11.18.2008

Good Eats

The year is coming to an end and that means all sorts of lists are on the horizon. What's that? You are coming to visit me in D.C. and want to know where a good place to eat is? Here is Baji's Top Eateries Around Town:

  • Best Brunch: Rosemary's Thyme Bistro. Not only is it around the corner from us, but the pide is smashing, especially when, on Sundays, they throw a couple of eggs on top.
  • Best 24-hour: The Diner. Not only is it around the corner from us, but the root beer floats are amazing, especially when coupled with hot, crispy fries.
  • Best historical attraction and good food: Ben's Chili Bowl. Not only is it right around the corner from us (do you see a theme here?), but it's a landmark, it has a panda out front, and it's the place where KG ate just before he proposed to LB!
  • Best sushi: Kotobuki. Bite-sized morsels that melt in your mouth and at a great price.
  • Best Ethiopian: Meskerem. Maybe not as popular as the shiny new but pencil thin Etete but at least my tummy doesn't hurt afterwards.
  • Best South Indian: Udupi Palace. It's a bit of a hike to get there, but the all-you-can eat brunch with free dosas makes it worth it.
  • Best Spanish tapas: Jaleo. One of our go-to hits that pleases everyone.
  • Best Vietnamese: Nam Viet. Haven't had a bad meal there yet.
  • Best Middle Eastern: Lebanese Taverna. Another crowd-pleaser that we often visit when money-bags parents are in town.
  • Best Pizza: Vace. and Two Amy's. Vace's pizzas have gotten a little saltier but they are still great when piping hot; Two Amy's is classically made and fantastic but more expensive and harder to park at.
  • Best Bagels: So's Your Mom. Alas, since What's-A-Bagel closed in Cleveland Park, the pickin's are slim, but the bagels (and sandwiches) here are great.
  • Best Afghan: Afghan Restaurant. What the name lacks in cleverness, the cuisine makes up for in taste.
  • Best Kebabs: Food Factory. See above.
  • Best Mexican: Lauriol Plaza. Can get pretty crowded but I've never had to wait long to get a table at the multi-storied restaurant and crowds (often) = good food.
  • Best Tex-Mex: Mixtec. A-Number one flautas.
  • Best Falafels: Amsterdam Cafe. Choose your own toppings, bring cash, and load up on fries.
  • Best French Toast: Open City. Not shy with the powdered sugar and creamy butter.
  • Best Italian: Al Tiramisu. Yeah, it's pricey but it's also pretty nice.
  • Best Seafood: Grillfish. Wide selection and since they specialize in fish, you can't Linkbe steered too wrongly as, say, if you visited one of those mix of cuisine joints.
  • Best Ps'ghetti: La Tomate. The other dishes are great too but I love their ps'ghetti.
  • Best Gelato: Dolcezza. *dies*
  • Best Spring Rolls: Thaiphoon. Crunchy and veggie.
  • Best Tea: Teaism. Lovely wares and calming atmosphere.
  • Best Coffee: Murky. Look past the drama and attitude and drink up.
  • Best Cannoli: Vaccaro's. Hands down.
  • Best Croissant: Patisserie Poupon. The plain ones are light and flaky and the chocolate ones have a generous slab of chocolate to satisfy.
  • Best Crepes: Cafe Bonaparte. There are actually two places in AdMo that are rated up there too, but the best I've had is at Bonaparte.

15 comments:

HijabMan said...

Mmkay, coming to wisit!

hahahaha

Anonymous said...

#3 - Wait, what?

baj said...

hj - see you soon!

kg - what, you don't like ben's?

Anonymous said...

holy good GOD, baji.
i was just thinking about how hungry i am, and then i click over here, and you're killing me. killing me, buddy boy.

The Diner = hands-down the best root beer floats i've had in my life. and i'll join you for some gelato, too. and does that Afghan Restaurant of yours have boulani? i demand you go eat some for me.

hman was harassing me about another renewunion the other day, and we started brainstorming cities. maybe we need to just stick to DC, since you are - as far as i'm concerned - the center of the AllStar Crackstar Universe.

baj said...

aye to all above.
and you have ayesha to thank for the incentive to update and come up with this. we were discussing places to eat and it got me thinking. and salivating. and MAN i could go for a cannoli right now. and some hot chocolate. best hot chocolate: chocolateria. too bad it's in madrid, spain.

Anonymous said...

alright, then, baji baj - let's go to spain!
they have pretty architecture and pretty postal boxes and other pretty STUFF there, too. STUFF is always a good thing.

mm, hot chocolate...

baj said...

vamanos! i'm already halfway there. so come meet me in dc and we'll leave from here. and yeah, i like stuff too.

Anonymous said...

seriously, why is california so far from everywhere? it's like we're a whole freakin' country of our own, or something.

no wonder everyone thinks of it as such an exotic vacation getaway. you have to fly halfway across the world just to get to us.

sure, i'll come meet you in DC. there should be a chinatown bus onto which i can schedule myself. haha. oh man, spain or otherwise, another renewunion with you in it would be so ROCKING.

Zee said...

Dude, if there is ANY newunioning going on, it's GOT to be in Dubai. The likes of Knicq, Hemlock, BaptisedLucifer and not to mention The Abez, will not let me SPEAK of my US adventures because they are muchness yellous. So you all must come out here and meet them. It is written. Bus. The end!

But you could stop by DC along the way. Cuz The Amsterdam Cafe REALLY does have THE BEST falafel. Won't find any so awesome even in Dubai.

baj said...

yz - DANG you are so good for my ego. :D

owl - well, save for you and abez, i hain't seen hide nor hair of any of those folks in the blogosphere so i'm not sure how much of a newunion it would be as a new.

Anonymous said...

Udupi Palace is awesome! Equally awesome is Tiffin, Udupi's sister restaurant in the strip mall next door. Works well for carnivores (and vegetarians, too).

Also, I wish we had Vaccaro's shop in Silver Spring. They wouldn't have to sell anything *but* cannolis to stay in business.

baj said...

i have to admit, i've been frequenting Ghar-e-Kabab more than Udupi just b/c it's closer. the green kebabs are mouth-watering, the pakoras are nice and crispy, and the portions are generous - always have enough left over for a small lunch the next day.

re: vaccaro's - i wonder if the annapolis location is closer to you than the dc location. i think it takes about 45 min to get to each? they DO ship so that's another alternative. the other pastries are definitely great too but NOTHING beats those cannoli.

Anjum said...

baji, are you starting a reviews blog? :) you should! PS this really made me wanna come have some yummy foodS.

baj said...

i should do more reviews. i miss 'pandi's 'pinions' but i rarely have time to do anything worth reviewing these days! this weekend, however, i did see 'slumdog millionaire' and finished not one but two books. hmmm, stay tuned!

ps - just had vaccaro's cannoli for dessert. i can die now.

Miss Mouna said...

dude. i think best middle eastern so far is mama ayesha's... :)