panda gourmet

panda gourmet
2700 new york avenue ne, washington, dc 20002
tel: 202) 534-1620

what was consumed: chinese food! with lots of szechuan peppers. i'm not sure what we ate in particular or what the dishes were called. what i do know if that i ate a lot and it was delicious.

despite my years in DC, there are still hidden gems that i'd only heard about. i'd been hearing about this mysterious place that supposedly started when workers came from the sichuan province of china and wanted a taste from home. true? myth? doesn't matter - panda gourmet offers the delicious and tongue-tingle-ing flavors thanks to the liberal use of szechuan peppers.

friends and i got together for a quick meal before seeing a show at the echostage in the ne. a note to the wise: i went with a contingency of chinese language speakers and that proved veeeeery useful when it came to ordering. the staff was nice and the service efficient. and mostly all in chinese. 

online: https://www.facebook.com/pandagourmetdc

béarnaise

béarnaise
315 pennsylvania avenue SE, washington, dc 20003
tel: (202) 450-4800

what was consumed: brunch! mussels dijon (nueske's bacon, creamy whole grain mustard broth, 63 degree farm fresh egg, fried onion straws). and the brasserie burger (8oz grass fed pennsylvania beef burger, carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese, truffle aioli, frites, with farm fresh egg added). someone try the creme brûlée french toast (brioche, maple creme anglaise, blueberry compote) and let me know how it is! it's supposed to be way delish (though perhaps a little too decadent and dessert-y for me, but i'm curious!)

spike mendelsson ... again! i understand that béarnaise is actually more of a family establishment, run by spike's sister. whoever it is, though, is doing a great job, imo. the first time i went was over easter weekend, the first weekend they had brunch! we were also with béarnaise-regular, s, so she helped us maneuver through the experience.

thankfully, we had reservations for their first brunch service for right when they opened. good thing too because they were booked and didn't even have walk-in seats available. we were quickly seated, drink orders taken (their coffee is really good), and were soon greeted with some delicious (looking and tasting!) chocolate croissants to nibble on while deciding on our orders. béarnaise serves a variety of brunch favorites (e.g. omelets, ), i opted for the mussels because i can't resist mussels (and fries!)

their béarnaise sauce is a must. be sure to ask for extra so you can dip your bottomless (and delicious) fries. BOTTOMLESS!

i can't wait to visit again! i'll be sure to try out the dinner menu this time. no guarantees i won't order mussels. or a burger. again.

online: http://www.bearnaiserestaurant.com/