virginia in that they don't offer a bunch of crazy rolls and they have a lot of other Japanese items on the menu...they just offer slightly higher quality food at a slightly higher price.  All in all, I did enjoy my meal even but it's not one of those places I would go to regularly due to the prices.  Total bill came out to be around ~$33/pp with tip and tax.