Tweaked

Here's a link to Raji Jallepalli page on Starchef website. My friend had told me about her and that you could call up, tell her you were visiting and you wanted her to cook for you, and she would make meals up for you. Not sure if that was true or not, but we were planning to roadtrip down to Memphis just to visit her restaurant and then we found out she had passed away. Starchef website In any case, back to the original thread topic, I for one am very interested in checking out IndeBleu when it opens.

There was also a highly regarded French Indian fusion restuarant in Memphis, the chef won a James Beard for her work, unfortunately she passed any a couple years ago. Regardless, should be interesting for DC!

I'm not going to claim the Papusas at Tortilla Grill on the Hill as the best, but the ones I had over the weekend were really good, nice mixture of cheese and shredded pork, and they cook their plantains down really well, almost caramalized on the outside. I'm sure you can get better ones in the El Savaldorean nieghborhoods in NW and out in the burbs, but for $5 for 2 papusas and plantains 5 minutes from my house, they definitely work!

Montmarte is totally the type of restaurant I would want to open, small bistro style, solid food -- they make a mean hanger steak -- friendly, neighborhoodly (if that's even a word)...DC doesn't have enough good neighborhood restaurants. They do good business almost every night. I've gone many a mid week and the place has been full...this past Sunday evening I walked past around 7pm and the place was easily 3/4s full. The Belgium restaurant is opening up on 8th street on the other side of Penn Ave, just down the street from Blockbuster.

I like the $6.99 all you can eat lunch buffet (dine in and take out) at House of Kebob on Mst between 18th and 19th...right next door to Malaysia Koptium. It's kind of a mix between middle eastern and Indian. They always have samosas, a chickpea curry, spinach and potato, tandoori type chicken drumsticks, and a couple of daily specials. plus you get naan, although usually the naan is just ok. On the Hill I like the burgers at Mr. Henry's, El Salvadorean take out at Tortilla Grill across the street from Eastern Market (their mixed papusa platter with plantains is excellent and all of $5), and the sandwiches and rotisserie chicken at Canales Deli inside the Market. Also DC Doughnuts in the Capitol Lounge makes some killer doughnuts. Mr. Eagan's was a legendary place, perhaps one of the only bars in DC that served Thanksgiving dinner because their regulars didn't have anywhere else to go. The only thing good about Cafe Citron (which replaced Eagan's) is the happy hour mojitos (only during happy hour), a quick why to get your after work buzz going. My ex-girlfriend and I used to like the cheap mexican food at Dancing Peppers, the nightly bar food specials at Shooter McGee's, as well as most of the food at La Casa Pizza all along on Duke Street near Landmark and the Cameron Station development.

I can't make a committment until I find out the playoff schedule for my soccer league, which probably won't be released until the week of the event. Sorry. But I do want to attend if there is a last minute spot!

Another one not mentioned so far is Equinox, whose tasting menu will run you right around $100

Tack on House of Kebob on M, the new Heritage India location, Oddles Noodles, Tabard Inn, Bacchus, Sizzling Express, Mackey's (for fish and chips)...the South Dupont area has some decent lunching.

Shad Roe is available in season at the fish stall in Eastern Market, they always seem to have it in the spring. It's basically two pouches that are connected filled with the roe. You gentle seperate the pounches where they connect and I pan fry them. You have to be careful when seperating and cooking not to let the pouches puncture or the roe will spill out and the eggs will splatter in the hot oil/fat. I'd have to agree they have a fish taste with a slight liver flavor. I served it on a bed of spetzle.

Doh! Sunday probably won't work for me...my soccer league plays on Sundays and I think that weekend is the start of the playoffs. I might be able to make it as a late addition, but I can't commit right now. :(

I've been posting/lurking on this board for a while and have never made an appearance, but for this I would be in. Keep me posted.

I ate at the Woodbridge Five Guys a couple years ago while getting a car serviced nearby, big sloppy juice burgers. It's kinda dissappointing that the new locations are being panned, but considering the Woodbridge location dates well before expansion, you might have better luck there as opposed to one of the new locations. Check them out, they make a good burger.

One of my impressions about pizza in the northeast, at least my experiences in New York state is that the mom and pop pizza joints cook up a bunch of pizzas, allow them to cool, and then reheat them in the pizza oven to order. This is at least the case when you order pizza by the slice. Whole pizzas called in are cooked to order. Anyway...in my experience pizza just tastes better when it has had this chance to rest...maybe there's just not enough mom and pop shops in DC selling pizza by the slice. And I have to agree with Hskorz, I've had Vace several times both by the slice and ordered whole pizza, and I'm not a huge fan. Not bad for around DC, but overall not that great. Don't think I'm a fan of their pizza sauce. and I also think Otelo for heavy comfort Italian is pretty decent.

For Sara: Although it's a chain, Cosi has Internet access and you can spend hours there. Love Cafe on U Street, for coffee and desserts, although not sure about the Internet access. On Capitol Hill Murky Coffee by Eastern Market has plenty on laptop users kicking around. Isn't there a Caribou Coffee on 14th Street? The several Teaism locations around town for a spot of tea are all near metro stops.

The pizzas at Sorriso tend to have a spare amount of fairly high quality toppings. The definitely don't pile it on ala Pizza Hut or the other chains. I would suspect that their oven temp isn't high enough. The outside crust is usually crisp, slightly blistered, but the center could definitely use some more time.

I've been to Sorriso a couple times. I'm sure it will survive as a neighborhood restaurant for Cleveland Park and as a pre/post joint for people going to the Uptown, but the food is ok at best. The pizza is decent I'll give them that (I haven't been to Sette Osteria yet for comparison), although the crust tends to get limp and soggy in the middle. Eve says: The tuna carpaccio appetizer is just short of a first-rate presentation: The fine, barely fatty tuna comes to the table a little too cold for its flavor to have fully developed, and though the arugula salad beneath is a nice concept, it's dry and stiff in a fashion that works against -- often tearing at -- the tender fish. Wilting it or turning the capers and olive oil into a warm dressing and tossing it would release the flavor and make it easier to eat. When I ordered it, the tuna was still frozen, I mean ice crystal crunch. The fried calamari was straightforward and fine. The pasta carbonara (sp?) was just not very good. Pasta dishes and meat dish tend to get a bit pricey at $15-$20 range, while the pizza stays in the $10-$15 range. If you want to sit down for a pizza and glass of wine before a movie then Sorriso is fine, but IMO that's about it.

The Park Cafe has been there for years. It has a nice comfortable neighborhood feel inside. I went there for brunch last summer and it was way over priced and the service was horribly slow. We were the only table and it took 45 minutes to get our food, with no offer of bread or snacks to pass the time. Brunch for 5 ran over $100, we did have a couple mimosas but really it was a rip off (no prices on the menu) The food was actually pretty decent but not for the price. (I had a mexican type omlette, eggs with tortillas, beans, cheese, and cilantro, need some seasoning, esp. salt) It could be a quality little neighborhood restaurant, but I get the sense that it's sorta expensive.

Sietsema speaks highly of the lunch bar menu at Galileo. Half price oysters and cold beer at Old Ebbit Grill's happy hour. Lavandou (sp?) in Cleveland Park has different specials every week night. McCormick and Schmick has $1.99 bar menu both for happy hour and late night drinking.

I tried Lalibela years ago and wasn't impressed, but I will have to explore these other Ethiopian places.

hmmm Steve, I've never been to Ethiopia nor was around DC 15-20 years ago, but if what I ate at Fasika's last week was crappy Ethiopian then the Ethiopian of years past must have been orgasmic, because the food we had was really damn good.

If you want to do ethnic and stay in Adams Morgan, then check out the Ethiopian restaurants, DC has one of the largest Ethiopian populations in the country and therefore we have really good Ethiopian food. Fasika's and Meskerrem are both on 18th Street and in the heart of Adams Morgan, and across the street from each other. I like the food a bit better at Fasika's but the decor at Meskerrem is better. But either is a solid choice. If you are unfamiliar with Ethiopian food, it's mostly stewed and braised meat and vegetable dishes, heavy on beef, lamb, chicken, lentils and greens. It's served communally with injera which is a sour bread that looks like a huge crepe. You scoop the food up with the injera, like one does with naan or pita.

I believe most breakfast entrees at the Old Ebbitt Grill run around $10.

Old Ebbit Grill

aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...good tip, next time I am there I will definitely ask them to cut the pizza for me. My issue for pizza in DC is there are still no really good mom and pop corner store pizza places, where one can stop in for a slice and soda for a couple bucks, ala New York City or Philly or heck even Albany, NY. There's maybe a couple here or there, but certainly not downtown or on the Hill.

Actually I find them not cutting the pizza to be a bit annoying, since they don't give you a knife that is anywhere close to being sharp! More often then not I end up hacking away at the pizza trying to cut a slice. I also tried their spaghetti carbanara, which was mediocre at best. I'd stick with the pizza.