Takeout Tuesday - ChiKo's Dumpling Week

ChiKo had their special Dumpling Week offered again this year so of course I had to get it this year too!  I love the whole idea of a dumpling-filled takeout special with so many different flavors.  The menu is listed below - I loved all of them and I liked how they were all prepared differently as well.  Everything reheated well and the two bottles of sauces are great to have on hand too.  I can't wait to see their next takeout special menu! 

 ChiKo Bethesda Row

7280 Woodmont Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

Takeout Tuesday - Macarons from Sweets by Caroline

I saw that Sweets by Caroline was having a pop up at a local Athleta store this past weekend and made my way over there to pick up some of her macarons.  I've had her macarons before and really love her creative and delicious macarons.  

The whole lineup at the pop up was so cute, with some seasonal flavors mixed in too.  I got two of the Creme Brulee, and then one of each of Cookies and Cream, S'mores, Cinnamon Roll, and Apple Pie.  These macarons pack so much flavor in each bite, and I love the creativity in the presentation of them as well.  Her macarons are sold at the shop local store in Rockville Town Square, but I also hope to catch her at another local pop up or event again soon! 

 

Takeout Tuesday - Sweets By Caroline's Macarons at URBNmarket Pike and Rose

There were a lot of great vendors at the URBNmarket held in Pike and Rose recently, including Sweets By Caroline's amazing macarons!  The "regular" macarons all look great but the character ones are on another level - so cute!  I'm glad I got there early to get my pick of the whole selection, especially since it looked like she sold out in two hours.  I could see why she sold out so quickly - the macarons were all so fun to look at and the character ones were so detailed.

 

The macarons all tasted as good as they looked and were the perfect afternoon treat in the middle of my work days.  This URBNmarket was a great chance to check out vendors that I haven't seen in person before like this one, and try out some delicious treats at the same time! 

 

Takeout Tuesday - Tatte Bakery and Cafe in Bethesda, MD

Thank you to Tatte Bakery and Cafe for the opportunity to check out the new Bethesda, MD location for takeout!  I had heard only great things about Tatte Bakery and Cafe and I'm so excited to have one close by to enjoy.  For the friends and family night I got to choose a few items to enjoy at home, and have really enjoyed everything so far.  The space is gorgeous with so many little details in the presentation, especially all of the takeout-friendly packaged treats.  The menu is extensive with pastries, cakes, all-day items, brunch, and dinner all covered.  There's definitely something for everyone, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what I can try next after they officially open tomorrow, March 3rd!

Croissant, Biscuit with house made jam

Berry cheesecake cup

Za'atar chicken with tomato Orzo

Note: This was a friends and family event and the food was complimentary, but I was not paid for this post.

 

Tatte Bakery and Cafe

7276 Wisconsin Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

Takeout Tuesday - Rockville and Bethesda-Area Holiday Options

For this week's Takeout Tuesday I wanted to share some information I received about holiday eats and shopping options for the local Rockville/Bethesda area, including some of my favorite spots!  Whether you're looking for gifts or some delicious food for yourself there's lots of great places and deals:

Pike & Rose:

• Summer House Santa Monica 

Summer House is offering Hanukkah and Christmas Eve Dinners to-go as well as Gingerbread Cookie Kits for additional holiday fun. The to-go Hanukkah dinner features Summer House favorites with a twist to create a four-course menu. Christmas Eve to-go features a multi-course holiday meal package with options to add additional guests, beverages and more. Meal packs and gingerbread cookie kits can be ordered here.  

• Nando’s PERi-PERi 
  'Tis the season to indulge with Nando's Eat Your Feelings Platter featuring garlic bread, a whole chicken, 1 large side, brussels sprouts, 4 natas, and a free bottle of PERi-PERi sauce. Order here. 

Rockville Town Square:

• Dawson’s Market 

Dawson’s Market is a one stop shop for both catering and groceries this holiday season. The catering menu can be found here and groceries can be ordered here. Orders can be placed in-store at the deli, the bakery, or customer service, and need to be placed by December 20^th. 

• Lebanese Taverna
  Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's Eve festivities may look different this year, but that's even more reason to celebrate with Lebanese Taverna’s favorite holiday dishes. Orders from the home-style Lebanese holiday menu can be placed here. 

 

Congressional Plaza:

• The Fresh Market 

The Fresh Market is offering meat by the pound as well as full holiday meals with a main course and sides for various party sizes. Holiday ordering is available online here.  

• Lebanese Taverna
  Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's Eve festivities may look different this year, but that's even more reason to celebrate with Lebanese Taverna’s favorite holiday dishes. Orders from the home-style Lebanese holiday menu can be placed here. 

• Matchbox 

Matchbox is offering a special Christmas menu to enjoy at home. Check out the menu here and order online here.  

Wildwood:

• Wildwood Kitchen

Wildwood Kitchen is offering its Wildwood Holiday Market Pop-Up items. Order one day in advance and items will be delivered to the market for convenient pick-up. The Market has soups, dips, salads, meal kits, slow braised cooked meats, pasta sauces, desserts and more. Order online here. 

Bethesda Row:

• Mon Ami Gabi  

This season order a Parisian Holiday Dinner Package for just $65 per person from Mon Ami Gabi. The restaurant is also offering a New Year’s Day ‘Pajama Brunch in Bed’ for two and a 'Round the Fire Pit Kit.’ Check out the options and order here. 

• Georgetown Cupcake
  Georgetown Cupcake is offering its annual holiday cupcakes. This year’s offerings feature: Christmas Tree Dozen; Christmas Collection Dozen; Santa’s Favorite Dozen; Mrs. Claus’ Favorite Dozen; Happy Holiday’s Dozen; Season’s Greetings Dozen; Winter Wonderland Dozen; Happy Hanukkah Dozen and the Happy New Year Dozen. Order online at www.georgetowncupcake.com or via the Georgetown Cupcake App for contactless pick-up, delivery, or overnight nationwide shipping. 

• Jeni’s Ice Cream
  Jeni’s is offering the ultimate ice cream variety pack, The Holiday Collection. The roundup of flavors include   Blackout Chocolate Cake, Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Coffee with Cream and Sugar, Gooey Butter Cake, Lemon & Blueberries Parfait and Skillet Cinnamon Roll. This collection is the perfect mix of sweet and savory flavors for all ice cream lovers. The holiday collection can be ordered here. 

• Uncle Julio’s
  Make Christmas a fiesta with Uncle Julio’s Holiday Fiesta at home specials. View the menu and order here. 

• Matchbox
  Matchbox is offering an special Christmas menu to enjoy at home. Check out the menu here and order online here.  

Takeout Tuesday - Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream Wildwood

The weather might be getting cooler around here, but to me there's never a bad time of year for ice cream! I was so happy to hear that Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream was opening their second location a little closer to me, and of course I had to go check it out on their opening day! 

This new location is bright and airy, with all the necessary precautions in place.  You can see on the back wall of the photo above that there are a lot of flavors to choose from.  I love how they cover both classic and unique flavors so it'll be easy to find something delicious for any taste.  

For my first visit, I ordered two pints - Coffee Oreo and Chippy Chip.  They do take in-person orders, but their online ordering site is very easy to navigate if you want to order ahead and pick up quickly.  Both of these are delicious and have a ton of texture from the mix-ins - so good!

 

I don't believe you can buy this 12 flavor sampler, but I was lucky to win one from posting about their opening weekend on Instagram - this is such a fun way to try a bunch of flavors!  I especially liked this for trying flavors that I wouldn't normally get, like strawberry and salted caramel.  They do offer a sampler in store where you can choose any flavor as 5 kid scoops in a takeout container, which might have to be one of my next orders.  Even though it's colder out, I'll definitely be back to enjoy some more ice cream soon! 

Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream

10219 Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

Takeout Tuesday - Butler's Orchard Farm Market

As the weather has been getting cooler, of course I had to fit in a visit to the Butler's Orchard farm market like I do every year!  While some of their events are modified due to the pandemic, the farm market is still open with proper precautions.  

Of course the main draw for me and a lot of other customers is their cider doughnuts, yum! They freeze great so I had no issue buying a full 6-pack haha.  In addition to these doughnuts, they have pies, pumpkin rolls, and other small baked goods as well.  I also picked up a big bag of Fuji apples which were delicious! I love seeing all the fresh produce as well as the seasonal items they carry in the store - such a great local spot to celebrate fall! 

Butler's Orchard

22222 Davis Mill Road

Germantown, MD 20876

Daikaya, the Izakaya 2F - Celebrating Okinawa's Awamori and Food

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to learn more about the collaboration between the Daikaya, the Izakaya 2F and Okinawa, Japan's Prefectural Government that is happening through March - with a celebration of Awamori and Okinawan-inspired dishes! 

Even though I've been to Japan many times to visit relatives, I've never been to Okinawa before - this was such a neat way to learn more about their culture, as well as the food and drinks that originated there.  We got to sample a few different types of Awamori prepared in popular ways (mixed with soda water, on the rocks, etc.), as well as a lot of delicious dishes inspired by Okinawan cuisine. Learning about the history of Awamori was especially interesting - I've heard of it before but I had assumed it was just a variety of Sake.  I had no idea that it originated in Okinawa, using kurokoji and Indica rice imported from Thailand, making it very different from Japanese Sake and Shochu. 

From the top left: Peanut tofu, Awamori Koji tofu on garlic bread, Rafute (braised pork belly), and Duck Abura miso onigiri (rice ball).

From the left: Okinawan salted ice cream, Taco rice, and a Spam, egg, and cheese sandwich.

Here are some more details about the food and drinks from the press release: 

Daikaya, the Izakaya 2F will be featuring a variety of Okinawan-inspired food and beverage specials. Several selections of Awamori will be offered and staff from the restaurant will be available to share the different ways of drinking/enjoying them. In addition, Orion beer will be available, and Chef Katsuya Fukushima and team will also be offering a variety of Okinawan-inspired dishes that pair well with Awamori including Duck Abura Miso Onigiri, Rafute - Okinawan Braised Pork Belly Slow-Cooked in Awamori, Tofuyo, Okinawan Taco Rice, Okinawan Salt Cookies, and Banana Susannah | Blue Seal Ice Cream, just to name a few. Awamori selections are set to include Zuisen Hakuryu Awamori
, Ryukyu Ohcho Awamori, Yaeyama Seifuku Awamori, and Zuisen Hiryu Awamori, amongst others. The featured Okinawan dish and drink specials will continue to rotate throughout the month at Daikaya, the Izakaya 2F.

(Photo credits: Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau)

It's so unique and fun to see a restaurant collaborate with not just a single brand or beverage company, but the whole prefecture to highlight all the interesting things that Okinawa has to offer!  The collaboration also benefits a great cause -  a portion of the proceeds raised this month at Daikaya, the Izakaya 2F will be donated to Okinawa's old Imperial Palace, which was destroyed by a fire back in October of 2019. For more information on the restoration and to donate, please check out the website here.

A big thank you to Daikaya, the Izakaya 2Ffor hosting this great event! If you've ever had an interest in Okinawa specifically, or just want to try out some unique dishes that aren't normally available at the restaurant, this month is the the perfect time to do so!

Bye Bye Bei Bei at Smithsonian's National Zoo

Some friends and I went over to the Smithsonian's National Zoo for the last few days of Bei Bei's stay in DC before he goes to China - it will be sad to see him go!  The zoo has had a lot of fun events to celebrate Bei Bei and his parents over the last week, and it was a windy but sunny day to enjoy walking around and seeing some of the other animals that were out.  I hope Bei Bei has a safe trip to China - DC will miss you!

Piketoberfest at Pike & Rose

Yesterday was Pike and Rose's annual Piketoberfest, and it was a great day to celebrate fall!  There were lots of people enjoying the festival right when it started, and the crowd kept getting bigger as the afternoon went on.  Of course one of my main objectives was getting some of Sunday Morning Bakehouse's soft pretzels - so soft and delicious! Lots of stores from the area participated with food and giveaways, as well as live music and kids' activities.  I hope they continue to host fun events like this throughout the year!

Compass Coffee - Roasting and Tasting Event

A group of friends and I went to Compass Coffee last Saturday for their coffee roasting and tasting event.  I wanted to do something a little different and fun for my birthday and this was a great way to hang out with friends and learn more about coffee!  

The groups are small enough that it's not just a generic tour and you can ask questions as you're going through the roasting and cupping steps.  We also got to choose a tin of coffee based on what we liked during the cupping/tasting which was very nice!  I would highly recommend this for anyone that's a fan of Compass, or coffee in general as a fun little event.   

 

Compass Coffee - Shaw
1535 7th St NW
Washington, DC 20001

Fogo de Chão Grand Opening Dinner + 10 Year Blogiversary

I just noticed that this past weekend marks 10 years since I started this little blog!  It's been a fun 10 years of a LOT of food and shopping, haha.

While not actually related, I was invited to check out the Fogo de Chão in Pike and Rose for a grand opening dinner before they officially open today, so it was a great way to "celebrate" with a delicious night of food!

The night started off with a lively cocktail hour with passed appetizers.  It was also a good chance for my friend L and I to walk around the space, especially to take in the huge Market Table's offerings.  After the ribbon cutting ceremony, we were seated for a full dinner experience.  While it was very tempting to try everything at the Market Table, I knew I had to save room for ALL the meat that would come around to our table at a seemingly never ending pace, haha.  Everything that we had was delicious, but I have to say that the featured Picanha steak and the lamb chops that came around were my favorites - so tender and flavorful!  But even if you're not a total meat lover, there's plenty at the Market Table to enjoy, and I want to try their lunch/brunch sometime soon so I can have more of their non-meat dishes.  Also, don't forget about dessert - The Tres Leches cake and Chocolate Mousse cake that we had were really good, and I would go to the restaurant just for drinks and that Tres Leches cake any day.  A big thank you and welcome to the neighborhood Fogo de Chão, and I look forward to trying out more of your dishes soon!

 

 

Sparkling wine before dinner

Some meat appetizers before the meat dinner, haha

 

Love this wine wall that separates the large dining areas

 

Just a small segment of the huge Market Table - lots of fresh and tasty dishes 

 

Something I wouldn't have really thought to try until a server recommended it - the Feijoada bar with a great bean stew, rice, and toppings

 

The bartenders were super busy all night with this crowd :)

 

I had some of this bacon during the reception - so good!

Side dishes were brought out first - Caramelized bananas, Polenta, Pão de Queijo (yuca flour and cheese rolls- SO good), and Garlic mashed potatoes

So many yummy cuts of meat! It was hard to keep track of what we were eating after a while because different options kept coming continuously and we didn't want to miss out on anything

Make sure you leave some room for dessert - especially the awesome Tres Leches cake! 

Note: I was invited to the grand opening dinner, but was not paid for this post.

Fogo de Chão - Pike & Rose

11600 Old Georgetown Road

North Bethesda, MD 20852

301.841.9200

Fogo de Chão Pike & Rose Tour

Last night I was offered the chance to take a look inside the new Fogo de Chão at Pike & Rose, which is scheduled to open in just a few weeks on June 24th.  I can't believe that this corner of Pike & Rose used to be a City Sports and later a Nike outlet store, it looks completely different!  It was a great chance to see how they've transformed the space, with lots of thought put into large and small table groupings, as well as a separate private dining area.  Here's a small tour in photos of the new space:

Outdoor patio dining area

Sleek and bright bar area - perfect for happy hour or drinks while waiting for a table - with plenty of outlets and bag hooks under the counter, always a nice touch!

I really like how bright and open the restaurant feels, and the unique light fixtures for different areas of the restaurant.  These pretty flower arrangements are above the Market Table.

I also love the dark blue tiles that surround the open kitchen area, where you will be able to see lots of meat being cooked.

A giant wall sculpture of O Laçador adorns every restaurant!  This is the story behind the sculpture for a bit of background.

Current menus for the Pike & Rose location - lots of options for dinner, brunch, and lunch! 

Fogo de Chão - Pike & Rose

11600 Old Georgetown Road

North Bethesda, MD 20852

301.841.9200