Sticky Rice - H Street Corridor

Walking around H Street Corridor for the first time made me feel like I was in another city. The cool, hipster vibe and unfamiliar establishments was the change I needed from the typical NW outings. My amazing cousin AKA twin recently treated me to dinner at Sticky Rice.
Street parking was a breeze (meter machines) but I'm sure it gets worse when the bar crowd starts rolling in. Closest metro (not really walking distance) is New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U on the red line.

There are 3 levels with the bar at the front entrance. The exposed brick, red walls and Asian inspired paintings make me feel like I'm eating in a tattoo parlor. Love it.

We tossed back a few after a tiring work week. The Salon Cosmo Sake Lychee (left) was a perfect balance of sweet, fruity and earthy, and the White Gummy Bear (right) tasted just like one but with a kick! Both around $8.

"Napoleon, give me some of your tots." These are the best tater tots I've ever had! Perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They come with a side of their world-famous, secret tater tot sauce, which reminded me of a spicy mayo. Pictured is their side ($3), but you can walk around with a huge tin bucket for $8.

I ordered off of their Monster Roll list (10 pieces) because I was starving! What arrived was huge - Chili Roll (tuna, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno, grilled pineapple, tempura crunchies and tobiko) for $12.50. I expected more heat but it had a unique flavor because of the pineapple. Pretty good.

My cousin ordered off of their specials menu - Eel Bow (eel, cream cheese and cucumber topped with tuna, salmon, yellow tail and rock fish) for $12. Sometimes cream cheese can be an over powering flavor, but it worked well with the other ingredients.

Everyone on Yelp was recommending these Sticky Balls (tuna, crab, siracha in an inari pocket deep fried topped with scallions, wasabi dressing and eel sauce) for $10.75. They are AMAZING! It's a special dish that is delicious hot out of the fryer. The sweet and spiciness melt in your mouth. I want now.

The atmosphere was fun and chill. I found the unique items appealing, however the sushi wasn't memorable. The service was slow, but nice. Overall, I'm excited to go back and try other signature creations.

1224 H St NE
Washington, MD 20002
(202) 397-7655
stickyricedc.com

Hot N Juicy Crawfish - Woodley Park, DC

When the weather is cold and rainy, I typically turn to hot, Asian soups to calm my mood, but Hot N Juicy Crawfish provides the same effect. Picking at spicy seafood warms me up and helps me forget that it's gross outside. Thank goodness for my readers because I mentioned wishing the Boiling Crab (San Jose) was closer, and they told me about this place! Living Social offered a deal just in time too.

When it's nice outside, they offer outdoor seating. If you drive, good luck finding street parking. We took the metro because it's literally across the street from the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan stop on the red line.

I love exposed brick. The place is a decent size with rooms that are slightly sectioned off. Top 40 music was blasting during dinner, and the vibe was DC mixed Louisiana.

As the name suggests, the place is known for their crawfish. You can order other seafood items like crab, shrimp, lobster and clams too. They are all cooked in a plastic bag within your seasoning of choice. Simple concept, huh?

We ordered The Drool (crawfish, shrimp, snowcrab legs, sausage, corn on the cob, and side of fried calamari) for around $30-35. SUCH A DEAL! We also ordered a side of Cajun Fries (less than $5) that were good, crispy and spicier then expected.

Can you see the joy in his face?

They offer 5 seasoning flavors: Louisiana style, Cajun, Garlic Butter, Lemon Pepper and Hot N Spicy Special. Spice levels: Baby Spice, Mild, Medium, Spicy, and Extra Spicy. We ordered the Hot N Spicy Special, Mild. The server warned that they do not play when it comes to spice. Holy crap, the Mild I would consider Medium/Spicy. I would describe the sauce as thin, garlicky and spicy. The calamari was fried to perfection as a tasty side.

I was a crawfish-peeling virgin. They advise that you twist off the head, suck out the juices, then fold the tail in half to crack it, and then peel out the tail meat. Gosh, crawfish are tiny creatures! The shrimp tasted very sweet.

When you walk into the restaurant, they have this huge wall of Polaroids. It didn't say what it was for, so I asked and the server joking said "it's for people I like" and she added our picture =)

The servers are great. Very friendly, helpful and want to hear their customer's opinions. The food is good, however I wish the sauce was thicker/richer because it doesn't adhere to the seafood. Its a low-key place where you can get down and dirty with your food. Check out their Happy Hour of $1 beers all-day Monday through Wednesday! Can't beat that.

2651 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 299-9448
hotnjuicycrawfish.com