Red Rocks Pizzeria - Columbia Heights 2/20/2011

Red Rocks Pizzeria is a local pizzeria chain that sells pizzas cooked in a wood fired oven. The Columbia Heights location was the first, housed in a renovated townhouse that is tight, but comfortable. Waits can be long, and uncomfortable since the front of the house is cramped and the bar is usually packed.

When we got seated, I ordered the margherita (buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomato sauce) while my friend ordered the Sunrise pizza (fried egg, breakfast potatoes, and a dusting of parmesan). The crusts were correct: they had some chew with just enough char to lend some pleasing bitterness to the pizza without being ashy. The toppings were also solid...the sauce tasted fresh and wasn't tinny, which is a problem I run across quite frequently in DC. But...for whatever reason, it just really didn't come together for me. Everything was correct, but kind of uninteresting. For example, a pizza from New York, New Haven, or even Chicago or California (bastardized forms as the latter two may be) are distinctive and instantly recognizable. Red Rocks, on the other hand, just seemed to be imitating what they thought a Neopolitan pizza should be without attempting to leave their own particular stamp on their interpretation. It was like there was no "there" there. Maybe I should give them another try, but this place definitely did not inspire me to go out of my way to dine here again in the future. But, if I'm in the neighborhood, I wouldn't object to eating here again.

Faccio Luna - Clarendon 3/4/2011

Faccio Luna is a pizza parlor which self-proclaims that it serves the best pizza in Virginia. While I wouldn't go that far, it isn't bad. If it weren't for the inexplicably long waits, it would be a nice place to pop into if I was in the neighborhood to grab a cheap meal with friends.

As noted, the place primarily serves pizza, but I also shared a salad that was pretty flavorful and some meatballs, which were a lot more forgettable. The pie we ordered had sausage and pepperoni, and the toppings and sauce were generally enjoyable. However, texturally, the pizza wasn't interesting and it lacked the hint of bitterness a nice, charred crust imparts on a pie. Indeed, the dense crust somehow managed to pull off the hat trick of being simultaneously bready, friable, and dry. While this may sound unappetizing, I actually enjoyed it...it reminded me of the pizzeria in Connecticut that my family used to get take out from. Ah...family memories, though whether being comparable to a suburban pizzeria is a compliment, I leave that up to you to judge.

In sum, Faccio Luna is a nice neighborhood spot that serves an eminently serviceable pizza (and if you think that is damning with faint praise, well, you might be right).

Shake Shack Right Now Is a Shit Show

Lines for Shake Shack right now go out the door and down the block towards the Nando's. Probably at least a 45 minute wait before you get to the counter. I'll try again next week.

Fast Gourmet - Columbia Heights 3/25/2011

Fast Gourmet is located in the Lowest Price Gas Station on 14th St. and W St. NW. The interior has been redone and is actually fairly spacious and comfortable. The staff is also very friendly, especially considering we are in a gas station, and were fairly prompt. While the place is called Fast Gourmet, this is not a fast food restaurant (I waited a good 10-15 minutes). But, it was worth the wait to get a freshly made sandwich rather than one sitting underneath a heating lamp.

I ordered the Chivitos, a Uruguayan sandwich that has beef tenderloin, ham, melted mozzarella, bacon, a hard boiled egg, tomato, lettuce, pickled red bell peppers, and chopped green olives. While the ingredients as a whole were fresh and delicious, it was the green olives which elevated the sandwich, bringing much needed brightness and lift with their acidity, tempering the heaviness of the other ingredients.

It was a legitimately great sandwich. Probably one of the better sandwiches I've had in DC (though that isn't necessarily saying much). But, it also cost $13, which, while a fair price considering the quality of ingredients, is not inexpensive. But, definitely worth at least one visit.

Nando's Peri Peri - Gallery Place 5/13/11

I went to Nando's on Friday with several friends who I found out have never been before. The Nando's in Gallery Place can get raucous and loud during dinner (and for that reason I prefer the Dupont location for its quieter ambiance), but luckily we manage to get a table quickly for our party of five. As noted elsewhere, they have an unusual system where you order at the counter, pick up your own flatware and drinks, but have your entrees delivered to you. I'm used to it, but it can be bewildering for first timers.

I ordered the half chicken with hot sauce, which has pronounced, but tolerable heat, with a side of fries. While the fries are solid, the chicken is where it is at: juicy and flavorful. To be honest, I generally prefer Nando's to the Peruvian chicken places like El Pollo Rico. I just find the breast meat dry at those places while Nando's manages to deliver consistently moist white meat, which is quite a feat considering how many orders they must churn out daily. Also, I would go with a half chicken...while I generally prefer dark meat, the quarter chicken is literally just a leg and a thigh, which I find a little small. Not to mention you miss the contrast between the white and dark meat when you get only a quarter chicken.

The sides are good, if a bit meh. The mash potatoes are solid and someone ordered pea mash with mint, which I found a little weird texturally. The chicken livers are actually very good, smothered in a hot sauce, but the richness and intensity of the liver is not for those who feel fainthearted with respect to offal.

In sum, Nando's is a reliable stand-by I go to whenever I feel like an inexpensive, but flavorful meal. Although it is a chain, like Chipotle, they understand where their strengths lie, and they always execute their limited menu with great consistency.

Huong Viet - Falls Church 5/15/11

The Eden Center can be overwhelming when you go there for the first time. It is rather huge strip mall filled with stores, restaurants, and bars that cater to the local Vietnamese community. While most of these restaurants are known for particular entrees (the noodle place, the soup place, the fried tofu place), Huong Viet is generally considered to have one of the more consistently good menus.

When we got there, it was fairly crowded, and while the crowd did ebb and flow, it stayed consistently busy throughout the day, with people waiting to get a seat. Now, consider that they did this when there must be at least 15 other Vietnamese restaurants within a 2 minute radius of the place (literally...if anything, this may be an understatement).

I've been here before and can say that the "bun" dish (basically a vermicelli noodle dish smothered in fresh vegetables with grilled pork on top) is something that everyone should try once. The grilled pork is extremely flavorful, and slight bitterness from the grilling interacts well with the refreshing acidic lift of the sauce on top of the noodles.

Today, I went family style with my group of friends and we got several dishes. We accidently ordered fried spring rolls (we were trying to get the fresh, unfried rolls, but it got lost in translation) which were crisp and not greasy. Delicious with nuroc cham, a sweet and sour Vietnamese fish sauce. We also had a beef salad that was really refreshing and filled with fresh herbs like cilantro. Our three entrees were a yellow curry with catfish, caramelized pork with black pepper, and grilled lemongrass chicken. All three were good, though the lemongrass chicken was something you could have gotten in a pan-Asian restaurant and probably isn't worth the trip (but you won't have any regrets if you order it...it was very well prepared). But, you can't go wrong with the caramelized pork which was absolutely delicious. I enjoyed the fish curry, though my friend wished the curry was stronger.

On your first trip to the Eden Center, go to Huong Viet. It is consistently tasty and you won't go wrong ordering blindly on that menu.

Miso Soup with Soba Noodles

I decided to make miso soup for lunch today. But, rather than use instant dashi, I decided to make dashi from scrath. Basically, you steep "kombu," which is a thick, dried seaweed, in a pot of water and gently heat it. Right before it starts to boil, pull it off the heat and then put in a handful of bonito flakes and stir. Let that steep for several minutes and taste. Once the smokiness of the bonito has seeped into the stock, strain. You now have dashi, the foundation for most Japanese soups.

In order to make miso soup, put the dashi back in a pot, add a generous spoonful of miso (I used Japanese white miso, which is the lightest), and simmer. I also put in wakamane, which is a thin, tender seaweed and some finely chopped green onions. After boiling the soba noodles in a separate pot, I threw it in the miso. Not very authentic, but hey, it's a Saturday afternoon and it is better than Cup O' Noodle.