Temari Cafe Visited 12/29/2016 4 Forks

Temari Cafe  1043 Rockville Pike., Rockville, MD 20852

Jeana and I had planned on going here for lunch over Thanksgiving but they were closed, so it only made sense of us to try again over Christmas time.  It's a really unassuming small authentic Japanese cafe nestled in the middle of a really blah strip mall on Rockville Pike.  Like so many places in the suburbs, it's so hard to tell what's a good place to eat if you only judge them by the outside (I guess it just goes to show you that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover even with restaurants). 

It was packed to the brim on a random Thursday afternoon.  Luckily we got a seat within 15 minutes at the counter.  This isn't really a sushi place per say, although you can order from a small limited sushi menu, instead its focus is more on donburi, katsu, curries and ramen dishes.  They are famous for their katsu curry which is what Jeana got and I got the Tonkatsu combo ($20).  My mom kept claiming that I had been here before and that I had complained about how small the portions were - I have no memory of this at all.  If that was the case, they've certainly changed their portion sizes. Jeana's katsu curry was huge - it was the size of an entire dinner plate with a huge helping of white rice.  Meanwhile my combo came with a lot of side dishes on top of the main entree.  There was a broth with a plump clam in it, a small marinated green and some kind of gelatinous dish that I can't quite put my finger on.  But the best part is that it comes with a side of sashimi - for a side order is was a pretty generous portion of 2 pieces of salmon, 2 pieces of yellowtail, 3 pieces of tuna and 4 pieces of flounder in a flower shape.  All of them were fresh and clean tasting - very surprising to get this many pieces of this quality as a side dish.  It kind of made me wish that I got a sashimi or chirashi dish instead.  I usually don't get any kind of breaded meat at Japanese places just because I'm usually so focused on the fish but when Jeana said she was getting a katsu curry it made me crave getting the fried pork strips.  It's definitely great comfort food in chilly weather.  The tonakatsu was tasty and breaded well but it was a ting dry - I had to pour an extra heaping of the tonkatsu sauce to give it continuous moisture but getting a mouthful of the pork + white rice + sauce = one happy girl. 

The place was quite bustling and busy the whole time we were there.  People were getting all sorts of dishes that made me want to go back and try it out again.  I liked the traditional feeling of the place and while sushi will always still be my great Japanese go-go, this place reminds me that even in the suburbs of Maryland, there can still be great hot Japanese food options.  Total bill:  $23/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp 

Lighthouse Tofu Visited 12/28/2016 4 Forks

Lighthouse Tofu  12710 Twinbrook Pkwy., Rockville, MD 20847

The one nice thing about staying home for a bit longer than usual is that I can branch out from my usual food haunts and try new places.  I was pleasantly surprised when my mom suggested this place and really enjoyed myself.  I've always said that Korean has been an under appreciated Asian cuisine. It's especially hard to find when you venture out of larger cities and into the suburbs.  But there is a fairly large Asian community in MD, so it was a bit surprising that there haven't been more Korean places around. 

This place is hard to find - it's on a random side street in Rockville so if you don't know to look for it, you would never find it.  When you walk in, it's got a very authentic feel to it.  The decor is traditional and the waitstaff are all older gentle Korean women.  The menu consists of mostly tofu soups and a few other traditional Korean dishes like bibimbap, bulgogi and scallion pancakes but there isn't any Korean BBQ on this menu.  They have a pretty good combo deal of a small tofu soup and then a main entree for around $20.  I got a spicy tofu soup with mushroom and the bibimbap, my mom got it with fried mackerel and Mike got the bulgogi.   

The tofu soup was sinus cleanse-ingly fantastic.   It wasn't a numbing burn but a slow nostril clearing burn so definitely go if you've got a stuffy nose.  It was served with a nice heaping of silky tofu and shiitake mushrooms and a raw egg cracked on top.  Amazing.  This was the perfect cold winter dish and I actually wished that I had gotten a large tofu soup and forgone the entree.  My bibimbap was good as well - served in a hot sizzling stone bowl with all the usual suspects of ingredients but I was a bit disappointed that there was no meat in this one.  It was a totally solid bibimbap but it couldn't really compare to the tofu soup.  I had a few bites of my mom's fish - it's a typical mackerel which has a strong fish taste and lots of bones but if you can get past it, it's a tasty dish. 

As I looked around, it was comforting to see the place full of Koreans - it just lent to the authenticity of the place.  This was a very pleasant surprise in a part of Rockville that is kind of destitute.  Although I've never been to Korea before, the decor kind of transport you to a place that you would find in Korea.  I would definitely come back especially if it's cold outside and I'm looking for something cozy and warm.  Total bill:  ~$72 for 3 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp 

Faidley Seafood Visited 12/27/2016 4 Forks

Faidley Seafood  203 N Paca St., Baltimore, MD 21201

The one food trend that Maryland does better than anyone else is the crabcake.  I have yet to have one anywhere else in the world that rivals an authentic crabcake that I have when I'm at home. That's why I usually don't eat them outside of MD.  While I usually go to the same few places around home, I recently saw a bit on the Travel Channel about this place up in Baltimore that has been around for centuries and called the "best crabcake in Maryland".  It's located in the old historic Lexington Market and it had been a while since I had been to Baltimore so I figured it was worth the 45 min trek up  there.  But before I went, I made the mistake of reading Yelp and people had really terrible things to say about the market - most described it as "seedy", gross and full of homeless people and drug users.   While I usually take everything I read on there with a grain of salt, it did scare me off a bit because so many people had said to stay away. 

I decided to still go anyways and I'm glad I went.  After entering the market, I immediately became incensed at what people were saying about it.  If you're going expecting something like the Chelsea Market in NYC or Union Market in DC,  you'll be sorely disappointed.  But that's the point of this place - not everything in this world is a nice bougie artisanal wonderland.  This is Baltimore people - did you see The Wire?  It's still very blue collar/working class.  You can't expect to bring in some snotty yuppie-fied market where they sell $10 cups of broth (I'm looking at you Chelsea Market - but I still love you!) to a neighborhood like this.  This is a market for the locals and the locals here aren't rich.  Yes, the place is a bit of the rough side but that's totally fine.  To say in your Yelp review that the place is crawling with drug addicts and homeless people and that you feared for your life is an unfair depiction of a working class neighborhood where clearly people are on hard times.  If anything, Faidley has a separate entrance where you don't even have to really walk through most of the market if you didn't want.

It's clear that Faidley is the star of the market.  It's still pretty old school - the matriarchy still works in the kitchen and you see her hand making all the crabcakes.  It's kind of cafeteria style where you order in line, get your food on a tray and then pay the cashier at the end.  There are no sit down tables, only stand up tables for you to eat your food.  Of course you come here for the crabcakes but they also have a raw bar station and another station where you can order steamed seafood.  I got the crabcake platter ($20.95) which comes with a jumbo lump crabcake and 2 sides - I got the mac and cheese and potato salad.  The crabcake is as advertised - full of delicious lump crabmeat and nothing else.  It's nicely broiled on the outside with a hint of sear and crunch to it but soft on the inside.  I love that it was a straight-up crabcake and not a sandwich because then you can really focus on the crab. Would I say that it's the best crabcake in the world? I'm not sure, but it is pretty damn good.   The sides were totally fine - you probably actually don't need them and could just get the crabcake for $14 and focus on getting more food at the raw bar instead.  The raw bar serves 2 things oysters and clams - I opted for the cherrystone clams (6 for $6.30) because they are meatier and you don't see them in a ton of raw bars.   They were fantastic.  At first I was a bit hesitant because I saw the shucker just pull the clams out of a storage bag but they were plump, clean, and fresh with a hint of ocean water taste to it.   They weren't as large as the ones at Maison Premiere but those are actually almost too big to handle - these were nice mouthfuls of clam-y goodness.

I'm really glad that I didn't listen to the Yelp reviews and avoid this place.  While I would agree and say that the market itself is not necessarily a foodie destination, it's definitely not the scary place that it's made out to be.  If you can handle a slightly down on your luck crowd and ignore all the riff raff, you'll be fine.  It's definitely authentic and where the locals go and if you're nice to them, they'll be nice to you right back.  If you're really not down with that kind of crowd, you can easily use the Faidley side entrance to avoid all of it and stay in the bubble of the stall.  Total bill:  $75 for 3 platters and a clam chowder, $9 for the 9 clams

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Republic Visited 12/26/2016 4 Forks

Republic 6939 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912

Usually when I come home for the holidays I end up meeting up with friends in Bethesda because that is where we grew up and what we know.  But now as we get older and some of our parents have moved to other towns, it's not always necessary to meet there.  Plus Bethesda has become such a cliched yuppie suburbia wasteland that it's kind of hard to get really excited about meeting anywhere there.  So Louise had suggested meeting up at a local place by her mom's in Takoma Park, which I was down for. 

Republic is a cozy neighborhood joint which was exactly what we were looking for.  No muss no fuss and just a casual easy place to catch up with friends.  The menu was a variety of salads, sandwiches and a surprising line up of fancy cocktails.  I got the wood grilled chicken trancapecho ($14) and Louise got the burger ($15).  I wasn't really sure what trancapecho but apparently it's a Bolivian sandwich usually served with steak, rice, fried potato, fried egg, pico de gallo and mayo.  Republic did their own take on it using grilled chicken, fried potato, avocado, sunny side up egg, and a pickled beet relish on a pretzel bun.   Pretty interesting combination right?  It all seemingly worked really well - the chicken was nice and juicy and most of the other ingredients stayed sandwiched in between the thick but soft pretzel bun.  The relish was the only one that was a bit hard to keep inside but it ended up being a good topping for the salad I had on the side.   It's really hard to go wrong when you have a sandwich topped with avocado and egg.

The cocktails (I got an old fashion) were surprisingly strong and on point.  It looked like a lot of people around us were getting Po' boy sandwiches which looked delicious as well.  The place was definitely unpretentious and low key which was perfect for catching up with old friends.  Takoma Park isn't necessarily a suburb where I would find myself hanging out in frequently but it is cute and the downtown part does have a few adorable looking shops.  It was a nice reprieve from the general hustle and bustle of Bethesda and if I were a local, I could definitely see myself coming here for a burger and a beer often. Total bill:  $49/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit: Yelp

Satsuma Visited 12/24/2016 3 Forks

Satsuma  8003 Norfolk Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814

Every time I come home to MD, I usually go to the same 2-3 haunts, so I'm always open to trying out new places.  I met up with my dad in Bethesda at this low key sushi place in Bethesda not too far from the madness of Bethesda Row.  Their claim to fame is that they have $1 sushi all day which can be either a great thing or a gross thing.   

We sat down and right off the bat the service was so slow - despite there being only 3 or 4 tables being occupied.  I went for the sushi/sashimi bento box ($14.50) and a few $1 orders of uni (yeah, I know, $1 uni?!?), salmon belly and yellowtail.  The menu said that the bento box came with a bowl or rice and I asked if I could get mine with brown rice and the waitress rudely snapped that they don't do brown rice.   Geez, ok.  Then we waited and waited and waited.  First they brought out the $1 sushi and it was as expected.  They were small and definitely not of mind blowing quality but I guess for $1, what more could you really expect?  The uni was surprisingly ok too but obviously I've had better.  I could see how if you were just in the mood for cheap sushi that you could sit here and go to town on it.  As for the bento box, it was much better than the $1 sushi.  It came with miso soup, salad, 1 fried dumpling, 8 pieces of sashimi,  veggie and shrimp tempura, bean sprout salad and seaweed salad - so a lot of food for $15!  The sashimi was surprisingly decent given the quality of the $1 sushi - it was nicely cut pieces of tuna, yellowtail and salmon.  The sushi part was eel, tuna, salmon, and shrimp and it also came with 6 pieces of a California roll.  All mediocre, run of the mill sushi - it tastes a lot like "starter" sushi for someone who isn't too adventurous.

The tempura was pretty decent - 2 pieces of shrimp, 2 pieces of sweet potato and eggplant.  The batter was a little bit thick but it wasn't overly greasy or oily.  I usually like the basic green salad that comes with bento boxes because they are dressed with a carrot ginger type dressing but this was a thick glob of Caesar dressing which I wasn't a huge fan of.   I was also excited for the bean sprout salad because that's one of my favorite salads but instead a carrot salad came out - boo!  Also the seaweed salad wasn't the green kind but the black kind.  

Overall, it was a lot of food and a fairly good bang for your buck if you're willing to sacrifice some quality.  It's definitely not Tomoe or Tanoshi quality sushi (but then again I'm a total NYC and sushi snob now) but this is the suburbs, so for that I can see it being an ok place in a pinch.  Total bill:  $46 for 2 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Dizengoff Visited 12/22/2016 4.5 Forks

Dizengoff  75 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Who knew that I would give 4.5 forks to a freakin hummus stand in Chelsea Market?!?  But the food here is simply amazing and goes to show you that you don't have to be a fancy Michelin star place to pump out great food.  This place has a cult following in Philly and they recently opened up a stall in the Chelsea Market.   They have actually started having a pre-fix $50 sit down dinners Thursday-Saturday but they sell-out almost immediately.  Luckily, even on those days you can still grab take out and find a seat in the market, which is what Allison and I did.  But I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for the next pre-fix seating (they open up on the 1st of each month for the following month).

The menu is basically all hummus - which you wouldn't think would make for a full meal but it definitely does here.  Allison and I split a chicken hummus ($13) and a brussels sprouts hummus ($12) and a side of potato ($3).   We grabbed our food and headed to a table in the market.  The size of each hummus is a lot, it's basically the size of an entire take out Thai container.  Basically, each of the "flavors" of the hummus are tossed in as toppings to the base hummus - so there was shredded chicken and roasted Brussels Sprout leaves tossed in each of the respective dishes.   They give you one giant warm pita with each hummus and the first bite is heavenly.  It's incredibly smooth, rich and creamy and I couldn't help but want to shove it into my mouth at a voracious speed because it was that delicious.  At first I was bummed they only gave us 1 pita per person but honestly you don't even need the entire one because it's so filling and eventually Allison and I were just eating it by the spoonful.  With the hummus, they give you a side of pickles and chopped Israeli type salad of marinated cucumbers and tomatoes.  Very refreshing.   I also want to give a shout out to the potatoes too which were a last minute add-on.  They were mixed in with sumac and cooked to perfection.  It was like a potato salad without the mayo and unhealthiness.

I wasn't really expecting much when I came here except that it would be a solid meal but I didn't realize how fantastic it would really be.  It's a very solid and hearty meal at a very affordable price.  It made me even more excited and determined to get a ticket to their pre-fix meal.  Total bill:  $33 for 2 with tax, tip and soda

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Sunday in Brooklyn Visited 12/17/2016 3.5 Forks

Sunday in Brooklyn  348 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11249

The first thing I'll say about Sunday in Brooklyn is that the space is beautiful.  The aesthetic is pure Brooklyn hipster - it's like a refurbished modern farm house complete with an old stove in the middle of the restaurant.   It kind of transports you away from city life and to a place that would exist in Vermont or somewhere Upstate.

The menu also has a sustainable farm-to-table vibe to it.  It was hard to decide between a breakfast sandwich and some of the larger plates of food like the steak and eggs, house smoked salmon plate or biscuits and gravy.  I opted for the cheddar scramble ($13) and Laura got the kale salad with egg ($14) and we split the avocado toast ($9).  At this point I was already a bit annoyed because the service was really lacking:  first they overcharged Laura for the teas she was drinking while she was waiting for me (she had asked them a few times to correct it and they didn't), it took forever to place our order, and when we asked for flat/tap water they gave us sparkling water instead.  Not that any of those things were dealbreakers on their own but adding up all of those small irritants didn't go unnoticed.  But what really put me over the edge service wise was that the people who sat down next to us after we were seated got their food before us.   WTF?  I had to flag down our waitress to check on our food and she gave me this look like I was crazy.  Luckily the food did come quickly after that.

The good news is that the food was delicious.  The cheddar scramble was soft and flavorful with the right amount of cheese and fluff to it.  It was served with a hearty breakfast sausage that tasted and looked homemade as well as a reasonable side of tasty home fries.  It was a very well executed standard breakfast plate.  I did see a bunch of people get their famous breakfast sandwiches and it looked bonkers.  It was a bit too much for what I was looking for but it's something that I would definitely put on my list the next time I'm there.  Laura was a big fan of the kale salad and the avocado toast looked like something that should have belonged on Instagram. It was a gorgeous half charred avocado on toast with wheatgrass, preserved tomatoes, pickled onion and sprouts.  The toast itself was a bit too hard for me but everything else was a on point.  If there is one dish besides poke that has been overdone in 2016, it's avocado toast but it's so damn good.

Overall, it was a lovely quintessential Brooklyn brunch.  The service could definitely be stepped up - the manager did come by to ask us how things were going and Laura and I thought that they were going to offer up something in response to them overcharging her for her tea despite repeated asks to correct it but nada.  I don't necessarily want to hold it against them as I did enjoy my food and the ambience a lot so hopefully things will improve the next time I'm there.  Total bill:  $28 with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp