Inspired Idea: Pay-it-Forward Meal

Photo via Only Eat…
Washingtonian’s Best Bites blog has the story on an awesome D.C. dining concept: FREE.
That’s right:
“Instead of a bill, diners receive a note explaining that their meal is a gift from a previous patron. The only request: Leave what you will to cover the next person’s meal.”

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Guess the Dish

A D.C.-based friend of mine sent in this shot of dish he recently enjoyed.  Any guesses on what it is and where it was served?

Thanks, CK!

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Portrait of an Enthusiastic Eater

Washingtonian food critic, Todd Kliman, offers up a moving tribute to his father:
Most of the friends I grew up with did not venture beyond meat and potatoes, spaghetti and macaroni-and-cheese, but that was not my experience. We ate everything. Thai and Spanish and French and German and Japanese and Korean and Vietnamese and Indian and Mexican and [...]

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D.C. Cheap Eats: Pret a Manger

Pret a Manger is a new sandwich shop imported to the U.S. from Britain.  But don’t let that deter you! (Sorry ) The pilot has already taken off in (notoriously cutthroat) NYC, which now has about 20 restaurants.  Sometime around January 2009, Washington finally got one, too.  I tried Pret yesterday and can happily [...]

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Top Chef Star Has His Way With Unleavened Bread

For you locals, there’s a fun event coming up with Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn @ 6th and I Synagogue.
Spike Up the Matzah

Sunday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m.
“Matzah brei, matzah pizza, matzah mania! Chef Spike Mendelsohn dazzled us last December with his suave latke-making skills. Just in time for Passover, he’s back with recipes to rev up your matzah. [...]

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D.C. Cheap Eats: $5 Well Spent @ Shawarma King

Today, I reached sandwich nirvana.  Do you ever eat felafel, those little croquettes made of chickpeas, fava beans, bulgur, parsley, and a medley of savory spices?  They’re often done wrong—restaurants typically pre-fry them in big batches and just reheat as needed.  Not surprisingly, this turns them into overcooked, bland, oil-logged little hockey pucks, tolerable only when drowned [...]

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Amaretto, Anyone?

If there is a better way to spend Valentine’s Day than sipping cocktails side-by-side in a secret candlelit bar, I don’t know it.  Especially when some of those drinks involve handmade sour mix and a lovely, not-too-sweet almond liquer from Portugal:
Ferreira Duque Doirinha
Doirinha is strikingly similar to amaretto, but less cloying and intense.  It makes a [...]

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Good Grape: Cederberg Bukettraube 2007

Vinoteca is a wonderful wine bar in the U Street Corridor of Washington, DC.  It’s also conveniently around the corner from Ben’s Chili Bowl, if you’re into late-night noshing after wine.
But I digress.  One reason Vinoteca is such a fun experience is that they offer wine in three portions — tastes, full glasses, and bottles.  And unlike some places, [...]

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Washingtonian Names 100 Best D.C. Restaurants

Washingtonian magazine has released its list of the Top 100 D.C. Restaurants.
Petes Apizza, my local pizzeria, made the cut.  But it turns out, it got the nod mainly out of budget appeal, according to food critic Todd Kliman.  Personally, I find the pizza (by the slice) kind of lacking.  Maybe it’s better made-to-order?
Give me Red Rocks pizza any day instead.

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RIP Döner Kebab Creator

A moment of silence to remember the creator of the mouth-watering street snack, the Döner Kebab: 
 

Credit: The Local
A German news site, The Local, reports:

In sad news for anyone who has been drunk and hungry at 2 am, the man who invented the döner kebab sandwich nearly four decades ago in Berlin has passed away.
Mahmut Aygün, the Turkish immigrant who revolutionised [...]

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Savor the Spice of Himalayan Heritage

A couple of nights ago, I had my first encounter with Nepali cuisine at Adams Morgan’s Himalayan Heritage restaurant.  It was fun exploring the menu, which isn’t intimidating if you’re familiar with Indian food.  Our waitress graciously guided us through the Nepali offerings and recommended chicken “momo,” or steamed dumplings ($9.95):

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Country Cookin’

Sorry this photo isn’t prettier.  I forgot to whip out my cell phone until a few bites in.  Before it got all mangled, this was country-fried steak with white gravy, greens, and mashed potatoes with brown gravy, alongside Texas toast and cornbread.  I came nowhere close to finishing, but it was delish.  That red blob [...]

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Pho Coming to Columbia Heights

Credit: Brooke Heaton
Pho 14 is opening on Park Road, NW, between 14th and 16th Streets.  I’m excited to have a steaming noodle-bowl place in the neighborhood.  Does anyone have the scoop?  A few years ago, there was a scrappy looking pho shop/Vietnamese bodega/karayoke joint/pool hall in the same spot (try typing that with a straight face).  Maybe they ordered a [...]

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The Queen of Excess

Martha Stewart takes a lot of flack for pushing all things rich and fattening, but you know, she’s met her match in Paula Deen.  Paula just can’t stop herself: an extra pat of butter here, a hearty dollop of bacon grease there.  And she has a sense of humor—something Martha can only aspire to.  Just check the mischievous look she flashes at 00:00:14 in this [...]

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D.C. Cheap Eats: Mussels at Bistrot du Coin

There are a fair number of places to get a good bang for your buck in Washington, D.C.—if you know where to look and how to order. But close to Dupont Circle and certainly downtown, good, cheap food can be hard to find.
Tourists in town for Obama’s inauguration are likely to be disappointed if they [...]

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