w domku

w domku
821 upshur street NW, washington dc
tel: 202-722-7475
hours: monday-thursday 11am-11pm, friday-saturday 10am-midnight, sunday 10am-11pm

what was consumed: butter lettuce salad, gravlax salad, carrot and ginger soup, schopska, curried egg open sandwich, georgian eggplant caviar, cabbage rolls, pate, mussels, gravlax sandwich, gypsy kielbasa, chicken and cheese nalesniki, pierogis, red onion and cheese pie, serbian gibanica, tilapia, lamb burger, spicy grilled cheese sandwich, salmon hash, swedish (?) pancakes, bigos (hunter’s stew), goulash, and lots of beer (i love the belgian drafts and the baltika 8)

so, i’ve had a lot of stuff from the menu. but there’s a reason for that – i work as a server at domku … so please, don’t get mad if the server isn’t the bestest in the world – i’m seriously doing what i can! … usually …^^;;

christine started bartending at domku (she had mentioned, to the owner, that she was looking for a bartending gig. the owner then proceeded to ask her if she wanted to work at domku. as an individual with no bartending experience, this would be a great opportunity) and after i had visited her at the bar, the owner came and asked me if i’d like to work there (especially while i was still unemployed. make a few extra dollars while serving a few tables – sounds like a great plan, huh?). despite my current employment, i still put in a few hours a week (usually on the weekends) not so much for the extra dollars, but because i really enjoy working with some of the people that i do. even if i wasn’t working, i’d probably frequent the café/restaurant/bar.

there’s something about domku that makes it really comfortable. the eclectic array of furniture allows for people to lounge, eat, study, whatever. though there are stints of only madonna or only the police in the music selection (something that has been addressed and will be changed), the also eclectic collection of music has certainly opened my hearing eyes to other genres, artists, and types (i especially like the song about the whale and singing about “f-word” … seriously). though serving tables outside in the newly opened sidewalk café is sometimes a pain in the butt (because they're hard to see from inside and those tables are just so darn heavy), it’s a great place for patrons to enjoy the outdoors (granted, it’s the outdoors of petworth), especially on a nice night (when will we have those again? darn these hot & humid summers!).

the polish/scandinavian/eastern european collection on the menu is definitely something new to me. i had never had nalesniki prior to my experience here (and it took me about a month before i could even pronounce it!), but it’s definitely delightful and recommended. in fact, there hasn’t been a salad/appetizer/sandwich/entrée that i haven’t enjoyed yet. i’ve worked at domku since the middle of february and i still enjoy eating much of the menu, despite the many times i’ve chosen from its offerings.

for the newbies … here are a few recommendations. not being a breakfast person, i can’t say a whole lot about the breakfast items, but i’ve sampled some of the menu and what i’ve had has been fantastic. the salmon hash is fantastic (i’m a huge salmon fan and hash (sautéed (?) carrots and potatoes) is always delicious) as are the crepe-like pancakes. for other meals … the sandwiches all come with either chips or salad (which i initially always forgot to ask patrons, requiring me to sheepishly return to the table to “finish” taking their orders) and at this moment in time, my favorite sandwich is the gravlax (but i love gravlax (a cured salmon). christine thinks the gypsy kielbasa is the most fantastic while i find that the spicy grilled cheese is the most popular … i think). there are also so many great entrees to choose from. there is a slightly different menu in the winter than there is in the summer. in the winter, the bigos (hunters stew) or the goulash definitely will warm you up. and if it’s fish you want, the tilapia is prepared deliciously and it comes with some super fantastic pea risotto. as an appetizer, i’d probably recommend the eggplant caviar or the mussels (i love the mussels!). other appetizers are delicious as well, but … just personal preference. and my favorite salad is a toss up between the butter lettuce salad (which has been on both the winter and summer menus) and the schopska (stacked slices of cucumber and tomatoes, sprinkled with feta cheese and a light sauce … just on the summer menu). we usually have a range of desserts (from 0 to 5 … depending on the chef’s time availability to create/make dessert). a pretty standard staple, though, is the almond cake. definitely worth a try – delicious! sometimes (no … often), there are things that are not available that day. but no fret! there are bound to be other things on the menu that will be pleasing to the pallet.

what’s also great about domku is their beer selection. yes, many a day we are out of certain beers, but, again, there is bound to be another that will suffice. the owner has a good sense of her drafts and not only are the bottled beers significantly larger than the “standard” everywhere else, they are mostly eastern european in origin (when else are you gonna get to try those?). for the more adventurous, i’d recommend a beer with some of the fruit syrups. though that sounds a bit strange, all who’ve tried come back for more.

come join us at w domku in petworth!

online: www.domkucafe.com