Category Archives: DC

La Caraquena

Posted on September 14, 2013 | 4 comments

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Northern Virginia, kind of a non-place with no actual towns, just areas, is a dynamite place to eat. To eat anything. Except maybe soup dumplings. I have not seen them around here. Arepas, something delicious I have only found in NYC to date, are here, in Falls Church, just a skip of a drive from DC, and Falls Church is a town, sorta.
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La Caraqueña is in a grievous little motel and I like that. Snugged in with white curlicue iron work.  Inside, corn flour walls, ultramarine booths and a waiter with a head of hair so gorgeously black and sleek it could have been made of petroleum.

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When was the last time you saw arepas on a menu? Right. Me neither.

Keith at Caraquena

Goes down nicely with beer. The beers here are not your typical beers.
Cristal (Peru)
Suprema (El Salvador)
Palma Louca (Brasil)
Xingu Black Beer (Brasil)
See?

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Diputado

Briskly sautéed sirloin slivers under a runny-yolked fried egg, tomato and caramelized onions.

Quick! Name three things that are not improved by a fried egg. Thought so, I can’t do it either.

arepa

Sifrina

Chicken salad with lots of avocado and a cloud of shredded cheese. 

Keith chose fried not grilled. Ahhh Repahhhhh was it good. Slippery little devil too. Greased lightening. NOW I get it, why a person might dream of an arepa.

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Posted in DC, Sandwich Joints, Sandwiches, Uncategorized, Virginia - Northern

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Miércoles Gigante

Posted on September 5, 2013 | Leave a comment

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The hoisting of the torta was surprisingly invigorating. Whew, it was heavy. Like, super heavy.

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All that stuff was in there, but it did not stay in there. Bits and pieces shot out onto my shoes, lap, arms, face. I believe the carne asada was the most egregious offender, although I can’t be sure.

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This half – a half bigger than most wholes – went home.

Taco Bamba Taqueria

Taco Bamba Tacqueria is in a little strip mall that notes all the mini-mall touchstones – karate studio, rug store, closed dry-cleaner – just behind the Tyson’s Corner Whole Foods. It’s a snap to reach off 66.

My hope is that Victor Albisu will choose South Arlington (my home) for a location to be opened soon. We could lug a torta on our shoulders and have a ‘hood feast. Bring your saw.

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Posted in DC, DC Sandwiches, Link to article, Sandwich Joints, Sandwiches, Virginia - Northern

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Easy is as Easy Does

Posted on April 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

TableTEE

We went. We ate. We wanted to love it. Me especially because Fast Gourmet gives a person the happy spins and a jumping jack appetite. The guys who made Fast Gourmet made TakEatEasy. I want to love anything that anyone makes with spiritfelt intentions. LCatTEE

It was, um, strange and strangely awkward. What did we miss? Why didn’t we get it?

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WichesTEEThe chivito was terrific which is a triumph and enough, making TakEatEasy a destination. Fries, too, good. The language spoken at TakEatEasy is something I only speak in pigeonsandwich. We tried hard. We wanted to take it more easy.

Please parse it out for me someone. Why is TakEatEasy better than Fast Gourmet? Who goes to the new place? And why? Even the where is a mystery to me. Sandwich whisperer, speak to me.

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Posted in DC, DC Sandwiches, Sandwiches

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Trophy Smophy!

Posted on September 26, 2012 | 1 comment

From JAF/MSMINY (Main Sandwich Man In New York)
Best Sandwiches in the USA

I doubt the list is accurate, but it’s interesting that your hometown is listed as the home to the best sandwich in the USA.

The Bayou Bakery Muffaletta

You know when you call someone on their cell and they have not recorded a message? (Of course they don’t pick up. How last century, Mr. Bell.) The phone says, “You have reached <insert stiff enunciation of the person you have called name’s> here.” Did you know you don’t have to say your name? Of course you know that, or you would if you thought about it. But who thinks about this stuff? Oh, for heaven’s sakes, let’s just get on with it, right? Right. Buuurreeep! Wrong. You have missed an opportunity – an opportunity, people! – to make the world a better place. One teensy step, people.

Let me paint the picture. My friend Janie teaches voice. Presumably her students think about their, ahem, voice when recording. Recording anything apparently. She called her favorite student. Don’t tell anyone she has a favorite. We ALL like everyone equally, do we not? Riiiight. No answer. He’s busy, man, everyone likes him. And why wouldn’t they? His cell phone picks up and says, “You have reached the best person in the world!”

He says he’s the best and I take his word for it. We all get a trophy if we take one. Put yourself atop a trophy doing whatever you do best. Whatever YOU say you do best.  I believe you.

Jean Shin sees you. At your best. Look closely, people.

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Posted in DC, DC Sandwiches

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Brag Mama Brag

Posted on September 9, 2012 | 2 comments

My sister Mara, the brilliant historian, knows where to go and what to do and who to see and what to eat in DC. And I don’t mean the usual thing. She has no interest in the usual thing.

Mara is at work on an Anacostia Heritage Trail, for Cultural Tourism DC (www.culturaltourismdc.org). The trail will tell the neighborhood’s stories, including the pre-Civil War Uniontown, St. Elizabeths Hospital, the post-Civil War Freedmen’s village, Frederick Douglass, Barry Farm Dwellings (built during World War II), and much more, on 19 illustrated signs. In July Mara and colleague Jane Freundel Levey were in the neighborhood siting the signs when they stopped for lunch at Mama’s Kitchen.

When she found  Mama’s Kitchen at the corner of Maple View Place and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, in Anacostia, she was looking for a little lunch.  The usual thing looked likely. She found treasure instead. PAYDIRT!

A few weeks later we met at Mama’s Kitchen for lunch. One of the owners, Musa Ulusan, sat down with us. Fatma Nayir, Mama, and Musa’s partner, was behind the counter shaping the wonderfully chewy handmade bread that carries all the sandwiches and pizzas.

Originally from mountainous eastern Turkey, Musa‘s ethnic background is Kurdish and Jewish, although he says that it’s food that runs in his blood.

While Mara and I tried not to wolf down the terrific garlic-spinach sandwiches Musa amused us with his life story. From the sounds of things, the man has nine lives.

I admit to being distracted – we did go there for lunch, after all, and I was starving, but I did catch a fair bit of the action. Musa and Fatma (who were then married) once owned an extensive string of restaurants in New Orleans until they were wiped out by Katrina. They relocated to the DC area and built up a new string of restaurants, only to be wiped out again by the bad economy.

With a tiny nest egg of $13,000, they sublet the spot on Maple View Place and set to cooking. Giving it to you straight – the food is fabulous.

Musa and Fatma have their eyes on a larger spot and perhaps another dynasty. Stay tuned. I wouldn’t put it past them. Perhaps they could get some ovens roaring a bit closer to me.

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Posted in DC, DC Sandwiches, Sandwiches

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Stacks of Chowski at Stachowski’s

Posted on July 15, 2012 | 2 comments

Braunschweiger

Roast Beef

Stachowki’s is a brand. That’s a good thing, right? A brand is permanent. Seared into being for the life of the beast. I don’t like changes, particularly when evolution means the disappearance of something lovable. Countless beloved lunch  counters, deli cases, mom and pops, corner stores, spots, joints, greasy spoons have disappeared before my eyes. The holes are all still there, the replacements vapid.

Stachowski’s market is not new by DC trend standards. It opened in the former Griffin Market – a very sweet market – in May or so. In DC new is only new tomorrow. By my standards, Stachowski’s is new. New to me is new until hell freezes over and my red parka with the embroidered flame detail has been worn threadbare.

Pastrami

 Jamie Stachowski’s been cooking in DC for countless years, bless his loves-to-feed-people heart. Handmade, small batch salumi went away in America and now is back, thank goodness. And goodness it is. Bratwurst! Bangers! Kielbasa! May they never become extinct. Not in my lifetime, not in the lifetime of the universe.

Coppa, Mortadella, et al

Turkey Club

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Posted in DC, DC Sandwiches, SANDWICH LINKS, Sandwiches

No Phone, No Pool, No Pets

Posted on June 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

slippery corned beef

brined by this king of the road

carb/umami bomb

Rina Rapuano’s  story in the Washington Post about the Corned Beef King.

Put down that broom and read excerpts here:

buttery corned beef, sauerkraut that cuts through the richness of the meat, Swiss and Provolone cheeses, and Russian dressing, layered on fresh-baked rye and warmed on the griddle

the flavors and texture spoke to the great care that’s taken with the beef brisket. Rossler cooks the already-corned meat for 11 hours, a process that involves slow roasting and re-seasoning it with his own pickling spices, onions and “secret sweeteners.”

roasting the meat for more than three hours in nothing but garlic, butter, salt and pepper let the taste of the bird shine

corned-beef hash topped with two over-easy eggs (food truck breakfast. woot!)

corned beef to fill my frame
means by no means is my name

third boxcar, midnight train
destination…Bangor, Maine….

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Posted in Corned Beef, DC, DC Sandwiches, Food Trucks, Sandwiches, Sandwiches in the News, Uncategorized

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ShawarMIMIssion Possible

Posted on March 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

 Went to Shawarma Spot with Mimi. We did it. We made a plan to have a lunch and we did it. A lunch. A mission. Made possible. With Mimi. Shawarmaed. Spotted. Made shawarmareal.

This spot is much more than a spot, it’s a landscape. An array of toppings that hold their own. Were the meat forgotten, I might not take note.

Late night eaters, take note. Friday and Saturday nights Shawarma spot is open till 4 am. Adams Morgan, Kalorama, Dupont Circle and Columbia Heights homebodies, take note. Shawarma Spot delivers!

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Posted in DC, DC Sandwiches

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You Won’t Need Ear Protection, But You Might Want to Cover Your Eyes

Posted on January 6, 2012 | 4 comments

Where the rubber meets the road. Or not. Where the bread meets the meat. And cheese. And cheese again.

Questionable rubber to metal ratio. Questionable bread to meat ratio. Must ponder this monstrosity. Potentially personally. With my own two eyes. And hands. 

Duffy’s Monster Burger

Duffy’s Irish Pub

Thanks to Snoops for the linkydink.

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Posted in Burgers, DC, Grilled cheese

Opportunity Cost

Posted on November 26, 2011 | 4 comments

SUNdeVICH is intriguing.  I wanted to go there, but hadn’t had a chance, or made the chance. Then, *bing*, a Living Social coupon lit up my screen, and I was catalyzed. I apologize sincerely for needing a coupon to ignite initiative.Anyway, I had this Living Social coupon for SUNdeVICH, and was excited to go there. Simultaneously, I felt embarrassed to soak a small business with a twofer sandwich deal.On the other hand, a coupon will propel a person across town to save a buck. On the way, serendipity is guaranteed to occur.  A small event to remind a girl that the world is out there, full tilt, and she’s got to jump in.

I pondered my fix and set some personal ground rules.

1. Bear in mind that the merchant receives only 30% of the value of the coupon. That 30% might cover the food cost and not a whole lot more. Maybe less.
2. Don’t visit during peak hours. If you show up during a quieter time, you count as way better than nothin’, rather than  a wrench in the spokes. A discount wrench.
3.Be generous. Spend more than the coupon. If we’re gonna make slaw, everyone has to peel a little cabbage.
4. Tip on  what the total would have been without the coupon. This is absolutely imperative.
5. If you are happy, go again. Pay full price. Tell your friends. Spread the word.
A word to the wise, once your coupon has expired, do not despair. Little known fact: that coupon retains its face value. Go! Same rules apply.
My friend Peter, who met me at SUNdeVICH, is a fantastic pastry chef and always game for dessert. Hooray, we had both!I loved SUNdeVICH. The space is utterly charming, down a beautiful, broad, urban alley. Secret seeming, beguiling and enticing. The sandwiches were topnotch, the choices neither too wide nor too narrow. Superb bread, excellent filling-to-bread ratio. SUNdeVICH does not offer coffee or tea, a parameter I respect. Go! Look for me there.

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Posted in DC Sandwiches