Super Bowl - Rockville, MD

Last Sunday, a few friends suggested we try a new Asian noodle joint that just opened up earlier this month. Super Bowl is located in the Ritchie Center shopping plaza on Rockville Pike, only a few shops down from one of my favorite bubble tea and Taiwanese fried chicken eateries, Bubble Express. Whenever there's a new Asian joint in town, my heart skips a beat and my knees tremble a little bit. This feeling increases exponentially when that restaurant is in Rockville because I know the competition is fierce, and the authenticity is generally a cut above the rest of Maryland. And on top of that, for me there's nothing out there that tops a simple bowl of delicious noodle soup as comfort food. Hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband, 'cuz I'm eating e'rething out here.

I helped myself to the Beef Noodle Soup, which is actually prepared in the traditional Taiwanese style. Beef Noodle Soup (紅燒牛肉麵) is actually a staple of Taiwanese cuisine and I guess it could be equated to how the Vietnamese enjoy their pho. My mother and my aunt make some ridiculous Beef Noodle Soup so I am quite particular about this dish. I'm pretty much a BNS expert (self-proclaimed). Also I just made up that acronym. For what it's worth, this did not really stack up to my homegrown expectations. While it was still very hearty (as it should be), I felt the flavor of the broth was kind of bland. I needed to add a self-destructive amount of chili sauce to make the broth taste like anything. The meat itself was pretty solid though. The meat is slow roasted so it is very tender and easily tears away in your mouth. The noodles were thick and perfectly chewy (or QQ as the Chinese say) like I likes it though. No complaints there.

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Super Bowl my first time around I'm definitely going to give it another shot. They have a few very traditional Asian/Chinese dishes that I cannot find elsewhere and that I need to taste before I give my final verdict. Just wait 'til I scrounge together a few bucks to go again... (don't hold your breath).

My First Vegemite Experience

My Aussie friend just moved to the States from DOWN UNDA *ignorantly poor Australian accent*, and brought along a little taste of home. Besides their love of Outback Steakhouse, Foster's Beer, and the slogan 'No Rules, Just Right', Australians apparently also love Vegemite. Vegemite is a food spread made from yeast extract, whatever that is. It sounds like some sort of stomach parasite, which I guess isn't that far from the truth considering it's made from yeast. The packaging also looks like something that the Acme Corporation from Looney Tunes would sell. I'm in.

First thought: Kraft makes this?! Second thought: I'm hungry. F' it. My friend was kind enough to make some toast, spread a light layer of butter, and then slather on the Vegemite for me. I'm not actually capable of making food for myself. Today I threw a bunch of deli meat into a bag of spinach and ate it straight. Just like a real grown up. True story. Anyways, I took a bite of my toast and immediately fell in love with this spreadable delight. It's much saltier than butter, but also much more savory. There is also an oniony undertone and a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste. The salty flavor of the Vegemite mixed perfectly with the semi-sweet butter. Apparently Vegemite is an acquired taste for most, but I'm already on board. Now all I need to do is find a grocery that carries it...

Pioneer Pit Beef - Windsor Mill, MD

Look at that picture. Look at it carefully. If you didn't notice, Pioneer Pit Beef looks like a dump. Suffice it to say, this joint is not taking your fancy credit card. The shack is located on some random corner near Security Square Mall. Don't worry though, it is easily identified by the horrible puke yellow/green color scheme, the all-caps screaming of 'PIT BEEF' painted on the roof, and the gigantic picture of the food product they sell on the front facade. Nothing says classy like a big ass picture of sandwich + meat, and thats how I likes my food establishments, classy as sh*t. But what is this? Tucked away under that jail cell window is a sign that says 'World Class Pit Beef. Nobody Does it Better.' Lemme tell you something son. They ain't lying.

For those of you not from the Baltimore area, pit beef is our very own distinct style of BBQ. A large hunk of top round is grilled until the meat is blackened on the outside, but juicy and rare on the inside. The beef is then thrown onto a deli slicer and carved paper thin. Typically, pit beef is served on a kaiser roll with tiger sauce, a mixture of horseradish sauce and mayonnaise, and Pioneer's model is no exception. The staff at Pioneer asks how you want your meat cooked, and then slices off a fresh bite for you to sample. This tactic is brilliant by the way. The sample I was given was so juicy and full of flavor that I decided to order a larger sandwich. Every meaty bite was tender and melt-in-your-mouth awesome. The decision to up size turned out to be rather unnecessary though. The 'regular' size along with some boardwalk style hand-cut fries would have been more than enough to satisfy me at lunch time. Good thing I'm a complete glutton.

Oishinbo (The Gourmet)

Recently, a friend introduced me to something that combines two of my favorite things, comic books and food. The fine people at Viz Media have imported one of the most popular and long-running mangas of all time, and selected some choice chapters to translate into English. Each chapter reflects on and gives insight into the overarching theme of each volume, ranging from Japanese cuisine as a whole, sake, sashimi, all the way to Japanese pubs. Its dorky I suppose, but I'm Asian and I'm totally into it, for whatever thats worth.

Oishinbo follows Yamaoka Shiro, a slacker journalist for the Tozai News, as he attempts to put together a story on the 'Ultimate Menu', representing all that is great about Japanese cuisine. Yamaoka also happens to have a very refined palate and a strong all-around knowledge of cuisine. His rival in this endeavor is his very own father and mentor, Kaibara Yuzan, who has been hired by a competing newspaper to create their own 'Supreme Menu'. While the premise might seem a bit silly, the author does a great job of illustrating the complexities of Japanese cuisine and the exquisite care that goes into its preparation while infusing humor into each scene. Within each battle or challenge, Yamaoka explains the techniques required to cook each dish, discusses the quality of the ingredients going into the dish, and generally makes me incredibly hungry for whatever the characters are eating.

I've just finished the 1st volume and, other than an extreme craving for sushi, I already feel like I have a much higher comprehension of Japanese cuisine. Definitely incredibly psyched to start the 2nd volume: Sake. Finally I will understand what my Japanese pal Yuya is jabbering about when he gets drunk. Check out the series if you get a chance!

R&R Deli - Elkridge, MD

I had an intense internal struggle with whether I should share this gem because I didn't want my favorite taco joint to be overrun by the Columbia lunch crowd. Then I realized there's like five people who read this blog, 2/5 of the readership being myself and Nick. So anyways, R&R Deli is a little taqueria attached to a Shell station, that I actually discovered while fueling up one fateful Summer's eve. Imagine that, getting gas before eating tacos! THAT WAS FUNNY. DON'T JUDGE ME.

From what I know of Mexican cuisine (nothing), this place seems totally legit in terms of authenticity. Regardless of your choice of protein, each taco ($2) comes on a corn tortilla, topped with freshly chopped onions and cilantro, with fresh lime slices and chili sauce on the side. My personal favorite is the Taco de Lengua (Tongue) which is always juicy and delicious. They have a variety of meats to choose from, and everything is well seasoned and extremely tasty. I will say that sometimes the meat can be a little overcooked, as it is chopped into small pieces and cooked on the grill in mass quantities. I usually wash everything down with a cold Mexican Coca-Cola (real sugar!). If you're looking for something a little bit more hearty, I'd suggest trying the Carne Asada or Blackened Chicken entrees. The entrees come with a sizable portion of meat, rice & refried beans, grilled onions & peppers, and a few tortillas on the side.

In any case, R&R is dope as hell, which really goes to show you that excellent food can be found anywhere, even in some rando suburban gas station. I hope you don't believe me, because I don't want to wait in line for my damn tacos. R&R gets 125 fictional gold stars, and 20 post consumption deuce points.

This Blog Has Been Outsourced to an Asian

So I have been invited to take on some responsibility as a contributor to this blog so I suppose I should introduce myself. The site layout has also been revised so it doesn't look like it was put together by a...insult escapes me...Nick. I'm Asian so please excuse my tentative grasp of the English language (if you smiled you are a racist).

I do not have a particularly discerning palette. In fact, I will eat pretty much anything and enjoy it. Seriously, I've eaten some f'ed up stuff. I could wax poetic about texture and presentation and la-dee-da what have you, but it's not like I actually know what I'm talking about. My friend once called me a foodie so I karate chopped her in the neck, and while she was catching her breath on the floor, I stood over her and proudly said, 'I, good sir, am not a foodie, just a fatty. BWAHAHAHA.' True story (ed. not true at all...also, I don't condone hitting girls). I am, however, very adventurous and consistently eating out at the most random of places. Hopefully I can introduce you to some interesting places in the DMV area. Like I said, I'm not very discerning so my reviews will generally be way too positive, but if it makes you fatter and I look skinny in comparison, then I'm all for it.

First post is coming when I scrounge up enough change to purchase myself a meal. Handouts welcome.