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): J. Hollingers Waterman’s Chophouse

J. Hollingers Waterman’s Chophouse (***)

8606 Colesville Rd Silver Spring, MD 20910

I think hubby and I have found our local happy hour spot for the following reasons:

• A generous happy hour, Tues – Thurs 4-9 pm and Fri – Sat 4 – 7 pm

• A nice selection of happy hour food and beverages starting at $5.

• $1 oysters – you know I love my oysters

• Diverse clientele

• Friendly staff

For our dining pleasure, we went with a roasted beet and burrata salad, fried calamari, and mussels, Of course, we did mussels since it's a part of the restaurant's name.

For our dining and drinking pleasure, we had delicious gin tonics (I had a couple of Manhattans too), a dozen oysters, lamb meatballs, and ceviche. With the exception o f the ceviche, EVERYTHING was amazing especially the meatballs. The ceviche wasn’t bad, but it tasted more like guacamole with some shrimp.

While the food and beverages were great, I really enjoyed the diversity in the bar’s patrons. Often, I have to deal with the fact that I will be the only Black person in many places. However, J. Hollingers had folks of all colors, sizes, and shapes. The only downside: I wish it was in walking distance. Looking at Google, commuting to the spot is 1 hour on foot, 26 minutes by bus, and 9 minutes by car. Oh well, can win them all. 

FOOD PICS OF THE WEEK - Saltine

Saltine (***)

100 E Main Street, Norfolk, VA 23510

Before going to see Come from Away for “Broadway in Norfolk”, the hubby and I decided to stop here for some wedding anniversary bites. The funny thing: the plan was to have some oysters as an appetizer, then go to another place for light dinner. However, we enjoyed Saltine so much that we decided to stay until it was time to walk to the show. Everything was pretty amazing, and Saltine definitely is now cemented on our list of Downtown Norfolk happy hour spots. I love when you take a ‘risk’ on culinary delights, and it works out. Let me clarify. We have a main happy hour spot in the area (Todd’s Bistro) that is amazing. Sometimes, for me, it can be tough deciding on going to a place that I know will be amazing or taking a risk to check out an unknown spot. This time, the risk worked out for us.

THE FOOD:

We did more of a tapas-style tasting for a couple of reasons. 1. We were going to check out another place for some bites. 2. When I have a large pre-dinner meal before a show, I tend to fall asleep. Ok, so it’s probably the wine and not the food. BUT, I think (and will die on that hill) the large meals (and a cool, dark theater) also contributed to catching some Zs during a couple of shows.

From left to right:

• Raw Oysters: Perhaps, folks in the area do not really like raw oysters compared to fried oysters because we were shocked (and somewhat concerned) that Saltine had happy hour oysters for only 75 cents!!!

• Shrimp Ceviche: Great dish; however, I’m still not sure if I liked that it was served with pork rinds. Seems like the epitome of oil and water.

• Fried Calamari: This was amazing with the exception of the parmesan cheese. I’m team you don’t need to add anything to calamari. The dish was not gross; my tastebuds just were not used to having calamari with cheese.

• Fish Dip: This will be my go-to dish.

Random THOUGHTS:

When we first arrived at the restaurant, I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive because I was the only Black person in the restaurant aside from a couple of employees. However, that changed once time passed, and we moved deeper into happy hour. Sometimes, as a minority, you wonder if there is a particular reason why you are the only person who looks like you in certain places. At first, I thought it was a bit strange because the clientele of our go-to spot, Todd’s Bistro (which is a block away from Saltine), always has a nice mixture of folks of different races/ethnicities. Although we ordered the oysters and a couple of glasses of wine upon sitting at the bar, I immediately went to Yelp to see if there were negative reviews that mentioned anything about racial discrimination. Fortunately, there were not. #PHEW.

FOOD PICS OF THE WEEK - Bay Local Eatery

Bay Local Eatery (***)

72 Laskin Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23451

What an amazing brunch joint. This spot definitely is on the top of my list for weekend brunch excursions. The only issue: the place is super popular so wait times can be a bit long, and the place does not take reservations. Fortunately for us, we had to wait about 30 minutes for a table. You know how I am . . . I don't believe in waiting more than 45 minutes for a table. Actually, that was my rule for NYC dining. Perhaps, I might have to update this for my suburban life in Virginia.

Great Advice, Bay Local Eatery.

As some might know by now, I love Eggs Benedict, and I love oysters. . . so of course, my brunch dish was a combination of the two. Overall my dish was pretty delicious. Although the prep crew could have worked on the plating just a little bit. ;)

A slight rant:

Before I begin, this rant more or less is about dining in the mid-Atlantic region (specifically SE Virginia) and not about Bay Local Eatery.

Ok, I get that particular regions, states, and/or cities want their claim to fame in terms of cuisines. For example, N. Carolina and Texas, BBQ; NYC and Chicago, hotdogs and pizza; Southern California, fish tacos, etc. This region is known for crabs (and other shellfish delights) from the Chesapeake Bay, which is fine. BUT, here is what bugs me. Why do restaurants in the area have to put Old Bay Seasoning on EVERY GODDAMN THING?

Even in the picture of my food, you can see some Old Bay Seasoning on the lemon wedge. During brunch, my aunt and I were discussing this. I had to ask her to refresh my memory on whether this was a thing back in the day because I only remember having Old Bay Seasoning whenever we had steamed crabs. I never recalled seeing beverages with Old Bay Seasoning rims. Now, we have Bloody Marys, mimosas, margaritas, mojitos, and plain old glasses of water accompanied by Old Bay Seasoning.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT OLD BAY SEASONING ON EVERYTHING because it really doesn't elevate the taste of eggs . . . or water.

Ok, rant over

FOOD PICS OF THE WEEK - Oyster Time

We have TWO restaurants for this week's Food Pics of the Week.

The Rustic Spoon (***)

1658 Pleasure House Rd Ste 101, Virginia Beach, VA 23455

The hubby and I hit up this spot for a late breakfast on his birthday. Last year (or was it the year before last?), we visited this place right before driving from Va. Beach to NYC because the restaurant is on the way to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunel (US-13). This visit was a bit better (for me, at least) because I did not have to worry about driving for the next eight hours.

For my dining pleasure, I enjoyed the Fried Oyster Eggs Benedict.

I have a feeling that The Rustic Spoon will be one of my favorite go-to spots for brunch because everything always has been on point . . . at least for the last two visits.

A small LOL moment.

Since it was the hubby's birthday, I secretly asked the waiter to bring out a slice of carrot cake after our breakfast. In the middle of our brunch, the waiter came to the table and told us that the computer "lied", and the restaurant did not have any more carrot cake. UMMM DUDE! It was supposed to be a surprise. Since it was not a big deal, the hubby ordered an apple bread pudding. About 15 minutes later, the waiter came back to the table to tell us that the computer "lied" again, and the restaurant did not have the other dessert. Sounds like the restaurant needs a new computer. ;) All was not lost because the manager gave us two desserts (a strawberry cake and some chocolate Oreo cake) on the house.

Orion's Roof (***)

4201 Atlantic Ave., Va. Beach, VA 23451

After our massages, we hit up Orion's Roof based on a friend's recommendation, and I have to admit that I was quite blown away by this restaurant.

Or course, we started off with a round of oysters for appetizers. Then split quite a few sushi rolls. I wanted to try a few more things from the menu, but I was still kind of full from breakfast.

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Normally, I 'm not a huge fan of rolls with a whole bunch of frills (just give me rice and ONE fish), but I gotta say that I ABSOLUTELY loved the restaurant's Triple Spicy Tuna Roll (spicy tuna, black pepper tataki tuna, red onion, serrano chili, cilantro, and ponzu). Man, I could have eaten six of these.

In addition to the yummy food, the restaurant has amazing views of the Va Beach Oceanfront. . . Well, with the exception of the construction at the hotel next door.

Food Pic of the Week

Cap’t Loui (***) 

3147 Broadway, New York, NY 10027

At this point, I probably should be saying “food pic of the month” instead of “food pic of the week”. That said, I will try to update this thing more often with yummy food pics. Because of the pandemic, it has been difficult to try out new food spots around the city. Since things are beginning to open up (a little too fast for my liking), I think that I will be able to update this blog more frequently.

Have you ever pass a restaurant on multiple occasions and think to yourself that you should try out the joint? A couple of weeks ago, Cap’t Loui was that place for us. To be perfectly honest, the hubby and I were going to have ramen at another spot about a block away from Cap’t Loui. Before going to the ramen place, I was like screw it, let’s do to Cap’t Loui.

Man Oh Man, I’m so glad that we went to Cap’t Loui because it was AMAZING. Long story short, the restaurant is pretty much a New Orleans-style seafood boil spot. You pretty much will pick a boil and select 1+ seafood options (crawfish, shrimp, crabs, etc.), a sauce, and any extra fixings. For our boil, we went with shrimp, mussels, corn, potatoes, garlic noodles, and sausage. Since I spent my undergraduate years in New Orleans, I guess that I was supposed to select crawfish as one of the seafood options. Under normal circumstances, I would have gone with crawfish, but I was EXTREMELY hungry and did not have time to fiddle around with crawfish. Sometimes, I find getting to the meat of crawfish takes too much effort for a little reward.

One tip: Wear clothes that you do not care about messing up because the food will be quite messy (especially because of the butter sauce).

Although I did not relive my memories of New Orleans through crawfish, I did relive my time in New Orleans years through a Hurricane cocktail at Cap’t Loui.

In my opinion, I found my Hurricane WAY too sweet. Maybe Hurricanes are supposed to be really sweet, and I never really noticed the sweetness as a 21/22 year-old. Let me stop lying about the 21 year old thing, I probably had a few Hurricanes as an 18-year old freshman. If memory serves me correctly, I think Louisiana (or maybe it was just New Orleans) raised the drinking age from 18 to 21 a couple of years before I started college so many bars in New Orleans were pretty lax in serving underage folks. Yeah, I think it was the state because Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) successfully lobbied to withholding federal funds for Louisiana unless the state raised the drinking age.

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