For me, a good coffee shop or sidewalk café is key to living happily: a comfortable spot to get caffeinated, to read, work, and meet people, preferably with good (by which I mean impressively bad) art-for-sale on the walls and enough traffic (inside and out) for good people watching. New Orleans’ Café du Monde is pretty much the ultimate example in my mind, though DC’s L’Enfant does pretty well. Atlanta’s café selection is, unfortunately, a study in disunity.
The coffee at San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co. in Virginia Highlands is really good – rich, hot, and not all burned like it’s been there too long or has been over-roasted to generic Starbucksness – but that thing on my plate was not a scone, by any definition. It was a biscuit which, in addition to overcooking it, someone has shoved a great deal of refined sugar and a small handful of sulfury currants. It’s mostly too dark in the large, otherwise comfortable shop to read happily, but the jazz standards, while uninspired and generic, are piped in at a volume which allows enjoyment but does not interfere with conversation. The patio out back is small and fine enough, except the view is of a parking lot. My large iced coffee was about $2.00.
Decatur’s Java Monkey has a few comfy chairs, some slightly awkward bar and counter seating, and lots of tables that could do with some de-wobblifying. It also has the nicest patio of anyplace I’ve been down here. The coffee’s pretty good – all fair-trade and often organic for those in to such things – and the food is on the better side, with tasty paninis and fair hummus and tapenade. They also have wine and beer, which helps. The people-watching is pretty good here, as is the eavesdropping. The downside, which keeps me from Java Monkey rather more than I’d like, is that every night seems to be open mic night.
I’m all for supporting local artists and such, but there is only so amateur slam poetry one’s mind can handle. The same would go, I suppose, for professional slam poetry, should such a horror exist. Plus, open mic night is LOUD: it’s not the cheering or the moderate extra crowd, but the bloody mic is turned up all the way and the performers (especially, but not exclusively, the slam poets) tend to shout. This makes working, reading, and often conversing rather impossible.
Outwrite has geography, and books. The coffee is atrocious, but the tea is pretty good and enough sugar makes the espresso passable, so it’s easy to maintain your buzz while watching the scenery strut down 10th street. Seating is limited inside, but enough of the patrons are sufficiently friendly that sharing tables is a norm, which is helpful not only in comfort but also in learning all about that hot blonde walking by on the arm of a much older (and…homelier…) gentle(?)man. Sadly, outdoor seating is a no-go: the ‘patio’ is a nine-by-four-foot deck occupied by dedicated smokers and those willing to shout over the too-loud music. Inside, the music isn’t too loud, but it is often crap.

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Today’s 7/11, which means it’s the annual FREE SLURPEE DAY at your favorite neighborhood convenience store.
7-Elevens are pretty ubiquitous, but here’s their store locator in case you’re not sure where the closest one is.
This might be a good day to check out the Kwik-E-Mart inspired 7-Eleven in Bladensburg, one of just twelve in the country.
Here’s the thing, though. Area 7-Elevens tend to be inconsistent on whether they’re participating in the promotion or not. According to an LA-based food blog, if you show up and your 7-Eleven says it isn’t participating, you can call 800-255-0711 and receive a free Slurpee Coupon. Suburban outfits tend to be more likely to participate than the DC ones, it seems.

Look what we found during our habitual craigslist crawling – an actual, honest-to-god, pretty cool food-related job.
José Andrés, of Jaleo, Mini Bar, Cafe Atlantico, and now Iron Chef America fame, wants someone to oversee his in-house recipe database.
From craigslist:

José Andrés and THINKfoodGROUP have an immediate opening for a full time Culinary Scribe
The Culinary Scribe (working title only, the job is much more interesting than it sounds) is responsible for building and maintaining our “cookbook”, the recipe database for all THINKfoodGROUP restaurants (Jaleo, Zaytinya, Cafe Atlantico, Oyamel) and other projects. This person will input all data and work closely with the chefs to ensure the accuracy and completeness of recipes. Other office responsibilities.
The ideal candidate is detail oriented, organized and can work independently. In addition, they must possess very strong computer and kitchen skills. Requires familiarity with databases and some Spanish skills. This job requires a lot of data entry so good typing skills are a must. Knowledge of Spanish, Middle Eastern and/or Mexican cuisine a plus.

Interested? Email jobs@thinkfoodgroup.com. The salary range is listed at $25-$30k a year.
And tell us about the interview. We want to know what a culinary scribe gets to do on a daily basis.

A spicy thing happened to me on the way to a Matisyahu concert this week (Matisyahu being the Hasidic reggae singing sensation who performed in the U Street / Cardoza neighborhood of DC recently). Several friends and I ambled into “Oohhs and Aahhs Restaurant,” a Soul food establishment at the corner of U Street and 10th Street, N.W.
The owner answers to the name Aji, doubles as chef, and creates sweet and spicy dishes for customers who savor Southern cuisine. Though Aji swears to be a native Washingtonian, he wears a French chef’s hat, sports a wireless phone headpiece, and walks with the swagger of a man who was reared much further south of the Mason-Dixon line than the nation’s capital.
Some of Aji’s dishes, like collard greens and catfish, are no surprise for a soul food restaurant. But the menu also includes curiosities like a dish called chicken wings and waffles. Though Oohhs and Aahhs offers teriyaki salmon and lobster, I’ve always been one to shy away from seafood. So I stuck with the baked chicken dinner, which comes wrapped in tin foil and is served in a plastic to-go container.
It seems a crime to pay $13.95 for chicken in a cafeteria-style restaurant nestled in one of D.C. poor neighborhoods. But the intoxicating aroma of the baked chicken and its savory taste make it worth it. The best part is you get to select two of nine possible sides as part of your dinner at no extra charge. Though sides include macaroni and cheese, rice with gravy, French fries, and potato salad, I opted for collard greens and string beans. I wasn’t disappointed.
Since I try to eat healthy I hoped ordering hot tea wouldn’t be too tall an order. Unfortunately, Oohhs and Aahhs doesn’t carry Lipton tea or the likes. As an alternative Aji offered to nuke a cup of sweet tea in the microwave. I took him up on the idea. The thought of drinking sweat tea hot instead of ice cold wouldn’t have occurred to me, but I’m glad I tried it.
After Aji serves up your order you take it upstairs to a small dining area yourself. Don’t expect the look and feel of the restaurant to be the culinary version of “The Devil Wears Prada.” The ambiance is simple and the tables sport plastic covers that remind me of, well, a southern-stylebarbeque.
Aji, for his part, says he doesn’t get out much. It’s no wonder. Starting last month Oohhs and Aahhs opened its doors for late-night service (11 PM until 5 AM) from Thursday to Saturday. Don’t look for Aji’s grilled shrimp on Sundays or Mondays: Oohhs and Aahhs is closed so Aji can take a rest from serving Washington’s tired, hungry, and poor for lack of beef short ribs. Oohhs and Aahhs is located at 1005 U Street, N.W. and is near several hot clubs. Among these venues is the historic Bohemian Caverns where many music greats played during the jazz era, and where many still do today. The U Street / Cardoza Metro is across the street from Oohhs and Aahhs.
This post is by Guest Bogger Jay D. Krasnow from www.hyperactivestyle.com. Thanks Jay!

What makes for a good Mexican restaurant experience? My own criteria is hardly objective. If it’s Salvadoran-influenced, I’ll probably be a fan. If the dishes’ only defining characteristics are excessive amounts of cheese, I’m disinterested. Salsa is more pureed than chunky and pico de gallo-esque. Corn tortillas (crispy or otherwise) trump flour offerings. Words like “barbacoa” and “carnitas” bring me joy – and I’m not talking about in a Chipotle setting.
This gives you an indication about my preferences (or prejudices). And while El Paso Café in Ballston would probably earn raves from any fan of Mexican food, I essentially like it because it fits my style. Plus, the cozy atmosphere and generous margaritas are another bonus.
The place makes a mean pupusa – arguably not up to the standard set by Samantha’s in Silver Spring, but inarguably delicious, particularly the pork and cheese variety. If you’re not a fan, their queso makes for a fine starter as well. Other offerings of deliciousness included the delectable lobster tacos (a special; loved the accent of avocado), and the carnitas, which while a little on the sweet side, were wonderfully savory.
Service was a little spotty (we had table bets going on whether our waitress had registered my desire for a beer in a boot-shaped glass that I saw at another table, or would honor my friend’s request for water – she hadn’t, in either case), and the awkwardly placed bar with no stools in the middle of the restaurant doesn’t make for a comfortable situation when you’re waiting for a table. But when you’re picky about Mexican food and find a spot you like, you tend to overlook these tangential qualms. El Paso Café is worth a shot.
Plus, they have strolling mariachis. What more do you need?
El Paso Cafe
4235 N Pershing Dr
Arlington, VA 22203-3202

I’m no carb hata, but I’ve always been intrigued by the concept of spaghetti squash. A vegetable that can take the place of pasta, both in appearance and heartiness? Would it work? Would it just taste like a limp poseur? I figured I’d experiment.
I roasted the pasta imposter for about an hour in the oven (cut in half, ends slathered with olive oil). While I was doing that, I decided to construct a sauce that the vegetable underneath could showcase. In an attempt to continue the healthy trend, I threw together a quick primavera marinara sauce. This consisted of:
1 can crushed tomatoes
about half a mini-can of tomato paste
Some chopped onions, garlic, summer squash, green beans, mushrooms and broccoli
salt and sugar
pepper
dried spices including: fennel seeds, marjoram, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes.
Yeah, I don’t measure.
I browned the onions and garlic before adding the tomato paste and sauce. Now, I decided to cook the sauce separately and steam the veggies on the side in chicken broth, combining at the end, just b/c I hate overcooked veggies. Other methods are fine.
After about an hour, I took the squash out of the oven. It’s pretty fun to scrape it out of its shell and see it take on its spaghetti-like texture. It’s also not the best move to do it right away, as it’s a burn waiting to happen.
I topped the squash with some sauce and a bit of smoked mozzarella stirred in.
The verdict: Well, it’s not pasta. But it’s good. I would recommend always using a distinctive sauce b/c you notice it a lot more when it’s on a veggie instead. It wasn’t the most filling dish I’ve ever had, but I’d eat it again!

Come help ZAF and AMG, newly returned from wet places, to down a crapload of ‘Welcome Back oysters’. We will be at the DC Coast Bar on Thursday, 6:00, comparing scars and sun-poisoning. ZAF is short and frizzy-blond, and will be drinking something unimaginably girlie. AMG will be the jet-lagged one next to her.
Where: DC Coast Bar
When: 6:00
What: Lots of Oysters.
Why: Oysters, man, oysters!

Plenty of things can only exist in a vacuum. Anti-matter. Hell yeah, that stuff doesn’t like being around other stuff. Picking up really hot chicks. Apparently it can only happen in the absence of anyone who can back you up when you boast about it later.
So it’s no surprise to see the current trend of food books: ingredient specialization. Not for these, the concept of focusing on one cuisine, one preparation, or even one dish. The idea of this genre is to choose one specific ingredient X and show how X, and X alone, has sculpted the human race into what it is today.
They each sound pretty convincing. After all, lots of ingredients are universal, and food, or lack of it, has probably had a much greater impact on history than we realize. But there just can’t be a dozen different ingredients where each is the only one to affect human experience. No really, I took high school physics.
Now, I appreciate that taking a sensationalist stance is, academically speaking, the only way to get tenure. But this doesn’t need to be a culinary version of the mêlée over which culture first found America (currently in the running: Basque, Flemish, Chinese, Viking, Spanish, Portuguese, Scottish, and of course, folks from Atlantis). Let’s just calmly sit down and agree that the food most responsible for human history is going to be water.
Salt . Mark Kurlansky argues that salt is the sole cause for early agriculture, trade routes, wars, and modern law. With recipes.
The Hive. Bee Wilson argues that honey is the sole cause for early agriculture, trade routes, wars, and modern law. With recipes.
History of Bread. Bernard Dupaigne argues that bread is the sole cause for early agriculture, trade routes, wars, and modern law.
Cod. Mark Kurlansky argues that cod is the sole cause for early agriculture, trade routes, wars, and modern law. Yes, it’s the same guy who wrote salt, so he must know that they can’t both be right. The only mitigating fact is I think, historically, folks used a lot of salt on cod.

Your humble Chicago correspondant picked up some frozen dosas at a grocery on Devon Avenue, the main drag for Indian and traditional Jewish products around here. They look like this:

Dosariffic, right? Take a look at this detail from the bottom right of the box:

What the heck is “sluffy”?

Ah, Chipotle and your mysteriously addictive burritos. Sure, sometimes the overstuffed tortillas make us ill, have an aftertaste that stays with us for hours, and boast four days worth of fat grams. But despite our vows to avoid the chain, we can’t seem to stay away for long.
Tomorrow is a good day to come crawling back to the evil master that is Chipotle – if you buy a burrito and hang on to your receipt, you can get a free one if you come in again before Sunday. As free food deals go, the purchasing component makes it less attractive than, say, Ben & Jerry’s or Krispy Kreme’s offerings, but a free burrito is a free burrito.
Finding a Chipotle shouldn’t be too difficult: there are 13 in the DC/MD/VA metro area. For those of you, though, who persevere in navigating the company’s overly-busy, headache-inducing website to figure out your closest location, we salute you.