tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9338766326250258302024-03-05T17:42:36.047-08:00The Hungry Wolf DCThe Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-88592251939879420632015-06-23T15:32:00.000-07:002015-06-23T15:32:46.338-07:00Boston Road Trip Part III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i>See Boston Road Trip <a href="http://thehungrywolfdc.blogspot.com/2015/06/boston-road-trip-part-i.html" target="_blank">Part I</a> and <a href="http://thehungrywolfdc.blogspot.com/2015/06/boston-road-trip-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Part II</a>!</i></b></div>
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We made our way out to the much recommended Quincy Market. With a huge open cobblestone outdoor area surrounded by small and large shops, restaurants, and an expansive food court, I could see how this was not only a tourist attraction but a great place to relax on the weekends for locals.</div>
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This building was filled with countless eateries with buttery lobster rolls, creamy clam chowder, pizza, and desserts!</div>
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Of course I got pizza again... no surprise there :P I got the Margherita pizza from <a href="http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/" target="_blank">Regina Pizzeria</a>, with a toasty crust and generous helping of cherry tomatoes. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we sat outside to enjoy the light breeze. After a light meal we went to check out the shops!</div>
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I got a few basic pieces from Uniqlo, and then we stopped into <a href="http://www.newburycomics.com/" target="_blank">Newbury Comics</a> for a little fun. Look at these awesome bear mitts! </div>
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There was a great little coffee shop across the street called <a href="http://flatblackcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Flat Black Coffee</a> where we stopped for some caffeine. We ordered a delicious flat white, modeled by my handsome boyfriend... :)</div>
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Although we had a huge list of recommended places to eat at in Boston, we relied on Yelp a good amount for quick bites. It seems like Bostonians take their food seriously, there were hundreds (and thousands) of reviews for many restaurants on Yelp! Many seafood/Italian restaurants were booked into the evening or didn't take reservations, so we passed on our search. We ended up on Harvard's campus with ice cream in hand :)<br />
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After a nice day of sight seeing and eating, we met up with a good friend of mine (friends since middle school) for some drinks. I left the big camera at home to enjoy some quality time, and ended up at Corner Tavern and <a href="http://www.yardhouse.com/" target="_blank">Yard House</a>. Yard House had an <i>extensive </i>selection of beers, perfect for Bao and our friends. [Side note: just looked up Yard House and realized it's a chain, definitely will be checking this place out near home!]</div>
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Catching up was one of the best parts of the trip :) We headed home for another restful night since we'd be heading back home in the morning. It was great not to be woken up by an alarm again, then packed up the car to grab a quick breakfast before our drive. </div>
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The view from our parking garage - so beautiful.</div>
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Recommended by a wonderfully talented coworker of mine, we headed towards <a href="http://flourbakery.com/" target="_blank">Flour Bakery</a>. Although we didn't get a chance to try some other restaurants per her recommendation, we were <i>definitely </i>not disappointed with Flour. Be sure to check out her food blog <a href="http://www.honeycombfood.com/" target="_blank">Honeycomb</a>, but I must warn you her amazing recipes, writing prose and photos will leave your super hungry!</div>
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<b><i>Flour Bakery + Cafe</i></b></div>
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<b><i>1595 Washington St</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Boston, MA 02118</i></b></div>
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I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to try this place. I'm the type that looks up every restaurant before I go and chooses my dish hours before I get there. I'm fairly indecisive (and incredibly excited about food) so choosing my dish early is my practical work-around! Too bad all the choices had me second-guessing... </div>
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The cafe was bustling with people assembling perfect confections and sandwiches on the Tuesday morning. Neatly written on chalkboards were tons of sandwiches that ALL sounded amazing. I started off wanting the lamb sandwich, then roasted chicken, then portabello, on and on. Every time I read the next item on the menu, I changed my mind.</div>
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Desserts galore were displayed behind glass all across the counter, from "Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie" to chocolate drizzled cheesecakes. It looked like the bakery's motto, "Make life sweeter... eat dessert first!" inspired Bao, because he ordered a Boston cream pie before we ordered our sandwiches! Perfectly proportioned cake and cream was drizzled in a decadent chocolate ganache - this. was. incredible. </div>
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Our food came out shortly afterwards, and even these savory sandwiches were SO. GOOD. Bao got a breakfast egg sandwich (bacon, cheddar, arugula, tomato and dijonaise), and I got the roasted lamb (with tomato chutney and goat cheese).</div>
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Upon first bite, I was absolutely in love. I normally love lamb dishes, but I've never come across lamb that wasn't greasy and heavy. This sandwich had the PERFECT balance of lamb, slightly chilled and perfectly tender, a bed of mixed greens, an herb goat cheese spread, and tomato chutney. The berries in the chutney added a sweet bite, balanced by the lamb and goat cheese. All of these amazing ingredients were nestled between the softest slices of homemade bread. Even the bottom of the dough had the slightest sweetness - I was floored. </div>
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I can't rave enough about this sandwich and I'm still dreaming about it now. I'm so glad my coworker told me about Flour, now I'm just sad I can't enjoy it at home :(</div>
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Our final stop before leaving Boston was a cafe we found online, apparently featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Although the sandwiches looked appealing, I was there for one thing - their chocolate chip cookies. </div>
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<i><b>Blunch</b></i></div>
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<i><b>59 E Springfield St</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Boston, MA 02118</b></i></div>
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<i><b>www.eatblunch.com</b></i></div>
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It was a quick stop to pick up this sweet treat for the road, and the small interior was busy busy busy. Although we only picked up cookies, the owner was friendly and it looked like the staff was putting together some delicious looking sandwiches. Must try next time I'm in town :)</div>
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The cookies were a nice chocolatey treat on the road, and we made it back home by evening. I couldn't have asked for a more fulfilling vacation and first road trip together, I can't wait to do it again.</div>
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Until Next time!</div>
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Stay Hungry,</div>
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Jimin</div>
<br />The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-80037179945101664112015-06-15T14:37:00.002-07:002015-06-15T14:37:31.430-07:00Boston Road Trip Part IIAfter a well rested night - without setting an alarm - we got up to continue exploring beautiful Boston. First thing on the agenda, breakfast of course!<br />
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<i><b>Sonsie</b></i></div>
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<i><b>327 Newbury St</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Boston, MA 02115</b></i></div>
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<i><b>www.sonsieboston.com</b></i></div>
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We arrived at a small little cafe with the entire facing wall opened up towards the street. With small marble white tables and woven chairs, we were greeted by a friendly waiter that told us to choose our seats. </div>
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The tables were very small, only for one or two people at a time, but I loved how intimate it was. A small taupe menu was on each table displaying a short breakfast menu of pastries, coffee and a few dishes. Bao opted for the the "Coconut pineapple french toast with caramel sauce" for $14, while I chose the "Any style eggs, toast, home fries and bacon", for $12.</div>
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Bao and I were fully expecting standard breakfast dishes that we typically see in most restaurants, but were so pleasantly surprised when our dishes came out. Even the black coffee (co-op produced Indonesia, read more about a Wall Street Journal article <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/indonesian-coffee-co-op-brews-success-1419024748" target="_blank">here</a>!) was smooth, bold and delicious!</div>
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The coconut and caramel drizzle on Bao's french toast was such a nice twist to a classic syrup, and my thinly sliced, perfectly cooked bacon were just a few details that made our dishes so amazing. My eggs were cooked perfectly, and the bacon was truly unique in that it wasn't heavily salted or greasy like I'm used to.</div>
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After a great meal, we made our way down Newbury again to stop by a store I was SO excited to see while parking the night before. As a long-time <a href="http://johnnycupcakes.com/" target="_blank">Johnny Cupcakes</a> fan, I was literally giddy when I saw the storefront, so although we had to wait a bit for the doors to open we sat on a small brick bench until 11am. </div>
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<b><i>Johnny Cupcakes</i></b></div>
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<b><i>279 Newbury St</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Boston, MA 02116</i></b></div>
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After getting so excited to see the storefront, I'm disappointed to say the customer service was one of the worst I'd ever experienced, and I left empty handed. The cashier saw Bao and I walking towards the door upon the store's opening, yet ignored us and crouched over the front counter - eyes glued to phone. The one time he spoke a word to us was a curt "No." when we asked for an available size in a hoodie. I still believe in the company's business model and respect the creator's work ethic, but what a let down! </div>
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Regardless of the odd treatment at the store, we moved along and had fun for the rest of the day. It's hard to let anything get you down when you're in such a beautiful city :)</div>
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Next up was something we both looked forward to most for our trip - Samuel Adam's brewery tour!</div>
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<i><b>Samuel Adam's Brewery</b></i></div>
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<i><b>30 Germania St</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Boston, MA 02130</b></i></div>
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<i><b>www.samueladams.com</b></i></div>
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After receiving our free (yes, free!) tickets, we had about a half hour wait for the tour to begin so we looked around the lobby. We felt like we were going to Wonka's chocolate factory with these golden tickets, haha! Although the tickets are free with any valid ID, it's great that Sam Adams encourages a $2 donation per person for local charities. Sounds like a good deal to me :)</div>
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We looked around the front lobby area where there was a small display of different beers and historical awards/articles.</div>
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A few minutes later, our enthusiastic tour guide Mike emerged from a large tunnel leading us to the tour. Mike was so informative, we learned so much about how brews are made and the subtle to stark contrasts of ingredients!</div>
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We got to try some grains that are used in Sam Adams beers, including the dark coffee-like grain in pictured in the back that creates dark stouts. </div>
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Soon after a short walking tour of the machines and barrel room, we arrived at the tasting room. Here we learned how to assess the beer with different tasting methods, such as recognizing color and other complexities we normally don't think about.</div>
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We were handed these small tasting glasses to try our beers and take home as a little souvenir. We left with a growler for Bao and a smaller specialty brew for me in the gift shop (they have to make money somehow, right? haha).</div>
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We had such a wonderful experience at this brewery, hoping to visit more in the near future! I definitely recommend everyone stop by Sam Adams if they get a chance, you leave appreciating the process and very much the beer itself!</div>
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Part III coming up next, Quincy Market and other delicious eatings :)</div>
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Stay Hungry,</div>
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Jimin</div>
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The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-54890930947642217992015-06-12T15:42:00.002-07:002015-06-12T15:42:33.452-07:00Boston Road Trip Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A few months ago, Bao and I talked about taking a trip up to Connecticut for the biggest Suburu event on the east coast - Wicked Big Meet. He bought group tickets back in February and decided to make the drive a road trip, our first one together!</span></div>
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The plan was to get up bright and early Saturday morning, drive up to New York to see a dear friend, Connecticut for the meet, then spend two days in Boston. Unfortunately, I switched up the dates for New York (silly mistake, sigh) and ended up taking our drive up to Philly instead. Even though I was bummed to miss a fun day with our friends, we decided to make the most of the change of plans.</div>
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There was a large outdoor art installation, <i><a href="http://www.uwishunu.com/2015/05/opening-alert-the-only-u-s-stop-of-the-awesome-light-and-digital-installation-future-sensations-debuts-at-the-oval-saturday-may-30/" target="_blank">Future Sensations</a></i>, located at Eakins Oval. This exhibit was only being shown in Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Paris, so it was a great treat to be able to see it so close to home. We walked around most of the exhibits but didn't care to wait in the endless lines. The one exhibit with colorful glass panels to mimic a kaleidoscope, was a slow moving carousel that was fun to walk through. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the installations light up in the evening, but I'm sure everything looked spectacular :)</div>
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After cooling off at the small bier garten along the exhibits with some friends, we had a business call to take care of and started to head back to the car. Suddenly, a slow drizzle of rain turned into a heavy downpour (completely soaked in minutes), and we were so drenched we started to laugh at our unfortunate predicament. Luckily we had enough towels to keep us semi-dry while we drove to Bao's parents house. </div>
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After a fun night hugging (or wrestling, same thing) with Rocky, we made our way to Connecticut. The event started at 10am, but we decided to take our time in the morning to arrive by noon. </div>
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<b>. . .</b></div>
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I think Bao and I share the same enthusiasm (even though I'm hardly as much a car fan as he is) whenever we drive up to these events because there's a huge dirt/gravel lot filled with beautiful cars. We walked up to the metal gates to pick up our goodie bags, then walked around to scope out the cars on display and the tents with Bao's favorite companies.</div>
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Similar to boxerfest, there's a huge raffle towards the end of the event with ridiculous prizes - $500 gift cards, costly parts, etc. - that everyone gathers around for. Although we didn't win anything, we both got pretty sun burnt haha!</div>
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I took far too many photos, here are a few of my favorites :) </div>
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The event came to a close and we slowly made our way up to Boston for the final leg of our trip. At a leisurely 1.5 hour drive, we arrived at our room in Back Bay. Bao found the room through airbnb, and the location was absolutely perfect. Literally nestled between Pour House bar and Whiskey's, we were steps away from Newbury Street. </div>
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The room was clean, and the host was so friendly, I'd recommend her + her place to anyone! After hours of standing out in the sun, we decided against sleeping right away to get outside and explore. Knowing how much I love pizza, we arrived at our first destination.</div>
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<b><i>Dirty Water Dough Co.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>222 Newbury St,</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Boston, MA 02116</i></b></div>
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<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701960784313725); font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><b><i>www.dirtywaterdough.com</i></b></span></span></div>
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As we walked along the sidewalks, Bao took note of something I wasn't even aware of until he pointed it out - Boston sidewalks are wide, and the shops staggering from underground to ground level saved so much retail space while adding curb appeal. Boston's architecture is so beautiful.</div>
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We ordered a half and half of Abe Froman (shredded moz, romano cheese, sweet italian sausage, crumbled gorgonzola, broccoli rabe on garlic oil base) and Mediterranean (house blend moz, romano cheese, baby spinach, tomato, kalamata olives, feta on garlic oil base), along with a glass of Upper Cut Sauvignon and Dirty Dough's very own IPA! I was impressed with their signature own brew, and Bao said he thoroughly enjoyed it. </div>
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The first bite scalded the top of my mouth (what sensible person patiently waits to dive into a delicious pie?) but it was well worth it. The Mediterranean was most definitely my favorite, since I love a light tomato base. The Froman was made with a pesto base instead with a hint of wasabi/horseradish that was unique.</div>
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After a delicious meal, we walked back for some well needed rest. </div>
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More of our Boston adventure to be continued in the next post!</div>
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Stay Hungry,</div>
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Jimin</div>
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The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-33127982833786088372015-05-27T19:40:00.000-07:002015-05-27T19:40:22.607-07:00Ted's BulletinOne of the biggest perks of working in Mosaic District is the range of restaurant choices so close by. Although it's somewhat rare to eat at these restaurants regularly (budgeting), I wanted to treat a friend for helping me immensely at a wedding several weeks back. Ted's seemed like the perfect option with comfort foods galore!<br />
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<b>Ted's Bulletin</b></div>
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<b>2911 District Ave</b></div>
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<b>Fairfax, VA 22031</b></div>
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The exterior is just as beautiful as the interior, I love the dark mahogany theme and metal details all over.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Ted's is well known for their delicious, handmade pop tarts. </span></div>
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We came here for dinner, but definitely had our eye on the special available starting that day - key lime pop tarts!<br />
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Beautiful details are seen all over, from the plush seats, metal decor over doorways and intricate ceilings.<br />
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I loved the projectors and various televisions throughout showing old Mickey Mouse films!<br />
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This was my first time sitting down for a meal in this location (I walked in for a free pop tart the day they opened) but I remember enjoying the DC location years ago. The menu remains the same to match the warm, classic interior.<br />
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Ted's has an assortment of original milkshakes, but they're also well known for their adult milkshakes. I opted for the White Russian with vanilla ice cream, and boy was this strong! The bartender was nice enough to bring the metal cup with the leftover milkshake to share :)<br />
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TATERS! These beautiful square creations were perfectly crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. AMAZING. I wasn't too hungry (we had grilled cheese day at work) so I opted for a snack size tomato soup. Can you tell I just wanted to try these tater tots?</div>
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My friend went for the delicious sirloin with taters and brussel sprouts. The meat was cooked to perfect, and the brussel sprouts were PERFECT. We asked our new server, Mario, a lot of questions about how they'd be prepared (we're very particular about our sprouts, haha). He was incredibly patient and if there was a time he didn't have an exact answer, he would ask the chef himself.</div>
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Assortment of pop tarts (L to R): Brown sugar cinnamon, blueberry cheesecake, salted caramel, and strawberry.</div>
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Unfortunately I only had a key lime pop tart (the above were for my family) but I really love the texture of their pop tarts. They're flakey towards the middle and dense (like pie crust) around the edges.</div>
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I definitely have to stop by again to try more options, everything on the menu looked amazing! Breakfast is also served all day, and you can swap toast for a pop tart. Win win :) After a few hours of quality time, we both made our way home after a delicious meal. </div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Stay Hungry,</div>
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Jimin</div>
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<br />The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-17858242412532248232015-04-26T19:47:00.002-07:002015-04-26T19:49:26.548-07:00Boxerfest 20152014 was the first year of a Suburu-only car meet, Boxerfest. Bao and I attended this years event after having such a great time last year. I distinctly remember driving in last year with several Suburus, we basically took over a leg of the highway. Although a few years ago I was interested solely in muscle cars, there's something about a growing shared interest of someone you love. After meeting Bao and seeing how much he loved his STI, I grew more and more fond of Suburus and the great community around them. Perhaps in a few years I will purchase my own Suburu, preferably a Forester ;)<br />
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The weather was significantly colder this year, with gray clouds covering the sun and blistery winds. We started off the morning with a hearty breakfast at Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville, to fuel us through an exciting day.</div>
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<b><i>Busboys and Poets</i></b></div>
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<b><i>5331 Baltimore Ave</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Hyattsville, MD 20781</i></b></div>
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The atmosphere in Busboy's is well-embellished with varied mosaics and a small library of books. We were seated on a long wooden table, and ordered hot coffees, fresh squeezed orange juice and various breakfast dishes.</div>
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It's not unusual for me to look over the menu before trying a new place (it helps me get excited about going there to eat as well), and I wanted to choose something I couldn't make so easily at home. I chose the french toast, as I was curious to see how Busboy's would try this classic.</div>
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The toast was made on thicker cut slices of sweet bread, with a light dusting of powdered sugar. I like the fact that the toast wasn't soggy with too much egg like the typical french toast, but more spongey with a buttery crust.</div>
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Bao went for a more classic eggs, hash, ham and wheat toast. The menus had a little information about how all their eggs were organic and cage-free. Although only available in scrambled for brunch, they were tasty!</div>
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After our big breakfast, we made our way to FedEx Field for Boxerfest.</div>
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<b><i>FedEx Field</i></b></div>
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<b><i>1600 Fedex Way</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Hyattsville, MD 20785</i></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.24;">As we drove into the roundabout parking lots around FedEx Field, it was easy to find the lot that Boxerfest was being held. There were hundreds of Suburus parked in rows - definitely a beautiful sight.</span></td></tr>
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When you walk through the main tent, there <span style="color: #222222; line-height: 19.8400001525879px;">are a ton of Suburu exclusive (and non) companies setting up tents to showcase their products, usually at a discounted price. There's also a huge track to take your car for a spin, but the list was full weeks prior to the event! Along with a few lineups of cars on display for the competition (best impreza, best forester, etc.), tents and track, there's plenty to see during the event.</span><br />
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Lisa and I sitting in front of some cars on display, I joked on social media they were ours (but they're definitely not, haha)!</div>
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Our group shot, taken by the talented Tho (but with my smaller camera). Check out his website and portfolio at <a href="http://www.tvnphotography.com/" target="_blank">TVN Photography</a> for his legitimate photographs!<br />
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The last time I saw this cool chick was at last year's event, and now she's a glowing mama-to-be! Awesome Suburu enthusiast herself and amazing food blogger, check out her page <a href="http://www.miemonster.net/" target="_blank">Miemonster Chronicles</a> :)<br />
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There was a fun exhaust competition, along with a limbo contest! <a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/35.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/10_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/10_6.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a><a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/19_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/19_2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a><a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/17_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/17_3.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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A quick shot of Bao's car before we left :) The event always ended with a huge raffle (prizes ranged from hoodies to exhausts and $500 gift cards!) that was a little cold to stand through (the breeze was getting stronger and a little drizzle started) but it's still incredible how much they give away at this event.</div>
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After five to six hours at the event, we were all famished and looked for the closest possible restaurant. Sardi's seemed like a great option, a chain specializing in Peruvian chicken and various sides.<br />
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<b><i>Sardi's Pollo A La Brasa</i></b></div>
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<b><i>8811 Hampton Mall Dr</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Capitol Heights, MD 20743</i></b> </div>
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I got half a charbroiled chicken with yuca fries and rice and beans. THIS WAS AMAZING. I can't believe I've never been to Sardi's before this weekend, this huge dish (which could last me two full meals) was only $10!</div>
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Bao also got half a charbroiled chicken with rice and beans and plantains. I expected the plantains to be sliced thin and fried as well, but these caramelized versions were sweet and a great compliment to the rest of the savory meal.<br />
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All in all, the day was so much fun and we can't wait for next year! Wicked Big Meet in Connecticut is lined up next, America's largest Suburu fest in June :)<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay hungry,<br />
Jimin</div>
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The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-80968532929414305762015-04-21T12:56:00.000-07:002015-04-21T14:16:24.267-07:00Taco Bamba!Upon first hearing about Taco Bamba, I was immediately interested. A friend told me it was a small hidden spot in Tysons with rave reviews, so I had to find it! Bao absolutely loves tacos (and got me craving lately too) so we were both excited to try it out. We made our way down route 7 late in the evening for a delicious meal.<br />
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<b>Taco Bamba</b></div>
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<b>2190 Pimmet Dr,</b></div>
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<b>Falls Church, VA 22043</b></div>
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I'm not completely familiar with most of Virginia, but the Whole Foods shopping center looked incredibly familiar. Taco Bamba is hidden in a smaller shopping center behind a Subway, and I realized it was literally two doors down from a store my mother owned years ago! The shopping center houses a small bar, a hair salon, MMA center, and an authentic Mexican grocery. </div>
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As soon as you walk inside, you hear the hot grill sizzling with all kinds of delicious proteins and soft corn tortillas. Neatly written menus adorn the right wall and above the register. </div>
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After a quick browse through the choices, we settled on carne asada, carnitas, chorizo, al pastor, tripa and taco bamba.</div>
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Close up of the tripa (beef intestine) that was cooked to a delicious crisp! Bao enjoyed this one too. All the meat was flavorful, but my favorite was a tie between the tripa and carnitas. The carne asada was surprisingly not as soft as I was expecting (tasted slightly burnt) but the juicy pineapple pieces added a nice sweetness to balance it out.</div>
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Three tacos were deliciously filling and there was a nice selection of sauces to top our choices. I loved the corn tortillas and was happy they doubled per taco. The filling wasn't overflowing, which is appreciated when you're already eating a messy meal.<br />
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Just found out Taco Bamba is owned by same chef Victor Albisu of Del Campo in DC! Learn more about Albisu and the main chef for Taco Bamba, Carlos Gonzalez <a href="http://tacobambarestaurant.com/about/" target="_blank">here</a>. We will definitely be back, I would recommend this place to everyone that likes authentic tacos :)</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Stay Hungry,</div>
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Jimin</div>
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The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-34947540823426440542015-04-17T23:22:00.000-07:002015-04-17T23:22:03.636-07:00DC Cherry Blossoms and MXDC ReviewThis past weekend there was one of the most highly anticipated events that draw tourists from all over the US - cherry blossoms! Predicted to be at peak bloom between April 11-14th, big crowds and major traffic was to be expected. Many friends were visiting from out of town, so there was a fun weekend planned.<br />
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The history of the National Cherry Blossom Festival dates back all the way to 1912 when Tokyo's mayor Yukio Ozaki gifted over 3,000 cherry trees to signify the friendship between the US and Japan. The cherry blossom, also known as the "Sakura", is a symbol of evanescence of human life.<br />
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Although the history behind what these cherry blossoms represent is too long to add in one post, a few of my favorite snippets:<br />
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<li><i>First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda (the wife of Japanese ambassador) planted the first two trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin. These two original trees still stand near the John Paul Jones Memorial at the terminus of 17th St, SW!</i></li>
<li><i>The lantern that is lit annually to open the National Cherry Blossom Festival was gifted in 1954 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Treaty of Peace.</i></li>
<li><i>Through a cycle of exchanges and gifts over the years, "the cherry trees fulfilled their role as a symbol and an agent of friendship."</i></li>
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I summarized immensely, you can learn more from this article <a href="http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/history/" target="_blank">here</a> and interesting timeline <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm" target="_blank">here</a>. Aside from this rich history, our group was ready to brave the crowds to enjoy the beauty of these cherry blossoms.<br />
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We started the weekend off with a late night hearty meal - all you can eat Korean barbecue! The deal at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/il-mee-buffet-restaurant-annandale" target="_blank">Il Mee</a> is spectacular at only $13.95 a person after 10pm. We had a generous helping of various proteins and unlimited side dishes, until we finally went back home after midnight.<br />
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We all planned on arriving in DC at 9am to beat the thick of the crowd, and thank goodness we hadn't come later. There was a good amount of traffic going into the city, but not nearly as much as it grew through the afternoon hours!<br />
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A snippet of our day...<br />
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After a few hours of walking through the Tidal Basin and admiring the blooms, we made our way through the festival to where we hoped to have our first meal of the day.<br />
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We walked several blocks to get to <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/district-taco-washington" target="_blank">District Taco</a>, a well known spot (over 500 reviews on Yelp!). However the line seemed too long for our starving appetites and we moved on. Definitely must eat there soon! Unfortunately, none of us were even remotely aware of how crowded every other restaurant was.<br />
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After trying <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/old-ebbitt-grill-washington" target="_blank">Old Ebbit Grill</a> and a few other places with great reviews online, we came along a restaurant that could seat our party of nine right away - seemed like a winner!<br />
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MXDC</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">600 14th St NW</span></div>
<span itemprop="addressLocality" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="addressLocality" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Washington, DC</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"> </span><span itemprop="postalCode" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">20005</span><br />
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</div>
</span></address>
<address itemprop="address" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span itemprop="postalCode" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">To start off, many of us were wary of the fact that this restaurant was nearly empty although every other location we passed by had lines out the door. The hostess was standoffish from the moment we asked for a table to accommodate our large party - her original plan was to squeeze us at a smaller table by adding extra chairs (please note again, the entire restaurant was empty). </span></address>
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<address itemprop="address" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span itemprop="postalCode" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After being seated, we were excited to find a special on Sangria's and ordered two pitchers for the table. In our starved state, we were almost immediately ready to order. </span></address>
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<span itemprop="postalCode" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/25.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></span></address>
<address itemprop="address" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span itemprop="postalCode" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">After enjoying our glasses of sangria, we patiently waited for our food to arrive, while also noticing the restaurant starting to fill up. After a full hour of waiting, the entire restaurant was full and EVERY table had their meals arrive (and were consumed) before we could even get a hold of the waiter again. </span></address>
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Sadly, our experience was absolutely horrible and none of us plan to return. We ended up letting the waiter know we'd just pay for our drinks and leave. Our still-famished group ended up at the closest food court and enjoyed an assortment of Halaal food and Moe's Southwest Grill. Although disappointed in our experience at MXDC, we saved a ton of money and enjoyed our lunches regardless!</address>
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After arriving back at our cars and enjoying a more relaxed dinner in Shirlington, Lisa and Hoang generously allowed all of us to stay at their place overnight since we planned on having dimsum the next morning. We were all pretty exhausted after nine miles of walking through DC that day, and ended the night watching Interstellar with wine and mini ice cream sandwiches haha!</address>
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Overall the festival was fun with the absolutely beautiful weather (balmy 65 degrees with some strong breezes throughout the day) but we may hold off next year for the packed crowds. Driving alone took over 2-3 hours (people were walking into the streets without a care) and with all the packed restaurants, it may be best to avoid the weekends to enjoy the buds. Hopefully those planning on going this weekend don't have to face as big a crowd as we did!</address>
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Until next time!</address>
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Stay Hungry,</address>
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Jimin</address>
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The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-11823341735555073472015-04-06T20:26:00.000-07:002015-04-06T20:26:00.139-07:00Dinner at Deb's: White Wine Seafood Pasta and Chocolate MousseThe last week has been a complete roller coaster ride with unexpected hurdles. After getting home late after work and gym, I decided to finally grill some chicken and sweet potatoes for work lunches and snacks for the weekend. I hadn't gone straight to my room in like I normally do, with the intent of being productive in the kitchen before bed. As midnight passed by, I started cleaning and made my way to my room for some much needed sleep.<br />
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**Warning, story time!**<br />
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As I stepped onto my basement room carpet, I thought I was delirious when I felt the cold, spongey ground soaking my socks. I looked around, confused, and realized nearly my entire room had flooded. It wasn't the typical flooding with water in clear sight, more so the water had completely soaked my carpet, piles of clothing and blankets on my floor. How did this happen? I've had basement flooding before in older homes I lived in, but it was always after a huge rainstorm or our sump pump malfunctioning, but no one in my family had told me there were any issues. Before I could panic, I thought of my options and laid down all the towels I could find.<br />
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After cleaning up as much as I could, I decided to sleep on the couch until morning, and talk to my landlord about my options. Turned out the pipes in my home weren't completely cleared of water (otherwise known as winterization), so the remaining water froze within the pipes over the harsh winter and cracked the pipes to cause flooding. Fortunately my family's rooms were alright (since everyone is upstairs) and decided things could have ended up so much worse.<br />
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The next morning into late afternoon was spent wet-vacuuming my room in hopes to dry out the mess, but I soon found an issue with the wet-vac spewing out water instead of containing. I went to Home Depot in hopes of a solution, and after several attempts to talk to the employees I realized no one really knew anything to help my situation. I spotted a man in the same aisle and asked him (recognizing he wasn't an HD employee) and after a half hour of thoroughly explaining the process, he offered to take a look at the damage for free.<br />
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Typically, I'm very wary of strangers or anyone showing so much kindness (cynical but reading through the barrage of horror stories scares me), but this time around with my brother at home I figured I'd be safe. He came by and kindly assessed the damage, and offered to speak to my landlord in how to proceed. To my dismay, my hours of vacuuming had gone to waste, as we had to strip the carpet in the end. After hours and hours of pulling/rolling wet carpet, cutting out the sponge-padding (my trusty x-acto's came in handy) and clearing my room with the help of my wonderful boyfriend (seriously unreal, not a single complaint or any remote indication of not wanting to help me!), we made our way to Deb's house with the sweet offer of dinner and a warm bed to sleep in. Luckily Deb and I live less than ten minutes away from each other!<br />
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Even though I was exhausted beyond belief (running on three to four hours of sleep), good friends are always the best remedy for tough times.<br />
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Bao and I got to Deb's house and per usual, there was the warm aura that always radiates from her home. With the amazing smell of a white wine sauce bubbling on the stove with an assortment of fresh clams, I immediately felt a thousand times better.<br />
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After taking the cooked clams out of the boiling pan, Deb moved the handmade pasta directly into the remaining sauce.<br />
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She already had another full pot of this (in the red dutch oven in the back) that she and Kim had made during the day. Deb is known to make a lot of food (and loves to pack leftovers for us to enjoy another delicious meal the next day).</div>
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Soon, we were ready to eat. Deb's plating skills always add that beautiful final touch to all her creations! I helped my way to seconds, and then a third helping of just the amazing clams. No shame.</div>
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In true fashion, Deb prepared a decadent dessert of dark chocolate mousse with a perfectly sweet and tangy raspberry sauce on top (courtesy of Kim!). </div>
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A few candids :)</div>
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After the hearty meal, a few glasses and good laughs, I slowly started to feel the heavy lull of sleep coming. I think the entire week had been long for everyone, since we all started to drift off pretty soon (on the couch or floor, no less!). I distinctly remember having a few conversations with my eyes closed haha! Here's an extra "candid" that Deb caught :P</div>
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Eventually I did make it to that warm bed I was looking forward to, but this photo was so silly and shows how exhausted we all were. </div>
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The rest of the story is much, much longer and more tiresome (Saturday was another beast to conquer), but after such a difficult weekend of labor, I realized the importance of truly good-hearted people. It's hard to appreciate the things you're used to on the daily when everything is comfortable, so I try to remind myself that these obstacles come at the right time. Interestingly enough, as I was sorting through my old college art work, I found a lithography print with the phrase "Sh*t could be worse". Finding that piece in the midst of my dread - funny how timing works - it really was a great reminder that I have much to be thankful for even in times of struggle. I ended up downsizing significantly, learned some valuable lessons about prepping my home for winter, and learned a bit of construction methods after watching the process. I'd say that's a considerable amount of good I could take away from an otherwise bad situation.<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay Hungry,<br />
Jimin<br />
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<br />The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-91571137240977768562015-03-25T14:55:00.000-07:002015-03-25T15:07:09.190-07:00Weekend Fun Series!Weekends are the best days to look forward to, especially after a week of standard work days (where realistically, nothing too exciting happens). I think the appeal in weekends are the excuse to lounge, spend time with people you care about, and refuel for another ambitious week ahead.<br />
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A few weekends ago Bao and I made a trip back to Pennsylvania to his parents' home to see friends, family and his adorable wolf/bear hybrid (in actuality a Siberian Husky) dog, Rocky. Ever since moving to the DC area for a job opportunity, Bao's gone back every other week to his hometown.<br />
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We started off with a drive up to Philadelphia Friday evening to celebrate the birthdays of three friends. Bao started a tradition of stopping at Wawa's every trip to get a short break and usually a hot coffee for the road; I've come to look forward to it every time I join him on his trips back home. We all met up at Frankford Hall for drinks and laughs, and made our way home late after midnight. The drive to his parents' house was hilarious blasting music to stay awake :)<br />
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After goofing around with Rocky a bit and getting a few hours of sleep, we got up the next morning to do a little outlet shopping and stop by one of our favorite breakfast spots. The backroads to get to the outlets are always fun, local winding paths that lead us to our delectable first location.<br />
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<i><b>Mal's American Diner</b></i></div>
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<i><b>4006 Skippack Pike</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Skippack, PA 19474</b></i><br />
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The first time we came here, it was late into Autumn and we were heavily interested in their pumpkin-themed menu. I remember ordering a pumpkin spice waffle topped with THREE scoops of homemade icecream and fresh whipped cream! Incredibly indulgent but worth every single bite. This time around, we had to go for the waffles again. I opted for the original waffle topped with a generous helping of chocolate chips while Bao got an apple spice waffle topped with fresh whipped cream and caramelized apples. We balanced the sweetness with a savory side of hashbrowns that were full of sauteed onions (drenched in hot sauce).<br />
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Comfortably fueled for a shopping trip, we made our way to the outlets and picked up some groceries for dinner. Bao makes amazing grilled steaks and decided to make a delicious dinner for us and his family.<br />
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First, he prepped the steaks by salting them for a few minutes, then coating with cracked black pepper.</div>
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While the steaks were sitting, he chopped up some white onions and tossed in an aluminum tray with basil, minced garlic, avocado oil and butter.<br />
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After searing on a hot cast iron for a few minutes each side (never flip over on the same side twice), Bao packed more freshly crushed peppercorns and placed them in the herb tray from early to finish off in the oven.<br />
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After popping the steaks in the oven for another 10 minutes (at 375 degrees), you're ready to enjoy!<br />
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After another comfortable night in snuggling with the boyfriend and Rocky, we got up the next morning to get ready for our drive home. Of course not before a hearty meal (haha!).<br />
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<i><b>Xinantecatl</b></i></div>
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<i><b>128 N Main Street</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Souderton, PA 18984</b></i></div>
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This location is definitely a hole in the wall, I never would have noticed it had Bao not pointed it out. He knew of this little eatery from his mountain biking trips last summer with his friend Dave. After every tough run through the woods, Bao and Dave would refuel with a delicious meal here. I was so excited to try this authentic Mexican restaurant!<br />
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When we first walked in, I was a little confused since it was a small grocery store. As you walk towards the back wall, there's a doorway that leads you to this kitchen with a few tables lined along the wall. You could smell the most aromatic deliciousness coming from the authentic grill, with two friendly women smiling behind the counter.<br />
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After debating on the menu (everything sounded so delicious), I chose the Steak Mexican Style: cooked with onion, tomato and sweet peppers, served with rice, refried beans, cheese, avocado and amazing warm corn tortillas. Bao got the Cuban Torta (get ready for all the ingredients) with steak, cow's tongue, chili, garlic flavored sausage, chicken, salted steak, ham, refried beans, avocado, cheese, onion and lettuce, all on a freshly baked sour dough roll. My dish was only $8.50, and Bao's was $7! SUPER steal and the food was all <i>incredible</i>.<br />
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The decor was also beautiful, and the contrasting gold and purple walls are a nice, colorful touch.<br />
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I'm definitely looking forward to coming back here on our trips, hopefully you get a chance to find this gem too!<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay Hungry,<br />
Jimin<br />
<br />The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-49746628569208593462015-03-23T10:29:00.001-07:002015-03-24T21:56:39.109-07:00New &Pizza Location!When I think of my favorite dishes of all time, pizza always comes to mind. My mom and I love any kinds of pasta, freshly baked bread, cheese (and everything of the like) so we were excited to hear a new pizza place was opening down the street. After a busy morning of running errands, we excitedly made our way to &Pizza for a hearty lunch.<br />
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<b><i>&Pizza</i></b></div>
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<b><i>19823 Century Blvd</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Germantown, MD 20874</i></b></div>
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When my family and I first walked into the restaurant, we noticed a long marble table down the center of the space and a line along the wall to match. There weren't any signs that we noticed at first, so we were a little confused on pricing and how to order. Following the end of the line of customers, we noticed the long station of various toppings and figured the customizable setup.<br />
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My mom and I decided to split a pizza since they looked fairly large, and she literally wanted every single topping (Give me one of everything! Yes... yes everything." haha). The options are quite vast, ranging from different kinds of vegetables, proteins, finishes and oils. Take a look at the menu <a href="http://andpizza.com/" target="_blank">here</a>! The dough is already set out on small black trays (to bake on) and like an assembly line, three people behind a glass put on your desired toppings.<br />
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**Disclaimer: Whenever I try a new place, I usually bring my nicer camera (well known fact, a DSLR is significantly larger than a point and shoot) so I always make sure to ask the owner/manager of the establishment if it's alright to take photos. The manager was incredibly friendly and gave me the green light to post on my blog.**<br />
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Of all the toppings we had, the ones I enjoyed most were: artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, the local mushroom blend (roasted) spinach, meatballs, salami, smoked bacon, basil, arugula, cherry tomatoes, crumbled goat and feta cheese, all topped with an egg. I loved the egg option on top since you don't see that everywhere. That wasn't even half the toppings! Normally I go for various cheeses and mushrooms, but this pizza was wonderful in it's overloaded glory.<br />
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I'm not completely sure what my brother ended up getting but his pizza was significantly smaller than ours (in terms of the ingredient-stack). The dough was on the thinner side, reminding me of a more authentic crust than most pie restaurants and was perfectly baked to a light crisp. Normally I prefer a thicker crust for the bite, but this crust wasn't hollow like I might've expected. My mom couldn't stop raving about how delicious everything was, in addition to the great $9 price for a completely customizable pizza.<br />
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Once we started to clean up, the manager made some rounds to ask each customer how their meal experience was, and even brought out a dessert pie for my family! &Pizza's dessert pie had white chocolate sauce, four berry blend, sweet ricotta, powdered sugar and agave syrup. On the same lightly crisped dough, this was a great end to our meal.<br />
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I'd definitely recommend stopping by here for a larger portioned lunch (less than $12 for a pizza and drink)! I hear a lot of locations popping up around the area so hopefully you get a chance to try any of the locations scattered throughout DC and Maryland.<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay Hungry,<br />
JiminThe Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-71641029030041016972015-03-12T23:58:00.004-07:002015-03-12T23:58:54.857-07:00Dinner at Deb's; Burgers, Flatbread and Birthday Cake!After a hectic few days of snow, work, and overall busy schedules, a few friends and I were able to get together to celebrate our dearest Deb's birthday (a week late but better late than never)! With all our crazy schedules and distance (Kim moved to Baltimore, I was coming from Virginia, Jenny was in Hawaii for school), it was nice to finally get together again for the amazing dinners and conversation. As evening approached, I made my way to Deb's always inviting home for another great night.<br />
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Although this warm weather is a little unbelievable (I was just snowed in last week!), our plans to grill burgers outdoors fell through because of the rain the night before. Regardless, Deb already had her famous burgers marinated with all kinds of delicious ingredients and spices and started grilling them on the hot cast iron. </div>
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As an appetizer, Deb crafted some beautiful flatbreads topped with caramelized red onions, thinly sliced zucchini, fresh roma tomatoes, basil, parmesan, bleu cheese crumbles, cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. (The finished dish is pictured above)<br />
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While this was getting toasty in the oven, the chef already set up bacon strips on an oven rack and a bowl of sweet caramelized onions as additional toppers to our burgers. Look how beautifully laid out the bacon is!<br />
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Soon after a bit of catching up, we sat down to assemble our burgers. They resemble the perfectly crafted "Krabby Patties" on Spongebob Squarepants, haha! The spicy burger patties laid on soft french brioche buns.<br />
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After quickly devouring our burgers and flatbread (maybe everyone else enjoyed their food at a moderate speed, mine was gone within minutes), we prepped for dessert. I wanted to surprise Deb with her birthday cake so when she asked me about dessert, I pretended to know of no such thing. It worked out since she made her amazing chocolate molten lava cakes with Kim's raspberry reduction as a perfect pairing. Here are a few photos of previous times she's made this amazing dessert:<br />
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At this point we were all pretty full (as Deb proceeded to instruct us on how to engage your core for hip bridges from her personal training sessions, haha!) we started setting up the cake to sing for her birthday.<br />
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No secret to anyone that knows Deb, is her favorite gelato. I wish I'd have taken a photo of her freezer since everyone gifts jars and jars of Talenti gelato (the selection is more extensive than a supermarket)! I had to make a cake that reflected one of her favorite flavors, Mediterranean Mint.<br />
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Needless to say, she really loved the cake! Under the vanilla and chocolate fondant is a simple butter cake (intended to be drizzled with tres leches to match her cupcakes). After a few silly photos and admiring the gold candle that miraculously burned clean without drips, Deb showed us her beautiful whiskey gifts!<br />
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(As you can see in this photo, the candle was burning without a drip with absolutely no problem!)<br />
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Although I much rather prefer wine, Deb has an appreciation for well-crafted whiskeys. I just admired the beautiful design and clean type!<br />
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After more attempts to recover from the incredible meal we just finished, we somehow ended up taking a time lapse of silly photos (okay it was 100% my idea). There were some issues getting the photos to show up on this post, so here are the links! Any easier suggestions for making gifs? I used imgflip.com, but the size limitation was a bit of a bummer.<br />
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<a href="https://imgflip.com/gif/is7kk" target="_blank">Silly Gif 1</a><br />
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<a href="https://imgflip.com/gif/is7n1" target="_blank">Silly Gif 2</a><br />
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<a href="https://imgflip.com/gif/is7ol" target="_blank">Silly Gif 3</a> (my favorite, Kim's action gif hahaha!)<br />
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We all could have goofed around for hours but finally made our ways back home early into the morning hours. Happy happy birthday to such an incredible soul, we love you!<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay hungry,<br />
Jimin</div>
The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-30730627505904570582015-03-05T20:16:00.000-08:002015-03-05T20:16:14.025-08:00Friend's Quarter Century and PlayStation Cake!It's incredible how quickly February flew by, can anyone believe it's already March? A month full of birthdays and wedding/birthday cakes, I'm sure this one will go just as quickly. Hopefully the blizzard today let many of you rest and enjoy a warm day indoors.<div>
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Last night, Bao and I met up with our good friends Hoang and Lisa to celebrate Hoang's quarter century birthday. It was so nice to meet up with hilarious company, I completely forgot to take photos of our food! Although the food was great, nothing beats quality time with people you care about.</div>
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Lisa planned a wonderful surprise dinner for her boyfriend, complete with a custom cake order and Hoang's favorite cupcakes! Knowing how much Hoang and Bao love their Playstation game, Destiny, we brainstormed on the game theme and came up with a "Hunter" symbol cake. </div>
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As for the Tres Leches cupcakes, the cake was a classic french vanilla, injected with tres leches (coconut milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk) and a dollop of dulce de leche caramel, topped with cream cheese frosting and another drizzle of dulce de leche! Needless to say, these cupcakes were fairly weighted and rightly so ;)</div>
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With sweets in tow, we all met up at the restaurant on the rainy evening.</div>
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<b><i>Sweetwater Tavern</i></b></div>
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<b><i>3066 Gateway Plaza</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Falls Church, VA 22042</i></b></div>
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We were promptly seated at the restaurant, and we looked forward to the delicious beignet-style starters that come to each table. Perfectly doughy, these are the best start to a meal. We had a decadent and delicious meal of "Drunken Ribeye", lobster bisque, jambalaya, filet mignon and baby back ribs (thank you Lisa!!!). After a perfect meal, we prepped for dessert.</div>
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The best part of all the time and effort put into a cake is definitely seeing how much it means to the recipient. Cakes are definitely a labor of love! As Hoang's first custom cake ever, I was so happy to see how much it meant to him. Lisa is the sweetest girlfriend for organizing the perfect surprise!</div>
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Overall, it was a great night of laughs and catching up. I'm lucky to call you guys my friends :) Happy 25th birthday Hoang!</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Stay Hungry,</div>
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Jimin</div>
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The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-38560156260135224952015-02-21T15:58:00.000-08:002015-02-21T15:58:44.861-08:00Comfort Food: Homemade Chicken Noodle SoupI've always wanted to try making my own chicken noodle soup. It's the epitome of comfort food for colds, nostalgia for home, and in my case, being snowed in again. I had a cake deliver this morning, so I planned my day to drive to the office afterwards. After what took triple the time to get to my cake destination, I decided to head back home. Thank goodness I did, I was stuck going 15-20 mph on snowy backroads (although absolutely beautiful) and then completely stopped in front of my house because so many cars were stuck on the road.<br />
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After I finally made it back home, I had the immediate urge to cook something warm to thaw my frozen state. I looked in the fridge and saw we had the basic necessities for the soup. Since I've never made chicken noodle soup before, I looked up a basic recipe and improvised with what I had in the kitchen.<br />
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<b><i>Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (serves up to four):</i></b><br />
-Organic Chicken Breast (3 large pieces)<br />
-Celery (4 large stalks)<br />
-Carrots (3-4 medium)<br />
-Onion (1 medium)<br />
-Minced Garlic<br />
-Bay leaves (4 dry leaves)<br />
-Black Pepper<br />
-Thyme<br />
-Chicken Stock (5 cups)<br />
-Bowtie Pasta (I used this instead of egg noodles)<br />
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I plan on trying to make my own chicken stock in the near future, but for today's purpose of making a quick dish I used what I could :)<br />
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First I diced the carrots, celery, onion and chicken breast. A great way to cut carrots (suggested by some pretty professional chef friends!) is to cut at an angle, and slightly turning the carrot each time. Here's a great <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/knife-skills-how-to-cut-carrots.html" target="_blank">example</a> from Serious Eats, refer to steps 6-8! These "faux tourne" carrot pieces are much more appealing in your dishes.<br />
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After chopping all your vegetables and chicken breast, season the chicken with black pepper, minced garlic, and thyme. I grilled the chicken first on a pan, while lightly browning my veggies in my main pot. I then added the grilled chicken to the pot, along with the bay leaves and chicken stock.<br />
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Once everything started to boil, I added my bowtie pasta. My mom bought some beautiful handmade pasta, and I thought the vibrant colors would be a great addition to my soup.<br />
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I gently placed the pasta in the soup, since they're more prone to falling apart. After 7-8 minutes, the soup was ready! My brother came home soon after I finished the soup (after sitting in four hours of traffic!), and he gave it two thumbs up :) I'm proud of the result, the soup was delicious!<br />
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I hope all of you are staying warm and safe in this crazy weather, I'm off to shovel for the third time today (boo). What kinds of snacks and warm dishes are you eating while snowed in?<br />
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P.S. Here's a photo of the cake I delivered this morning! Loved the circus theme :)<br />
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Until next time :)<br />
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Stay hungry,<br />
Jimin<br />
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<br />The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-56231292510305596612015-02-18T11:24:00.000-08:002015-02-18T11:24:12.604-08:00Snowday; Spicy Jalapeno Burger with Fried EggWinter days indoors are meant to be cozy, warm, and downright lazy. Compared to the blistering winds, staying within your toasty doors seems quite appealing. The entire DC, Maryland and Virginia area was hit with a good amount of snow last night - not nearly as much as predicted, but my little Nissan Versa wasn't able to brave the roads for long. Prepared for a nice day indoors, I brainstormed on a simple and comforting dish. Not quite in the mood for a stew that would normally be expected in this kind of weather, my boyfriend and I opted for a juicy homemade burger with a delicious runny egg (previously mentioned in my Avocado Egg Toast <a href="http://thehungrywolfdc.blogspot.com/2015/02/avocado-egg-toast.html" target="_blank">post</a>!).<br />
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Early in the morning, Bao and I took his car (a Suburu, much better suited for this weather than my car) and made our way to the local supermarket down the street. This was the first time I'd ever made burgers from scratch, so I looked for a simple recipe. We improvised for the most part, but here are the basic ingredients we included (from grocery fresh veggies and what ever we had in the pantry):<br />
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<b><i>Spicy Jalapeno Burgers with Fried Egg (serves 4)</i></b><br />
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- 1lb Ground Beef: 92% lean, 8% fat<br />
- Red Onion (1 medium)<br />
- Jalapenos (2 medium)<br />
- Minced garlic (as much as you like, we love garlic!)<br />
- Eggs (4 large to top burgers, 1 large to mix into patties)<br />
- Avocado (1 medium)<br />
- Butter lettuce<br />
- Salt/Pepper<br />
- Basil<br />
- Dijon mustard<br />
- Worchestershire sauce<br />
- Avocado Oil<br />
- Kaiser rolls (4)<br />
- Pepperjack cheese <br />
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Start by chopping a quarter of your red onion, one jalapeno, and garlic
into small bite size pieces. Add the chopped veggies with your beef, and
the standard spices/herbs to taste: salt, pepper, dried basil,
Worchestershire sauce and dijon mustard. Finally, add one large egg and
mix. Form four thick patties and prepare your pan with avocado oil
(great for high heat!) <br />
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I wanted a thicker cut burger so we made each patty fairly round, to press down slightly once on the grill. <br />
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Once your patties are done (about 4 minutes high heat each side, only flip once and lower heat to cook inside), top with your cheese of choice and start making your eggs.<br />
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Top your warm patties with an egg each and while your kaiser rolls toast, add your desired veggies.<br />
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And voila! Delicious and easy burgers that were made, photographed (hehe) and eaten within an hour :)<br />
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I hope these photos inspire you to try this at home! Bao and I enjoyed these burgers so much (and they were incredibly easy to make) we plan on making another variation soon.<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay hungry,<br />
Jimin
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No one seemed to know the term for these delicious creations, but here's a <a href="http://www.bennysbaker.com/recipe-slutty-blondies/" target="_blank">reference</a> from the wonderful Benny's Baker blog. Her tame definition of a slutty brownie is "a baked good with an oreo between a cookie and a brownie". I suppose April's variation could have been called a cookie bar (her delicious bars were chock full of crush oreos, hershey drops, chocolate chips) but I thought the other title brought some humor into her creation. Wish I grabbed a photo of her bars but they were gone in minutes! Always a good sign ;)<br />
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After the weekend came around, I already had the kitchen cleared to make a <a href="http://instagram.com/p/zII0Z2sYUU/?modal=true" target="_blank">Sesame Street</a> themed baby birthday cake, so I decided to make one of my boyfriend's favorite desserts: chocolate covered strawberries! I was inspired by my friend Kim's blog <a href="http://kimtruongill.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">post</a> (she also made drool-worthy "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bars" that reminded me of the above mentioned slutty blondies haha)!<br />
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First things first, I let the strawberries sit in a bowl of water for a few minutes then dried the off with a paper towel. I then laid them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and popped them in the fridge for half an hour uncovered to make sure they were completely dry before dipping. I used store bought dipping chocolate (on sale for $1.50 each at Wegman's!) in white chocolate and dark.<br />
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If you read Kim's post, you'll understand I'm completely in agreement about covering the strawberries with as much chocolate as possible! After the first coat of chocolate, I added a few drizzles (because you can never have too much chocolate).<br />
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I had originally crushed some oreos and had sprinkles prepared to dip these in, but the chocolate hardened too quickly. I'll have to try again next time!<br />
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Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's weekend filled with plenty of love from good friends, family or significant others.<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay hungry,<br />
JiminThe Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-65165308316459171552015-02-12T22:53:00.001-08:002015-02-12T22:53:46.321-08:00Avocado Egg Toast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Breakfast is inarguably the best meal of the day. First thing after you wake up in the morning, breakfast fuels your early hours and sets the precedent for the rest of the day. During the week, however, most of us don't have the luxury of making an elaborate breakfast, so I look forward to the weekends where I can make breakfast slowly. </div>
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With the coffee roasting and the stove hot, the most definitive factor that makes any meal "breakfast" to me is the elegantly simple egg. Eggs on anything - atop a juicy burger, over-easy on rice, poached and perched perfectly under creamy hollandaise - really take any dish to another level.</div>
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I often make avocado and egg toast, as it's an easy, no-fail breakfast that you can easily dress up or leave as is and enjoy. I started off with this gorgeous seeded bread (literally packed with pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, black and white sesame seeds) that just add the most amazing texture and depth to what could be a normal boring slice of toast.</div>
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While one egg was on the stove (I prepare my sunny-side up on med/low heat) and my hot water was starting to boil, I popped the hearty bread into the toaster. This was my first time attempting to poach an egg, and my first try was semi-successful. Most of the egg stayed in one shape, but I could definitely use more practice! If you'd like to try poaching an egg yourself, I'd recommend this <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/1076494/kitchen-conundrums#1084358" target="_blank">video</a> from Martha Stewart's Kitchen Conundrums; I really enjoy Thomas Joseph's series since each video has clear, concise directions.<br />
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As you can see, I overcooked the poached egg a bit. Next time I'm aiming for a runnier yolk!<br />
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I simply topped each toast with either a poached egg, sunny side up, or halved avocado. It's so easy to add flavors and dimension to avocado toast since everything is like a blank canvas. Here I put my mandolin to good use for some thinly sliced radish (I love the bright colors and fresh bite from radishes), and freshly cracked black pepper or leftover seeds from the loaf for my avocado.<br />
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Hope this gives you all some ideas for making a super simple breakfast. I have to try making a decadent burger with a sunny side up egg or meaty steak and eggs! Yum.<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay Hungry,<br />
JiminThe Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-219192514709231832015-02-09T14:01:00.001-08:002015-02-09T14:01:10.640-08:00The Gryphon - Early Valentine's DinnerGrowing up, I remember how much the Hallmark holidays had me daydreaming about the scenarios in movies. I'd still call myself a romantic, but the importance I placed on these stories has significantly diminished. I'm learning to appreciate the little things that add up to the big things.<br />
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To celebrate Valentine's, my boyfriend Bao and I decided to take advantage of a great Groupon deal for a place called The Gryphon. The concept of picking several small dishes to try out different creations (like tapas) sounded perfect.</div>
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Although I was already excited to have a quiet dinner with him, I was pleasantly surprised when he showed up at my door, hiding the most gorgeous snowboard (my first ever!) beside the front wall. We agreed on no gifts this year... but he completely put that to shame. In the time that I've known him, I've noticed he puts so much thought and consideration into his gifts. After all my giddy inner-child-jumping-for-joy and hugging (him <i>and</i> the board haha), we proceeded to our dinner destination.</div>
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<b><i>The Gryphon DC</i></b></div>
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<b><i>1337 Connecticut Avenue NW</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Washington, DC 20036</i></b></div>
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Finding parking in DC has always been a struggle for me, so thankfully he drove us to the restaurant. We found a nice spot close by, and walked past an upbeat crowd that looked to be a part of a bar crawl. When we found the brightly lit sign above the entrance, we opened a large glass paneled door and made our way inside.</div>
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My first impression of The Gryphon: dark lounge, vampire lair. Silly, but as soon as you walk in there was an elaborate bar on the right, and heavy black tapestry sectioning off the back. There were chandeliers made entirely of elk horns arranged in to fit together seamlessly, and prison bars over a makeshift window. We were seated right away and our friendly waitress Amber came by to introduce herself and give us a rundown on all the best dishes. </div>
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What had originally thrown me off about the decor soon became a eccentric touch that I grew to appreciate. The low, warm lighting added to the overall ambiance, the plushy leather chairs we sat in were comfortable. The entire <a href="http://www.thegryphondc.com/site/dinner-menu.html" target="_blank">menu</a> looks promising - there are a few main entrees to choose from, several raw bar options, and a plethora of small dishes (called Social Bites) towards the end. </div>
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We started off with Amber's recommendation of the Striped Bass Ceviche. The striped bass was marinated in a tart lime, orange, grapefruit, cilantro and red onion juice that was so refreshing. The plantain chips to place the tender striped bass pieces were the perfect compliment to this starter.<br />
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I wish I had gotten a better photo of this dish - admittedly I was shy at first whipping out my dslr for a quiet dinner out - but this was my favorite dish hands down!</div>
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Next up, seeing as we both love raw oysters, we ordered an assortment. I remember years ago of a large family gathering, where we all sat around our old kitchen table shucking a plethora of fresh raw oysters from a special seafood market. I probably had over four dozen raw oysters that day (you either love them or hate them haha). I particularly love topping with a dot of hot sauce and drizzle of lemon, and decided to add the horseradish and vinegar mix this time around.</div>
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We chose to try each of the three choices on the menu: <i>Sting Ray</i> from Rappahannock River, Virginia, <i>Tom's Cove</i> from Chincoteague, Virginia and <i>Malpeque</i> from Prince Edward Island, Canada. Bao and I liked the Malpeque most, as it's the plumpest of the group. I ended up adding a spoonful of the ceviche juices to compliment the oysters further. I highly recommend!</div>
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As we finished up our oysters, the social bites started to arrive at our table. We both love a great cut of meat (there are ribeyes, dry-aged sirloins, lamb and filets available) but opted for the smaller dishes to get a bigger range of flavor. As we grazed over the menu, Amber let us know her favorite items; her excitement for particular dishes convinced our choices.</div>
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The first dish pictured above is proscuitto wrapped monkfish atop asparagus and black eyed peas in a smooth champagne butter sauce. We were pretty excited about this dish since Bao hadn't had monkfish in years, and the dish was fairly good. The monkfish was dense and the proscuitto was cut a little thick, but the overall flavors were wonderful. I especially loved how the chef sliced the asparagus at an angle to maintain a crisp and flavorful bite.</div>
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Next dish I was excited about was the fried caesar parmesan brussel sprouts. I love brussel sprouts steamed, roasted, grilled, any way really. These were fried in peanut oil with fresh grated parmesan, definitely a rich and decadent treat. I loved how the brussel sprouts were presented in a small cast iron "dutch oven". </div>
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Finally we tried our short ribs with roasted radishes, pineapple mustard glaze and scallion oil. These short ribs were chewier than expected (I was imagining a braised beef stew-type tenderness), but the sweet pineapple mustard glaze complimented it perfectly. By this time of the meal, we still had a good amount of food left but our tummies were full! These were small dishes compared to the standard restaurant fare, but we hadn't come into dinner absolutely starving. </div>
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The overall experience for The Gryphon was a wonderful one. Having an informative and bubbly waitress, trying varied unique dishes, and enjoying the eclectic atmosphere was memorable.</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Stay hungry,</div>
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Jimin</div>
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The Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-38743453710387482012015-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:002015-02-05T08:07:42.222-08:00Dinner at Il Pizzico; Introducing Dinner at Deb's!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love how food has the ability to bring people together. A casual first date dinner, girlfriends conversing over desserts, a night out for drinks with good company - all make for the perfect environment (and perfect excuse) to connect with others. One of my dearest and most talented friends, Deborah, wanted to grab a bite at a hole-in-the-wall authentic Italian restaurant.<br />
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We first met at her house as she was testing out a new recipe (she's a stellar chef!) and wanted me to try it out. This dish had tender flank steak thinly sliced, with a generous spread of ginger and other delicious herbs. The garnished strips were then rolled, secured with cooking twine and roasted in the oven. Once the tendrils reached the perfect finish, they were placed upon a bed of perfectly marinated bok choy.<br />
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We each tried a piece and as usual, I was blown away by how well executed this dish was. Deb fearlessly tries new recipes all the time, viewing any seemingly complex dish as a welcome challenge. I'm hoping to feature some of her amazing dishes (with her permission) from time to time, so stay tuned! With a tasty "antipasti" in tow, we made our way to our dinner location.<br />
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<b><i>Il Pizzico</i></b></div>
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<b><i>15209 Frederick Road</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Rockville, MD 20850</i></b></div>
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From the outside, Il Pizzico looks unsuspectingly normal. A simple exterior nestled in a small strip next to a cafe and gas station, it's hard to imagine what we had in store. However, I knew if Deb was recommending this restaurant, there was something special about this place.<br />
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As soon as we walked in, the beautiful ambiance was a pleasant surprise. Soft lighting and simple metal art adorned the walls on the restaurant portion to our left. To our right, a well stocked bar with a friendly bartender. We were warmly greeted and led to our seats on the restaurant portion and introduced by our waiter.<br />
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As he went over the specials for the day, Deb and I both looked at each other as soon as he mentioned "The Cowboy Steak". We had no idea what the cowboy steak was, just that we were definitely interested. Deb already planned on getting her favorite pasta dish, so we were settled.<br />
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We ordered the Carpaccio di Manzo, and the fresh and colorful palette was a perfect start to our meal. The thin, buttery slices of raw beef had a drizzle of mustard sauce, bed of baby arugula, shaved Parmigiano, and fresh cracked black pepper. The beef slices were so soft and tender, and the baby arugula hidden under the shaved Parmigiano balanced perfectly. This was my first time trying carpaccio and I'm sold!<br />
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Our entrees arrived at just the right time, and the dishes looked like works of art. I was told the portions weren't garishly oversized, but more under the pretense of quality over quantity. The cowboy steak was beautiful to look at and equally as delicious. I asked for a medium rare cook (closer to rare is my favorite), and the meat was tender with gorgeous grill marks and a balsamic glaze. The glorious star of the dish sat atop steamed broccoli and potato wedges.<br />
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Deb had the Maltagliati Al Ragu'di Vitello, a homemade pasta with creamy veal meat sauce. Each flattened pasta piece had the perfect al dente texture and the right amount of chewiness and bite that could hold it's own. Paired with the light but meaty sauce, I could see why she had been craving this dish all day.<br />
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After we enjoyed our amazing entrees, we were ready for a sweet bite. Our waiter told us about their specialty desserts for the day, one of which was an obvious choice: an almond amaretto cake filled with a creamy custard, drizzled with an amaretto glaze topped with fresh whipped cream - all nestled next to some almond gelato. No debate needed!<br />
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With a warm cup of black coffee, this dessert was the perfect balance (a hint of raspberry drizzle garnished on the plate added a tangy twist) that left our tummies happy.<br />
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This silly photo of Deb (since she never lets me take "normal" photos of her, haha!) shows a little bit of her fun personality.<br />
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As we made our way back, the thought of being so lucky to call some once-acquaintances-now-friends crossed my mind. Deb and I met in college, then reconnected after we moved past our school years. I'm always so grateful to be able to look up to such a kind and accomplished individual, and feel comfortable enough to open up about my goals, fears and everything in between without the worry of judgement. Hopefully this year I can take more time to show my appreciation to the incredible friends I have in my life.<br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay hungry,<br />
JiminThe Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-933876632625025830.post-18706598193726576892015-02-03T14:30:00.000-08:002015-02-03T18:57:45.315-08:00DC Outing: Astro Donuts and La Colombe CoffeeWith the hustle and bustle of our every day hectic schedules, I realized it had been far too long since I spent some quality time with my mom. Perfect solution: decadent donuts, flaky pastries and hot coffee! <br />
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Driving through DC sans bumper to bumper traffic is incredibly peaceful... and gives you an opportunity to see how beautiful the city really is. We made our way out early in the morning and arrived promptly at our first stop:<br />
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<b>Astro Donuts<br />1305 G Street Northwest<br />Washington, DC 20004</b><br />
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I've been having an odd craving for donuts, and this place looked like the perfect spot to satiate my sweet tooth. I wasn't just looking for <i>any</i> donut though, I wanted one that had the perfect texture (a bit chewy and soft, yet has a little weight to it). Astro Donuts has rave reviews all over <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/astro-doughnuts-and-fried-chicken-washington" target="_blank">Yelp</a> for their indulgent donuts and savory fried chicken. The perfect balance of sweet and salty, how could you go wrong? <br />
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Being my first time here, I was expecting a larger bakery-type layout but this location was just a storefront for pickup. Easy hint should've been when my mom and I noticed a couple was sitting outside - in this blistering cold - while munching on their doughy goodness. Regardless, we walked in excited to try these raved-about donuts!<br />
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We skipped the fried chicken and opted straight for the sweets: Nutella, Lemon Berry, Maple Bacon, Vanilla, Caramel Macchiato, and Creme Brulee. My plan had been to pick up a few donuts to share with the family later while my mom and I sat over some coffee to catch up. However, she was starving by the time we got to the car and informed me she'd be devouring one right away! <br />
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Her review: AMAZING. She was in sticker shock at the price of each donut (around $3 each) but admit they were noticeably different. The perfect texture I had mentioned earlier was seemingly achieved! My recommendation, eat them right away instead of waiting a few hours like I did. As my mom's hunger (I explained to her the definition of "hangry") was satisfied, we made our way to our next destination:<br />
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<b>La Colombe <br />
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I have a confession: I love coffee. As many of you have grown an affinity to coffee after starting an office job, mine became prominent during those late nights studying in college to getting that morning jolt of productivity at work.<br />
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I wanted to find a nice environment for my mom and I to sit
comfortably and talk, and La Colombe was the perfect spot. The location
is slightly hidden in the middle of a small neighborhood, and as we
walked along the brick wall alleyways we noticed some beautiful mosaics
of all kinds of dogs. Refreshing informal "entryway" to this coffeeshop!<br />
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alleyway" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/11.jpg" height="425" title="Alleyway" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you walk in, you hear the familiar bustle of people conversing and the skilled barista foaming milk. The wall on your left is a large glass/garage door lined with small, intimate tables for two, on the right is the beautiful brick and huge marble counter top where your order is placed. <br />
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coffeeshop" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/15.jpg" height="425" style="cursor: move;" title="La Colombe Coffee" width="640" /></a><br />
We ordered a buttery croissant and apple danish to munch on (pulled from a local bakery), a latte with hemp milk for me, and a dark roast coffee for my mom. Initially all the seats were taken but within minutes a kind stranger motioned for us to take her place as she was leaving. <br />
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coffeeshop" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/10.jpg" height="640" title="Coffeeshop" width="640" /></a></div>
Our drinks and pastries were ready right away and placed on the most beautiful hand-painted cups and saucers. I took a sip of my latte and boy, was it delicious. The coffee had a slight fine grainy texture to it - could have been the hemp milk - but it was most definitely one of my favorite lattes to date. Our pastries were perfectly buttery and flakey (they will toast your pastries if you ask) and the atmosphere was wonderful for talking.<br />
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photography" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/02.jpg" height="425" style="cursor: move;" title="Photography" width="640" /></a></div>
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After our delicious breakfast we went window shopping, took some photos, then made our way to our final location.<br />
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<b>PAUL<br />2001 International Dr, 1856 G<br />Mclean, VA 22102</b></center>
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dark Roast" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/19.jpg" height="424" style="cursor: move;" title="Dark Roast" width="640" /></a><br />
Although we had had coffee a few hours prior, my mom insisted she take me to her favorite french patisserie that she had business meetings in. Located in the luxurious Tysons Galleria in Tysons, Virgina, this small shop was beautifully decorated inside with beautiful hammer-detail chairs and soft lighting.<br />
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="PAUL Pastries" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/18.jpg" height="425" title="PAUL Pastries" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="PAUL Pastries" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/16.jpg" height="425" title="PAUL Pastries" width="640" /> </a></div>
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<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mama" border="0" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee122/xjim/06.jpg" title="Mama" /></a></div>
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We sat inside with our dark roasts and quiche for lunch. I would recommend coming here as my mom does with business associates or close friends as the atmosphere is calm and inviting. We finally made our way back home after a fun day.<br />
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After spending a day with my mom after so long, I realized how busy we became in our own lives and how nice it was to reconnect with her now that I'm a little older. I still feel foolish calling myself a real adult - haha - but instead of the parent/child relationship, we seemed to understand each other better. <br />
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Until next time!<br />
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Stay hungry,<br />
JiminThe Hungry Wolf DChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10177086665972312613noreply@blogger.com1