Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): J. Hollinger's Waterman's Chophouse

J. Hollinger's Waterman's Chophouse

8606 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

J Hollinger’s Yelp Link: ***

Life kinda has being life’ing, so I have not had much time for updating this thing. Perhaps, I should change this to Food Pics of the Month (FPOTM). ;) For today’s FPOTW, we’ll go back to an oldie but goodie spot. Well, I guess this post technically should be Drink Pics of the Week (DPOTW) because this entry primarily features a cocktail from J Hollinger’s.

Smoked Peach Colesville Crush:

Below, we have the Smoked Peach Colesville Crush, which is a delicious cocktail that has a mix of Crown Royal Peach, smoked peach puree, lemon juice, and (since it’s a crush) crushed ice.

This cocktail is a delightful twist on classic Crown Royal, with hints of peach combined with by a rich, smoky peach purée. Each sip of this cocktail has the right mix of sweetness from the smoked peach and boldness from the whiskey. This drink goes down so smooth that you will not realize when you have had a few. Hell, this beverage is so delicious that I’ll break my no dark liquor before sunset rule to have one or three. Fortunately for me, sunset happens earlier because of the recent time change, so I can enjoy this beverage around 5 pm.

Some food:

Ok, so my recent visit was not all about this beverage. Whenever I stop by J Holligner’s, I always grab a half or full dozen of oysters.

closing remarks:

I’ll reiterate that J Hollinger’s probably is one of my favorite spots in downtown Silver Spring because the restaurant has a VERY GENEROUS happy hour special. One of these days, I really should check out their weekend brunch. The restaurant’s happy hour is from 4 pm to close, Tuesdays to Sundays, which comes in handy. I think this is one of the few restaurants whose happy hour extends past 6 pm and occurs on the weekends. In addition, to the generous hours, J Hollinger’s has great food and drink deals - wine and most cocktails are around $9-10 and small bar bites are about $10/plate (depending on what you order). Also, I really appreciate the fact that the clientele is super diverse and pretty chill. This also goes for the service team. One a few occasions, I’ve visited J Hollinger’s alone, but ended chatting with folks for 2+ hours.

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Home Cooking

Home Cooking (Casa de Kwablo)

Silver Spring, Maryland

I realized that I have not made a FPOTW of the entry in quite some time. This FPOTW entry will feature some of my homemade cooking with a side of drama/f*ckery.

I'm in a learning Spanish Meetup.com group, and one of our recent events was a potluck fiesta. I decided to take a Spanish tortilla for this event. I'll say that I (probably like most folks) get really nervous when trying out a new recipe especially for folks that I do not know too well. Also, the nerves were even more intense because I pretty much had one shot to make the Spanish tortilla. The funny thing: the husband who is a chef from Spain offered to make the Spanish tortilla for me, but I told him that I could make it myself. As some may already know, a Spanish tortilla essentially is a large egg omelette with potatoes and onions. Ok, that doesn't seem too difficult to prepare. Unfortunately, flipping the large omelette, which in my cases contained about 2.5 pounds of sliced potatoes, can be quite dramatic. For example, check out this Spanish tortilla fail.

My result:

Fortunately, I did not have a flip fail, but I didn't I put enough oil in the pan because I had a patch in the top layer.

My tortilla was a little darker compared to the ones that the Spanish husband makes, but it had the same color (more or less) of the one from the website where I found the recipes. So I'll take it as a win.

Not to toot my own horn, but I (and the husband) thought my tortilla was very delicious. Before actually reading through the recipe, I just assumed that you mixed some eggs, potatoes & onions and threw them into a pan, flip it, and cook the other side. However, there are a few tricks to the trade:

• Letting the potato slices sit in water for at least 10 minutes.

• Using a mandoline to slice the potatoes . . . fortunately, I did not lose any fingers using the mandoline.

• (Tip from the husband): If you use an online recipe for a Spanish tortilla, you should add 1-3 additional eggs. I definitely will have to use this tip next time, because I like my tortilla to be a tad running.

• Once you mix the eggs, onions and potatoes, the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes.

• Trust yourself and try to flip without any hesitation.

Meetup Drama:

The organizer of the potluck fiesta indicated that he would let use know the location of the event via Meetup.com's messenger. I figured that made sense because I do not think that I would want have my address listed in a public group. The morning of the event, I was a bit concerned because a couple of the guest and I had not received the address. So, I sent the organizer a message through the app inquiring about the location of the event. I carried on making the tortilla throughout the morning. Long story short, I never received a response, and by 2pm, I was over it. I guess it kind of worked out for the best because earlier that morning a friend from NYC texted me to tell me that she was going to be in DC for the day and asked if I could meet up (no pun). Rather that attending the dumb potluck, I hung out with my friend that I had not seen since running NYC 2022's marathon.

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Watch & Warrant

Watch & Warrant (***)

2 E Main St Luray, VA 22835

The hubby and I decided to do something a little different, so we took a ~2hr drive to check out Luray Caverns in (as you may have guessed) Luray, Virginia. I think that I was supposed to visit these caverns when I was a kid (back in the 80s), but we did not for some reason. I wanna say that I was supposed to go with my church or with my school.

I'll say that the caverns were way better than I would have imagined. Actually, I'm glad that I went as a 40 something year old man instead of an 7-10 year old child, because I do not think I would have appreciated this natural wonder as a kid. While all of the nooks and crannies were amazing, Dream Lake (below) absolutely took the cake.

The above picture for Dream Lake does not do this section of the cavern any justice. But upon coming to this part of the caverns, you would think that you are seeing stalactites and stalagmites. However, the stalagmites are merely a reflection (or a "dream") of stalactites through the very small still body of water. Simply amazing.

After viewing the caverns and the three museums next door, we headed to "downtown" Luray to get some bites. To be perfectly honest, we went to the first place that had a decent food AND beer/cocktail menu. Sorry, but I needed a drink because there were quite a bit of kids in the cavern. Not hating, but kids will be kids . . . . and their voices were amplified in the caverns.

Fish & Chips

I keep it pretty simple and went with the Fish n Chips. I'll say that the fish was quite tasty. I think it's because they used halibut, whereas most places serve tilapia (yuck). Since the bartender was bragging about making delicious Manhattans (essentially a whiskey martini), I went with one instead of being "normal" and having a beer (in particular an IPA) with the dish. Unfortunately for me, the bartender used WAY TOO much vermouth, and the Manhattan wasn't that delicious. That said, the restaurant redeemed itself with it's excellent beer selection...as well as the service.

Speaking of Luray and surrounding areas, I wouldn't mind going back to the area for long weekend to hit up some spots on the Blue Ridge Whisky Wine Loop . . . I do enjoy a fun map. ;)

If you look at the Luray area on the bottom left of the fun map, you can see the restaurant described in the this edition of FPOTW.

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): El Mercat Bar De Tapas

El Mercat Bar De Tapas (***)

101 Gibbs Unit C Rockville, MD 20850

I think hubby and I have found our go-to Spanish restaurant in our part of Maryland. Olé! This place has it going on - amazing food, great service, nice decor, delicious cocktails, and decent prices.

Calamari, pan de tomate, and Spanish Spritz (basically a gin tonic). Although the Spanish Spritz was really satisfying, I wished the restaurant had more gin-based speciality cocktails especially since gin-tonic (or gin-tonica, or ginebra con tonic, etc.) is a popular beverage in Spain. Oh well, I guess you can't win them all.

Croquetas and papas bravas. All good in the hood with these two tapas.

Gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic). While this tapa was delicious, I was a bit disappointed that the shrimp were headless. I don't think that I've ever had headless gambas in a Spanish restaurant. Eh, I guess there is a first time for everything.

Seafood Paella with black rice. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture when it first arrived to the bar. Although this was very delicious, the Spanish hubby did not care for the green peas in the paella. He even sent a picture to his mom, and she was like WTF.

Martini de Granada. Ok, so I went a bit out of my comfort zone . . . I probably was feeling adventurous from all the gin tonics. While the cocktail looked pretty, the combined ingredients (orange vodka, pomegranate licor, egg whites, orange, and vanilla bitters) were an acquired taste for me . . . even though I do love egg whites in a cocktail. Like TLC said: don't go chasing waterfalls (in this case, new cocktails); please stick to the rivers and lakes that you're used to (in this case, gin tonics).

All in all, I have a feeling that we will visit this place a few more times over the next few months.

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Ninja Sushi

Ottoman Taverna Ninja Sushi(***)

13452 New Hampshire Ave Colesville, MD 20904

I'm easing back into these FPOTW posts. Although I randomly came to Ninja Sushi for a post-workout sushi therapy session, I think this might be my go-to sushi spot. While the food was not anything groundbreaking (or at least what I ordered), the service was absolutely AMAZING and the main reason why I want to return. From start to finish, the service team was on point and super friendly.

Also, it's one of those places that gives you a small appetizer with your order. I wish that I had known that because I ordered a regular appetizer and my sushi deluxe plate. When the waitress brought out the free small appetizer, I was like I didn't order this because I thought she made a mistake. She responded that it was a complimentary dish.

After finishing my meal, I offered to check out the dessert menu. Even after I declined to order a dessert after looking at the dessert menu, the waitress brought out a small piece of cake. Unfortunately, I had to decline the free dessert because it was covered with coconut, and I HATE coconut. When I told the waitress that I wasn't a fan of coconut, she told me that for my next visit, the restaurant would have something that I would like. ;)

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Ottoman Taverna

Ottoman Taverna (***)

425 I St NW Washington, DC 20001

Last week, hubby and I took a “trip” to Tükiye for some yummy bites. Random thought: I don’t know what in my mind possessed me to think that it would be a good idea to drive into Washington DC for dinner. It’s kind of funny how driving 10 miles can take damn near an hour in these parts. I figured that it would be faster to drive to the restaurant rather than driving to the metro station, waiting for and then taking the subway, and finally walking to the restaurant.

Overall, we had a splendid time at Ottoman Taverna because the food and the service were amazing. Ottoman Taverna makes life a bit simple with its Trip to Tükiye deal for 40 bucks that includes a four-course meal.

Oppsss, I did it again and didn’t take pictures of everything. Actually, it was a bit difficult to get a good photo (then again, none of my food photos are that great) because the bar had a backlight. Overall, everything we had was absolutely AMAZING, and I definitely would return for some more bites. For my dining pleasure:

• 1st course: Ezme (sun-dried tomato paste with onion, green pepper, garlic, parsley & Turkish spices)

• 2nd course: Patates Köfte (potato cakes with crumbled feta & yogurt sauce)

• 3rd course (pictured above): Tavuk Sis (char-grilled chicken cubes seasoned with Turkish spices & served with bulgur pilav, ezme and carrot-red cabbage slaw)

• 4th course: Katmer (phyllo dough stuffed with cream & pistachio)

OMG! As I’m writing this, my mouth is salivating over my 3rd course because the chicken was beautifully seasoned and soooooo juicy. I don’t know why, but there is something about the “simplicity” of Turkish food that makes it so delicious – you just need a grill, some meat, and seasoning. There’s no need for fancy sauces with 85 million ingredients.

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Silver Diner

Silver Diner (***)

12276 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852

Although there are several Silver Diners in the area, all of them are equally delicious. Well . . . the three that I have visited have been awesome. The diners are set up like those from the 50s and 60s, but without all of the Jim Crow discrimination. Ok, I know that I’ve said that a restaurant has to work hard to screw up breakfast, but Silver Diner definately has it going on. While the lines during the weekends can be really long, they move VERY fast.

The Lumberjack Breakfast

This is the meal to get when you are in hangry mode. For about $15, you get 3 silver dollar pancakes, TWO meats, eggs, and potatoes. Yes, I know that I should have stuck with the egg white omelette, but I wanted to go for broke in terms of my caloric intake for the day.

During another visit, I asked for my Chesapeake Bay Bloody Mary to be served without an Old Bay Seasoning rim. Y’all know how I feel about the latest Mid-Atlantic trend of putting Old Bay Seasoning on/in every-damn-thing. The waiter was like: So you just want a regular Bloody Mary? I thought to myself, if you are going to call something a Chesapeake Bay X, Y, or Z, then I would expect crab meat, NOT Old Bay Seasoning.

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Mariscos 1133

Mariscos 1133 (***)

1133 11th St NW Washington, DC 20001

Last weekend, we hit up Mariscos 1133 - a seafood spot in DC for brunch. It's kind of interesting because I don't really think seafood (for the most part) goes with brunch/breakfast. The place was just ok for me. It wasn't bad, but I think I would prefer to dine there for dinner rather than brunch.

Oysters al Carbón con Crabmeat and Ceviche

Left: Oysters al Carbón con Crabmeat - I'm not really sure why they didn't keep the name all in Spanish or in English. LOL, I had to triple check to ensure that I typed carbón (charcoal) and not cabrón (a male motherfucker or bastard). This dish was interesting because I really didn't think parmesan cheese and grilled oysters would work out. Strangely enough, the dish was quite tasty. It probably was the best dish of the afternoon.

Right: Ceviche - This was very meh because it was a bit too 'soupy' for me. Maybe this type of ceviche popular in Mexico.

Seafood Huevos Rancheros

What a hearty dish that is great for someone who is always in a constant state of hangry. The ranchero sauce was absolutely amazing.

Pisco Sour

LOL. I joked with the server saying that he served the drink in the wrong orientation. I assume the drink was supposed to be placed in a way so that I would see an M instead of a W. Now, is the M because the restaurant is named Mariscos 1133, because the restaurant is on the corner of M Street, or both? ;)

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): La Malinche

La Malinche (***)

8622 Colesville Rd Silver Spring, MD 20910

We tried to do something a bit different for a recent happy hour. I guess visiting this place wasn’t thinking outside of the box since this restaurant is next door to the other restaurant (J. Hollingers Waterman’s Chophouse, link to FPOTW entry: ***) that we typically frequent for happy hour.

Marinaor Malintzin (c. 1500 – c. 1529), more popularly known as La Malinche, a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, became known for contributing to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519–1521), by acting as an interpreter, advisor, and intermediary for the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. She was one of 20 enslaved women given to the Spaniards in 1519 by the natives of Tabasco. Cortés chose her as a consort, and she later gave birth to his first son, Martín – one of the first Mestizos (people of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry) in New Spain.

-Wikipedian.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Malinche

Since the restaurant is described as Spanish and Mexican tapas spot, we decided to get a small spread of food that included patatas bravas, croquetas, boquerones (white anchovies, one of my favs), and mussels. Oh of course, we had beers and margaritas since it was happy hour.

First, I’ll say that the service was very exceptional because the entire service staff was super friendly. Unfortunately, the food was not that great. Lemme clarify that. The food was not nasty or gross, but it just didn’t meet our expectations. Well . . . I guess it didn’t meet the hubby’s expectations. Since he is from Spain, he takes his tapas very seriously. 😉 I’ll cut La Malinche some slack because the patatas bravas were pretty good. When all the food came out at the same time (less than 10 minutes after placing our order), I had a feeling that food would not be amazing. We were right because the croquetas tasted like they were fried a few weeks ago and reheated in the microwave before arriving at our table.

If I visit La Malinche again, I’ll probably stick to the patatas bravas and the margaritas. While the food was not that great for me, I’ll say the restaurant has a very generous happy hour.

Food Pics of the Week (FPOTW): Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood

Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar (***)

11006 Veirs Mill Rd L 10 Ste 10 Wheaton, MD 20902

EAT, SLEEP, CRACK, and REPEAT

It seems that in these mid-Atlantic region parts we are supposed to send away the summer with crabs. Keeping in line with the traditions of our new state, the hubby and I hit up Hook & Reel to crunch on some crabs during Labor Day weekend.

We’ve dined at Hook & Reel, but we only had the seafood boils (and cocktails) instead of crabs. Although I grew up in the mid-Atlantic region (Virginia Beach, Va to be exact), it feels weird eating crabs in a restaurant. Back in the day, my family would order bushels of crabs from our local seafood market, either steam them at home or have the market steam them, and eat the crabs in the backyard. Since eatin crabs is super messy, I feel more comfortable eating them at home . . . mainly because I don’t have to follow restaurant norms in the comfort of my home (or backyard). Also, I can wear very crappy clothes at home (instead of out in public) since I probably will make a mess. I had to LOL because a couple eating at a table next to ours was dressed to the nines. Since they didn’t want to mess up their clothes, they put on ponchos to chow down. I understand that they didn’t want to mess up their clothes, but I don’t understand why they didn’t dress down to enjoy their Hook & Reel experience. All of that said, I can understand why some folks might prefer to crack some crabs in a restaurant, because you don’t have to worry about cooking and cleaning them at home.

Like always, our Hook & Reel experience was quite wonderful. Unfortunately, we could not get a couple of seats at the bar (our normal spot) to eat our shellfish. From previous experiences, eating at a bar is a bit more efficient because it’s easier to get the attention of bartenders than the service staff.

The interesting thing, I think Hook & Reel is kind of a local hangout. I guess it’s one of our local hangouts too ;) During all of our Sunday visits, we have spotted the same group of 4 to 6 people having drinks at the bar. It’s funny because they rarely order food. They order drinks, catch up with each other, and watch whatever sports game is on TV. Since this restaurant is in a large shopping center/mall, I wonder if these folks chill at the Hook & Reel while their wives/partners are shopping.