• 18Jan

    Crooked Run and Pizza Serata is a new, collaborative concept from Crooked Run Fermentation owners/brew masters Jake Endres and Lee Rogan, Michelin-starred Chef Chris Morgan, and “Pizza Czar” Anthony Falco. We attended the friends and family event Monday and got to sample their food and beer.

    We sampled four brews: Raspberry Empress (a sour), and three Pilsners, New Zealand, Italian, and German. All four were great, with my favorite being the Italian-style Pilsner, while my guest’s favorite was the New Zealand-style Pilsner.

    We tried the Arugula Salad (Lemon Vin, Pickled Peppers, Whipped Ricotta, Roasted Beets, Red Onions Jam, Crushed Pistachios), Steak Sandwich (Skirt Steak, Salsa Verde, Calabrian Aioli, House-Made Bread), Sicilian Anchovy Pizza (Anchovies, Tomato, Garlic, Pecorino, Roasted Onions, Breadcrumbs), and Reading Terminal Pizza (Porchetta, Mozzarella, Broccoli Rabe, Provolone, Long Hots, Vodka Sauce).

    As far as the food, the absolute standout was the Arugula Salad, with delicious pickled peppers, roasted beets, and crushed pistachios. A nearby table raved about the Italian Chop Salad, and there is also a third salad on the menu (Grilled Treviso). The pizzas were good as well, with a thick focaccia-like crust, as was the Steak Sandwich. While we did try their Sticky Garlic Chicken Wings and were not crazy about them (the texture and level of saltiness), it was the first day of service, so they can still work on that one.

    We definitely need to go back, since there are salads, brews, and pizzas we didn’t get to try.

    -JAY

    Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events. Our words are still our own.

  • 29Dec

    We were happy to try the new menu items at the DuPont location of ChiKo, a group of Chinese/Korean fusion restaurants. I can’t eat egg yolks, so brought a plus one (“C”) to try the dishes I could not. We enjoyed all the new menu items; my guest vouched for the dishes I could not try).

    C’s favorite dishes of the visit were the Umami Nosh (soft-cooked egg, salmon caviar, seaweed) and Egg Drop Hot Sour Wonton Soup, two dishes I could not try. He attacked the Chinese Style 5 Spice Donuts. When he brought home the leftover soup, his partner proclaimed it “sex in a bowl.” I asked no further questions at that point.

    My favorite dishes of the evening were the Wok Stir Fried Sea Bass (which I LOVED) ordered without the oyster mushrooms and Dry Spiced Double-Fried Chicken Wings (wonderful savory flavor and perfectly crunchy), although the latter isn’t a new dish. I attacked the Sesame Custard, which does not contain eggs and features a perfect combination of flavors and textures (coconut, caramel, almonds, basil seeds).

    The new dishes are available at all ChiKo locations. Scroll down to see the menu.

    -JAY

    Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events. Our words are still our own.

    Standard menu. They also have a vegetarian and a GF menu.

  • 13Dec

    Capital Doner in Dupont Circle (corner of P and 20th St NW) has been open over a year now, and recently added a second rotisserie; that one is for Chicken Shwarma. You can order your butter-basted Doner or Chicken Shwarma as a sub bread or flatbread, or with rice and French fries as a platter. The platter includes a large amount of food. And, yes, this restaurant is Turkish style (not Berlin style). The food is delicious here and they even have outdoor seating (no heaters). Sandwiches are $15 and platters are $19 for healthy sized portions.

    The pastries are imported from Turkey and exceptionally good. All except one of the pastries include pistachios (one is walnut). And yes, you can wash it down with Turkish coffee.

    I brought a Middle Eastern friend that was visiting from NY here, and he went back to Long Island trying to find doner as good as what we ate at Capital Doner. He hasn’t yet, but you’re welcome to make suggestions for Nassau County or Queens Turkish style Doner in the comments IF you’ve tried Capital Doner (so can make a fair comparison).

    -JAY

    Editor’s Note: We’re taking submissions for guest writers. Drop some article ideas you’d like to pursue (and a writing sample) at jay (at) dcfud (dot) com if you’re interested.

  • 04Oct

    Thursday, we attended the pre-opening night of the new Silver Diner location in Navy Yard. After 33 years in the DC area, this is their first Silver Diner in Washington, DC proper. They have a Silver in DC (Cathedral Heights), but it is a different concept (more upscale).

    Silver Diner co-owner and Executive Chef Ype Von Hengst (a TVFN Chopped and Rewrapped champion) was on hand with his CEO and a huge staff. They continuously checked on the diners that evening (bigwigs and media). So, the service was definitely attentive. The baseball-themed cookies as favors were a nice touch for this event.

    We’ve dined at and ordered takeout and delivery at various Silver Diner locations over the years. We even covered the opening of an Alexandria location during the pandemic. And, I’ve even ordered the steak dish many times. The Old Bay Wings with Mambo Sauce are new though.

    The food was better than anything we’ve experienced at Silver Diner in the past. The steak was perfectly cooked, the wings were crispy and tasty. We tried nicely executed (and yummy) margaritas which had a shot of Cointreau in a tiny lime rind bowl, and the house made ginger ale. Hopefully, this is the normal level of quality for this location and not just the case because it was a heavily staffed and monitored opening event. If the DC location can keep it up, maybe Silver Diner can bring their other restaurants up to this level, from good to great.

    Give the new location a try and comment letting us know if they keep up this really high level of food and service.

    -JAY

  • 19Sep

    We attended the Paella Fest Kick-Off Party at Jose Andres’ Spanish Diner in Bethesda yesterday. This was to kick-off to its annual, two-week celebration of paella (9/19-10/2). Chef Daniel Lugo cooked shrimp paella outside in front of guests. The other paellas were brought from the kitchen already prepared. Tapas, wine, and sangria were also served; the white sangria was a big hit (and was fizzy).

    We understand that it is difficult to prepare and coordinate food for large groups of people at these party-like events. That said, two of the 4 paellas were very oversalted (the shrimp and the squid ink). Most likely, the paellas will be more spot on when directly ordered from the menu.

    It was a nice event overall and the flamenco dancer was great; it was nice having live entertainment outside. The service was good.

    -JAY

  • 16Aug

    Mahal BBQ has been open a few weeks (weekends) at the Sandlot in Georgetown (2715 Pennsylvania Avenue NW). These are really great guys who know their food and work hard, but still need to work a few kinds out after only a couple of weekends of service. Also, the prices are pretty high. This is an outdoor venue, so isn’t open when it rains. Also, there is a bar at the Sandlot.

    The Half Chicken was the standout here, and I would stop by for it (and the Chili-Vinegar Sauce) regularly if it wasn’t $24. Try it once, it’s worth it. The Smoked Beef Cheek ($26) was too tough to chew, which is something they need to work out. We did not try the Sausage Platter ($22) or smoked Oyster Mushrooms (20). The Green Papaya Salad didn’t taste like much until I poured the tasty Chili-Vinegar Sauce on it. The Pimento Cheese could have had a better (thicker) texture. Give them some time to work the beef dish out, but get the chicken in the meantime, if it’s in your price range.

    -JAY

  • 13Aug

    3 Stars in DC had been open for 10 years when they recently closed their doors. Dawson’s Market in DuPont Circle has several varieties in Stock (not the Ghost IPA). Their Peppercorn Saison is one of my favorite local brews and is great for the summer, so you may want to grab some ASAP. The Rockville location should have 3 Stars in stock too.

    -JAY

  • 02Jun

    Sura (in the old Bangkok Thai space at 2016 P St NW) in DuPont Circle is having a Fat Nomads Popup through June 26th, 4pm-9:30pm with cocktails and Thai Moonshine by Andy T. Reservations are suggested for Friday and Saturdays — you can call (202) 450-6282. The menu is here. No idea why they didn’t call it “One Month in Bangkok.” 🙂

    -JAY

  • 24May

    We recently received a box of sourdough bread from Wildgrain. The bread arrived baked most of the way through and frozen, and you then finish it off it the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes. We focused on the vegan options so did not try their pastries or pasta. Sampled were the Sourdough, Sourdough Wheat, Harvest Sourdough, Sesame Sourdough, and Cranberry Pecan Sourdough. The Slow-fermented focaccia and Sourdough Rolls are still in the freezer, but we wanted to write this article while you still have a chance to join with their “Free Croissants for Life” special which means you need to jump on it by the end of May (2022).

    We even joined their affiliate program and were able to get our readers the code “DCFUD” which will give you $30 off your first order. This discount code expires 8/31/2022.

    So, how was the bread? You have to be careful not to burn the loaves, but even after slightly burning the first one (as seen in the photo on the right), we could tell that Wildgrain makes quality products that are not bland (under salted) like many other artisan loaves. The favorite was the Cranberry Pecan Sourdough, and we enjoyed the Sourdough, Sourdough Wheat, Harvest Sourdough, and Sesame Sourdough. While we enjoyed the dried fruit in the Cranberry Pecan Sourdough, the Harvest Sourdough was my least favorite because it had too much dried fruit (dried apricots and candied ginger), giving it a weird (flexible) texture. All sampling was of slices fresh out of the toaster.

    DCFüd’s long time friend, JC, posted photos of Wildgrain’s Blueberry Biscuits, which she very much enjoyed. Oh, looks like they don’t have eggs, so I actually could have ordered them.

    Feel free to comment on this post with your favorite Wildgrain products.

    -JAY

    Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events. Our words are still our own.

  • 23May

    Pressed opened across the Street from the P Street Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago. I checked it out last week, trying all four of the frozen treat flavors. I enjoyed the Dragon Fruit, Acai, and Golden Rosé flavors, but was not a fan of the Vanilla. The Acai bowl was flavorful, and included granola and good quality fresh fruit. I tried one shot (refresh, which is a tastier alternative to apple cider vinegar), two juices (Citrus 2, and Strawberry Basil Lemonade), one Acai Bowl, and some great and addictive chewie organic tropical mango candy from Candy Kittens. I liked that the two juices were not very sweet, which highlighted their flavors. All three employees (including Asha, the Manager) were personable and helpful.

    Pressed is definitely a nice addition to the area, and it is great that it has outdoor seating. Georgetown and Mosaic District locations are coming soon.

    -JAY

    Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events. Our words are still our own.

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