Niwano Hana- Rockville, MD

Hi everyone! I wanted sushi recently so the bf was nice enough to satisfy my craving by taking me to Niwano Hana. It's my 'go-to' sushi place if I want something a little more special in terms of rolls.  It is located on Rockville Pike in Wintergreen Plaza with the closest metro stop being Rockville on the Red Line. There is plenty of free parking in the shopping center, but it can get crowded.

There are some Zagat awards displayed in the front window. 

The sushi bar is located by the entrance of the restaurant. Everytime I go there I am greeted by a very animated, friendly host/sushi chef. I don't know if he's the owner or manager, but he's really nice and always says hi and bye to his guests. Sometimes he can be seen wearing purple suits, and it's just awesome. 

This is what the interior looks like. It's only one room, but has a cool blue lit ceiling. It can get crowded in there for dinner so luckily the 2-person tables were available when we got there.

What's cool about this place is their Special Rolls. They have a whole list of them on their menu, but they have different specials written on a black-marker board on the wall above the kitchen. They have some neat rolls names like Crocodile roll, Dragon roll, Rainbow roll, Typhoon roll, Rockville roll, etc.

Another thing I love about Niwano Hana is you get a free soup or salad with any order of $12 or more. In the past they would give their customers a miso soup and house salad (iceberg lettuce with a ginger dressing). This time they gave us a choice of one item: miso soup, house salad or sushi bar salad. 

Both the bf and I decided to try the Sushi Bar Salad, which was chopped raw fish with a spicy sauce. It reminded me of a spicy ceviche and it was so delicious! The shredded bed of radish helped cool down the spiciness. If I had ordered this myself it would've cost me $1.25.

They also give you a warm 'Clean Towel' to wipe your hands before dinner. It's not very necessary but I think its a nice touch. 

To start I ordered a salmon roll. Don't kill me guys, but I can't find the price! I know it was around $4-5, so next time I'm there, I'll update this. 

I also ordered one of my favs, the 'Alligator Roll- Shrimp tempura, Eel, Avocado' for $11. Its one of their special rolls, and I get it all the time there. The roll is really big, and the combination of flavors and textures is great. 

The bf ordered a 'Dynamite Roll- Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Spicy Sauce' for $5.50. The sprouts give this roll a nice touch, and I love those fish together. I kind of wish it came with more than 4 pieces but it's still a good deal. 

One roll wasn't going to fill up my bf, so he also ordered 'Chicken Teriyaki' for $12.95. The platter was HUGE! You get a ton of food, and it was really good and sweet with extra teriyaki sauce on the side.

It also comes with rice! I love short grain rice and how it clumps together. It makes it easier to pick up with chopsticks.

I enjoy coming back to Niwano Hana because of their special rolls and the friendly staff.  Their special rolls can range between $6.50-$11 and the roll presentation is a nice touch. Their main entrees can cost up to $20, and their sashimi dishes can cost even more than that. They offer soups, tempuras, teriyaki dishes and sushi. The place is small so it might be hard to come with a group larger than 4 unless you want to wait. They also offer special prices during lunch.

Mon-Fri: 11:30-2:30 (Lunch)
5:30-10:00 (Dinner)
Sat: 12:00-10:00 (Lunch/Dinner)
Sun: 5:00-9:30 (Dinner)

887 Rockville Pike
Rockvile, MD 20852
301-294-0553
Website

Louisiana Kitchen and Bayou Bar- Bethesda, MD

Hey Everyone! For one of my lunch dates with my Dad I wanted to take him to Olazzo's, however they aren't opened for lunch on the weekends (duh) so we saw Louisiana Kitchen and decided to give it a shot. Located in Bethesda, there is metered street parking as well as a meter parking garage on the same street. Closest metro stop would be Bethesda on the Red Line.

FYI, I forgot my camera at home! However I had just bought an Apple IPhone 3G, so I documented the experience anyway with its 2 mega pixel camera. It doesn't do the food justice, but it'll give you an idea.

Like many Bethesda restaurants, its not very big on the inside, however I've been in much smaller restaurants. This picture is from the back of the restaurant with the white blur being the front window. There's jazz music playing while you eat, and a full bar to the left (not shown). The place doesn't have fancy decor, but I liked the checkered table cloths to make you feel like chowing down on some seafood.

For our appetizer we ordered the 'Alligator Beignets (4)- served with Remoulade sauce' for $5.25. It was really good, freshly fried. The consistency reminded me of chewy chicken, but in a good way. The remoulade sauce is a mayonnaise-based sauce that was served with everything.

I went kind of traditional and got the 'Oyster Loaf "Peacemaker" Po'Boy' with Fried Oyster, lettuce, tomato, remoulade sauce for $9.75. It was a big sandwich but packed full of flavor. I loved it with the sauce and the nice consistency of the fried oysters.

The bf came along and ordered the 'Chick-steak and Cheese Po'Boy- Chicken, Cajun-spice, onions, peppers, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and mayonnaise' for $8.75. He said he really liked it, and our server also recommended it.

My dad was in the mood for a burger and ordered the 'Louisiana Hamburger (1/2lb) and Spicy Fries- Onions, peppers, lettuce, tomato, remoulade sauce, creole mustard' for $8.75. It was huge! The bun looked a little strange, but my dad said it tasted like a normal bun but toasted. My dad ate the entire thing! He doesn't usually eat a lot at lunch but he said he enjoyed it.

My dad's burger came with a side of spicy fries. They have a kick to them! Think of Hot Fries snacks, and that's pretty much what you have but with a bit more spice. They're really good though, and quite addictive. You have the option of having them plain too.

Our server was really nice and helped us with our lunch choices. Water was refilled all the time, and it's really affordable food. All the dishes are under $10 unless you get the large option and then it'll be about double the price for more food. Its a relaxed atmosphere, with very flavorful food. They offer traditional Cajun food such as Po'Boys, Gumbo, Jambalaya, Creole, Etouffee and Dirty Rice. They are open 7 days a week and offer brunch (optional) on Saturday and Sunday.

Weekdays - 7:30 am to 10:00 pm
Friday and Saturday - 7:30am to 11:00 p.m.
Sundays- 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Saturday Brunch from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm
Sunday Brunch from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm

4907 Cordell Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland, 20814
(301) 652-6945 or (301) 986-8833
Website