Vilay "hot sauce" S.'s Profile

I got a coupon from http://restaurant.com so I was able to try this on the cheap. I highly recommend checking out that site. (make sure you search for extra coupon codes too)

The sushi roll was the gluey-est and mushiest I've ever had. The rice was just one solid mass. The nori was also gluey. It was awful, worse than grocery store sushi. Sticky balls were good, in that deliciously-bad sort of way. All of the flavors just mush together; you can't really make out any of the individual flavors or that there's tuna and sriracha in there. But I ate the whole thing. I bet they're even better drunk. Speaking of which, saketini was good and if i remember correctly, only $7 or so.

I thought it was funny that someone here described it as an emo sushi place. Now that I've been, that describes it perfectly. I don't hate on the emo, I just think it's a funny concept.

I haven't had a lot of luck with good coffee in the city, so thank god for Peregrine. I trek across town for this.

However, I see more fashion crimes per capita while sitting here than anywhere else. Seriously! Make note next time you're there.

I really wanted to like this place. I got there a little after 6 and there was already a wait for tables, but I soon got a seat at the bar. The bartender and waitresses seemed really overwhelmed; they were whizzing around with barely any time to catch their breath. I felt sorry for them! Maybe they just need more staff. I saw a lot of people get mixed up orders.

Mussels were perfectly cooked and I liked the big chunks of bacon. I got the popular blue cheese & bacon variety, and fries w/curry mayo. Everything was way too salty. The broth, the fries (covered in crunchy big salt flakes that looked pretty), and they may have even put salt in the aioli. My tongue pretty much stopped tasting what was what. I would've liked some plain bread to neutralize the salt, but I didn't get any. (Some people got bread, some didn't. Just the luck of the draw?)

The price for mussels + fries + 1 beer is on par with the same meal at Belga Cafe. That's not a diss, just an observation.

Three stars for an optimistic first impression. I probably got there on an off-night, but I'd give them another chance.

I visited this cart just about once a week while interning for the summer (except one week when they weren't there due to illness).

Bulgogi gets you a choice of meat - mild or spicy, beef or chicken, rice, some iceberg salad, and kimchi. Or you can skip the salad and get double kimchi.

Bibimbap is your choice of meat, a runny fried egg, rice, one scoop each of sesame spinach, blanched carrots, and bean sprouts, kimchi, and a little container of the smoky spicy korean bbq sauce. I prefer the bibimbap to trick myself into eating vegetables and warding off food coma.

It's $7, but easily enough food for two lunches. The staff is always pleasant and the cart always looks spotless. You might wanna eat it outside though, because it will stink up your office.

They have an awesome happy hour that goes until 8. I got there around 7:30 (after another happy hour), and the waiter was nice enough to give us a last call warning when happy hour was ending. There are bunch of $5 appetizers and sushi rolls, and $2 yakitori. I can't remember the drink specials.

The pork belly yakitori was the only thumbs down. It was all fat, no meat. I've had pork belly before and it wasn't all fat like that. Thumbs up on the scallop yakitori - perfectly grilled, undercooked in the middle the way I like it. The bangkok wings are yummy, and a good deal because you get a lot of them. The two of us made a meal out of the happy hour menu plus two drinks for under $40 (incl. tip).

Just so you know what to expect, the menu is pan-Asian, not strictly Japanese, and they tend to do better on the Thai-style dishes than the Japanese.

The papaya salad wasn't spicy at all even though it had the spicy warning symbol. The food was very Americanized overall. On the other hand, their drink menu specifically had a list of cognacs they carry, reminding me that there are Asians running this place after all. Southeast Asians do love their cognac!

The restaurant was nice inside, but the seating was sooo cramped unless you're lucky enough to get a booth. My ass was all up in the table next to me when I tried to squeeze out to go the bathroom, that's how close it was.

I've been to many happy hours here - $1.25 each nigiri! The sushi rolls seem really cheap too ($5?) I've also been for dinners and love the spicy Indonesian fried rice and satay.

You've gotta be in the mood for the uber-trendyness of it though. It's got kind of a night club vibe going on. Speaking of which, the downstairs area has the bar, and lots of low seating. Then there's an upstairs with seating that overlooks down. One day I was sitting downstairs and happened to look up where a woman in a short pleated skirt was standing with her back to the railing, basically giving everyone downstairs a full upskirt view when she went to sit down. Let that be a lesson to you ladies!

Watch out for the unisex bathrooms too. It scares people who aren't ready.

The bar is nice and huge patio is a great place to hang on a breezy day. The menu is casual - pizza, sandwiches, burgers. I got a pizza: portobello, roasted peppers, mozarrella with oil & garlic on wheat crust. I don't like red sauce very much so I like that they let you pick what kind of sauce you want on the pizza - pesto, oil & garlic, sun-dried tomato, or marinara. They also have larger Southern-themed entrees for under $15. The waitstaff and bartenders are cuuuute!

The prices are great - appetizers for around $7, entrees almost all under 20. Thursday night was Mexican Night, where they offer a Mexican (not tex-mex) menu in addition to the regular one. I had the gorditas - two corn cakes filled with cheese and scallions, with small portions of beans, rice, sour cream, a bit of lettuce & tomato on the side. I had never had gorditas before; they were like pupusas, except more oily and more deep-fried. The corn flour gave it a nice sweet flavor. The beans were refried pink or white beans (it was dark), had cheese on top, and were way too salty. Still, it was tasty and filling and the service was great. My meal plus a glass of sangria came out to $21 including a generous tip so you can't go wrong with that.

I'll try other H Street restaurants before coming back to this one, but I would come for happy hour. They also offer a 3-course pre-theater menu from 5-7 for $30.

I walked by this basement restaurant thinking it would be cheap, good, hole-in-the-wall ethnic food. The food was cheap and good, but it was definitely nicer than I expected. It's surprisingly bright and makes you forget that you're in a basement. I think 'charming' is a good way to describe it.

Love the red onion relish-type stuff that comes with the papas rellenas (fried stuffed potato balls) and some of the rice dishes. And the spicy sauce that comes with the bread basket will make your face burn but somehow you'll want to keep eating it.