Cali Yogurt, Adams Morgan

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Don

Cali Yogurt (technically one word in all lowercase) is known for two things: frozen yogurt, and tea.

So I made the mistake of combining both. A Green Tea Yogurt ($3.50 for a small) was ordered unadorned, which was also a mistake: fat-free, super tangy, and just plain awful in its native state, I’m certain I did this place no justice by getting the least appealing thing on the menu. I let it melt overnight, and it was no better this morning.

The website touts the fruit toppings as being fresh, not frozen, and I don’t take that lightly – I’ve had raspberries and blackberries at other frozen-yogurt places that are still frozen when I get them, and have the texture of a shortbread cookie. Fresh fruit toppings are a big plus.

The place is small and cute in that Yo Fruit / Jackie’s type of way, and the staff was extremely friendly (can you tell I feel guilty?) So, on the agenda for next time: plain yogurt, topped with fruit; or, one of their eighteen different teas.

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Slaviya, Adams Morgan

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Don

Slaviya opened in April in the old LeftBank space, but I hadn’t been until last night. When I walked in, the restaurant was virtually empty – except, of course, for about two dozen people crowded around the dance floor. You see, Tuesday nights are Argentinian “Tango Night” at this (primarily) Bulgarian restaurant.

Slaviya has a good selection of Bulgarian beers. They were out of the Shumensko (there is probably only one distributor in town), so instead I got a good, malty, Pilsner-like Kamenitza ($7 for 500 ml). I sat there, alone at the bar, mesmerized by the dancers.

Not because they were great dancers, but because they weren’t. Anyone with an inkling to tango (it takes two, btw) should not hesitate to come here, even if they’re a raw beginner. When the accordion piece came on, the wallflowers migrated to the floor, and twelve couples were happily dancing in concert.

And, also on Tuesday nights, there’s half-price Balkan Grill from 5:30-10 PM, featuring six different items.

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Mezè, Adams Morgan

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Don

Tuesday nights are your night to dine at Mezè – bottles of wine are half-price.  You will not go wrong with a peppy little bottle of 2009 Angora Sultana de Denzili ($16 on Tuesdays, normally $32). The sultana grape is indigenous to Turkey (among other countries), and is cultivated in the United States as – hold onto your hats – Thompson Seedless. At $32, this wine would be too expensive; at $16 it’s just fine, and actually has more balanced acidity than a Lauverjat Sancerre I tried shortly afterwards.

There are a dozen entries on the menu marked vegan, so I thought I’d have a go at it.  Patlican Ezme ($5.95) was the weakest link, although it sounded good: grilled eggplants, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes seasoned with garlic and olive oil.  More of a diced salad than a spread (which makes sense), I was yearning to put some on the wonderful, warm piece of homemade bread that came with dinner, but ended up alternating bites.

The Dolma ($4.95) were way better than the norm, although they needed to be eaten manually or else they’d crumble. Grape leaves stuffed with caramelized onions (!), rice, pine nuts, and most importantly, “cooked on gentle fire.” I could have happily made a meal of these.

But Mercimek Köfte ($4.95) was their equal. I don’t make a habit of getting thrilled about lentil cakes, but these were really good, the lentils cut with bulgur, onions, and parsley, and the little cakes hand-formed into a size similar to the dolma. This is served with a yogurt dipping sauce (*), so technically the dish isn’t vegan in toto.

A bottle of wine and three meze, and the total was $31.85 before tax and tip – not bad. Mezè is open until 1:30 AM (2:30 AM on weekends) and serves a late-night menu (listed on their website) after 10 PM.

(*) And yes I did.

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Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Don

I almost walked into Pat Troy’s for a pint yesterday before dinner, but then logic (i.e., the thought of clean lines) took hold of me, and so I walked over to Restaurant Eve.

A pint of Guinness ($7) it was, and who knew that it would be such a perfect – and I mean perfect – pairing with an order of Deviled Eggs ($7), three halves, swirled high with a rich center of yolk, mayonnaise, mustard, etc., the Guinness all of a sudden tasted sweeter and less bitter, and the eggs lighter and less heavy. Wonderful!

I felt like staying vegetarian last night, so ordered some small plates. Along with the deviled eggs, I ordered Crisp Potatoes with Aioli ($7) from the bar menu. Roasted fingerlings, topped with just a teasing amount of Aioli, I (perhaps with a touch of guilt) added a knifeful of Kerrygold butter and improvised my own version of smashed potatoes.

From the bistro menu, listed as side dishes, there was a Cauliflower Gratin ($7.50) and some Roasted Brussels Sprouts ($7.50). Along with the ciabatta by my side, and a glass of 2009 Pikes Riesling ($12) from Australia’s Clare Valley, I had a cornucopia of tastes from which to choose (I even improvised my own version of Aloo Gobi with the potatoes and cauliflower).

Vegetarian fine dining at one of our very best restaurants, done on the cheap. What’s not to like?

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Bánh Cuốn Thăng Long, Eden Center, Falls Church, VA

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Don

Deep in the ever-changing recesses of Eden Center lies Bánh Cuốn Thăng Long, specializing in Bánh Cuốn, the thin, rolled, rice crêpe, stuffed with pork, or whatever else they feel like stuffing it with.

The first-time diner here would be doing well to get these; I opted for the Bún Bì ($7 for a large bowl), the traditional rice noodles topped with shredded pork, served with cilantro and some shredded carrots, and manually dressed with fiery red pepper sauce, chili-vinegar and fish sauce.

This is a mom-n-pop in the truest sense of the word, with a mom (in the kitchen), a pop (working the front of the house), and quite possibly a daughter (helping the mom in the kitchen).

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Mia’s Pizzas, Bethesda, MD

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Don

I’m always happy to go back to Mia’s Pizzas which gets my vote as “best pizza in Bethesda.” The wood-burning oven lends a fireplace-like ambience to this relatively small restaurant which had a good crowd at 6:30 on a Sunday evening.

My young dining companion ordered a house-made Sparkling Lemonade ($2.50) while I went something a bit bigger and stronger, an unusually carbonated Duvel Belgian Golden Ale ($12 for a 25.4 ounce bottle). This ferments in bottle, and may have gone a bit overboard with throwing off the CO2; I didn’t quite finish it all.

Both pizzas were good, with the hot-burning oven adding a fine char on the bottom of both pies. A Salsiccia ($12.95) was quite spicy this time around, more so than usual, with its irresistibly American combination of tomato sauce, sausage, pepperoni, portobello mushrooms, oregano, spicy sprinkles (there’s the culprit!), Parmesan, and mozzarella.

Meatball Pie ($12.95) was the consensus favorite, the key being the rich meat tomato sauce (which covered the pie, ensuring some meat in most all bites but the periphery), small but tasty meatballs, tomato sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella.

A good showing for Mia’s, which has been consistent of late. The crust is still a touch too dense for its own good, but not overly so.

Incidentally, I’m flattered to be quoted on Mia’s home page, even though I don’t think I ever wrote the thing!

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Willow, Ballston, VA

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Don

Every time I go to Willow, I keep wanting to break away from the bar menu, but I can’t: it’s too cheap, and it’s too good.

Warm Gruyères Cheese Puffs ($5) with black truffle butter is a huge portion – about six or seven tennis ball-sized puffs that gougère themselves as you bite into them. I’ve had these numerous times in the past, and they’ve always ranged from very good to outstanding (last night they were very good).

Pork Spring Rolls ($5), however, were outstanding. A pile of bite-sized, perfectly fried, crispy rolls with a dipping sauce of soy, ginger, and lime mignonette. Get these.

So Willow finally had the audacity to raise some of their bar-menu items from $5 to $6. (About time, I say.)

Tuna & Bacon Sliders ($6) had the tuna and bacon combined and minced into something of a salmon-cake texture. Two little sandwiches, topped with some avocado mayonnaise and served with a bit of fried basil (!) that is simply Rasika-esque.

Swordfish Tacos ($6) were as great as the spring rolls, two of them, with spicy slaw and mango vinaigrette. I cannot think of a fish taco currently being served in the area that I like more than these. Get them.

For the third time in four nights, I had a flatbread (the other two being at American Flatbread and Birch and Barley), this time a half-portion of The Willow ($9) with wild mushrooms, lemon, thyme, Fontina, Parmesan, and white truffle essence. I was hoping for a bit more lemon-y cut, but this is primarily a cheese-based flatbread (not a bad thing, but I’ll try a different one next time around — they currently have eight flatbreads on their menu). And then there’s the dining room menu which remains neglected by me, and is fading into a distant memory. I’m sorry!

One day, one day soon, I will order another entree at Willow, my favorite restaurant in Ballston (by far, unless you consider Pupatella part of Ballston). It inexplicably remains one of the most underrated restaurants in the DC area. If you haven’t gone there before, go and sit at the bar, have a chat with Jim & Company, and dine like a prince for a pauper’s sum.

As a side observation, it’s interesting to see how young the bar crowd is compared to the dining room crowd (I’d bet the average age discrepancy is pushing twenty years); the two areas are very separate, and it’s almost as if they’re two completely different restaurants.

Parking is $3 in the garage below.

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The Tombs, Georgetown

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Don

After a long walk yesterday, trenching through the snow, ending up in Georgetown, I hobbled up the cobblestone street and headed straight for a cold one.

The Tombs was pretty packed at around 6:30 last night, with only a couple bar seats open, but the bartenders worked with their usual aplomb in handling the crowds.

I ordered a (probably 12-ounce) chilled mug of Tombs Ale ($3.35), and wondered what, exactly, it was. So I asked, and it turns out it’s simply Budweiser American Ale, relabeled. That said, it’s a better beer than some people might think, with a decent color and at least some flavor. Probably as good as anything they have on tap.

No food here for me, but perusing the menu, this is what interested me:

* There were two “Tombs Blue Plate Specials,” and one was an Italian Sausage Sub ($8.95), with sausage made from Eco Friendly Farms pork, onions, peppers, and provolone in a hoagie roll topped with marinara sauce, and served with french fries.

* Jumbo Lump Crab Cake ($15.95, and the most expensive item on the menu) with sweet potato hash, sauteed spinach, and scallion aioli. Remember that this is being sourced by the Clyde’s group, so it’s probably fairly reliable.

* And a vegetarian item, the Roasted Squash Platter ($11.95), featuring three types of squash preparations: lentil-stuffed acorn squash, herb-buttered spaghetti squash, and butternut squash with Swiss chard.

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Breeze, Annandale, VA

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Don

Although Breeze is relatively new, I’ve somehow found myself there three times already – the first for a bingsu, the second for gelato, and the third for a baked good.

It’s right next to Yechon, and is in fact owned by the same people – the two work really well together because they could not be more different. It’s perfectly reasonable to walk out of Yechon after your bulgogi and finish it off with a bingsu at Breeze.

Many Korean pastries come across to me as “Variations on a Twinkie.”  And such was my Green Tea Fresh Cream Cake ($4.25) a layered, rice-flour based green-tea sponge cake alternating with cream frosting, topped with some decorative (but not particularly enthralling) fruits – a blackberry, a strawberry, a slice of kiwi, a pineapple.  With coffee, or more appropriately, tea, this dessert reaches even new heights.

I’m not sure whether or not it’s the holiday season, but for some reason, I’ve found myself going to bakeries a lot this month.  Breeze has WiFi, and is open from 8 AM until midnight, seven days a week.

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Indique Heights, Chevy Chase, MD

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Don

At around 8 PM on a Friday, I was happy to see Indique Heights full of people — they were doing over 100 covers that night (and on a related note, Lia’s was even more packed). It was nice to see GM Surfy Rahman working the host stand, and I was escorted to the bar by an extremely gracious and welcoming lady. (“Lady” sounds so … lame, but I suppose it’s the corresponding word to “gentleman.”)

I had every intention of going vegetarian last night, but sentimentality got the best of me, so I recreated a special meal, and it was a good call.

Samuel Smith beer isn’t what it was twenty years ago, but their India Ale ($7) is still a good, malty offering.

A double-boned Tandoori Lamb Chop ($9) marinated with house spices and grilled is a must if you love lamb. Pull it apart, eat it with your hands, and revel in the cumin-y bliss of the marinade.

Because I’ve had this combination before, I knew it would go perfectly with an entree of Shallot Potatoes ($11). An ample portion of potatoes with shallots, chili flakes, curry leaves, and mustard, and cooked S-L-O-W-L-Y so everything integrates and acquires a mouthwatering depth of flavor, this is a fantastic, must-have potato dish.

I’ll be writing more about this combination of items on donrockwell.com in an upcoming “Best Dishes of 2010” thread – but not quite these exact dishes from last night. Stay tuned…

Surfy came over to check on me, and didn’t realize I’d ordered the combination – it turns out the lamb chops are served on a small bed of these potatoes, so there was some redundancy. He brought out a fascinating dish for me to try:  Crab Papas Roll ($8).  Listen to this:

Temaki Sushi is a cone-shaped hand roll – nearly all sushi bars will offer them. Well, Chef Vinod has done his own little riff on one, Indian style. There were two cones per order, and (just for comparison) Surfy served one, cold, vegetarian, with a potato and cheese stuffing – it was relatively bland, and cracked and fell apart when I tried to eat it. Then there was the crab roll: a rolled up papadam in the exact shape of a temaki roll, stuffed with warm Maryland crab, shallots, green chilis, and coconut.  This was sooooo much better than the vegetarian version, not just because of the depth of flavor, but also because the stuffing was moist which made the bottom of the papadam cone (is it correct to call such a thing a papadam?) soft so it didn’t crack apart when you bit into it.  This is a great, great appetizer that you have got to try.

Come here and order the Crab Papas Roll and the Tandoori Lamb Chop, in that order. It will cost you $17 for the two, and you will walk out of the restaurant saying ohmmmm … my God!

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