A little bit of Richmond brought to DC

I spent my college years at the University of Richmond. In the beginning I was unimpressed with the city of Richmond, but as I explored more I began to realize that Richmond is actually a gem when it comes to restaurants. I could go on and on about all the places I loved, but one that was special in my heart, on of my first discoveries, was Sticky Rice, an Asian-American fusion restaurant that is known equally for their PBR and tater tots as they are for their innovative sushi rolls.


So of course when a Sticky Rice opened in Washington DC, my new home, I was on top of that shit. All us Richmond transplants had been on Sticky Rice alert for ages, ever since the first whispers that on might open up here. We went during its first week open, and (thankfully) all the old favorites were there. I'm not sure if DC Sticky Rice plans to change it up from Richmond Sticky Rice, but for now I'm just glad everything I have been missing was finally available to me. So we started things off wiiiiiiiiiith... tater tots! Duh! I told you it's a Sticky Rice tradition. Then we followed that up with some more classics like the Godzirra (which looks like the most adorable sushi caterpillar you've ever seen), the sticky balls (I know that sounds foul but it's the beeeeeeeeest. Mmmmmmmmmm.), and the south roll (it's got sweet potato!)


The food was all fantastic. Great Richmond food with some great Richmonders. However, there was definitely something lacking in the preparation time. None of our apps or entrees came out together. The first round of entrees came a good 25 minutes before the final round was delivered. I don't think this had anything to do with our server. He was great for the most part. I think the real culprit is that the kitchen is on the ground floor while the sushi bar is on the top floor, and coordination between the two hasn't been worked out yet. Hopefully that will improve, because it was by far the biggest annoyance. We were all so grateful for the food, though, that we were able to over look the delays.

On a completely different note, I did like the ambiance that was going on. It was a little more polished than Richmond Sticky Rice, so it lost a little street cred there. Although the restaurant is on H St. NE, so it picks up street cred there. But what I liked most was that the back wall was covering in pictures of tattoos. Richmond is a huge hub for tattoos, and the art work seemed to be an homage to the city.


Overall, though, I'd totally recommend dragging your butt out to H St. for Sticky Rice. It is a deliciously good time, but just don't end up like I did after too many sake's.


Sike! Totally kidding, Mom! Gotcha, didn't I? Really though, I behaved like the nice young lady you rose me to be. You can breathe easy. The night actually looked a lot more like this:


Just good wholesome fun with awesome sushi and tots!*





*Maybe a little sake was involved. Also, some of the fun may not have been 100% wholesome.