Chinese -> Fu Lin -> Wheaton, MD

Went to dinner with the folks. They had dinner at this place with some friends and they wanted to go take us as well.

	Tea – A little on the weak side actually.
	Rice – I think we got the bottom of the pot, some of the rice we got was the crusty hardened type that is on the bottom.
	Sauteed Clam with Black Bean Sauce – A generous amounts of clam. Clams were just slightly cooked so no rubbery mess, which was great. The black bean sauce really wasn’t able to permeate through though. Some of the clams lacked the flavoring of the black bean. However solvable if you mix the sauce into your bites. Not too bad.
	Shrimp and Scallop with Black Pepper Sauce Hot Pot – I didn’t like how they sliced the scallops so that it looked as if more was in the pot. This really stole from the essence of the sweet center of the scallops when perfectly cooked. The shrimps were fairly big and there was a good amount I guess for the pot. The rest of the dish was a bit too heavy on onions. The sauce was very peppery which was good.
	Fa Do Fillet Fish – I liked everything about the dish except for the fish. I though that the fish was overcooked and ab it too mushy and not flaky. The sauce was well done. The assortment of lotus root and chive flowers blended well together.
	Orange Duck – I think everyone at the table agreed that this was the bomb of the night. The duck was lacking in flavor. It also took forever to come out. We had pretty much finished all of the other dishes before it came out. No orange taste. The duck though was tender and cooked well. I’ll give them props for that.
	Steamed Mushrooms with Greens – This was what I wrote down, but I think we ordered the other mushroom dish, some two mushroom dish. Anyways the sauce was a bit lacking in flavoring. The mushrooms were cooked well and the vegetables went well with the mushroom if only the sauce was a bit stronger.
	Red Bean Soup – Free dessert after the meal. Nice consistency. Good assortment of beans, Slightly sweet without it being to overpowering.

Decor: I did like how they had the specials menu not only in Chinese but in English as well, that made it possible for us to order off of the specials. Service wasn’t spectacular but wasn’t awful as well. Golden walls with frames of Chinese paintings adorn the walls.

Overall Assessment: ($, 4/10) – Fairly decent prices for the specials. A bear of a drive though. The food was ok by my standards. I really couldn’t see why the folks were raving about this place. They claim it was an off night and other nights were better. They did however had a range of dishes that I haven’t seen at other Chinese places. The distance and the unevenness of the dishes places it where it is.

Website: N/A
Location: 2235 Bel Pre Road, 20906
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: 301/460.2888
Hours: Sun – Thurs; 1000 – 2200, Fri – Sat; 1100 – 2230

 

American -> Costco -> Fairfax, VA

We decided to go in on a Costco card. While we were shopping, we decided to go ahead and just grab a bite here. Great value, we got the food below for less than $10.

	Combo Slice – A bit on the greasy side, a nice huge slice for two dollars. A good amount of vegetables on it such as onions, mushrooms, and olives; however still enough room left to add plenty of pepperoni and sausage to the mix.
	Cheese Slice – Simple cheese slice. Wife just wanted a simple slice. Same cost though as a combo slice so the value is a bit lacking here.
	Hot Dog – A large all beef hot dog, larger than the standard size. . Better than the hotdogs one would get at a ballpark for a fraction of the price. I like the grains that are on the outside of the bun. It comes with a drink as well.
	Churro – A nice blend of sugar and cinnamon,. good crunch on the outside. However the center is a bit too chewy and doughy for me.

Previous Review:
/2007/08/25/american-costco-catering-fairfax-va/

 

American -> Georgetown Cupcake -> Washington, DC

We were walking in Georgetown and ran across this and the wife wanted to go in as she heard good things about it.

	Lemon Berry – Very lemony cake with a very creamy berry tasting. Nice soft. The winner was really the frosting. Nice touch with the lemon candy in it.
	Toasted Marshmallow – The chocolate cake was too dry for my tastes. The marshmallow on top was foamy and done well. Also inside of the cake was small drop of melted chocolate ganache. It was a bit weird having just a tiny drop in it.

Decor: Only three tables. Decorated with modern flair of white walls, black sign contrasts. Server was helpful. I guess they save cash with minimal silverware and dishes.

Overall Assessment: ($, 3/10) – The cupcakes are so so. We did agree that the frosting on the cupcakes were very well done. The cakes itself were a mixed bag. As for the cost, $2 and change isn’t too bad for the regular sized cupcakes , especially for the Georgetown area.

Website: http://georgetowncupcake.com/
Location: 3301 M St NW, 20007
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: N/A
Hours: Mon – Sat; 1000 – 2100, Sun; 1200 – 1800

 

American -> Johnny’s Half Shell -> Washington, DC

Both of us ended up near DC and we wanted to try out Johnny’s happy hour specials. Sadly we were looking and the last time we paid for a meal in DC was in May.

	Stella Artois – Somehow I was expecting a bit more for a happy hour $5 special. However it tasted fine.
	Bread – Bread was really hard and a bit bland for our tastes.
	She Crab Soup – Only a tiny bit of crab in the soup. Also a weird exchange. I asked what the soup of the day was (pointing to the $4 entry on the menu). The bartender goes “She-Crab soup”. We go ok. The bill comes and it is marked $7.50.
	New Orleans Filé Gumbo – Nice spices and kick to the soup. I did like how the seafood felt as it it had been cooked in the soup right before it came out. Not like it had been sitting in the pot for a few hours. There was a slight crisp to the shrimp. The fish was done well and the oysters had a good character to them.
	Classic Maryland Crab Cake – We choose broiled between broiled and fried. Large chunks of jumbo crab in the cake. Nice pop and also sweetness to the crab. No sense of bread filler in the crab. Served with a very mild mustard based sauce and a very mild coleslaw on the side whose natural sweetness combined well with the crab. Another error with the cashier not taking the happy hour discount.
	Fried Oysters – The wife’s favorite. Nice crunch on the outside with the bread crumbs. However the center of the oysters were cooked perfectly, almost melting with juices in one’s mouth when eating them. Served with a pickled sweet assortment of vegetables which was light and refreshing. Very perfectly executed with the Bearnaise sauce.
	Mini-Burger – Not a fan of the Mini burger, a bit on the greasy side. Sloped on with cheese, onion, mustard and ketchup. Same bread as below but it didn’t really work as then it made the burger more greasy than it needed to be. Mini Asian Tuna Sandwich – We were huge fans of the tuna. So much so we ordered a few more. Some of the tuna was throughly cooked, some had a raw center. We were bigger fans of the slightly raw in the center ones. Mixed with a sesame, radish sprouts in a light aioli. The slightly buttered breaded went well with the tuna.

Decor: The happy hour specials are only at the bar. Service is basically a drop and go, you go tot he bar order, the come drop the food off and leave. Be careful when the bill comes as I think our server tried to rip us off. First he charges full price for the crabcake instead of the happy hour price, he also charged us two dollars more than the full price of the soup. When I order I asked him what was the happy hour soup, he goes she crab soup. So I’m a bit flabbergasted when he charges more than full price of the soup, not even more the happy hour price. I go what’s the deal with the soup? He goes sorry the she crab not part of the happy hour. Fine then why is it two dollars more than the full price of the regular soup? So in the end he tried to charge me $4 more than the happy hour price. And he was rude and getting angry with me. Hey buddy, I didn’t charge more than what was on the menu.

Overall Assessment: ($$, 6/10) – We think the food was great. The server and his attitude about the check was a total buzz kill on what would have been a good meal. major deductions on the service. Also you can get free parking after five so bonus on that. Good value for a DC seafood restaurant if you are able to sneak in for the happy hour specials. Though it will start to add up if you add a lot of things together. Just be careful of the staff.

Website: http://www.johnnyshalfshell.net/
Location: 400 N Capitol St NW, 20001
Reservation: OpenTable
Takeout: 202.737.0400
Hours: Mon – Fri; 0700 – 0930, 1130 – 1430, 1630 – 2200 Sat; 1700 – 2200

 

American -> Ritz Carlton Pentagon City -> Arlington, VA

Was here today for a meeting.

	Clockwise from 12 o’clock Salmon and Polenta – The polenta was average. A nice lemony butter sauce. The salmon was a bit over cooked and also it retained a really strong salmon taste to it. Chicken and Mushroom Risotto – I really liked this dish. The chicken was pounded thinly and cooked well. The risotto was creamy and the mushrooms were really able to soak in the flavoring of the light wine sauce.. Caesar Salad – Pretty standard fare, the lettuce was crisp and the sauce was a bit on the mild side.
	Tomato Bisque Soup – Wasn’t able to take pictures of the next two dishes. The tomato was very tomatoey and not very creamy. A bit too much on the acidic side for my taste.
	Vanilla Panna Cotta – The desserts were very pretty. The panna cotta had a bit too much pepper in it. There was a layer of orange gelee on top. A bit too strong for my tastes.

Decor: Service was really nice and the buffet area was setup nicely as well. The dining area was our meeting room. The rooms were decorated nicely though.

Overall Assessment: ($$, 3/10) – One of the better hotel foods that I’ve been served. The chicken risotto was done very nice. Service was helpful.

Website: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/PentagonCity/Default.htm
Location: 1250 SHayes St, 22202
Reservation: N/A
Takeout: N/A
Hours: N/A