Morton's- Bethesda, MD

Hi Everyone! I told myself I wasn't going to write about national restaurant chains, but I had a great experience at Morton's Steakhouse and thought "oh what the heck" so I'll blog about it anyway.

The bf and I were trying to decide on a place for our 5 year anniversary (we're going to Co Co Sala), and I came across a deal at Morton's for $99 for two people, which includes 2 appetizers, 2 surf and turf entrees, 2 sides, and 2 desserts. Such a good deal!

Located in Bethesda attached to the Hyatt Regency hotel, they offer valet parking and expensive garage parking. Since the Bethesda metro stop (red line) is pretty much across the street, there are a lot of metro parking garages.

The interior of Morton's is very classy. Lots of wood, low lighting and wine bottles everywhere.

The prices I'm listing are the actual a la carte prices. The bf got the 'Sliced Beefsteak Tomato- Purple onion, and Vinaigrette'($11). He thought it meant there was steak on there =) I ordered the 'Chopped Salad- Iceberg lettuce, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, bacon, blue cheese, chopped egg, purple onion, tomato, and avocado with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette'($11.50). I thought it was mediocre. Perhaps not enough flavor.

The bf ordered the 'Cajun Ribeye Steak'($43) with a 'Jumbo Lump Crab Cake'. I tried his steak and it was AMAZING! Very juicy and flavorful. The crab cake wasn't anything special though.

I ordered the 'Filet Mignon'($39) with 'Bacon-wrapped Scallops'. My filet mignon wasn't too flavorful and is a leaner cut of meat, so I actually prefered the ribeye. The scallops were very good since I love scallops and bacon, so together is the perfect pair.

For our sides we ordered 'Creamed Spinach'($11) and 'Macaroni & Cheese'($11). They were both delicious. There was probably a ton of butter in each of the sides, but it gave them so much flavor.

For dessert the bf got the 'Chocolate Lava Cake' and I ordered the 'Key Lime Pie'($10). We actually only ate the lava cake in the restaurant and took the pie home since we were stuffed. Both were great choices and yummy.

Overall most of the food was amazing. Some items were mediocre, but nothing was bad. The onion bread they gave is as we were waiting for our food was really good and fresh. The service was IMPECCABLE! Someone was always asking how we were doing, water glasses were constantly being filled (the bf is a camel), our server was so helpful with the menu...just everything. Our server even noticed that I had my camera with me and asked if it was for a special occasion, and it was kind of an early anniversary dinner, so they offered to take a picture of us and put it in a cardboard frame. It was so nice of them! Morton's is a very expensive place, but definitely worth it for a special occasion.

7400 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 301-657-2650
Website

Monday - Thursday 5:30pm - 11pm
Friday - Saturday 5pm - 11pm
Sunday 5pm - 10pm

One Year/Capital Food Fight/Metropolitan Cooking Show

Time flies! I almost forgot today has been my first full year of Lunching in the DMV! It's been such a fun year doing what I enjoy.
A little history behind it: I used to have a makeup blog and realized that all of my money was actually going towards food. When going out to eat, I was taking pictures of my food anyway because I loved how it looked. I then decided to blog about where I was eating in order to help other people decide on places to try.
Thank you everyone so much for your comments, suggestions, and just stopping by to read. Thank you Cindy at RockvilleCentral.com for featuring my Rockville posts on your site, and to everyone that has linked me on their site.


The Capital Food Fight is an event I'd LOVE to go to, but it's a bit expensive. I'm still debating. 5 chefs are battling against one another, there is an auction going on, as well as 60 local restaurants participating in a tasting buffet for those attending. This is to raise money for DC's Central Kitchen.

Capitol Food Fight 2009
November 11, 2009
6pm-8:30pm
The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
$175

Battling Chefs:
Barton Seaver (Hook, TackleBox)
Michael Mina (Bourboun Steak)
Mike Isabella (Zaytinya)
Tracy O'Grady (Willow)
Bryan Voltaggio (Volt)

Hosts:
José Andrés (Café Atlantico, Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel)
Anthony Bourdain (Travel Channel's No Reservations)
Ted Leonsis (America Online)

Judges:
Ted Allen (Food Network's Chopped)
Eric Ripert (multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation)
Carla Hall (Alchemy Caterers)
Jonathan Umbel (Hook, TackleBox)

I will be going to The 2009 Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show. 200 vendors, local and celebrity chefs doing live cooking demonstrations, seminars, tastings, etc! I got tickets to go Saturday, and will be seeing Giada De Laurentiis cooking!

2009 Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show
Saturday November 7, 2009 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday November 8, 2009 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
$20 General Admission
$45 - $74.50 for celebrity demonstrations (includes general admission)
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

Food Network Stars:
Paula Dean
Giada De Laurentiis
Guy Fieri
The Neely's
Tylar Florance
Jamie & Bobby Dean

Temari- Rockville, MD

Edit: 6/28/10 - Went back and they raised their prices. The Katsu Curry was $2 more.

Ever since trying ramen for the 1st time in NYC, I've been on a search. Recommended by friends, the bf and I went to Temari. Located in a green shopping center across the street from Best Buy, I've past this restaurant countless times, and didn't ever notice it. There is plenty of parking in the shopping center, and the closest metro would be either be Twinbrook or Rockville on the red line. It's pretty much right in the middle of the two.

The place is very small with only like 8 tables, and some bar seating. The photos below would be as if I was looking to my left and then to my right. It has a very casual, homey feel. There was a Japanese game show playing on the TV, and lots of menu items taped onto the walls.

We were acting goofy while waiting for our food. I was trying to be a cool Japanese tourist, and the bf was playing with his chopsticks =)

The menu consisted of one page of food. It's not a sushi restaurant, so even though they do offer it, it's not a place where they make special rolls with crazy flavors. There are more traditional dishes on the menu.

The bf ordered the 'Katsu Curry Rice' for $15.45. I am a big fan of Japanese curry, and it was flavorful with breaded pork. This huge plate was filled to the edges!

I came specifically for the ramen. I didn't really think about trying anything else on the menu. They offer around 3 different kinds, and I ordered the 'Tonkotsu Ramen' for $10.25. This one had pork broth instead of miso broth. It was good but sadly kind of bland. I think the spoons are pretty cool though.

After lunch we walked up some stairs to the back of the shopping center to buy some stuff at the Japanese market called Maruichi. It's TINY! But they have some cool items I've never seen in a Korean supermarket. We ended up getting candy: coffee, green tea, and milk. Once again, I would've NEVER known about this place unless someone told me about it.

Overall meal at Temari was fine. The portions were big. My ramen was mediocre. I guess I had high expectations after the NYC trip. I'd probably try something else next time. The bf's curry was really good. The service was quick and helpful. The prices were a bit steep. $15 for some curry is a lot to me. But if you're in the mood for Japanese food other than just sushi, this is a neat Rockville secret to try.

1043 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
301) 340-7720
Website

Phoenix, Dallas, Atlantic City, Outer Banks Recap

Where do I even begin? Over the last 2 months I've been to 4 different cities for vacation, work, and wedding festivities. Just for fun, I'm recapping my travels and all of the amazing food I've been eating while away from home.

PHOENIX, AZ

Awwww I miss my niece and nephew so much. Too cute.

For some reason we all get Sonic commercials in the DMV and the closest one is like 2 hrs away! So right off the airplane I asked my bro to take me to get some. I love their Strawberry Limeade Chiller.

My sister-in-law is an awesome cook, and she made us breakfast the next morning. They have a guava plant in their backyard, which is such a yummy fruit.

My mom told me to come over and check out her orchid plants since she was so proud of them. The reason I came out to AZ was to celebrate her birthday.

Pebble Creek Golf Resort Clubhouse
3639 Clubhouse Dr
Goodyear, AZ 85395

A small room was rented out for my mom and there was a preset menu for dinner. The food was really good, and the service was very nice. Steak, tomato & mozzarella, crab & avocado salad, cheese balls, eggplant and tomato on bread. The next morning we went back to the same place because they served brunch too. That was really awesome, and I loved all of the options they had. Mmmm...

Home cooked meals are wonderful. At my bro's in-laws house we had ribs, Japanese squash, chicken curry and sweet potato leaves.

Carolina's
9030 W Peoria Ave
Peoria, AZ 85345
(623) 487-1400

Another day for lunch we had Mexican food. This isn't anything fancy, but Carolina's makes AMAZING food for so cheap. I've had their food before at their original location downtown, but this is their new location in West Phoenix. You can't go wrong with their tamales or burritos.

Abuelo's
16092 N. Arrowhead Fountains Center Dr.
Peoria, AZ 85382
(623) 878-8282

The southwest is the place to be for Mexican food, so another day we went to Abuelo's for lunch. My mom loves this place, and it's much fancier inside than Carolina's. Good food as well!

Once again, I LOVE home cooked meals. I guess it's because I don't cook a lot at home. Scallops, meat loaf, corn on the cob (the best I've ever had), veggies, soup, shrimp cocktail and margaritas.

Anthem Outlets
4250 W Anthem Way
Anthem, AZ 85086
(623) 465-9500

We decided to go outlet shopping, and other than buying a few things from the Nike Factory Store, I got a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It had milk, white and Peanut Butter all over the apple.

DALLAS, TX

This was my 1st time in Texas, and unfortunately it was for work. However, my coworkers and I got to go out to dinner on a few of the nights.

Cool River Cafe
1045 Hidden Ridge
Irving, Texas 75038
Main: 972-871-8881

This place had a crazy 97 inch screen! We watched some Monday night football on it, which was insane. The mussels I ordered were delicious. The blue photo on the right is the lobby of the hotel we stayed at: Omni Hotel at Park West.

Neighborhood Services
5027 W Lovers Ln
Dallas, TX 75209-3141
(214) 350-5027

This place was so hard to find! It was in the middle of nowhere, and there are no windows out front, and hardly any street lights. It was well worth the search since I had the best scallops I've ever had.

Time Out Tavern
5101 W Lovers Ln
Dallas, TX 75209-3331
(214) 956-9552

Right after dinner we went next door to this bar, which made me feel we were in a whole other world. This place also didn't have front windows, so you have no idea what you're getting into until you walk in.

Cosmic Cafe
2912 Oak Lawn Ave
Dallas, TX 75219-4131
(214) 521-6157

The next night I went to dinner with an old friend from middle school who happened to live in Ft Worth now for school. This was a vegetarian restaurant, and it was so good and fresh tasting. I always envisioned myself eating steak if I ever traveled to TX, but instead I had veggies and tofu =)

Always great seeing old friends! The restaurant has really cool decor, and a nice outdoor seating area.

Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood
Dallas TX 75201
214-922-1200

I had a few hours to kill before flying home, so I went to check out some art work. This was the only time I had anything resembling Mexican food. Raspberry lemonade, quesadilla, and rice krispy treat.

NATIONAL HABOR, MD

Rosa Mexicano
53 Waterfront Street
Oxon Hill, MD 20745
301-567-1005

One of my closest friends was getting married, which was part of the reason I was travelling so much. We had her bridal shower at Rosa Mexicano and the food was so good! The place is really pretty, with a nice view of the water.

The pre-fixed menu had guacamole, salmon, enchiladas, kabobs, and cheesecake. They were all so good. I'll definetely come back and write a whole post on it.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
One Borgata Way
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
1.609.317.1000

That same night us ladies drove to AC for her bachelorette party! Beautiful hotel...felt like I was in Las Vegas. Our suite had amazing view, and everything was new. I highly recommend staying there.

We ate dinner and late night breakfast at Metropolitan, which is inside of the Borgata. I loved the oysters, but the sliders were ok. The breakfast food was delicious and their fries were memorable.

NAGS HEAD, NC
Last, but not least congratulations you two! Aren't they a beautiful couple? I sadly don't have that many pics of the weekend since I was in the wedding party, so I wasn't carrying around my camera.

Rehearsal dinner was at:
Miller’s Seafood & Steakhouse
1520 S Virginia Dare Trl
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-7674

Reception dinner was at:
Mallard's Marsh
1789 Nc Highway 345
Wanchese, NC 27981-9631
(252) 473-5000

Ok, back to reality for me!

Yogi Castle- Gaithersburg, MD

This frozen yogurt craze is getting out of hand! Literally across the street from Caliyogurt is a new place called Yogi Castle. I stopped by during lunch (hence, the Iphone photos) to see if I liked it more than Caliyogurt (my current favorite). Located in a shopping center, there is plenty of parking. The closest metro stop would be Shady Grove on the red line.

Upon entering, I found the place to be really small and narrow. This is the front that has 1-2 small tables.

This is the main area with the yogurt machines and bar seating against the wall. This is a self-serve yogurt place at 39 cents an ounce. Caliyogurt is 45 cents per ounce.
They offer 8 flavors:
Cheesecake
Strawberry
Vanilla
Peanut Butter
Cookies & Cream
Original Tart
Banana
Chocolate

Their toppings bar had the essential items like fruits, chocolate chips, cereal, mochi, etc.

Being an adult has its perks, like eating dessert for lunch if you want!

I'm a big fan of fruity yogurts, therefore Yogi Castle didn't suit my taste. Most of their yogurt flavors were more 'creamy' rather than 'fruity'. I think I tried 7 of them just to test them out, and the cheesecake one isn't bad. I like that it's the cheapest place I've been to, so if Caliyogurt wasn't across the street, I'd stop by more often just to get the Original Tart flavor.

12209 Darnestown Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(301) 355-7800
Website

Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.