Food Art Skills -- Our Chefs Have It

We prepared a variety of dishes for a recent book launch party with food art. Here are the results.

 

Turn Your Favorite Appetizers Into Passed Hors d'oeuvres

A catered wedding event took us to Brookside Gardens over the Memorial Day weekend. One of the couple's requests was to have passed hors d'oeuvres, which included family dinner favorites like five-spices beef, spring rolls and spicy shrimp. Using disposable containers and bamboo picks, we designed the items and portions to be outdoor-friendly, all while maintaining our signature food presentation flair.

Five Spices Beef

Steamed Shao Mai

Shrimp In Peppercorn Oil

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Cold Garlic Eggplant

Win A Lobster Dinner For Mom

Remember how mom used to make your favorite dishes for dinner when you were growing up? What were they? Whether it's homemade dumplings, an Asian stir-fry, Italian meatballs or beef casserole, we want to know what it is! To celebrate Mother's Day (May 12,) we're giving away two lobster dinners to the two best entries, so read on for more details:

To enter, tell us about one favorite dish of yours that is your mom's (grandma's, aunt's or whoever you look to as your mother figure) unique recipe and why you love it! Describe it in no more than 65 words (not characters.) Although not required, we'd love to see a picture of the dish, and/or the beautiful lady who made it! One entry per household please.

When you're ready to submit, you can do it two ways. Post your pic and/or your favorite dish (cooked by mom) on your Facebook wall, and don't forget to tag us (Type @SevenSeasChineseRestaurant in your status and we should pop up.) OR email us your entry: contact@sevenseasrestaurant.com.

We'll announce the winners on Mother's Day, so please post or email us your entry by May 10. Happy celebrating! Have you decided what you're doing for Mom yet?

Benefits Of Tofu And Delicious Ways To Enjoy Them

 
April is National Soyfoods Month and we're pleased about that! Tofu features prominently in many of our menu items, like mapo tofu, shredded pork in hot sauce and black mushroom in tofu roll. It's a healthy substitute for meat and has been touted for decades as a source of nutrients, including protein, amino acids, calcium and fiber. Soy also contains phytochemicals that are beneficial to our health. The main difference between tofu and meat protein is that you have to eat more tofu to meet the recommended dietary protein levels.

In the charts below, you can compare the nutritional values between tofu and chicken.

We Love Pork

Try our special pork dishes, available till the end of the month:

Mai Dong Baby Back Ribs. Stewed ribs served with tender greens and a side of steamed rice. $16.95.

Salty Crispy Ribs. Batter-fried baby back ribs seasoned with salt, pepper, onions and a sprinkle of habanero. $14.95.

Yum. Enjoy.

Lunar New Year Party At The Governor's Mansion

Maryland Governor Martin O' Malley hosted the annual Lunar New Year Party at his residence in Annapolis on February 20, 2013. This is our sixth year catering the event!

Photo by Jay Baker/Executive Office of the Governor

	Photo by Jay Baker/Executive Office of the Governor

Photo by Jay Baker/Executive Office of the Governor

	Photo by Jay Baker/Executive Office of the Governor

Photo by Jay Baker/Executive Office of the Governor

	Photo by Jay Baker/Executive Office of the Governor

Happy Lunar New Year 2013!

Happy Year of the Snake!

Snakes: Have good temper and a skill at communicating but say little. Possess gracious morality and great wisdom. Usually do not have to worry about money. Have tremendous sympathy for others and would like to take actions to help their fellow human beings. Determined to accomplish their goals and hate to fail. Although they look calm on the surface, they are intense and passionate. They have a rich source of inspiration and understand themselves well.

You are a Snake if your birth date falls:

01/23/1917-02/10/1918
02/10/1929-01/29/1930
01/27/1941-02/14/1942
02/14/1953-02/02/1954
02/02/1965-01/20/1966
02/18/1977-02/06/1978
02/06/1989-01/26/1990
01/24/2001-02/11/2002
02/10/2013-01/30/2014

Guess Who's Been Rated As One Of Montgomery County's Top Asian Restaurants?

We were recently voted Top Three Asian Restaurants in Montgomery County! Thanks to everyone who supported us.

 

Business Luncheon at the USP

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) had their annual three-day business conference with delegates from the Chinese branch of USP earlier this week. We catered lunch for three days and honored all dietary requests (halal, vegetarian, seafood allergy.) The menu was designed to suit typical Chinese tastebuds, while introducing some classic American Chinese dishes. Delegates were also thrilled with the fortune cookies, as it is still a novelty item in China! Our crew enjoyed serving this wonderful group of people and look forward to next year's conference!

Dinner Reception for Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech's Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, located in Arlington, Va. hosted a dinner reception for faculty and students of the Executive Master of Natural Resources (XMNR) program on December 7, 2012. A Chinese-themed dinner was chosen to introduce program members to more authentic Chinese dishes that they would be likely to encounter during their trip to China next year. And it was our pleasure to present the finer side of Chinese cuisine!

Food, International Symbol of Friendship

Most of us long-term residents of Rockville might be familiar with Pinneberg, the German city that established sister city ties with us in 1957. In recent years, the city also decided to form a friendly relationship with the Chinese city of Jiaxing, which is located southwest of Shanghai.

When a delegation from Jiaxing visited here recently, we were one of the four restaurants that sponsored our specialty dishes for their welcome dinner. Jiaxing visitors got to sample some of the best American, Indian, Italian and Chinese food Rockville has to offer. We were just happy to play a role in supporting the city of Rockville's efforts at expanding friendly ties around the world. What could be better than doing this with delicious food?

We Donated Our Fabled Purple Sticky Rice Dessert To A Worthy Cause

Interfaith Works held their annual Fables & Tables event, and we were there! We brought two trays of purple sticky rice pudding for this fundraiser benefiting low income and homeless residents of Montgomery County.

They didn't have a sign for our dish, so we improvised

Fables & Tables used the “Empty Bowls” international fundraising model, where gala attendees received a hand decorated bowl. The bowls serve as a reminder of the less fortunate people who go hungry in our community.

Many local restaurants donated their specialty soups.

Days later, the good folks at Interfaith called to say that our dessert "was a hit." We plan to contribute again next year.

Food Art, by Seven Seas

Regulars who turn up in big groups to dine with us are familiar with the food art that we present in our banquet dishes. If you ever need a special platter with carved designs, here's a sample of what our very own chef Chi-san Li can do. For more information, talk to us!

Carrot dragon

Carrot gargoyle

September Wedding At Rockwood Manor

Last Saturday must have been an auspicious day for a wedding, because we had two brides tying the knot on the same day. This one was held at Rockwood Manor in Potomac. Our couple, Kayshin & Stephen also chose a Chinese menu that had a mix of traditional and contemporary dishes.

The menu included:
Vegetarian Spring Rolls
Sushi
Tofu Salad
Napa Cabbage
Jellyfish
Ginger and Scallion Lobster
Tea Duck
Spring Chicken
Lamb With Cilantro
Crispy Sweet and Sour Fish
Mushrooms & White Cabbage
Chinese Kale in Oyster Sauce
Vegetarian Fried Rice

Congratulations to the both of you! it was our pleasure to be a part of your special day.