Sticky Rice

Sticky Rice, which opened in early summer ‘08, has helped revitalize the H street area. For those unfamiliar with DC, this particular street of the NE quadrant has long needed a bit of sprucing up, and the addition in the past year or so of condos, a few new coffee shops, a martini bar, a Belgian restaurant, and this great Asian bistro-esque eatery have really helped put H street on a foodie’s map!

A little bit about the restaurant itself (not to worry, food to come!) – the staff is very friendly, young, and hip, and the restaurant has a really awesome, laid-back atmosphere. It attracts an eclectic clientele, from families to young professionals seeking a fun location for happy hour to couples. The interior stands in stark contrast to the relatively dreary H street exterior. It is brightly decorated, very modern, and very chic. There are two levels to the restaurant; the downstairs includes the bar area, and is quite lively but very noisy, and the music was blasting loudly when I ate there. I would suggest sitting upstairs for a bit more quiet – although once the restaurant fills up at around 6pm, it’s loud everywhere!

Quick note – Sticky Rice does not take reservations, but you can call after 5pm to at least add your name to a waiting list and check availability. I went right at 6pm without calling ahead and was able to sit right away, although by the time we left around 7pm, the restaurant was packed, and the line was out the door, on a Tuesday night!

Now…food! :) The menu is lively, delicious, full of puns, and fun to read! Some notables include ‘Shiitake Happens’ and ‘Godzirra’ (tempura shrimp and veggies). There are plenty of vegetarian options…in fact, the menu has a whole section for us folk. There are also extensive vegan options, as well as many choices for meat-eaters, so there really is something for everyone.

I had way too much to eat when I went, and don’t regret it at all! :) My party of three ordered three appetizers to split, and filled up on sushi as our entree, which was plenty of food. Our delicious and highly recommended appetizers were spicy tofu with peanuts and scallions (‘The Hot Hippy’), scallops, and udon-thick noodles with a veggie tofu medley.

The scallops were phenomenal and were my favorite appetizer, I had to fight my mom for the last one. If I remember correctly, there were four huge scallops for a shockingly reasonable price of $8 (believe me, by DC standards, this is pretty amazing)! Putting the awesome taste aside, the presentation itself was gorgeous! – cashews as garnish, and the sauce was drizzled artistically across the plate.

The tofu was excellent yet honestly overwhelming, although it was our party’s fault (mainly mine, I can get bossy about food) that we overloaded our order with tofu goodness. It was more fried than I had expected, and it was quite crispy, which personally is not my favorite preparation of tofu, but it worked really well with the teriyaki sauce and vegetables. For future vegetarian patrons, one tofu dish is probably enough (this coming from a tofu lover). The portions of both tofu dishes were really large (and were heavily weighted towards the tofu over the vegetables), and either would have been a nicely sized entrée portion.

As far as the sushi goes…FINALLY, great sushi close to my house! My party ordered the ‘G.I. Joe’ roll with yellowtail, cream cheese, and scallions, ‘Goochland’ with salmon and scallions (and I believe goat cheese), and (rather unexcitingly named by comparison), the spicy tuna roll. I LOVE spicy tuna rolls…and this one was delicious! As somewhat cliché as it sounds, the fish was so fresh and, like all the other appetizers, was beautifully presented on the plate. The rolls themselves were large and quite filling, and once again three rolls between three people, plus our appetizers, made for a very complete meal.

Price-wise, the sushi was of course a bit expensive, although not outrageous (spicy tuna was $4.75, and the other two “specialty” rolls were about $5.50 each). The appetizers were also very reasonably priced, I thought – each tofu dish was $6.

Interestingly enough, the restaurant was first written up in the local DC papers for its tater tots! I did not try them, but looking around at other tables in the restaurant, they look delicious! They come served in a pail, and family friends who have since eaten at the restaurant have raved about them. I personally question how well tater tots would go with sushi and the other menu options, but go for it! :) Perhaps next time I go, I’ll be a bit more adventurous.

I really enjoyed eating here, and the atmosphere was great! And the restaurant is adding a brunch menu starting January 2009…be expecting another review around then :)