cafe divan

cafe divan
1834 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 338-1747

what was consumed: mixed mezze platter, doner kebab, iskender kebab (with yogurt!)

k wanted turkish food (note: k also spent a foreign service tour in turkey, so her opinion and expectation for turkish food is much much higher than average), i wanted anything that a preggers lady could get her hands on (haha). cafe divan it is!

cafe divan is a great little turkish restaurant in georgetown. cafe divan offers a wide variety of turkish dishes. i loved that we could get a sampler appetizer plate with the lentil kofte that is just ... so so good. and be sure to get lots of yogurt with whatever you order. it's just so delicious that way!

online: http://www.cafedivan.com/

    

kung fu tea

kung fu tea
1529 Wisconsin Ave NW FL 2nd, Washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 813-3672

what was consumed: taro milk tea with bubbles and taiwanese fried chicken

coming from so.cal, where i've been drinking bubble tea since my childhood, i'm always happy to visit new places that offer delicious bubble tea. 

kung fu tea makes their drinks to order (i.e., they're not pre-packaged/pre-mixed), which is great. in fact, when you order, after you select which tea you want, you choose how sweet, how much ice, and what additional fixin's you'd like to add. my usual go-to is taro milk tea (and depending on my hunger, i'll order the tapioca pearls). they also have tapioca pearls that "explode" when you bite into them! i'll most definitely try those, next time.

i also like that kung fun tea has a few savory bites. in particular, i love the spicy taiwanese-style fried chicken. the szenchuan spice that's a part of the batter is delicious and will be a great complement to your tea.

the location i visited is also down the street from georgetown university. so, depending on when you go, the lines may be long thanks to all the co-eds. hahaha ...

online: https://www.kungfutea.com/

il canale

il canale
1065 31st St NW, Washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 337-4444

what was consumed: bread to start, pizza (la regina), lobster ravioli

delicious il canale! good for small groups or large groups, veggies or meat eaters, even those who are gluten free (i know, odd for a pizza/pasta place).

il canale has been on my radar for a while as one of the earlier places in DC that has a coveted D.O.C membership (and is part of the italian associazione verace pizza napoletana). that means different things to different people. for me, that means i can go to il canale and be assured that the pizza (and the rest of the meal) is going to be delicious. and it surely was!

m and i head over for some good food and god company. neither she nor i had been, despite our many collective years in the DC area. we made sure to order (and share, of course!) pizza and pasta. the pasta's sauce also went will with the additional plate of bread that we ordered (and devoured). so many yums here!

online: http://ilcanale.com/

farmers fishers bakers

farmers fishers bakers
3000 K street nw, 20007
tel: 202)298-8783

what was consumed: whirley pot kettle corn pot, purple and black kale salad, and simply seared sushi grade tuna ... with homemade ginger soda!

bjl told me his favorite restaurant was some place in georgetown. and so, before heading out to dulles, we stopped in for a quick and delicious bite to eat. i'm surprised i hadn't heard about ffb! so many chefs and restaurants engage in the farm-to-table "movement," and i'm glad they do! 

we were only planning on a quick stay, so happily took seats at our favorite dining spot - at the bar. bjl ordered his usual (campari and soda) while i was being super indecisive about their homemade soda choices. their super delicious homemade soda choices! i went with the ginger soda and boy, was it delicious! super gingery, not at all sweet, totally refreshing. i tried to savor ever single drop, but really just chugged it down. it was far too easy.

we started our meal with ffb's version of bar nuts - bits of bacon and nuts in the midst of all the delicious kettle corn. we then moved on to kale salad, dressed just right. we topped off our meal with seared and lightly crusted tuna that sat atop heirloom tomatoes served with a side bean salad. nom nom nom nom nom nom. i don't even know where to begin to describe how fresh and delicious the tuna was, how delicious the entire meal was.

       

and, if you can, get a seat next to the windows. of course you should. but especially if you are at the georgetown waterfront and you have the opportunity to dine overlooking the potomac, why not? i surely will the next time i go to ffb. and i hope it's soon!

online: http://www.farmersfishersbakers.com/

georgetown cupcake

georgetown cupcake
1209 potomac street NW (between M street & prospect street), washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 333-8448
hours: tuesday-friday 11am-7pm, saturday 11am-9pm, sunday 12pm-5pm
neighborhood: georgetown

what was consumed: obviously, cupcakes!

i'm not a big fan of sweets. i once told christine that her friend (who bought her chocolates) didn't know her (ergo me) well because we would both appreciate a bag of good beef jerky any day over a box of fancy chocolates (haha). point is, i like to taste, but i hardly crave and only occasionally eat regular amounts. in fact, there are times when i'll think i'll want something sweet (e.g. fruity cocktail) only to not finish because it has, within the time frame of one drink, to become too sweet. but i digress (per usual).

despite my sort of adversion to sweet things, i have found myself trying a lot of cupcake places in and around the dc/metro area. and let me tell you, there are quite a few. i've written already about hello cupcake (my personal fav, thus far), but georgetown cupcake was probably the one that put these cupcake houses on the map (or maybe it was cake love. point is, georgetown cupcake was/is super popular).

so, last birthday, i came home to c&j wishing me a happy birthday with a box of georgetown cupcakes (thanks, kids! haha). we are korean (christine and me, anyway. jess is an honorary korean - haha) and in addition to seaweed soup (the traditional korean birthday food), cake has become almost a required component to celebrating birthdays in korea (shoot, cake is almost a required component to anything in korea these days). i have purchased cupcakes for christine's past 3 birthdays, so it was nice to be the recipient this time around.

now, while hello cupcake is my favorite, i will say that georgetown cupcake isn't all too far behind. their cakes are soft and moist, and their frosting is sweet, though not too sugary. they have a nice combination of flavors that make the small cake quite a lovely and delicate end to a meal or a snack in and of themselves. much like may other cupcake places, georgetown cupcakes offers a variety of different options. their red velvet cake is delicious - the cream cheese frosting has just a tad bit of sweetness and the cream cheesiness shines through. delicious! their lemon tart cupcake (or whatever it's called) is also yummy, though i prefer my lemon tart cupcake with a bit more lemony-ness and maybe a bit more tart (odd, i know, because i'm also less of a fan of sour things). it was actually this lemon tart cupcake that makes me like hello cupcake more (well, the lemon tart and the carrot cake and peanut butter/chocolate cupcakes, come to think of it - i guess that's quite a few). that and because hello cupcake is currently in a more convenient location (but now that i have a 4-wheeled vehicle, that may change - yeehaw!).

all you cupcake lovers out there! it would be a shame, no, a tragedy, for you not to make it out to georgetown cupcake. go, take a look, taste, and enjoy!

online: http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/

arisu

arisu
1734 wisconsin avenue NW, washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 333-8822
hours: monday-thursday 11:30am-10:30pm, friday-saturday 11:30am-11pm, sunday 11:30am-10pm

what was consumed: haemul (seafood) soondooboo jjigae ... others had dduk mandoo gook and stirfried noodles

korean food in the city! there is definitely a dearth of (good) korean food in DC. and i, sans car (for now), have a hard time getting out to annandale and other koreatown-y places to get my fill of k-food prepared by others. and as much as i don't want to admit it (sometimes), having access to korean food, marketc, etc. is really important to me (shoot, i even considered living in annandale!) anyway, when i heard about arisu, i was super excited to try.

so, my coworkers and i drove up to the georgetown area once we decided we were going to try out arisu (one of my coworkers is always asking me about korean food in the city. it was nice to be able to tell him that we have another option to add!). by car, this place seems pretty accessible. it seems it's off the main georgetown drag, so i imagine that'll be helpful with parking during other times of the day. parking in georgetown is always a pain ... or so they say.
anyway, it looks like arisu is a row house turned restaurant, as many of these restaurants in dc proper are. we entered to see a little bar-y area on the first floor and a sign instructing us to go upstairs - that's where the main dining area is. and by main dining area, i mean seating for about 25?30? not a whole lot (which was fine because there were only 4 other people there at the time).

their menu seemed a bit small (maybe it was condensed because it was lunch? maybe it's because i've grown accustomed to teh immense menus that other korean restaurants seem to have?), but i did see the yookgehjang that i usually use as my marker for good/bad korean food. but i didn't order it this time because i wanted the seafood in the soondooboo jjigae. i was also concerned that my meal would be hurt by the absence of banchan (i had heard you normally have to pay extra for it), but when my jjigae come out, so did 3 banchans. works for me! anyway, the food came out in good time and while it wasn't the best korean food, it was most definitely not the worst. i will say that the mandoo in the dduk mandoo gook was handmade - not too shabby!

so, heres a quick overview ...
pros: it's korean food in the city! and pretty ok korean food at that. what else is there to say about that?
cons: 01) though in the city, it's still hard to get to! argh ... 02) no website! 03) (potentially) having to pay for banchan. umm ... there were some others, but i can't seem to remember right now (i seem to be overcome by incredible fatigue, thus making my brain not work. or maybe that's just a normal condition of mine ... ?). when i remember, i will update and add ...

so, while it looks like the cons seemingly outweigh the pros, i wouldn't totally rule out arisu for k-food.

online: none. fail!

heritage india

heritage india
2400 wisconsin avenue NW, washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 333-3120

what was consumed: vegetable fritters, samosas, paneer makhni (omg, my favorite!), some other curries, nawabi khazana (a mixed platter combination of curries), lamb briyani, butter and garlic naan, zaffrani pillau (basmati rice)

i did not grow up eating indian food. i did not go to university in an area that is known for its indian food (though i had some tastes of indian cuisine via my freshman year roommate). in fact, the first time i had indian indian food was in seoul (but let me tell ya, it was totally delicious!), but that first time was all that it took - i love indian food.

when i lived in SF, where there is a large indian/pakistani population, i enjoyed some great indian food. so, when i came to dc, and noticed that there were quite a few indian options (i'm sure there were lots of options in other areas; i had just not been aware), i wanted to try them out and see what i enjoyed the most. so far, my favorite is heritage in glover park (though, interestingly, they consider themselves a part of georgetown. i think it's more glvoer park, but what do i know about that ...)

heritage india is located on the upper level of a city-version of a strip mall. once you walk upstairs, you're greeted by 2 dining areas (next to a galley-kitchen-esque bar). i enjoy sitting next to the windows that face wisconsin avenue. and while the decor doesn't necessarily cry out "authentic!" i'm not really sure what would seeing that i'm not well versed with indian decor. but what is there is enough to get the sense that you're in an indian restaurant. the servind dishes are greater indication of the authenticity of the fare~

heritage india has a wide array of appetizers, entrees, tandoori, etc. all of the standard fare is located here and you'll probably find your favorite dishes on heritage's menu. you have to order the rice separately, but it is so good that it's worth the few dollars extra - the zaffrani pillau (basmati rice) is cooked with a couple of different spices and the like, thus making the already delicious basmati rice even more delicious. and be sure to try the variety of naans as well. there's something about having garlic on your naan as you enjoy the curries.

this is the only place that i've been able to find (so far) that serves paneer makhni (see photo). and while it is essentially the cheese version of butter chicken, the cheese (paneer) makes the sauce that much creamier and delicious. i've looked into trying to make it on my own because i love it so much, but it looks much more complicated than it seems. i also suck at following recipe directions, so there goes that.

there's also a heritage india location in dupont circle. i've been there during happy hour and have enjoyed their tapas-style small plate "indian street food" that they offer pre-dinner. they offer a variety of different tasty treats, bhel puri (i think that's what it's called - it comes in a bowl-like cripsy thing-y) being my favorite (just a warning, though, there is quite a bit of spice. delicious delicious spice). i haven't really had dinner here, though, so ... note: the kama sutra decorations in the bathrooms makes this location less family friendly (though i wonder if kids even look at that stuff. then again, you know children - they see everything you don't want them to see - ha!), but it's a great place for a few drinks and some tasty bites to eat.

i only wish heritage india in glover park was closer or had increased public transportation access. i will have to ride my scooter there and enjoy the delicious indian cuisine - YUM!

online: http://www.heritageindiausa.com/