Sticky Rice

Yesterday I had a particularly rough day at work and was in no cooking mood, so we trekked into DC to try out Sticky Rice, a sushi joint on H St. NE. They are known for their funky sushi and tater tots. I can't say no to tots. I should have guessed that the rest of the food would not be very authentic, but for some reason I was expecting something different than what I got.

We arrived around 7:45, and they told us the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour. They said they'd call my cell when our table was ready (I love restaurants that do this!) so we headed a couple doors down to Granville Moore, another place I REALLY need to eat at, for some Belgian beer. After a drink we headed back to check the status of our table and upon being told that it would still be a while, ordered a glass of wine at the bar. Ended up running into friends who had separately decided to trek to Sticky Rice from MoCo on the same night!

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Spicy Asian Thighs

...wonder what kind of google hits I'll get for that title.

When it comes to chicken I can be a little boring in my purchases. I wait until family-sized boneless skinless breasts go on sale at one of my grocery stores, then I stock up. The end result is that we usually eat chicken breasts. When I saw this recipe I decided, what the heck, I'll branch out a tad (also inspired by starving kitten). The annoying thing about thighs is that they cuts are much fattier so they take more trimming, after which you don't end up with much meat. The good thing is that they are delicious. This recipe was also perfect to use up miso paste packets I had hiding in the pantry. To make it a meal, I fried up some scallion pancakes and served the chicken over baby greens.

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8407 KitchenBar

Last night I jumped on the proverbial bandwagon and headed down to 8407 in Silver Spring to try what everyone else has been raving about (here, here, here, here, you get the point). We went kinda on a whim, even though I've secretly been scheming on how to get there since the day it opened. We wanted a more casual dinner (read: a little cheaper) so we chose a table near the bar rather than heading up to the main dining room.

The decor is posh without being too pretentious, if possible. The whole front of the restaurant (both the bar and the upstairs dining room) is lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. On the first floor, a few of these windows were slightly opened to bring in some of the fresh night air. I did notice, though, that expanding foam is still showing along the edges of the windows. Hopefully they're just not 100% done with construction because it does not add to the ambiance.

We each ordered a drink from the cocktail menu: a mojito for me and a "8407 Pimm's" for Don. Don's drink was made with Pimms, Hendricks gin, cucumber, mint, and ginger and was served with a skewered cucumber slice. My mojito came with rock candy, which always brings me back to Long Island, going to Old Bethpage with my parents. I loved that place. But I digress... Very delicious drinks and lovely presentation!

To eat, I ordered the tuna tartare appetizer, which was served over a paper-thin slice of pineapple and drizzled in a pineapple/cilantro glaze. I think (it's not listed on the online menu). Either way, the tuna was melt-in-your-mouth good and the sauce gave it a nice kick. I also ordered a side dish of the spaetzle gratin with smoked gouda and bacon. OMG. I would eat that every day of my life if I could. Don ordered the grilled chicken monterey jack cheese sandwich with chipotle aioli and avocado relish, served on a fresh kaiser bun. The sandwich was way above average for a chicken sandwich, but also not something that you couldn't get elsewhere. However, it was served with duck fat fries. I will travel far and wide for duck fat fries. They are amazing.

Overall I would highly recommend 8407 and perhaps next time we will dabble with their entrees to get a better feel for the place. When we first arrived, there were a lot people drinking in the lounge who I assume were leftovers from happy hour, which I will certainly be attending one day soon.

8407 KitchenBar
8407 Ramsey Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 587-8407

Herby 'Shrooms

This is a relatively versatile recipe for leek and mushroom risotto. Contrary to popular belief, risotto is not difficult to make at all. You just need to be on it the whole time it's cooking; it's not a "set it and forget it" kind of meal. Eh, Showtime Rotisserie people?? My parents swear by theirs.

Anyhoo, what makes this versatile is that you can use any combination of herbs to marinate the mushrooms, the taste of which will come through strongly in your end dish. Go to town with your favorite herbs! I used rosemary, thyme, and some basil. Careful with the lemon zest - the recipe calls for the zest of one lemon, but my lemon was ginormous so I didn't use all of it and the flavor was still a little intense for us. Tasty all the same!

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Almond Joy

The picture doesn't do this meal justice because it was really really tasty, while the picture is really really washed out. What can I say, sometimes we're just too hungry to spend the time getting a good shot!

I decided one day that I just had to get rid of the almonds that had been sitting in my cupboard for a year, and I also had some stale lemon focaccia bread that I thought would make great crumbs. I'm still debating whether to post the focaccia recipe; I got such pretty pictures, but the bread didn't impress me very much! Maybe I'll post it and you'll have better luck than I did. In the meantime, see below for the fish!

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Sick of unhealthy mayo-based pasta salads, I concocted this for a backyard dinner party last summer and it was a total hit. Israeli couscous is a great grain when you're tired of the regular ol' pasta and rice. It is bigger and.. meatier (for lack of a better word) than regular couscous. I promise it's not actually meaty. Completely vegetarian. The recipe is very versatile, so feel free to add or subtract any veggies! I once heard somewhere (was it Giada?) that the key to Italian cooking is to have the colors of the Italian flag in every meal: red, white, and green. While not every meal can have all three colors, I always try to cook as colorfully as possible. The more colors the healthier!

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Fruit n' Spice Birthday Cake

I've been a naughty blogger. It's been over two weeks since my last post! I was in Sanibel with Don's family enjoying the sun but also obtaining food poisoning, then my parents were in town, then our friend Clyde was visiting! It's been busy around these parts and I apologize. To make it up to you, I'm back with a vengeance: a dessert! I'm not much of a sweets person, but I do indulge on occasion. My parents were in town to celebrate my sister and their birthdays (I'm the only non-Aries in the family!). One birthday requires a great cake; THREE birthdays require an amazing, drool-down-your-face cake. Enter Hummingbird Cake from Food Network! Since this was my first attempt at a layer cake, I took a lot of advice from smitten kitchen, a.k.a. my cooking guru. I swear by her suggestion to freeze layers, trim the edges, and create a crumb layer (details below). It came out great!

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