From the Financial Hub to the Administration Heart - Washington D.C

After a 4 hour bus ride (in which Manchester United won and lost their title in minutes), we went from the Capital of the World to the actual capital of the United States of America - Washington D.C. Known for being the administrative backbone of USA, Washington DC plays home to the famous Mall where millions of tourists flock in to view the various memorials (Jefferson Memorial, Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, etc), Smithsonian musuem series (American History Museum, Air Space Museum, Natural History Musuem, etc) and the famous administration buildings (White House, Capitol Hill, etc). We had two days to cover these places (and more) and I believed we did a fairly good job in that.

Day 0 (Settle in day)

Having reached DC during midday, we didn't have much of a choice as to where to go. All the museums were going to be closed in a few hours and we needed to wait till our group was complete before going to the key sites. So, we took the advice of our friendly house host (we stayed at a AirBnB-advertised apartment - lovely place) and went to the "city center" where we were told all the action will be - Dupont Circle.

Little did we know, this "city center" was also the one of the capitals of the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) community. It was a very lively area, with music and dance around, and everyone looked like they were having fun. So it turned out to be quite a cool surprise.

Dance and Music at Dupont Circle

Oh, I forgot to mention that just before we left our apartment, we did a little bit of research on the food available in DC. Our source - MAN VS FOOD. If you don't know what it is, here's the trailer.

To check out what we had from Man Vs Food, read on...

First off, this trailer wasn't for DC and second, we didn't try any of the actual Man Vs Food finale dishes. Rather, we used the DC episode to determine what's good here with the host's recommendation before he partakes in the challenges. One of these place was Horace & Dickies.

Small little hut called Horace & Dickies 

It was a small little place that was meant for take-out only (no tables and chairs for dine-in). The staff was very friendly and offered advice on portioning (which was always a challenge in USA). They had  benefitted from the show's advertising as when we first stepped in, they went "Man vs Food?" and we nodded furiously, starting a friendly conversation thereafter.

What you see is what you get

How's the food? Lovely! It was definite not your high-end best quality fish, but the fish was fried perfectly and put it together with the tomato and mayonnaise sauce, it was a delight to the senses. The portions were both accurate and generous - they even added a few pieces extras as we weren't sure if the small box is going to be able to feed all of us. Wonderful place! 7.5/10

Delightful Fishes

Check them out at 809 12th st. NE, Washington D.C. 20002 or visit their website here

Well, after lunch was Dupont Circle and then thereafter was dinner at Chinatown (we had a hankering for Asian food). We had our dinner at China Express after our first choice (China Boy) was closed. It was a disappointing meal which fails in both taste and service. Therefore, I wouldn't waste anyone's time and review it here. So lets move on.

Day 1


Day 1 started by welcoming our latest addition - our dear friend Dina! After helping her settling in, we headed out for breakfast at (you guessed it!) another Man Vs Food recommendation - Ben's Chilli Bowl.

Ben's Chilli Bowl

Well, this place is indeed famous. Why do I say so? Even the president comes visiting (I mean he does work nearby, doesn't he?). Check this picture out.

Look at the smiles

So we are actually eating the presidential choice. So how does it taste like? Well, its definitely way better than any Chili we can find in the Wendy's back home (can't say for ALL the chili in Singapore). Also known as Chili Con Carne, Ben's Chili bowl offers a not-so-spicy chili (most chills aren't even a fraction of what we Asian know as spicy) mixed with meat and beans. It was a lovely stew when put together and you won't get sick of it even till the bottom of the bowl. Nicely done!

Chili Bowl with crackers

The other dishes we ordered included the Chili Dog and the Chili fries. Well, these are mainly to fill your stomachs. The hotdogs here are actually quite good (it becomes awesome with the chili), with it being a little charred on the top but juicy on the insides. Good stuff! An overall 7/10.

The place itself is your typical old-school American restaurant with the jukebox and the typical seats you see on TV. The old-fashioned settings goes to show how far this place has went - with its founder Ben Ali setting up shop back in 1958. Oh did I mention - Bill Cosby and and Chris Tucker loves this place, there's even a sign "Only Bill Cosby Eats Free Here".

Hungry Customers

Old School

Check them out at 1213 U Street. N.W., Washington, DC 20009 or their website here

Next up, its the tour. Like any other first timers in DC, we had two choices - The museums or the buildings. We chose to start with the museums, considering we had book ourselves for the tours later in the afternoon.

Air Space Museum

First up was the famous and the largest museum - the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. We took the in-house tour, which took nearly 2-hours and mentally "killed" most of us. It was a little too intense with too much information being passed around. I admit I almost zoned out and had to press on in hope that something interesting will turn up in the end. Overall, I did learn something though most of it is gone by now.

First Prototypical Plane

Unfortunately, our first was also our last. By time we were done with the museum, it was time to go for dinner in order to make it for our 5 p.m tour. Dinner was at a famous Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya recommended by Dina.

Zaytinya

 First impression of the restaurant - its pretty high end. The design of the place was neat and tidy, and with the clean look of their bars and tables, it looked pretty much like any high-end place. Take a look for yourself.

Lovely settings

The high-end settings is duly accompanied by high-end service. A dedicated waitress came to our table and duly explained the menu to us. It was pretty much family-styled with many tapas (small dishes) for us to choose from. As we were spoiled for choice, we had to rely on our waitress for the recommendations before making up our minds.

I like their philosophy

So basically, we decided on having a balanced meal with a selection of vegetable, carbohydrates, seafood and meat. Here are my top choices from the array of dishes.

Pita Bread

with Hummus

The starters, Pita Bread & Hummus was absolutely fantastic. The bread itself was very unique as it came in a fluffy pillow shaped (rather than your typical flatbread). This affected the taste as it was lighter and blended better with the hummus dish. I could simply have only this for a meal.

Seared Scallops

My favorite of favorites - Seared Scallops. This dish here didn't disappoint at all. Sear Scallops with Yogurt sauce was the perfect combination of sauce and texture. The yogurt sauce gave it a light creamy back taste for the scallop to nicely blend in. The scallop itself was nicely seared, making a great dish into a perfect dish.

Seasonal Mushrooms

Another perfect dish - Sauntered Mushrooms with Almonds. In here, we have the mushroom nicely cooked with a lovely seasoning and almonds bits. All I can say is that there is nothing that anyone can hate about it. Simply lovely.

 Don't get me wrong, these dishes are my top 3 choices but that doesn't mean any of the others were not good. They finished closely behind (its probably the first time a mean dish didn't make it to my choices) and would be able to stand its own ground. This is definitely a fantastic place and I would definitely come back here if I have the chance.

Check them out at 701 9th Street NW, Washington DC 20001 or at their website here

After our meal, we took the free walking tour (we met at the Washington Monument) which took us through The Mall, starting from the Washington Monument and ended (3 - 4 hours later) at the Lincoln Memorial.

Here are some of the highlights:

The White House

Actually this was taken before the tour. The tour itself only allowed you to see both The White House The Jefferson Memorial from afar (right in front of the Washington Monument). 

The Washington Monument

The first stop of the day was the Washington Monument. Built from 1948 to 1984 (yes, it took 36 years), this obelisk was erected to commemorate the first president of USA, George Washington. Now, it serves not only as a monument but as one of the best vantage point (to see the entire mall) in Washington DC. Its currently under renovations, but once its done, it'll see flocks of tourists queuing to see Washington from the Bird's eye view.

Jefferson Memorial from afar

As I said, from the front of the Washington Monument, you could basically see the Jefferson Memorial from afar. It was pretty much out of the way so the guide had to share the story of the memorial here instead of near the memorial. 

The next stop was a closeup of the World War II Memorial. Sadly the reflecting pool was closed for maintenance as "there were too many dead ducks" in it.

Each star for every soldier

Favorite tourist spot

Here's a little tidbit: When the WWII memorial was built, the architects wanted to make this place a little bit more personal for the soldiers and added something extra which wasn't obvious to the public eye. Try looking for it. Here's what it would look like:

Finding Kilroy

Click here to find out more about Kilroy.

The tour then took us into the park which was where the various Vietnam War Memorial (there are actually 3 of them). It was dark and rainy by the time we got there and the lightings there was really poor. So photographs weren't a success for those areas.

We ended the tour at the Lincoln Memorial with guide giving us a full lowdown on the assassination. 

Roman Style Memorial

Abe himself

I'll end of this entry with the last tidbit of the day: The memorial itself is rumored to have something extra integrated into the back of Abe's head. Apparently, Lincoln always had a great amount of respect for the South's Robert E. Lee. This respect is reflected from the extra "face" at the back of Lincoln's head, with many claiming its actually Robert E Lee's face. Obviously, the National Parks have brushed aside these claims as "urban legends". Take a look and be your own judge.

Noticed anything?

  

Rush Hour (Foodie Edition) Part III: From Fast-Food to 3-Stars, We have it all

Finding food in New York City can be very easy and daunting at the same time. The choices you have are so tremendous that it might become overwhelming and confusing, which is why it is important to have a strategy and the necessary tools to narrow down the choices in search of food.

My strategy - Since there is an abundance of food choices, I'll plan my food according to the places of interests. So in the case of my 3-day rush, I'll always find recommended food around the area (e.g. Lower Manhattan, SoHo, Upper East Side, etc) and plan my time and route accordingly.

My tools - Friends and Yelp. Obviously having a friend recommend places gives me a sense of security and an assurance that at least someone has liked it enough to recommend it. If I run out of friends' recommendation, the Yelp application is also another useful tool that has proved to be successful most of the time.

Lets start with the first meal of the 3-day salvo.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

The first day saw us rushing like man men and our breakfast was basically take-aways which I didn't document or photograph at all (breakfast was from some random Bagel stall while lunch was from another random Kebab mobile stalls, all near Central Park). They were pretty decent food but I'm pretty sure you can find similar ones all around.

Entering Five Guys Burgers & Fries

For dinner, we had a little time while waiting for the sky to turn dark for our ascend to the Top of the Rock, so we decided to give the highly-recommended Five Guys Burgers & Fries a try. 

We went to the one at 3rd Avenue & 44th Street (I have no idea why we skipped the two nearest ones to Rockafella Center), but there are at least 6 other joints in Manhattan, so this fast food chain is pretty much accessible from any place in Manhattan.

Menu

The menu itself was pretty much the standard fare - Beef or Bacon Burger (with 2 different size), dogs with different toppings, sandwiches and fries. As the name goes by, we were told that they were famous for their Fries. So we ordered their Cajun Fries and I had the Cheese Dog to go with it.

Cajun Fries

First up - the Cajun Fries. What is "Cajun" actually? Truthfully, even after googling, I wasn't too sure. I always thought it was some special spices but it turns out to be a specific cooking style that has French, Canadian, African and Native American influence. I'll put a pin in that one for now.

Read on to see how good the fries were and for my take on 3-Michelin Star Restaurant Daniel

The fries itself has a 5-star rating for quantity (what you see in the picture was actually a pack of half-eaten fries). When we received our fries, it was spilling out of the big bag and we struggled to get it to the table without dropping any. So it's good for a big-eater and even better for a party of 2 - 3. As for the quality, I couldn't really taste any "Cajun-ness" in the fries and thus didn't really stand out as "the best fries ever". However, I could say it could easily beat most of the fries that we have here in Singapore's fast food restaurants but might lose out to some gourmet fries parlors here. I give it a 6.5/10

Cheese Dog

Next up - the Cheese Dog. Basically just cheese with hotdog, nothing to rave about. The size is pretty much standard and the taste would be similar to any decent ones that you find on the street. My recommendation would be to try the burgers instead.

This place itself is worth the time if you are either really hungry or have a penchant for fries. If not, it'll probably only turn out to be at most of an average standard.

Clinton Street Baking Company and Restaurant

Good Stuff! This place was recommended by more than 2 friends from different groups and comes with a very good rating from Yelp. The 45-minutes wait time on a Friday morning was another testimony to the quality of food there.

A 45-minutes wait outside Clinton

The restaurant itself, located down Clinton Street, is actually pretty small and crowded. It's simple in design and made perfectly for the "eat-and-go" culture. The turnover rate is pretty high and the crowds comes in and out frequently throughout breakfast, brunch and dinner. They have an all-day breakfast menu for selected items (basically that is what they are famous for) and are open from 9 a.m to 11 p.m on certain days.  

Small counter for their daily products

I ordered their signature all-day and night (yes, even in the middle of the night) Pancakes with Warm Maple Butter topped with Chocolate Chunk. The pancake itself was 3-layer thick and when it came, I was afraid that I might get sick of it when I reach my 3rd quarter. But when I took my first bite, I immediately knew I was wrong.

Heavenly Fluffy Pancakes with Warm Maple Butter

This pancake is easily one of the best pancakes that I have ever had (in fact, it'll be my point of reference for as long as I can remember the taste). It was basically fluffy heaven that melted in your mouth. Lovely stuff! The chocolate bits was a little weird as it made it felt more like a dessert rather than a meal (my fault there) but the warm maple butter brought this dish to a totally new level. 

The sweet and savory nature of the maple butter simply gave the lovely taste to the dish without making you sick of the taste half-way through (which is usually the case for most average pancakes).  A-plus for taste, A-A-A plus for texture and a solid 9.5/10 for the entire dish.

Dawn ordered the Eggs Benedict (we made a pact to make sure that at least one of us would order Eggs Benedict dish in any new breakfast/brunch place). The poached eggs here were served with maple cured ham over toasted buttermilk biscuit.

Eggs Benedict

Once again, Clinton Street Bakery has delivered. The poached eggs were done perfectly and when put together with the maple cured ham, it was a fantastic blend of sweet and savory. My only complain was that the hollandaise sauce was a little too overwhelming but I pretty sure thats down to personal preference. To top this lovely dish off, the buttermilk biscuit was a delight to savor even on its own. A good 8/10

Andre ordered their Country Breakfast - 3 eggs of any style (he chose poached), heritage maple cured ham, hash brown and the buttermilk biscuit. 

Country Breakfast - 3x Eggs

Now that I think about it, this dish looks like Eggs Benedict without the Hollandaise sauce. Once again, the poached eggs were perfectly done, the buttermilk biscuit was great and the maple cured ham was a delight to eat. Nice dish!

This is one breakfast/brunch place that I would definitely recommend anybody who is going to New York. The quality of food here is fantastic but the only downside is the waiting time (which is totally worth it). Be sure to come here early and account for the wait time - they actually have an interesting system where you can check online for your queue number, so you don't exactly have to be there to physically queue for your turn).

Check them out at 4 Clinton Street (btw. East Houston & Stanton) New York, NY 10002 or their website here

Lombardi's Pizza

One of the key food and historic landmarks of New York, Lombardi's Pizza is a legend in itself in the pizza and even the foodie world. The sign below says it all.

Lombardi's Pizza

We had to do takeaways as it was late and we had to rush back to open the doors for our friend who had just arrived in New York. The place itself was crowded and we reckoned waiting time could go up to more than an hour. Take-aways aren't done the usual way and we had to go all the way into the back of the restaurant (where the kitchen is) and make our orders there. It was a good thing though as we got to take a look at the entire place.

Crowded little place

Take out and kitchen counter

They have a very simple menu (signs of a traditional place) - Original or White pizza. With a party of 4, we ordered both to-go. 

Lombardi's Original Pizza

Both pizza arrived at the apartment around 15 - 20 minutes after it was made. Unfortunately, that was enough time for the New York weather to turn a piping hot pizza from the oven to a cold one in the box. However, even with the temperature downed, the original pizza was still very tasty. The rich tomato sauce with the nicely oven-baked crust and the mozzarella cheese made me completely understand how they got their legendary status.

White Pizza

The White Pizza at Lombardi's consist of Mozzarella, Romano cheese, spinach, spices and no sauce. The additional cheese gave it a nice texture and a much lighter (but still tasty) taste as compared to the original pizza. Making such a simple dish (with no sauce to cover up) is no easy task and it goes to show the confidence that  Lombardi's have in the quality of its ingredients and workmanship. In fact, I actually preferred the White Pizza to the original pizza.

With the pizza tasting so nice even without being heated up, I am very sure that the quality would be magnified when it is tasted the way it's meant to be - piping-straight-out-of-the-oven-hot. I would definitely head back to this place when I go back to New York and do a dine-in instead. Wonderful place for a taste of the traditional pizza without all pomp and circumstance. A fantastic 8.5/10

Check them out at 32 Spring St New York, NY 10012-4173 or their website here

S'MAC

For the records, this place was never part of the 3-day rush. It was only included here as I realized I missed that out (it was after the outlet shopping which never made it to my blog) and didn't know where else to put it.

S'MAC delivery section

The place itself, located at East Village, is pretty hard to find and isn't near any tourist hotspots. And note: there are two stores - one for takeout and one for dine-in, make sure you wait in the right one.

The Counter

The place itself is quite small and can accommodate 10 - 12 tables of 2. However, we went at a pretty late hour (around 10 p.m) so it only slightly crowded and we found seats almost immediately. The place is not only famous for the usual Mac 'n' Cheese but also for its innovative menu selection. They put a twist to the usual Mac 'n' Cheese flavors, with tastes from all over the world, including the Indian Masala, Cajun Styled and Mediterranean.

We ordered the Yelp-recommended Buffalo-Chicken and the usual All-American style Mac 'n' Cheese. When the portions came, it was clearly not enough (an usual scenario in New York) and we ended ordering another portion of Mac 'n' Cheese.

Buffalo Chicken

Two is never enough for three

Overall, both Mac 'N' Cheese was really well done and were very tasty (yet not overwhelming). My favorite was definitely  the Buffalo-Chicken as the additional Buffalo sauce made sure that I would never get sick of the heavy cheese flavor that usually comes with Mac 'n' Cheese. For the non-cheeese lovers (but not afraid of spiciness), I'll definitely recommend you go for the Buffalo Chicken flavor instead of the usual Mac 'n' Cheese. 

S'mac is probably one place I'll come back for to try their more unique flavors after they have already proved themselves to be good Mac 'n' Cheese makers. A good 7.5/10

Check them out at 345 East 12th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues or at their website here

Daniel (3-Star Michelin Restaurant)

Photos taken by iPhone

My virgin 3-Star (or for that matter, any stars) Michelin Restaurant. When I was planning for the US trip, I was told by many that I have to at least try one 3 or 2-Star Michelin Restaurant and the recommendations came in fast and furious. For some reasons that I now can't recalled, I picked Daniel's (maybe for its cheaper-than-usual Dinner pricing?) over the others. For me, this wasn't just a food tasting session, it was an experience on its own, much akin to going to a star attraction like Disney World or going up the Empire State Building. So for this section, I won't go about describing how good (I don't really have any other Star Michelin restaurants to compare to) but rather talk about the whole experience itself.

Daniel

Daniel was opened in 1993 by French chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud and made into the Michelin books as a 3-star restaurant in 2010. Daniel has also been rated 19/20 points by the famous restaurant ration system GAYOT (by fellow frenchmen Andre Gayot) and given almost perfect score in every category in the popular Zagat Survey. The restaurant was described as having "perfection-on-the-plate" and "service-as-precise-as-a-symphony-orchestra"by the reviewers from Zagat. Daniel himself won the accolade of the 2010 James Beard Award for Most Outstanding Restaurant. All in all, this is one perfect place to find the perfect dining experience.

Boys Lining up

Entering the restaurant, I could easily feel that this place is different from any places that I have ever been. Regardless of our young looks, the service provided by the staff was beyond impeccable. From the time I entered to the time I sat time, every tiny details was taken care off - the greetings, the reservations and the seating. Our server was very friendly and patient in explaining to us the tiniest details of their menu and were actually listening when we casually chatted with them (this was evident later on in the meal). 

Pea induced Amuse Bouche

Some people might say that all these are fake and they are only doing this for the tips later. To this, I would say that fake or not, it doesn't really matter because the most important thing is that they are actually doing it. I can't expect them to be 100% real and sincere because after all this is their job and we aren't going to be their best friend after the meal. However, regardless of the reason, they have managed to maintain a high level of professionalism and able to provide a thoughtful personalized service that cannot be found in most places with a tip-based system. Full marks for service!

Appetizer Lang with Sea Urchin

The menu itself (up on their websites) is usually seasonal and has a wide range of selections. There are at least 8 appetizers to choose from and another 8 choices to come after as mains. The choice of meat ranges from your typical duck and veal to the not-so-common sea urchins and Lang. The asian influence is also evident with choices like Suckling Pig and Jade Abalone. I picked the Lang with Sea Urchin appetizer and the Roasted Veal mains. As expected - perfection on the plate.

Mains Veal

Obviously eating in such a restaurant can be quite intimidating, especially you are a young graduate whose only paychecks are internships and temporary jobs. And usually, the service crews do not exactly make the situation any less awkward, considering you have the lowest propensity to give good tips. However, the Daniel's service crew was professional and threw that concern out of the window. As I mentioned before, they DO listen during the casual chats and when we casually mentioned that we were on our graduation trip, we were surprised with a dessert congratulating us on our graduation (and there we were, thinking whether to come out with a fictional birthday to spring a free cake). 

Congratulations to us

Alhough I'm pretty sure that this is really common for all fine dining restaurants, the fillers in between the 3 course dinner really impressed me. This ensures that the moment the first course enters your mouth, your palate will never turn dry and your stomach will not feel hungry. The whole experience took nearly 3 hours and never once did I feel that the food was taking too long. There was always something happening - something to eat, someone to talk to and some decisions to be made. Thus despite having just a little of each (French cuisine isn't about quantity), I came out of it a full and satisfied customer.

Last but not least - desserts

Overall it was a lovely experience that I will definitely strive to do it again. Though it cost us USD$109   for the dinner and more for wine, tax and tips (it ended being USD$166 per person), it was money very well spent. My recommendation - even if its not at Daniel, do at least try a 2-star Michelin Star restaurant whenever you are in New York, it will bring the dining experience to a completely different level.

Check them out at 60 East 65th Street New York, NY 10065 or visit them at here

Do note that Reservation is required (do it one month beforehand) and the place has a jacket-required dress code.


Last thing, Daniel Boulud also has a restaurant in Singapore called DB Bistro Morderne. I'll put a pin on that one and when I try it, it'll be up here.