Bob's Shabu Shabu 88

I went to Bob's Shabu Shabu 88 in Rockville a few weeks ago. It's apparently owned by the owners of Bob's Noodle 66 down the road (which was featured in a stunning review).

What's shabu shabu? Chinese hot pot - kind of like fondue! Basically, you get some RAW MEAT!, vegetables and pot of hot broth put in front of you and a selection of ~15 DIPPING SAUCES and you're set! I do not look excited in this picture because I'm almost done and about to burst! Trust me, its good!

How it works? You pick your meat (or there's a vegetarian option with an extra plate of veggies). The server will bring out a pot of hot broth for each person and put it on the burner in front of you. You cook the food! Then you can dip it in the dipping sauces, eat as a soup, or ADD DIPPING SAUCE TO THE SOUP :-O

It's good and way cheaper than fondue at the melting pot :) Each entree ran about $15, depending on what meat got. I got beef :D They had combinations and crazy things like tripe (STOMACH). I was full. Go there.

316 N Washington St
Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 294-5888

Sweet Potato Gratin

Am I happy? Of course I'm happy! It was THANKSGIVING my favorite day of the year! The other week we had a pre-Thanksgiving potluck and it was awesome! Everyone brought a traditional Thanksgiving dish. I signed up for sweet potatoes :D

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website, but they've since deleted it....good thing I printed it!

Sweet Potato Gratin
Serves 10

2 tsp unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Barbados molasses
2 large eggs
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1/2 small red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quartcasserole dish with the butter. Whisk cream, molasses, eggs,salt, pepper, and thyme in a bowl. Added sweet potatoes and onions and toss to coat. Pour into the buttered casserole so that they're mostly covered with sauce. Place in the over and bake for 45 minutes or until custard is set. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes or so before serving.

Notes: I don't know what Barbados molasses is, but I just used regular molasses. I added a quarter stick of butter to the sauce :D And I used half a sweet onion, not red :D

It turned out well - recipe recommended!