Author Archives: Don

Yola, Dupont Circle

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Don

Yola just opened a few days ago, and is, in theory, the latest yogurt (*) entry in an already over-saturated market. But, although I didn’t have any yogurt, this one might have some legs. (*) Ah, but it’s not frozen … Continue reading →

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Birch & Barley, Logan Circle

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Don

Yes, I know: it’s packed every night. Yet Birch & Barley is on my shortlist of most underrated restaurants in the area right now (superlative #1). Last night I had a full-fledged, start-to-finish, awesome dinner, without a weak link in the … Continue reading →

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Yuraku, Germantown, MD

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Don

Sun “Sonny” Lee opened Yuraku in 1997, and believe it or not, it’s a sibling of a restaurant in Flushing, Queens (we have a bizarro connection here with MoCA Asian Bistro in South Riding, VA). I’m generally not keen on … Continue reading →

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Bakeshop, Clarendon, VA

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Don

As I was leaving from (what I didn’t realize was to be) my final meal at the Clarendon American Flatbread, I must have had some sort of psychic vibration going on, because I instinctively darted into Bakeshop (formerly known as … Continue reading →

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American Flatbread, Clarendon, VA

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Don

It continues to gall me that American Flatbread sits empty when it’s a mere two blocks from Cheesecake Factory on Wilson Blvd.  Just walk down N. Fillmore St., and you’re there – and, that entire corridor of retail (which includes … Continue reading →

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The Swiss Bakery, Springfield, VA

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Don

The holidays are upon us, and like last year, I knew just where to go for some Christmas cookies: The Swiss Bakery in Springfield, right off the beltway on Braddock Road. Their traditional Swiss Christmas cookies are unpronounceable, but also … Continue reading →

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Elephant Jumps, Merrifield, VA

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Don

I hadn’t been to Elephant Jumps in four months, but stopped in yesterday for a carryout lunch. Panang Curry Chicken ($8.95) came from a one-page menu of “lunch sets” which feature two accompaniments, in this case a Thai spring roll … Continue reading →

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Kababji Grill, Dupont Circle

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Don

Kababji Grill is the first American outpost of a Lebanese chain which opened to great fanfare in Dupont Circle a year ago, but has since fallen silent to the fickle fingers of the press. It is a handsome, polished space, … Continue reading →

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Shang Hai Best Deli, Eden Center, Falls Church, VA

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Don

This little place opened a couple months ago, and is an all-purpose mom-n-pop cafe selling baked goods, Bánh Mì, hanging roast ducks and pig cleaved and sold by weight (are you listening, RJ Cooper?), Sinh Tố, and a few daily … Continue reading →

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Jammin Java, Vienna, VA

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Don

As I sit, typing this note on free WiFi, literally six feet from a classic Donkey Kong video game, sipping my medium skim (*) Latte ($3.52), and listening to this evening’s band rehearse, I ponder the eternal question: Why don’t … Continue reading →

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