This weekend I ventured to Washington D.C. to visit my good friend Lauren, a fellow foodie with whom I've been dining for many years now. Among our shared loves are Asian food and Jewish delis. I knew she would take me to some great places.
We started out at Bangkok Joe's in Georgetown. The space is very hip but comfortable, and people seemed to enjoy the bar area too. They're known for their dumpling bar, so we ordered chicken potstickers and pork and crab shu mai. The potstickers were really crispy and the filling actually had flavor, unlike a lot of dumplings you find these days. The pork and crab shu mai
In the morning we hit Luna Grill and Diner in DuPont Circle for brunch. It's a tiny place where you're elbow to elbow with your neighbor. They have a fairly standard menu of breakfast dishes. Lauren had a really yummy-looking bagel and egg sandwich, while I had a huge bowl of very crunch granola with vanilla yogurt and fruit, plus a side of very tasty sausage. It set us up well for a day of shopping!
For dinner, we went to Lauriol Plaza, an absolutely monstrous Mexican restaurant with 3 floors of seating. It was packed with people, and apparently averages a 1 hour wait on any given weekend. It's a fun place, and I could see why D.C.-ers enjoy it so much. Margaritas and sangria flow freely and the atmosphere is bustling. We were magically seated quickly, and ordered up a pitcher of white sangria that was so good. I ate entirely too many chips because I loved the really spicy and smokey salsa that they clearly make in-house. I ordered the enchiladas de mariscos - huge scallops and shrimp and a little cheese stuffed in rolled tortillas with a seafood sauce and avocado. I'd never really thought about seafood in enchiladas but these were so good. The sauce was a thickened seafood stock and very rich. I love Mexican food but I always appreciate a slightly different take on a standard dish.
On my final morning, we had breakfast at Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe, also in DuPont. It's a really neat little place - independent bookstore in the front, and cute cafe in the back. The have a great patio, which must be amazing in the summer. I was surprised at how upscale the menu was, featuring some interesting omelets and a cafe-cured salmon that I just had to try. It set me for a long day of traveling so I didn't have to look for food at the airport.
I had a wonderful time and I certainly ate well! Thanks to Lauren for showing me around town - I can't wait to come back! were a softer steamed dumpling with a thicker filling. I think they were my favorite. For entrees, Lauren and I shared Siamese pork noodles (really tender pork over the really skinny rice noodles) and a ginger beef rice bowl. The portions were huge and we enjoyed both dishes, though it was annoying when they charged us $2 to substitute a vegetable.
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