Sunday, December 27, 2009

Ray's Hell Burger

1713 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 841-0001


Visited: December 27, 2009


A haiku for Ray...whoever and where ever you are:

My buddy Ray Ray
Your steaks and burgers rock mouths.
Butts happily toot "YES!"

After going to see a shitty ice sculpture exhibit and feeling like we threw away our money, we (wife, twin monkeys and my fatter post-holiday self) wanted something to cheer us up. The disappointment from the ice exhibit combined with a hunger only us carnivores could appreciate drove us to visit Ray's Hell Burger. I had wanted to try Ray's for the longest time and was finally able to wrangle the wife and two monkeys to try out the biggest most bountiful burgers in Arlington. Sunday felt like a burger day and what better excuse to fight disappointment (or a self-diagnosed seasonal affective disorder) than to eat something as comforting and tasty as a well cooked burger.

As soon as I parked the minivan (down the street as the parking lot was Über-crowded), the delicious smell of meat and onions was heavy in the air arousing the killer within. Taking in deep breaths of the sweet smell of cooked flesh, I wondered how vegetarians could turn their back this primal love of dead animals cooking on fire. Embracing my predator nature, I grunted towards the family and shuffled them towards Ray's.

Although this was our first time at Hell Burger, the restaurant brought back nostalgic memories of the "old" Ray's the Steaks restaurant and all the good times and great dinner I had enjoyed. The layout was almost the same except for the register at the far end of the room as well as the chalk boards hanging from the ceiling listing some of the drinks and specials. I saw a sign on the wall that read, "Please do not take a table before ordering.." Being the muthafuckin' Rebel that I am, I sat the entire brood down at a table and stopped short of peeing on the chairs in order to mark my new territory. At this point, no sign could tell me what to do...I do as I want b*tches!!

The animal was out and all he wanted to some goddamn tasty burgers to satiate his hunger.

Even in my primal state and hungering for food, I was the gentlemen and told the wife to head up to counter to see the menu and to ask questions while I took care of the twin fun force. The boys and I sat at the table and looked all around at all the delicious food while Mommy did her best to narrow down her choice of burgers. I was proud that my monkeys didn't bounce outta their seats and managed to stay relatively quiet as they waited for the other parental unit to return.

After a few minutes of intense pondering and life changing self-examination, the wife returned with a menu in hand and informed me that she had chosen the the New Jack Zing. I quickly scanned the menu and instantly chose the Big Punisher, making a mental note to come back another time to try the Burger of Seville (burger with Foie Gras) or the Dogcatcher (burger with bone marrow). Knowing that the relative calm state of the monkeys would not last, I needed a burger that was delicious and wouldn't make me feel guilty if I had to suddenly inhale it once the kids got rowdy. A Foie Gras or bone marrow topped burger was something that needed to be enjoyed sans kids so that every tasty bit would be savored and respected.

I went up to the counter, was reminded by the CASH ONLY sign to grab some extra green from the ATM at the end of the narrow hall. With fresh cash in hand, I ordered our burgers, some sweet potato fries, regular fries and an order of Mac 'n Cheese for the little monkeys. Once I had paid I triumphantly headed back to our table....the table we had broken the rules to secure. HAHAHA!

A few minutes later our food arrived and boys pounced out of their chairs to scoop up some fries. I chuckled a bit at their reaction once they discovered the fries were hot and they would say "Ot! Ot" (leave off the "H" for "How the hell do you expect me to eat such HOT fries Daddy?!?) and tried to blow on the fries to cool them off. I grabbed my burger and as a meat purist respected the flavor by not adding ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise. Taking a bite, the juices from my burger filled my mouth and the flavor instantly told me I was dealing with some high quality meat. "Oh my...ummm" were the only words uttered out of my mouth. I looked across the table at my wife and her eyes took on that serious look that told me, "I can't talk, I'm totally into my food."

We shared out bounty with the boys who ate a few small pieces but chose to destroy the fries. The Mac 'n cheese we had ordered for them was ignored by both monkeys despite it being a very very tasty side item. As I reached the halfway point in my burger paradise, my wife and I swapped burgers to try out each other's choice. Delicious delicious. The flavor of the meat shines through and Ray's burgers are truly made with the highest quality beef, cooked to your specific temperature of choice.

One quick note: I really really enjoyed "Henry's Homemade ketchup". Tasty way to enjoy your fries with a flavor different and tastier than the standard Heinz ketchup. This is a big statement from me being a HUGE Heinz lover. The boys sopped up this ketchup with their fries bringing on giggles from other tables as they enjoyed the boy's antics.

The burgers were soon a distant memory as I sat at the table satisfied and happy. Oh food makes me happy, and who knew that a well cooked burger could erase such a bad day. I think Ray should post the following quote to help people suffering from bad days or that are just not feeling themselves:

Burgers; better than Prozac


We wrapped up the day by cleaning the boys' hands and gathering up our little clan of four. It was a great end to a Sunday and the sun seemed brighter, the snow was melting and all I could think about was coming back with the wife to try some of the more "high end" burgers without the twins. Ray's Hell Burger is delicious, but is best enjoyed without kids under 5. Sorry boys!


Ray's Hell-Burger on Urbanspoon

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Farrah Olivia

600 Franklin Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 778-2233

Visited: August 10, 2008


NOTE:
I'm breaking my own rules by posting a review on this food blog from a prior visit to a restaurant that was originally posted on another blog. I copied this review is from my personal blog because today I was saddened to find out that Farrah Olivia is closed...damn... Apparently this great restaurant closed back on April 29, 2009. I feel stupid for not going back. In honor of Chef Morou and Farrah Olivia, here's the review originally written back on August 10, 2008.


-----------------------------------

Our first anniversary was celebrated yesterday at the renowned restaurant called Farrah Olivia where gifted chef/owner Chef Morou cooked up an incredible meal for the wife and I. For those of you that don't know Chef Morou, he is an incredibly talented chef that beat famous chef Bobby Flay on an episode of Iron Chef America.

We were lucky enough to get the boys asleep at a reasonable time and my Mom and Dad were kind enough to hang out at our house in case the boys decided to wake up. Thankfully the boys stayed asleep and my parents spent most of the evening chatting and watching television.

Back to the dinner...

Did I mention the food was amazing? That and the fact that the wait staff (especially our waiter) were all amazingly kind and very attentive. We were also lucky enough to hit the last day of restaurant week and I opted for the three course meal. the wife ordered the beef fillet cooked medium-well. Once we ordered, one of the waiters brought out a palate cleanser; honey dew juice with fresh carrot froth mixed with cilantro. What simply delicious way to start off our dinner!

Next, my appetizer arrived which was called Shocked Escolar; a white tuna cooked rare lightly encrusted with spices and then chilled. The tuna was served sliced with a delicious wasabi sauce and soy juice caviar (caviar like bubbles made of flavored soy). Each bite was incredible and the presentation of the food was spectacular and full of vivacious color. the wife and I did our best to eat in a civilized manner but we still ended up devouring the appetizer in no time.

Next, the main courses were brought out. the wife's beef fillet was served with a homemade BBQ sauce on the side made up of beef stock, cumin and other spices. It came with two sides, a delicate flan made of cauliflower and white asparagus and the other side of sweet corn cooked with black corn truffles. The beef was so delicate and full of amazing flavor just bursting through the tender meat. Chef Morou had also sent the beef fillet out with a special spice mix served on the side consisting coffee and cumin. YUM YUM YUM!!

My main course was two salmon medallions cooked medium and served with fried cous cous and a citrus picked watermelon rind. The dish was so beautiful it looked like a painting as the color were astounding. The tender pink of the salmon blended with the orange green and red of the fried cous cous side which contrasted with the bold yellow of the picked watermelon rind. Along the edge of the plate, the entire feast was accented with a line of green basil sauce. The dish was a work of art and the flavor was even more impressive.

Again the wife and I devoured our food and shared our food while doing our best to look well mannered and refined. :-) Everything brought out to use thus far was a gastronomic treat and we couldn't wait to see what desert brought us.

As desert arrived, we were impressed that they knew it was our anniversary. Chef Morou had kindly sent out a complimentary and very special dessert for the wife and I to enjoy made up on pine nut cookies, raspberry candies and chocolate truffles:

Our second dessert was a delicious coconut panacotta served with fresh pineapple pieces and a sweet cilantro sauce.
Let me just tell you that BOTH desserts were delicious! Just a quick side note...

I would've posted pix of our appetizer and entrees, but the food was so delicious and we were so ravenous that we didn't think of taking pix. Plus we didn't want to look too touristy by taking pictures of all of our foods. We figured it would be okay to take pictures of the desserts as one of them was made special for us by Chef Morou.

To wrap up the night, Chef Morou was kind enough to come out of the busy kitchen to hang out with us. We thanked him for the delicious meal and generous hospitality.
It's very impressive when such a famous chef takes the time to come out to talk to regular folk like the wife and I. The best part of our chat, was that Chef Morou is such a kind and personable individual that comes off as being very sincere and genuine. At no time did we feel like he was rushing us or trying to run back into his kitchen...he talked to us for almost 30 minutes and we laughed it up and recounted his experience on the Food Network show "The Next Iron Chef". By the way, for those of you that didn't watch it...he was robbed! He definitely should have beaten out many of the other chefs with his innovative and creative dishes.

Anyway, I digress.

Chef Morou thanked us for coming as we thanked him for having us at this wonderful restaurant. He also asked that we return for our 2nd anniversary, and we replied we'd be more than happy to come back.

All around it was a great night filled with amazing food, great company courtesy of my beautiful wife and a great chef's incredible vision and culinary creativity. I think we may have to pay Chef Morou another visit before our 2nd anniversary. :-)

Trader Joe's

7514 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043
(703) 288-0566
http://www.traderjoes.com


Visited: December 5, 2009


Trader Joe's, oh how I love thee....

It seems that whenever I talk about cooking, recipes or discuss homemade food, my buddy Joe's name always seems to enter the conversation. If he was an actual person, one may think there is some sort of man-love affection for him that transcends the platonic level.

I won't lie. I love Joe and he treats me well. Amazing wine and some great beer for very cheap hard-to-believe prices, add 1 star. Great organic products at low prices, another star. A variety of cheeses (I LOVE CHEEEEEEEEESE!!) from all around the world at low low prices, add another star to the tally. Snacks, sweets, cookies, cakes and stuff that continues to add to my fat waistline that's too tasty to pass up...especially at such low prices - 2+ stars.

Yo Joe, I like to crow about your products to everyone I know...but I'm not the only one.

A check of the internet will "learn ya" that there are a bunch of other rabid Trader Joe's fans out there in Cyberworld. There are websites such as www.traderjoesfan.com or www.trackingtraderjoes.com where people review and share their opinions on Trader Joe products...and "stalk" products that have been discontinued. I'm not alone in this dedication that as mentioned earlier, goes beyond just love....

By the way, if you're ever in Trader Joe's, you must try out the Italian Black Truffle Cheese with some of their amazingly fresh Gruyère cheese bread. Combine this little snack with a bottle of tasty wine under 6 bux, and you'll be a happy camper.

Our two monkeys love whenever I hit Trader Joe's as they've now been classically conditioned to expect a balloon if they see the paper TJ grocery bags. As soon as I walk into the house they ask, "Balloon? Balloon?" Who knew that at 21 months kids could already associate a commercial logo to something else...like balloons.

Anyway...I am part of the "TJ" fan club and will vehemently cheer for all their products like a little teenage girl at an American Idol concert.... I love TJ like a fat boy loves cake....Trader Joe's cake.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Momo Taro Sushi

6051 Frederick Rd
Derwood, MD 20855
(301) 963-6868
www.eatatthesilverspoon.com


Visited: November 28, 2009


Close your eyes. Now picture yourself half naked. No seriously, humor me know. You're half naked because you're at the beach wearing a swimsuit frolicking in clear blue turquoise kissed water. As you look down you can see thousands of fish swimming around you; and then you think of lunch...anyone for sushi?

Behind you someone close to you taps you on your shoulder and asks, "Hey, wanna play Momo Taro?" For some crazy reason you instantly you know it's a game like Marco Polo where you need to close your eyes while you yell "Momo" and your friends cry "Taro!"

Momo?

Taro!

Momo?

Taro!

Momo? Taro! Gotcha! You then open your eyes and think about lunch which is one of the fresh fish swimming at your heels. Snatching one outta the water like a hungry grizzly, you dine on your fresh catch.

Momo Taro Sushi!

Okay day dreamer, snap outta it ya filthy animal....

So it may not look like your blue water Caribbean day dream, but walking into Momo Taro (who's name I LOVE to repeat over and over until my wife yells, "ENOUGH!") you're greeted by something unique; paper screened windows. Are you in Japan? Not quite, but you're in an industrial zone in Gaithersburg/Derwood and you're about to be pleasantly surprised...

The fish is so fresh and delicious you may as well be that hungry grizzly catching your own fish. The service is so attentive and friendly it's virtually the OPPOSITE of my horrible Tachibana experience. The menu is amazing and everyone (even my two little monkeys) are thrilled at the Momo Taro experience.

MOMO TARO SUSHI!!

Unlike Tachibana, Momo Taro seems to welcome families by making us breeders comfortable by accomodating the youngest members of our sushi loving family. Children are treated like welcome guests and parents feel like royalty as they dine of the freshest sushi creations from the master sushi chef. While the kids dine on edamame and udon noodles, Mommy and Fat Daddy are stuffing their faces with MONSTER spicy tuna hand rolls that dazzle the senses and tickle the tongue with just the right amount of spice. Did I mention the fish was fresh?

Oh yes it's fresh and tay-steeeeeeeee!!

Everyone in our party (friends and family) were all stuffed to the gills with great sushi. Our two monkeys and my friends' kids were also satisfied with their food and enjoyed the complimentary oregami cranes. We'll definitely be back to Momo Taro Sushi for some great sushi and the great service. Say it with me, MOMO TARO! MOMO TARO! MOH-MOH TAH-ROOOOW!!!

Momo Taro Sushi on Urbanspoon

Silver Spoon

18530 Woodfield Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
(301) 990-6868
www.eatatthesilverspoon.com


Visited: November 28, 2009


Whenever I heard the words "Silver Spoon" I immediately think of a very young Rick Schroder in the very popular 80's show of the same name. Imagine my surprise when years ago my good friends told me that we were going to a restaurant called Silver Spoon. Immediately I wondered if they had an arcade with long ago retired games like Galaga, Pac-man or Zaxxon or if there was a train that ran through the middle of the restaurant that patron could take a ride on. Zippy, none of that...no Ricky Shroder, no fabulous mansion, not even a single arcade game.

Walking into Silver Spoon I was greeted by a very simple layout with a modest number of tables. Although Silver Spoon is a restaurant, it doesn't appear to be a traditional restaurant as there is a counter where you order your food and then seat yourself. If you visit it for yourself, don't let the decor fool you; the food is legit and good.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Silver Spoon served some really tasty Indian/Pakistani fare which since that first visit has always left me satisfied. Every trip to Silver Spoon has ended with a full stomach and not too big of a dent in the wallet. The prices are very reasonable and the food is made fresh; a true value for the dollar. If you've never been to Silver Spoon just know that the wait time for food may be a bit longer than normal if you order off the menu, but know that whatever you order is made fresh as soon as you place your order.

So with all these positive notes, why the 3.5 star rating? Well let me tell you that my old friend Silver Spoon let me down a bit after my last visit....

On my last trip, I was a bit disappointed because the wife and our friends decided to be a bit adventurous by trying the buffet. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! The quality of the food was sub-par and I guess the reason I was really disappointed was due to the fact that in the past the food ordered off the menu is always well made. The buffet food seemed thrown together, not of the best quality and it really didn't represent the true potential of the Silver Spoon chefs. The only saving grace of the buffet was the Tandoori grilled chicken which was flavorful and juicy. The final nail in the coffin was the chocolate pudding. I love chocolate so I was traumatized by chocolate pudding that had a spoiled milk taste. Yeah, very very bad.... That in itself knocked two stars off Silver Spoon's rating...but my past experiences and great food really prevented me from dipping under 3.5 stars.

So what have we learned boys and girls? You MUST stay away from the buffet but definitely order off of the menu. Grab your friends, loved ones and pass your time waiting for your delicious food by sipping a mango lassi and having some great conversations....and laugh until the mango lassi comes outta your noses. :-)

Silver Spoon on Urbanspoon