Happy Halloween with Salt

Julia attended a few Halloween parties this past weekend as a salt shaker... adorable! We love our salt! OSU beat Penn State and the crew went apple picking. In addition to their homemade chili, the girls also make a mean apple crisp.

There are a few science-related pics and some from Steven's Halloween work party (he was a judge).

Pei Wei Asian Diner

We ventured to Dupont Circle to try Pei Wei. It is owned by P.F. Changs. It was so-so, not as good as P.F. Changs--probably better for lunch.

Chad and Meme joined us. We talked a bit about OSU versus Penn State. Julia is getting tired of regurgitating the pros and cons. Unfortunately, our visit to Penn State this past Thursday and Friday did not solidify anything in her mind. She has some time to decide, so we're going to table the choice for now.

Restaurant info: Pei Wei Asian Diner, 1212 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202-551-1025, www.peiwei.com. 

Recommendation: Meme said the spring roll was good.

Lighthouse Diner, Wantagh, New York

We came to the Lighthouse Diner with Julia, Meme, Steven, Chris, and his mom, Melodie. It was the perfect first get-together. The food was delicious. The owners are Greek and three of us enjoyed the chicken souvlaki. Steven had a mammoth breakfast; Chris and Melodie ordered breakfast items too. Our server was quick and attentive. I could not get over how huge the portions were--wow!

The best part was getting to know Melodie. We think so highly of Chris, so it was no surprise that we enjoyed our time with his mother as well.

College update: Awarded two academic scholarships to Ohio State University (leaving only room/board to cover)--congratulations to our smarty pants, Julia! AND, she got accepted into Penn State University!! Decisions, decisions… we're definitely making a trip to Columbus, Ohio.

Recommendations: Chicken souvlaki!

Restaurant info: 3240 Sunrise Hwy, Wantagh, NY 11793, (516) 826-8111, no Web site.

Julia and Chris at Caps/Ranger Game, NYC.

Pho Viet & Grille: Taste of Vietnam

Open since August 2013, Pho Viet & Grille is a welcome addition to Georgetown. Everything we had was delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and trendy; the service is friendly and quick! We would definitely go back and happily grabbed the take-out menu on our way out the door.  Tonight we recapped the plan for applications… just one more, University of Wisconsin. We are on pins and needles waiting for Penn State. And speaking of Penn State, CONGRATULATIONS, Chris on your acceptance!

Happy early birthday to Steven… turning 45 on Monday.  :)

Recommendations: See plates below!

Restaurant info: 1639 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007, 202-333-0009, www.PhoVietGrilleDC.com

Egg rolls with fish sauce (two rolls missing from pic)

Fried tofu with Sriracha and hoisin sauce

Salad with grilled pork

Grilled salmon with  with mixed vegetables

Lump crab meat, fried rice with eggs and onions, topped with shredded chicken

Shrimp and beef fried noodles with mixed vegetables

Mai Thai of Georgetown

Although wet, cold, and miserable, it was definitely worth venturing out to Mai Thai. The food was scrumptious and it was nice to sit in a quiet restaurant to reconnect with Julia. With her gone, we were stuck in a wonderful rut of repeated Moby Dick's meals (yummy Super Combo!). 

Back to the Thai… Steven ordered Chicken Pad Thai; huge portion! He enjoyed it and brought half of it home for tomorrow. Julia ordered the Beef Teriyaki. The meat was tender and she enjoyed the healthy portion of veggies. I ordered the Thai BBQ Chicken, which was perfectly grilled. The chef was kind enough to let me swap out the papaya salad and sticky rice for salad and broccoli. It was so good. 

We are still waiting on Penn State. Unfortunately, since the college counselor didn't submit Julia's info in a timely manner, we could be waiting until January 30. Ugh. We are tentatively planning to visit Ohio State over President's weekend. Big congratulations to Chris, who was offered a sizable scholarship to UMass at Amherst! Whoo-hoo! 

Recommendations: Beef Teriyaki, Chicken Pad Thai, Thai BBQ Chicken

Restaurant info: 3251 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007; 202-337-2424, www.maithai.com

Chicken Pad Thai

Beef Teriyaki

Thai BBQ Chicken

Quarantined with Rocklands

Family pic at the Kennedy Center 

No, we do not get tired of Rocklands. I tried the beef ribs this time and they were huge and delicious.

This week we were a bit under the weather, fighting bronchitis, ear infections, and sinusitis. However, a visit from my mom, take-out from Rocklands, and watching the movie, White Christmas, was enough to suspend unwellness for a few hours. Special thanks to Meme for risking her health to join us!

Julia got accepted into Northeastern! Boston is her favorite city, so this is very good news for her. The plot thickens. We're still waiting on Penn State and she is considering adding a few more to the list: University of Wisconsin - Madison, Northwestern, and University of Illinois. Carnegie is a no-go and U. of Michigan is deferred. Ohio, NC State, Villanova, and Northeastern have all sent welcome packages with plenty of checklists and pressure to commit! Julia's handling it like a trooper.

Here's to more dinners (and a healthy family) in 2014!

Rocklands: Glover Park

Almost every day, we can smell the wonderful aroma of Rockland's smoke pit. Tonight, we enjoyed a delicious dinner there with Julia. This Glover Park original barbecue and grilling company has been around since 1990--and now has three other locations (Alexandria, Arlington, and Rockville). Our fav is the one in our backyard.

The dining atmosphere is casual, with a mounted television screen and peanuts to munch on while you wait. They do an excellent carry-out business (seating is limited); I'm sure more will dine-in once they expand into the space next door (timing unknown). 

Fun fact: Julia used to play soccer with the owner's daughter, Bishop. They were on the Strikers team for several years together. 

We talked about the frustration of not knowing. The wait continues. We all vented a bit about the college counselor not submitting the info to Penn State yet. We also chatted about football, Chris's sporting activities, and his wrist. (Hi, Chris, hope your broken wrist is healing speedily.) 

Recommendations: Brisket and Italian sausage are phenomenal. The sides were all delicious too.

Restaurant info: 2418 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007; 202-333-2558; www.rocklands.com

Three Meats Platter with macaroni and cheese and caesar salad w/smoked chicken.

Three Meats Platter with collard greens and roasted brussel sprouts w/bacon.

Grilled Italian Sausage Platter with Texas corn pudding and apple compote.

Cafe Divan: Turkish Cuisine

We are fans of Turkish food! I am seeing a trend toward middle eastern bias and will remedy this next week.

Steven was not a huge fan of the deep fried calamari, a bit too much breading for his taste. The aioli that it came with, however, was fantastic. They called it a "cocktail sauce," and we expected it to be yogurt-based, but it wasn't. Julia put it on pita bread and I put it on the pastirma (air-dried, spicy beef--yum!). The salads were simple and good.

Julia ordered the Kavurma, beef tenderloin with onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and rice. She enjoyed it. Steven ordered the Doner Kebab, marinated lamb/veal from a vertical spit served over rice and tomatoes. The meat was very good, but Steven said the addition of a yogurt sauce would have taken it from an 8.5 to a 10 (out of 10). I ordered the Adana Kebab, skewered hot, spicy beef with spiced onions and mixed vegetables. So good!

The service was excellent. We have had great success with take-out as well--quick and as scrumptious as sitting in.

On the college front, Julia has submitted all of her early decision and early action applications. This weekend she will complete Penn State, which has rolling admission. Whoo-hoo!

Recommendation: Try the pastirma appetizer! We would highly recommend the Kavurma and Adana Kebab as well.

Restaurant info: 1834 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Restaurant: 202-338-1747
Carryout: 202-338-1748
www.cafedivan.com
info@cafedivan.com

Almost every table has a wonderful window view.

Hip bar area.