Escape Together Sponsors FlagBoy

New Jersey based, Escape Together, LLC was a sponsor for the DC production of Cornelius Jones Jr.’s one-man show, FlagBoy, in the DC Capital Fringe Festival. We also provided door prizes to attendees including gas certificates, hotel and spa certificates. Congratulations to all our winners and Cornelius for a great show! To learn more about FlagBoy visit, www.corneliusjonesjr.com

 

Escape Together Winners with Cornelius

DC Restaurant Week 2008

I try and make a point of visiting at least one new restaurant in the DC area during the semi-annual restaurant week. For those of you unfamilar, Restaurant Week is sponsored by the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and partner restaurants provide a price fixed menu during lunch and dinner during the week. For $20.08 at lunch and $30.08 at dinner you can try some of the best restaurants in the city’s appetizers, entree, and desserts. It is perfect time to get together with friends or family and have an amazing meal at a new or fun restaurant.

For lunch this year, a group of friends and I visited Ceiba, a Latin/Caribbean restaurant located on 14th and G St. The food and service were very good and I highly recommend it for those looking for a great place for lunch or dinner with friends. They are able to easily and quickly serve groups (there were 6 in our party and several more groups in the restaurant) so it is perfect for large gatherings and special occasions.

For appetizers we tasted the Cuban Black Bean Soup, The West Indies Conch Chowder and the Shrimp Cocktail Ceviche. We were unimpressed with the ceviche as the tomato based cocktail sauce overpowered the ceviche. The soups though were great! The West Indies Conch Chowder comes with two small shots of Sherry and Rum to add to the soup. When added it kicks up the spice and flavor in the soup. Both soups were thick and creamy providing an amazing food experience.

For entrees we had the following:

Grilled Jamaican Jerk Salmon. This perfectly seasoned salmon filet is lightly glazed with a jerk sauce that is more tangy than spicy. It is served with a side of rice and beans and rum glazed plantains. This dish was delicious and a great choice for salmon lovers.

Pumpkin Seed Crusted Tilapia. I was uncertain about a pumpkin seed crust but paired with the FuFu Mash (A yam/sweet potato puree) this is a little bit of perfection. The lightness of the Tilapia makes this a lighter fish choice than the Salmon but the pumpkin seed crust makes what could be a rather boring dish more exciting.

Florida Keys Style Mahi-Mahi Sandwich. The Mahi-Mahi filet is too large for the bun but it is seasoned so perfectly you can eat it by itself. It is paired with sweet potato fries that are crisp and tasty.

Grilled Skirt Steak Churrasco. This thinly sliced steak is paired with the Argentinean Chimichurri sauce and piled with two large onion rings. The flavor of the steak is so strong that it creates anticipation before you even take one bite.

The one dish that we do not recommend was our only vegetarian choice the Roasted Butternut Squash Tamales which were paired with a medley of sautéed vegetables. The person who ordered this meal remarked that it was “weird” not extremely flavorful or even particularly tasty. Vegetarians may find it hard to have a great lunch at Ceiba as all the other entrees are meat dishes and even the black bean soup has ham in it.

The desserts left a lot to be desired though someone who has eaten here before says the churros are amazing. They were not offered as part of restaurant week so I can’t say whether that is true or not. The choices for us included the Brazilian Carrot Cake which was missing the best part, sour cream frosting. The Guava Cake was dry and not particularly appetizing but luckily it was paired with a panna cotta.

They have an extensive cocktail list but since this was lunch in the middle of the day we decide to skip them during this trip. I will definitely return for their appetizers or dinner and hopefully can try the cocktails (including two types of mojitos) on my next visit.

Ceiba
701 14th Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20005
202-393-3983
www.ceibarestaurant.com

Fun atmosphere for Asian dishes in DC

Q: I am looking for a good inexpensive Asian restaurant for a dinner with friends that is located in DC. Suggestions?

A: Located a few blocks between Dupont Circle and Farragut North, is a fun restaurant for Asian cuisine called Nooshi. Here is a list of my favorite dishes and reasons why this is a great pick:

Favorites Dishes

1. Vegetable Spring Rolls
2. Firefly Calamari
3. Pad Thai
4. Crabmeat Wonton
5. Hawaiian Roll - Spicy Salmon, Pineapple and Cucumber
6. Grilled Lemon Chicken
7. General Tao Chicken
8. Ginger Salad
9. Drunkin Noodles
10. Fresh Salmon and Scallion roll

Why choose Nooshi?

• Happy Hour Monday-Friday 5-7 includes half price drinks and appetizers.
• Fun cocktails like a champagne mojito and apple martini’s
• Outside seating for people watching including heating lamps in the winter
• Fun atmosphere that allows for conversation and great quick service
• Great food with generous portions at a reasonable price

Nooshi
1120 19th Stree NW (between L & M)
Washington DC 20036

202-293-3138
www.nooshidc.com

Want to know what others think of Nooshi? We have added an Urbanspoon counter to provide you with a real time answer.

Insiders guide to the DC Metro

So you have been told that you should stand near the end or the front of the train to make exiting the metro station easier at your final destination. But as you stand on the platform you are not sure which way the train will come from, making it difficult to know where is the front of the train.

Here is the secret… If you are standing on a platform where the trains run in the middle then the train will come from the left. That makes the front of the train to your right. If you are in a station where you stand in the middle and the trains come from either side then the train will come from the right. That means the front of the train will be to your left.

Not sure what I mean by the trains run in the middle? If you have to go over or under the platform to get to the other side of the platform for a train in the opposite direction, then the trains are running in the middle. If you can just walk across the platform to catch a train in the other direction then the trains are running on the sides.

Hope this makes your travels just a little easier.

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