Tag: Cuisine

Tastes and sights- Washington DC

Disclaimer- Opinions expressed below are solely mine, none of the places are fictional and resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely intentional. For most part, no mammals were harmed but cannot claim the same for birds.

Its been a while since I actually sat down to pen down something meaningful. Having been overcome by distractions like travelogue-ing, Project management and self inflicted racism, I figured a wind swept Sunday morning in suburban Maryland was a decent indicator.

What and where all have I been out chasing international cuisines?

1- Asia Nine – This place at Crown, Gaithersburg, a real find. Excellent service, non-existent wait times with some superlative service. The Eggplant Gai Sub is worth dying for ! This is where I would go to to get a sumptuous Asian meal without the hassles of travel or commute

Sr Lucia Trip Apr 2012 002

2- Rasika, Penn Quarter- A fancy top of the line Indian. Pricy but unlike most neighborhood Indian curry houses, the selection is different, not too westernized and highly palatable. A place to take your out-of-country Indian friends and non Indian colleagues. A great dining experience by all standards.

3- &Pizza, Gaithersburg- A fad, not all that novel inspite of what they claim. And one thing you never want to do- Order online. They find ways to screw it your order and you end up with toppings you detest and not getting the toppings you were craving after a 5 miles run

4- Food carts, 13th & F, NW DC- Watch where you stop. Certainly not all of them are what they advertise. Especially the kabobs, shawarmas or Mediterranean , they can get as soggy as sponges left out in a drizzle. The Indonesian cart is something though  and it seems they actually make a good meal of it. And Gourmet is a term that may be used liberally so its more mediocre than deletable.

Must-do’s – Nasi Goreng, Indonesian, Philli cheese steaks, Asian veggie fried rice

Stay away from – Fried chickens, Masala foods, Shawarmas, kabobs

The good news is nothing will cost you more than $10 so if you hit the motherlode, you’re in for a treat

5- Sweetgreen- Anywhere in DC. Well I happen to be an old fashioned warm/hot food connoisseur. Cold foods just don’t cut  it for me, I don’t even consider a salad as lunch. God knows, I have tried several times but just cannot seem to say anything positive about this place. If you’re out meeting me for lunch, you can bet on me not taking you there! Perhaps I am just not “cool” enough for this place.

6- Choolah BBQ, Sterling, Northern VA- After being told it was the Indian Choptle, I did venture out and savored the offerings. Not disappointing, in fact it was rather refreshing for a change. Certainly not a place I’d frequent unless I had a craving for Sodium overload. Worth paying a visit but only if you’re in the neighborhood!

Now on to trails for a good evening’s run- For rookies like me!

1- A good 4 mile loop around Muddy Branch- Lake Winds Way onto Travilah is as good as it gets especially if you can make it before dark and get to take in the visual delights of the fall foliage

Great Falls

2- Seneca State Creek park- A hidden treasure and I only wish I had discovered it sooner. Rolling hills, tranquil ambience and a trail that makes you want more

PS- As I write I am clutching my left calf in pain since I underestimated the power of warm ups and cool downs.

Bon Appetit- Washington DC

I am no critic, I do not belong to Zagat nor do I claim to have any special taste buds extraordinaire. But as an avid foodie, bent on exploring international cuisines in the DC region I present to you what’s yum and what’s not.

Washington DC has for sure, a lot to offer to tickle taste buds of someone who has limited meat eating abilities, not necessarily  finicky but certainly limited. Speaking from the perspective of someone who grew up in middle class cosmopolitan India, there was absolutely zero exposures to anything outside the traditional north Indian cuisines. Well may be Indian version of Chinese may have crept in towards the mid 80s. That’s about it. So with that as the backdrop, I am freely experimenting anything that DC has on offer. Indian food or curry houses are dime a dozen and have spawned across the region and even sordid looking places which actually could be sorry excuses for food are seen around the several strip malls in the area.

Indians as stereotypical as they may be lend credibility to this word. The only “eating out” is getting all excited at the sight of an Indian restaurant and of course when the weekend buffets are on offer, the trails of saliva have been known to resemble a Mumbai monsoons.

Getting out of the box and willing to venture out takes some doing, a bit of daredevilry accompanied by some adventure. Having done this for over 12 years now, I am going to stick my neck out and offer my opinions. Opinions as they they say is free but my only underlying message to people who have not been too exposed to some rather exotic cuisine is “just try it”. It may not turn on your palate but the trip and ambience are most certainly worth the efforts. And eating at the food courts do not count.

Italian- Maggiano’s, Chevy Chase- Awesome ambience, great wines and great value for your $$

Thai- Mai Thai, Georgetown- Great variety of dishes for the veggies too, with that warm Saki to wash it all down

Indian- Rasika, Westend (Dupont circle)- You need to plan for this, you have to book weeks in advance if you want to get in for prime time dinner slot. A little on the expensive side but this place blows me away all the time

Ethiopian- Try Das, M St, Georgetown- Its not too dissimilar to some version of Indian grub. Spicy for sure and the townhome settings makes it for an amazing experience.

Turkish- Zaytinya, 9th St NW, DC- Small portions, great wine selections and some super mouth watering appies and entrees. Its a lively place and brings cheer to the inner self. Still have to book a few weeks in advance to get in at a decent hour.

Peruvian- The spice levels of the food at the Cochina is a place for a special occasion.Not too much for the veggies though.Bit pricy, I suppose.

Asian fusion- Banana Leaf, Florida Ave- A nice informal townhome setting, the array of choices from a fusion cuisine of Malay, Indonesian, Thai and Japanese is an absolute must for the curry munchers or the not not so curry inclined too.

Now if you were to decide to go for a mean steak or lobsters, your options grow exponentially.

Bon Appetit!