Crane and Turtle: Sautéed Maine Scallops

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Scallops

The doors to Crane & Turtle just opened, giving Petworth’s Upshur Street yet another upgrade. Benches outfitted in sea-colored upholstery  line the walls of this shoebox sized French/Asian restaurant from Paul Ruppert, and an ellipse of counter seats look into the busy kitchen. Its small size may be an adorable anomaly in this city, but in Japan (where charming corner cafes dominate) Crane & Turtle would fit right in.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Sautéed Maine Scallops with Chorizo Tapioca Dumplings, Arugula and  Gingered Coconut Foam is something you’d expect to see somewhere exquisite…like CityZen. Oh wait, Chef Makoto Hamamura was a fixture in that kitchen for seven years, so it all makes sense. He’s a true talent and now has a spot to call his own.

The scallop dish may just be the best thing we’ve eaten THIS YEAR. Perfectly seared scallops sit in a bubble bath of coconut foam and bitter greens where they are joined by tapioca dumplings stuffed with single pearls of chorizo sausage. The party of textures is divine.

Fish

Other top dishes on the menu include hay smoked crudos and cherry gazpacho with clams and kakiage. If it’s possible to have one gripe though, it’s with the “drunken fish” dessert. It’s presented like the traditional Japanese festival dessert called “taiyaki” which has now autocorrected to teriyaki ten times. Ahhhh. The treat is typically a piping hot fish-shaped pancake filled with a sweet red bean paste central to most Japanese desserts. Crane & Turtle’s take is a chilled taiyaki cake that’s been soaked in booze (very fitting for the summer months). But why the fig filling instead of adzuki beans? Fig seeds are gritty and turn the dish into a Fish Newton.

Click here for more pictures from the meal.

Maine scallops not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Huong Viet: #8

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Shrimp Cake

“Trust me, you don’t want that,” says a cheerful (presumptuous!) waiter inside Eden Center’s Huong Viet. Not only do we want #8, but it’s the Best Thing on the Menu. Cue Iggy Azalea because #8, or “BÁNH CỐNG,” translates to “fancy fried shrimp cake.”  Three billiards-sized balls arrive at the table with what looks like fossilized shrimp skeletons on top. Is this what he thought would freak us out? Puh-lease. One bite of fish funnel cake and we were smitten.

As with most dishes at Huong Viet, the appetizer comes with the holy trinity of Vietnamese cuisine: Mint, cilantro and fish sauce. Lettuce is also provided so you can tear off bite-sized fried fragments and wrap them up like Christmas presents you can’t wait for your significant other to open. The black bits are mung beans, which add a touch of sweetness. 

BÚN

We got no inquiries or protest upon ordering #71 or “BÚN THỊT NƯỚNG CHÃ GIÒ.”  That’s because other than PHỞ and BÁNH MÌ, BÚN is one of the most commonly consumed Vietnamese dishes by Americans on ethnic eating adventures.

Silky rice vermicelli noodles rest on lettuce and fresh herbs. On top, super smoky grilled pork dances with grated carrots, scallions, crushed peanuts and spring rolls. Obviously, the dish requires a generous drizzle of fish sauce pre-consumption. But remember, the only thing worse than spilling fish sauce on your clothes is locking your keys in your car at an amusement park while babysitting eight-year-old twin boys.

After dining at Huong Viet, or one of the many Vietnamese eateries in Eden Center (Virginia), be sure to pop into some bakeries and delis to load up on treats to take home. Just about anything with sticky rice will do.

#8 not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Dino’s Grotto: Free Form Lasagnette

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Lasagnette

The Shaw reincarnation of the shuttered Dino’s in Cleveland Park, Dino’s Grotto, held on to a couple signature dishes. And thank god for that because The Best Thing on the Menu is one of them: Free Form Lasagnette with pork & veal ragu, besciamella, pomodoro, bacon, and grana. If you put bacon in lasagna you win. It’s as simple as that. You may be thinking, a $20 lasagna!? But this crock pot of Italian flavor is quite sharable, so don’t try to tackle it yourself. The “free form” part describes the fact that you won’t find perfectly arranged rectangles of pasta. Rather, this dish is more like a game of Jenga with pasta sheets strewn every which way. It’s as if a four-year-old did his or her best job and building something organized. The messiness makes the dish more fun.

Trotter Tots

A close runner up is an order of Trotter Tots filled with pork shank & hock (truck patch), potato, lioni smoked mozzarella, bread and egg. This appetizer comes with three sticks of golden fried pork goodness and  a side of pepper gravy for all your dipping needs. Dean Gold’s dish is more similar to Spanish croquettas than American tater tots. Order a few for the table and try not to diagram in your head which part of the piggy these hail from. 

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At Dino’s Grotto you’ll also find a souped up bar program. A series of seven signature cocktails is constantly changing because they’re doing all their infusions in house. Right now a favorite is a summery (and world cup-y) “Bitter fruit of a Brazilian Threeway,” with aqua cachaca, punt e med, and aperol grapefruit bitters. But, it could be gone tomorrow so be flexible in choosing a libation. The wine program impresses too.

Free Form Lasagnette not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

You might also like Osteria Morini, Lupo Verde or Alba Osteria.

Sushi Taro: Kaiseki Edition

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Sushi Set 1

Tasting menus are all over town, whether at supper clubs, pop-ups or even grocery stores (Glen’s Garden Market!) But what about the OG (original gangster) of tasting menus? We’re talking about kaiseki, a multi-course, visually stunning display of the best Japanese cuisine has to offer.

somen noodles

Modern kaiseki, like the kind on offer at Sushi Taro, pulls from many historical and cultural references including imperial court cuisine, meals devoured by samurai warriors, the Japanese tea ceremony and healthy Buddhist temple fare. If you decide to take this adventure in the care of Chef Nobu Yamazaki, you will face a choice of four different kaiseki tasting menus: Traditional, sushi, suppon (soft shell turtle!), or wagyu beef/lobster surf and turf.

Unless you have yen to burn, the traditional or sushi kaiseki courses are your best bets. We couldn’t decide…so instead, we bring you the tale of two kaisekis. Here are their merits:

Sushi Tasting:

Sushi Set 2

+ You’ll get to try types of nigiri you’d never think to order like succulent sweet shrimp, bursting ikura or raw abalone.

+Your nigiri sushi comes with a paintbrush and premium soy sauce so you can embrace your inner artist.

Ichigo Daifuku

+ Your dessert choice includes ichigo daifuku (a fresh strawberry lovingly wrapped in mochi) which is arguably the best dessert on earth (zero hyperbole here).

Kaiseki Tasting:

Hassun

+ You are privy to the “hassun” a hodgepodge of morsels arranged to look like a landscape in miniature.

+ If you’re a big eater and it takes a lot to fill you up, take comfort knowing that the traditional kaiseki has an entrée-sized finale. In this case it was pork belly shabu-shabu. Diners whisk raw slices of thinly sliced meat through a hot pot of delectable spicy soup before drinking the broth at the end.

+ At the end you’re asked to select your final sushi course from the menu. Only the traditional kaiseki menu allows you to choose a roll, like the Best Thing on the Menu: spicy spider roll.

Verdict? Go with a friend and get both – they actually let you do that. If you ask really nicely, they’ll even give you a sharp knife to slice nigiri sushi in half. Just ignore the stares and head shakes from the Japanese embassy officers seated at the adjacent table; they’ve never seen such things.

Click here for more photos from the meal. Learn more about Sushi Taro’s kaiseki options.

Masa 14: Spicy Tuna Nachos

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Tuna Nachos

Masa 14 has a bright and shiny new chef de cuisine, Felipe Milanes, and he just rolled out (literally) a whole line of new sushi like the Rainbow Tropico Roll with tuna, hamachi, salmon, avocado and a mango-papaya salsa. But the Best Thing on the Menu isn’t in roll form however…it’s far more representative of the restaurant’s Latin/Asian fusion persona: Spicy Tuna Nachos. Thick, crispy wontons are dressed in their finest sushi attire: Generous chunks of spicy  tuna tartare plus avocado, cotija cheese, and salsa picante.

Foie Jita

The menu at one of the original 14th Street spots has gotten a whole lot more creative under Milanes, who hails from Panama City. For example, he dares to serve Foie Jitas, like the fajitas you used to get at Chili’s on high school first dates but with foie gras, shallots, poblano peppers, red peppers and guava creme. It ALMOST works. The guava crema is divine, but unfortunately overpowered by the red peppers and onions. Lose those and this dish is a 10.

Other can’t misses include the Scorpion Roll and Pork Belly al Carbon. Look for new menu additions to continue to stream in and await the Twitter war that always follows when favorites are taken off the menu to make room (Just ask Taylor Gourmet). Change is hard. Click here for more photos from the meal.

Spicy Tuna nachos not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Tico: Two Texture Beef Tacos

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Tico Tacos

Michael Schlow’s in town. Perhaps you saw him making the short trek from his Columbia Heights pad to his brand new 14th Street restaurant that opened last night. You might recognize him from Top Chef Masters! What’s heartwarming is that unlike some celebrity chefs who pop in to open a restaurant, Schlow’s committed to staying around for more than a hot sec…and it shows.

This is the second Tico to open its doors – the first is in Schlow’s hometown of Boston – but he’s tweaked the menu to match our tastes, like by sprinkling in some Old Bay when appropriate. Overall, the restaurant aims to serve American food with Latin/Spanish twists inspired by Schlow’s travels.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Two Texture Beef Tacos are a lot of fun. Super tender beef is juxtaposed by crispy beef that’s been dehydrated, not fried, and chili and fresh herbs kick up the flavor. Schlow says he pays just as much attention to texture as he does flavor. Look for something soft and chewy to be balanced by crunch in almost every dish.

Manchego

… Like these manchego fritters, which you dip in a sticky, fruity sauce on the side. This dish is symbolic of how vegetarians can go buck wild at Tico, because a large portion of the menu celebrates seasonal vegetables, and they’re used quite creatively. A standout is an order of edamame falafel tacos. Click here for more photos from the meal.

We couldn’t be happier about this addition to the neighborhood. They’ve thought of everything. The artwork lining the walls is the work of Schlow’s wife; Schlow himself built all the music playlists; and Schlow committed a whole lot of resources (read: cash money) to build an acoustically sound dining room to make sure you can still hear your dining partners in a lively atmosphere. The guy literally had someone poke thousands of holes in tin tiles to ensure that sound would get trapped instead of bouncing right back down to disturb diners. Cheers to that.

Two texture beef tacos not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Soi 38: Ped Roti

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Ped Roti

Street food is taking over DC faster than Godzilla (now back in theaters!) trampled Tokyo. The latest spot to sling open their street food serving doors is Soi 38 located in the West End. It’s a passion project 10 years in the making from married couple (and Thailand natives) Dia Khanthongthip and Nat Ongsangkoon.

We’re a bit jealous of the duck inside the Best Thing on the Menu: Ped Roti. It’s lovingly wrapped in warm, fried roti. You may know roti from Indian cuisine or even the fast casual Mediterranean spot. But, roti is also used in Thai street food dishes that you might find at a night market in Bangkok–which is exactly what Soi 38 is modeled after. The wrap filling is sweet and spicy and also contains cooling cucumber, which you’ll be thankful for after bites eight and nine.

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Another can’t miss dish is the catch of the day served either steamed with lemongrass, chili and garlic or fried with Thai spicy chili sauce. Thai spices seep deep into the flesh of fish so that you’re blown away by lemongrass and Kaffir lime with every bite. Fortunately, cocktails from JP Caceres utilize many of the same spices and herbs, so they pair perfectly.

Click here for more photos from the meal.

Ped Roti not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Heavy Seas Alehouse: Blue Crab Cake

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Arrrrr you ready to add Heavy Seas Alehouse Arlington to your dining repertoire? We are, after being pleasantly surprised by everything we tried. And, while there is a certain nautical-ness associated with this pub, they didn’t go overboard with the pirate theme to the point where it’s off-putting (no talking parrot or peg-legged servers).

The Best Thing on the Menu is a fried thing on top of a fried thing for the win: Blue crab cake with a fried green tomato, tasso remoulade, and a salad of fennel, endive and radish. This dish is a nod to the restaurant’s origins in the great state of Maryland where crab is king. Heavy Seas Alehouse Arlington opened up earlier this year, becoming the second location after the original in Baltimore.

Heavy Seas Burger

Brews from Heavy Seas Beer are incorporated into as many dishes as possible including the Teddy Burger made with buffalo chili, Black ‘n Black stout barbecue sauce and jalapeño bacon. They even put beer in dessert.

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The Peg Leg float is made with Imperial Stout, vanilla ice cream and just a touch of Coke to give it some sweetness.

Blue crab cake not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

You might also like The Arsenal or Green Pig Bistro.

 

Osteria Morini: Bucatini

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Bucatini

Sea urchin is a foe to many people, probably because it has the consistency and flavor of fish Fro-yo. But, the sushi preparation of placing a patty of raw uni atop a mound of rice is not the only way to enjoy this briny, spiny creature. It Japan, it’s often used to give a savory boost to pasta sauce. And in the Italy? The same.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Bucatini with Crab, Sea Urchin and Basil at Osteria Morini is a divine combination of flavors and textures. Hollow bucatini is dotted with thick nuggets of crab and smooth slivers of sea urchin all in a sweet and spicy red sauce. For a glimpse at how much love (read: effort!) goes into pasta making at OM check out Eater’s piece on Matt Adler.

This rich dish usually rings in at $21. However, if you’re a ticket holder from a Washington Nationals game arriving after 9:00 p.m., it’s yours for a $12 steal.

Panini

Let’s say you’re visiting Osteria Morini for lunch looking out at the water. Maybe you took a mental health day or are just playing hooky down at the Navy Yard before a day game. Get a panini. It’s an under $20 way to experience OM and comes with super fancy potato chips and a crock of soup to use as a dipper.

Bucatini not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

You might also like Alba Osteria or The Red Hen.

Red Light: Black and Tan Donuts

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Black and Tan Donuts

New to 14th Street is a seductive dessert and drinks spot called Red Light. It’s not named after a TLC track, but it will be there for you…all though the night (until 2a on Friday and Saturday). It’s named for the era when Logan Circle was replete with scandalous, illegal activity. After a few visits, we can confirm that it’s CrazySexyCool.

Only time will tell if a cocktail and dessert spot can make it in the former Bar Di Bari space, but with dishes like The Best Thing on the Menu: Black & Tan Donuts, it stands a GREAT chance. The donut hole batter contains a pour of pale ale, while the chocolate dipper is made with stout.

El Dorado

Wash down the Best Thing on the Menu with an El Dorado – the best cocktail from bar brothers Ari and Micah Wilder. It packs some heat thanks to the jalapeño garnish and contains Pisco, Yellow Chartreuse, Wilder Bros Pineapple Gomme, Lemon, Burlesque Bitters and Peychaud’s Bitters. 

Red Light offers about 10 rotating desserts, an impressive and reasonably priced cocktail list, boozy slushes, cake shakes and more. Plus, they have one of the best patios on the block. Check them out and note that one thing’s for sure: Taking a date to Red Light as the last stop of the night will definitely help you seal the deal.

Black and Tan Donuts not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.