Indian/Middle Eastern food in DC?

[IsItSoupYet?]

I've heard that DC has some excellent Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants, and my tastebuds need adventure (plus I need to get the Consort out of the house). So tell me where to go ... in the literal sense, of course.

[Jason Perlow]

I've heard that DC has some excellent Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants, and my tastebuds need adventure (plus I need to get the Consort out of the house).  So tell me where to go ... in the literal sense, of course. 

You may want to ask this question of our new Special Contributor Monica Bhide, who is taking questions in the India forum for the next two weeks. She is based in DC.

[Monica Bhide]

i will post a few of my favorites with addresses etc by tomorrow afternoon. The food scene here is really pretty good, there is a lot of choice in the types of menus and also the cost. Some of the overpriced ones are really overhyped, just my opinion. Some of the smaller places have the better food.

[Monica Bhide]

SInce I have been here only a few months, I am still sampling. Here is what I liked so far (prices are really reasonable)

Their weekend south indian buffet is really good as is their CHaat spread.

Woodlands

Pure Vegetarian Indian Cuisine

4078 Jermantown Road

Fairfax, Va 22030

Tel: 703-385-1996

For authentic north indian buffet. The owner is a delightful man.

Punjab Dhaba Indian Restaurant

7263 Arlington Blvd

Falls Church, VA

Ph: (703) 698-5262

For more upscale eating try, Check out Bombay Club downtown or Heritage India in upper Georgetown. I have not eaten there yet, but will check it out

There are a few I did not like, PM me if you have a question on that and I willlet you know

thanks and enjoy!!!

[Steve Klc]

Thanks Monica for those two recommendations, but I'm interested in the over-hyped, over-priced ones that you have not enjoyed--and why you were disappointed? Do you plan to post publically only about meals you like?

I realize Soup asked where to go--but where not to go, and your reasons why, might be an interesting dialogue as well.

[DaveFaris]

Three of my favorites ... (I can't promise they will stand up to Monica's expert palette, though!)

In DC, there's AROMA. It's at 1919 I Street, NW. I've never had a bad meal there.

In Arlington, there's a place called FOOD FACTORY that specializes in kebabs as well as curry specials. Look for it directly across the street from the Ballston Metro, (4221 N. Fairfax Drive). Don't be put off by the decor. It always gets high marks in the annual Washingtonian Cheap Eats Issue.

In Falls Church and also in Bethesda (though I've never tried that location), there's HAANDI. Really good food, I think.

Edited December 10, 2002 by DaveFaris (log)

[Monica Bhide]

Thanks Monica for those two recommendations, but I'm interested in the over-hyped, over-priced ones that you have not enjoyed--and why you were disappointed?  Do you plan to post publically only about meals you like?

I realize Soup asked where to go--but where not to go, and your reasons why, might be an interesting dialogue as well.

Since i am still new to the area, I would like to try some of the "poor" places again, before I publically shame them There are many reasons I did not like them. BAD SERVICE was number one. One place we waited 30 minutes for our drinks, the waiter practically threw the naan at our face and then tapped impatiently till we left. One of DC's best told us this: We went to eat there at Diwali (a huge Indian festival). The place did not look festive, so we asked.. are you all not getting ready for Diwali and the response was "No one here cares about that, we are focused more on the American audience." This is a place that is supposed to be promoting Indian culture.

Some places the food was just bad, I am not a gourmet professional chef, but i know bad food when I eat it.

Steve, it was horrid. The chicken was rubbery, the sauces bore no reality to Indian cooking or any other cooking for that matter. One place, I visited the kitchen and we left mid meal -- it was so bad.

Now that I have it off my chest, I would be happy to do reviews at the others that I mentioned in my last post as soon as I try them out

[Monica Bhide]

Three of my favorites ...

In DC, there's AROMA.  It's at 1919 I Street, NW. I've never had a bad meal there.

In Arlington, there's a place called FOOD FACTORY that specializes in kebabs as well as curry specials. Look for it directly across the street from the Ballston Metro, (4221 N. Fairfax Drive). Don't be put off by the decor. It always gets high marks in the annual Washingtonian Cheap Eats Issue.

In Falls Church and also in Bethesda (though I've never tried that location), there's HAANDI. Really good food, I think.

AROMA hosted a signing and tasting for my book and I have to say that I found them to be very hospitable. The food was okay. My experience at HAANDI is better left untouched

[DaveFaris]

uh-oh!

[Steve Klc]

That's great Monica--I can't wait. Just with the places named on this thread, I've had average to indifferent experiences at Haandi-Falls Church and Haandi-Bethesda (though to be fair Dave, this was over 2 years ago) and had average-to-disappointing experiences at Bombay Palace downtown and Heritage India-Glover Park--perhaps because I went in to the latter two with hope, with higher expectations. (With some exceptions, service is underwhelming or uneven citywide, even at the highest end at Citronelle, so that wouldn't be a factor for me writing a place off. If you eat out alot in DC you expect to endure service issues--it's such a given that when you actually have fresh, attentive, caring service you tend to become very loyal.) I haven't been back to any of them once I was exposed to a few hints of what Indian cooking could represent--alas in NYC, not ever in DC--and I have much more to learn from those who have eaten elsewhere like you and Suvir and many other eGulleteers. Tom Sietsema continues to speak well of Heritage India, and I'm inclined to believe Tom, so maybe we should plan a visit, and regardless, I look forward to you helping raise our awareness down here and you've already done that by revealing a couple of unknown little places. (Maybe we could entice Suvir down?)

But you also raised an interesting point about Indian cooking here and restaurateurs possibly "being focused on more of an American audience." It's certainly not exclusive to any ethnic or genre of cooking or even this city--but I would be especially grateful for you to draw on your experiences cooking and creating Indian cuisine or Indian-influenced cuisine as you know it capable of being--and as you have had elsewhere--when trying to assess our local options. I continually wonder how much is lost locally in our collective tolerance of chefs "Americanizing" and cooking specifically for the tastes that they perceive our local customer base wants or can handle--and my sense of our customer base is that it is undervalued--too typically defined as conservative and unadventurous--to a degree not seen in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, let alone the top tier food cities. I think what gets lost by this pandering often is what is good, or what could be good--elements like palate interest and vitality in food--which have to be perceived by tasting. Some of it might be tied to price/value considerations but there is some very good cooking here in DC which represents very good value--which makes me wonder if it isn't more disrespect and disinterest--on the part of chefs themselves and of their audience?

What has your Middle Eastern dining experience been down here Monica? And Dave--decor is never a disincentive for me--it's either good or it isn't and I'm usually grateful for the tip regardless of the wallpaper or lighting. We usually go to Rio Grande or Flat Top Grill on that street and just get kebabs from the Lebanese Taverna market on Lee Highway, but we just might have to give FF a shot.

[DaveFaris]

try it for lunch one day, but try not to be the first people in the place. My wife and I had a not so good experience there once, where the bread baked in their tandoori oven had some of the clay oven sort of ... integrated into it. but it wasn't enough to put us off on the place. and the family that run the place seem very, very nice.

[IsItSoupYet?]

Thanks for all of your input. I was fortunate to grow up in the NYC metro area, which has more great Indian restaurants than you can shake the proverbial stick at, although the best Indian food I've ever had was in London, where I'm told the Indian food is better than in India! I agree with Steve and Monica about a lot of Indian restaurant proprietors "dumbing down" the menu for the perceived bland American palate, particularly where curry is concerned. At an Indian restaurant I tried here in Richmond, the vindaloo I ordered was more like lamb stew with a bit of cumin added, although the waiter warned me that it was "very, very hot." Also, it was the only Indian restaurant I've ever been to that actually screwed up naan--this stuff looked and tasted like greasy cornbread. But it was lauded in the local paper as being "excellent authentic Indian cuisine." Oy.

I've heard a couple people mention Aroma favorably, so that may be my first foray into the DC Indian scene. And I've also heard of a restaurant here in Richmond called Royal India that's supposed to be good. Since the person giving me this information is of Indian descent, I'm inclined to take his word for it.

[DaveFaris]

My brother used to live down in Richmond, and he and I still talk about how telling it is that the Reader's Choice for best restaurant in that town, one year not too long ago, was Red Lobster.

Edited December 10, 2002 by DaveFaris (log)

[Steve Klc]

So you're Richmond based? Perhaps you'd be willing to start another thread about how you find the state of dining there? I still have to find time to post about a fantastic recent experience I had in Fredericksburg, VA at Bistro 309--now there's a chef and restaurant worth driving to from DC for the food--and you're close to it as well. Eve Zibart got this one right--writing about it a year or so ago--though perhaps she didn't go far enough in describing how good this place is or perhaps the chef has grown more confident and his team more assured over time.

Suvir and a few others around here, me included, might gently disagree that NYC, at present, has more "great Indian restaurants than you can shake the proverbial stick at" but that sense is always very temporal, and certainly improves or deteriorates quickly. Have you read Suvir's writing on Diwan, Tamarind, Tabla et al? If not, do, you're in for a treat.

And Dave, that's not soo bad--the Cheesecake Factory has been known to win Reader's Choice awards for fine dining in some much larger cities.

[Monica Bhide]

That's great Monica--I can't wait.  Just with the places named on this thread, I've had average to indifferent experiences at Haandi-Falls Church and Haandi-Bethesda (though to be fair Dave, this was over 2 years ago) and had average-to-disappointing experiences at Bombay Club and Heritage India-Glover Park--perhaps because I went in to the latter two with hope, with higher expectations.  (With some exceptions, service is underwhelming or uneven citywide, even at the highest end at Citronelle, so that wouldn't be a factor for me writing a place off.  If you eat out alot in DC you expect to endure service issues--it's such a given that when you actually have fresh, attentive, caring service you tend to become very loyal.)  I haven't been back to any of them once I was exposed to a few hints of what Indian cooking could represent--alas in NYC, not ever in DC--and I have much more to learn from those who have eaten elsewhere like you and Suvir and many other eGulleteers.  Tom Sietsema continues to speak well of Heritage India, and I'm inclined to believe Tom, so maybe we should plan a visit, and regardless, I look forward to you helping raise our awareness down here and you've already done that by revealing a couple of unknown little places. (Maybe we could entice Suvir down?)

But you also raised an interesting point about Indian cooking here and restaurateurs possibly "being focused on more of an American audience."  It's certainly not exclusive to any ethnic or genre of cooking or even this city--but I would be especially grateful for you to draw on your experiences cooking and creating Indian cuisine or Indian-influenced cuisine as you know it capable of being--and as you have had elsewhere--when trying to assess our local options.  I continually wonder how much is lost locally in our collective tolerance of chefs "Americanizing" and cooking specifically for the tastes that they perceive our local customer base wants or can handle--and my sense of our customer base is that it is undervalued--too typically defined as conservative and unadventurous--to a degree not seen in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, let alone the top tier food cities.  I think what gets lost by this pandering often is what is good, or what could be good--elements like palate interest and vitality in food--which have to be perceived by tasting.  Some of it might be tied to price/value considerations but there is some very good cooking here in DC which represents very good value--which makes me wonder if it isn't more disrespect and disinterest--on the part of chefs themselves and of their audience?

What has your Middle Eastern dining experience been down here Monica?  And Dave--decor is never a disincentive for me--it's either good or it isn't and I'm usually grateful for the tip regardless of the wallpaper or lighting.  We usually go to Rio Grande or Flat Top Grill on that street and just get kebabs from the Lebanese Taverna market on Lee Highway, but we just might have to give FF a shot.

Each time I read some of the posts on egullet, I am humbled by the ability of the posters. I read and re read your post and a couple of things come to mind:

-- This may spark of a lot of unease but I have noticed that the other customers at the same places sometime received better service than we did. That is what made me mad, if it is bad all around that is fine

-- I think many folks who run these places are not foodies at heart and the chefs are not "professional chefs" and so it is a business and not a passion. They are not picking up on the trends as they should be, the public is craving and even asking for more and more authentic meals. Particularily in larger metros where people are well traveled and exposed to different cultures

-- I have heard mixed reviews on Heritage India, better ones on Bombay Club

-- I think we should plan and go out to Heritage India and do a tasting

-- I WOULD LOVE SUVIR TO COME OVER.. ANy time Suvir, stay with us, you have a home here

Some of the smaller places that I mentioned are run by real cooks -- the food is real, very authentic and tastes like back home.. to me that is good food.

More and more I am starting to read food columists pick up and talk about the need for authentic indian food.. hopefully some of these owners are listening.

[DaveFaris]

We usually go to Rio Grande or Flat Top Grill on that street

You know -- not to derail this thread (any more than I already have), I've tried both of these places, and I've been fairly dissatisfied with both. I've never felt satisfied leaving Rio Grande, and that's not to say the portions are tiny... they're just not as good as I think they should have been. And Flat Top -- well, I might be prejudiced since the one and only time I went there, it was close to when they opened, as well as a Friday night, and considering the style of the eaterie, not really condusive to being crowded -- anyway, I guess I once thought that mongolian barbeque was a funky idea and all, but these days, when I go to a restaurant, I sort of want someone who knows better what they're doing to prepare my meal for me. If I want a salad bar, I'll go to a salad bar, yknow?

[Suvir Saran]

That's great Monica--I can't wait.  Just with the places named on this thread, I've had average to indifferent experiences at Haandi-Falls Church and Haandi-Bethesda (though to be fair Dave, this was over 2 years ago) and had average-to-disappointing experiences at Bombay Club and Heritage India-Glover Park--perhaps because I went in to the latter two with hope, with higher expectations.  (With some exceptions, service is underwhelming or uneven citywide, even at the highest end at Citronelle, so that wouldn't be a factor for me writing a place off.  If you eat out alot in DC you expect to endure service issues--it's such a given that when you actually have fresh, attentive, caring service you tend to become very loyal.)  I haven't been back to any of them once I was exposed to a few hints of what Indian cooking could represent--alas in NYC, not ever in DC--and I have much more to learn from those who have eaten elsewhere like you and Suvir and many other eGulleteers.  Tom Sietsema continues to speak well of Heritage India, and I'm inclined to believe Tom, so maybe we should plan a visit, and regardless, I look forward to you helping raise our awareness down here and you've already done that by revealing a couple of unknown little places. (Maybe we could entice Suvir down?)

But you also raised an interesting point about Indian cooking here and restaurateurs possibly "being focused on more of an American audience."  It's certainly not exclusive to any ethnic or genre of cooking or even this city--but I would be especially grateful for you to draw on your experiences cooking and creating Indian cuisine or Indian-influenced cuisine as you know it capable of being--and as you have had elsewhere--when trying to assess our local options.  I continually wonder how much is lost locally in our collective tolerance of chefs "Americanizing" and cooking specifically for the tastes that they perceive our local customer base wants or can handle--and my sense of our customer base is that it is undervalued--too typically defined as conservative and unadventurous--to a degree not seen in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, let alone the top tier food cities.  I think what gets lost by this pandering often is what is good, or what could be good--elements like palate interest and vitality in food--which have to be perceived by tasting.  Some of it might be tied to price/value considerations but there is some very good cooking here in DC which represents very good value--which makes me wonder if it isn't more disrespect and disinterest--on the part of chefs themselves and of their audience?

What has your Middle Eastern dining experience been down here Monica?  And Dave--decor is never a disincentive for me--it's either good or it isn't and I'm usually grateful for the tip regardless of the wallpaper or lighting.  We usually go to Rio Grande or Flat Top Grill on that street and just get kebabs from the Lebanese Taverna market on Lee Highway, but we just might have to give FF a shot.

Each time I read some of the posts on egullet, I am humbled by the ability of the posters. I read and re read your post and a couple of things come to mind:

-- This may spark of a lot of unease but I have noticed that the other customers at the same places sometime received better service than we did. That is what made me mad, if it is bad all around that is fine

-- I think many folks who run these places are not foodies at heart and the chefs are not "professional chefs" and so it is a business and not a passion. They are not picking up on the trends as they should be, the public is craving and even asking for more and more authentic meals. Particularily in larger metros where people are well traveled and exposed to different cultures

-- I have heard mixed reviews on Heritage India, better ones on Bombay Club

-- I think we should plan and go out to Heritage India and do a tasting

-- I WOULD LOVE SUVIR TO COME OVER.. ANy time Suvir, stay with us, you have a home here

Some of the smaller places that I mentioned are run by real cooks -- the food is real, very authentic and tastes like back home.. to me that is good food.

More and more I am starting to read food columists pick up and talk about the need for authentic indian food.. hopefully some of these owners are listening.

I hope they are listening.

Thanks Monica for your sweet invite.

So why do you think you are not treated as well as the other patrons? What have you done about that? I would not take it lightly.. and am sad that in this day and age.. people would do things like that. Please explain if you do not find it too difficult and personal a question.

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir and a few others around here, me included, might gently disagree that NYC, at present, has more "great Indian restaurants than you can shake the proverbial stick at" but that sense is always very temporal, and certainly improves or deteriorates quickly.  Have you read Suvir's writing on Diwan, Tamarind, Tabla et al?  If not, do, you're in for a treat.

Can I still hire you for being my PR agent?

[Suvir Saran]

(Maybe we could entice Suvir down?)

Monica and you need to do very little to entice me.

If I can be promised a LONG tasting for your fine desserts, Sir, I am game to come down anytime you have time.

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks Monica for those two recommendations, but I'm interested in the over-hyped, over-priced ones that you have not enjoyed--and why you were disappointed?  Do you plan to post publically only about meals you like?

I realize Soup asked where to go--but where not to go, and your reasons why, might be an interesting dialogue as well.

I too would be more inclined to hear why not to go to a certain place.

Makes me better informed in general.

Would you mind sharing with us your reasons for going or not going... Both please.

I always feel I learn so much more from a post when it deals with difficult situations... and a member who is trying to be fair even as they have to show where a restaurant may be failing.

I also feel that is the only way for a restaurant to understand the pulse of their patrons. I also hope that our reviews (negative even more so than those that are very positive), have the power to inform chefs and owners in new ways. And hopefully, they will learn to thank those like Monica to have helped them a great deal with their honest criticism.

[Monica Bhide]

Well, at the risk of sparking of a debate, I will attempt to answer some questions honestly. I think some Indian out there, seem to feel that it is okay to treat other Indians poorly but would not do that to a person of another skin color. THis is only my opinion and experience take it for what it is worth. This is not true for all places, I have been to some really good places, Mantra in Boston, Vatan in NYC, Dimple in NJ -- all good.

I will try Heritage and Bombay Club. The reasons, Bombay Club is kjnown for its food and service to all. I have heard mixed reviews about Heritage India, about the service, the food I understand is really good.

I will keep you all posted

Steve, I have a major sweet tooth, anytime you are looking for tasters, ANYTIME, you can count on me

[Steve Klc]

Dave--fair observations, I am sure, based on your experiences there. What are you comparing them to, so I can gauge your dissatisfaction of price or value or portion size or flavor? I'll be a little stronger and a little more specific since we eat there often--we eat at each place maybe twice each month.

I always order the same thing at Rio Grande--all beef or half and half fajitas, extra pico, extra roasted onions. We peel our grilled jalapeno tableside and love the strips. Chips and salsa best of their type in the region. Service is incredible--possibly unrivalled in the region--drinks, water, iced tea, chips, tortillas constantly filled and replaced without asking. For a volume place, the food is served very quickly and consistently--virtually all the time. Out of maybe 80 visits over years I can count on one hand the number of times my fajitas were not brought to the table sizzling literally on a hot skillet and were not perfectly absolutely flavorful. Portion size is quite large, I enjoy eating with mucho gusto and have been known to eat alot at a sitting--I once ate four Cincinnati 5-ways at one sitting at Hard Times Chili when I was younger--and I don't finish this dish. My wife and I share it and one app--say the chicken tamales with green tomatillo sauce--and we barely finish it. One app, one entree for the two of us--my very good iced tea has been refilled like 20 times without ever having to ask--and then I tip well. And I invariably leave all the other places with poor service--the Cactus Cantina, Guajillo-like pretenders--and repeat your very same mantra about not being as good an experience as it could have been, like Rio Grande. Funny, huh? Only Guapo's adds enough interesting flavor and spice from Colombia, Latin America, etc. to make me want to order off the menu there--and not go to Rio Grande.

There's no doubt Flat Top Grill does present a challenge to a diner and my wife and I speculate about the demands it inherently imposes on the diner by having you compose and season your own dish. As chefs and cooks we're both up to the task, appreciate it, crave it even though even we have not liked our own creations at times. It's a one-price all-you-can-eat concept, so at least your mistakes don't cost you. They do it your way--even cooking it your way--so if you are a vegetarian you will be completely placated--no meat juices mingling side by side on the grill if you don't want them to. I usually interact with the grill cooks if I'm concerned about something being overcooked--say tuna or shrimp. Aside from this, the remaining service at this location is very good--engaging young servers, very adequate attention to detail, dishes brought to you hot off the grill, low end unimaginative wines not outrageously marked up given area standards. Plus it is a real dining bargain, lunch is a steal and priced even lower.

We don't try to go to either place when it is prime time--we go weekends just when they open to early afternoon, very early weeknights only, both places have patios, Rio Grande an incredible patio, as incredible as a patio in an over-developed urban wasteland can be. To bring this back to Middle Eastern food, first IsItSoupYet, you'd have to define "not too pretentious," but I've always had good cooking, which just happened to be wonderful Lebanese cooking, at Lebanese Taverna, very respectful of tradition and yet very popular, even before I got to know the family of dedicated brothers and sisters (beautiful engaging sweethearts all) who run the business or Abdoul, one of their talented chefs who makes amazingly thin phyllo by hand every day, the artisanal way, and has taught me. As a visitor, I'd opt for the newer beautiful Pentagon City location--(though the older Washington Blvd location is nearer to Rio Grande)--Pentagon is a more elegant setting, order a bottle of a great Lebanese red (Hochar/Musar) and enjoy. Nice patio, too. I also hear the cooking is pretty good at Zaytinya. But then I know all the chefs there.

And Monica--I await your visit to Bombay Club. If I have ever experienced underwhelming Indian cooking dumbed down and mailed in for an indiscriminating non-Indian clientele who didn't know any better, this was it. I hope you find it improved, and you just might, since so much depends on the chef and cooks at the stations.

[Suvir Saran]

And what about me Steve?

Forgotten me already? I posted on this thread as well.

Kidding.. I too am interested in hearing what Monica has to report about Bombay Club.

[Steve Klc]

You and I and the group will go to Heritage India, we'll let Monica report on Bombay Club.

[Suvir Saran]

You and I and the group will go to Heritage India, we'll let Monica report on Bombay Club.

But I am more interested in the several course dessert tasting you will do for me.

I can get good Indian food at home.