Week #12: Confessions of a Restaurant Junkie

I've always had an appreciation for good food. Growing up in a Filipino home, I was always used to having elaborate dinners full of traditional dishes such as adobo (stew made with pork or chicken), lechon (a roasted full pig), lumpia (vegetable or meat eggrolls) and pancit (noodle dish). Meals were always served with white rice whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner. My diet has changed a bit since living with my family but luckily, they live nearby so I still have access to this delicious food (since I am still trying to perfect these recipes!)

As I mentioned in a previous post, it would be wise to plan your meals for the week to avoid overspending at restaurants. I have tried to be a little more strategic, for example, making two dishes on Sunday and eating that for dinner throughout the week or buying a bulk of greens and making my own salads for lunch. Along with this strategy comes the best part, eating out on the weekend! This can be a dangerous habit but it just gives you more incentive to hit the gym the next day.

My favorite food has always been sushi but I tend to stick to my favorite place, Sushi Jin, just because I'd rather not waste money trying to find a place to top it! A couple months ago, I went through an Italian phase especially after eating at Acqua al 2 in Capitol Hill. Lately, I've been in a French phase and have been dying to go back to Lyon Hall in Clarendon. My friend Samantha and I tried it a few weeks ago and the food was absolutely delicious. I ordered the Diver Scallops (see below) with saffron couscous, fennel, lemon puree and Taggiasca Olives. Absolutely to die for!


Back to my notion of things being exciting when you can spread the word, Shirky says not only do we consume media but we also like to produce it ("Look at what I made!") and share it ("Look at what I found!"). I decided to create a "Food Diaries" album on my Facebook page. I'll be adding it to the Gold Rushed Facebook page soon, in hopes of attracting fellow foodies. Similar to the concept of "homophily," which Shirky also discusses, if I am able to engage my friends (who share the same interests and love to eat), I will have a better chance of engaging their friends as well. "Like with like."

Here are a couple pictures I have added so far:

Diver Scallops- Lyon Hall, Clarendon 

Grilled Branzino- Ozzie's, Fairfax

Hot Stone Bowl- Hama Sushi, Herndon 

Slow Roasted Prime Rib Queen Cut- Boxwoods at the Mason Inn 

Fellow foodies, what are your recommendations for good restaurants? Leave a comment below!

DC Restaurant Week

I was pretty excited to catch the end of DC Restaurant Week. Locals go nuts during this week over scoring three-course lunches for $20.11 and three-course dinners for $35.11 at some of the city's top restaurants. My friend Issara recommended Oya Restaurant and Lounge for me and Steven's date night. We were definitely in for a treat. 

The ambiance was impeccable and the decor was absolutely striking. The space was adorned with white marble, baroque prints, a 12 ft fireplace in the main dining room,  a crocodile skin bar, 20 ft long waterfall and crystal chandeliers. The Asian fusion menu which consisted of sushi, small plates (garden, land and sea) and full entrees was equally impressive. We both decided to try the prix fixe menu, starting off with spicy tuna rolls and calamari, roasted chicken and grilled beef sirloin and finishing off with banana bread and butter pudding (a must try!)

Grilled Beef Sirloin

To top it off, the service was great and the staff was very friendly. It seemed like the ideal Valentine's Day spot (guys, take note!) or catching up with friends over cocktails. Also, notice how I said I caught the end of Restaurant Week-- that Saturday was completely booked for the day even when calling at lunch time, so book early! Easily one of my new favorites. 

http://www.oyadc.com/

Gold Rush

I have been battling the idea of blogging for some time now. I am continuously and easily inspired by my blogger friends and fashion/foodie bloggers but have been reluctant to put my words and ideas "out there." So when my Social Media professor informed us that we would have to maintain a blog for class, it seemed like the perfect excuse to finally jump on the bandwagon! 

So what have I been up to?

Well, the Mason Sweetheart Sixteen is over! My boyfriend Steven submitted our photos along with our story, a couple months back (without my knowledge!) in hopes to be chosen as finalists in our alma mater’s contest. As you may recall the exhilaration around Mason making the NCAA Final Four in ’06, the contest was designed to mirror March Madness. Sixteen couples were chosen on January 10th and we were one of them! Dubbed the “PR Dynamos,” the site read the story of how we met in spring of ’08 after co-founding Mason’s first ever student run firm Premier Communication. We were absolutely ecstatic and for the next two weeks, I would be absolutely consumed! We first phoned our families and told them about the contest and then took to Facebook and Twitter to spread the word to our friends. Seeing the votes come in during the first couple of days and getting texts and phone calls for updates was incredibly exciting so you could imagine how thrilled we were to make the “Engaging Eight.” After incessantly urging everyone to vote and checking the site for two weeks, we are pleased to end the contest as part of the “Final Four.” Though we weren’t #1, we’re incredibly grateful for our family, friends, professors and coworkers who voted and also know it will be well deserved for the winning couple. Ultimately, this was a reinforcement of the wonderful people we are blessed to know. Support, or even just the act of caring is one of those intangibles that give us strength, encouragement and the motivation to accomplish great things. And at the end of the day, that is undoubtedly priceless. 

http://sweetheart16.gmu.edu/lagman-smith/