Udon Noodles in Japan!

http://www.shichihukuudon.com/
If you want great noodles, where do you go?  I'm sure there are many places in Japan to get great noodles, but as the case my be, my family actually owns an Udon noodle shop in Hanoura.  We visited there for lunch today and to my delight, after I enjoyed a bowl of Udon noodles and some Japanese pastry desserts, I was given a tour of the kitchen and a lesson in how to make Udon.

Before we head into the kitchen, let's check out the final product Udon:

We didn't know what to order so they brought us  6 bowls of Udon and a couple of bowls of special rice.

My host provided me a lesson on how to eat noodles in Japan.  He coached me on the differences between American style and Japanese.  Americans = silent.  Japanese = Noisy.  He said I need to slurp the noodles loudly and mix the noodles with air.  I'm not sure if this is for flavor, to cool the noodles or both.  Here is his demonstration video :)

Making Udon doesn't seem too hard, however, like most things, there are subtleties that make it an art form.  To make Udon, you first make the dough.  In my case, we were already dealing with pre-made dough.  Udon is a flour based noodle though while Soba is made from buckwheat.  The dough is pretty much in a 3-5 inch thick dough ball about 8 inches wide.  The trick is to flatten the dough into the perfect thickness and shape so the noodles can be cut.  Then the noodles are cooked for the perfect amount of time, cooled in a cold water basin to kill the cooking process, then scooped into the right portion and left to drip-dry.

I have a great video of the master at work preparing the dough but my blog provider seems to be unhappy with the size of the video.   I did manage to get one photo of her though as she's cooking the noodles.

Mattie and I were invited to try various stages of preparing the dough.  Here is photo of Mattie stomping on the dough-ball to flatten it into a manageable size:

I took over from there and attempted to roll the dough into a flat 24 inch square...

My teacher was getting clearly annoyed with how badly I was mangling his dough.  Come on man, I'm family! 

You alternate between rolling the dough and then sticking it in this
machine that helps mush the dough thinner. A master can do it in 7 cycles... Mine sucked after about 10.

Cooling and Portioning the noodles

Placing them on the drying rack

Japan!

Brians Food Adventures continue in the land of the Rising Sun for the next 10 days.  I'm already experiencing some new and exotic cuisine and it is only day 2!
If you want to follow on my Japan Trip blog, head over here:
http://whitneyboysinjapan.blogspot.jp/

I'll post reviews here, as well.  I'm off to sightsee now though.  Ciao!

Stone's Cove

Stone's Cove Kitbar - Herndon, VA
http://www.stonescove.com/

Best flatbread I've eaten yet.

I've driven by Stone's Cove frequently since it opened and have been hoping to give it a try.  After a coworker said she tried it and liked it, I decided last night was a good night to give it a whirl.  I was surprised to find that Stone's Cove Kitbar is something fresh and innovative. It's not a chain and is restaurant #1 in it's line.  So do they pull off something that no one else in this area has successfully done before?  Let's see.

When you first pull up, you step out and notice that there is a charging station in front of the front walkway to the restaurant.  In fact, I was so taken aback by what it was, I almost tripped and face-planted.  That would not have been a good start to my meal.  Upon entry, I surveyed the layout and was a bit disoriented at first.  It's normal to see a bar when you walk into a restaurant, but it's weird to not see and end to the bar.  There is also not an obvious host station with people greeting you as you step inside.  After looking back on the entire meal, I'd recommend that they do something a little different so customers aren't standing there awkwardly as we were.

The entire restaurant is essentially an oval shaped counter wrapped around the kitchen and bar!  They call their setup a "kitbar" which for those of you who are a little slow, stands for kitchen/bar.  After we were seated, the gentleman explained their setup to us and how servers are also our bartenders.  I'm thinking, cool idea.  But then he disappeared and was no where to be found for the next 15 minutes.  So we decided to attempt to place our order with a guy who was in front of us filling up some chopped vegetable bins.  He then passed us over to another guy who took our order, didn't write it down and then messed it up.  Luckily I was watching the vegetable bin guy then make my flatbread pizza and saw him dumping raw onions on it after I specifically told the waiter to hold the onions on two of the dishes.  I know I'm a pain in the ass, but don't go around taking orders from memory if you aren't going to repeat it back to me or put it in the system properly.  That definitely bugs me.

After a little longer than I would have liked to wait on an empty stomach, the food arrived.  I quickly forgave Stone's Cove for their transgressions.  The first dish was some chicken kebob.  I've eaten enough Chicken kebab to last a lifetime but their use of pineapple and a pina colada sauce shocked me.  I've never had a pina colada sauce before and let me say that it is delicious and paired really well with the chicken!  Next was a greek salad that was about what I expected it to be.  Finally was the flatbread.  I opted for the spinach/artichoke flatbread and was absolutely stunned by the flavor it delivered.  Creamed spinach w cheddar, artichokes, tomatoes, peppers, smoked salt & chipotle lime cream.  Of course, if you order it, you probably will keep the red onions on it and have an entirely different experience but it really kicked ass. 

We finished the meal with Cove cones, which are miniature fake ice cream cones with mousse and other flavors.  These were pretty good and a new dessert for me, so I appreciated their creativity.  I'd love to see a third flavor added to the existing key lime and chocolate espresso Cove cone options.

Cove Cones.  Mousse, not ice cream

The concept of one person not only serving you but also preparing your meal and your cocktails is interesting, to say the least.  Most restaurants opt to specialize and compartmentalize things.   I think this is for good reason because I can see dining at Stone's Cove being very hit or miss.  If your "host" isn't a triple threat (server, chef, bartender) then your meal is going to be what you hope for.  As it was, I wasn't even sure who my host actually was since I had four different people taking care of us.  And when I say 4 different people, it wasn't like how 4 different people take care of you at a Great American Restaurant like SweetWater Tavern.  So the jury is still out with me on this style of restaurant.

While some aspects of my dining experience were hit or miss, the menu definitely is a hit and there are numerous cocktails and food items I'm looking forward to trying.  I read that they do a special 20 dollar wine/cheese tasting on Wednesdays and do a 4 dollar burger special on Saturdays before 4.  I'll try to report back to everyone after I eat here again.  As my friends know, I love small plates and sharing so it's always good to have another small plate restaurant in the 'hood.

Rating - 3 out of 5 Stars
Updated Rating - 3.5 our of 5 stars - Subsequent visits have yielded consistent food and delicious, original cocktails as well as half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays.  I'd still like to see the service improved a notch.  Especially since this place is packed at dinnertime most nights now.

Dukem and Ben's Chili Bowl

Sampler platter #14 at Dukem

Dukem

DC is known for many things, however, two little known facts about DC are that it houses more Ethiopians than anywhere in the world besides Ethiopia and that it also houses a National Treasure - Ben's Chili Bowl.

Ethiopian food is not for everyone.  If you are a germ-a-phobe, you will likely have anxiety attacks, especially if you are eating in a big group.  However, it's a lot of fun and for most people, I recommend you try it.  The gist of the eating style is sitting down around a very large metal tray that has a starchy substance covering it like pizza dough called "Injera".  Everything seems to revolve around the Injera, which my friend describes as looking like an Ace bandage.  It serves as an edible plate as well as the utensil for picking up the food (basket of Injera on the side).  Yes, there are no forks or chopsticks.  You just use your hands! You essentially use Injera to pick up small handfuls of the different meat and vegetable courses.

We ordered Sampler platter #14 which included Tibs (sort of like Steak Fajitas), some spicy lamb Wot and Minchet Abesh which is like a mild ground beef.   The Michet Abesh was a little less flavorful than I was hoping/expecting but all three dishes were good.  For vegetables, we got the potatoes and chick peas (both were a 2 dollar upgrade which I found a bit ridiculous) as well as yellow peas, collard greens and Lentils.  The potatoes and chick peas were good but it was more about the sauce they were in than then actual vegetables.  I think there were only two or three small potato chunks in our sampler portion.  I'm used to cooked chickpeas being very tender and the one chickpea I got out of the dish was huge but undercooked.   I liked mixing the vegetables with the meats inside a good chunk of Injera.  The food spiciness ranged from mild to medium.  Nothing was overpowering but it would have been nice to have my water glass filled a bit more attentively.

Overall, the atmosphere at Dukem is very nice.  We were seated upstairs which has more of a lounge atmosphere.  The service is very average.  I asked for a menu item accommodation and seemed to annoy the server.  The overall experience was fun, yet nothing "special".  My next Ethiopian food visit will be to Ethiopic on H street which has a slightly better reputation.

Rating - 2.5 out of 5 stars

My apologies for destroying my half-smoke before snapping this

Ben's Chili Bowl!!!!!  Where have you been all my life?  I've seen the lines outside this place a couple of times and wondered what the heck was going on inside.  Then I saw Anthony Bourdain visit there on his show No Reservations and decided it was time to go.  There is a lot of history surrounding Ben's which I won't get into but what's most important is that Ben's has a cultish following that has no trouble waiting in line for an hour at 3 AM for food.

Our group waited in line for a good 45 minutes as our line snaked through the outside and inside of the restaurant.  The ambiance is wonderful inside.  Everyone is there with a common purpose which is to enjoy some good comfort food after a fun night of dancing somewhere nearby.  We order chilidogs and half-smokes, cheese fries and a vanilla shake.  I am a HUGE fan of late night dining. Your group can sober up while telling stories about things that went down that night while enjoying something sobering and delicious.  Ben's is now at the top of my list of late night dining spots.   The half-smoke with chili is just simply perfect.  The chili is just the right amount of spicy and the half-smoke has a great flavor to it.  The cheese fries.... ohhhh the cheese fries.  It was almost a race to the bottom of the basket between two of us in our group.  My mouth is literally watering right now as I write this.  The Vanilla Shake was a normal Vanilla Shake but complemented everything just right.  At 3:30 in the morning, I defy anyone to find a better meal.

A little tip. Have one person in your group be responsible for scoping out seating while the rest of you eat.  It frees up space in the line for everyone else and also ensures you aren't standing around holding your trays after you pay.  And bring cash.  I don't think they take credit cards.

Rating - 5 out of 5 stars - Ben's delivers as promised and above expectations.

Alborz Persian restaurant - Vienna

Persian food is a late addition into my life and a welcome one.  I feel that I am on the inside of the Persian food scene due to the number of Persian friends that I have and home-cooked meals I've been lucky enough to eat.  The cuisine is extremely savory and homey.  Persian women take a great deal of pride in their cooking and slave away for hours to make the most popular dishes.  As a result, recipes are protected  as family secrets and the food has heart and soul infused into the unique flavors.  It's a beautiful thing and is the essence of what food is for me; a special experience to be shared with people you love.  As such, I've tried to find the best Persian food in the area and was excited to try Alborz, the newest Persian restaurant in the DC area with a Persian friend.

Shamshiry is the current King of Persian restaurants in the DC area.  There has been no disputing this fact.  It is always crowded, has average service (even for Iranian customers), terrible decor and GREAT Persian food.  It's almost impossible to walk in there and leave without thinking... "if only they had a nicer looking place with great service!"  But as a restaurant owner who is raking it in, if it ain't broke, why fix it?"

The rumor on the street is that Alborz is owned/managed by a former relative of the owner of Shamshiry. I won't speculate on the exact relationship or how they severed ties, however, they did exactly with Alborz what everyone asked themselves about Shamshiry.  The location is Vienna, not too far from the beltway and Tysons Mall.  The decor inside is very nice with a large open space and upgraded appointments.  Definitely a place you wouldn't be embarrassed to take your sig-other to on a date night.

So the important question.... Is the food better than Shamshiry?..... No.  I'm sure people will find things that are slightly better here or there but overall, the food at Shamshiry is overall slightly better..  However, will that really matter to you?  Perhaps not.  Alborz is less cramped and has better service.  So if I had to take someone to a Persian restaurant for a great experience, it would probably be Alborz.  Let's get into the food and start with the appetizers.

As always, you are given a basket of naan.  Like Shamshiry, Alborz gives a baggie filled with pieces of naan.  I guess the baggie keeps the bread from getting dry but there is nothing quite like a perfectly cooked piece of warm naan.  Instead of a cucumber yogurt sauce like Moby Dick, they provide butter instead.

Persians love stews.  And for good reason.  Their stews are as original and savory as anything else in the world.  Alborz is one of the few places that actually serve their stews with Tadeeg rice which is the crunchy part of the rice at the bottom of the cooker, where all the oil and butter fries the rice to a delicious golden color.  Their Tadeeg was very average but that's probably because of the amazing homemade Tadeeg I've had recently.  And no, I won't release your family recipe online (I promised!).  For an appetizer, we had Ghormeh Sabzi which is a green herb stew with chunks of lamb.  It's one of my favorite dishes.  It was served over some Tadeeg.  The stew itself was very good with tender chunks of meat, however, the Tadeeg was a disappointment and tasted like burned rice with no richness or flavor.  We also had an eggplant appetizer that I hadn't tried before (not baba ganooj).  It was good and I used this to mix in with my entree as well.  It was a new texture and flavor for me so it took me the entire meal of nibbling it before it finally agreed with me.

My entree was a mix of both chicken breast kabob and kubideh (hamburger style kabob with lots of onion and spices).  Both were good, not great.  Persian chicken breast kabob tends to be on the dry side.  Afghan chicken tends to be more moist somehow and I'm not sure why that is.  However, with Kubideh, the opposite always seems to be true and I prefer Persian kubideh over Afghan.  The rice was plentiful and fluffy with hints of saffron coloring mixed in.  In fact, I asked for half rice and half salad because I know how much rice they pile on and it was still way more rice than a single human can finish in one sitting.  You've been warned.

I also tried asome of my friend's chicken-on-the-bone kabob which was very tasty.  It is more juicy and flavorful than its chicken breast counterpart.  We also ordered some Persian yogurt to go with the meal.  By "we" I mean my friend.  Pretty sure this is one of the many things we were provided that are secrets only for Persian diners in-the-know :)  It's plain yogurt but is a different consistency than your store-bought yogurt.  For those people that can handle heat, try the green sauce that comes in the little plastic container on your kabob.

Tea was served with the meal as is the custom, although if you aren't Persian, you will probably have to ask for it.  In fact, not a single question was directed at me the entire meal and instead was at my female Persian friend!  Fun fact.  Persian restaurants serve special cubes of sugar at the table.  You are supposed to tuck the cube behind your tongue as you sip.  The sugar is special in that it doesn't dissolve quickly like an American sugar cube.  Very cool.  Anyway, I love Persian tea above all others and it is perfect before, during and after a nice Persian meal.

I don't care much for Persian restaurant desserts except for an occasional cardamom ice cream when I see it offered. Baklava is the normal delicacy served and I'm just not a huge fan so I passed on dessert at this time. 

Overall, Alborz is a quality addition to the Vienna dining scene.  Persians are very family oriented and it was nice to see the restaurant filled with Persian families dining together for a Sunday lunch.  The company you eat with is as important as the food itself and I was very lucky to have both on this particular occasion!  If you like middle eastern food, definitely try Alborz out soon before word travels and getting a table is much tougher!

Rating - 3.5 of 5 stars.