Thai Iced Tea

It is HOT outside and feels like summer is already upon us. The best way to cope with the heat is a tall glass of Thai Iced Tea.

Every blog post I have about a Thai restaurant includes me ordering this AMAZINGLY delicious drink. It is strong-brewed black tea with other spices, which can include orange blossom water, star anise, crushed tamarind seed or food coloring. After adding sugar and dairy, it is a very refreshing and addictive drink.

I bought this kit at the Bangkok 54 market after lunch one afternoon for around $5. It makes 65 servings, which will save me a lot of $. The brand also sells the tea in individual tea bags, but only makes 30 servings. I'm sure you could find different brands of the tea at other Asian markets too.

This kits comes a bag of ground Thai tea leaves...

...and this cloth tea strainer (aka Spongebob's jelly fish net).

To make 8-10 servings:
1. Measure out 1/4 cup of the tea and pour it into the cloth strainer.

2. Brew it in 4 cups of very hot water (boiling is not necessary) for 3-5 minutes. It should turn a deep orange.
3. Add 1/2 cup of sugar.

4. Pour into a pitcher and let it cool.

5. Serve it over ice with a splash of half and half and ENJOY!

I found that it is better to double the recipe because it goes fast!

The box suggests trying the sweetened tea with lime, pineapple or lychee juice too. I haven't tried those yet, but sounds interesting.

If you don't have this strainer, I'm sure you could brew the tea like you would with any loose leaves. Or try using a tied up coffee filter or simple strain the leaves out before you serve.

American Tap Room - Bethesda, MD

Bethesda Row has recently opened a handful of new restaurants, so my old college friend and I met up for some good ol' girl time with a side of dinner at American Tap Room. As you can tell by the name, they serve American food and offer an extensive beer selection. There is metered street parking, and a metered garage right next to it on Elm St. The closest metro station is Bethesda on the red line.

Very spacious restaurant. Large chairs, big booths, high ceilings. The bar is circular and has lots of TVs. Reminded me of a modern den with its wood paneling, soft lighting and leather chairs.

I liked the windows into the kitchen!

The menus light up! This was the 1st time I had seen that before. The check does that too. At 1st, I thought it was a digital menu, but it's actually just a paper menu lit up from behind.

My favorite beer was on the menu - Hoegaarden ($6.30)! They offer over 40 beers and over 50 wines on their menu.

My friend ordered a bowl of 'Maryland Crab Soup' for $5.99, which was their soup of the day. She said it was good and I heard no complaints.

My appetizer was the 'Zucchini Fries (served with a Greek yogurt and dill dipping
sauce)' for $8.99. I loved them! They were crispy, hot and tasted fresh with the sauce. I would totally order them again.

We actually asked for bread after our appetizers when we realized other tables had bread. The rolls were nice and warm, however the butter was sweet. Not like "sweet cream" butter, but actually mixed with sugar. It was odd at 1st, but was eventually good and made it taste like a dessert.

My friend loves arugula and ordered the 'Arugula Salad (baby arugula tossed with virgin olive oil and Belgian honey, goat cheese with toasted almonds)' for $7.99. She wasn't sure if the yellow tomatoes tasted like the red ones, but I assured her they were the same. She enjoyed her salad as well.

Our server suggested the 'Southwest Shrimp Salad (grilled spiced shrimp with corn, tomatoes, avocado and shredded cheese, served with a house made ranch dressing)' for $9.99. I loved it. You can't tell, but the shrimp were big and not overcooked. The dressing wasn't over whelming, nor did it appear to be a typical Ranch dressing. I loved the balance and I ordered it because I avocados in my salad. I'd order this again.

I had a nice time with a new restaurant, polite staff, pianist playing on a grand piano and good food. The entrees are in the low-$20's, which was more than I expected. A cool feature was the free homemade cotton candy for the kids! I was jealous. After completing your meal, the server brings a tray of desserts for your viewing pleasure, however they desserts are look plastic, so it was kind of odd/funny,.Its a great place to meet up with friends, bring kids, and grab a drink.

7278 Woodmont Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 656-1366
http://www.americantaproom.com/bethesda

The Tasting Room Wine Bar- Chevy Chase, MD

I was invited to The Tasting Room's Media Launch event last week. Owned by John Kent Cooke (former Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke's son) and his winery Boxwood Winery in Middleburg, VA. The winery started in 2005 on 16 acres in VA's wine region. This is one of three wine tasting locations, which include Boxwood's three wines as well as wines from around the world.
Located in Chevy Chase, you can park in the garage underneath Bloomingdale's for an hourly fee. I didn't notice any metered parking, but I'm sure they're around. The closest metro stop is Friendship Heights on the red line.
They have a cute little outdoor area to sit and sip on some wine and nibble on some food.

This photo was provided in the media kit given to us. I used it because it looked way better than the ones I took. There were to many people to really allow you to see the entire space. As you can see, its not a huge space, but there's enough seating for hanging out. I liked the stainless steel, which makes the space more modern.

This is not the food sold at The Tasting Room. They offer cheese, charcuterie, olives, etc. For the event, it was catered by M Cafe Bar. The menu was:
-Ahi tuna tartar, hass avocado, toasted sesame seeds, meyer lemon and toasted brioche.
-Jumbo lump crab meat, english cucumbers, manila mango, in parmesan crisp roll
-Mini sliders with duck confit, mission figs, aged balsamic syrup
-Grilled Mediterranean lamb sausage with spicy black ketchup *My favorite food item

This is not your typical wine bar! It uses electronic dispensers. You put $ on a card, stick it into the slot on top (leave it in) then pick your wine and the size. Three sizes (tasting, 1/2 glass, full glass), which will display the prices when you press the button. Hold down the button for your selection and remember to place your glass under the spout before you press! Our tastings ranged between $2-4.
This was the white wine section along the wall. There are 8 white wines to choose from.

This is the red wine station. There are 16 bottles to choose from. The photo on the right was also provided in the media kit, and I'm using it because it shows how the dispensers work.

I am not knowledgeable about wine at all, so this was a very new experience for me. I didn't even know they had containers to dump your wine into if you didn't like it, haha. Listed below are the wines I tried. I've found my palate enjoys more sweet, fruity, light tasting wines.

2009 Rose (Middleburg, VA)
Cabernet Franc
Pink and dry with flecks of orange, strawberry and kiwi aromas. This local rose refreshes the palate.

2006 Brookes (Willamette Valley, Oregon) *My favorite out of the whites
Riesling
Vibrant, Broad and rich core of dried honey and candied minerality, medium-bodied, it's floral, intense, and sweet.

2008 J. Ordonzez Botani (Malaga, Spain)
Moscatel
Medium and straw-colored with flavors of spring flowers, honey, and tropical fruits. Smooth-textured and ripe.

2007 Topiary (Middleburg, VA) *My favorite out of the Boxwood wines
Cabernet Franc and Merlot
Garnet color, aromas of fruit cake, cherry stone and strawberry, round with soft tannins.

2007 Boxwood (Middleburg, VA)
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Deep purple color, aromas or cassis, black-berry and leather. Well structured with firm tannins.

2006 Cuvelier Los Andes (Mendoza, Argentina)
Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Merlot
Perfumes of rose petals, spiced plum and blackberry. This palate is lush with a soft elegrance sweet tobacco and savory eathern spices.

2007 Finca Sandoval (Manchuela, Spain) *My favorite out of the reds
Syrah, Mourvedre, Bobal
It offers up a broading bouquet of under brush, mineral, spice box, blueberry and blackberry. Packed and impeccably balanced.

2008 Los Ailos (Valle de Tullem , Argentina)
Syrah, Malbec
Aromas of plum, cherry, vanilla and tobacco with a touch of spice and oak. Rich and smooth with a balanced and lingering finish.

It was a fun event, and thanks for the invite! It is a cute place to grab a quick drink. They have a DJ playing music Thurs-Sat, and switch out 1-2 bottles a week to have variety.

5330-A Western Ave
Chevy Chase, MD 20850
301-664-9494
www.thetastingroomwinebar.com


11AM-11PM Daily

Jumbo Jumbo Bubble Express- Rockville, MD

My favorite bubble tea place (Bubble Tea Cafe) is closed on Mondays, so Evil Ben and I went to try Jumbo Jumbo Bubble Express in Ritchie Center. There is a lot of parking and is in the same shopping center as India Grill. The closest metro stop is Rockville on the red line.

It's a very small place with a counter top and around 5-6 tables. The decor is simple but nice.

They even have granite table tops for some of their tables, which is a nice touch, except then they have folding chairs to go with them.

They offer milk teas and regular bubble teas for:
Small- $2.95
Large-$3.95.
If you want a smoothie instead, they are:
Small-$3.35
Large-$4.35
I ordered a 'Small Almond Milk Tea' for $2.95. I thought it was good but maybe a tad bit sweeter. The bubbles were cooked to the correct consistency, which was nice since hard or slimy bubbles can be annoying.

Evil Ben ordered a 'Small Coffee Milk Tea' for $2.95. He would have preferred it to be sweeter because it tasted more gritty and burnt. He also found the bubbles to be the correct consistency.

Overall the drinks were ok, nothing out of the ordinary. Service was fine.  The place is a casual hang out spot that also serves a small menu of affordable Taiwanese food. We didn't order any food, so I can't comment on that. There bubble tea menu doesn't offer Thai Tea, which is one of my favorites. But they do offer 2 flavors I was unfamiliar with: Winter Melon and Lover Fruit.

765 E Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 545-1708

Bubble Tea Cafe - Rockville, MD

The other week the bf and I craved a refreshing drink, so before grocery shopping we stopped by Bubble Tea Cafe in Rockville. I was looking for a cafe to replace my beloved Bubble Mix (out of business) which I used to frequent 3 times a week in College Park years ago. This place is like a grown up version of that place. Parking is located on the sides and behind the building. The closest metro stop is Twinbrook on the red line.

Look how bright the place is! Not a big place at all. This is the counter with about 4 tables on the inside.

Don't mind the bf reading his Gameinformer Magazine. This is the rest of the place with the counter being on the right side.

They gave us a frequent buyer card where if you buy 6 (16 oz) drinks, you get 1 free! Usually places want you to buy 10 before you get a free drink, so this was nice.

They offer 3 different sizes of drinks: Small ($3.35), Med ($3.95) and Lrg ($4.95). You can order smoothies, milkshakes, juice teas or bubbles teas in a wide array of flavors that seem typical to any other place I've tried. They can mix flavors for you since they use powders and syrups, and you can add in protein, vitamins or jellies for $0.50. If you're hungry or cold, they offer a small number of pasties and hot tea options.

I ordered a 'Med (16 oz) Almond Milk bubble tea for $3.95'. It was SO GOOD! It was sweetened perfectly and just the right amount of bubbles. The bubbles (boba pearls) were cooked perfectly and weren't hard or slimy. They weren't too large or bland either.

The bf ordered a 'Mediem Taro for $3.95'. He said his wasn't sweet enough. He did like the bubbles a lot, which means something since he's usually not a fan.

They've been open for about a year now, and the couple that run the place are SUPER nice. The husband even delivered our drinks to our table. Cozy environment to study or read. Soft rock was playing and the place is very clean. I've heard this from my cousin who has been a bunch of times, which is that sometimes the drinks aren't sweet enough. I'm not sure if they guess on the proportions when they make the drinks or they choose to make them less sugary. I think they're prices are cheap. I used to go to Ten Ren's in Rockville, but found their prices to be $$, and their drinks to be powdery. So check this place out!

130 Rollins Ave Ste F-1
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 770-1688
www.yelp.com/biz/bubble-tea-cafe-rockville

Mon. Closed
Tues-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.