Part of any good traveling experience is culinary; sampling the local cuisine even if it’s only different versions of things you have at home is always advised. This is especially true in a place like Washington where just about any
nationality you can think of is represented in some way. With a little effort you can find whatever suits you here, and some things that are woefully gross and you’d do better to avoid.

On this trip it just so happened that my first experience dining out was at an old favorite – Full Kee in Chinatown. Now, I am going to complain about Full Kee. And many of you are going to cock your heads to one side and say, ‘Dear boy, you bought Chinese food in Chinatown. What did you expect?’ But to those of you I say that there have been many times when I was the only gringo in the place (whatever the Chinese version of gringo is) and I was able to order very good family style Cantonese food here. A few months ago it was here that I
enjoyed the best bowl of noodles with brisket that I’ve ever had. This time I was disappointed with the Pan Fried Noodles w/ Shrimp ($8) I ordered, which were largely tasteless and cool. I’d definitely go again, but I think the trick here is to ask for what the kitchen staff or servers might eat, as I did with the noodles last time. I had better luck and an adventure of sorts. [ed. note: Full Kee underwent renovations and a change in ownership last year, and may still be sorting things out]

After the theater the original plan was to have dinner at a smallish Italian place near the KC whose name escapes me. Due to a dinner crunch we ended up calling ahead to the Circle Bistro, which serves a large French menu to guests of the Washington Circle Hotel and anyone else looking for a very pleasant meal in a refined
atmosphere. Several members of my party ordered the Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi ($19), which arrived in a shallow dish with Fall vegetables. A small sample revealed firm Gnocchi in a mild cream sauce, with hints of sage. I chose the Classic Tartare of Hereford Beef ($12), served with a paper cone of pomme frites. It was really very good, with the taste of fresh ultra-rare beef undercut slightly by quality capers.

Coffee junkies that we are, we spent quite a bit of time in coffee houses or places that cater to coffee house types. Tryst
is an old favorite, serving dozens of coffee drinks and teas in a sort of yard sale chic atmosphere. I had a good but very strong Egg Nog with Rum here. The food is pretty good as well, perfect for studying or reading with. Sandwiches, for instance, run $6-7 and are made on site by actual humans with quality ingredients. Two relative newcomers, looking to capitalize on the popularity of Tryst, are Open City and Busboys
+ Poets. I thought Open City had a delicious Soy Latte, then noticed why: all their coffee is roasted by and purchased from Tryst. (I’ve since been told they’re actually owned by Tryst.) Busboys + Poets has the same intricate tea services as Tryst, with a large stage in back for the inevitable poetry slam. All these places make it clear that it’s really difficult to get a lousy cup of Joe in DC except for in the Dirksen cafeteria.

Utopia is in a row house in the U District, and has really made an effort to leave some lasting mark on the neighborhood with a sort of Afro-Cuban decor and live jazz when we visited. I pounce on good Mussels when they’re in season (months ending in “R”, kids…) so I had to try them in Lemon Caper Cream sauce. I really didn\’t expect the sauce to be as good as it was; complex, a bit sweet, and completely worth the untold hours on the treadmill it will take to make it (and the two pieces of bread that soaked it up) go away. I think I\’ll be mentally filing Utopia away as a place to return to later.

In addition to all the places in DC to dine where one is expected to dress as if they just climbed out of the Banana Republic window, there are other very tasty and far less formal spots, like Julia’s
Empanadas. There are three in various spots in the city but my favorite is on 18th NW across from Madam’s Organ. It’s really hard to be elitist about the favorite cuisine of labor union organizers and socialist revolutionaries that’s best eaten with two hands and a Guava juice. The window outside purports that each is “handmade with love,” and I’d believe it. For looks the little pastry pouches can’t be beat, and the taste is a delicious break from the normal bland pub food.

Also in Adam’s Morgan is the fantastic Amsterdam
Falafel. Like Julia’s, Amsterdam caters to the late night crowd of revelers with simple fare. Serving only three main items—a small falafel, regular falafel, and pomes frites – in the upstairs of a small row house, Amsterdam does what it does very well. Each falafel is crunchy on the outside and surprisingly flavorful inside. Served plain, it’s up to you to decide what you’d like from a bar of toppings including tahini and other made on-site relishes and chiffonades. I especially love the jalapeno and cilantro herb relish. While I love a nice – as we say in the south, ‘sit-down’ meal – sometimes eating from a paper pouch while you walk down 18th is a lot of fun. Julia’s and Amsterdam are an absolute must when I’m in Washington, and for comfort food they’ve got my vote.
This was written by guest contributer NMJ.