Non-food Reflections on Washington DC

I've spent a week talking about food in DC, but of course, there is so much more to DC than just the food. Here's some non-food related snapshots from our 4-day trip of DC.

It was the peak of the cherry blossom season.

A different view of the Capitol Building Rotunda.

Some famous statues inside the Capitol building. The Ronald Reagan statue was just unveiled in June, 2009.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: we mourned the loss of Pluto in all the diagrams and models.

Enjoying snickerdoodles from Dean & Deluca on the rooftop of Bryan's sister's apartment.

Look! Fireworks!

Easter Sunrise Service at Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery, after sunrise.

John F. Kennedy's grave site at Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery
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This post is part of the larger Washington DC Eats Series. Other post(s) in this series:
Ceiba
Granville Moore's
Il Canale
Ben's Chili Bowl

Ben's Chili Bowl

You can't visit DC without trying Ben's Chili Bowl.  It's so iconic, so landmark, and filled with so much history, you just have to visit it. Oh, not to mention the chili, which is addictively spicy, smoky, and just all around delicious. For some reason presidents (not just American!) seem to have an affinity for this place.

History
Back when it first opened in the 1950's, segregation was still very much in effect in DC. U Street became known as "Black Broadway," a place where many great jazz artists performed. Jazz giants like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole would stop by Ben's Chili Bowl when they were on U Street to perform.

Martin Luther King Jr. frequented the place as well. The place has survived through countless difficult periods, such as the 1968 Washington D.C. riots (caused by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.) and the very disruptive construction of the U Street/Cardozo Metro station.

Bill Cosby is also a HUGE fan of the place, having taken his wife here on dates before they were married.

In fact, there's a sign inside that, until recently, said:

"Who eats free at Ben's Chili Bowl: Bill Cosby, no one else"

which was changed during the 2008 campaign to say:

"Who eats free at Ben's Chili Bowl: Bill Cosby. The Obama Family"

Lo and behold, right before President Obama was inaugurated in January of 2009, he actually stopped by to get a half smoke chili dog. Apparently he did pay, so the sign was again changed to say:

"Who eats free at Ben's Chili Bowl: Bill Cosby. The Obama Family. But he paid"

More recently (the same week we were there, in fact), French president Sarkozy and his family stopped by for some chili dogs as well.

How could we not try this place? Though the line snaked around the block, we dutifully stepped to the end of the line and patiently waited in anticipation of our half smokes!


Check out that line! I think we ended up waiting about half an hour or so before we were able to enter.

Once you enter, it's just as crowded! People are lined up at the counter ordering their dishes. If you have a large enough party (I think something like 5 or greater), you can get table service in the back, which is what we did.

The Signature Dish - The Original Chili Half Smoke $5.20
1/4lb. half pork and beef smoked sausage on a warm steamed bun topped with mustard, onions and spicy homemade chili sauce. Bryan's sister ordered this with a side of their Chili Cheese Fries (The Works) - $5.20.  You can request that the half-smoke be split and grilled, resulting in more charred edges, which I love. The chili has a great smoky flavor which goes quite well with the sausage. Definitely a must-try.

You don't have to get the chili cheese fries. I just got the The Original Chili Half Smoke, which comes with a side of chips. Vegetarians will be pleased to know that they have a vegetarian version of the chili, which you can put on top of fries or anything else. (None of us tried it, so I can't comment on how it tastes)

Bryan decided to go all out and get The Original Chili Half Smoke AND a 1/4 lb All Beef Cheeseburger ($4.90). Though he said both were good, he preferred the Half Smoke to the Cheeseburger. We all agreed that we liked the Chili Fries ($4.10) [not pictured] better than the Chili Cheese Fries ($5.20). Maybe it's because the cheese diluted the beautiful smokiness of the chili.

Nom nom nom nom nom.

In the end, it's definitely worth visiting this place. I won't lie to you, the food's pretty greasy.  Also, it does get a bit crowded and overrun (probably by tourists!). However, it's still pretty neat to sit inside and sense the historic significance of the place while enjoying a split half smoke that probably tastes exactly the same as it did fifty years ago. They still use the same secret chili recipe. The counter and chairs are also the original ones from the 1950's. Founder Ben Ali passed away in October, but his two sons still run the place. Their mother, Virginia, also stops by pretty often.

It's a fun place! Definitely check it out!

This post is part of the larger Washington DC Eats Series. Other post(s) in this series:
Ceiba
Granville Moore's
Il Canale


Ben's Chili Bowl
1213 U St NW
Washington, DC 20009

Il Canale

Amafiltana $15
imported smoked bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, arugula, fresh basil

Italians are serious about their food, and pizza is no exception. In fact, the Verace Pizza Napoletana, an  association dedicated to pizza in Naples, has rules defining what constitutes an authentic Neapolitan pizza. Examples of some basic requirements include the following (full rules here):

1. Pizza must be cooked on the floor of a wood burning stove
2. Pizza must contain the following ingredients: 00 flour, San Marzano (plum) tomatoes, all natural fior-di-latte or bufala mozzarella, fresh basil, salt and yeast.
3. Pizza must be hand knead (no rolling pins!) on a proper surface
4. Once formed, the pizza dough must be at most 35 cm in diameter and no more than 3 mm thick
5. Pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire

While in Georgetown, we stumbled upon Il Canale, a charming Italian restaurant slightly off the path that had just opened in February. The owner comes from a lineage of pizza makers in Italy that goes back to 1870. He even imported (from Italy) a real Neapolitan wood burning pizza oven.  This mosaic speckled ceramic beauty stands prominently at the entrance as you first walk in.

Could it be true?  Is there really a slice of Italy right in a hidden side street of Georgetown?  We entered to find out.
We were a party of 6, and therefore had the opportunity to sample several different salads, appetizers, a pasta dish, and, of course, pizzas! Here's what we got.

Caesar Salad $7
hearts of romaine, with anchovy, peasant bread, parmesan shavings

Ciliegina $7
baby wild arugula, imported cherry bufala mozzarella, tomato, carrot, mixed olives grilled zucchini, imported smoked bufala mozzarella in a honey mustard dressing
I absolutely LOVED this salad.  The mix of the smoky mozzarella, peppery arugula, and slightly sweet dressing was perfect. Soon after I returned to Boston, I actually tried to recreate this salad at home!

Frittura Di Calamari E Zucchine $13

crispy tender calamari and zucchini served with a spicy marinara sauce

Melanzane Alla Parmigiana $12
layers of roasted baby eggplants, imported bufala ricotta cheese, and mozzarella with cherry tomato sauce and fresh basil.

Linguine Alle Vongole $16
baby clams, served in spicy olive oil, with roasted garlic and white wine
Bryan's dad got this dish and proclaimed that it was really good. I actually did not have a chance to try it.

Of course, we were all curious about the pizza. How much of a difference does that super hot wood-fired oven make? The underside of the pizza was reasonably charred, with good leopard spotting on the crust. The crust was very thin, seemingly within the 3mm limit.

Parmigiana $13
tomato sauce, parmigiano shavings and imported bufala mozzarella
We ordered a mix of authentic pies (such as the Margherita) and also some more creative pies, such as the Amafiltana shown at the top of the post.

Capricciosa 
tomato sauce, imported bufala mozzarella, artichoke hearts, fresh mushrooms and ham

Margherita $12
tomato sauce, imported bufala mozzarella, fresh basil

Overall Thoughts
The food is definitely good here. We really could not complain about any of the dishes. The salads were fresh, crisp, and full of flavor. The pizzas had nice crusts and high quality ingredients. My favorite, the Amafiltana, had a beautiful mix of fresh arugula, smoked mozarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil (see picture at top of post). Though strictly not an official Neapolitan pizza, I loved the mix of flavors in this pizza and I could not get enough of it!

I think the biggest turnoff of the meal was the super slooooooooow service. We waited well over an hour before getting our pizzas - totally unacceptable. We later heard that the restaurant was severely understaffed that day, so that definitely explains most of the problem. But really, they should not have opened up the entire dining room if they didn't have the staff to fill it. This restaurant is not small, with two floors plus an outdoor balcony. By opening up the entire place, they over-stressed the kitchen and the staff, which caused the unbearably slow service. Definitely a mistake that resulted in a lot of hungry and grumpy people (those often goes hand in hand!)

Nevertheless, despite the major inconvenience of having to wait so long for our food, I have to admit that when it finally came, we were all very pleased. This pizza maker definitely knows what he's doing and he's churning out some pretty tasty pizzas. In the end, I'm willing to show some mercy since I understand this is a pretty new restaurant, and it may not have worked out all the kinks yet.

All in all, Il Canale is a perfectly acceptable place to enjoy a nice, summer lunch. The weather happened to be fabulous this cherry blossom weekend, so we totally enjoyed soaking in the sun on their rooftop balcony while sipping on wine and nibbling at perfectly baked Neapolitan pies.


This post is part of the larger Washington DC Eats Series. Other post(s) in this series:
Ceiba
Granville Moore's
Ben's Chili Bowl

Il Canale
Georgetown
1063 31st St NW
Washington, DC 20007

Granville Moore's

Moules Fromage Bleu - Bacon, Hook’s Blue Cheese, Shallots, Spinach , White Wine, Lemon Juice - $16

When you walk into Granville Moore's Frittes Ales Moules, you feel as if you have traveled at least 75 years back in time. The interior feels almost pre-industrial, with exposed brick walls and old wooden floors. You can't miss the HUGE bar that takes up a majority of the narrow real estate. A few wooden tables and benches line one wall, but clearly, beer is the focus here.

In fact, Granville Moore's has one of the largest Belgian beer selections in the mid-Atlantic region. They carry over 50 types of bottled beers (plus at least 4 draft beers) - and every single one of them is Belgian.

Granville Moore's is named after Dr. Granville Moore, a doctor whose office used to occupy the current location decades ago. Dr. Moore provided pro bono care to the less fortunate in the neighborhood. The building stood vacant for 30 years before a few business-minded entrepreneurs purchased the property and opened up Granville Moore's.

It's pretty hard to get into Granville Moore's these days. They don't take reservations, and the place has become quite famous ever since chef Teddy Folkman beat Bobby Flay in a moules frite throwdown. The winning dish? The Moules Fromage Bleu, pictured above.

We had a fabulous meal here, and I would highly recommend this place to anyone who loves good beer and excellent mussels in a fun, lively, and historic location.


Granville Moore's is not in the best of neighborhoods, located at H Street NE. In fact, the restaurant is surrounded by an eclectic mix of  thriving businesses, rundown buildings, and boarded up storefronts. Some see Granville Moore's as a sign of positive change, the first step in the revitalization of an old, tired neighborhood.

Frites (large - $7.50)
Be prepared to wait, as this place is super popular, and lines go out the door. To pass by the time, we ordered some beers and some fries, which were fantastic. Hand cut from Idaho potatoes and fried twice, these were so good I hardly used any of the dipping sauces.

Of course, the sauces are fine and good, and you get a choice between Truffle Aioli, Homemade Hot sauce, Horseradish cream, Curry Mayo, Garlic Ranch, Chipotle BBQ, Morney Sauce, or Chipotle Mayo.

The bar is super well-stocked, and the bartenders know their stuff.

Here's some of the beers we tried.

Here's some more!

Finally, after waiting about 45 minutes, we were able to sit down and enjoy some food! We tried a variety of appetizers.  From top left going clockwise:  1. Bison Chili ($6)  2. Fried Risotto Cakes ($8)  3. Crab Croquettes with Gruyere and Dijonnaise ($8)  4. Jumbo Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Butternut Squash Puree ($12.50)  All of these dishes were pretty tasty, though I don't think any of them stood out to me as the best I've ever had.

Moules Moroccan – Beer Poached Fennel, Spicy Lamb Sausage, Curry Cream Sauce - $16

The mussels were delicious. We tried three different flavors: the Moules Fromage Bleu (shown at the top of the post), Moules Champignon (Mushrooms, cream, Hoegaarden, Truffle Oil), and Moules Moroccan (shown above). Our favorites? Probably a toss-up between the Moules Fromage Bleu and the Moules Moroccan, with the Moules Champignon a distant second. The mix of flavors in both the Moules Fromage Bleu and the Moules Moroccan were fantastic, and the sauces were aromatically fragrant, savory, and full of umami. We loved dipping our bread in the sauce - yum! The Moules Champignon was pretty good, though not as flavorful or complex as the other two. Surprisingly, I could hardly taste the truffle oil.

We loved this place and had a blast not only trying out so many different kinds of beers, but also enjoying the flavorful mussels and the crunchy fries. It's worth the 45-minute wait, especially when you can drink beer and eat fries while you are waiting!

This post is part of the larger Washington DC Eats Series.  Other post(s) in this series:
Ceiba
Il Canale
Ben's Chili Bowl

Granville Moore
Capitol Hill
1238 H St NE
Washington, DC 20002

Ceiba

One thing I hate most when I travel is being stuck in a touristy area and being forced to eat expensive but not very good food. Of course, it's usually my fault that this happens - it's the curse of being someone who's naturally not organized, someone who doesn't plan. I still remember being stuck in Times Square, looking around frantically, seeing only places like the Olive Garden, that huge McDonalds, and other loud places that just did not look promising at all.  If only I had known at the time that this place was just a short jaunt away.

But I digress.  This post is about DC, not New York.

We visited the nation's capital over Easter/Cherry Blossom weekend (talk about crowded!). We had just visited the White House (which looks stunning at night!), and were hungry for a bite to eat. Unlike that sad, unfortunately time in New York, this time I had the help of locals. A friend who had worked in DC recommended Ceiba, saying it was her favorite Latin restaurant in DC. Better yet, it was just a short walk from the White House, perfect for tourists who like good food!
Ceiba is a modern Latin restaurant that focuses on cuisine from the Yucatan region of Mexico (Vera Cruz and Cancun), Brazil (Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), Peru, and Cuba. The space is trendy, the architecture is beautiful, and the food is really enjoyable.

Walk in, and you'll see a nice, airy lobby with plenty of seats in the waiting area. We were having dinner early on a Thursday evening (around 6pm), but I could totally see this place filling up on a weekend.

A cool trendy bar appears on the left as you walk over to the dining area.

Guacamole de Mocajete
Mocajete is a stone bowl that is typically used in a Mexican kitchen for grinding spices or making sauces.  In this case, the waiter mashes your guacamole table side.

We got the Ceviche Sample, a great way to try all of their ceviches. Each of these individually costs $10, but you can get the sampler for $16, which is what we got. All of the seafood was extremely fresh. I really enjoyed this appetizer.

Yucatan Shrimp Ceviche (Pico de Gallo, Avocado, Crisp Corn Tortillas)
Wild Striped Bass Ceviche (Spicy Rocoto Chili, Sweet Potato, Toasted Peruvian Corn)
Yellowfin Tuna Ceviche (Cucumber, Mango, Jicama, Aji Amarillo Lime Dressing, Crushed Cashews) Peruvian Cevichee "Clasico" (Fresh Lime Juice, Red Onion, Cilantro, Aji Picante)

Dos Equis Beer Steamed Mussels ($15)
Mexican Chorizo, Sofrito, Warm Garlic Bread

Whole Crispy Red Snapper ($27)
Tomato Sofrito, Manzanilla Olives, Capers, Pickled Jalapenos
The waitress highly recommended this dish, so Bryan decided to order it. The flavors are fantastic, but if you don't like having your dinner stare at you all night, you might not want to order this.

Moqueca Bahiana Brazilian Seafood Stew ($28)
Rock Lobster, Prawns, Calamari, Mussels, Traditional Accompaniments
We love moquecas, and we love how we can get them all the time in Cambridge for what seems like a steal (especially compared to this place).  This moqueca is made "Bahiana"-style, which had the added ingredient of coconut milk.  Nice seafood flavors, well executed.

Slow Braised Pork Shank "Feijoada" ($26)
Black Beans, Collard Greens, Rice, Traditional Accompaniments
This pork shank was fall-off-the-bone soft and really good. Bryan's dad was very pleased with this dish.  Originally Portuguese in origin, the feijoada is the national dish in Brazil, and is a stew of beans with pork or beef.  I must concede that the feijoada here is a lot better than the one I had at Muqueca in Cambridge, although it's a slightly unfair comparison as this one costs over twice as much.

Maryland Style Crabcakes with Sweet Potato Home Fries ($15?)
I got the crabcakes. I loved the accompanying side (the sweet potato home fries), although I thought the crabcakes were only OK, not as good as others I've had.

Overall Thoughts
This place has a great vibe, excellent food, and is in a super convenient location.  It's a bit pricy, but then you have to consider that you are right in downtown DC, so you're partly paying for that convenience. We had a great dinner there and would consider coming back again if we were in the area.  It sure beats random touristy food!

This post is part of a larger Washington DC Eats Series. Other posts in this series:
Granville Moore's
Il Canale
Ben's Chili Bowl

Ceiba
701 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20005