YOCAKE

Would you roll your eyes if I told you that we checked out a new cupcake place?  How about a frozen yogurt place?  Are you completely over the cupcake and fro-yo trends and ready to move on to donut mania 2013?

Before you jump head first into donutville, take a moment to consider Dupont Circle's new Yocake.  Yocake is the brainchild of siblings Ellen and Edward Quach.  Their mom is a French-trained pastry chef and her recipes inspired over 90 varieties of cupcakes in Yocake's rotating selection.  The siblings opened up a shop in Rockville and one in the Montgomery Mall (since closed due to foodcourt renovations) before setting their sights on DC. 

We had the great fortune to be invited to an opening party to see what Yocake is all about.  The Quach siblings and their super friendly staff gave us slices of about a dozen different cupcakes to sample.  I loved the banana caramel coconut, the raspberry lemonade, and the chocolate peanut butter, while B gave high marks to the almond pear and key lime pie.  The cupcakes are reasonably sized and moderately priced at $2.75 each.  They have a "buy 5 get 1 free" deal that's unlimited. So, for your next office party you can buy 50 and get 10 free. They also run a special where they'll give you a free cupcake if you check-in on your mobile device (limit 1 per customer and 50 per location per day).

If you're not in a cupcake mood, you can go straight for the frozen yogurt.  They have a rotating flavor selection ranging from tart Pinkberry-style flavors to sweet flavors like cake batter.  The toppings bar is top-notch with homemade (!) mochi in several flavors and unique toppers such as mango popping bubbles.  They also have cookie-yogurt sandwiches called Yokies that looked pretty awesome.

If you want to go all in, try the namesake creation: the Yocake.  You pick a cupcake flavor, they put it in a cup, then swirl your choice of frozen yogurt on top.  They will also top it off with your choice of toppings from the toppings bar.

B and I split a banana caramel coconut cupcake topped with cake batter yogurt, coconut mochi, and blueberry popping bubbles.  I really liked the yogurt and toppings but waited too long to dig down in the cup to get to the cupcake.  By the time I reached the cupcake, it was cold and crumbly with frozen frosting.  This was probably user error on my part, but I think I'd prefer having the cupcake served on the side.  This is coming from the kid who ate all the ice cream out of the Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and never touched the cake, so take that for what you will.

Yocake sent us home with a dozen cupcakes so we could continue our sugar coma right into the work week. Who wants cupcakes?

While cupcakes and frozen yogurt may not tickle your fancy like they did a few years ago, Yocake's unique spin makes it worth checking out.  I challenge you to find a nicer, more enthusiastic group of store owners.  You can taste the effort and enthusiasm they put into each unique cupcake recipe.  Mom should be very proud.

Second Thoughts From B

I understand your skepticism.  You must be thinking that if you butter us up with enough buttercream, we'll sing your praises throughout the blogosphere.  And I'd be naive to say that my sugar coma didn't positively affect my impression of Yocake.  So instead of waxing poetic with flowery non-descriptive adjectives, let me spell out a few of the concrete things I liked, and yes, didn't like, about Yocake.

What will make me come back:

• The family: there is something to be said about supporting a local family-run business.  You won't meet a nicer group.
• The prices: Outside of the generic options at Safeway, where else can you get cupcakes for under $3 these days?
• The variety: When they said they have 90 flavors, I did a double take.  I then assumed it was made up of ridiculous novelty flavors but as they rattled off example after example, I was intrigued more than skeptical.
• The frosting: It was more than a hit or two of sugar.  The flavors were distinct and interesting.  Maple and almond were memorable and several of the fruit-based flavors were outstanding.
• The location: Unlike a few other notable cupcakeries, it is not in Georgetown.
• The toppings: To me, the frozen yogurt experience has nothing to do with the yogurt.  Unless you have an off the charts fun factor, the toppings are what does it.  Bonus points for homemade toppings.  The mochi was soft and the bubbles perfectly tart.

What might send me to Baked and Wired:

• The cake: with the notable exception of the carrot cake and some of the fruit cakes (that have real fruit chunks!), the cake was simply a vehicle to get the frosting in my mouth.  Some were on the firm and dry side but I did appreciate those that had filling.
• The seating: unless you are lucky enough to get the only table, you'll be eating your sweets on the go.

Boloco

We tried to make a return trip to Energy Kitchen to see if we liked it apart from the free preview night, but found that it is closed on the weekends. It is a huge pet peeve of mine when restaurants in Downtown DC are not open on weekends.  I know that the area isn't as bustling as it is during the week, but there are people who live in Downtown that would like lunch options.  That's why I'm glad Boloco (just around the corner from Energy Kitchen) was open on Saturday.

Boloco is a regional chain of "globally inspired burritos."  They have a location in Bethesda and one in Downtown.  We were really impressed with the look and feel of the place.  From the reclaimed materials to the free wifi and plugs at each table, they make an effort to make you want to sit and make yourself comfortable.  They even have chargers you can borrow to juice up your e-devices.

We were also big fans of the DC-inspired art.  You can even buy it on their website.

Another cool feature is the different menus for different categories of customers: regulars, first-timers, kids, and catering.  The first-timers menu explains the concept. First, you pick a size (original, small, mini, or 2x mini bundle) and whether you want a burrito or a bowl.  Then you choose a flavor combo (from buffalo to Bangkok thai). Finally, you choose a protein (from white meat chicken to tofu).  You may also be tempted by their selection of shakes (mmmmmm nutella shake) and smoothies.  Once you've figured it out, you place your order at the register and then they'll call your name when it's ready.  If you've called in or ordered online, they've got an employee wearing a red hat that will help you out and allow you to avoid the line (cool huh?).

I tried a Memphis BBQ-style bowl: a blend of pinto beans, rice, sweet BBQ sauce, and coleslaw topped off grilled steak.  The steak was over-done (no pink at all), but the rest of the bowl was a winner.  I added some hot sauce to balance out the sweetness of the BBQ sauce and it made for a sweet and spicy bowl o' fun.  It's unusual to find BBQ flavors in a burrito bowl, and I dug it.

B tried the teriyaki-style bowl with chicken.  This is much more in line with a typical rice bowl but B was impressed with the bold flavors and healthy dose of veggies.

I'm not sure that Boloco is a go-out-of-your-way-because-it's-amazing place, but it is a very solid lunch choice if you're in Downtown.  Particularly if you're there on a Saturday and everything else is closed!

Second Thoughts from B

While those of us who live downtown might get a little miffed that certain eateries are dark outside of normal business hours, I get it.  The golden triangle is bustling at noon on a Tuesday, but is a ghost town at that time on the weekends.  It is one of those chicken/egg things that I won't attempt to solve here.

Like Energy Kitchen's hours, Boloco's cuisine and business model certainly centers around the working lunch.  It is no surprise that it is designed to be eaten quickly, over a laptop, for multiple days in a row.  The fact that the food had an impressive depth of flavor was a bonus.  That it seemed geared to the health-conscious was a revelation.

Between the very non-American serving sizes, the calorie counts, and the emphasis on fresh and natural ingredients, I can see why Boloco might build a strong following among the desk bound.  I felt like I was paying for quality rather than quantity, which is certainly rare in this type of place.  I loved that you could order online for pickup and choose from a fairly diverse selection, all while leaving the guilt of another fried mystery meat sandwich or over-salted soup at the door.  As someone who is at the mercy of a government cafeteria during his workdays, I have to admit that Boloco made me a bit jealous.

Osteria Elisir

As the song goes, "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run."  I don't know if Chef Enzo Fargione is a Kenny Rogers fan, but he certainly pulled a Gambler-style move with his restaurant Elisir on 11th Street in Downtown.  Fargione (formerly of the shuttered Teatro Goldoni on K Street) opened Elisir near the end of 2011 as an Italian fine dining concept with tasting menus and the average check around $130.  Fargione came to realize that the expense account Italian restaurant concept wasn't going to work.  He closed the restaurant for about 10 days and rebranded it as Osteria Elisir with a more country Italian feel.  With the new decor come lower prices and more simple, home-style cooking.

Only a few weeks into the new concept and it seems to be a good move.  Case in point, we live up the street from the restaurant and never bothered to try it under the old concept.  And we eat out A LOT.  Once the restaurant was revamped, however, we tried it on the second night.

Overall, we had a really good experience with Osteria Elisir.  We loved the huge open kitchen and that Chef Fargione was working the line and checking each dish on a Saturday night.

While we enjoyed a wide variety of dishes, the one we managed to photograph was the Roman-style fried artichoke.  As we wrote in our post on Dino, B has been searching for "the one" artichoke to bring him back to our trip to Rome.  This one was dressed up with a sophisticated (and potent!) creamy anchovy garlic sauce, but at its core was a taste of that great meal in Rome's Jewish Ghetto.

I have a few quibbles with Osteria Elisir that I think will get worked out as they find their identity:

• In their rush to redecorate a whole restaurant in a short span, I think they had some misses. The rope lighting, fake fruit, fake flowers, etc. looks a lot like they ran into a Home Goods and bought everything in sight.  Some of it works, some of it doesn't.  Please ditch the rope lights!
• The service was very helpful but the pacing was very European.  During the 25 minute-plus waits between courses, we felt like we were right back in Italy.  Or worse... Spain.
• If you are going to charge $6 for an accompaniment for your bread basket, please make it a healthy serving.  The ricotta we got to go with our bread was served in a comically tiny dish (however, it was tasty ricotta).

I don't think any of these things should keep you from checking out Osteria Elisir.  We're glad Chef realized it was time to "fold 'em" and reinvent his concept.  Smart thinking from a guy who certainly showed he knows how to cook.

Second Thoughts From B

J wrote her half of this post last week and has been hounding me ever since to finish it.  She has even co-opted some of our friends to crack the whip.  Hopefully whatever dribble falls out of this brain of mine makes up for the wait...

A few months ago I helped organize a training course on "effective communication strategies" for several of our senior scientists.  Among the things that the instructor emphasized was the concept of identifying a single message.  Since most audience members won't remember more than one or two things from any presentation, paper, interview, etc., he reasoned that it was critical to control that sole take-away idea.

I think restaurants are not dissimilar.  After a few days of separation, my thoughts on a place usually boil down to one or two distinct memories.  Maybe it was a mind-blowing sauce or an absent-minded waiter.  It could be a particularly loud group of diners or an inedible dessert.  Sometimes it is more general like a comfortable dining room or a series of familiar flavors. Regardless, without J's super-human memory or this blog's archive, I'm not going to remember every single dish, interaction and emotion from every meal I've ever had.

I'll let you decide if my delay in writing this post was intentionally meant to better solidify my thinking about Osteria Elisir (it wasn't), but I will say that I do have a few distinct memories from our time there.  First, as J said, it was clear that they were still working out the kinks but the potential was there.  Second, every single thing on the menu looked like something I'd enjoy.

While I'm generally easy to please and have been known to let the server decide which direction I'll go, I usually can narrow things down to two or three of dishes I'm most interested in.  Not so at Osteria Elisir and this was not a small menu either.  It could be that the chef is particularly gifted at designing a menu and describing appetizing dishes but it seems more likely that this is a reflection on the offerings themselves.  Either way, I'm curious and willing to investigate further.  And doesn't that seems like a pretty good take-home message?

Daikaya

I have a serious ramen problem.  I would probably eat it every day if I could.  There's just something so comforting about a giant bowl of noodles in soul-warming broth.  My absolute favorite bowl of ramen is the Hakata Classic (with extra noodles and endorphin sauce) at Toki Underground.  But, for the days when I can't wait hours for a table, I'm glad there are other ramen places popping onto the scene.

Daikaya on 6th Street NW (next to Graffiato) had been rumored to be coming forever.  They built the restaurant from the ground up.  Seriously.  It was a dirt lot a couple of years ago.  After a long wait and approximately 86 bazillion articles and tweets about when it would open, Daikaya finally began serving ramen on Valentine's Day this year.

The 40 seat ramen bar on the ground floor is open but the 90 seat izakaya section will open upstairs later this month.

We went after 9:00 p.m. on a rainy weekday and scored one of the two booths with no wait.  Aside from the booths, there are seats at the bar and a few communal tables with stools.  I hear they are working on more coat/purse hooks (a key feature in my book).

The menu is limited, placing the focus squarely on the ramen.  We ordered the only appetizer, gyoza, which were about the same as all the other gyoza in this town.  If you've had one, you've had these.

There are four types of ramen to choose from: Shio (salt); Shoyu (soy sauce); Mugi-Miso (barley-miso); and Vegetable Shio (salt with vegan stock).

I ordered the Shoyu and liked the roast pork and soy-marinated egg a lot.  I also thought the noodles had a nice snap to them.  The balance was thrown off by too many bean sprouts that imparted a strong sprouty flavor and a heavy soy sauce component.  I know it's a soy sauce ramen, but I stopped tasting the complexities of the beef/pork/chicken broth after a few slurps and felt like I was slurping soy sauce.  I read somewhere that it takes a while to figure out the balance of the Shoyu broth and I think they need more time to figure it out.

B was the big winner with his Mugi-Miso ramen.  The barley-miso broth was deliciously complicated and interesting.  This is more like the Toki broth that I've come to love and I'll be ordering this bowl o' noodles the next time we eat at Daikaya.

Will there be a next time?  Definitely.  I think Daikaya has a lot of promise and I like its convenient location and lack of crazy long wait times.  If you do encounter a wait for your table, you can grab a drink next door at Graffiato (psssst....they have prosecco on tap!).  They are also now open at lunch time in case you get a noodle hankering while you're at work.

Have you been to Daikaya yet?  What did you think?

Second Thoughts From B

Depending on your position on noodle soup, I'm either lucky or cursed.  Thankfully, I'm on board and enjoy our frequent sojourns to the ends of the earth (Cambodia, Wheaton, etc.) to find J's favorite comfort food.

While I do love a hot bowl of ramen or pho or Campbell's, I'm clearly not the connoisseur that J is.  As long as it is hot and salty and has some form of noodle-like substance, I'm a happy camper.  This is not to say that I don't recognize the good from the great.  Toki Underground and others certainly deserve the praise they receive.  It is more to say that I don't need a chef's touch to be happy.  Therefore, speed, availability, friendly staff, and cost are bigger factors for me.

In Daikaya, you have all of those things, plus J-approved ramen, within a short 15 minute walk of our place (and less than 5 minutes from Gallery Place-Chinatown's metro stop).  Sounds like a winner to me!