Star Noodle Maui

I don’t know why, but I always want ramen. I think if you’ve read my blog long enough you know that. So while we were in Hawaii, I had to have at least two bowls of ramen. Not knowing anything or anyone familiar with food in Maui, I used the trusty Yelp app, and checked out places with good ratings.

One of the places that got great reviews and had a line out the door was Star Noodle. This got me excited. I was really looking forward to a great bowl of ramen.

Fail. It was aight. And we were HUNGRY and I still didn’t think it was awesome. I got the Hapa Ramen, which is Pork Broth, Roast Pork, Poached Egg, Bamboo Shoots, Kamaboko, Baby Bok Choy, Mayu, Spicy Aka Miso. In theory it sounds all good right? But the broth lacked flavor and depth.

All is not lost. Their pork bun was good, and I think their selection of small plates are worth trying. Boo still thinks my pork belly sliders are way better.

Aloha Mixed Plate

I think my favorite meal of the day in Hawaii is ALWAYS breakfast. Hawaiians know how to start the day. I love this place. Aloha Mixed Plate is right next to The Old Royal Lahaina Luau, and its outdoor seating, good service, good food. We went there twice that week. I would have all my breakfasts there if I could! The view of the ocean and a nice cold glass of POG juice and I’m a happy camper for the rest of the day.

JB’s Kitchen in Wailuku

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No eating adventure is complete without finding a mom and pop, hole in the wall place. We opted for a Korean place in Wailuku, on our way to Iao Valley. Set in a bustling city area (compared to the outer circle of the island) theres a tiny parking lot in an iffy looking area. We go into a sticky restaurant/lounge…and saw it in the daylight. Not pretty.

Aesthetics aside, the server was super friendly and playful. Never expect quick and speedy service like in the mainland. No one is in a hurry in Hawaii…no one. Aside from that, they got creative with it, and made a kalbi burger. The idea was good, and in general it was a good burger…but definitely didn’t taste like kalbi. However, this is something I will attempt on my own one day.

tonkatsu

I had the chicken tonkatsu. Nom Nom. It was pretty good, cheap and a good portion. And cheap is a big factor because food out there is definitely about 4 times as much as it is at home!

This place had all good reviews, but we weren’t hungry enough to get the full korean bbq experience!

Da Kitchen: Loco Moco

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You know what I am going to miss about Hawaiian dining? Sriracha and Soy sauce on the table at every restaurant. One of the recommended places you can only eat at in Hawaii was Da Kitchen. It is a Hawaiian fast casual dining.

A popular hawaiian breakfast meal is the Loco Moco. It is a grilled burger patty, with onions, eggs and gravy, and a scoop of macaroni  salad. Sounds super hearty for breakfast right? It was delicious. Being of Asian descent, I love eggs, rice and soy sauce for breakfast so this was normal for me!

It might be a good idea to share one if this is the first time you’ve had something this hearty for breakfast, but definitely a MUST try in Hawaii.

I miss it already.

Bistro Cacao for Dinner

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How much do I love this place? Probably too much. Out of all the French restaurants I’ve been too in the area, this is the best. Really. If you ask me where I want to go to celebrate something, I want to go there. As I mentioned in a previous post the atmosphere is very romantic and inviting. Need a recommendation for a romantic dinner date place, Bistro Cacao for dinner is it.

The service is exceptional. We had Karim, who was polite, observant and very personable. He really knew about the food, and made sure to point me in the right direction when I had questions. Who would have thought to eat a duck medium well? Not me. And thats why I have eating adventures, to learn as much as I can about food. Now lets get to the good stuff. Food.

charcuterie

Their dinner menu is not as extensive as other restaurants, which is perfectly fine in this case, because I think that ensures that every dish is awesome. I missed having a good french charcuterie like in France, and the places that I’ve gotten it around here just didn’t quite hit the spot. When I asked Karim, he put together a board of cheeses and meat for me, even though happy hour was over (thank you!). It came with crostinis, not french baguettes, but it still worked out perfectly. For my main course, I chose the pan seared duck breast, with a port wine blueberry reduction. It was accompanied with braised endives (my first time) and  potato gratin.

duckbreast

I got the duck breast cooked medium, which left me with a tender, juicy cut of meat. Even though smothered in sauce, the duck came out with a beautiful crisp crust. I’ve never had such a tender cut of meat. Except maybe a cow’s tongue, but for those of you who aren’t familiar with a well prepared cow’s tongue will immediately be disgusted so I don’t wanna make that reference. I didn’t even make it to the sides, I wanted to devoir all of the duck. And I did. The boo had the filet mignon which was equally amazing, and he cleaned his plates. His sides were also a potato gratin, baby carrots and haricot verts.

profiteroles

Filled to the brim, Karim asked if we wanted dessert. I was so full, and I had to regretfully decline. A few minutes later, he brings us a dessert any way, on the house. Yum, profiteroles. Cream filled puffs with a scoop of ice cream, and chocolate sauce.  He places it in front of the boo and says to me jokingly, “You are full, so I guess you can’t have any,” with a wink. After I gave him a mock look of surprise, he puts the plate in the middle and hands me a spoon and says, “Happy Anniversary!”.

I love this place so much.

Tanpopo Ramen

Ramen, Pho, Suki Yaki, all these things have something in common. They are noodle soups, and they are all comforting. AND I NEEDED IT. After getting poked and prodded by doctors the other week, and STILL being sick a week later I needed some comfort food. Not up for the trek out to my beloved Toki Underground, we decided to try out Tanpopo Ramen House in Annandale.

I’ve heard mixed reviews about this place, noting that things got better as its been opened longer. Sick and wanting a fatty broth I went for it. A dark restaurant inside a tiny shopping center it gave the hole in the wall feel that you’d expect from a ramen house. They also served sushi. The walls were covered with cute ramen eating faces. There were only 2 other tables when we got there, and service was good, even though we were in the back corner away from everyone.

I got the tonkatsu. It was milky, and noodley and had all the soothing qualities I needed at that moment. It wasn’t as savory and POW like Toki’s…but it definitely gets the job done for something you don’t want to drive out the city, and look for parking, or wait for. But that’s the trade off. I was sick, and needed something to warm my insides. They have a couple different broths to choose from and plenty of add ons. I will definitely give it another shot when I’m not stuffed up and dying.

Tanpopo Ramen House
4316 Markham St
Annandale, VA 22003

The Thurman Cafe

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I think by now you are familiar with my burger obsession. This is not great for my waist. But great for my belly. In addition to that list, I’ve added Smashburger. On a recent trip to Columbus, Ohio, I of course had to stop at The Thurman Cafe.

This place was featured on Man vs. Food. No I didn’t try the Thurmanator. The regular bacon burger was more than enough for me. This burger weighs in at 3/4 lb. Stacked with a plethora of bacon and mozzarella cheese. Served with a side of chips and a pickle spear. I was there for the holidays, so I downed it with Great Lakes Christmas Ale, ON TAP!

The verdict:
It was full of flavor, and the patty is huge so it was definitely juicy, but maybe a little too juicy. My bottom bun was completely soggy and I continued eating my burger with only the top bun. Me personally, I like a good bun to meat ratio, so that killed me. I think the Travel Channel gave it the hype it needed, but I don’t think I’d wait in line for it again.

Pistacia Vera

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Why am I so obsessed with macarons? Is it because of the pretty colors? Or the gently sweet bite sized delight it delivers? They’ve been around forever and I am just now obsessing. I know, I am always late. Well, when I was in Columbus, Ohio I decided to see how the midwest does macarons.

Pistacia Vera calls themselves a dessert boutique. I agree. A cute little shop set in German Village, with tall windows, this place gets a little busy on the weekends. The staff is super friendly and very helpful. It gets a little tight in there but once you settle in its a nice place to hang out.

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There is something for everyone, with plenty of hot and cold drinks to choose from, as well as a brunch menu and a long list of desserts to choose from. But lets talk about the macarons.

Yes they are different in the midwest. Or at least here. Their flavors include: yuzu pink guava, maple walnut, mocha hazelnut, gingerbread (seasonal) passionfruit, black raspberry, buckeye, chocolate cherry cordial, caramel pecan, coconut creme, pistachio, and peppermint chocolate.

As you can see, to my dismay, they don’t have the “classic” flavors I adore other than pistachio (which was awesome by the way). They do have a lot of unique flavors and colors which I admire. Pink guava was fun. The chocolate cherry cordial really tasted like one… too bad I don’t like those in their real form. Of course you can’t be in Columbus and not have a buckeye anything.

Over all they were REALLY good. They are more creamy in the middle because they use a buttercream filling instead of the classic jams. They are a lot more fluffy and chewy in the middle than the ones at home, but that again, goes to preference and I like both. Glad I can go visit Columbus and not miss out on my favorite dessert 😀

Kwhat?Kwho? KNISH!!!

I’ve never had a knish before, nor heard of it. Does that me sound super uncultured? Oh well. I had one the other day, and it was amazeballs. I mean seriously, I love a whole meal that I can eat in one hand. Okay, well I guess it wasn’t meant to be a whole meal, but that much meat and potatoes gets a girl full.

In case you didn’t know (like me) a knish is a pastry with meat and a potatoes inside, generally. I got a bacon cheddar one, and one of my girl friends got the short rib one, and we split so we could each taste one. The bacon cheddar one was just what I needed. We skipped breakfast and only had coffee, so by noon it definitely hit the spot. It came with a sour cream, chive dipping sauce and it was perfect. I need to know how to make that, and this. Super convenient. The short rib one was okay, a little salty and came with a bbq sauce type thing.

We got ours from Buffalo & Bergen at Union Market. Definitely going to have to try to make this myself!

 

 

Lao Tasting Menu at Bangkok Golden

A couple weeks ago, I joined some Yelpers at Bangkok Golden for their Lao tastings menu.  I go there pretty often, and I am Lao, so I know what the food is like, but I figured it would be fun to go with people that has never had it. Lao food is not Thai food. Yes its similar..but no, not really. It was really good to be around other adventurous eaters, not afraid to get down and dirty with the food.

Is it weird to start off with the alcohol? Not when it’s BeerLao. The pride of Laos, this beer is easily a lager drinker’s fave. It might be a little difficult to find for casual drinking around here (though I hear some Shopper’s Food Warehouses may carry it), you can definitely quench your thirst with one here.

Started the meal off with Crispy Rice Salad, or as its called in Lao, Nam.

Spicy Lao Sausages, fingers and sticky rice are a must.

Pork neck and papaya salad (spicy).

Fish Curry Noodle Soup

Chicken Larb

Steamed Fish in a banana leaf

Khao Mao, Avocado sticky rice

Having this restaurant accessible makes me really happy, and sad at the same time. A lot of these dishes my mom made for me. Now that she’s not around, I can go there when I am craving something. But also some of these dishes just make me so sad because they remind me of her. Like the steamed fish in banana leaf? I can’t even smell it without tears swelling up in my eyes. One time during chemo, I packed her that with rice. And she was hungry while she was getting her treatment, so I was spooning some out to feed her, but all of a sudden, she was embarrassed by the smell and didn’t want to eat it. It literally broke my heart to see her refuse to eat. My strong mother, who was never ashamed of anything in regards to her culture was this different person when was sick and going through treatment.

So yeah, I guess you could say it’s bittersweet for me. Sorry to go on in a tangent. Definitely check this place out!

Bangkok Golden
6395 Seven Corners Center
Falls Church, VA 22044

Tasting Menu, 7 courses for $25 a person.