District of Pi - Penn Quarter, DC

My younger cousin is pretty much at our place every other weekend. We hang out, eat, watch TV and eat some more! After eating healthy during the week, we justify weekend fattiness by ordering pizza when he's over. Eventually, this habit turned into a new tradition we call Pizza Saturdays (creative, I know). We've tried so many places around our Rockville, and decided to head into DC to try District of Pi.

 Don't drive unless you want to pay a lot for garage parking, waste time looking for a meter, or deal with traffic. It's like 1 block from the Gallery Place-Chinatown station on the green/yellow/red line.

This was the coolest looking pizza joint I've ever seen. The lighting made it look more upscale, while the napkins and tile floors kept it casual.

Look at that chandelier! Fancy stuff I tell you. They also have an upstairs seating area that overlooks the ground floor.

As their front sign suggests, they have pizza and beer! They have an extensive bar with over 20 beers on tap. I ordered the Allegash White, which I've had elsewhere and enjoyed. I'd recommend it if you are a fan of Belgium White beers that are slightly fruity and crisp tasting.

For our appetizer, we ordered the Garlic Bread (warm fresh bread served with a blend of butter & extra virgin olive oil and a bulb of roasted garlic) for $5. I was a bit hesitant when the bf ordered it since I didn't want to fill up on bread, but wow! If you are a garlic fan, you will be jumping for joy. They give you toasted bread along with a roasted bulb of garlic. The garlic has been softened in the roasting process, so you just scoop a clove out with your knife and spread it like butter. 

What originally brought us here was my cousin's recent love of Chicago deep dish. He went to Chicago earlier this year and his pizza experiences just haven't compared since. The only other places we've tried with deep dish are Armand's and Uno's.

We ordered the South Side Classico (mozzarella, sausage, mushrooms, green bell peppers, onion) for $23, which was massive! We ordered the large, though we should have ordered the small for $18. Don't forget to take into consideration the thickness of this pizza, so you are getting a lot of food for the price. 

Doesn't it look amazing? The sauce was chunky, tangy and prevented the toppings from sliding off. The crust had a flaky texture, which I actually ate and didn't pawn off to the bf. I know the new "thing" is brick oven pizzas, but don't forget about deep dish folks! I enjoyed it, the bf was impressed, and the Chicago-loving-cousin was satisfied. 

Our server was friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. Food came out in a timely fashion. I have no complaints! I'd love to come back since it's close to the Metro, fun, trendy, and delicious. If you're not in the mood for deep dish, they also offer thin crust pizzas.

910 F St. NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-5484
www.pi-dc.com

Sei - Penn Quarter, DC

Hey Everyone! It's been hot (and rainy) recently, but on nice days I love going into DC for Happy Hour. The bf and I hit up trendy SEI for their Modern Asian tapas.

Of course there is street and public garage parking, but take the metro. It's only a block away from Gallery Place-Chinatown on the red/green/yellow line.

The interior is white, sparkling and glam. The regular menu consists of small plates, large plates and sushi, but the best deal is Cocktail/Happy Hour (Mon-Thurs 5pm to close, Fri 5pm-8pm) at the bar area only. They have drink and food specials from $3-$7 each.

Happy Hour = Booze! The bf ordered a Sapporo ($5), and I had a Mango Sake shot ($3) and an Asian Pear Sangria ($7). Fruity drinks are so refreshing in the heat....mmmm.

Onto the food! The Wasabi Guacamole ($6) was a nice twist to classic guacamole. They added just the right amount of wasabi for the flavor and heat.

You can't go wrong with juicy Kobe Sliders ($6) or flavorful Kalbe Tacos ($6). The sliders were my choice of the night and the tacos were the bf's favorite.

We also decided to get sushi. The Eel and Avocado Roll ($6) and Spicy Salmon Roll ($6) were ok, so compared to the other items, I wouldn't use precious stomach space for it.

Overall, SEI was delicious. The bar staff was quick, it's a fun environment, and the food is made well. We will probably only stick to their Cocktail/Happy Hour only because their regular menu is pricey for the amount of food.

444 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 783-7007
seirestaurant.com

DCFBHH at Poste - Penn Quarter, DC

Happy 1 year Anniversary to the DC Food Blogger Happy Hour! Granted, this was my 2nd one, but it has been awesome eating and drinking with people who love food as much as I do.
September's DCFBHH was at Poste Moderne Brasserie in Penn Quarter. The closest metro stop being Gallery Place-Chinatown on the green/red line. The name comes from being in the original 1841 General Post Office, and their modern cuisine promotes sustainability and eco-friendly practices.

This is the entrance to the restaurant, which we didn't get to check out since we were in their garden.

The atmosphere is so relaxing considering you're in the middle of the city, but you can't hear any of the traffic. I was able to meet a bunch of new people, those who's blogs I've been following for a while, and other food blogger friends!

Their happy hour menu was very small and simple. $5 glasses of pinot noir or chardonnay. I preferred the pinot noir.

The only food item was the 'truffle fries ($5)', which were presented in a pot (cute!). I love the flavor of truffle because it's so earthy and rich tasting. Mmmmm...

Apparently there was a cookie give-away and I won! Free food for a foodie?! I felt like I had won the lottery. An entire cake box filled with 2 dozen HUGE cookies from Northside Social in Arlington. Thanks guys! I didn't want to be a total oinker, so I hope the other food bloggers enjoyed eating them too.

Cute place to get away in the city, and who doesn't love wine and truffle fries? Great having funny convos with you guys, and seeing old faces again: squirrelsnsweets, iflipforfood, gregslistdc, dclovesfood, dcwrappeddates, johnnaknowsgoodfood, girlmeetsfood.

555 8th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 783-6060
www.postebrasserie.com

Co Co Sala- Penn Quarter, DC

Last week was me and the bf's 5 year anniversary, so we decided to use the LivingSocial deal I bought a few months ago for Co Co Sala. It's located in Penn Quarter with metered street parking, hourly garages and metro access. The closest metro stop is Metro Center, which connects the red, orange, and blue lines.

There are some tables outside for eating during warmer weather.

The 1st thing I would say about the interior is that it's DARK in there. My camera was on an indoor setting, otherwise you wouldn't be able to see anything.
The 1st room we were in (left) was so cold because of a vent, so we asked to move. It seemed to be a hassle to move us (not sure why, it wasn't that crowded), but eventually we were moved into another room which looked like it seated 3+ person parties (right). The original room we were in was very cramped as it mostly sat tables of 2. We were literally a foot away from the next table.

This was the room we ended up staying in, and there was so much more room and light. The decor is really beautiful and modern. It looks like a lounge/club. The picture on the left is of the bar, and the picture on the right is of the kitchen.
As I was walking to the bathroom, I saw there's another room behind where we were sitting that seemed to have even larger tables for bigger groups.

After finally getting our menus (they forgot for a while), I decided I needed a drink. Our server said this was their most popular drink, 'Cocojito- chocolate vodka, lime, mint, dark chocolate shavings' for $13. It tasted like a regular mojito, with a slight hint of chocolate.

This is a tapas-style restaurant, so the portions are very small. For dinner we ordered 2 types of mac & cheese. 'Bacon Mac & Cheese- Orechiette, four cheeses, crispy bacon' for $7 (left). The strip on top is chocolate covered bacon. 'Shrimp Mac & Cheese- mini penne, jack & cheddar, garlic shrimp, jalapenos' for $7 (right). They were both amazing and so flavorful! I enjoyed both but preferred the shrimp one, and the bf preferred the bacon one.

The bf wanted to try the 'Tandoori Chicken Slider- cardamom carrots & greens' for $7 (left). I thought it was really good and flavorful as well. We also ordered the 'Italian Cheese Course- parmigiano reggiano three ways, fig & pesto toast' for $10 (right). This included a foam with a cheese crisp, chunks of cheese, and slices of cheese on top of the fig & pesto toast. I ate all of the foam because the bf thought it tasted like foie gras. The combination of cheese, fig and pesto was really delicious.

The main attraction at Co Co Sala are its chocolate desserts. We decided to go with the 'Xocolatyl- Aztec expirence' for $22. This is a three course tasting with an amuse bouche, main dessert and petit fours. The amuse was 'churros, cinnamon cream, dulce de leche dip' (top). The churros were really nice and warm and the cinnamon gave the cream a nice surprising flavor.
Then the main desert came out with 4 different items 'hot chocolate soufflé with fiery chocolate center, espresso gelato, chipotle truffle, kahlua soother'. The kahlua soother and chipotle truffle were interesting(bottom) because the chiptole gave the chocolate a hot sensation, and the kahlua cooling.

Next was the 'espresso gelato and chocolate soufflé with fiery chocolate center'. Gelato is always so good and smooth in texture. The chocolate souffle was really interesting as they used jalepenos to make it spicy.
The petit fours was a 'chocolate infused horchata and mexican wedding cookie'. The horchata was a rice drink with sesame in it. The mexican wedding cookie was almond flavored, which was delicious.

Us on the metro on our way to dinner. Why does he always make faces in pics?

Overall I had an ok time at dinner. This is definitely a place for those that like chocolate, enjoy trying new flavor combinations, tasting a lot of different dishes and hanging out with friends. I enjoy places like this, where as my bf would be happy with traditional American food in large portions. The entrees were very flavorful, and the desserts were light and not too rich. The service however was a little "all over the place." I was expecting better after reading all of the great reviews. You should also be prepared to pay a lot of $$ if you're hungry.

929 F Street NW
(between N 9th St & N 10th St)
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 347-4265
Website

Mon-Wed. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Thu. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.