Dining in D.C.

I’m originally from Chicago, and I am spoiled. I didn’t realize how good the food was until I started traveling. Simple things like hot dogs and pizza were unmatched unless in places like NYC or LA. Now that I’m in D.C., I crave things like a decent Italian dish or authentic Mexican food. The restaurants here are… pretty. When you walk in, you want to shake the hand of the person who designed the aesthetics and invite them to design your home. When the wait staff walks past you with a load of dishes, it makes your mouth water. When you finally put the food in your mouth, you wonder what the heck happened! I’ve only been here a couple years, but I’ve noticed this phenomenon many times. So, like a chameleon, I adapt. I took a step back, and noticed what D.C. has the most of compared to other cities – diversity. I’ve been to LA, San Francisco, NYC, Miami, Chicago, and more (including internationally), but I must say that D.C. is the most diverse in terms of culture and ethnicity in comparison to anywhere I’ve been to on earth. So what do they eat? Food from their countries, I assume. So I began asking almost any person I meet (and feel comfortable enough) if they recommend a decent place to eat. I’ve found it in different forms: from a normal restaurant, to someone bringing food to me at the office leftover from their spouse’s cooking for a party over the weekend, to an eatery inside a grocery store. Now I found D.C.’s niche! Now I like to dine in D.C.!! (Actually, it’s more the D.C. area. Most of these places I’ve found are around D.C. and not so much in D.C.) And let me tell you, it’s endless here. I am someone who enjoys learning other cultures, and I’ve learned that one way of doing that is through food. Music, language, customs, history, and so much more are ways to do so, of course, but at least the food is something you can do now and really be one with it. When I was in Chicago, and I saw a Latino, most of the time that person was Mexican. If I spoke to someone who was black, they were American. Here, the Latinos can be from Argentina, España, Brasilia, and anywhere from the 27 Latin American countries. And black people? England, Jamaica, Egypt, Liberia, etc. And speaking of Liberia, here’s a story from a coworker from my first job in D.C.:

He is Liberian. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone from Liberia. Heck, I was embarrassed that I didn’t even know what part of Africa Liberia is. But my curiosity about his country, culture, food, and more develops into a long conversation, and from that, we became friends. (Another wonderful thing about food!) So, of course, I asked him if he knew of any Liberian restaurants thinking he will reply with a quick “no.” Well, he did know of such a place. Not only that, but he told me that he had food there that he didn’t even have in Liberia. He did confirm that it is Liberian indeed, and when I asked him what, my man, what is the food??? It is the leaf off of a rubber tree. “Interesting! Now then… where can I taste that myself???” He said it wasn’t so much that it was from that restaurant but from a Liberian festival the place was sponsoring. But this is the kind of stuff I love!

But don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy sampling the “normal” places, too. Most of the time, I am met with the same experience: they just try too hard. Not all the time, but many times. I will say that I’ve had the best lobster bisque in my life in D.C. I am a proponent of the new Jimmy’s on K St. because of that. If I could go there and order 3 bowls without raising the brows of others, damnit, I would. If I could lick the bowl with nobody looking, then turn off the lights, man. I’ve also experienced the best seafood salad at Spezie Ristorante where there was actually more seafood than there was lettuce.

I recently caught the end of Iron Chef America where Bobby Flay lost to Chef Jose Andres, and Aramis pointed out that he has restaurants in D.C. I’ve been eyeing Jaleo, and that may be the place where we will meet. So I started reading more about Andres. He’s from Spain, is opening up a hotel with adventurous eating throughout, has several restaurants, and oh, look at this… he even owns Zaytinya. I’ve been there before. Twice, in fact. Again, one of those places where it’s uber-trendy, with the prices to go along with the dishes, equipped with a wonderful buzz, and garnished with belly-dancers. How cool is that? But then again, the food came, and I was impressed only slightly more than average for a place like this. Both times. The second time was with a crowd of almost 10 people, so I tasted several dishes. We’ll see what Jaleo brings us. Some day.

Today, my coworker referred me to a food critic for the Washington Post whose column is called Ask Tom. One can even join a discussion with him on Wednesday mornings. As I read his latest column from today, I was really enthusiastic on trying many places he mentions. Until I see that he recommend going to Zatinya. Not only that, he recommended a Vietnamese place called Four Sisters. It was there that I wasn’t sure if I could trust his critiques any more. Here’s why –

There’s an area in Arlington, Virginia called Seven Corners. This is, essentially, Little Vietnam. There’s a strip shopping center called Eden Center with the arch and everything. Everything is Pho, nails, and little symbols above letters. The first time I ventured there, I went to the biggest restaurant in the strip mall called Four Sisters. (They're big, so they have to be good, right?) I noticed the only Vietnamese people were the ones walking around OUTSIDE of the restaurant. I ordered whatever the waitress recommended, and both dishes were basically Americanized Chinese food. Huge disappointment. I mentioned this to the people who cut my hair, because they’re from Vietnam. They laughed and told me to go a couple doors down to a hole in the wall place called Huong Viet. (Something about ethnic places and “hole in the wall” is usually a good sign.) I try it again, and I fall in love. Ever hear the expression “nothing to write home about?” Well, I called my Mother back in Chicago and told her about the seafood soup I was eating, since I know she would like it. Delicious! And you know what else? We were the only non-Vietnamese people in there. (Of course, we felt like celebrities, since everyone was staring!) Not to mention the manager who attended us showed us how to eat the food properly, but I leave that for a proper review.

So this is why I am skeptical of Ask Tom’s column. I will refer to it, since it is, after all, one of the best food critique columns regarding dining in D.C.

Until this blog. =]