dc noodles

dc noodles
1410 u street NW, washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 232-8424

what was consumed: noodles in spicy soup (with chicken), udon noodles (with chicken)

in my attempt to try new restaurants (and to take ines to a variety of places around town), we head out for a noodle lunch on u street. i had heard about dc noodles from someone (i forget whom) and see it pretty regularly in passing (seeing that dc noodles is right on the corner of 14th and u). it also turns out that there is some affiliation with other restaurants in town (like 'rice' - which i also want to go to) ... according to their website anyway.

so, ines and i walked down from columbia heights to the u street corridor. while we were contemplating ethiopian food or noodles (or rather, i was contemplating), we decided on noodles because it sounded good, it was closer, and it was cold outside.

dc noodles has a number of different asian style noodles to choose from. some are in soup, others are not. a combination of thai, vietnamese, japanese ... and whatever your liking is, chances are, you'll find something here! you choose whether you want a dry or soupy noodle, what sort of fixin's go in it (chicken, pork, seafood, tofu - that sort of thing), and the sort of noodles that are available. i love rice noodles and they give you an option here at dc noodles. i had the noodles in spicy sauce and while it wasn't really spicy, the combination of peanut sauce made the broth quite flavorful. pieces of chicken along with a variety of different veggies swam in the broth that went quite well with the soup as well as the noodles. i felt like the rice noodles were a bit overcooked, but i sort of forced the noodles apart and then it became ok. ines seemed to enjoy her udon as she proceeded to enjoy her bowl of noodles.

i have to admit, though, the $12 price tag for a bowl of noodles is pretty high compared to other places i've been. but maybe i need to step away from my memories of getting bowls of pho while in college or in little saigon for a nominal fee. and considering the dearth of pho restaurants in the city, i guess we'll just have to take whatever we can get at whatever price ... hmmm ...

on another note ... there's also a really great mural on the wall (with the artist's bio). i forget the artist's name, but the mural is fantastic. the graffiti art (is that what it's called?) depicts a chef serving noodles and a kid enjoying them (see photo). i don't know what it is about the mural, but it is fantastic! it totally livens up the dining area and i have a feeling it looks pretty awesome when they dim the lights for dinner service (though i can imagine some sort of black light/neon-club-esque sort of ambiance as well). i'm not sure what is next door, though. i should've looked when i went up to see the artist's bio, but i didn't. curious ...

the ambiance of the restaurant isn't anything special (besides the mural, that is), though it looks and feels clean (which is always a plus). maybe it's because they have white chairs, i dunno. there seems to be quite a bit of seating for a place that seems otherwise quite cozy. our server was quite nice and attentive - that's always a good sign.

so, when in the mood for a bowl of noodle soup, consider the options available at dc noodles - i'm sure it'll hit the spot~

online: http://dcnoodles.com/