Shawn S.'s Profile

O sushi king, how I have missed our time together... being apart was not good.....  From the amazing Crazy roll, to the white seaweed roll!  your food is amazing

Black sea bass, hamachi sushi...  yummy!

So good.... Next time I won't be gone so long..

Breakfast meeting in McLean?  where to go?  why not the Silver Diner... Everyone else is there!  staff is friendly enough, and doesn't pester, food is ok... coffee is as bad as it can be...

it's ok, nothing else....

just an update....

The Beet salad, yellow beets?  a little different than the last one.. but really good....

Scallops where really good!

Nice place to hang out....  I asked for a Half & Half, which was good, but the Bartender said "you want a black and tan?"... OK?  no problem, i got the right drink.

The only reason i mention that is that I ordered Buffalo calamari, but it was only eh, they didn't get it.....  the made calamari and then "sprinkled" hot sauce on it.....  

anyway... there where only two tv's, nice but you could only see them from the bar...

So with these complaints, why 4 stars?   It's a great time!  It's a really good dive bar, great beers, great location, great place to hang out...

This is a must see, the tidal basin is breathtaking... but no surprise, it's an event, it's packed.  add to that spring breaks, and be ready for parking, not many shuttles, traffic....

is it worth it, sure, but just prepare for it... metro is good alternative, as is a local hotel if you can book it....

M&C kid friendly?  TOTALLY!  timing is a determining factor here, but we got in and out from 6-6:45... they had kids menus, crayons with good options, vanilla ice cream for desert!  not to mention the table has paper in case the kids want to color more....  

Funny?  I normally think of M&C for business meetings, but tonight with the kids was fun, and my meal Pan Seared Flounder with tomatoes, capers and potatoes was excellent!

The words.. the best meal i have ever had... or my last meal... are non trivial things to me.... Over dinner at Morimoto's in Philadelphia, a friend of mine, we will call him Joe, said.  "the best meal of my life was a chef's table at McCormick and Schmick's."  I was very much like, WTF, that is insane, we both travel allot and have been to tons of places, this couldn't be true....

So next time he arranged the chef's table, he was gracious enough to invite me....  

OMFG!  DOWN RIGHT THE BEST!  .. it's been 4 days, and i had a horrible couple of days, and still think about how good that meal was, it's my happy spot.

Please note: this is a chef's table, nothing is on the official menu, they knew we where coming for a month, and worked on a 6 course meal and wine pairing to DIE for... I GOT MY FINAL MEAL!

So the players where:
Chef's table - Todd B.
Sommelier / Bar Manager- Mike A.
Sever - Kirsten

The Set up:
Upstairs, in the back very private...

Meal - Wine
Moroccan Shrimp - gruner veltliner- winzer krems 2007
Fenil and Pepper crusted Lollipop Lamb chops - chateau mont-redon - chateauneut du pape 2004
Mouth watering Scallops - gewurztraminer - Columbia winery 2007
Arugula Salad apple wine vinergette - marchese antinori chianti 2001
Lobster Thermidor - Dutton goldfield chardoney 2006

These meals are where amazing!  each better than the last, each described as to how and why they where made... AMAZING!

This meal was outstanding, the regular menu is good, but it makes you realize that we really hold back allot of the chef's in these chains.. if they could get creative... meals like this would be more common, and that would be awesome!

I consider the lotus inn a staple restaurant.  Due to location, cost, and comfort.  It doesn't overwelm you like some, but you don't feel 100 years old going there.  It is nice, clean spot, and part of that late 90's early 2k's wave of Japanese and Chinesse in one location.
They also have bubble tea, which is important to note if your looking for bubble tea.

We have had sushi here (which is goo) as well as traditional chinese and japanese dishes.

Few notes:
Sushi is good, qulaity and quantity, both traditional and "crazy" rolls.
tempura is good, not over gressy, very crispy
and this time i tried teh Hawaiian Pinapple shrimp.  it was really good.

walking into the old Coyote Crossing West building, you expected  they would keep some of the sophisticated charm.  Even with the LA Mexican Theme, they could have keep it low key.... they didn't'... the first floor houses a Mexican flare with cheesy decor on the verg of CHEESSY...   That said the second floor "velvet lounge" is nicer (and the johnny cash table is pretty cool).  (roof was closed upon visit, and was told it will open on the 15th of April..)

That said, the most important part is the food.....

The menu keeps the OVERLOADED with Flare feel, though they good veggie/vegan options.  most dishes with a meat option come with options for either grilled veggie or tofu, there are also some gluten free options.

For our first meal, I had the fish tacos, my partner had the spinach enchiladas.

both where very good.  i would say the maui-maui fish tacos may be the 2nd or 3rd best i have ever had (with Wahoo's Fish Tacos being the best).

beans and rice where good.... we will go again!

This may be the worst airport out there (if your driving in/driving out it may be ok for layovers...) .

driving in to the rental car area is a pain, MILES away....   if you go to the wrong terminal without  a boarding pass... it takes a long time to switch gates....

most of the food places where closed when I got there....  

all in all a bad exp...