Central - Washington DC

Central Michel Richard in DC is an all American bistro with a modern influence, french touches and lively after work bar.




You can get everything from a chicken bucket with pieces for the family to steak tartare!

For starters, Asian style tuna carpaccio.. Thinly sliced tuna topped with garlic and onions.. Interesting spin on "Asian" style.. Delicately sliced but a tad garlic overpowered:


A fresh salad frisee with poached egg and lardons and toasty bacon pieces:


Crabcake with leak tartare was fantastic... Chunky Maryland crab served on topped of a leak and cream preparation... Delicious:



Tartare of filet mignon, packed with mustard seeds for an extra punch, are served with a petite portion of French fries:



The Brussel sprouts with bacon took home the prize, baby sprouts sautéed in a butter cream sauce with bacon pieces.. Probably negates the health benefits, but fabulous they were:


For an assortment and variety of tasty bites, Central has a little something for everyone.

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Circa - Washington DC

Dupont circle is a fantastic intersection of eateries, energy and plenty of traffic. But tucked into the roundabout, some great food establishments make for a quick bite, an outdoor dining experience or an extended happy hour.

American cuisine and comfort fare is what Circa has to offer. For starters, a selection of appetizers can quickly fill one with small plates to share.

Tuna carpaccio, lightly seared with blackened edges, a light soy wasabi sauce makes for a tasty bite:


Classic mussels with shallots and white wine cream sauce, onions and steamed to an open bite:


The braised shortribs, tender and marinaded were fantastic .. Served with mashed potatoes, a meat and potatoe lover's plate:


With $5 wine happy hr, definitely makes DC affordable without compromising taste.

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Lauriol plaza - Washington DC

Mexico is far from DC, hot sauce and all. But some close substitutes are taking shape. Lauriol, with marguerita and sangria specials, has some basic dishes that satisfy the crave.

As you walk in to the large multileveled restaurant and are greeted with life size cardboard figurines of the Obama's, chips and salsa flying all around, head to the upstairs covered outdoor area.

Whole fish ceviche covered in lime with a slice of jalepeño :


Crab an shrimp enchiladas, baked with cheese:


A special for the week, a Mahi mahi, seared then sautéed in a garlic butter sauce with mushrooms, scallops and baby shrimp:


A casual environment for a bit of mexican inspired flavors...

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Cornish hens and blueberries

Deliciously roasted Cornish hens were a recent delight, wholly baked and marinaded in chicken broth, then roasted for that top brown coating and served with a rhubarb and apricot topping..

Fantastic alternative to chicken.. More game and flavor, the little hens soak up flavors graciously:


Coming out of the oven, hot and juicy, and getting glazed over with the rhubarb and apricot sauce ..



Fully roasted and baked to a succulent perfection..

A paired avocado and green salad, lightly seasoned with mandarin oranges and cherry tomatoes:



A chilled blueberry soup.. Creamy blueberry blend with a touch if cream, a fantastic soup for those hot summer days:



a fabulous feast indeed:

El agave - old town SD

Old town in San Diego has a number of Mexican places. Streets filled with eateries, cantinas and plenty of tourists. The problem is that many of them are California Mexican, offering the typical combo platter of refried beans, overly tortilla l wrapped options covered in a mild red sauce and not truly capturing the flavors of traditional Mexican dishes.

One restaurant that stands out is El Agave.. A bit down from the mainstream bar hopping marguerita and tequila shooing crowd, it's old wood interior and wall compose of backlit collection of tequila bottles gives it a more classic rustic feel:









Chips and salsa are not the norm.. Light crispy chips are served with a black bean sauce:


A spicy hearty dipping bean sauce.

The Ensalada de mariscos, is a seafood based salad served with grilled calamari, mussels, lobster and avocado topped with a cilantro orange and hint of chipotle dressing..


The carnitas tacos topped with chopped onion and cilantro, were soft tender roasted pork wrapped in a light corn tortilla.. Simple and straighfortward:


A special of the day was a halibut fish, baked and served on a brown rice, cooked with a tomatoe chipotle sauce.. A fantastic portion for $12:



With 100s of tequilas to taste, el agave has a good mixture of California influenced Mexican food with traditional roots. Don't forget to try the tamarind margueritas.. A sweet and mildly paper kick of a drink:


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Barrio star- bankers hill

A return visit to barrio star, a comfort neighborhood Mexican restaurant with lighted religious candles, painted an glittering skulls and bright colors sets a comfort ambience for a causal and tasty feast.

On this occasion, the ever populate happy hour menus have changed. The creative margueritas list that include a Serrano and jalenpeño marguerita, or a pomegranate or blackberry medley are no longer specials! Tasty and potent, there popularity has voted them off the happy hr menu.

Grilled Guadalajara corn, charred and topped with Cotija cheese, cumin and paprika spices is a fantastic veggie option.

Homemade Guacomole with paprika coated freshly made chips:


The Mexican Cobb salad, an assortment of fresh romain greens, corn, black beans, tomatoes and a Cotija cheese creamy dressing... Add a little grilled chicken and a superb lunchtime treat:


The carnita tacos come out on homemade corn tortillas, roasted and marinaded meat, served with a blended pico de gallo and topped with Cotija cheese:


A new tasting, the chicken pozole soup was a simple broth with hominy, chicken shreds and carrots.. A basic soup, not a favorite as compared to the other flavorful dishes:



Let's keep our paws crossed that barrio star keeps shining as a neighborhood place!

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Sultana - menlo park

Turkish delights await you at Sultana. Behind Santa Cruz ave in menlo park, sultana's outdoor patio secludes you from busy street in a small garden experience.





Appetizer starters include hummus, babaganoosh, chickpea and onion salad, tzatziki and rice stuffed dolmas.

Greek salad topped with feta and lemon olive oil:



Salmon kebabs with a yoghurt cucumber dip, grilled to a perfection


Fantastic outdoor eating, middle Eastern treats and great hospitality. There's also an interesting beer menu that will have to be explored next time!

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Piatti - La Jolla

Nestled in the heart of La Jolla, Piatti's offers Italian plates with seasonal food items, great hospitality and a fantastic summer venue for those causal beach days.

Outdoor garden area embraces you with a giant tree. Under it's lighted leaves, enjoy some fabulous dishes.

Saffron infused pappardelle, a house specialty, is serve with giant jumbo prawns basted in garlic and chili flakes and all served with a light wine and butter sauce:


Heirloom tomato celebration week had several new creations. A seasonal caprese salad, fresh mozzarella, ripened tomatoes and basil all drizzled with rich olive oil and a fig balsamic ... Delicious


Green, yellow and ruby red tomatoes served with a grilled Ciabatta bread, garlic and olive oil


As a member of a collection of restaurants, all chefs at Piatti's are encouraged to add unique and creative dishes, making eery experience a unique one.

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Au revoir - Hillcrest

A new French bistro has opened up in Hillcrest, with wine and brunch specials that need to be explored. On the corner of fifth and Robinson, a spot once held by Cafe lavande has now given birth to Au Revoir.

Colorful and charming, open aired environment with specials highlighted on a big chalkboard


Fresh and warmly baked bread is brought out with unsalted butter :


Brunch spots fill up fast, with both outdoor and indoor seating arrangement, classics such as moules a la creme, escargot and soupe a l'onion gratine are all available.

With a bit of california inspiration, a basic salad nicoise is served with seared ahi tuna, extra virgin olive oil and lemon:



The selection of cheese plates was also quite attractive. With wine specials every day, at late lunch comers, there's 30% off the menu and wine after 3p!



Looking forward to another visit

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Mama testa - Hillcrest

Put some Mexican in you, as the catchy slogan goes, Mama Testa's in Hillcrest offers some hearty mexican dishes that's definitely a step above the Californian mex of typical places.

Low key and comfortable, bright oranges, yellow and blues welcome you. With a full salsa bar, offering abol de fuego, chipotle and roasted onions, one can make a meal out of the salsa bar alone:


A little creativity, and a bowl of tortilla chips becomes a spicy extravaganza.

La Ensalada de los Locos, a romaine based salad with a mild chipotle dressing, served with grilled chicken and tortilla strips.. Fabulous:


Pollo asado, or tacos a la yasuda, sweet grilled chicken on homemade corn tortillas with a little tomatillo salsa..


And for all those who use to love the lotteria at family events, the bathroom is filled with lotteria reminders:



Easy going, low key and tasty bites, mama testa is sure to please.

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Pitas - Hillcrest

A new Mediterranean grill has opened up in Hillcrest, with full kebab meats and all the typical schwarmas, hummus and baba ganoush you can eat.




Rich roasted eggplant and olive oil .. Baba ganoush fantastic.

The Mediterranean salad with grilled chicken, romain, kalamata olives, tomatoes and pickled beets:



The chicken schwarma plate with hummus and salad.. Rice? Is also included:


With prices set to hit the hungry student crowd, the food is tasty and definitely a step above Sajj. The hospitality and service is sure to win some over.


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Ebisu- Hillcrest

Sushi lovers beware! A recent visit to Ebisu left us less than impressed. Often having groovy beats and a young atmosphere, ebisu stays open late for cocktails and sushi.

The selection was impressive, with daily specials. However the fish was not fresh, the rice was also not cooked thoroughly and an order of vegetables looked like a bag of mixed veggies from trader joes was just displayed onto a plate.. No creativity..

A kampachi sashimi, drizzled with a jalepeño oil an sprinkled with rock salts, was ok, but not as fabulous for a daily special being advertised:


Spicy tuna rolls and spicy yellowtail rolls were less than impressive.. The sushi chef at whole foods would have been a better choice!


A seared albacore roll was also equally less than tasty and impressive:


Not sure if it was a bad day, or if this experience is the norm, but the meal was forgettable..

Sajj- Hillcrest

Sajj, a new addition to the hood, opened up to a great start, offering a Mediterranean selection that rivaled local Aladdin, with grilled promises of much anticipated kebabs has careened off course.

Low key environment with an open door environment to a busy intersection of university, the walk up counter offers quick and go meals as well as a full few of the kitchen.

Kebabs, shwarma and the array of foul, hummous and baba ganoush are all available.

The hummous, creamy and light is a little thin for a full order:



The shwarma chicken salad served boiled chicken on top
of romaine shreds, drizzled with lemon and chopped cucumber and radishes:


And the dolmas, stuffed with rice and covered in a slight tomato drizzling were ok, but hardly As rich as the ones imported from trader joes!


The lebanese addition had a great promises, but has slid a notch or two behind mama's bakery off of el cajon and also Aladdin.

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