http://www.dgsdelicatessen.com

March 29, 2014

J: Do you know what I yearn for?

K: Me?

J: How bad is it if I say no?

K: Ummm…

J: The (Feuben) (fake Reuben) at DGS.

K: I guess I yearn for red wine…like all the time.

The city has surprisingly few delis, making DGS a welcome addition to the D.C. restaurant scene. And, DGS certainly does deli well – including suprisingly from a vegetarian perspective.

The pickles, cucumbers and a variety of veggies preserved in-house, are a great starter. For entrees, you can’t go wrong, from the eggplant Reuben (or, as J calls it, the Feuben), to the latkes, or to the falafel plate. The veggie sides, such as the flash-fried brussel sprouts, are also delicious.

Drinks include sodas made on the premises and a variety of cocktails, wine, and beer. Although delis are commonly viewed as best for lunchtime fare, the menu and drinks make DGS versatile regardless of the time of day or the crowd.

http://www.elreydc.com

January 31, 2014

No Website – https://plus.google.com/103971625915106084550/about?gl=us&hl=en

January 23, 2014

K: This post is about the only worthwhile reason to have a car in DC.

J: Visiting my parents in Richmond?

K: (Seeming flustered) Um, yeah, sure – that too…but no one wants to read about that (nice save). It is Yechon, the 24-7 Korean BBQ joint in Annandale. The only thing that shines brighter than the neon lights lining the entire restaurant is my smile after eating there.

Although the centerpiece of its lengthy menu are barbecue and noodle dishes featuring meat and fish, Yechon’s few vegetarian dishes are soothing, almost heartening.

An off-menu request, the vegetable bibimbap in the hot stone bowl with tofu is sublime, particularly on a cold winter night. The hot stone bowl perfectly toasts the rice and cooks the veggies; mixed together with Yechon’s hot sauce, the dish is the ultimate comfort food.

Add to dinner a variety of veggie-friendly accompaniments – including the delicious kimchi – a large bottle of beer to be shared, and friendly servers that remind us a whole lot of mom (if she were Korean), the whole experience is, well, soul-affirming.

http://www.sonacreamery.com

March 8, 2014

J: Do you know how I knew Sona was going to be really good?

K: How?

J:  It smelled pretty funky.  Good cheese always smells pretty funky.

K:  Remember the Limburger cheese incident from college?  I don’t remember much from 15 years ago, but that memory is crystal clear.  You said if it smelled that funky, it had to taste good.  Not so.  It smelled terrible and tasted worse.  To top it off, my dorm room smelled like Lindberger cheese for months after – ack.

J:  No, your dorm room smelled like a corpse.  I didn’t learn much that semester (sorry Mom and Dad) but I did learn that not all funky smelling cheese tastes good.  However, all good cheese smells funky.  Let’s call that a life lesson.  At any rate, Sona smelled delightfully of good cheese.

K:  True that.  By the way, sometimes you smell like Limburger.

J: You love it.

No Limburger at Sona (at least that we could smell).  Instead, Sona provides a well-curated selection of cheeses, with well-balanced and surprisingly creative accoutrements.  For instance, we loved the fresh, cream butter with rock salt and flavorless pop rocks (K: It was like a party in my mouth!)

But Sona is so much more than a cheese shop.  Instead, it is a perfect urban picnic (J: And no blanket necessary).  Lots of options of small plates of little bites.  Full of flavor, perfect for leisurely grazing, either for a group or a romantic pair (J: Romance does not have to be limited to a pair.  K is such a hater.).  That said, a few more vegetarian options would be a welcome addition.

Friends selected the wine – a Vouvray and a Cotes du Rhone – both of which were very reasonably priced and paired delightfully with the cheese.

Although Sona is new to the neighborhood it already feels quintisentially Capitol Hill and that is a function of the wonderful owners and staff.

http://www.smokeandbarreldc.com/

March 5, 2014

Stage setting: Long week. Edit:  Couple very long weeks.  Mid-week, a little break.  Where to go? Comfort food.  J says veggie burgers.  K says martinis (after all, do we really need food?).

The compromise?  Smoke and barrel, the perfect combination of bar (for K) and bar food (for J).  The spin? Very pro-veggie food, particularly for a bar – veggie wings, veggie chili nachos, veggie ribs, and lots of veggie-friendly sides.

The buffalo wings were satisfying, albeit a little bit chewy.  The buffalo wings are made of texturized soy (the ribs are made of seitan) and there are lots of options on rubs and sauces.  Most importantly, it is rare for vegetarians to experience the sublime pleasure of “meat” on a stick.  On this, Smoke and Barrel was right on target.

The second course of our bar dinner consisted of veggie chili nachos.  The heaping nachos – the sheer size of which was so large, we only made it through about a quarter of the plate – were yummy and gooey with all of the fixings.  Smoke and Barrel also offers an array of good beers to wash it all down.

J: OMG.  I can’t believe I ate “satan” on the first day of lent.

K: It is seitan, not satan.

J :  Nevertheless, I need holy water!

K (as she passes her beer over to J):  Here you go.

http://irongaterestaurantdc.com/

February 28, 2014

Recently re-opened, the Iron Gate has two seating options.  First come, first serve at the somewhat covered carriage house which houses a bar and a handful of tables, or tasting menu in the dining room. Unable to get a convenient reservation (and dying to try it out), we settled for the carriage house.

So, how does a restaurant that is effectively outside manage to be “completely committed” with an hour wait when it is below freezing?

Even though the temperature outside was ghastly frigid, Iron Gate radiated warmth (not insignificantly due to the generous use of heating elements), comfort, and sophistication.  We waited for a table while enjoying the ambience of the lovely bar and the delightful cocktails.  If it were just the two of us, we probably would have chosen to eat there.

(By the way, for long-married couples, a great way to avoid inane conversation is sitting at the bar, while the barkeep pretends to be your friend in order to extract a large tip at the end of the evening. Otherwise, table discussion often devolves to – “K: I have to do laundry tomorrow.  J: I did it already.  K: Did you fold it?  J: No.  K: Did you do the towels?  J: I forgot.  I haven’t used mine in a few days.  K:  Wow. That’s a great way to start date night.  And I have to do laundry tomorrow.”  Large tip very worthwhile.)

We digress.  Onwards to dinner, where we were provided with blankets for added warmth.  (K: Loved it.  J: Be aware of other people’s blankets.  That’s how the Europeans spread small-pox to Native Americans.  K: Said from a person that hadn’t showered “in a few days.”)

Wine, a 2006 barolo per the recommendation of the manager, was probably one of the best bottles we’ve had in some time.

Our dinner order was literally “everything vegetarian on the menu.”  Which turned out to be quite a lot. Focaccia, trio of dips, trio of cheeses, trio of olives (haha – a trio of trios!), crispy Jerusalem artichokes, winter root vegetable salad, farro salad, and pasta.  The flavors and ingredients played off of each other deliciously – the food at once combined the lightness of the Mediterranean, with ingredients that felt appropriately wintery.  The one non-vegetarian in our foursome enjoyed partaking in our offerings, while also taking great pleasure in his non-veggie entrée.

We’ll go again and often.  Look forward to visiting the dining room in the future and enjoying the patio throughout the year

http://tabledc.com/ 

February 27, 2014

For recently being named the Best New Restaurant by Washington City Paper, Table was refreshingly…unfussy.

A small number of tables, no big crowds (at least the weekday evening we were there), and low-key and helpful staff gives Table the feel of a favorite neighborhood spot.  At the same time, the backdrop almost fade away, providing a platform to elevate the food and wine, the freshness of the ingredients and the careful, but not overly contrived, engineering of flavor combinations.

We started with two appetizers, a beet salad and a mushroom toast.  The modest portions forced you to focus on the ingredients and how well they played off each other.  (J: “Modest” = not enough on my plate.)  For dinner, we had the root vegetable bowl, with consisted of various roasted vegetables in winter squash accented with purple mustard.  (J: Still hungry.)  The wine – a pinot noir and burgundy, both recommended by the waiter – heightened the flavors.  Simple, yet thoughtful.

(J: Yes, the food was good.  However, afterwards, I was craving the warm embrace of a real neighborhood spot.  Another spot, also known for being “unfussy,” but perhaps a tad (read: a lot) on the greasier end.  See below for the review of my second (more like fourth) course.)

So, for vegetarians that like a lot of options or heartier fare, a cautionary note is that there were only couple of veggie-friendly appetizers and one entrée (which also should be noted was entirely vegetable based, without any starch or protein).  Granted, Table does host Meatless Mondays, which we look forward to trying.  There were a lot of options for non-vegetarians and our dinner companions, who generally keep to a pescetarian diet when eating out, enjoyed their (much more generously-sized) entrees tremendously.

Update – J’s supplement to the review is here