Our dinner reservation was for 10:30. I slammed an extra espresso at 8 and prepared myself mentally to tackle the late night challenge! I was headed out to Brielle’s bachelorette party with a bunch of 20 year olds. I was honored that they wanted me, 30 something, mom of 5 to tag along. But, I have to admit, I had to gear myself up for a late night…it had been a while.
We headed out to DC to meet the rest of the party at their hotel…a gorgeous new W hotel, Aloft, set beside the Potomac River at the National Harbor. The plan was to have Bri open presents before dinner. But, try and get a dozen girls to primp and prime on time! We landed at the hotel, only to rush back into the cars for our dinner destination at Sei.
We were late. We arrived around 11. The hostess welcomed us warmly and showed us to our table. The atmosphere was elegant and really beautiful. All the chairs were laced up like corsets in white leather. A wall of red branches separated the bar from the dining room. The place was a glow in soft light. What a great place for a bachelorette party, I thought to myself. Britt, Brielle’s sister, nailed this! The restaurant was mostly empty though. I assumed it was due to the lateness of the hour.
We settled in and began to pour over the menu. The food menu was not too long and it was easy to digest. I knew I would try a sushi roll of some sort, I landed on the Snow White roll…eel, avocado, roasted apple, sweet soy and sansho. I paired it with an arugula salad with shrimp. The Snow White was incredible and the salad forgettable. The highlight for me though was the cocktail I shared with Irene. Mischief. I’m not a cocktail drinker, at least not in the form of sweet and sugary…so the waitress recommended Mischief to me. It was made with yazi ginger vodka, triple sec, lime juice and a splash of simple syrup. Delish!
We spent the evening sharing stories of being married, giving tips on how to keep the fire alive and having a “tie the cherry stem with your tongue” contest. It was a really fun evening and I found my third wind to hold me through the night!
I can’t say that I would put Sei on my “go back and visit again” list. The sushi was wonderful, the cocktail yummy and the waitress gave everyone a celebration shot! It’s not that it wasn’t good, just forgettable. It may be that we were there too late to really feel the whole vibe of the restaurant, but I feel like something was missing.
Oh, I will say, they had the most extensive sake list I have yet to see in the MD/DC corridor. Hmmm, maybe a trip back for sushi and sake could be on the list!
