This weekend, I ventured into Virginia and DC for adventures with friends, and ended up eating some really delicious food!
The eating area was a covered shelter with counters that you stand at, but no seating. This was the view as we were eating our seafood. There were a flock of seagulls right in front of us, and they were pretty entertaining to watch!
After we ate, I wanted to check out the rest of the market where they were selling the fresh seafood. It was interesting to see such a wide variety of fish. The prices also seem pretty reasonable.
So much shrimp! I wish I bought some steamed shrimp, as well. Oh well, I'll just have to come here again ;)
They also sell bushels and 1/2 bushels of crabs. My family used to buy a bushel and split it among our friends. Even then, it was a lot of crabs and we would have a feast!
Next to the fish market was the Cherry Blossom Fireworks Festival. There was a small marketplace and a few stages where there were live performances. We checked it out for a bit, but since the fireworks were at 8:30, we had some time to kill. We decided to chill at Blue Jacket, a brewery/restaurant, for a bit before heading back to see the fireworks. The brewery has about 20 beers on tap, which get rotated often. I tried some interesting and delicious beers. My favorite was a Belgium quad, called the Cashmere. I highly recommend this place! It was packed on a Saturday evening, though.
When we headed back to the festival, there was a Japanese drum performance going on. Another group of friends joined us, and we enjoyed the performance and the fireworks together. The firework display was short, but pretty :)
Have you ever stumbled upon a really good hole-in-the-wall? Are you a huge fan of seafood?
On Saturday morning, my friend and I went to Reston to cycle with a bike club. We got dropped by the group early on and since it was so windy, it was quite unpleasant. Fighting the wind for nearly three hours really worked up an appetite, so we decided to stop at a BBQ place on the W&OD trail. Hunger is the best seasoning, but this was some seriously good BBQ.
I got the beef brisket (only $5) with cornbread, and my friend got a pulled pork platter with two sides ($7.50). The $20 that I had in my jersey pocket was plenty to cover both of our snacks meals. This REALLY hit the spot and I felt refreshed and energized! We had five more miles to go after eating, and went at a relaxed pace. We ended up cycling 45-some miles, about 35 of which was just plain rough. That BBQ was heaven-sent.
After the ride, I met up with another friend in Reston, and then we headed into DC to check out the Maine Avenue Fish Market. The fish market is in southwest DC and is an open air market right on the water. The vendors sell a wide variety of fresh fish, shrimp, crabs, oysters, and a variety of other seafood. I wish I could have bought some fresh fish to take home!
You can also buy freshly prepared seafood to eat at the market, and I saw a lot of people digging into piles of crabs, crawfish, and shrimp. I decided on red snapper with hush puppies, and raw oysters. I love raw oysters but rarely get to eat them, so it was a treat :) The red snapper was also very good and the portions were very generous. I got three fillets, five hush puppies, three slices of white bread, and a can of soda for $10.95. Not bad. I ate most of it since I was so hungry, but it's a huge amount of food and really filling.
Super fresh, briny and delicious raw oysters! They are beautiful.
The eating area was a covered shelter with counters that you stand at, but no seating. This was the view as we were eating our seafood. There were a flock of seagulls right in front of us, and they were pretty entertaining to watch!
After we ate, I wanted to check out the rest of the market where they were selling the fresh seafood. It was interesting to see such a wide variety of fish. The prices also seem pretty reasonable.
So much shrimp! I wish I bought some steamed shrimp, as well. Oh well, I'll just have to come here again ;)
They also sell bushels and 1/2 bushels of crabs. My family used to buy a bushel and split it among our friends. Even then, it was a lot of crabs and we would have a feast!
Next to the fish market was the Cherry Blossom Fireworks Festival. There was a small marketplace and a few stages where there were live performances. We checked it out for a bit, but since the fireworks were at 8:30, we had some time to kill. We decided to chill at Blue Jacket, a brewery/restaurant, for a bit before heading back to see the fireworks. The brewery has about 20 beers on tap, which get rotated often. I tried some interesting and delicious beers. My favorite was a Belgium quad, called the Cashmere. I highly recommend this place! It was packed on a Saturday evening, though.
When we headed back to the festival, there was a Japanese drum performance going on. Another group of friends joined us, and we enjoyed the performance and the fireworks together. The firework display was short, but pretty :)
I could barely see the performers because I was too short...
At least I could see the fireworks!
After the fireworks, we actually ended up at Blue Jacket again to chill for a few more hours. I tried two of their IPAs, ate a pricey bratwurst, and ate a stranger's fries. I think I tried about 7 beers total over the course of the day. I don't want to think about how much money I spend there, but it was fun times!
As if I didn't eat enough seafood for the weekend, I really wanted to go to a sushi lunch buffet on Sunday. This was my second time going to this particular buffet. Although the selection is a bit small, they have pretty good rolls, nigiri, and even sashimi. I had my fill of sushi and left feeling immensely satisfied, both from the lunch and from the weekend filled with good food and good company.
Have you ever stumbled upon a really good hole-in-the-wall? Are you a huge fan of seafood?
