surfside

surfside
2444 wisconsin avenue (between observatory lane & calvert street), washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 337-0004
neighborhood: glover park
hours: monday-wednesday 11am-10pm, thursday-saturday 11am-11:30pm, sunday 10:30am-11:30pm (note: while their hours as as such, their kitchen closes about an hour before the eatery closes)

what was consumed: chips & salsa, maui tacos, st. barts burrito

coming from so.cal, i've been spoiled with fish taco options, a la wahoo's, fins, etc. (omg, so delicious! i miss them all~). i've had some good fish tacos in the dc/metro area (try lola's in barrack's row - their fish tacos (along with much of the rest of their menu) is pretty good - yum), but you can never have enough options.

i had the maui tacos - yum! i chose to have the tacos on corn tortillas (i believe you can select flour as well) and while i usually split the 2-corn-tortilla taco serving, they wouldn't come apart, so i just ate it "regular." nice big chunks of grilled fish along with the veggies made them totally delicious. oh, and the two tacos were totally filling. the only downside (if any) was that there was some mayonnaise sauce that was a little overpowering (not to mention i don't like mayonnaise). i also didn't really eat the rice, but that's because i don't eat a lot of rice to begin with. what i did eat was pretty good, though (for those of you who have to have rice).

surfside also has a "fast food" feel - you walk in, write down your order on the order sheet, give it to the person at the counter, pay, then sit down. once prepared, they bring out your food, which is a non-fast-food part. but please don't get me wrong - surfside is NOT a fast food joint. they also do not have fast food prices; however, the food is good and i'm always happy to pay for food that's worth it!

surfside had been on my list for a long time. i'm happy that i finally got a chance to visit - can't wait until i can go again! yeehaw!

online: http://www.surfsidedc.com/

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/