china chilcano

china chilcano
418 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
tel: 202) 783-0941

what was consumed: ceviche clasico, tradicional siu mai, aji de gallina (peru's most precious dish), jook, tan tan noodles

shar is in town! and with her visit comes lots of super fun things, to include delicious eats. and so, we head to jose andres' china chicano in penn quarter for brunch. we were seated at a nice seat near the window, which we enjoyed as we waited the long intervals between our dishes being served.

china chilcano serves peruvian and asian (mostly chinese and japanese) fusion dishes. shar said she's not usually a fan of fusion but enjoyed the fare at china chilcano. i loved the tan tan noodles and that's all i care about now (and probably what i'd recommend out of what we enjoyed). 

if you're going to order the soup dumplings, be sure to put in your order asap (we dilly dallied with the rest of our order. by the time we decided, all the soup dumpling orders were gone gone gone). we were just a few minutes late, so didn't get to enjoy them this time around. next time!

online: http://chinachilcano.com/

doi moi

doi moi
1800 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 733-5131

what was consumed: thai style fried beef jerky, crispy rice salad, sticky chicken wings, taro root and potato dumplings, and crispy fried whole branzino, accompanied by brussels sprouts and sautéed okra sides

hooray for dinner with friends! on a rainy DC night, a few of us head to doi moi for delish thai/pan asian fare.

doi moi has both appetizer/small plates dishes (for sharing) and a handful of entrees. we went with our server's recommendations (the thai style fried beef jerky and the sticky chicken wings--i can see why they are favorites! the beef was definitely not jerky and was more delicious steak pieces. the fried chicken were battered wings covered in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. YUM) as well as what the internet recommended (crispy rice salad - served cold! i don't know why i thought it would be warm, but ... this was BJL's favorite), and what we all love (taro! the dumplings were delish, albeit a little plain, but the spicy broth was just so so so good). we threw in a couple veggie sides and we were glad we did (i.e., super delish). and while we probably were OK with the shared small plates, we felt we should go for an entree ... 

the whole branzino was prepared whole (i.e., with the head). fine by me, maybe not fine for everyone. it was lightly battered and cooked beautifully, and sat on top of a slightly spicy slightly sweet sauce. i could have eaten the whole fish myself (don't worry - i shared!). 

doi moi, thanks for a delicious experience!

online: http://doimoidc.com/

jinya ramen bar

jinya ramen bar
1336 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 588-8560

what was consumed: quinoa salad, jinya ramen, spicy ramen

is there such thing as too many ramen places? no, i say, no!

bjl said he'd seen jinya ramen coming to and from the gym. i was happy to accompany when he suggested we go there.

jinya is apparently one of many (there are locations across the country), which can be both good and bad. maybe they have a solid product? is their product so overproduced that it loses that which makes it special? is the authenticity lost? will it be like any of the other chains that we see? no matter - we still head over.

despite our early dinner dining habit (for reals, we prefer our dinner on the early side),  there was already a wait and jinya looked pretty close to at-capacity. we, of course, opted for two bar seats that just happened to open up as we walked up. yay!

jinya offers some more traditional/expected ramen options (e.g. shoyu, tonkatsu) along with some jinya specialities. what's more, some of jinya's ramens are served with thick noodles (verses the more common (dare i say traditional) think noodles). i might be a fan.

online: https://jinya-ramenbar.com/locations/detail/washington-dc-14th

logan tavern

logan tavern
1423 P St NW, Washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 332-3710

what was consumed: beignets, steak and eggs omelet, breakfast tacos, french toast, eggs benedict ... and coffee.

i'd been to logan tavern before, but didn't know that it was some people's go-to spot for sunday brunches. now, i can see why! be sure to order beignets (though you maybe should to share. no judgement if you polish them off on your own!) and, if your sweet tooth is calling, the french toast (the special one). 

online: http://logantavern.com/

bamian restaurant

bamian restaurant
5634 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
tel: 703) 820-7880

what was consumed: mantu, meat filled pastries, roasted eggplant spread, vegetable special, grilled chicken, stewed lamb (with rice), chicken with rice

thanks to a groupon discovery, four of us head to what felt like the middle of nowhere virginia (it's not the middle of nowhere. i'm just being dramatic, as us "city folk" who trek into the 'burbs can get. hahaha) to check out bamian's afghan fare. friend k said she would go to bamian all the time when she lived near there. she knows good food, and i knew i was in good hands. a few appetizers (roasted eggplant eaten on bread, fried savory pastries, hummus, and mantu (the afghan version of mandoo/dumplings) is always a must, no matter what and no matter where) and a few entrees (a fall off the bone lamb stew on rice, grilled chicken kebabs, chicken stew on rice, a plate of veggie sides) filled our bellies.

if they don't bring it automatically, be sure to ask for "green sauce." a pepper-vinegar-garlic-other stuff i'm sure-sauce that really should cover everything you eat, it's that delicious ... 

afghan food, though, is very rice heavy. i am all about the rice these days, so i welcomed that with open arms. bamian's rice is cooked will, and the flavors of the bbq or stew or whatever else just blends in so well.

i am craving some bamian now ... 

online: http://www.bamianrestaurant.com/

birch and barley

birch and barley
1337 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 567-2576

what was consumed: cauliflower, testa tots, and a meat and cheese plate to start, then the birch burger and bucatini entrees

i'd been to churchkey, the bar upstairs, countless times (they have an amazing beer list and i love their tator tots), but had not yet been to birch and barley despite having been a highlight in logan circle for some time now. thanks to friends visiting from out of town, i finally got my chance.

birch and barley offers diners' favorites: burgers, pastas, chicken entrees, etc. they encourage beers to be paired with their dishes, though they also offer (and support) wine consumption. the favorite part of the meal, for me, was the appetizers: cauliflower (roasted cauliflower smothered in an aioli-like (or just aioli) sauce that was delicious, creamy, and a little spicy), testa tots (meat-filled tater tots. need i say more?), and a meat and cheese plate (pretty standard presentation, but the components were just so delicious. they also made sure to include some sweet and some crunchy, just as good meat and cheese plates always should). will definitely be back for more ... !!!

online: http://birchandbarley.com/

compass rose

compass rose
1346 T St NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 506-4765

what was consumed: summer squash, pescaditos fritos, curried lamb, kakuni steamed buns, a couple of desserts (i forget which) ... and of course the khachipuri

bjl and i received a gift certificate to compass rose for christmas one year (thanks MiL!). we FINALLY made our way to compass rose!

lots of small plates from all around the world. the jamaican curried lamb (love the habanero!) and the pescaditos fritos (good if you don't mind the whole fishies; lightly battered, seasoned perfectly, fried so that they're light, served with a spicy aioli) were probably the favorite among the dishes we ordered.

be sure to order your khachipuri first. maybe it was just us, but ... i was literally counting the number of people who received their khachipuri before us (there were tables that turned over before we received our order. in fact, we had finished our entire meal when the khachipuri was served). that said it was super delish (despite being full - a good sign that it's a good one). let's go eat khachipuri at compass rose!

online: https://www.compassrosedc.com/