For those of you who haven't braved the long lines yet, something you should know for the future (because it will avoid confusion on your part and may just speed up the line a teensy bit): Maine style = lemon juice, a little mayo, celery, sea salt and what I think is paprika. Connecticut style rolls just have the lobster tossed in a little butter. Either way you roll, I guarantee you it will be delicious.
There are a ton of variations on bean salad, and chances are you've got some recipe from your Aunt Susan's for a bean salad that is probably similar to this one. This is one of those "recipe-less" dishes that you could very well just wing in the kitchen. But since I blog about food, I've provided you with one. If you are missing certain ingredients, try these alternative suggestions:
Mango Peach Ice Pops & Mango Peach Strawberry Ice Pops
Thanks to one of my not-so-new obsessions with group buying websites, I went out to Sticky Rice for dinner with a friend from college. I had forgotten she was a vegetarian, but as fate would have it, Sticky Rice has quite a vegetarian-friendly menu. Sorry there aren't many pictures; the dim lighting made everything look pretty indistinguishable and didn't do justice to how good everything tasted.
To start, we both tried the miso soup which was flavorful and the right amount of slightly salty. While I like seaweed in my miso soup, I was a little put off by the stringy purple seaweed that reminded me of the stuff that used to get stuck to my ankles when swimming at the Jersey shore. It just doesn't look appetizing, and it's weird to chew. By the way, don't take that last comment as an opportunity to hate on the Jersey Shore (the place, not the show. Hate on the show alllll you want, my friends).
The sushi, however, was really tasty and fresh. Sticky Rice has a good mix of the traditional sashimi and sushi fare, as well as more inventive rolls and dishes. The ebi (shrimp sushi) were thick and meaty, and fresh (definitely not some squashed crustacean that had been sitting around for a while waiting to be consumed on a bed of rice). I was in the mood for tamago (sweet egg) when I went, and this was also good. I like the tamago a little bit sweeter, but it was a nice balance of salty and sweet at Sticky Rice. Lastly the rolls: classic california roll and the tuna tempura roll. The california roll gets some extra bonus points for using real crab meat, rather than that amorphous, reddish pink "krab" from a can. The tuna tempura roll was truly delicious: tuna, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado, spicy sauce, tobiko and drizzled with ponzu sauce and scallions. Usually I run from any sushi dish with cream cheese in it, but this impulse order was the right choice. The slightly cooked tuna, hot crunchy tempura coating, cool gooey cream cheese with the crunch of the cucumber all made for a great combination. The one downside after stuffing my face with Kirin and sushi was that Sticky Rice didn't have green tea ice cream. Still the sushi options are inventive and tasty, and from what I could tell, everything was fresh.
Sticky Rice is one of those places where I want to get to know the eccentric staff and have them recommend funky new rolls to me. I want to throw back a Kirin with my tattooed waiter and partake in what looks like some good times, judging by their Flickr account. The service is laidback, in a good way--you can linger over your meal and you'll never feel rushed. If only the H St. NE corridor wasn't mired in constant construction, I might get there more often! Next time though, I'm definitely trying their tots and maybe a round or two of blingo.
I have a friend who would not let up on me about this burger place he tried on Connecticut Avenue. Appeasing him and my craving for a burger, I wound up at Rogue States, stop #4 in my very own Battle of the Burgers.
Yes, foodies, I recently joined the ranks of Washingtonians who have waited an hour and a half for a lobster roll from the newly famous, Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck. Was it worth it? Yes. Will I be back? Absolutely yes. You can smell the buttery rolls from halfway down the block. And that will probably be more than enough to keep you hanging on in line as you give the evil eye to the man up in front letting half of his office join him in line (where's your etiquette people?!).The lobster rolls are really good--clean, tender, not-even-oh-so-chewy claw and tail meat, nestled in hot, buttered bread with just a little seasoning on it. Oh man, I'm already drooling. The meal is 18 bucks a pop, but for that you also get a soda and chips. The lobster roll alone is $15. Then again, I'm sure we've all paid the same for a completely mediocre lunch in the city. And come on, it's Maine lobster, and the portions are decently-sized, albeit one lobster roll might not be enough to satisfy your mid-day hunger. I've yet to try the shrimp rolls (please, I can't stalk this truck's location all day every day!), but I'd guess those are probably pretty delicious as well. The whoopie pies are a nice treat if you're craving some dessert. They're chock full of a rich cocoa flavor and the filling is just right and sugary sweet.
I get the feeling that the truck is still working out some of the kinks. The service is kind of slow, but they're getting slammed with lines that wrap around the block, they're new in town, and so I'd cut them some slack. However, the Red Hook Lobster Truck staff are incredibly friendly and sweet.
It's moments like when the truck rounds the corner and there is audible applause from Washingtonians waiting in line, that I wonder what the DCRA is thinking. For those of you who haven't been following this saga, the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs says these food trucks pose a threat to brick and mortar establishments in the city. I think it's like comparing apples and oranges. I go to a restaurant when I want sit down service and a two or three-course meal. I go to a food truck when I want some good eats on my lunch break, after a long day at work or during a midnight noshing session. I'm sure the local DC government thinks there is some sort of tax revenue they're missing out on from these roving trucks. And yes, I know there are nuances in this argument I'm overlooking (like regulating these trucks so you don't get served dirty food that makes you sick). But for me, it's strictly about the food--it's good, it's easily accessible, it's trendy, and I sincerely hope that all of the trucks that have come to DC recently will not be put out of business by whatever the local politicians decide. Now I'll get off my soapbox and go back to eating the cupcakes, burritos, tacos, pizza and more coming from those food trucks.
So next time you're feeling that cool breeze, wishing you were up in New England snackin' on a crustacean, go to Red Hook Lobster Truck. And don't forget to keep supporting all the DC food trucks!
Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.
The most recent stop for burgers was Desperados Burgers and Bar on U St. I went with the cheese lovers burger, topped with cheddar, American and Swiss. The burger itself was really flavorful, albeit none of us at the table could actually put a finger on what the seasoning in the burger was. It wasn't spicy; it wasn't worcestshire; it was zesty, but not overpowering. I'm a big fan of mayo and mustard on burgers, which came standard with this one. The downside to this burger was that I ordered a medium burger, and got pretty medium rare. The dim lighting in the already dark wood-paneled bar made it harder to notice this, but the middle of my burger was practically mooing. Also, when I went it was later on a Sunday evening, and we were told they had run out of fries (vaguely familiar from my first trip to BGR...). I get it, we were the only people in the bar, it was a Sunday night, so my friends and I weren't too miffed about the lack of fried taters. Instead, we all got baked potatoes, which were pretty good. Bacon, cheese, sour cream and nestled in a starchy cavity made up for the lack of fries. I probably would have liked a some more toppings on the baked potato, but let's not get too nitpicky.
Since Pete's says it's a "New Haven" style place, I opted to try the New Haven slice with white clams, garlic, pecorino romano and oregano. Seafood on pizza is rarely something I jump up and down for. It just seems...wrong, odd, confusing, not natural. However, I must say that the clams on the New Haven slice were pretty delicious. Their slightly chewy texture with the thin crust, cheese and garlic tasted great. The pizza was garlicky, but not in an overpowering way. I also tried the sausage and mushroom slice, as well as a pepperoni and artichoke slice. The mushrooms were thinly sliced and cooked through perfectly. I don't know if Pete's makes their own sausage, but this sausage is probably the best thing you can put on your pizza. So flavorful, not fatty, the right amount of fennel and saltiness. On the other slice (not pictured here), the pepperoni wasn't oily, and tasted oh-so-good with the soft marinated artichoke leaves baked on the pie.
Pete's has a pretty good selection of pies to choose from and they have great combinations of toppings, though you can always make your own. (Side note: Man, I wish they'd attempt a buffalo chicken pizza like my fave place back home.) For the make-your-own-pie, I got sweet Italian sausage and roasted peppers. I would have liked some more toppings on this pie, but still it was so so good with a nice, cold beer. And if beer or wine isn't what you're craving, Pete's serves good old-fashioned soda from Boylan Bottling Co. that is all natural and does not contain high-fructose corn syrup.