Tomorrow night, my dinner club is heading to our June destination and I realized I never updated you all on where we went in May—Maketto! So, I thought I’d pop back in for an end-of-week post.
Before we dive in, I want to say next week I have a ton of time to blog and I am so excited to return with some new, fresh content! I’ll be sharing a recap of my Quebec City trip I just got back from that was *amazing*, a few updated thoughts on living alone now that it’s been nearly two years (!), a summer outfit I’m loving lately, my June reading list, and a recap of my upcoming trip to The Homestead this weekend.
Whenever I step away from my blog for a little bit, I always come back really inspired. I realized over the last year or so, I’ve lost a lot of the drive I first had when it came to this blog—and part of that is out of necessity because my job is more demanding now, but part of that was out of complacency. And now that I’ve had a bit of a break and brainstormed a ton of ideas I’d really love to get back to a place where my posting is more regular even during the crazier periods of life. It won’t always be possible, but lately I feel like I’ve been blogging a ton in spurts—three posts in one week, nothing the next—and I’d love to try to hit a regular cadence again.
But for now, onto today’s post! For those of you unfamiliar, every month on a Friday night, my friends Julie, Taylor, and I head to a different DC restaurant for a wonderful meal. We rotate who picks the restaurant, and typically go to more special occasion/splurge restaurants. While at Maketto, we actually made a table of all our costs so far, and we typically clock in between $75-110 per person. (Julie is our treasure and always pays for the meal and then splits out what we ordered by person later—she’s the best!) It’s something I look forward to all month long, and I would definitely recommend recreating our model if you’re looking for a fun way to work through your restaurant bucket list!
In May, we went to Maketto on H Street here in DC. I always joke with my friends that Maketto is an upscale Cracker Barrel because there’s a retail shop upfront and a restaurant concept in the back. We went on a beautiful May night and sat in the courtyard between their front building where the store, bar, cafe, and some seating is and the back building, which is where additional seating and the kitchen are. Maketto offers delicious Southeast Asian food and this was my third or fourth time eating there—it’s consistently good!
We ordered a ton of food, and our waiter even commented we may have over-ordered. The spicy cauliflower and the spring rolls were by far my favorite dishes so if you go, definitely make sure the are on your list. We also ordered the Maketto fried chicken, the pork steamed bao, spicy lamb noodles, and fried cheese. While we were enjoying our food, the chef stopped by and chatted with us for over five minutes—he was so gracious and we enjoyed hearing about local chef culture from him and trading DC restaurant recs. A few minutes later, he swung by our table with dumplings on the house and, later, a delicious ice cream matcha + strawberry dessert!
Every time I’ve been to Maketto, they have gone above and beyond to make sure we have an awesome experience and this time was no different. Definitely add this one to your DC restaurant bucket list—especially if you love Asian food.
