Bangkok Thai Dining

After checking into my hotel, I realized I had some time to kill before the crew would arrive.  I was famished so working wasn’t an option.  I decided to walk around and see what P Street had to offer.  I stumbled upon Bangkok Thai Dining and after the so-so experience at Pam Real Thai earlier in the week, I was still craving Thai.  They were advertising a lunch special, but upon evaluating the options and the full menu, I realized that there were better items that weren’t on the lunch menu that would cost roughly the same.  I started with Tom Yum Soup with Chicken.

The chicken was flavorless.  It was quite obvious that they had previously cooked up these pieces of chicken and added it to the broth after the fact.  Shameful.  The broth was great and I would have loved it if the chicken had some of that flavor.  My Drunken Noodle with Shrimp arrived soon after.

It’s always disheartening when I am able to count the number of shrimp on my plate.  Four is all Bangkok Dining was willing to spare.  Thankfully the noodles were flavorful enough that I barely noticed the lack of shrimp.  The noodles included jalapenos and sweet basil leaves.  Jalapenos were a welcome addition and guaranteed that this drunken noodle would be spicy.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my meal at Bangkok Thai Dining.  Since I stumbled upon it, I didn’t have high hopes but in the end I’m glad I went in there.

Hungry yet?

Hotel Palomar Washington, D.C.

Thanks to Jetsetter, I got an excellent deal on a hotel in DC and decided to visit VBRAT et. al.  I have stayed in other Kimpton properties and while the themed rooms can be a little disturbing, I generally like the hotels.  I arrived at Hotel Palomar earlier than anticipated but the staff was kind enough to let me check in.  My room was definitely palatial. 

There was ample workspace – which I reluctantly used for more of the weekend than I care to admit.  There was also lounge space, which my friends certainly enjoyed.

The king bed was definitely much appreciated after some pretty late nights.  The bathroom was massive and I could have definitely fit an air mattress in there! 

The staff was friendly and responsive, especially when I had to call about the woman next door who was singing opera – I kid you not.

Kimpton hotels are also known for their complimentary Happy Hour, which was very popular in this particular location with a selection of various beverages and a good place to get the night started.  I definitely recommend Hotel Palomar if you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive place to stay in a trendy DC neighborhood.   

Pam Real Thai Food

After attending opening night of an off-Broadway show last week, MM and I were famished.  Our mutual love for Thai food made it pretty easy to figure out what we were going to eat.  It was only a matter of where.  As we walked up 9^th avenue, we eventually decided on Pam Real Thai.  If you recall, I went to its sister restaurant with Bestie a couple of months ago.  It turns out I’ve actually been to this location before, about a year ago.  I was looking forward to the dining experience however it was less than remarkable.  Perhaps I hyped it up but in truth I think they just didn’t do their best.  We decided to share three dishes.  The Shrimp Yellow Curry Fried Rice was first to arrive.

A delightful and colorful dish filled with flavor and featuring two of my favorite items, shrimp and rice.  I was quite satisfied with this dish and felt the rest of our dining experience held promise.  Next the Stir Fried Long Hot Pepper with Chicken arrived.

It certainly sounded like it would be good when we read it on the menu.  It was fine.  Not good, not bad, just fine.  I really was hoping it would pack a punch.  The green peppers did a lot to boost each bite but I felt the sauce was lacking.  After we finished the dish, we fully expected our next dish to arrive.  Instead we waited, and waited, and waited.  Finally our check arrived.  WHAT?! We stared at the server with a puzzled look and he stared back then realizing the error apologized and asked us if we still wanted the dish.  Umm, duh, of course we do!  Our Kai arrived and I wondered why we had bothered.

Stir fried chicken with flat rice noodles with Gaelic onions and Thai style hot sauce on the side.  What a mistake.  The dish was so onion heavy it was almost unappetizing.   The noodles lacked flavor and the side of hot sauce was awkward.  I just kept wondering why they didn’t cook it in the sauce.  What a waste.  We had a few bites then gave up.  Upon reflection I realize that our experience at Pam wasn’t actually that bad, but ending on a sour note definitely left me feeling wanting.  At least I got to spend time with MM, which was nice.

Hungry yet?

Best Turkey Chili EVER!

A few weeks ago, I received the cookbook Cooking for Two by Jessica Strand.  While it claims to have portions that are perfect for two, I find that most of the recipes can feed more than two – or maybe I just get full too quickly.  I decided to make some chili last week when it was monsooning and I was making good use of pumpkins.  The chili was fantastic and I FINALLY figured out how to make the consistency of my chili resemble restaurant quality.

2 tbs olive oil

1 ½ cups onions – coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ green bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 lb ground turkey

½ tbs chili powder

½ tsp cinnamon

2 15oz cans black beans, well drained

1 14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes with juices

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and cumin.  Sauté until the onion is soft, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Add turkey and cook until brown then add chili powder and cinnamon.  Add the black beans and tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.

Now the part that changed the consistency of the chili and brought it to the next level.  Transfer 2 cups of the chili into a food processor. Blend to a coarse paste, then return to the pot.  GENIUS!  Once I returned the chili to the pot, I stirred for a bit and let it simmer.  Amaaaazing!  I ate this chili for the rest of the week and was very happy to do so.  I will DEFINITELY be making this again.   I wish I had some toppings so the pictures could look a little less blah.  Apologies – I’ll dress it up better next time!

Hungry yet?

Thalassa

A couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed a complimentary dinner at Thalassa.*  I’ve noticed a lot of promos for Thalassa lately so I was def excited to check it out myself.  I invited Ms. S to come along.  I arrived before she did but was not phased sitting and waiting in Thalassa’s beautiful entrance area.  They had a beautiful blue Christmas tree that matched their wonderful warm and relaxing atmosphere.  I was literally transfixed by the beauty of the restaurant.  It has very high ceilings and feels very grand. 

Eventually Ms. S arrived and we were waltzed off to our table in the main dining room.  From our table, we were overlooking the ground floor area, which looks like it is mainly used for private events.  I would totally host a private event there – I mean seriously the restaurant looks beautiful.  Thankfully the food is also good.

They provided our table with a trio of items for our individually selected pieces of bread.

What you see there is Eggplant Salad, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Mediterranean olives.   The Eggplant Salad was delightful! It’s rare to have such a substantive accompaniment to the bread.  They also served an amuse bouche.

That Tuna Tartare on cucumber was delicious.  Definitely sushi grade tuna!  We decided to try a few appetizers.  So many things looked good, but the manager told us we must try the Maine Diver Sea Scallops.  It was not originally on our list but we went ahead and ordered it.

I had a hard time finding the scallops in there.  When I finally did I realized they were wrapped in kataifi and not that well seasoned.   The Kalamata balsamic reduction didn’t really do it for me either.  The plate was crowded and there were far too many distractions.  It reminded me of the first episode of Top Chef All Stars where the scallops were disguised. Scallops are rich and delicate creatures – they are not meant to be cooked like this. I was disappointed that we were encouraged to sample a dish that did not hold as much joy as was promised.  Luckily the rest of the dishes were far more satisfying.  By far, my favorite appetizer was the Saganaki.

A beautiful blend of whole shrimp, baby clams and mussels slowly baked in a fresh tomato, feta and robola wine sauce.  The sauce was excellent, shrimp extremely fresh and as Ms. S said, the mussels were like whoa.  This was a great turn around from the scallops, which were easily forgotten.  We moved on to the highly regarded Octapodi.

I’ve never had octopus like this before! Grilled octopus with micro organic greens, olive oil and red wine vinaigrette.  It was delightful and extremely satisfying.  It can be quite filling though so be careful how much you eat!  We needed a bit of a break from our appetizers but eventually we ordered and were served our entrees.  This being a Greek restaurant, especially one whose name means the sea, I couldn’t resist ordering fish. 

I wish it photographed a little better, but the Lavraki – a lean white fish from Greece – was top notch.  The fish was extremely fresh with a light flavor.  I was quite happy with it, although I did encounter a couple of fish bones.  Demerits to the chef in charge of deboning the fish.  Ms. S ordered the Striped Bass and one piece of Langustine.

The bass had great flavor but also a few tiny bones. At times it seemed as though the seasoning was inconsistent because it was much more flavorful and delicious towards the edge.  

The Langustine was slightly overcooked.  I was stuffed to the brim after our entrées, but as most of you know, different receptors control the savory and sweet part of our appetite.  The extravagant dessert menu was a little overwhelming, but we finally settled on two delicious selections.  The Toasted Greek Almond and Walnut Baklava was to die for.

No, seriously. I have NEVER tasted Baklava that was this incredible.  It was sweet but not sugary. WOW – so good.  If for nothing else, you should go to Thalassa and try the Baklava.  While you’re there, you should also try the Galaktobouriko.

This citrus custard layered in filo and drizzled with honey is like crème brulee on steroids.  It reminded me just how powerful dessert can be.  What a great way to end our dining experience.

Thalassa is a beautiful restaurant with an incredible menu.  The seafood tasted amazingly fresh and left a big smile on my face.  The dessert was out of this world.  I definitely recommend dining at Thalassa.  If for some reason you end up dining at another Tribeca restaurant, you should definitely save room for dessert at Thalassa. Oh and if you’re feeling so inclined – you should definitely try the Opera.  Ms. S was singing its praises all night and I definitely agree.

Hungry yet?

* Although this meal was complimentary, that did not at all affect my comments or views towards this dining experience.