A website devoted to eating in DC
Rasa, 1247 First Street SE, Washington DC (Navy Yard) Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly, 5268-H Nicholson Lane, Rockville MD I’m not sure exactly what “fast-casual” restaurants are — other than you order from a counter like fast food but pay more than fast food — but this week I’m reviewing two home-grown ones, Rasa and Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly. Both serve ...READ MORE »
Sababa, 3311 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC Israeli food is hot. I’ll bet a lot of you have at least one cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi sitting on your shelf as we speak. The American Ottolenghi, Michael Solomonov, runs the popular Zahav in Philadelphia and will soon release his second cookbook on Israeli cuisine. Then there’s Einat Admony at Manhattan’s Balaboosta ...READ MORE »
Unconventional Diner, 1207 9th St NW, Washington DC Bresca, 1906 14th St NW, Washington DC There’s no obvious reason to review these two restaurants together, other than the fact that I ate at them both in the past couple of weeks. One does elevated American comfort food, often with an international spin, while the other does “bistronomy,” a modern and ...READ MORE »
Momofuku CCDC, 1090 I St NW, Washington DC If you haven’t been to Momofuku lately, you haven’t been to Momofuku. You might remember when local-boy-turned-Manhattan-celebrity-chef David Chang announced he was opening an outpost of Momofuku in City Center in late 2015. It was bedlam. Chang was bringing his pork bao and ramen home to DC! And there’ll be a Milkbar too, with ...READ MORE »
I was talking to my family about my next blog post and said I thought this would be a good time to go to the ol’ mailbag and answer your DC dining questions. Awkward silence. Apparently I haven’t received any letters and there is no mailbag. All those letters my wife was “setting aside” for me turned out to be ...READ MORE »
Rose’s Luxury, 717 8th Street SE, Washington DC I had dinner last Tuesday at Rose’s Luxury. But it felt more like the final scene from The Way We Were. It was poignant. It was wistful. If Rose’s had bangs, I would’ve lovingly swept them from its eyes before we had one last nostalgic hug. Sitting in that familiar space, I couldn’t help ...READ MORE »
Himitsu, 828 Upshur Street NW, Washington DC Himitsu means “secret” in Japanese, a bit of irony that seems funnier once you’re comfortably seated in this 24-seat jewel box than when you’re standing outside in twenty-degree weather hoping to snag a table when the doors open at 5 pm. Do yourself a favor and don’t show up with an incomplete party ...READ MORE »
Chloe by Haidar Karoum, 1331 4th Street SE, Washington DC Brothers and Sisters, 1770 Euclid St NW (in The Line Hotel), Washington DC The thing that bothers me about restaurants that encourage sharing isn’t the sharing itself. My family always shares when we go out, even in traditional restaurants. Sometimes it’s a formal negotiation to go halvsies on a joint order. ...READ MORE »
Requin at The Wharf, 100 District Square SW, Washington DC My wife doesn’t quite understand my obsession with knowing if the head chef is in the kitchen when we eat out. Chefs train their subordinates to execute their vision, she argues, so there’s no reason to believe that quality will suffer just because the chef took the night off. In an ...READ MORE »
It’s that time again when I look back on my favorite dishes of the year. It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m heading out of town tomorrow on vacation and have nothing else to post. Total coincidence. Just erase that thought from your head. My favorites this year are divided into three categories — new bites, old favorites, ...READ MORE »