Brandi "Brandi-corn" J.'s Profile

I make it a point to go to Shophouse on Weds afternoons after counseling every week. I love love love Thai and most curries, so I had to see what this was all about.

This is Thai/Asian lite. I actually find it quite different and nice, always satisfying. My favorite protein are the meatballs... really flavorful, great textures and generally delicious. I get them with green curry and papaya slaw on white rice (mm) or on the banh mi (which is also tasty). This isn't traditional Thai, Vietnamese etc. food, so no, don't go in expecting the most authentically perfect banh mi roll blah blah...but it's yumminess with exotic flair if that makes sense. It's quirky good.

AND--can someone explain the complaints about this stuff being spicy? Come on, it's not that ridiculously spicy, and I don't consider myself some spice-loving fiend loading everything up with as much sriracha as I can force out of the bottle. The green curry is mild at best, just what it should be. I got so tired of the over-hyped warning reviews! It's really not scary, promise :)

Just to update, I have to downgrade the rating for the experience we had coming back from the beach last night. About an hour into the return trip on a Sunday, our bus broke down and we had to wait at a service station in Ellendale, DE for an hour or so for an alternate bus/repairman. The bus driver was smart and communicative (despite all the shrewy, rude women cutting him off with curt questions in mid-sentence), deciding to make sure we had the convenience of a large gas station with bathrooms, food and AC during our wait instead of driving on and possibly having to pull over in nowheresville. Can't fault his actions there.

I would still take this bus next summer, etc, but I have to downgrade just based on the fact that they let a bus out with a broken/old alternator belt on the road. It seems like better inspections are in order.

Wow I would go back here in a heartbeat. My friend and I keep fantasizing about the delicious dinner we had there yesterday! But alas she is now back in Atlanta and I am in DC :(

I'm always looking for good crab-based/oceany restaurants that are a step up from Go Fish or something greasy and cheap like that when in Rehoboth, and the crab dip with baguette appetizer caught my eye as we walked by (so many places served chips with their crab dip...uhm, no thanks...how wimpy is that?). So much so in fact that we saved it for dinner our last night at the beach.

Seriously, the hot crab/artichoke dip served with toasted baguette was so yummy, I only wish I'd had more toasted bread. But the bread they give you for the table is very nice and sour-doughy, and a little of that sufficed to stretch the dip out after the bread that came with it was all gobbled up.

We also split some rum raisin bread pudding which was great, and sipped on pleasant Cosmos with our meal.

My friend got the crab cake entree and it was served with asparagus. I have to say I enjoyed the little bit of her crab cake I had as well...a little more nuanced than all the other crab cakes I've had in town, with some sort of special sauce drizzled over.

We stretched our visit wayyyy out too from 4-6 to avoid an impending storm, so that made it feel like an even cozier adventure somehow. Ha, and I even loved the music they were playing...like 70s R&B mellow classics. Silly and non-pretentious. Server girl was very sweet and attentive as well.

Maybe next time I'll have room to try the mussels....

My boyfriend and I spotted this place on the bus heading toward the metro which docks right down the street. On a whim we decided to give it a try since it was a pretty and planless Saturday night, just metro-ing back to my place in DC to hang out and watch movies.

The staff were sooo so friendly and adorable and helpful, obviously excited to serve hungry new patrons since they had just opened a couple weeks before. It's always nice when people doing their jobs are pleasant. I felt happy to be chatting with them!

My normal Thai standbys are Kra Pow/Ka Prow chicken, green or panang curries, good old pad thai, etc. This time I decided to try something new, so I got the Larb Gai minced chicken which was enough for a full meal. The chicken came atop a bed of lettuces...and even though they were somewhat floppy I was able to fashion them into wraps for the chicken (not sure if this is what they were intended for or not). Very good--and when they say spicy they mean it. I think mine was a one out of two stars spicy rating and I was feeling it which was surprising. All very fresh and good, though.

My boyfriend got some sort of beef/veg dish with brown gravy which was very hot and flavorful. I don't usually go for beef but I couldn't stop eating saucy pieces of broccoli and meats off his plate!

He just moved to the Takoma Park area, so I hope to visit many more times and maybe he'll even be in their delivery radius! Let's hope!

So I have this pair of gorgeous leather Frye riding boots I got at Zappos. They've been sitting in my closet since the spring because they are SO painful to wear...very stiff sole and tight in the heel leading to massive blisters.

Let's just say this is the most expensive article of clothing/apparel I've ever purchased, but they are leather so I mean I am going to have them for decades. I gave up on them this summer for awhile, but I was motivated by all the other droves of boot-wearing chicks in the city to fix mine..somehow.

I researched for the best cobbler in the area. Serious business, dude. I live in Woodley Park, so Arlington isn't really convenient at all for me...but I tried Golden anyhow. 30+ 5 and 4 star reviews? That's something to pay attention to in my book.

I was underwhelmed when I dropped them off. He wasn't as friendly as everyone else seems to indicate here, barely smiled, seemed rushed, and I actually had to convince him to even take my boots for some reason. I just wanted them widened/softened/stretched..anything. He didn't really offer any ideas. So that was kinda weird. But, I hoped maybe he would come through.

And he did. Two weeks later when I picked them up after Thanksgiving my boots were weatherproofed (which I'd asked for) and actually looser in the heel! Maybe that's just his way--extra modest and quiet but pretty awesome when it comes down to the task at hand. He was also nicer and smiled much more when I picked them up. $25. Well worth it.

I still slap a little duct tap on the hot spots on my heels while they are getting broken in some more, but he corrected the issue enough that I can wear them daily. Hooray!

I would recommend him, but it wasn't a mind-blowing experience or anything like half the reviews here seem to indicate.

(He also accepted my debit card without issue, so not sure about the cash only reference in some reviews..)

My friend and I stumbled in here the other day after wandering around the neighborhood looking for a nice Italian lunch. We certainly were not let down. This place exceeded expectations.

I ordered the penne with bacon special, just on a whim, and man was it good! I'm not usually a pasta girl per se, but the penne was perfectly al dente and had such good bite...the tomato sauce was just right in combination with the cheese, both in perfect balance to the pasta and bacon pieces. I never knew a pasta dish could be so harmonious and satisfying. Hit the spot.

My friend's gnocchi was doused in a delicious tomato cream sauce, and each bite of the tiny potato balls was doughy, tender, and delicious.

We both got a small slice of chocolate cake afterward (came with a dollop of real cream and a sprig of mint), and again we were both blown away by the chocolaty goodness that somehow remained a LITE treat--I hate that "blergh have-to-shove-this-last-overly-rich-bite-of-desser t-into-my-mouth" feeling. Not so here...satisfying but not heavy.

The only sad thing was that there was barely anyone eating here...the food was so good and the wait staff so attentive (we loved watching the whole crew speak in Italian and converse with "Papa" by the cash register) we felt it deserved way more patrons. We actually giggled and cheered when a family of 3 came in.

Recommended.

I found doctor Bonn thru the recommendation of my old boss's wife when I first moved to DC in 2005 and was looking for doctors. I remember at the time there was a warning: "Dr. Bonn's style is not for some." Who those people might be I don't know....because he is the best doctor I have ever had. Sure he's got a strong personality and a really biting sense of humor, but who doesn't want a doctor with those things when they are buried in your nether-regions and you're hoping for anything to take your mind off of the pipe-cleaner thing swabbing around in what feels like the depths of your soul!

What's more, it's really obvious that Dr. Bonn cares deeply about his patients and our well being. I have had several ongoing issues of note that are very scary for a young woman to deal with, and no matter how many different crazy questions I find to ask him about what's going on, he looks me dead in the eyes, tells me what I need to know, makes me feel empowered for asking, and calls me personally with certain results.

The nurses are also generally cooperative/friendly and will call in Diflucans, etc. if you explain your situation over the phone.

At one point my employer was thinking about switching insurance providers, and I realized Dr. Bonn wouldn't be covered under the new plan. I made it clear that I didn't like that option, despite the fact that he had heard Dr. Bonn wasn't all that (where do these rumors keep coming from? who are the networks of women spreading these thoughts in DC?). Luckily that never happened!

When I was leaving today I walked through the office the back way and saw him sitting in his red office dictating his notes of the day into his recorder and we waved. I felt inspired to creep back and thank him for taking all the time he has lately to explain things and talk to me like a human being. He seemed rather touched and walked over and shook my hand in a rare, humbling moment, and we smiled and parted ways.

I know I have my bases covered here. It's a good feeling.

After a long day of wandering around and using the 32/36 bus exploring the Cathedral, a flea market, etc....my friend and I decided to quench our never-ending appetite for Thai at this little place right off Wisconsin.

Overall I was pleased! Very nice atmosphere, nice sleepy view of the street outside, prompt service, good hot sake, and what I thought was a really cool option that I rarely see for an entree: a combination platter of what happened to be a lot of my favorite Thai dishes!

We both got the combination platter which came in a larger bowl divided into four sections around the edges with a circular section in the middle for rice. One section had chicken panang, another had pad thai (shrimp, which I picked out of mine and gave away!), another had mini chicken satay skewers, and the last had spicy breaded fish. This was introduced by a small salad with a very good and very peanuty dressing.

I like my panang a little spicier than sweet, so I asked them to make it spicy. They brought out a selection of condiments, one of which contained crushed red peppers, and I was able to add my own amount of spice. Unfortunately I overdid it! You don't need much on that tiny spoon at all. Other small complaint--the breaded fish was a bit soggy on the bottom from sitting in the sauce. But overall it was really fun and a rare presentation. Would totally go back.

Went to Little India after walking back and forth between it and its neighbor, Taste of India, for several minutes comparing what appeared to be exactly the same menu. The front of this place said "homestyle" though which won me over and made me think of the Indian mother I never had--surely it had to be alright. And it was!

My friend and I got twin meals of Chicken Tikka Masala and garlic naan, both of which were really quite good. We shared a massive joint dish of rice and ladled our orange spicy/creamy chicken mixture over-top while dipping our naan bread in and taking yummy bites of all combined.

All in all, the food totally hit the spot on a cold windy evening after a long day of adventuring, and I intend to go back alone in the future since I live right up the road. The only thing lacking was the atmosphere...the ceiling was made of those rectangular doctor's office tiles with tiny textured holes...kinda weird...but by the time we left the entire place was filled up, so...can't argue with that!

This is somewhat of a slanted, narrow review, as all I have had is the chicken panang.

BUT, this is the place that made me absolutely fall in love with chicken panang the very first time I ever tried it, and I've tried it at many places around the city since that don't make the cut. Savory/spicy, sweet, but not too sweet or peanut-buttery. 'Nuff said.