Sushi Damo- Rockville, MD

I had a great birthday weekend a few weeks ago. On New Years Day, the bf took me to Rockville Town Square for dinner at Sushi Damo, dessert at Gordon Biersh and Regal to watch Avatar in 3D (go see it if you haven't yet!).
Sushi Damo is the bf's favorite sushi place. Located in Rockville Town Square, there's paid parking, meter and free parking all over the place. We parked at the theater for $1 since we were going to see a movie anyway. The closest metro stop would be Rockville on the red line.

The interior isn't huge, but it's really trendy. This is the door and front of the restaurant.

Middle of the restaurant with a view of the bar and sushi bar.

This is the back of the restaurant. I like the bamboo throughout the place and dark wooden tables.

I know it doesn't look like a lot of food, but I was stuffed afterwards! We both ordered a roll for ourselves and shared another.

I ordered the "Spicy Mistletoe- spicy salmon and avocado with corn flake crunch inside, topped with lightly seared peppercorn crusted tuna, homemade lemon mayo, eel sauce and scallion" for $15. Woo, there is a lot of stuff on it, but the flavors work well together, and its not a heavy feeling. I loved it!

We shared a "Spider roll- soft shell crab tempura and cucumber" for $10. Really good too.

The bf ordered the "Toyko Rose- spicy salmon and cucumber topped with scallion, spicy tuna and miso paste" for $15. He loved this roll. I think I've ordered this once before and I've really enjoyed every roll I've had there.

The bf pretended to go the bathroom, but then walked up to the hostess stand (real slick), so I knew he was trying to do something for my birthday. They brought out a 'Green Tea Tiramisu' with a candle. How sweet! It was really good if you like green tea ice cream.

I love coming back to Sushi Damo because all of their rolls are creative and taste/feel/look like high quality food. It is expensive since each of our rolls were between $10-15. Service was normal, the birthday dessert was free, and the interior is really cute. It took a bit to get our food, but it does take time to assemble a complex roll. It's a great place to go on a date. I haven't tried any than their sushi though. Friday nights they have a DJ, 30% off their late night menu which includes rolls and appetizers and drink specials between 10pm-2am.

Sushi Damo
36-G Maryland Ave
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 340-8010
Website

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After dinner we still had 2 hours before our movie so we went to Gordon Biersh (yes, we're fatties) to get more food. I am in LOVE with their 'Warm Apple Bread Pudding- with pecans, vanilla ice cream and whiskey sauce' for $6.50. I used to have dreams about this dessert, so I highly recommend trying it.

Then on my actual birthday (January 2nd) I went out with my friends to Lotus Lounge on K St NW to drink and dance! It's a really beautiful place with cool lights on the walls, however the service is lacking and everyone is a bit snobby. The DJ was awesome that night, so I had a blast.

My cousin/my Twin got me a 'Toffee Crunch' cupcake at Cake Love in Tyson's Corner. She even brought a candle, and I thought it came with the table, lol.

Then my friend Sqrl surprised me with 6 cupcakes from Occasionally Cake in Alexandria, VA. I was so touched!
Top (L-R): Chocolate with Pomegranate Icing, Coconut, Lemon with Lime Icing
Bottom (L-R): Coconut, Amaretto, Dulce de Leche

Alexandria & Bethesda Restaurant Weeks (Winter 2010)

Alexandria Restaurant Week
Gourmet Prix-Fixe Dinners
January 15 - 24, 2010
$35 Dinners
List of Restaurants 


Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week
Januray 25-31, 2010
$12 or $15 Two-Course Lunches | $25 or $30 Three-Course Dinners
List of Restaurants 

Azucar- Silver Spring, MD

I met up with my long-time friend "Umbrella" for some dinner and catching up. We tried to pick a restaurant that was in between our places, and we decided on Azucar (Fine Mexican, Latin American Cuisine). Located on Layhill Rd with the closest metro stop being Glenmont on the red line. It's in a shopping center with a large parking lot, however every time I go, finding parking can be a little challenging.

There are two parts to this restaurant: a dining room and a room with a bar. We sat in the dining and it was packed! It was Wednesday, and we took one of the last tables. You can't tell what that interior looks like from the outside because of the curtains.
The decor is very warm with votive candles, wall lighting, and colorful walls. The white linen table clothes and napkins are a nice touch too. They do go for a romantic mood, so it can be a bit dim in there.

I think all places should serve chip/dip or bread/butter because people get hungry! The chips were fresh and light with a nice salsa.

My girl ordered the 'Nachos- corn chips, topped with refried beans, Monterrey Jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream and Pico De Gallo' for $7.95. I liked how the chips were spread out on the plate so the toppings could cover everyone. She let me try one, and you can't go wrong ordering this dish.

I decided to order the 'Carne Asada- 10 oz. of grilled marinated Skirt Steak served with salad' for $14.95.' It was very tender, cooked the way I like, and seasoned well. The plate was huge! I ate all of the steak with no problem.


The rice and black beans are the BEST I've ever had. The rice is buttery and light, and the black beans had so much flavor. I loved it so much.

They have a great menu with a salads, meats, seafood and specialities. The staff was very attentive with water, etc. I enjoyed all the food I tried, and the place was packed. I might just come back for the rice and beans, haha. The entree price range is large, between $11-50. Maybe I'll try the beef tongue tacos for fun. Also, check out the bar side. It's a separate room from the dining area so you can't hear the TVs or bar talk. On Sundays they offer a Brunch menu from 11am-3pm.

14418 Layhill Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20906-1911
301) 438-3293
Website

Sunday - Thursday 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM,
Friday & Saturday: 11:00 AM to Midnight

Low-Carb Spagetti Squash

Apparently it takes 2 weeks to recover from the Holidays and my Birthday...Sorry! I'm back into the groove of things now, and I'll have my birthday post (Sushi Damo) and others up soon.

Other than saving money this New Year, I wanted to eat healthier too. So at Trader Joe's I found a Spaghetti Squash and decided to try it out. I first heard about this vegetable from my coworker. I thought she meant 'squash in my spaghetti', but that is not the case. Let me explain!

It's a big 'ol squash that reminded me of a watermelon (size/shape)-pumpkin(texture/seeds) thing. It was a pain to cut in half, so be patient when doing it.

Inside there are seeds like in a pumpkin that you need to scoop out with a spoon.

Already without cooking it, you can see the fibers that come out of the flesh that resemble spaghetti noodles! Pretty cool stuff.

Thank goodness for directions on the squash. I just followed it to make my life easier.

It was super hot coming out of the microwave! I think I let it sit for a bit before trying to handle it.

The strands came out VERY easily when I ran my fork through it.

Voila! I put some tomato sauce on it, and had my low-carb dinner. The texture is a bit crunchy, and it tastes a bit sweet. So it's not EXACTLY like pasta, but if you're on a low-carb diet, this is a great way substitute. One squash filled and ENTIRE large bowl, so you'll probably have leftovers for a few days.