I narrowed it down to Umi Sake House and Shiro’s. The latter was recommended by friends of mine (one of whom is Japanese) and the latter had 3x the # of reviews on Yelp, so I decided to go with the masses. I wasn’t disappointed, though I will say that it’s not your “traditional” sushi place. Quite frankly, traditionalists should probably shy away, as Umi takes regular sushi and pretty much bastardizes it. But in an interesting, eclectic, and tasty way!

First things first: don’t come here for sashimi or nigiri. You’re not here to sample the fish, although it’s great quality I’m sure. You’re here because the rolls are some of the craziest concoctions of flavors you’ve ever seen, and may never see again! I mean… blueberry & strawberry in a sushi roll? As I said, traditionalists would puke, but you def get points for creativity!

Now, i’m a spice nut. I love hot food. And I mean really hot. I dip popcorn in habanero sauce. That’s how much I love hot food. Let me tell you, this place is a spice fiends paradise. They have so many fiery/spicy rolls, I had trouble choosing. On the flip side, they also have some sweet rolls, for those who prefer to keep their stomach lining in tact. Sissies. Here’s what we went with:

1) casino royale – spicy tuna, avocado & cucumber wrapped with yellowtail, lime, cilantro, shishito pepper & jalapeno
2) 007 –  spicy tuna, avocado & cucumber wrapped with salmon,
lime, cilantro, shishito pepper & jalapeno
3) spicy cassidy – yellowtail, jalapenos, cucumber, topped with salmon,
avocado & spicy mayonnaise
4) mango tango – mango, cilantro, bell peppers topped with tuna &
mango shiso sauce
5) flaming tuna – spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber & tobiko topped with
spicy yellowtail, yuzu tobiko & spicy aioli

All of these were fairly large and some were extremely spicy, even for my desensitized tongue.

We washed it down with beer and maybe even a little sake, and took great pleasure in watching the chefs behind the large sushi bar work their magic. Whole lotta blow torchin’ goin’ on back there, and it’s fun to watch!

All in all, I left the place thinking, “man, that was so cool!” but I also didn’t really feel like I ate sushi that night. It was more like a sushi circus, which suited me just fine, but I’d have to be in the right mood. I would suggest this place to large groups looking to have fun tasting a bunch of new & different spins on traditional Japanese cuisine. If there’s one thing you won’t be short on, it’s conversation, as the dishes here stir up quite a bit of that!

I love the fact that there is now a sweet ass beer garden in my neighborhood where I can go to throw back some cold n’ frosty brews to wash down fried pickles, hush puppies, pulled pork or brisket sammiches in the communal comfort of picnic tables and hofbrau umbrellas. There’s really nothing quite like it in Northwest DC, and I gotta say it’s a much better use of space than that stupid nursery that used to occupy the space. Who wants plants over beer and brisket? I mean really…

I hate the fact that I didn’t come up with the idea to start this amazing little enterprise. Whoever did is a smarty pants who deserves all the money he must be making by selling liters of beer from a hut the size of my bathroom – talk about low overhead!

My own jealousy aside, Standard is an awesome place to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Although it’s typically always packed, you’ll get a seat if you don’t mind lurking and hovering over people who look like they’re at their soon-to-be-last drop. If you’re not comfortable lurking, you may be shit out of luck.

The fried pickles, raw pickles w/ kraut are awesome little appetizers to whet your palate for the cold beer you’ll wash them down with. After a few more of said beers, you’ll want more of said food, at which point you look for a delicious BBQ pulled pork sammich or some beef brisket on a nice, soft bun. Order some hush puppies or sweet potato fries to accompany these items, and you’re livin’ large – all for about $30. Not bad for a brew-filed afternoon of fun in the sun!

If i had to pick out something to pick on, you know, for the sake of doing so, it’d be that Standard is hot as hell on a sunny afternoon. They should find a way to turn those heating lamps they have on the walls for winter time into AC units in the summer. That, or by a Dyson fan or something. Otherwise, expect to be baking like banana bread while you sit in the confines of the fences and beer umbrellas at this fine establishment.

All in all, Standard is something that NW needed badly, and now we have it! I look forward to many an afternoon here!

Shiro is that dude. You can tell that this man loves what he does and is very good at it. The way he picks up a live shrimp, floats it in front of you saying, “it’s very sweet, you want?” before snapping its head and serving it to you fresh as fresh can be, is something I’ve never seen before. It’s not a fancy place, by any means, but the service is pleasant (albeit rather slow) and the fish is super fresh. Even the rice here is a grade above most places. Highly recommend sitting at the sushi bar, as Shiro himself is a lot of fun to watch – he’s a true artist at work!

Get the geoduck, miso marinated cod (seriously, it’s amazing), salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and a rainbow roll. You’ll be very happy you did.

Despite a general disdain for pricey “tapas” joints, I actually think the food here is pretty good. Don’t feel guilty ordering everything “Huevos y Frituras” (Eggs & Fried) section of the menu, since everything on there is completely badass. The patatas bravas was so good that I had to order two helpings of it – one as an appetizer to share w/ peeps, and another to accompany my skirt steak. In retrospect, I could have done without the skirt steak and just had the potatoes – they were really unbelievable and unique; i’ve never had anything like them elsewhere.

They’ve got a pretty great beer & cocktail list, and their Embutidos (or Cured Meats to us greengos) were fantastic. One of the better quality charcuteries I’ve had in DC, though not abundant in quantity.

My overall feeling about Estadio is that it’s good-to-decent food in an environment that absolutely kicks ass. I’d say this is a great date spot if you’re cool with a bit of noise, but also a really fun place for a group of friends to hang.

The latest and greatest of the China Grill Mgmt Group’s restaurants, Bar Basque, is a futuristic trip through one of Spain’s most beautiful regions (supposedly… i’ve yet to visit). Designed by the famous  Syd Mead (Bladerunner, Tron, Alien), the decor of this massive new restaurant is as cool as the food is good.

Futuristic Hallway Leading to the Restaurant (Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger & Eater NY)

From the moment you step inside, you feel like you’ve entered the Starship Enterprise from hell, courtesy of the cherry red walls and little blue lights that streamline the place. There’s a large bar and lounge area with a massive inventory of liquor and wine, the latter selection is self-serve whereby you can dispense 3 different amounts.

Wine Pour of the Future (Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger & EaterNY)

The main dining room is a massive extension that is floor to ceiling glass with futuristic yet comfortable furniture. Look directly out and see an enormous flat screen television hanging on the side of a building across the way. From it they show anything from the Yankees game to a 5-minute film of nothing but a gorilla gnawing down on some celery stalks. I found that particularly amusing.

Bar Basque's Bright Dining Room (Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger & Eater NY)

Now let’s talk about the food, because that’s what makes this place really special. We started with some delicious smoked sauteed peppers and fried green olives stuffed with anchovy. Our waiter told us that the secret to the flavor was that these bad boys were fried with cool ranch Doritos. Wouldn’t have guessed THAT in a million years. Then we had a 2nd round of apps that included Breaded Oxtail Ravioli, which were literally like croutons stuffed with Oxtail meat; and the grand finale of apps – the absolute MUST have – the Crispy Farm Egg, which has olive oil crushed potatoes, peppers, Serrano ham, and cheese broth. This little semi-boiled egg (yoke was still completely liquid) is breaded on the outside and you crack it open and it just covers everything else on the plate to form one of the most amazing combinations of flavors I’ve had in a long time… seriously: do not go here without trying this egg. You will be tempted to order a second…

Entrees included a rather bland seabass, unfortunately, and a “Crispy suckling pig” over potato and mushroom risotto. The pig was delicious and very, very savory (I downed an entire bottle of water myself just to get through it). That said, the entrees were not as fantastic as the starters (seriously, eat that EGG!!!!) For dessert, we had their mini-ice cream cones – 5 miniature cones with one tiny scoop ice cream each. They have quite a selection of ice creams and sorbets, but we go the salted caramel, rice pudding, spiced apple, pear, and mango. Very nice end to a delicious meal.

The only downfall of the place, which is completely forgivable considering this was opening weekend, was the service. We didn’t get our complimentary olive bread until sometime after we’d eaten our appetizers for some reason, and the bottle of wine we ordered with our entrees never made it out at all, so we had to settle for glasses which came about 3/4 the way through our entrees. To their credit, however, they were on the house.

All in all, you want to check this place out. It’s nice at night, but I can imagine it would be amazing before the sun went down as well. The decor is cool, the food even better, and all in all I think it’s going to be a bright future for Bar Basque…

In these warmer months, DC is all about the frozen stuff. That pseudo healthy sweet treat that you can top with fresh fruit, fresh candy, and everything in between.  Just like the outrageously popular cupcake, frozen yogurt is the hippest dessert out there and everywhere you turn it seems as though a new neon colored shop pops up to satisfy your craving for tart soft serve. Here are some of the better known places and what I think of them.

1) Tangysweet – I’m not quite sure if it’s the original, but it’s the one I’ve known about the longest. TangySweet, the sister of popular Red Velvet Cupcakery (they share a kitchen in Chinatown), has been dishin’ up fro-yo that’s both tangy and sweet (hence the simple, yet appropriate name) for years.

TangySweet Dupont (credit: Keegle_In_DC)

They’ve usually got anywhere from three to six flavors at one time – some simple and some more exotic – and all sorts of toppings including all the traditional berries, several types of chocolate and gummy-based candies, and a variety of cereals and crunchy sweets. The downside is that they only put one scoop of each topping, which means you blow through the toppings in no time and are left with just yogurt. I suggest they put some on the bottom too… or layer it like a casserole or lasagna or something. The drab cement interior is complimented by bright colors and white plastic everywhere, just to remind you that you’re not in frozen yogurt prison. The soft serve here is more tart than other places in town, but if that’s your thing, this is your place.

Chinatown TangySweet

2) SweetGreen – Ever wonder what it’d be like if Chop’t and TangySweet shacked up and made babies? Okay, maybe i’m the only one who’s ever thought of that, but seriously, if it were to happen, SweetGreen would be the fruit of their labor – pun intended. This healthy food emporium founded by some entrepreneurial young Georgetown grads encourages people to have their cake…errr… salad and eat it too!

SweetGreen Founders

These young bucks have been paying attention to the craze that is expensive ass salads and expensive ass yogurt and decided to cash in on the best of both worlds by combining the two under one roof. Nice work, kids. This innovative eatery enables people to grab a fresh, healthy, tasty (albeit expensive) salad and satisfy their sweet tooth afterwards with some fro-yo. The downside about the yogurt is that they typically have only one or two flavors, and a lot less of the toppings found at other places. Particularly absent, at least at the Dupont location are gummy bears! Fail. But then, they actually appear to be adhering to that whole “healthy” thing by leaving them out. Good for them. The original Gtown hut was followed by places in Dupont, Logan Circle, and I’m sure there’ll be plenty more to come. The interior of these shops are far less cell block four and far more amazonian paradise, which I kinda like. Unfortunately, it’s my least favorite of the yogurt places in town. Their salads, on the other hand, are marvelous.

SweetGreen Dupont - Amazonian Paradise

3) Fro-Zen-Yo – My absolute favorite of the fro-yo joints is newly opened Fro-Zen-Yo in Penn Quarter/Metro Center area. This place will satisfy your sweet tooth and your desire to be amused with it’s “pour-it-yourself, pay by the pound” policy.

So Fresh n' So Frozen-YO!

Unlike other places in town where I’m limited to one – maybe 2 – flavors, and just a few toppings, Fro-Zen-Yo is all about empowering me pour my own fro-yo, as big as I’d like, with as many flavors as I can fit into a container and covering it in as many toppings as I’m willing to pay for before sidling up to the cash register to weigh-in and pay accordingly. Fro-Zen-Yo is the all-U-can-eat buffet of Fro-Yo, people, and I’m in love with it.

The Guide to Gettin Your Frozen Yo Mojo On

With up to 14 flavors as decadent as cheesecake, birthday cake, and red velvet; to fruitily delicious options such as mango, lemonade, blueberry, strawberry; Fro-Zen-Yo has something for every tastebud and mood. And remember when you were a kid and all you wanted to do was push elevator buttons, pour your own fountain soda, and pull softserve ice cream handles? Well at Fro-Zen-Yo, you’re not only allowed to do so, you HAVE to. They’ve got people there to show you how to pour your own, in case you’re a complete buffoon, but for the most part, it’s a hands-on experience and you’ve got the keys to the frozen yogurt palace.

Pull my Handle

Whether you pour a frozen masterpiece or sloppy mess, at the end of the assembly line you’ve got a huge selection of toppings that isn’t quite extensive as TangySweet, but you can put as much or as little as you want, and that gives them the nod. That, and they have some of the most amazing gummy bears ever here (eat your heart out SweetGreen, with your gummyist ways). And at the end of the day, you weigh and pay. Best part about it is that between the two of us, my girlfriend and I bought 1.78 pounds of fro-yo and toppings all for less than $12. The equivalent amount at any of these other shops would come with a few measly scoops of toppings and 1/4 the flavor combinations at best!

The One on the Right is Mine - Look at All those Gummies!

If you want a frozen yogurt experience that combines variety, fun, and value all into one, look no further than Fro-Zen-Yo. It’s the light at the end of your frozen yogurt tunnel. Follow the yellow brick road to the Culture City and find the Wizard of Yo at Fro-Zen-Yo!

Courtesy: DCist

This evening me lady and I took advantage of the warm, spring weather and went for a stroll down Pennsylvania Ave to find an outdoor patio where we could grab dinner and people watch. As we walked, it occurred to me that I’d never been to Cafe du Parc in the famous Willard InterContinental Hotel, and as luck would have it neither had she so we decided to pop by. The place was packed, which, in a temporary lapse of judgement, I took to mean the place must be good. We all know that in this town, any place with a patio will be packed whether it’s serving up Michelin 5-star cuisine or shitty guac-in-a-bag nachos (cough… Tony & Joes/Nick’s Riverside Grille…cough).

A View from the Front

We looked for a host/ess out front but none was clearly visible so we strolled inside where we waited at the host stand for a few minutes with two other couples. Eventually, one of us was smart enough to go back outside to see if anyone could help us actually put our name in for a table. I should point out that the bartender(s) were standing around in their own little world, completely clueless to the fact that (highly) paying customers were standing around unattended. Way to be on the ball, you supposed 4-star service squad.

After putting our name in w/ the none-too-friendly hostess, we went inside to the none-too-awake-and-or-friendly bartenders and ordered some wine. Then we waited and observed how many managers were walking around this place seemingly looking important but doing very little. For example, a few other people waited hopelessly at the indoor host stand while managers just walked around in their suits looking authoritative. The son of a former hotel executive and full-time waiter in a past life, I wanted to kindly waive the gent over and tell him, as politely as possible, to get his head out of his ass.

I began to feel uneasy, anticipating that this place wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, so I asked the lady, “should we just go to Beck’s?” (our favorite place for Mussels in the city) But I seemed to recall their patio being closed for renovations last week, and we really wanted to eat outside so we stuck around.

We continued to watch hoards of managers and waitstaff zipping about seemingly in a hurry to accomplish nothing. There were three tables for two available for a good 10 minutes before the four people (2 managers, 2 hostesses) realized it. Finally, a manager came over to me and said “we should be ready for you momentarily…” to which I replied, “yes, now as a matter of fact. That table is set for two…” He looked and said, “ah yes, when we get it cleared, we’ll see you immediately.” I said, “no. it’s set. it’s ready. we can sit now, no?” Whatever spacecraft he was riding in came crashing back into earth and he escorted us to our seats.

Moules Frites a la Cafe Du Parc

At about 8:25, nearly 20 minutes after having ordered (but not yet received) our 2nd glasses of wine, I started to think “yep… shoulda gone to Beck’s!” To eat we shared a bland, mediocre salad with too little dressing, a delicious charcuterie plate the might easily be one of the best I’ve had in the city, a massive helping of underwhelming mussels and some terrible frites, and a bacon/onion flatbread that was hardly anything to write home about. While I commend Cafe du Parc for serving large portions that are a good value for the price tag, the flavors are far from what one might expect at a traditional French restaurant.

The bill for two was $95 and we left feeling full but hardly satisfied. The slow,  inefficient, and inattentive service combined with the underwhelming flavors simply outweighed the ambiance of this place. I walked away feeling good that I finally went, but shan’t be returning. Ironically, that’s exactly the same way I felt about France…

That's right, Sweetie, and don't forget to wipe your mouth with a $20

One would think that this trend is probably mainly popular in places like  New York or LA, but let’s be honest: DC is fast becoming a big player in the culinary world (ahem, TopChef filming here this spring?) , so it’s no shock that savvy entrepreneurs have picked up on this cupcake craze and are milking it for every penny it’s worth. And why not? Ride that gravy train to the bank!!! So which cupcake place is best? There’s a great debate over this, and whatever your position, here are some of the spots around town you can find an overpriced morsel of baked goodness.

1) Red Velvet Cupcakery - Dupont Circle & Penn Quarter

The oh-so-tempting cupcake display case at Red Velvet PQ. Pic courtesy of Prince of Petworth

This seductive chain has been around for a few years now and typically co-exists side-by-side with sister fro-yo hot spot TangySweet. Known for their “red velvet” cupcakes w/ vanilla cream cheese frosting, Red Velvet Cupcakery is one of the better known cupcake places in town (helps to have two locations). While I’m not a huge fan of the cheese frosting, how freakin’ good does that display case look? Even the way they light the place says “this is sin you want, my friend.” A dozen of those babies are $36 though… yeah… $36 for 12 friggin’ cupcakes! That said, some of them are REALLY tasty. My favorite: anything with lemon in it and/or their coffee/mocha cupcake. Both solid choices.

2) Hello Cupcake – Dupont Circle

A lighter, less sultry approach to cupcakes - Photo Courtesy of Citysifting

Hello Cupcake is clearly a play on the Japanimation cartoon Hello Kittie and the inside of the place is so cutesy-poo it makes me want to vomit. The cupcakes here are smaller than at Red Velvet and in my opinion a lot less appealing, although they do appear to apply the icing in a more traditionally “cupcake-y” way. Kudos to you for originality… NOT. Pinks and purples abound here, which from a male perspective is even more emasculating than the physical act of buying a cupcake itself (unless it’s for a girl, in which case you’re a pimp and I tip my hat to you, sir). The location is primo, however, and they have tons of foot traffic, which has gotta be good for their little hello kittie-lovin’ owners. Shit, business better have been good because up until recently they were closed on Sundays… Moral of the story: being a restaurateur is NOT a 24-7 job as people say if you’re charging $3.50 a piece for cupcakes. To their credit, they also deliver… that’s kinda cool, I guess, although I’d never use that service.

3) Curbside Cupcakes – all over town.

Why go to them when they come to you? Photo courtesy of PenelopeToop

Speaking of delivery and the mobile cupcake, my jaw spent about 5 minutes on the floor when I saw a big pink cupcake mobile driving around town offloading freshly baked cupcakes to the masses. What a brilliant idea! Those of you who read my Sauca post know how highly I think of that little delivery gem, but this? Even more impressive. Some of the biggest challenges local shop owners have is driving new traffic through their doors, particularly when it comes to “afternoon treats” like cupcakes – people aren’t gonna wander far from their offices, so it puts some merchants in a jam. Not this one! Leveraging facebook and twitter, Curbside Cupcakes literally drives TO its consumers. If you bake & drive it, they will come… appears the ice cream man was onto something…

4) Georgetown Cupcake - Georgetown & Bethesda

For whatever reason, I can’t find get an image from any site to upload so you’ll have to leave it to your imagination, but OF COURSE Georgetown has a cupcake place. Not surprisingly, Georgetown was the site of DC’s FIRST cupcake place in Georgetown Cupcake. Hell, if you’re going to open a store that charges $4 for 3 bites of cake, you might as well do so in an area where residents use hundos as napkins… Started by two sisters in 2008, this is arguably the place that started it all. And while I’ve never been there to try it, their cupcakes look good and I’ve seen their Range Rover rollin’ through town on several occasions… what’d you think they’d be driving, a beat up Chevy? I think not…

5) Cakelove – U Street, Silver Spring, Tysons Corner, Shirlington, National Harbor, Fairfax

It’s no wonder the owner of this place, Warren Brown, is all smiles all the time. It’s also no wonder American Express used him in a commercial and he’s been on Food Network. Cakelove is the closest thing we’ve got in DC to a “cupcake chain.” Think Krispy Kreme in it’s waaaay early days. People go absolutely gonzo for this place and with locations all over Virginia, Warren’s shown that he learned a thing or two from the Georgetown Cupcake sisters about conveniently placing your expensive bakery in neighborhoods full of expensive houses and cars.

So there it is: Five cupcake places in and around DC that you can try for yourself. Personally, the thought of dropping that kinda cash on cupcakes is pretty ludicrous, and that’s despite me being a complete, utter wastrel with money. But if you are willing to fork over $4 for your delicious fluffy morsel, you can’t really go wrong by these places. Of course, you could just wait ’til you see one or two of them as a Daily Deal on LivingSocial… (yeah, I work there… shameless self promotion, yada yada).

Muy Fluffy Pupusas!

For the price of a burrito at Chipotle, you can basically get a full meal at El Rinconcito, which includes a burrito, beans, rice, and fresh homemade salsa and tortilla chips. And the real treat is to hit this place on a weekend for breakfast because they have traditional El Salvadorian breakfast platters that are out of this world – steak, eggs, rice, beans, and some of the fluffiest pupusas you’ve ever eaten, all for <$8. Can’t really beat it. They’ve also got delicious plantains, which make a great app or side dish. So next time you happen to be in the neighborhood of 11th and M, as if any of you actually ever just happen to be around that hood, find some room in your belly for El Rinconcito – you won’t be disappointed!

1) Camillo’s Barber Shop in Tenleytown. This is where I used to go when in college at American. Camillo’s probably been cutting hair there since AU was made a school back in the 1800s. He is one seasoned vet of barbering. He surrounds himself with Filipina women and men who also provide a decent cut, the best of which is Diane. She’s like his right hand, and I wouldn’t be surprised if when he retires, she gets the place. As much as I’m used to having old men cut my hair, I must admit I’d prefer a neck massage from Diane than Camillo… the latter is just creepy. Still, a tip of the hat to a true Italian barber who runs a great, traditional barbershop.

No, not the NAILS place. Camillo's is next door...

2) Diego’s Hair Salon. Once I gone done and graduated from college, so, too, did I graduate from Camillo’s. My post-graduate haircuts took place at the diplomat-frequented Diego’s Hair Salon. For more than 35 years, Diego’s been styling the hairdos of DC elites and commoners alike. Every inch of his wall is covered with autographed headshots of countless foreign dignitaries and more government bureaucrats than I care to imagine. Fenty’s on there, as is Bush and Pelosi (yeah, even Pelosi.) Barry’s not there yet (Marion, nor Obama), but I’m sure one of them will make a motorcaded stop sooner or later…

But it’s not about pictures, people, it’s about the haircut. Diego’s is spectacular because Diego himself is, and so are all the people he surrounds himself with. Diego will always greet you with a booming “Ciao!” on your way in, and the same going out, and in between, you can sit in any barber chair in the place and get a perfect haircut. Even guys have our “favorites,” but at Diego’s I don’t give a damn – whoever’s ready for me, I go with, and I haven’t been disappointed yet! For $25 (including tip), you’ll get a perfect cut, shampoo, and style. Smack dab in the heart of North Dupont, you can easily metro there for a quick midday trim, or walk over on a weekend. Afterwards, grab a coffee and muffin at Firehook, or a delicious breakfast at Circa, and call it a day!