Seaweed salad, hamachi jalapeno sashimi, sashimi combo

My three passions in life are, roughly speaking, food, fitness and travel, so it’s no surprise that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Every year, I fly home to Bethesda, Maryland (a DC suburb), run the Turkey Chase 10K race with my brother, then eat lots of turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. It’s the best.



I’ve noticed, though, that during this time of year I crave Asian food—Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, you name it—on the days leading up to, and following, Thanksgiving. Perhaps it’s because my family used to alternate a Chinese-food Thanksgiving with a traditional turkey Thanksgiving as a way to integrate my dad’s Taiwanese culture into our lives. But I think it’s just my palette lobbying to be exposed to different flavors—what could be more opposite to a turkey sandwich than hamachi collar?


Kinoko salad

Whatever the underlying reason, lately I’ve sampled sushi and mochi at the Hotel Kabuki and O Izakaya Lounge opening party, dove into some delicious caramelized prawns and an Alaskan black cod roll at Slanted Door and, just last night, went to Hime to tackle their ever-expanding menu. While their izakaya might be some of the best in town, we stuck mainly to the raw fish side of things. What would I recommend? Here are three: the hamachi jalapeno sashimi in a garlic soy sauce, tuna tartar with yuzu sauce and sweet potato chips and the kinoko salad (sautéed mushroom, mixed greens and yuzu dressing).