Restaurants
The restaurant is located at 2405 Price Avenue, in the old Rock Creek Chophouse location. It’s a very cozy spot, and fits the warm and welcoming description Godbout told me the restaurant was going for.
The cuisine is Classic American “with a dash of Irish charm.” Their chef is vegan trained and offers vegan options for most menu items when possible (including some of the specials).
We walked in and enjoyed the “bow wow wall”– a collections of portraits of some of the dogs that belong to a fewnof the regular customers. Bring in your photo and they’ll place it on the wall!
This was my first time trying hot pot. It’s kind of a mix between Melting Pot, Korean BBQ, and Mongolian BBQ (for those of you that remember BD’s).
Walking in, you’re greeted by a giant panda (that seems to be the theme). It’s definitely different…you’ll even have little panda pillows at your seat. I like pandas…I’m good with it!
Choose your soup base:
• Sichuan Spices (very spicy…add sesame oil if you want it a bit milder)
• Tomato (usually not my thing, but tasty!)
• Mushrooms
• Pork Broth (most popular, my favorite)
• Fatty Brisket Slice*
• Sliced Beef
• Beef Tripe
• Sliced Lamb*
• Pork Belly*
• Pork Liver
• Sliced Chicken
Choose your seafood:
• Sliced Fish Filet
• Shrimp*
• Mussel*
• Small Cuttlefish
* my favorites
Soy products (not pictured) include:
• Tofu
• Spongy Tofu
• Beancurd Sheet
• Beancurd Skin
• Ramen Noodle
• Udon Noodle
• Rice Vermicelli
• Steamed Rice
• Mini Dumpling
Can’r really go wrong here…
• Beef Meatball
• Fish Ball
• Shrimp Ball
• Pork Meatball
• Fish Tofu
• Squid Ball
• Northern Style Meatball
• Cuttlefish Ball
• Quail Egg
• Egg
• Mini Sausage
• Spam
• Seaweed Knots
• Pumpkin
• Wood Mushroom
• Corn
• White Radish
• Potato
• Lotus Root
• Enoki Mushroom
• Shitake Mushroom
• Taro
• Cucumber
• Broccoli
• Napa Cabbage
• Oyster Mushroom
• Crown Daisy
• Lettuce
• Loofah
• Cabbage
• Bok Choy
• Fried Bread Stick
The meat cooks in just a few seconds and you get to choose from about a dozen different dipping sauces, including:
• Chive Sauce
• Chinese Barbecue Sauce
• Chili Sauce
• Soy Sauce
• Sesame Oil
• Chef Sauce
and more!
I recommend experimenting with the different sauces.
This was a very different experience and I enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be visiting Hot Pot Legend again in the near future.
The restaurant is MoCo owned and operated. Owners Jonathan Bostin (grew up in Laytonsville and graduated from Poolesville High School) and Steve Deffinbaugh (graduated from Seneca Valley High School) have also opened a sister restaurant in Frederick– Ragin’ Reef (506 E. Church Street).
I have friends that rave about the happy hour and was told that it runs EVERY DAY from 3pm until close at the bar (Monday-Friday from 3pm-7pm in the dining room).
Nantucket’s Reef offers fresh seafood at an affordable price point. They also do brunch on weekends and serve bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas for just $9.50 with the purchase of any brunch entree.
Today I stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner and started with the Lobster Queso. The chips are made in-house and it was difficult keeping myself from filling up on them.
Vatche and Maral Abkarian decided to open the restaurant just over a year and a half ago. It’s located at 7217 Muncaster Mill Road, in the same location that was Home to Steaming Blues Crab House.
Their daughter Sophie, a recent Magruder graduate, can often be found running the counter– taking care of the carry-out customers and handling all of the dine-in orders.
“I used to cook for hundreds of people each year at my church, so I decided to do something crazy and open the restaurant.” said owner, Vatche Abkarian. He has lived in the area for nearly four decades and loves the Derwood community– where the restaurant is located and the family lives.
In addition to all the food we are showing below, Sasuns has items like chicken souvlaki, French fries, kebabs, pizza, cheesesteaks and a lot more!
We started by trying out their dips. We had the tabboulleh, muttabel (roasted eggplant and tahini), Baba Ganouj, and hummus. The Baba Ganouj was my favorite.
JINYA specializes in ramen. Ramen is widely considered a Japanese dish, but there’s much debate over whether the noodles were first made in Japan or China. Many say the dishes as invented in China but made popular/trendy in Japan.
Though many credit New York’s Momofuku with making the dish popular in the U.S., the ramen “boom” came about in California when more than 200 spots opened in the area in 2012 alone.
Now that you have a brief background, let’s get into what JINYA has to offer…
Their cocktails are fun, but more importantly, they taste great. They run from $10-$12.
Below you’ll see the:
• Love me some Painappuru (rum, pineapple juice, aperol, and sweet vermouth)
• Garden of Todai-Ji (tequila, matcha basil shochu, agave syrup, fresh lime juice)
• Temple of Love (Heaven Hill bourbon, Cocchi Torino, rosemary foam, JINYA house bitters)
• The Forbidden Kingdom (Nikka gin, fresh lemon juice, fresh orgeat, house bitters, Aperol Aperitif)
JINYA has their own version. Below is the California Bowl. It contains salmon, spicy tuna, shrimp, seaweed salad, masago, avocado, and cilantro over rice.
They’re known for their brick oven pizza, but definitely have a lot more to offer.
Their sodas are served in those red plastic cups that make everything taste better, so that was a plus right off the bat!
For most of us, visiting Italy and driving down the Amalfi Coast eating our way from town to town is
more of a dream than reality. But what if I told you that you could enjoy the best food the Amalfi Coast has to offer anytime you want, just a minute awayindustrial part of Rockville? family owned and operated Amalfi Restaurant in Rockville has been doing just that since 1977.
This review could begin and end with the White Pizza. Amalfi has the best White Pizza in the area Period. Perfectly thin, bubbling with fontina cheese, and seasoned with fresh garlic and herbs this pizza is as much artwork as it is culinary skills.It is a must have anytime you visit, but keep it on speed dial for carryout.
The Amalfi experience starts with the warm greeting you receive at the host stand (usually from the owner) and continues with the excellent service from familiar faced waiters. The rustic Italian and Onion bread that is served to every table, deserves its own review and shows Amalfi’s dedication to quality and detail. Pastas are made in house daily and food is locally sourced when possible. They use Allen Farms free range chicken, and the quality of their chicken dishes are unmatched. Traditional dishes such as Chicken Parmesan and Marsala are enhanced by these bone in breasts that you willquestion why you ever accepted a pounded out bird in the past. Seafood options include ussels, clams, shrimp, and calamari that are all prepared delicately and generously portioned in each dish. Dave Hessler- my resident seafood expert- says Amalf’s seafood options have the most “bang for your buck.” And finally save room for the excellent Cannolis.
Amalfi is everything that is missing from most restaurants in the area. A throwback, family owned business that truly values their customers and takes tremendous pride in their food. It is child friendly and perfect for any occasion with plenty of parking. Take a trip to Italy, which you never knew was just around the corner!Amalfi restaurant 12307 Wilkins Ave, Rockville, MD 20852 (301) 770-7888
We started with the salt and pepper calamari. At first I was looking for something to dip it in, but the jalapeños give it a bit of a kick so a dipping sauce isn’t really necessary. If you’re feeling bold, you can change the calamari for…frog legs!
If you’re looking for seafood with a twist, this is a great spot. They have a second location in Hyattsville.
Having grown up in Gaithersburg, heading over to The Airport Cafe to watch the planes was something I’d do once every couple years. As I’ve gotten older, enjoying their $15 all-you-can-eat brunch buffet on Sundays has made it a deal that’s tough to beat.
Outdoor seating, plane-watching, brunch, and an inexpensive good time for the whole family.
One of the people in my party this morning is pregnant and the manager/owner came out and personally offered to make her something that wasn’t included in the brunch buffet, which was awesome!
www.theairportcafe.com
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Jazmin Cuisine is an affordable fast-casual restaurant with a wide variety of really good food.
I tried the steak burrito, a taco salad and the ranchero wings.
The burrito is overstuffed, much like one from Chipotle, but with bigger chunks of steak and ingredients that just tasted a little better. The taco salad was also full of meat and packed with whatever you want included. The wings taste like they were just grilled outside, but that’s probably because they were grilled when I ordered them (on an indoor grill).
I’m glad I was finally able to try it out and see what it was all about. The secret’s out…and they have breakfast!