keren

keren
1780 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 265-5764

what was consumed: ful, keren special (veggie combo #2 and side special tibsi #1 (we chose chicken))

ethiopian food is always on my list when in DC. i only regret not going to eat it enough! quite a few food blogs have mentioned keren before and while i'd passed its store front what feels like a thousand times, i only recently got to go and enjoy its wares.

i'm ashamed to admit my palate is not sophisticated enough to differentiate between ethiopian food and eritrean food. what i do know is that keren offers delicious east african treats. their ful (which i'd been introduced to while in the middle east) is warm, a little spicy, and delicious both on its own and on the crusty bread its served with. while some may describe it as being similar to chili (maybe), the spiced flavors make this a definite comfort food (and, in the middle east, often served for breakfast!). 


be sure to round out your meal with the keren special - some veggies, some protein, lots of enjera, and lots of delicious flavors.

keren, i will see you again soon! YUM.

brothers and sisters

brothers and sisters
1770 Euclid St NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 588-0525

what was consumed: brussel sprouts, a rice noodle dish with sausage, salmon (large plate), and a delicious desert (i think the song saa, probably our favorite and most unique thing we had)

BJL and i head to brothers and sisters for a belated celebratory dinner. i'm glad we made reservations, as so many people have been looking to the line hotel's restaurants for delicious bites (they've been getting lots of good reviews).

i've been to erik bruner-yang's other places (going back as far as his pho hot dogs that he served at u street music hall back in the day, before toki underground!), so i was excited to see what he had up his sleeve. we also happened to go on chinese new year, so a dragon dance team went through the restaurant, in celebration. that was definitely a nice final touch to our meal (though def out of the ordinary).


as for the food, i'd have to say that our dishes were pretty solid, but (honestly) nothing really surprising or out of the ordinary. i love the fusion-y  aspect of the dishes, and it's fun to see some of the inventive ways chefs are putting dishes together. our dessert, in particular, was definitely noteworthy. not sure of its origins, but we definitely enjoyed that the most. the well prepared cake dotted with fruit that wasn't too sweet and topped off with a light cream. YUM.

i'm curious about the other spots at the line hotel. i'll have to check those out ... soon!

online: https://www.thelinehotel.com/dc/venues/

lucky buns

lucky buns
2000 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 506-1713

what was consumed: lucky bun, handcut thick chips (with delicious malt vinegar mayo!)

despite living close to adams morgan, and probably passing lucky buns a hundred times, i realized lucky buns is in the old l'enfant cafe space (when did that change? wow - i've been away for a while.

lucky buns seems to be on everyone's "must eat" list these days. i'm always up for a good burger place, and lucky buns definitely has those. some classic, some more creative. and while my burger was super delish, i can't say enough about the malt vinegar mayo that comes with the fries. i was tempted to eat all of the mayo after i polished off the fries. the housemade may is that good. oh, and next time, now that my aversion to chicken is over, i will try the spice bag. can't wait!

they have some indoor seating, but a great patio for outdoor seating. whether inside or out, be sure to try lucky buns for yourself!

online: https://www.luckybunsdc.com/

the federalist pig

the federalist pig
1654 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009

what was consumed: the sampler platter (your choice of 3 meats plus two sides). we got the ribs, brisket, and pork belly, along with mac 'n cheese and fried brussel sprouts

after a couple of years of delicious bbq homemade by friends (i'm looking at you, fleischmeisters), i found myself spoiled AND wanting bbq more often than not. i like dry rubs over wet, and i like the option of all the sauces (but not pre-drenched bbq, please). lucky for me, there's the federalist pig that will appease any bbq craving.

located on columbia road in adams morgan, i'd passed their sign and outdoor seating on a number of occasions. but it wasn't until a cold winter night that we finally made it over there. we squeezed in with the rest of the diners (there'll be more seating when the weather is good; there's indoor seating, but not a whole lot). the federalist pig has a bunch of options - a variety of different bbq-ed meats (chicken, turkey, and beef, though mostly pork) as well as sandwiches. i should also mention that they have a bunch of sides that even my veggie friends look forward to enjoying.

i've heard that the federalist pig serves until they run out of food. i.e., they run out of things, especially their popular dishes, before they close for the day. don't let that be you! run to the federalist pig and get in on that bbq action.

online: https://www.federalistpig.com/

mellow mushroom

mellow mushroom

2436 18th street nw, washington, DC 20009

tel: 202) 290-2778

what was consumed: pizza! veggie lovers, meat lovers ... and beer.

despite previous trips to wdc, i didn't eat as much pizza as i would have liked. so, before the turkey trot, we opted for some carb-o loading the pizza way. with the cuisine selected, bjl suggested we go to mellow mushroom. i was a little skeptical especially because mellow mushroom is a chain (think what you will about chain restaurants), but i was happy to try. that it's down the street from home was a total plus, but the delicious pizza we ate is why we'll go back.

mellow mushroom has a variety of different pizzas, along with the option to make your own. they also accommodate so that if you can order a pizza that is half one kind of pizza and half another. they do a standard crust, and when you see that your pizzas are overloaded with toppings, you're glad that you have that little bit of crust to help shovel the toppings in. the veggie pizza was like a salad, made up of well-prepared veggie chunks, a top a cheesy crust-plate. and the meat lovers? a meat-y equivalent, that is for sure. 

big beer drinker? mellow mushroom also has a beer club. if you drink at least a pint of each of their beers, within a given period of time (i forget what it is), you get your name on their wall of fame. the club also has beer specials for its members. a neat way to try all of their different options!

mellow mushroom also has a nice rooftop seating area, according to bjl. i'll have to check it out next time when the weather is not so bone-chilling. the inside, though, is also really interesting. they have a circus motif with an acrobat suspended from mellow mushroom's high ceiling right as you enter. 

while i love the thin crust, neapolitan style pizzas, sometimes you just want to enjoy the great toppings, served pizza style, prepared well. yum yum yum. mellow mushroom, you will see me again!

online: mellowmushroom.com/node/48782

sakuramen

sakuramen

2441 18th street NW, washington, dc 20009
tel: 202) 656-5285

what was consumed: RAMEN! and buns. and gyoza.

i had heard that a former PC colleague of mine invested in a ramen shop in adams morgan. it took me a few years to get there, but i finally did! and, in the era of ever appearing noodle shops, i'm always happy to see a good one join the foray. so, i grabbed friends m and n (one a seasoned eater, the other new to this sort of food world) and head out to adams morgan to try it out. and we had a blast!

sakuramen has a variety of different ramen options. it's a good introduction (imo) to those who have had little exposure to japanese ramen as the flavors are classic and simple - i like that. the noodles are well prepared - a good chewy consistency, not too soft or mushy. the broth is light and flavorful, a bit lighter than the broths i've grown to anticipate at ramen shops, but still delicious nonetheless.

sakuramen also has meat buns and other appetizers on the menu. they serve as nice starters to a meal, or can be meals in and of themselves. the buns are nice and soft and the fillings are classic and tasty. i prefer the pork over the other options (bulgogi tends to be too sweet for my liking), but i'd say you should try them all.

you'll likely find yourself enjoying your ramen while dining on the long communal table (they have a few other side tables, but i prefer the communal table). it can get a little noisy, so it may not be the vest place for an intimate and quiet conversation. that said, the experience is fun. and while i'm not a fan of dining in basements, the folks at sakuramen have done a good job not to make it feel too enclosed or claustrophobic. though, if there's a wait (and there usually is), be sure to wait outside for a bit more open space.

online: http://sakuramen.info/web/ 

pasta mia

pasta mia

1790 columbia road NW, washington, DC 20009

tel: 202) 328-9114

hours: tuesday-sunday 6:30pm-10pm

what was consumed: bread, caesar salad, gnocci in pesto, pappardelle pasta in meat sauce, and wine! yum.

one of my biggest gripes about food in DC is that there seems to be a dearth of affordable italian restaurants in the city (or maybe it's my arrogance that says that i could "make it better" at home. is that true?). every time i mention it, though, there's always someone who says that i really shouldn't say anything until i try pasta mia ... to which i'd always respond with "i don't want to wait in that line" or "it's just pasta" and so on and so forth. i finally caved. and it was delicious.

c & i planned it all out. the first seating at pasta mia is right when they open, so we got in line about 30-40 minutes before (c got there first and was still behind, like, 8 people - what?). soon after my arrival, the line started to go eastward on columbia road. some people, in fact, got in line, considered their chances of getting in on that first seating, and decided to go elsewhere. when pasta mia opened their doors and we were ushered in, i could hear a little cheer coming out of my mouth (ok, so it was actually a verbalized cheer. don't judge).

c and i were seated right next to the window - wonderful seats. since we'd thought about this dinner all day long, we were already ready to order by the time our server arrived (which was soon after we sat down). a basket of bread was soon served and while it was so delicious (was it the bread or our hunger? no matter), dipped in olive oil, we had to remind ourselves that we had huge meals coming our way. our large caesar salad came next (good thing we ordered one to share). the lettuce was crisp, and was light on the dressing (just as we asked), with a hint of fish which is what (imo) makes caesar salads so delicious. so simple, and so delicious!

i'd heard that i should be patient and wait as all of the food is cooked to order. but soon after we were finished with our salad, our pastas came. hurrah! and boy, were people right about portion sizes! the mountain of gnocci and what would otherwise be a box of pappardelle pasta were placed in front of us, covered in sauce, and piping hot. yes! more please! the meat sauce over the papperdelle was generous with the meat and seasoned well in the tomato sauce. all of which was covered with cheese. and the pasta was cooked just right - not too soft, but cooked. the gnocci was super soft, maybe some of the softest i've had, but not mushy and formless - just the opposite in fact. and the pesto it sat in was light and flavorful (some people ordered the gnocci with the meat sauce - so heavy!). i've never eaten so much gnocci in one sitting. and i love gnocci! nom nom nom ...

c & i left with small containers to go (instead of the large ones that everyone else seemed to have). admittedly, this was a point of pride for the two of us. tee hee hee. and note. my (long) run the next day was awesome. yay carb-o loading!

some will say that pasta mia is their favorite pasta place in town. i can see why they say that. despite all of the negatives (i.e., waiting in that line), i can see it rising to the top of my list as well. quickly. yay carbs! haha~

online: no website! argh ... though so many people have review pasta mia (a la yelp and other sites). better that than nothing?

himilayan heritage

himalayan heritage
2305 18th street NW, washington, DC 20050
tel: 202) 483-9300
hours: monday-thursday 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm; friday-saturday 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-11pm; sunday 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm

what was consumed: gobi manchurian (cauliflower mixed with a corn flour batter and deep fried and dipped in a spicy hot and sweet soy sauce cooked with capsicum, ginger and green chilli), himalayan kothey (dumplings stuffed with ground chicken and tibetan spices, wrapped in flour dough and then steamed before pan fried, served with hot chutney sauce), chicken vindaloo (boneless chicken pieces cooked with potatoes in hot spicy goan curry sauce), lentil soup, rice, naan

i really should update my food blog on an empty stomach. growl ...

these days, meeting with ines means getting together to chat and have some good food (i may enjoy these meetings more than she does, though i'm also convinced that our continuous meeting has some significance in your young life. i have to stay idealistic!). anyway, i had been meaning to check out 'himilayan heritage' for some time now. i had visited the same location when it was 'san marco' in my quest to find good italian food. sadly, san marco soon closed, but i was excited to see himilayan heritage open. what in the world is himilayan food? curiosity definitely took me over (turns out, himilayan/nepalese food is sort of a cross between chinese and indian cuisine. in fact, himilayan heritage has a number of dishes more typically associated with indian cuisine, but with a nepalese twist/with other spices and flavors). and then, some friends/co-workers visited himilayan heritage and raved about the cuisine, so (once i remembered, of course) ines and i head over to adams morgan to try for ourselves.

ines and i walked in around noon to find the restaurant completely empty. what does this mean? hmm ... and during our meal, just one more table came in. i imagine it's because of the time of day as well as our visit being on a sunday. no matter - as we walked in, we were immediately directed to one of their many tables (we were given some options - yay options!). upon quick glance at their rather large menu, i realized i had no idea what i wanted (per usual). i proceeded to ask our server about what was good, what was popular. her knowledge of the menu and popular dishes among diners was definitely a plus as we proceeded to order some popular dishes as well as the special of the day (an aside about specials: do restaurants have specials because they want to highlight something or because they have a lot of leftovers/extras of a particular dish that they want to get rid of/sell? i really hope it's the former, but i've seen the latter actually be true. sigh. oh well~).

we started with the gobi manchurian, a sort of sweet-and-sour-esque dish made with a cauliflower-like (i could've sworn it was cauliflower, but it's gobi ... ?) vegetable. the veggies were dipped in a sort of batter before being fried, and then doused with the sauce. a nice alternative to meat-y sweet-and-sour dishes with just the right amount of sweet with sour. i wish there were more gobis and a little less other veggies (i know - i am not one to decline veggies!). additionally, after a few bites, i proceeded to take the gobis out of the batter (per usual).

soon after, our entrees were served. we ordered the chicken dumplings, steamed the pan-fried. the dumplings definitely had a lot of filling and the ginger (i think ginger) flavor was really strong, but delicious, coupled with the chicken. i think the ginger, not only being a great flavor-er in and of itself, it also is supposed to help diminish the sometimes stinky poultry smell/flavor that overwhelms poultry dishes. the dumplings came with two sauces for dipping, both of which i tried, but didn't particularly enjoy. that is, i was not accustomed to their flavors, thus making me less likely to dip into them with great zeal. i had a number of tastes, but the flavor continued not to appeal to me. the dumplings on their own were flavorful, so i quickly forewent (what's the past tense of "to forego"?) the dipping sauces and enjoyed the dumplings on their own. on an aside (again), have you noticed that in most cultures, there is some sort of traditional dumpling-like dish? mandoo, chinese dumplings, pierogis, empanadas, even calzones! interesting ... the chicken vindaloo was delicious and just a bit spicy (as in spicy-hot). i wasn't sure if ines would be ok with it, only to remember that she had mentioned enjoying spicy-hot food. i'm not sure if special nepalese spices were used because it tasted much like other vindaloos i've had in the past. we proceeded to dig into our dishes with great force (haha). and, per usual, we had too much for the two of us, so we got our leftovers wrapped and i sent them home with ines (she later told me that her brother greatly enjoyed our leftovers - haha).

if i had any complaints, i'd have to say that once our food was served, our server completely disappeared. it then took what felt like eons to get our check and head on out of the restaurant. maybe she forgot that there were patrons? sad day. no matter - i look forward to trying other options himilayan heritage has to offer. YUM!

online: http://www.himalayanheritagedc.com/

mama ayesha's

mama ayesha's
1967 calvert street NW (between biltmore street & cliffbourne place), washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 232-5431

what was consumed: hummus; falafel; warak inib mahshi (tangy grape leaves stuffed with tender ground lamb, white rice, and mama’s secret spices, served with homemade yogurt); malfoof mahshi (tangy cabbage stuffed with tender ground lamb, white rice, and mama’s secret spices); jaj bil toma (half chicken baked in a garlic based stew with fresh lemon juice and mama’s special spices, served with rice); mushakal mashawi (mixed grill - shish kabab, kifta kabab, and shish taouk with grilled vegetables, served over rice), baklava

when i first moved out to DC, i got lost (or rather, "explore") in the adams morgan/woodley park area (exploration rules!), which is not surprising. i also made great efforts to find the nearest metro stop to the area (only to realize that really, it's seemingly equidistance between dupont circle and woodley park. i.e., no metro is close - drat). point is, during all of these adventures, i had seen mama ayesha's in passing. it's sort of non-descript building, windows that didn't really seem to light up at night. that may explain why (in addition to the difficulty of getting to the restaurant for me) mama ayesha's made it to my food list, but it took me over 2 years to finally get out there.

my first meal started with a few appetizers (which i love) ... including my favorite - falafel. and you know what? probably some of the best falafel (in my opinion, of course) the falafel was nice and crispy on the outside, hot and soft on the inside. it also came with this delicious yogurt sauce that you couldn't help but dip your falafel in. we also ordered hummus - a sort of standard fare. delicious, creamy, and wonderful with the pita bread that accompanied the appetizers.

then, our entrees! i enjoy stuffed grape leaves and can virtually eat them for a long time. so when a pile of them were presented to me as my entree, i was ecstatic ^_^ the grape leaves were stuffed with rice (a la mama ayesha's spices) and lamb. what a great combination! a yogurt sauce (similar (i think) to what came out with the falafel) accompanied the stuffed grape leaves. i had some of the sauce and while it was delicious, i loved the grape leaves on their own. YUM. friends had chicken and grilled stuff, both of which were tasty, juicy, and wonderful. and the rice - oh yum! i don't know what mama ayesha's recipes include when it comes to the rice, but it was cooked with such delicious spices! we just kept eating and eating, despite the exponentially growing size of our bellies. hahaha ...

our meal ended with some lovely baklava. i'm not a huge fan of sweets, but jess (in company) is/was. the three of us decided to order 1 dessert and share it. me, for taste, jess, for consumption of sweets. no matter - baklava was delicious. light and honey filled. just the way (i hear) it's supposed to be. we also happened to visit during ramadan. i made a comment about feeling bad since, during ramadan, muslims eat only after the sun has set (from what i understand). anyway, they also had some special dessert celebrating ramadan, but we didn't get it. i wonder what it tastes like, though. there's such an appeal to "traditional" foods, yeah?

a couple of other things ... we visited during peak dinner hours on a saturday, but the restaurant was still totally not full. that was good in that we got a lot of attention from our server, but it made me wonder how they stayed in business (there's a great story about mama ayesha on their menus - when you go, be sure to check it out). i went back for lunch and we were the only ones there. interesting.
the decor. there's something about one of the ceilings at mama ayesha's that i can't get over (i've posted its photo at the start of this post). it looks like a collection of tea lights, but upside down, shimmering on to diners. i thought it was great. as a result (or for the purpose of?), the dining area is pretty dark, during dinner (during lunch, the outside light lit up the dining area - and it was fine). i visited that first time with friends, but i imagine mama ayesha's may be a good location for a "nice, romantic dinner." hee hee ...

anyway ... while it took such a long time to get out to mama ayesha's, i'm glad that i did! i imagine i will be back, again ... YUM.

online: http://www.mamaayeshas.com/

amsterdam falafelshop

amsterdam falafelshop
2425 18th Street NW, washington, DC 20050
tel: 202) 234-1969
hours: sunday-monday 11am-midnight, tuesday-wednesday 11am-2:30am, thursday 11am-3am, friday-saturday 11am-4am (yay for such a great late night eating option!)

what was consumed: falafel (duh). fries and soda on occasion ...

i'm relatively new to falafel. that is, it's only in the last 5-ish years (that's a not a long time for me - shuddup, i'm getting old) that i actually started to consume mediterranean/middle eastern cuisine, including the likes of falafel (my only regret is that i started to enjoy it so late in life ... sigh).

in the bay area, i enjoyed many a schwerma place as well as the falafel drive-in (which has also been featured on guy fiore's "diners, drive-ins, and dives" or whatever show on the food network). i'm sure i will find myself blogging about the falafel drive-in one of these days. at the drive in, they would sell falafel (i referred to them as "falafel balls") sans pita, sans veggies ... just the falafel ... for 25 cents a piece (i don't know how much they are now). they're not huge falafel, but i felt the 25 cents was reasonable. i'd get myself a nice bag of 'em on eat them on my drove home. ahhh, yet another joy in the bay area. i miss it!

anyway, i had heard about a falafel place with a falafel fixin's bar that served just falafel (sandwiches) and fries. this was my kind of place! the downside was that it was in adams morgan and, at the time, getting to adams morgan was a royal pain in the arse (it still is today, but i'll suck it up and head on over there). one day, i finally made it. and boy, was i glad i did!

so, here's how it works. once at amsterdam falafel, you get in line and you order - small or large, white or wheat (i usually order the small, especially if i'm getting fries). the difference is in the size of the pita the falafels come in as well as the number of falafel that fill the pita. next, you pay (CASH ONLY - they have an atm inside the eatery) and wait for your falafel. once it comes out, you crush the falafel balls a bit inside the pita (as to allow them to spread throughout the pita as well as absorb the great fixin's) and proceed to the fixin's bar. at the fixin's bar, you proceed to fill your pita with as much stuff as well fit, but be sure to spread it out throughout the pita so that when you bite into it, you're not getting a mouthful of fixin's in one spot and not in others. for the bulkier things (e.g. cucumbers), i often find myself helping myself by putting them outside of the pita, but inside of the wax paper wrap that the pita and falafel come in (they don't have forks and plates and stuff. while they do have "to go" wrapping things, don't ask them for it if you're not really taking your falafel to go. and even if you are, don't ask for it!). some people will put their falafel in the cups that are there (or other fixin's in the cups) as to maximize on the fixin's, but i try not to do that (i think it's sort of ... tacky (no offense), but that's just me). i can barely finish what i put in my pita as it is.

from the fixin's bar, i like to get the garlicky spread, the spicey spread (they're labelled as such), hummous, cucumbers & tomatoes, chick peas (if i have room), and tahini paste (if/when i remember). is there anything else? i'm sure i'm forgetting something. when people ask about it, i just tell them "get what looks good - i'm sure it is" - ha!. with my fries, i'll get the mayonnaise (one of the few times i like mayonnaise) and a little bit of the peanut sauce. i usually only have a little bit of it, but i usually can't leave without at least a taste of it.

i'll sometimes take the long walk from work, pick up the falafel, and walk back to work, enjoying the falafel on the way. for real, i'm addicted. i love it. sometimes you just crave the combination of spice and garlic along with all of the other fixin's. YUM. this is making me hungry. if it wasn't (weren't? darn the conditional!) so hot these days, i'd probably be all about the amsterdam falafel today ...

i've been to other falafel places in town and, more often than not, if a mediterranean/middle eastern eatery has falafel, i will try their falafel (at least once). i will have to say, though, that amsterdam falafel is my preferred location and where i default to when craving delicious falafel. oh, amsterdam falafel, i will be back! and it will be often~

online: http://www.falafelshop.com/

meskerem

meskerem
2434 18th street NW, washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 462-4100
hours: 11am-12am monday-thursday, 11am-2am friday-sunday

what was consumed: ... i forget. it's been quite some time since i've been (probably because adams morgan is soo far and i've found some other places that have taken my fancy~)

i love ethiopian food (have i mentioned that before? hahaha). i love injera, i love the dishes, i love eating with my hands. when i first came to DC, people were telling me to go to meskerem. i ended up having ethiopian at awash first, but christine and i head over to meskerem just a few days later.

the food at meskerem was good. they have the usual ethiopian fare (i.e., i ask the server what i want and ask him/her to choose according to his/her judgement - ha!), though i'll have to admit that their spicy was not as spicy as i like it. good injera as well - delicious! also, they have a great honey wine - i definitely recommend it. the ambiance is good as well - very "authentic," or so i'm told (what do i know?!) with the tables, chairs, decor. the downside is that this pretty popular ethiopian restaurant is located in the even more popular adams morgan. aka a wait to get in, lots of people ... both a pro and con. maybe i'm just impatient - ha!

online: www.meskeremonline.com (under construction)

regent thai

regent thai
1910 18th street NW, washington dc 20009
tel: 202) 232-1781
hours: lunch (noon-ish-3pm) monday-saturday, dinner (5pm-10ish) daily

what was consumed: delicious thai food! goong sarong, tom yum goong, pad see ew, red curry~

thai food is delicious. i don't remember who turned me on to it the first time, but whoever it was - thank you so much! the combination of flavors, the mix between sweet and salty and spicy, the prominence of rice noodles (i love rice noodles!), the presence of coconut milk, the fragrance of jasmine rice, the scent of lemongrass ... ahhhh~

i got the chance to visit thailand a number of years back. with my friend tina, we stayed in bangkok for a couple of days to see 'the sights' of the city, then head out to koh samui for some time on the beach. we also made it out to koh penyang for a night and spent time in a hut! my goodness, the glorious memories are floating back to me ... and, of course, the thai food (or, just "food" in thailand, i guess) was spectacular.

so, now in DC, i was looking for good thai food (there are lots of thai restaurants in DC - i wasn't sure what was good or not) and mentioned it to kera (my old boss at the restaurant). in almost an instant, she recommended 'regent thai' and continued to speak about the delicious flavors that come out of their kitchen ... soon after, my friend, angelina, came to visit DC. I took this as a sign to try out some tasty treats. hooray!

on a fresh pre-spring evening, we made the long trek to adams morgan (long because we're on foot - a preferred way of transportation). so, by the time we head made it out to regent thai, we were both famished (ok, ok, so i'm often feeling famished). we waited a little bit (just a little bit) and then were seated at a nice outside table. with a singha beer in hand, we began to leaf through the menu, salivating. everything sounded so so good! in the end, we decided on a few appetizers and a few entrees for sharing.

angelina and i shared good conversation and great food! the delicious scents that wafted from other tables definitely whet our appetites. when our food arrived (in timely fashions, of course) the savory combination of flavors definitely were pleasing to my (albeit self-proclaimed unrefined) palate. the service was good, the prices were not extraordinary, and the ambiance was good. i can see friends coming for a fun dinner, families coming for some yummy eats, a representative place for curious individuals new to thai food (warning - other places will disappoint post regent thai) - a great place for all walks of life!

yay thai food!

online: http://www.regentthai.com/

awash

awash
2218 18th street NW, washington, dc 20009
tel: 202) 588-8181
hours of operation: mon-sun 11am-2am
happy hour: daily until ... 8?9? buy one beer, get one free

what was consumed: frankly, i don’t remember because all of the names are in ethiopian. but they have some great spicy dishes ... yum! i totally love the bread-y thing that you eat the dishes with. i can’t get enough (seriously). and they have a not-sweet ethiopian beer which i enjoyed the most (of the 3 that they have available, that is).

the first time i came here, i can honestly say it was all in a haze. after spending the full happy hour at l’enfant café (see previous entry), we headed to awash for some late night eating. that is, after going to yet another bar and realizing that all we wanted was to eat. we order a whole bunch of things, though i don’t remember what (not only because all of the names are in ethiopian, but ...). what i DO remember is that they had some really spicy dishes that i couldn’t get off my mind. and the bread-y thing! lightly sour and just the right texture to wrap all of the other dishes. i may not be a fan of eating with my hands, but this first experience with ethiopian food was a total hit! just be careful not to get any of the spicy sauces on your hands because they will definitely stay with you for a while no matter your efforts of removing it. at the same time, maybe you should get the sauce on your hands to be a constant reminder of ethiopian deliciousness!

a number of weeks later, after going to another ethiopian restaurant (that i didn’t enjoy as much as awash) and weeks of craving ethiopian food, i finally got my sister to come out with me to eat ethiopian food. my friend, min, hadn’t really had it before, so it was a great opportunity to reconnect with her and also consume some food that i had been craving. between the bread-y thing and the spicy dishes, there was nothing more that could have satiated my hunger (haha).

so, all of the reviews you read online are pretty true. the place isn’t all fancy; rather, it’s sort of hokey and reminds me of those early chinese/korean restaurants. most of the people look like native ethiopians (though i don’t really know what that is) – english is definitely not their first language (which, actually, is totally cool and a plus, as far as i’m concerned). but the food here is totally great and the chill atmosphere makes this a place i will frequent. besides – they’re open until 2am, giving ample time for inebriation prior to massive ethiopian food consumption. what fun!

update (23 february 2010)
i was just thinking about ethiopian food (which i haven't had in some time - i should go!) and looked back at how my ethiopian preferences have changed. since my initial visits to awash, i haven't really gone back. this is primarily because there are so many ethiopian options in DC. i also went once with a friend who was not a fan of spicy dishes, and was a little bit disappointed with the fare, though their injera was still super delicious. i'll have to make my way back to awash and see if my opinions have changed at all. to be continued!