Chinese School Field Trip to Seven Seas

Chinese culture centers and Chinese language schools in MoCo know us from our efforts at educating the community about Chinese culture. That's why Dragon World Chinese School principal Hsiu-Lan Wu brought her students to Seven Seas for lunch and a conversation with Edward and Corinna about the healthy traditions of Chinese cuisine.

The students, American-born Chinese youth aged between 12 and 17, heard about the benefits of a five-color diet. Many asked intelligent, thoughtful questions. We had a wonderful time hosting them!

Dish of the Month - Jellyfish Salad

Ever been stung by a jellyfish? Now it's payback time, as we serve jellyfish salad appetizers. Ours includes thinly shredded scallions tossed with sesame oil, salt, a dash of sugar and a little soy sauce. Not only is it sweet revenge, but a delicious starter when you're in the mood to be adventurous.

Upcoming Events at Seven Seas

Mid-Autumn Festival - September 22, 2010

The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival is the Chinese version of Thanksgiving. There are different folk tales of how this holiday came to be celebrated, and if anyone is interested in the stories, they can be found on 'trusty' ol' Wikipedia.
We will be coming up with specials for the day of the festival, so keep a lookout for them on this blog.

Rockville Restaurant Week 2010

Seven Seas is participating in Rockville Restaurant Week 2010 this year! We are offering pre-fixe, $8/lunches and $15/dinners from October 4 - October 10.

Check out the menus:

A Multicolored Diet Is A Healthy Diet

Seven Seas' co-owner Corinna Shen has been on a mission to champion healthy eating habits for many years now. In 2008, she wrote a special column for the Epoch Times on finding balance through a five color diet. She first explains the benefits of a colorful diet from a traditional Chinese viewpoint, then relates it to modern, Western nutrition guidelines.

The traditional Chinese viewpoint:

In Chinese culture, food and medicine are closely related. The practice of traditional Chinese medicine places great emphasis on achieving balance in one's body for the regeneration of the body's systems and organs. This balance is referred to as yin and yang. An important aspect in attaining a balanced yin and yang is a well-rounded nutrition with at least five varieties of colors.

While the principles of yin and yang are relatively unfamiliar to the Western world, the Chinese have been practicing it since the 3rd century. Over 3000 years ago, the Yellow Emperor wrote in his classic book on internal medicine, Huangdineijing, that if people wanted to obtain health and longevity, they should eat food with "five colors, five tastes and five fragrances."

Recipes for Beef and Broccoli

Seven Seas Beef and Broccoli lunch special

If you're looking for an easy dinner recipe, beef and broccoli is the one. It's hearty, tasty and doesn't take much time at all. Perhaps you already have a recipe that you follow for this dish! But there's one thing that should be pointed out about many recipes online - many of them instruct you to coat the beef in a starchy sauce and deep fry. Why obscure the taste of fresh, quality cuts? Our chef suggests that you skip this step altogether.

This recipe doesn't use the deep-fry method. If you'd like for the beef to be a little more flavorful, marinate it with pepper, soy sauce and a little rice wine before cooking.

And then there's this video that shows you the ultra-shortcut way of making this dish. Video's a bit grainy, but still useful.

Quick and Healthy Beef Broccoli Recipe

Limited Quantities Of Six Pound Lobsters In Our Tanks

Hey everyone, we just wanted to let you know:

 

Six-pound lobsters are at Seven Seas!

Sellout risk: Very high.

Sale price: $12.50/lb
Regular price: $24.99/lb

We only have 3-4 of these lobsters left, so please call to reserve.

Other fresh catch that just arrived are:

Soft shell crabs
One crab: $9.95
Two crabs: $16.95

Red snapper $14.95/lb

Authentic Noodle Soups

Noodle soups are a staple in authentic Chinese food. There are so many different varieties of delicious noodle soups across China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other countries with large Chinese populations that it's practically impossible to document. What we can do is introduce you to some of our favorites, and hopefully you'll like it as much as we do!

Dish of the Month - Chinese Seaweed Salad

You might be familiar with Japanese seaweed salad, but what about Chinese-style seaweed salad? Is there a big difference? Absolutely. Japanese style seaweed salad is marinated in a sweet, vinegar sauce and sesame oil, while Chinese-style seaweed salad is tossed with salt, garlic and shredded carrots. It's also more dense in texture. Whichever you prefer, Seven Seas serves both!

Sweet & Sour Pork Recipe

Seven Seas' Sweet & Sour Pork Lunch Special

Sweet & Sour Pork Recipe

This is a great recipe because it teaches you how to make the sauce from scratch. Make sure to read page one of this article on sweet and sour pork to get a full understanding of the author's approach. The comments have some very helpful tips too.

We're Open After Last Night's Massive Storm. Come Check Out Our Specials

We'd like to apologize for closing and ending our dining services early last night when the storm hit.

Luckily, we have fully recovered from our power outage and are open for your dining pleasure.

Since this is the start of a new week, we have new specials for your enjoyment. Here are few mouth watering seafood dishes:

Jumbo Half Shell Pacific Oyster in Black Bean Sauce
Lobster Pumpkin Soup
Lobster in Melon Salad
Real Crab Meat & Avocado Salad.

Enjoy!

Dish of the Month - Lobster with Ginger and Scallions

Seven Seas customers love Thursdays because of our fabulous lobster special. Purchase one lobster at regular price (priced per pound) and get the second of equal or lesser value, on the house! 

To make good use of this deal, specify to your waiter the approximate lobster weight that you'll pay for. Remind your server that you want lobsters that are as equal-sized as possible. They'll show you the lobsters you ordered and inform you of the weight.

Then specify what sauce you want cooked in! Favorites include ginger & scallion, black bean sauce and hot sauce. And even if it's not Chinese-style, we'll steam it whole and serve with just butter - if that's what you want!

Happy Fourth of July to All!

Happy Independence Day America!

Seven Seas' Wedding Catering at the Baltimore Aquarium

Congratulations to Jenny & Mo on their nuptials last Saturday at the Baltimore Aquarium. Seven Seas had the pleasure of providing a family-style dinner for the reception.

A rose bouquet crafted from parsley and thinly shaved carrots.

Dish of the Month - Crispy Shrimp Dumplings

Hand-made by chefs on a biweekly basis, this is one of our popular appetizer dishes. Our catering clients love serving these fried shrimp dumplings at their parties. An easy crowd-pleaser and perfect anytime.

Father's Day Prix Fixe Menu

Father's Day is here! Make use of our special prix fixe, 5-course menu for just $18.95.

$18.95/per person

茶:選一: Choice of One Tea

菊花茶 Chrysanthemum Tea

桂花烏龍茶 Sweet Osmanthus Oolong Tea

湯選一: Choice of One Soup

餛飩湯 Shrimp Wonton Soup

酸辣湯 Chicken Hot & Sour Soup

雞茸玉米湯 Chicken & Corn Soup

香菇肉羹湯 Rou-Geng* & Mushroom Soup

*肉粳(Rou-Geng) Chicken Strip Coated with Shrimp Paste

頭抬選二: Choice of Two Appetizers

上海春捲 Spring Roll

涼拌哲皮 Marinated Jelly Fish

紹興醉鷄 Shaoxing Wine Chicken

台南蝦捲 Tainan Crispy Shrimp Roll

蘇州燻魚 Shanghai Style Smoked Fish

蒸餃/鍋貼 Pan Fried or Steamed Dumpling

主菜選二: Choice of Two Entrees

辣子鷄丁 **Chili Chicken

海珍蟹餅 Broiled Crab Cake

芒果酥牛 Crispy Mango Beef

放羊吃草 *Lamb with Cilantro

秋葵小炒 ** Squid, Pork and Okra

松子魚捲 Crispy Pine Nut Fish Fillet

笑鳥鮮蝦 Laughing Bird Shrimp with Cashew

黑椒小牛犢 Veal & Mushroom in Black Pepper Sauce

甜點: Dessert

幸運餅 Fortune Cookie

香蕉春捲Banana Spring Roll with Ice Cream (Vanilla, Chocolate, Green Tea and Red Bean)

$9 Sake Sampling At Seven Seas

Sake Sampler Set $9

Try our manager's weekly picks of one warm, one chilled and one unfiltered, quality Sake.

Our selection of sakes include: Gekkeikan, three types of Sho Chiku Bai, Momokawa Pearl, and Yaegaki Nigori. Try them out!

Memorial Day Surf & Turf Platter

Surf-Turf Combo Platter $18.95
Try our combination platter of Laughing Bird shrimp and hanger steak served with fresh seasonal vegetables and steamed jasmine rice. Platter is available for this weekend only.

Laughing Bird Shrimp.

A few more details:
The hanger steak is prepared by allowing it to stew in beef broth, soy sauce and spices until it is tender. Hanger steak is known to be a very flavorful cut.

The Laughing Bird shrimp is firm and meaty with a noticeably sweet and taste. This shrimp is perfect for the Cantonese-Shanghai cooking style that relies on fresh ingredients cooked with mild ingredients and a light sauce, allowing for the natural flavor of the shrimp to take center stage.

What is Laughing Bird Shrimp?

 
We are delighted to discover this truly enticing Laughing Bird Carribean White Shrimp and want to share it with you.

Laughing Bird shrimp is produced in a family-owned farm in coastal Belize, which we like, because Seven Seas is also family-owned.

The difference in taste compared to other farm-raised shrimp is obvious, due to the way Laughing Bird shrimp is farmed and handled.

No preservatives, antibiotics or hormones are used, and the shrimp are fed a nearly 100% vegetarian diet. When shipped, they are chilled but never frozen.

An added benefit to Laughing Bird shrimp is the farm uses methods that minimizes impact on the environment. Thus, nearby mangroves and coastlines remain untouched by this operation.

Our staff sat down for a taste test and the decision was unanimous. Stir-fried in a light, Cantonese style scallion-garlic-chicken broth sauce, the delicious and clean flavor of this sweet, fleshy shrimp really stood out to everyone. The vibrant color of the shrimp makes for attractive presentation too.

Outstanding, quality shrimp that is responsibly produced. Exactly the kind of ingredients that we try to incorporate into our dishes at Seven Seas.

Dish of the Month - Spicy Chinese-style Maine Lobster

Fresh Maine lobster stir-fried with ground pork, onions and red chillies. Have it as a birthday treat or as part of a family-style meal for a special occasion.

New $5 Menu

Everyone's been tightening their belt and we've had to as well. So we get that it's hard to spend $7-10 on lunch, that's why we're rolling out a $5 menu with quick and filling dishes.