Dasonii Korean Bistro and a New Beer

Yesterday, Kat and I tried out Dasonii Korean Bistro, a new Korean restaurant in Robinson. I've been wanting to go there for a while, and I was super excited that we finally made plans to go. From the outside, it looks like a simple strip mall restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised to find something completely different on the inside. The atmosphere is warm and inviting with dark hardwood floors and slight metallic accents. The lighting is low, but the large windows add plenty of natural lighting. There are many tables and booths, plus a little sushi bar that seats about four.

When we sat down, we were given complimentary hot tea, which was light and perfect.

We glanced over the menu, but we knew that we really wanted sushi. During lunch, they offer a $10 sushi special, which includes three plates of sushi and rolls. They call it "all you can eat," but it really isn't, which is a good thing. Now, before you start gagging at the thought of cheap sushi, you must realize that this is a nice restaurant and not a buffet. Plus, the sushi chef is prepares the sushi when you order it. Am I making excuses for the fact that I ordered all you can eat sushi? Maybe. 

Okay, to be fair, this wasn't the freshest sushi I had ever had, but it was still good. The first plate had salmon, tuna, a California roll, and an unknown white fish.

This was good! Kat said her white fish tasted a little fishy, but mine seemed fine. Not the freshest, but fine. 

The second plate had tuna, shrimp, octopus, and a salmon roll. At this point, we were starting to get full and thought that it would have been better to split the order if possible. This was my first time trying octopus, and I'm sad to say it really wasn't my thing. Maybe if I wasn't getting full I would have liked it better. I didn't mind the first piece, but the second seemed too chewy. Anyone else have octopus issues?

After our second plate, we were done. I guess three plates of sushi is just too much.  

As the wait staff periodically brought out the food for the other tables, and we decided that next time we are definitely ordering from the regular menu. Everything looked so good...especially the giant bowls of noodle soup! And who doesn't like the wonderful variety of Korean side dishes?

After lunch, we went to the Market District in Robinson for a drink and dessert. After wandering around and trying samples of cheese, we each picked out a beer. I chose the Sam Smith Winter Welcome, and Kat went with the Sam Smith Organic Cider. I guess this technically wasn't a new beer for me, but the last time I had it, it was at a beer tasting, so I kind of forgot what it was like.

This winter warmer was delightful. At 6% alcohol, it wasn't to strong for an afternoon 

drink :) and it went perfect with my dessert. It was surprisingly light in color, and it tasted caramely with just a little bit of spice.

It has an average of a B rating on Beer Advocate.

Dessert was chocolate hazelnut whipped cream with berries, coconut, and almonds. I don't think I'll ever leave the Market District without making myself one of these again. The whipped cream was ridiculously delicious, and the berries were fresh and juicy. The coconut and almonds provided some tasty texture.

It was nice sitting in the quiet upstairs seating area watching the slow movement of shoppers making their decisions.

Thank you Market District for once again providing me with delicious food and a tasty new beer.

I'm back! I had such a nice long weekend celebrating the new year with friends, but now it's back to the lab coat. One small complaint - why are there no federal holidays from January until the end of May? I think we all need a break somewhere around the end of March. Or maybe the middle of March for my birthday :)

Well, since Christmas, I've had awesome kitchen experiences thanks to everyone's gifts, and I can't wait to show you all things I've made. In the mean time, here's a look at two of my family's favorite places to eat in the Harrisburg area. Over Christmas, we made it to both of them...awesome! Oh, and more good news is that I bought a camera, but unfortunately these are still droid pics.

First, my mom, sister, and I enjoyed a beautiful sushi feast at Sapporo East in Mechanicsburg. I think this was on Christmas Eve, and it was probably the best experience I've ever had there...but maybe that's because we ordered so much sushi :)

Sapporo East used to be pretty tiny, but they've expanded with an additional small dining room. The crowd there always seems to be pretty quiet, so that when it's crowded, it's not bothersome at all. The wait staff is tremendously friendly, and a high school friend's mom who is incredibly sweet always seems to wait on us.

To the sushi...

I ordered 11 pieces of sushi and sashimi with a California Roll. It was a combo special, so I couldn't pick the roll, but for only $10 can one really complain? Yum. The sushi and sashimi was so fresh and buttery. Absolutely perfect.

My mom and Emily ordered a Spider Roll, Tuna Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, and I think on the right is a TNT Roll and an Alaska Roll...I may be wrong. Anyway, we shared our gorgeous feast and left so happy. We also agreed that sushi feasts should be eaten on every holiday. Sounds good to me. Every roll was so delicious. We couldn't stop mmmmming.

Mom and Emily look extremely content!

Next up is Passage to India. Oh wonderful Passage to India. In high school, my dad and I, and sometimes my mom or sister, came here every Sunday. Every. I sat through church knowing that in an hour we'd be sitting at our table, enjoying a beautiful spread of Harrisburg's finest Indian food. The restaurant overlooks the Susquehanna, and the interior is just as pretty as its outside views. They've really changed the decor in recent years, and it is very warm and elegant inside.

Everyone quietly murmurs to their lunch companions while enjoying their flavorful meal. At lunch, there is the option of ordering from the menu or having the lunch buffet.  

It was kind of an awkward situation to be taking pictures, but here is a shot of some of my meal. Hot sauce, pickled veggies, rice with lentils, naan, cabbage, and mushrooms with chick peas. I would use the Indian names for the dishes, but I'm not that cool. My favorite dish on the buffet is the vegetable soup. It has the perfect blend of everything good in the world mixed into soup goodness. It is also great to eat everything with a little dollop of their yogurt dressing. So delicious! We left here equally happy as after our sushi meal. I think my new year's resolution should be to come home more often to eat here :)

So there you have my family's favorite Central PA eats. Well, not the entire family...Kay doesn't do raw fish and Lee doesn't do Indian. I'll never understand.