salmon, blue crab and golden beet bento

On Saturday we met up with our dear friends Steph and Joel in DC's Chinatown for a couple of rounds of bowling, and having worked up a good appetite, lunch!

 Asian Spice is a great new discovery, a calm and pretty restaurant featuring super-fresh sushi. These Chesapeake blue crab, avocado and salmon rolls were really good:

Yellowtail and avocado rolls:

We also browsed around this fun and well-stocked import shop nearby:

 

Loved these little dishes:

 

 

Monday's bento features a "scattered sushi" style lunch with salmon, roasted golden beets with blue crab salad, edamame, purple sweet potato, and garlic chives, with a leafy/floral garnish from the garden:

Have a great week, bento friends--looking forward to seeing your new spring creations!

pink azalea bento

Today's bento includes a zingy chicken salad with basil pesto and green peppercorns, pea shoots, champagne mango, purple sweet potatoes, garlic ume pickles (sakura nostalgia!), golden baby tomatoes, pink radish pickles, and a skewer of blueberries.

Sophie from next door has been visiting with us quite a bit recently. She's very mellow and sweet!

Azaleas are the current queens of the spring floral procession, whether in bright bud or full bloom:

I'm thrilled to see the morning glory seeds planted last week (a Japanese purple-striped variety) emerging:

In bloom by our little backyard pond:

 

Many thanks to the amazing Lia of Bentolicious for sharing these lovely awards with me:

Lia, your bento creativity and artistry keep me entertained and awe-struck!

Happy Thursday, friends!

sakura matsuri 2010 bento

Hi bento friends! Saturday's 50th annual DC Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival was wonderful--an incredibly lively and fun event in the heart of Washington DC. The enthusiasm of attendees and hosts, vendors and browsers was quite bright--a truly "genki" spirit animated the afternoon.

The Federal Triangle section of DC has a pleasing, almost Parisian classicism which made an elegant backdrop for the festival...

Many kinds of tasty Japanese street food were available. Taiyaki...

And takoyaki!

These delicate sakura sweets embody the season...

 Pretty paper crafts in a soft, sunlit rainbow...

Amazing colors combine in these elegant costumes...

A selection of antique kimono textiles...

Oh, and a variety of cute bento items were on hand!

Speaking of bento, a silk kimono fabric I fell in love with inspired the colors of Monday's lunch:

I loved how this fabric picked up the sakura theme in vibrant, unexpected colors! Inside the box, I've placed flower-cut bright yellow radish pickles, hot-pink and white kamaboko slices, petal-pink garlic pickled in ume vinegar, spicy salmon rolls topped with ume/sesame/nori, squid salad with cloud ear mushrooms, garlic buds, and little wasabi "leaves."

Mini dessert bento with tiny plums, chocolate "fish", and a rich Indian milk sweet:

Happy Monday, bento friends!