little coco's

little coco's

3907 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20011
tel: 202) 853-9889

what was consumed: brunch! coco's daily doughnuts (filled with cream today!), italian baked eggs (bolognese, grilled bread, parmesan), steak & eggs (grilled hangar stea, eggs, argula, crispy potatoes), coco's delux pizza (fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, broccoli rabe, red peppers, pecorio)

more italian food, please! happy to see little coco's added to the list of restaurants in the DC area. c had mentioned little coco's to me and i was glad to finally get the chance to visit.

the ladies and i got together for a yummy italian brunch and some good conversation. we ordered a couple of different different dishes to share. delicious daily doughnuts, check (that cream! creamy and not too sweet. i would like a vat of that, please. steak cooked and seasoned well, check. delicious pizza check. bolognese on grilled bread that we seriously contemplated ordering another of, check (definitely get the italian baked eggs).

thank you ladies, thank you little coco's!

Online: www.littlecocos.com/

habanero taqueria

habanero taqueria

3710 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010

tel: 202) 722-7700

what was consumed: tacos!

c&j told me that some of our favorite tex mex/latin places were closing/transitioning. the upside is that there are new places opening. enter habanero taqueria.

with both indoor and outdoor seating, you'll definitely find a nice place to park (it was summer when we went, so we enjoyed the weather with some al fresca dining). we were quickly served chips and salsa (mild) which miffy proceeded to eat all of (kids make the rules, sometimes, right?) which we munched on until our entrees were served. 

online: https://www.habanerodc.com/

kangaroo boxing club

kangaroo boxing club
3410 11th street nw, 20011
tel: 202) 505-4522

what was consumed: brunch! with a side of mac & cheese and a big house salad.

after a few years on the BMENA region, i can't help but cry out for delicious pork dishes. how do others who have entire careers there do it?! good question. anyway, c and i were on a quest for a delicious brunch and pork on the menu was preferred.

kbc has a nice selection of dishes for brunch. some are classic (eggs, bacon, toast, etc.) and some twists on classic favorites. i was most in to the pork options: breakfast-zed pulled pork, lots of bacon, all with a side of some sort of potato, coupled with bottomless drip coffee. and when the fare is delicious, i can't help but to cry out - i'll have s'more please!

in addition to some of the delicious brunch options, they have a slew of sides that i'd highly recommend. in particular, mac and cheese. while you generally can't go wrong with this comfort food, there's something about being able to enjoy it 1) with breakfast, and 2) as cheesy (literally) as possible.

and for the michigan (university of, not state) fans, we understand kangaroo boxing club is your place. that is, if you missed the gigantic "M" that hangs on the outside of the eatery. hahaha. and even if you're not a fan (or a fair weather fan), be sure to come and eat! yummy~~~

online: http://kangaroodc.com/

taqueria del distrito federal

taqueria del distrito federal

3463 14th St NW

tel: 202) 276-7331

what was consumed: tamales (only on the weekends!), carne asada torta, tacos tacos tacos, and their spicy green sauce that comes with chips that i want to pour on to everything

taqueria del distrito federal is one of my favorite (and my go to) latin american places. people have told me it's more mexican, others have told me it's more salvadorian. i've realized that when i'm devouring some tamales, it doesn't really matter to me. hahaha ...

when c and i have a hankering for tex mex, distrito federal is our go to place. their home made fare (chips!), their delicious salsas, and so on. distrito federal has some indoor seating, but we try to get there to sit outside. distrito federal's strategic location near the heart of columbia heights makes for some awesome people watching.

we make sure we go on the weekends because i have a weakness for tamales (will someone just offer to provide me a lifetime supply of their abuela's tamales? thanks in advance) and distrito federal only offers them on the weekends. the shell is soft and is filled with tasty carnitas, all wrapped in a corn husk. and when you peel the corn husk away, there is delicious tamale waiting for you. sometimes i use sour cream, usually i don't. argh. so delicious.

and while tamales are my go to selection, i will frequently add a selection of tacos and the carne asada torta (i usually cut myself a slice and then eat the rest at home). the tacos are filled with delicious meats, more meat than anything else, topped with a bit of salsa and other fresh veggies (i.e., onions. which i will sometimes pick out because it's just so much. others seem to really enjoy it). the carne asada torta is really a slab of beef with delicious salsas as sauces, topped with tomatoes and slices of mexican cheese.

where is c? distrito federal, now! muy muy delicioso!

 

online: http://www.taqueriadf.com/

the coupe

the coupe

3415 11th street nw, 20010
tel: 202) 290-3342

what was consumed: kale salad, quinoa cake, shrimp and grits, grilled chicken, hush puppies ... 

i hear the quality of the food and service of 'the coupe' got better once they moved from an 'open 24-hours' format to a open early, close late plan. either way, i'm glad to see the coupe added as an addition to the 11th street restaurant options.

the first time i went to the coupe, c was still super preggers and mentioned to me that she wanted to eat the coupe's kale salad. before departing the wdc area, i remember hearing about the forthcoming addition to 11th street, so it worked out well that i could check out this new restaurant as well as feed a pregnant lady's cravings.

i sometimes dream about their kale caesar salad. it's so simple, but the light dusting on top of super shopped kale with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top is simple and delicious. one order is enough for a two-person appetizer, though i've frequently contemplated getting an entire order for myself. hahaha ...

in addition to the kale salad, the coupe offers a variety of new american fare. be sure to try the quinoa cake (not a dessert cake, and totally savory, of course).

the coupe is also a great place to sit awhile and grab a cup of coffee. they have a separate coffee bar area where you can order your cup to your liking or just grab a cup of the day's coffee. be sure to grab a seat and sit for a bit as you do a bit of people watching!

online: http://www.thecoupedc.com/

pho viet

pho viet
3513 14th street NW, washington, DC 20010
tel: 202) 629-2839
hours: monday, wednesday, thursday 11am-9:30pm; friday-saturday 11am-10:30pm, sunday 11am-8:30pm

what was consumed: summer rolls (an order of 2 for me, an order of 2 for c~), papaya salad, bahn mi (accompanied by fried sweet potato slides and a soda), pho (with beef eye round & flank)

though i didn't have pho until i was well into my college years, i haven't been able to get enough of it since. and that i grew up next to the 'little saigon', i will admit that i have been spoiled, thus affecting my preferences when it comes to vietnamese food (as much as that is possible, anyway). so when i found out that there was a large vietnamese population in washington, dc, i anticipated the hope that there would be many vietnamese eatery options ... but was quickly disappointed to find out that there were very few (and that the good ones were out in the 'burbs ... as is the case with lots of asian food options). lucky for me, a few have popped up as of late ... and close to where i live! wonderful! and so, when c and i were thinking about a place to go for a nice warm meal on a chilly day, pho viet was at the top of the list.

our meal began summer roll appetizers (an order for me, an order for c - i love summer rolls!), papaya salad, and a bahn mi platter (to share). yes, we ordered a lot of food (we may have scared our server. what kind of girls order enough food for an army? no comment). we gobbled up our fares quickly, but couldn't help comparing them to similar options at other places. "i like it better when summer rolls have ...", "i like it better when the papaya salad is ...", "i like it better when the bahn mi has ...", you know. that sort of thing. don't get me wrong - we still enjoyed, of course.

when our pho arrived, i was pleasantly surprised! so surprised (or maybe more excited?) that i forgot to take a photo (how is that possible?!?!?!?!?!). our bowls of pho arrived as they should - with the slices of (raw) meat on top of the properly cooked noodles in a hot broth ... hot enough for the meat to cook in the broth as the bowls are brought to the table. the broth looked a little light, but i enjoyed the unexpected flavor with my first spoonful. as is my way, i scooped out all of the green onions and cilantro (they add to the flavor, but i don't like to chew those buggers), added my bean sprouts underneath my noodles (as to slightly cook the veggies), added a bit of sriracha sauce for spice, then mixed it all up ... and thoroughly enjoyed. and all this despite having already consumed a meal of "appetizers."

while i may not go back to pho viet for some of their other fare, i will definitely think of them first and foremost when i'm hankering for a nice bowl of pho. more pho please!

online: http://www.phovietdc.com/

redrocks firebrick pizzeria

redrocks firebrick pizzeria
in columbia heights:
1036 park road, NW, washington, DC 20010
tel: 202) 506-1402
hours: monday 5pm-11pm, tuesday-thursday 11am-11pm, friday-saturday 11am-1am, sunday 11am-11pm
in alexandria:
904 king street, old town alexandria, VA 22314
tel: 703) 717-9873
hours: monday-thursday 11am-11pm, friday-saturday 11am-1am, sunday 11am-10pm

what was consumed: everything ... the list of things i've had at red rocks is ... a lot. here are a few (of things i currently remember. i'm sure there are others that i've had that are no longer on their menu): italian olives (marinated and warmed, with house-baked bread), broccoli rabe (with aged balsamic dressing and hot peppers), asparagus salad with prosciutto bites, mixed greens salad (with aged balsamic vinaigrette), margherita pizza (tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, basil, olive oil, sea salt), rugola pizza (arugula, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, cherry tomatoes), baked calzone (fresh mozzarella, ricotta, spicy marinara, parmesan), meatballs al forno sandwich/panini (meat sauce, parmesan, house-baked bread), tiramisu. my current favorite is the rugula pizza with pepperoni added.

i totally thought i'd written about red rocks before. silly me, turns out that was all a part of my imagination. so, here goes!

i love pizza. but these days, i find myself eating most of my pizza at redrocks (and no no no, it's not because of m and her connection to that place - i loved redrocks way before that!). here's the thing: redrocks is currently the only place where i will eat the crust of pizza. crust is usually not a big deal and i usually leave it by the wayside, but at redrocks, i will eat every last bite. as much as my stomach will hold, anyway.

redrocks is known for their neapolitan 'style' pizza - you know, individual size, thin crust deliciousness. they have pizzas with preset toppings for you to choose from, but you also have the option to make your own creation as well ... and are all deliciously cooked in their firebrick oven. their meats are cured deliciously (esp. out in alexandria - they cure their own meats! ahhh!!) and their cheese is always fresh and delicious. in fact, all of their ingredients are fresh, following with what's in season (i can't wait for their fava bean appetizer at the alexandria location to come back!). redrocks also has a series of delicious antipastas (love the marinated olives - a frequent starter for me. and their veggies! the balsamic dressing they use is plentiful, but not overwhelming ... and whatever dressing is left over makes for good bread dipping sauce), salads (i love their beet salad, even though i'm not a super huge beet fan. i think the combination of the dressing works well), lots of things with arugula, as well as other options for the non-pizza lover (if they even exist!). e.g. their paninis - so delicious! the bread is the same dough they use to make their pizza crusts. yay! seriously, i can't get enough.

i also really enjoy the tiramisu at redrocks. it's not overly sweet; rather, it's super creamy, but super light. i'll barely have a bite of dessert at other restaurants, but will eat a good portion of the tiramisu at redrocks. so delicious, so worth the extra few bucks to end a meal that is already so so so wonderful.

and don't forget about their drinks! at both of the redrocks locations, they have wonderful beers on tap (though my go to beer is the brooklyn lager - love it!), great wines, and an array of special (and standard) cocktails. during the thanksgiving season, they had this amazing pumpkin cocktail that was literally pumpkin pie for adults (i.e., alcoholic), in a glass. definitely worth considering. or just be like me and enjoy tasty beers. yum.

the first time i visited redrocks: a couple of years ago (back when i was working as a server at domku), i heard about redrocks' opening in columbia heights from some of the locals who were "in the know" about places opening in columbia heights. i was meeting with ines at the time, so we decided to visit redrocks on one of our meetings. we walked over (red rocks is conveniently located just a few blocks from the columbia heights metro) and enjoyed our pizzas outside. ines ate her entire pizza (as did i, of course) which was sort of a feat because she, at the time, couldn't have been more than 8? 9? something like that ... and i couldn't wait to head back.

i've since returned to redrocks on quite a few occasions (i celebrated my birthday here!). most recently i participated in a redrocks + brooklyn brewery food and beer pairing dinner. i love so many of the beers that come out of the brooklyn brewery, and it was awesome to have redrocks favorites with some awesome brooklyn beers. i wish i had a bigger stomach (and an even higher tolerance) as we left, stuffed, with take-out boxes of leftovers, feelin' really really good. hee hee ...

redrocks has since opened an old town alexandria location, which i've been to as well. the menu (and ambiance) is slightly different, so if you've been to one location, be sure to visit the other! it'll be worth your while. all of this writing is making me hungry. again. pizza anyone? let's go to redrocks! yay yay yay!

online: http://www.redrocksdc.com/

room eleven

room 11
3234 11th street NW, Washington, DC 20010
tel: 202) 332-3234
hours: sunday-thursday 5pm-1am, friday-saturday 5pm-2am

what was consumed: fried cheese, market salad (potato!), panini (with sharp white cheddar, fresh mozzarella, raclette, shallot with small house salad and cured meat addition). and, of course, wine.

there's a bar near my house that i really should make my local bar (but that's another story). anyway, there was a bartender there who was pretty cool (i think his name is dan). one day, word on the grapevine was that he was over at a place just a few blocks away. low and behold, there it is - room 11! and while it took me longer than i would've liked to get over there (oops), i'm glad i finally got the chance!

so, c and i, waiting for some of our other friends, decided to head over to room 11 for some girl talk. we head over to room 11 and looked forward to some good wine and some good eats.

and we were not disappointed!

we sat at the bar (our favorite seats) and started speaking with dan. we weren't really sure what we wanted (wine wise). told him what we liked, we told him what we didn't like, and he gave us some great suggestions (i will have to go back for one of their beer tastings as well - yay!) and we settled on a nice, crisp, tasty rose which was great for the summer day. we paired it with a couple of small plates to share. the food at room 11 is wonderful. fresh, seasonsed well, light, delightful. by the time we finished our eats and our bottle started to dwindle, we took a look around and noticed that the little restaurant (both inside and out) was getting pretty populated. good for room 11! bad for the late comers (haha).

while there, c also mentioned that she had had a wonderful white manhattan (i think it was a manhattan. i've since forgotten. oops again, i know. point is, it normally is a brown drink, but he makes it white!). what a great way to end a wonderful time at room 11. i look forward to visiting room 11 again, especially on a nice day as they have some great outdoor seating!

online: http://www.room11dc.com/

meridian pint

meridian pint
3400 11th St NW(between N Park Rd & N Monroe St) Washington, DC 20010
tel: 202) 588-1075
hours: sunday-thursday 5pm-2am, friday-saturday 5pm-3am

what was consumed: beer! fries with this gravy sauce thing, pulled beef short rib sandwich, buffalo wings.

housemate tyler told me about a new beer place opening up in columbia heights weeks ago. so exciting on a number of different levels: new eateries near home AND libations! hooray! a bunch of us finally got a chance to visit meridian pint, within a few weeks of their opening at that ... and i'm super duper happy that we did!

meridian pint has a street level dining area and a basement bar area (with 2 pool tables, a table shuffleboard/shufflepuck, some booths and tables, and a lot of standing room). christine, et al, got there first and saved a booth downstairs. as i head down the stairs, i was happy to be greeted by a nice chill in the air (yay a/c! especially on these hot hot hot DC days/nights). when i met the rest of the party, i was happy to see that we got one of the tables with beer taps right on the table (hooray!). what a great idea! more about this in a little bit ...

food: meridian pint has a series of dishes for whatever you're craving, anywhere from light appetizers and things to snack on all the way to full on entrees. this time around, i tasted the fries and buffalo wings. i love that the fries were served with this gravy sort of dipping sauce that was delicious! the buffalo wings were ok, but i prefer mine fried and without any sort of sauce (though, i guess, then they're not buffalo wings, but rather, just fried chicken - haha). i also didn't finish the wing i was eating because the meat started getting redder and redder the closer i got to the bone. i'm sure it was ok (and i felt ok afterwards), but i refrained from continuing. and, per usual, i wished they'd put more celery sticks on the plate. i didn't get a chance to taste the pulled beef short rib sandwich as i wasn't too hungry. but, quite a few people at the table ordered it and raved about it. that's a good sign, right? there was quite a pile of beef short rib in the sandwich on a nice sized kaiser roll. and that it's served with fries is always a plus! what should i have the next time i visit?

drinks: at meridian pint, you can order beers from your server or bartender (and they have quite a great selection of beers and a lot of liquor options as well) or you can pour your own pints straight from the table (and i hear you can reserve these tables, but that this is something new? shoot, the entire place is new). our table had sam adams and hennepin by ommegang (which i love). i hear that they are going to rotate the table taps - can't wait to see what they put in next! anyway, you pay based on the amount you drink, not necessarily per glass. having experienced bartenders at our table (i.e., christine) definitely helped with avoiding foam. friend jenny made a really good point - even if the beers on tap at your table are not your favorites, you can pour yourself a little glass as you wait for the server to bring you your preferred beverage. on top of that, because you can pour short glasses of beer, it's sort of a way to ensure that your beer will always be nice and cold - excellent! one thing to note: they have a pint maximum (i think it's 12 pints) as to cut people off from going overboard. this makes sense and i think is a pretty good idea (and we only ran into it because our party was so large, not necessarily because we drink a lot. or is it ...). the actual/real downside: it was hard to divide our bill as no one could remember how many pints of beer each consumed (especially as we started pouring partial pints) and we were all over the place with our ordering from the server. then again, we had a pretty big group (12 of us at one point!) and that added to the confusion. in the end, we figured it out ... i think. lucky for us, our group is a pretty generous group, so we were far from short when it came to closing our tab and tipping our server.

oh, meridian pint, welcome to the neighborhood! i'm glad you are here. i imagine you will see me again. and again. and again ...

online: www.meridianpint.com/

commonwealth

commonwealth (now closed. sad.)
1400 irving street NW (btwn 14th & hiatt), washington, DC 20010
tel: 202) 265-1400

what was consumed: jacket potatoes, fried chicken, rocket w/farmstead cheese & lemonette, bucket of chips, grilled squid, smithwick's beer battered fish & chips, ploughman's lunch surrey ham& wildflower cheddar&pickled cabbage&apple&bread, puffed bread thing (i don't remember what it's called)

after seeing commonwealth (and loving gastropubs), i finally got a chance to make my own visit (thanks for the suggestion, christine!). and with this being in ines's neighborhood, it was fun to have her come along.

so, on a day where we were looking for something close (and good, of course), we picked up ines and head over to commonwealth.

common wealth has both outdoor and indoor seating. despite the ominous clouds, we grabbed a seat outside (the last one with an umbrella, mind you) and started to peruse the menu. so many options! so i want a collection of gastropub "snacks" or a meal meal? do i want something heavy or light ... or a combination of all of these things? when our very attentive server came over and over again to take our order, this was the dilemma i was under. of course, the server was really nice, answered all of our questions, and paiently waited for us to make our decisions.

our meal started with bread - a really nice white with herbs and stuff along with a really nice brown with raisens. and while i'm not a fan of the sweeter breads, there was something about this otherwise dense bread that made me want slice after slice after slice (which i refrained to do after ordering the massive amounts of food that we did. why do we do this?! gluttony, i say, gluttony. oh, and food envy). and while i was thinking a nice beer could go along with the meal, we opted for some club soda (and cola for ines) instead. one of the neat things is the cups that commonwealth uses - these oval glasses! love the detail.

next, appetizers. loaded potatoes, salad, puffed bread, grilled squid. omg, so delicious. the grilled squid (my choice) came on a bed of zuccini noodles (always delicious) and was grilled just the right amount. i have to admit that it was a bit on the salty side, but i do prefer my food salted less than the norm, so i can't really say too much about that. but the loaded potato? good choice, ines! she got the creme fraische and bacon topping - you can't go wrong with that! and apparently europeans call arugula "rocket." i don't know why i thought that was so funny ...

by the time the entrees came out, i have to admit i was pretty full. meh~ of course, that didn't prevent me from continuing to eat. the fried chicken, the beer battered fish, all delicious. but the de-constructed sandwich? right up my alley. so delicious! the different meats, the salty cabbage, the mustard. yum.

ok, i'm finished talking about the food. it's making me hungry ... again.

in other news, the very convenient location of commonwealth (right off the columbia heights metro) make this a likely place for return. it's too bad, though, that the reviews for commonwealth aren't better (i wonder if it suffers from the same unreachable/unreasonable expecations that i have for korean restaurants). some people were disappointed with their beer selection (hmmm ... i'm afraid that i'm turning more and more snobbish when it comes to beer. that's not bad!). no matter - i will have to go back and try commonwealth at other times of the day ... and i will be happy to do so!

online: http://www.commonwealthgastropub.com/