Blog update and trip to San Francisco
Just a quick note, I’ve been out of blogging for a bit due to getting side tracked with other things but am coming back in full force. I’ve a phone full of pictures and ready to write up some reviews so check back often and you’ll see some more posts. Also, we are planning a trip to northern California and have planned out an extensive food holiday. Watch for my reviews of San Francisco restaurants and local food stops. My wife is from California and knows all the best places to hit so we should be having a blast!
Happy Eating!
Dupont Legends – Eat in and Carry Out
I was sitting at work one day and came across an all staff email about lunch. Seems i’m not the only one scouring the internet from something new to try at noon. In fact, it’s really what everyone does, everyone, everywhere. Lunch is that time of the day we can steal away from work for an hour and enjoy the wonderful world of culinary cuisine made in under 20 minutes. That or run to Trader Joe’s for a salad.
This day though I decided to not suffer through another Subway Jared special and track down a good Gyro. I love Gyro’s even if my wife yells at me for pronouncing them “JI-RO” and not “Geer Ho” or “Heer Ho” or however the hell you phonetically spell it. So it was on this day that my eyes leaped and my stomach lurched when I saw a review from colleagues at work for a nice Greek carry out restaurant about 5-8 blocks away. I ctrl-alt-del’d my computer and head out the door to Dupont Circle area, little west honestly.
When I got there I found a very nice little storefront with some outdoor seating sitting on P street in NW. I walked in and a nice older man, who is I believe is the very proud Greek owner, asked me for my order. I didn’t need to look at the menu and simply ordered a “JI Geer-Ho” with fries. I took a seat inside and played some Uno on the iPhone while I waited.
The inside, as you can see, was heavily decorated Greek.
There is some pride here from the owners. This just so happens to be one of those little places that is owned by someone that is ethnically attached to the food. What I mean is, I like eating food that was prepared by someone that grew up eating it in their native country. Is the best Italian food in NYC or Italy? Though i’ve never eating in either, from numerous sources I’ve encountered over the years, it’s been overwhelmingly Italy. Same is true for Greek as it turns out.
My sandwich came in very quick time, the restaurant was a little empty, and I first noticed how packed it was. The lamb slices were thick and bulged the pita bread out so far it was hard to get a solid bite on it. Of course, that’s not a lot to stop a hungry man who has to be back for a 1pm meeting.
I dug in and was delighted. The lamb tasted as good as it looked. It was a massive bite though and took me sometime to gulp down. I ordered fries with it, which were honestly not so good. But come on, it’s a Greek joint, they didn’t invent the french fry so why should they be good at making it.
For the proximity to work and the deliciousness of the “Geer Ho” I give this place a solid thumbs up. I went back again after that first visit and it was still a solid Gyro. Onions rings on the second visit which were still kinda eh, but whatever, i’m not going there for their side items. If you work in the area and haven’t tried them out they are certainly worth a visit.
Legends is located at
2157 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
202.296.2333
URL: http://www.dupontlegends.com/
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Ray’s The Steaks East River
First off, let me apologize, no pictures on this one. I had the iPhone but was in a food frenzy and just didn’t remember to snap the pic. How did this happen do you ask? How could a blogger of food not post a pic about what he writes? Read on to find out!
My friend, Jon, called me a few nights ago and said simply “We’re going to dinner at Rays the Steaks”.
“No way!”, I said, “I’m not driving all the way down to Arlington from the Hill during the week. The traffic will kill us”.
“We’re not going to Arlington, we’re going down Benning road to the new location” Jon so smugly said.
Aghast! Could it be true? Could a quality steak house move just minutes from me? I quickly said yes and off we went to an adventure of food. What did we find? One hell of a good dinner!
We climbed into the Jeep Liberty, headed down H street, can’t wait for the construction to end, and crossed over the bridge into what Google Maps calls “Fort Dupont/Lower Central NE”. Never heard of it? Mostly because not much is there. It’s a poorer area of DC that honestly doesn’t have much to pull people in. Until now.
Once we found Dix street we pulled into the parking lot and headed inside. The restaurant had a nice big open space. We were greeted instantly and shown right to a table. There weren’t many other patrons but, hey, it just opened. The menu was pretty straightforward, steak, pulled pork, crab cake, pretty much what we expected. The beer list was, well, not so good. Budweiser, Heineken, and one specialty beer all in the bottle, nothing on draft. Oh and Michelob Ultra too. Fun times. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting a blockbuster at this point. Location wasn’t great, tucked behind a shopping center and a little awkward to find, but there was parking which is nice for DC. Crappy beer menu but, again, they just opened.
The waiter, extremely nice, greeted us and told us about the specials. A sliced beef sandwich with choice of two sides for 12 bucks, which I ordered. Jon ordered the prime rib, 16 oz, for 20 bucks, and we sampled, well not sampled as we’ve had it many times before, the one good beer on the menu, Delirum.
Very soon after, like 10 minutes, the food arrived. First, let me say, both our eyes bulged as we saw the size of the prime rib. Ever see John Candy eat the big steak in The Great Outdoors? Was kinda like that. That beasty had to be 22oz+. My sliced beef sandwich oozed sauce and smelled of heaven.
We both dug in and after one bite we realized the enormity of what was happening. The sliced beef sandwich was dreamingly good. The sauce danced on my tastes buds and demanded I eat more. The slaw that came with was good too, and fit perfectly on top of the beef. How was the prime rib you ask? Cooked perfectly and perhaps the most tender meat I’ve had at a steak house in a long time. Jon said, and I quote, “This is one of the best steaks i’ve had in DC in a long time”. He was right.
Ok, so the french fries were eh, the beer menu was eh, maybe worse than eh, but this isn’t a frites and beer kinda place. The steak/meat? Ten out of ten stars. Really freakin good. Jon mentioned that the owner of Rays opened this store in a more impoverished neighborhood and hired only local folks to run it. Good move. Everyone that worked there was super nice and super on the ball. We didn’t wait for anything, though admittedly the place wasn’t that full.
So, if you want a nice solid steak head on over. The place isn’t so busy yet, which if you live off H street is a blessing, but the food is really really good. Super high quality local steak house only minutes across Benning road. The staff is very nice and the prices are dirt cheap for this good of a meal.
Oh and the enormity that I said earlier? That’s our waist line increasing as we’re sure to go back. Again. And again.
Ray’s The Steaks East River
Located at: 3905 Dix Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20019-1401
(202) 396-7297
02.23.10 by AllenDC Dim Sum – Oriental East
Ah, the wonderful world of Dim Sum. Carts rolling through isles of tables occupied by eager and hungry fans of this Chinese tradition. No one single type of restaurant is as debated as to where is best than Dim Sum. At least in my experience. From local blogs filled with foodies declaring one Dim Sum haven superior to another to regional rivalries that go from coast to coast, the world of Dim Sum is as delicious an adventure as it is contentious.
My wife and I entered the fray of Dim Sum in the DC metro area recently. We tried Oriental East located in Silver Spring Maryland. This little restaurant was located in a shopping center. From the outside, nothing jumped out as anything more than a strip mall Chinese restaurant. The line that greeted us, however, seemed to change our minds.
Now, my wife is a foodie from San Francisco. She firmly believes that Dim Sum from DC does not even come close to the Dim Sum in California. The east coast vs west coast food debate is one that runs very deep. Many people on both sides argue that the other side is dead wrong. I’m not going to get into that deep debate, suffice to say, it is said that local DC Dim Sum can’t compare to whats offered on the west coast.
Well, one of these days I’ll get out to California and have a look for myself. Until then, I will be sampling as much Dim Sum locally as I can. Oriental East was our first stop on our new Dim Sum adventures.
First, as I said, the line was crazy. We went on the weekend and had to wait a good twenty minutes for a seat. This was not a small restaurant either just packed with people. Reviews on yelp and other sites show that this is one of the better Dim Sum places there are.
Once we got a seat and found the first cart, I immediately looked for and grabbed my all time Dim Sum favorite, Meat Donut. Yes, I know that is not what it is really called, but come on, meat stuffed into a glazed pastry dough? That’s what it should be called. And it was good. If you are new to dim sum look out for the small piece of paper on the bottom of the donut. My first experience, some five to six years ago, ended up me with wondering why this tasted so much like paper. Well, it’s not supposed to. Suffice to say, this one dish as very good. It was very fresh as well. All the carts rolled out of the kitchen and by the time they were halfway around they were empty.
Next up, sticky rice.Very tasty and very sticky. We also had an egg roll, that you can see in the upper right of the picture. It was good as well. Nothing that blows you away mind you. Rice and egg rolls aren’t your most adventurous items on the menu but they were good nonetheless.
Though I am not a favorite of the next dish, my wife loves it. Similar to my favorite meat donut but in a different type of dough. Not my favorite taste wise but still quite good quality of meat and dough. The main thing that surprised me was the freshness of the food. Perhaps it was because the restaurant was so full and the carts were always being emptied but everything came out hot and fresh as if we had ordered it from the menu.
My wife loves the eggplant. She was looking for it constantly since we walked in. She finally found it and said it was delicious. I wasn’t a big favorite but it was still tasty and fresh.
Dumpling were next. Again, fresh, right off the oven. Nothing particularly spectacular about them. Just high quality and good tasting.
Overall the experience was very good. The quality of the food, frequency of the carts and freshness were all great. There were more risky things on the menu that we didn’t try. Clearly my Dim Sum level of knowledge is not top bar here. One thing is sure. When you have a crowded restaurant odds are there is a reason for it. Have to wait 20 minutes? Don’t sweat it. The wait is worth it.
Next up will be Tony Cheng’s in Chinatown, DC. Much closer to us but not as high reviews on the many food sites out there.
Oriental East is located at 1312 East West highway in Silver Spring MD.
URL: http://www.orientaleast.com/
01.25.10 by AllenBacon and Egg Pasta Carbonara – home cookin done right
Not only do I like blogging about local eateries but also talking about delicious recipe’s we find on the Internet. One of those is very easy to make, includes bacon and eggs, makes a ton of food and is dirt cheap. Pasta Carbonara is both delicious and cheap and very easy to make. All the things I love when it comes to making nightly dinners. So this recipe calls for one pound of bacon, one package of pasta, two yellow onions and 2-3 eggs. That’s it.
First up, 
throw the bacon into your trusty dusty pan and fry it up a bit. Traditionally you would use pancetta but we were short on that and went with good ole bacon.
Let that fry up for a bit and let the bacon flavor seep into the onions. While that is going on, start up your water for the pasta and put in some olive oil and salt. Let that go to a boil and just keep fryin up the bacon and onions. You can keep the heat on medium throughout the cooking of the bacon and onions.
When the pasta is done, throw it on top of the bacon and onions. Add 2-3 eggs, I did 3, and stir it all up. The eggs will cook in the pasta the more you stir it up. You can keep the heat on medium to make sure the eggs cook through.
When you are done, you’ll have the completed dish below. Total time to make this is around 20 minutes and it tastes great. My wife is always looking on the Internet for new low cost and very good dishes to try. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a good, healthy and tasty dinner. This one has become one of our favorites. Give it a try and tell us how it went!
The completed Pasta Carbonara.
01.13.10 by AllenLombard Single Malt Scotch Whiskey
I love scotch. Scotch scotch scotch. It goes down, down into my belly. Yes, that is a quote from the great newscaster of our age Ron Burgundy. And yes, it’s just as true for me as it was for him. I have long been a lover of fine Scottish whiskey and as such I feel it fitting to add a section to the new food blog devoted to the wonderful world of scotch.
Some time ago I wandered into Schneider’s of Capitol Hill here in Washington DC looking for a bottle of scotch. I am both not super wealthy and love to drink good scotch. That puts me in the price range of around 40 dollars for a good bottle. I also have the requirement of drinking something between 10 and 18 years of age. Anything over 18 years will just be out of my price range for a regular “house” scotch. Some bottles go well over one hundred dollars.
First of all, the folks at Schneider’s are top rate. They know their booze and can give you a good review of everything in the store. Especially their wines. For such a small shop they have a huge selection of wines. Just entering the place will have someone approach you and ask how they can help. Mention scotch and they’ll take you a row of scotch bottles and begin to ask you questions to put you on the best bottle.
Some scotch tastes like iodine, some is very smooth, some have rich textures and tastes. It’s all about what your tastes are and the more honest you are the better bet you’ll find something.
I myself love the highland scotches. Those do not have iodine tastes, the iodine comes from aging the scotch in lowland areas near the sea where strong salty winds blow in. At least that is what I’ve heard.
When I went into Schneider’s and starting asking questions I was eventually led to a scotch called Lombard. And thank god I was.
This scotch is simply delicious. It’s like drinking liquid gold, except the gold wasn’t a metal and wouldn’t kill you from drinking it molten hot, and just pleasantly dances down your throat telling every taste bud that the time to rejoice is here. It is also top top top quality. On one bender night of drinking nearly a quarter of the bottle I found myself waking up the next day with not even the slightest hang over. Of course, this whiskey should be enjoyed and not slammed and that is what I was doing for a good 4 hour stretch.
And what is the price tag of this incredible drink? A mere 40 dollars. That’s right, for all you scotch drinkers out there you know this is cheap as dirt. It’s only a 12 year age but the smoothness of the drink makes it seem much older. If you find yourself looking for a good new scotch to try I highly recommend this one.
Schneider’s of Capitol Hill is located at 300 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington DC.
http://www.cellar.com/aboutus.aspx
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Papa Weavers Pork Bacon – yum yum goodness
Not only do I plan on posting about restaurants and beer in the DC area, but also about some of the good food you can get from some local grocery stores. It’s about the food dammit! Cook it yourself if you have too, read a cooking blog, taste and enjoy!
Ok, enough drama. I recently found myself wanting a nice Sunday breakfast. I’m talking the kind that is full of unhealthy things that will keep you full for the entire day. Those really massive breakfasts where every portion is too much and all of it equals stretchy pants for the day.
My shock and awe moment came when I realized I had used all the bacon up the previous week, I’ll post what we made with it later. I was suddenly in breakfast despair. My wife insisted I cook anyway and claimed “you can have breakfast without bacon”. Ha! I scoffed such a notion. Breakfast without bacon is like sex with out a partner. Well sorta.
One thing my Wife did insist on was not having a generic brand of typical off the shelf bacon. I agreed on that point. We have been getting our meats from Whole Food and have gone down the organic, no antibiotics route for some time so this really wasn’t a big request. The main issue was, where the hell do you get some good bacon at 9am on a Sunday?
Timor Bodega, that’s where. This is a nice little grocery store in the Bloomingdale area of DC. And boy do they sell some bacon.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture. That’s Papa Weaver’s Pork. I ran over to Timor on Sunday morning and picked this pound of bacon up. It’s frozen but not so bad that you can’t cook it right away. And it’s thick slices, at least a quarter inch for each one. Yum.
The only thing about this bacon is that it’s very salty. My wife couldn’t finish her last piece, I did of course, but the quality of the meat was top notch.
I’ve heard of a method to soak the bacon in milk or something and then cook it up. I still have most of it left and will give that a shot. Bottom line, if you are in a crunch for some good bacon, give this a try. It’s really good just be prepared for the saltiness.
And the bacon in all it’s bacony glory.
Timor Bodega is located at 200 Rhode Island Ave NW (between N 2nd St & N 3rd St) Washington, DC 20001
(202) 588-5612
George’s Townhouse the King of Falafel
Lets start off the new year with a nice little spot in GeorgeTown, Washington DC. Right
on the edge to be specific. This little place is a dream for lunch time warriors trying to
find a place to grab a quick bite. Care for Falafel, Humus, Shawarma, then don’t hesitate to add this place to your list of lunch time spots.
But the best of all is something that you wouldn’t expect from this Middle Eastern style restaurant. This place is home to one of the stalwarts of any good eater. The always good Cheesesteak. And not just any cheesesteak, this one is right up there with being one of the best in town.
I happened to stumble on this little restaurant when I was in need to fill a lunch time
craving. The inside is somewhat small, only having some counter space with stools and about four or five tables. They have outside seating, you can kinda see it in the picture,
and also some seats upstairs. The staff is very friendly and very quick. They cook the food right in front of you so there’s no running back and forth to a kitchen. There’s also no real wait staff, you normally get your own drink from the fridge behind the register, but that really helps to speed things up.
Their menu is mostly Middle Eastern except for the wonderful steak and cheese. For those extra hungry people you can go for the “SUPER 12″ and get a double size. Can ya guess which one I get?
They also have this incredible spicy sauce that they put on their tables. It comes in a nice squeezable bottle and you can drench your food in this very tasty and very spicy sauce. I highly recommend it. I tend to go overboard but why not!
I don’t really have a rating system yet, or know if I should even use one, but if I did, I’d rate this place high. If you need a quick cheese steak fix, stop by, you won’t be disappointed.
Oh yes, how could I end without showing you the cheese steak in all it’s glory. 
George’s is located at 1205 28th Street Northwest, Washington, DC (202) 342-2278
Welcome to yet another food blog in Washington DC!
Hello! Welcome to another food blog in dc! As if the title wasn’t enough. I felt like creating a blog to document my food adventures as a fat irish/jewish/mutt living in the great city of Washington DC. I happen to live near H street in DC, home to some new restaurants and easily accessible to the rest of the city.
Not only food will I discuss here but other matters of interest to DC. For instance, did you know that the D4 buss now runs to Franklin Square instead of Union Station? Very cool. I can now catch the D4 and take that down to 13th and walk to work. Very cool.
So stay tuned for my adventures in and around the DC area.