Georgetown Picks

This is a list for my friend S. who asked about food recommendations and my friend W. who is visiting DC soon. I’m sure there are detailed reviews of some of these in my blog (but may be outdated). I encourage all my friends / family in DC area to leave your favorites below since you’re more up to date on the happening places in town.

Eats

Tombs (tombs burger, Tombs ale, chicken tenders, crab&artichoke dip). probably my favorite place. just watch out for lines if you happen to go during a parents’ weekend, homecoming, graduation, or reunion weekend.
http://www.tombs.com/#!menu

Clyde's (look for either the airplane room or the travel themed room). everything is good although I haven’t been there in a while.
http://www.clydes.com/georgetown#Menus

J Paul's - good raw bar
http://j-pauls.capitalrestaurants.com/georgetown/

Old Glory’s BBQ – get the ribs and try all the bbq sauces. brunch is good but really… do you want eggs when you can order more ribs during lunch/dinner menus?! 
http://www.oldglorybbq.com/menus/regular-menu

Mai Tai (formerly known as Bangkok Bistro during my school years) – people may laugh but I love their green curry.
http://www.maithai.com/

If you prefer to grab and go instead of sit-down place, I recommend either choice below:

buy a sandwich from Wisey’s (student favorite). I love their ‘chicken madness’ (best to split one with a friend) and also the California chicken (chicken, sprouts, croissants = genius). http://www.wisemillersgrocerydeli.com/index.html

buy any food item (used to be only sandwiches, now sushi too! wow kids these days are spoiled) from the student-run grocery store Vital Vittles in Leavey Center (http://maps.georgetown.edu/leaveycenter/196/) and enjoy the indoor lounge seating or head to the outdoor esplanade.

Drinks

there are many student-run coffee shops on campus but you can also walk around M. Street and find others. I didn’t explore coffee much during my student years. I would also leave bars/cocktails off this list because I honestly just haven’t been to that many.

Baked and Wired (recommended by my friend BTB): http://bakedandwired.com/

Sweets

Dolcezza (also other locations in town): good gelato/sorbet. if they have watermelon vodka, I highly recommend it. good for a break after walking/shopping/campus touring.
http://dolcezzagelato.com/locations/georgetown/

Thomas Sweets (also locations in Princeton, NJ): homemade ice cream and fudge. also a nice seating area.
http://www.thomassweet.com/locations/washington-dc

Café Bonaparte: crepes, coffees, etc. I guess I could have put this under “drinks” section.
http://cafebonaparte.com/

Campus

http://maps.georgetown.edu/

Healey Clock Tower

Dahlgren Chapel Fountain

Koi ponds (near White-Gravenor and Observatory)

Navigation

Georgetown university app (wish I had this when I was a student):

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/georgetown-mobile/id555977538?mt=8

Circulator (I’ve been getting lazier and only use the Circulator to get to Georgetown these days, instead of walking across the Key Bridge)
http://www.dccirculator.com/

GUTS bus. Georgetown shuttle from campus to Dupont or Rosslyn. I can’t remember what their non-student policy is. feel free to ask the driver
http://otm.georgetown.edu/guts/

Spring DC Trip Write-Up

Food

• Georgetown Cafe Bonaparte // crab artichoke egg Benedict, moulin rough crepe
• DuPont St Arnold's // mussels (eastern shore seasoning which includes old bay, house seasoning which has duck fat and beer)
• Dolcezza sorbet / gelato // - grapefruit, coconut, mascarpone berry, sesame, blood orange
• Adams Morgan Meskerem Ethiopian food // lamb, beef
• Dangerously delicious pies // chicken pot pie, smog (steak, mushroom, onion, gruyere), strawberry and rhubarb
• Cafe Mozart (right behind the deli) - potato pancakes, beef goulash

Fun

• Georgetown water front http://www.georgetownwaterfrontpark.org/
• National zoo giant pandas (see pics on previous blog entry)
• Post Museum Pacific Exchange http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/pacificexchange/index.html
• Cherry blossoms 
  

Books read on train

• Bartleby – Herman Melville (full text).
• Ocean at the end of the lane - Neil Gaiman (author’s page)
• If Beale St Could Talk – James Baldwin (wiki)
  

National Zoo Pandas

Picture of a typical (ahem panda) family. 

Baby Bao Bao is sleeping

Daddy taking a nice nap.

Mommy munching on bamboo

National zoo offers free admission and is close to the Metro Red Line Woodley Park / Zoo. More metro directions go here: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Visit/metro.cfm

Don't have a chance to visit DC? You can view the zoo's giant panda cam: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm

Hunting Cherry Blossoms in Snow: DC Trip

While most people are satisfied with photos from their trip, I like to write about it. This means that after I finally uploading photos, I’m still not done. Taking trip notes helps this blogging process but self-selection and editing renders most of those notes useless. Similar to my IndieCade blog write up (link here), I’ll capture only the highlights. What better to represent highlights than my single sighting of a cherry blossom tree! Since I booked my trip before the cherry blossom forecast, I was in DC too early to see proper peak season around the Tidal Basin. Peak season this year is April 3-6.

Day 1: Monument Walk

J. and I stayed at a place within walking distance from the National Mall which meant we were also quite close to the monuments and main cherry blossom walk around the tidal basin. We passed the Washington Monument (still under construction after last year’s earthquake), World World II Memorial (fountain was off), and Martin Luther King’s Memorial before reaching Jefferson Memorial. Below is a photo from across the Tidal Basin. It was a warm day and we were able to walk around the monuments and memorials without the usual crowd. Mostly likely everyone was more on top of the cherry blossom forecast than I was.

There were also a number of treasures inside the Smithsonian Castle. My favorite item is the cup&saucer set designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Day 2: Catching Up

B. moved closer to the metro recently so of course we had to crash his place. We browsed through the Netflix selection and watched Thor (with snarky commentary of course). Overall it was a decent movie and makes me want to read more about the series and find that children’s book on illustrated Norse Mythology. Prior to this, my only exposure to Thor was through reading Marvel Civil War. His character didn’t really make an impression on me (not going to spoil it for the rest of you). Most of the other highlights of Day 2 were food related so I will leave that for later in the post.

Day 3: Sculpture Garden in the Snow

I’ve been to the National Gallery Sculpture Garden (see my fav sculpture) and the Ice Rink but somehow missed the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden all these years frequenting the National Mall. While I was waiting for the museums and galleries to open at 10:30am, I wandered around the mall and found this sculpture garden. Perfectly timed with light snow falling. Most of the signs indicating artist names were snowed over so I will have to update this next time I get the names.

Food Round-up

We ended up going to eat in Gallery Place / Chinatown several times.

• Gordon Biersch http://www.gordonbiersch.com
  Long wait for dinner but once you get going, great food, drinks, and service. I wasn’t crazy about the Miso Mahi but J’s Märzen burger looked good.
  Märzen: our favorite beer (I found this while my family tried the beer sampler at another location).
• Crepe on the Walk http://www.crepes-a-gogo.com/Menu.html
  We fought over dessert for a while but really enjoyed this place. I got the strawberry, lemon, and sugar. J. got something with nutella. The real issue with crepes is that I haven’t been to Café Bonaparte [old review] in a while and I miss it. Next time I will need to make a trip over there.

Speed blogging food and drinks

Assorted places I liked and wanted to note so I can quickly search for them in the future.

DC/VA

Liberty Tavern – all you can eat brunch. I also love their french press coffees. and close to Trader Joe’s if you want to get grocery done too!

Sichuan Wok – take out place. Just what you need for a feast with friends while making chili. I approve of their hot/sour soup and Sichuan beef.

Food Trucks – I’m jealous of T. for working so close to this many food trucks. I liked the grilled cheese truck while T. and J. liked the Bahn mi sandwich truck.

NYC

Oyster Bar – Never been there for lunch before. Quite decadent to get assorted Long Island oysters and a fish burger/sandwich. Favorite oysters (Montauk and P. Pearl). Fancy place for a staycation lunch with your friends who work in midtown. Thanks V.!

Shake Shack (Theater District) – Best post-concert place to grab something sweet (pumpkin / vanilla custard) and something fried (yay fries). A previous visit also gave me an opportunity to get the oktoberfest beer. Delicious. Good luck fighting for seats though!

Pound and Pence – Best entrance to a bar ever (going through what looks like an office building). Decent selection of pub draft and some good buffalo bites too.

Wilfie and Nell – atmosphere was amazingly crowded (in a good way). I got a very alcoholic cider but it was pretty sweet too. Props to J. and E. for showing me this place. The menu made my mouth water but we had already gotten food earlier so have to come back next time.

Good Stuff Diner – more than one avocado burger. I got the one with sprouts called California Burger. Really good chocolate milk too. somehow I only end up here late at night after roaming around bars with friends. Well, at least it’s not crowded at that time.

Local West – rooftop near Penn? Thanks to T. for showing this place. I loved the Ginger Spice drink (but got it without jalapeno because I was scared of not having milk nearby…). Why can’t all places do a version of the disco fries (with gravy!)

Sugar and Plumm – Brunch place T. and I walked by when we were heading to the Natural History Museum origami tree. Beautiful place that we suggested to S. later. Shrimp and Grits was unique. T. got the Hangover Helper (heaps of food in cast iron skillet). I got the pulled pork and waffle (savory waffles are great). Coffee is also great too. I would come back here for brunch or some bday party for girls.

Mapo Tofu – Seems to be the juggling group’s choice hang-out. I liked their eggplant/vegetables dish as well as the signature mapo tofu. Tea smoked duck is exotic but also popular with most.

Spoon and Tbsp – Cute place for brunch. Since they change their menu often I actually didn’t find what I had last time. I got a cast iron skillet full of baked eggs, shitake potato hash, spinach, and sausage.

Doughnut Plant – hazelnut chocolate donut seed (think donut hole) and tres leche cake donut were my favorite. Although the rose petal one was quite nice too.

Currywurst – I loved their signature currywurst. also the chicken sausage. Watch out for the big mugs of beer though. Good bite.

Otto – Octopus was the start of the show. Fennel pizza was a first for me.

Think Coffee – many locations downtown and near NYU. The Mercer location is probably my favorite. How can you go wrong with a cozy coffee place that also has beer and wine and sweets?

Inside Park – Dining inside a church? Weird but the burger was awesome.

R&R Coffee – Good windows for people watching. I liked the Irish soda bread scone.

Lenny’s – Deli and great lunch spot. Many locations in the city. I like their Italian combo and Pastrami. Also good “thanksgiving” sandwich if you like turkey/cranberry all year round.

South St. Seaport 

Fulton Stall Market and New Amsterdam Market assorted vendors below.

Sullivan Street Bread – Get their green olive bread (most olive bread is made with black)

Edgwich Farm - Goat Cheese cheddar – tasty snack or crumble in salad / eggs

Sunday Gravy – Pasta sauce to impress your friends!

Do Re Me Farms – I almost always get some mix of vegetables/fruits. Also found some nice portabella too.

DC Winter Fun

MLK weekend isn’t typically the weekend people leave town but I decided it was a needed trip after a “not-so-quiet” December. You know, the dead time when people take vacations and the people who go to work get to do organizational stuff and 2-hour lunches? Yea, definitely didn’t happen. Anyway, went to stay with T. for a weekend and thankfully the weather worked out.

I made a list of things to write about and given it’s been 2 weeks, I’ll just have to pick my battles… On with the highlights!

Pies and Music - We ate savory and sweet pies at Dangerously delicious pies [link]before heading to Rock n roll hotel (link, not an actual hotel) for a live show. The space would have been awesome for a summer night because there was a rooftop. Having already had my booze fix from the pie place, I just got some cider and water instead. I have to say I’m not that crazy with standing room only concerts… but the place was really cool and nothing beats live concerts. 

Travel Planning – One of the things T. and I. always complain about is we never get to hang out and plan fun stuff since we don’t see each other very often. Besides all the sightseeing and going out, we did use the weekend to work on a couple of fun projects. You may be aware of the travel list we’ve kept for a few years [link] and haven’t been put into action. Well, this year we’re planning our first trip – New Orleans Jazz Fest. note to self, need to start a new blog for our first trip. and no, it wasn’t not even on our original list (but it’s always undergoing revisions). Anyway, besides nailing down a weekend (which took forever, and we still haven’t gotten tickets/hotels…sigh), we also worked on our Amazing Race application just for fun. It’s not an easy process, after reading the fine print (and certifying that we’re ok with dangerous travelling), I kind of chickened out and don’t want to submit the app now. But it’s still kind of fun. I suppose the video will just have to wait for another day. Prior to the DC trip, I also signed up for Tripit.com just to try it out. It worked out pretty well and I was able to do my planning in the tool itself (including train tickets/times/concert listings/contact info).

MLK memorial on MLK day – I heard about the new MLK memorial [link] but didn’t realized I actually got to see it on MLK day. Many people showed up (local and visiting) to read through his quotes and take photos around the statue/tidal basin. I’m always on the lookout for good quotes. So here’s one:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.


Mt Vernon [link]
I’m just amazed that I’ve never visited Mt Vernon during my college years. The exhibits are well put together with tons of multi-media. The house/farm/surrounding are gorgeous without being overly elaborate, nice example of the First Family of the U.S.

The Rest:

Domestic travel list
Keeping travel resolution article [link]
Apples to apples [link]
Modern Family
Setting up OverDrive Media+Adobe eBooks
Cards against humanity
Making vegetable pasta
Family dinner
Corcoran Gallery
Potbelly
Corner Bakery
Liberty corner brunch
Reading on iPad . Eleven minutes. Triumph of cities
Charlie Haden and jazz
Train ride

America’s Beloved Capital: Day 2

A continuation of my Oct post [link to day 1].

Stamps and letters
Next to Union Station, there is a Post Museum [link] that I managed to miss during my four years of living in DC. Beautiful space with plenty of educational and fun exhibits for kids and adults alike.
My family has always enjoyed collecting stamps so I grew up saving and looking at different stamps. I suppose this museum will be equally fascinating and mysterious for kids growing up today without knowing anything about snail mail or stamps.

Some exhibits that I enjoyed:
-Victory mail: You’ve probably heard about war time letters between soldiers and their family/sweethearts, but did you know they had developed vmail in order to reduce the amount of cargo weight? Reading their letters made me nostalgic for the days when people captured their feelings through handwritten letters, and waited quite a while for a response. Receiving a letter then must have been an exciting event and a relief. With technology today it is possible to text/call/tweet/IM/Skype but people find it harder to express their feeling in coherent ways.

-International stamp gallery [link]: Ever wondered what kind of stamps other countries used? This small room with pull-out plates holds a vast amount of stamps. If you want to see everything you may need a day. I recommend Italy, France, Japan, and Spain. They had really unique and artistic stamps.

-Stamps A-Z: Educational but such a short-lived exhibit! I wish they had made a book or a pamphlet of the alphabet.

The souvenir store also has many goodies for stamp lovers. I bought a series of travel related stamps for my parents: trains, ships/boats, planes, and overall transportation (including hot air balloons!)

A little bit of art
I dragged T. to the National Gallery of Art [link], mostly for the Edvard Munch exhibit [link]. Besides his famous Scream painting, he’s done plenty of other works that deserve attention. I liked all of the prints where he depicted people and their interactions in a fluid manner. The way people curved and surrounded each other was interesting. He also captured red flowing hair of the female subjects that is both dreamlike and dynamic.

T. recommended that we check out the Arcimboldo exhibit [link]. How do you merge people and fruit/vegetables? He’s found a way, even as early as the 16th century. My favorite series was the 4 seasonal one. Four different portraits with seasonal produce! Below is a statue someone built in his style.

I tried to introduce Rothko to T. without too much success. I don’t even remember when I started to appreciate Rothko’s works. Most likely after seeing enough exhibits in MoMa and Whitney and realizing that although abstract, those paintings had a certain mood and texture that was not found in other works. 

New find
Every time I find a new space somewhere in DC and NYC I’m always wondering why it took me so long to discover it. T. and I both enjoyed photo ops in front of the Capitol Building (my favorite in DC), Library of Congress, Archives Building, and more. In any case, the Navy Memorial Plaza [link] gave us a chance to rest our feet and enjoy the autumn weather. Note to self, check out the heritage center next time. One of the buildings also had intricate and navy themed stained glass window art.

Tapas and sherry to end the day
After much walking and adventuring, T. took me to Tasca [link], a tapas restaurant. I would do a full review but of course I’ve since forgotten what we’ve ordered. I do remember Serrano ham, fig and cheese, tomato garlic toast and grilled octopus…along with some others. They had a wine special that night and sherry was included. We had a bottle that we couldn’t finish…I hope T. found a way to use it in her cooking or entertaining. I’m pretty sure we got the sponge cake for dessert which was just perfect. How can you go wrong with condensed milk and evaporated milk? The place also gets bonus points for great decor and ambience. I loved the framed mirror and lighting.

Awesome weekend spent in DC. Looking forward to (re)discovering more places next time I visit.

America’s Beloved Capital: Day 1

For Columbus Day weekend, I dragged J. to DC with me. I haven’t been back to that city in two years. A much needed return and change of scene from New York City, which is getting colder and more crowded by day.

Train
We started out at Union Station, the only way for visitors to enter DC, in my opinion. How grand is Union Station? and I thought Grand Central Terminal was gorgeous. Now if only the new Penn Station can be like the old Penn Station.

Bakery Blend rocks
After looking around for my coffee shop on the lower level food court and failing, we stopped by the Corner Bakery (did they used to be on the lower level?) for coffee. In fact, it was such a good idea that I ate there for breakfast for the next two days too. After walking around DC and trying Wifi and being disappointed, I’m happy to report that the cafe has good Wifi. On the third day I was by myself and I was blissfully reading the NY Times (on my phone) and sipping my coffee. Good times.

Underground Fun
After much lazying around and buying crumb cake, we took the Metro (ahem, DC’s fancy subway, with colorful lines/cell phone signal/internet but no food or drinks! I was surprised I didn’t get stopped when I forgot about that rule and took my coffee along for the ride. oh the damn ignorant New Yorker that I am.) to meet our host T. who welcomed us warmly. By the way, if you’re lazy like me, do make use of the escalators and don’t walk up them. Relax, you’re on vacation, not trying to catch the connecting train like those crazy commuters in NYC. T. lives near a mall and a metro stop, and her place has huge windows. Why she doesn’t have a few house plants is beyond me. I suppose there are enough trees outside though. I’m envious. I get a view of Citifield and U.S. Open, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sigh. but definitely no trees.
Tip for droid users: Get the DC Metro Transit Info app for your station map and next train notices.

a hop to Virginia
J. had his heart set on the Patent Office and I was curious about their food exhibit so we all headed out for Alexandria. Before finding the museum, we randomly went into a restaurant called Hard Times for lunch. It ended up being quite tasty burgers! I didn’t personally like their chili but then again, I’m quite picky when it comes to that stuff. I got the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken which was in an nice smoky sauce with bacon! Win!
Fun food innovations (almost always accidental!).

hoyas forever
 
entering on front gates at 37th and O is the proper introduction to Georgetown University campus and of course Healy Tower. We managed to cover all the basics: front lawn, red square, darnall cafeteria (oh wait it’s a real restaurant with booze now! shock!), leavey center, uncommon grounds (why did the decor change? they got rid of drapery and old overstuffed couches i think…blah. almost bought a new mug but my old one was so much better), vittles (and obligatory purchase…yea Corp keeping up the good work), bookstore (I miss my old Bleed Hoya Blue shirts), esplanade, koi pond, new MSB building (ridiculously shiny), Dahlgren courtyard, fountain, seal (yes!), and even the visit to our favorite library (yea right). T. and J. were ready to shoot me after all the walking uphill (come on, our campus is tiny!)

a Georgetown tradition
B. joined us at front gates to walk over for dinner. I have a soft spot for Tombs ale and crab n’ artichoke dip. I got both which made me a happy camper. Our waiter forgot the marinara sauce with our calamari at first, which created massive confusion. Thankfully that was fixed.

Friendly competition
I miss college where people all crowded around a small tv in a dorm and played video games or shared youtube videos. We took it easy by heading back to T’s place and playing rounds of fighting games (I’m no expert so I mostly observed). B. and B. were hilarious. I think most people in NYC live far from each other and the concept of taking it easy and hanging out just doesn’t happen very often. We’re always spending time eating dinner at restaurants or finding the best sushi and happy hour. Anyway it was nice to relax and laugh over games and a movie.

Day 2 to follow: where I actually go around DC with T.!

DC Wrap Up May

Yes, I went to DC in Feb. So it hasn't been very long. No new restaurants but new items from familiar places.

National zoo
zoo stop on the red line. besides huge crowds gawking at pandas, the gelato place actually had really good coconut gelato. compared to nyc everything is affortable...it's amazing.

Tombs (previous review)
the first year after I graduated I went back to Georgetown for homecoming and graduation. I missed Tombs both times. the second year after I graduated I went to Tombs every time I visited DC.
//crab & artichoke is still yummy (why can't I find this anywhere else? G. mentioned it must be a crab thing which is a MD/DC thing. sigh)
//had a jambalaya pasta which had a rich creamy sauce but the sausage/shrimps were excellent.
//finally tried a mint julep (and ate all the sweet mint leaves, G. thought it was funny. what people actually wasted good mint leaves? made with maker mark which apparently G. says is approved by his state which makes bourbons. I want a bourbon tasting tour damn it) and liked it a lot. very summer drink, not enough booze (but that's ok I suppose)
in the winter they had a apple cider/bourbon thing that was quite decent too.
//I've always liked Tombs desserts and they had a seasonal strawberry rhubarb pie that I liked. mmmm rhubarb.

Peacock Cafe (website)
3251 Prospect St. (next to Bangkok Bistro) NW. Washington, DC
202.625.2740
the first time I went here I didn't know what to order and had a fresh squeezed OJ and a portabello sandwich?
second time I knew better. brunch food is the way to go. although it had been raining B. and I managed to grab a seat outside under some awning. windy but not too cold.
peacock cafe special omelet: ham, mushroom, cheese, and onion.
fresh squeezed mango/papaya/lemon juice(i figured i'd try something interesting)

wow this is the most disorganized entry ever. I hope readers (few of you out there) do forgive me. you mostly want to know the dishes and restaurant info anyway and not my ranting!

Brickskeller Saloon

1523 22nd St. NW
Dupont Circle
Washington, DC 20037
202-293-1885
website

I couldn't figure out which was their official site since google pulled up some really ugly sites. The website above links to the Post guide/review.

I need to do more research on beers since their beer list is long.
This time I ordered a Murphy's Irish Red with a side of Chili. I recommend this chili to anyone who likes it hot. It had jalapeno pieces in it! Fair amount of tomatoe, beans, and good gound beef.
Tried barleywine but wasn't too thrilled. I'm more of a light/pale beer drinker, unfortunately. Anything too dark or too bitter is just wasted on me.

On a random note, it's sad to see only two Chinese beers on there and I dislike both of them. Oh well, not like I need to ever go near them since I have many others to choose from.

Cozy atmosphere, very good service, and interesting mix of music. Definitely a great hang out place after a long day's activities.

The Lebanese Taverna

The Lebanese Taverna
1101 South Joyce St.
Pentagon Row
Arlington, VA, 22202
(703) 415-8681

Right outside Pentagon City, easy access via Metro.
My friend started us off with two kinds of sausages and the "camel" wings (chicken wings, done with garlic and lemon).

I decided to make dinner out of Mezza (appetizer) dishes which turned out to be a good idea.

Makdous
spicy eggplant filled with walnuts, garlic, herbs, lemon, olive oil, and pomegranate.
This is a cold dish. I wanted to try it because I like eggplants and wanted to taste a different way of preparaing them.

Kalamar
calamari done with tomatoes and cilantro. Soft and tasty, not fried. I still miss the basil and tomato ones from News Cafe though. The description from the online menu differs from the actual menu I ordered from.

The third dish's name escapes my mind. It is basically a beef and pine nuts dumpling in a yogurt and mint sauce. I liked the dumpling but had mixed feelings about the yogurt. I may have to skip out on this one.

Also had a raspberry mojito which was interesting. May just stick with classic next time instead of the syrup shot. At the end of the day I was chewing on the mint leaves which were quite nice.

All in all I had a positive experience at my first Lebanese restaurant. I hope to find more in NYC and try them out. Obviously I wouldn't know if the dishes were authentic but it's cool to find places that have the following ingredients:
-pine nuts
-mint
-yogurt
-various veggies (especially eggplant)

DC Arts

Museum/Gallery
Student free admission may be nice for NYC but in DC almost everything is free for all.
Freer Along the National Mall
Sackler Walkable from above.
Ripley International Gallery close to Freer and Sackler.
National History Museum Intersection of 10th Street and Constitution Ave., NW. National Mall
Portrait Gallery Eighth and F Streets, NW, D.C., 20001, above the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station (Red, Yellow and Green lines).
National Gallery of Art (East and West Buildings)
Corcoran Gallery 17th and E St. ($10 Admission, Farragut West, Orange/Blue)
National Building Museum Judiciary Square Station (Red Line). Take National Building Museum exit and cross street to F Street entrance.

Guides/News/Blog
DCist
Post Going Out Gurus Blog

Music
Blues Alley
930 Club
Black Cat
Millennium Stage at Kennedy Center
Madam's Organ

Old Glory

Old Glory BBQ
http://www.oldglorybbq.com/
3139 M Street NW
Intersection of M Street and Wisconsin, same corner as the golden domed bank.

I've been here so many times that I'll just list all the dishes I've ordered and liked.
The decor is very southern and comfortable. I love all the Elvis stuff, including car rim, clock, and photos. The music selection is tops. There are so many trophies this place had won that they tend to clutter up. It's good to know they've won numerous BBQ contests, right?

Take your buddies here for a reunion or to relax after finals. Do not order anything non-bbq here...for obvious reasons. Not a place to take vegans or vegetarians either. Must love meat and BBQ.


Appetizer:
Sampler platter (best for groups of 4 or more)
Enough variety and food to get the party started. Includes wings, veggie sticks, ribs, and green tomatoes.


Entrees:
St. Louis Style Spare Ribs
Best ribs I've ever had. Smokey, filled with flavor, and messy enough to make you go through a pile of nakpins. Don't miss this!

Pulled Pork
Loose, tender, salty, and delicoius. Good by itself or on a bun.

Elvis Burger (description and photo from online site)
Hunka Hunka choice beef basted with Memphis sauce and topped with ham and cheddar cheese
....thankyouverymuch!
my thoughts: The addition of ham and cheddar is a great touch. Enough meat and happiness to make you feel the Southern sun. Goes great with a lemonade or ice tea for a summer dinner.


BBQ Sauces:
There are six or more sauces to choose from. I really only use the Memphis and Southwest Texas. The Bayou is spicy, but tends to overpower the meat if you use too much of it. I suggest you try all the sauces anyway, since some are mustard based, some are vinegar based, and others taste similar to your regular BBQ.


Sunday Brunch:
Brisket Hash Breakfast
smoked beef brisket, potato hash, scrambled eggs, and sliced fruit
Very hearty, and definitely fills you up for the entire day out on M Street or the National Mall. Remember to come with an empty stomach!

*Interesting fact*
Old Glory uses the Bayou hot sauce instead of Tabasco for their Bloody Mary's. Intense and definitely a wake-up call! Watch out!

Fadó

Restaurant Info:
Fadó Washington D.C.
808 7th Street NW
202-789-0066
http://www.fadoirishpub.com/washington/

Irish Pub located in Gallery Place Chinatown.
We had a farewell party today because it was my last day at the internship program. After being spoiled on good beer and ale, I'm glad to have found another place with excellent drinks.

The drinks:
I asked the waiter to recommend a light beer since you all know how I love lagers. He ordered a Stella for me, a Belgian beer. It tasted very light and there's a nice hint of sweet aftertaste. After using wikipedia, I discovered that the right name is Stella Artois.

My fellow friends had ordered Guinness, Strongbow Cider (light), and Smithwicks (dark). I'm sure I'll try them all at some point.


The food:
Dublin’s Sampler Platter
What the menu says: Enough for the table, this favorite combines our delicious Cheese Dip and Wedges, crispy Chicken Tenders and spicy Chicken Boxty Quesadillas.
my thoughts: The chicken tenders were nicely battered but not greasey. I personally liked the quesadillas.

Oak Smoked Salmon
What the menu says: Traditionally smoked on a trivet over the fire, this fresh salmon is adorned with capers, onions and horseradish. Served with homemade brown bread.
my thoughts: Decent salmon, the capers were a nice touch. This worked really well with our beer and the sampler platter. What a treat!

China Garden Rosslyn Dim Sum

China Garden Rosslyn
http://chinagardenva.com/

Sunday dim sum
For a definition of dim sum, please follow wikipedia for enlightenment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_Sum

The best number of people going for dim sum is in multiples of 3 or 4. Each dish includes about 3 or 4 pastries. We had 5 people, and that was when problems began. In order to satisfy everyone's cravings, we started to order doubles of everything, and about five orders of Shrimp Dumpling.

Shrimp dumpling (ha gao): An especially delicate steamed dumpling with whole or chopped-up shrimp filling and especially thin (almost translucent) rice-flour skin.

I enjoyed their version of the egg custard tart. Warm, soft custard, flakey outer shell, sweet but not too much, just how I like it. My goal is to introduce this delicious dessert to as many people as possible. So far, the count is 3 this semester. Hurray!

You can buy batches at many Chinese bakery places, too. There's one next to CVS in Gallery Place (right outside the Chinatown archway). Once in a while, I go over there after work to buy up a few for myself. The place is also a restaurant and has great bbq ribs. One day, I will try the ducks, too.

Another item of note is mum (Chrysanthemum) tea, which basically involves brewing dried mum flowers in boiling water. The result is a refreshing, light, and slightly sweet tea smelling of mum flowers. Naturally it's decaf. I think we must have polished off 3 pots of tea. To indicate that you need a refill, simply lift up the top and leave it like so. Someone will immediately take the pot and refill it. Don't forget to fill everyone's cup when you're filling your own! and please don't spill anything.

Check out nearby Chinese restaurants for Saturday/Sunday dim sum times. Not all dim sum places are created equal, so go with a place recommended by locals or friends.

Tombs

The Tombs
1226 36th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Phone (202) 337-6668

How I managed to not review this fine Georgetown establishment is beyond me. Just a block away from the library, it is always always filled with students. At any given evening, you're bound to find people you know sitting at the table next to you. or better yet, a friend who happens to be part of the waiting staff. Interesting fact, the waiters and waitress all wear nice clean blue shirts with bow ties. Not going to lie, they look good!

While I used to not be thrilled about this place, recently (especially this semester) I have started to enjoy it more.
Maybe it's the study snacks special prices, maybe it's the crowded Thursday afternoon atmosphere, but I'm sure the company I was with made all the difference.

Decor
The place is decorated with various Crew items, including oars and photos and paintings. The lighting is usually ambient but the music needs to be louder, either that or the crowd usually drowns out the music.

Get a booth if you can, with comfy couches, privacy for your group, and less probability of hearing the people sitting at the next table having loud and embarassing conversations. Use any means necessary, my favorite time was when Vin told the waiter that we needed a booth because we were "anarchists". It worked though, and we got a huge booth all to the four of us.

The Review
I have to thank Phil for introducing Tomb's Ale to me. I'm usually not a beer fan, given my lightweight, the "glow after half a beer" face, and dislike of bitter stuff. Well, and I haven't had too many kinds of beer to begin with. I guess I was spoiled on Heineken, Corona, Blackbeard's Ale, Guiness, Sam Adams, and Sapporo. All very refreshing and light and not bitter. I've had some good ale at the Triumph Brewery near the border of NJ/PA as well. Anyway, a pitcher of Tomb's Ale is definitely a must for all parties of 4 or more. It's actually not bad, and you know how picky I can get.

As for study snacks (3pm-5pm), the amazing crab and artichoke dip never fails to deliver. This stuff never gets old. Although you probably need to share with a friend due to the share size of it. Hot, gooey, melts in your mouth, served with good French bread, I think I'll go back there next week just to order it again.

Another hot item is the Buffalo Wings, which taste just as good as Wingos', Clydes (well...same owner as Tombs so I guess the similarity is there) and Rhinos. I can't really tell the difference, wings are all good. You can really smell the hot sauce when the wings are served at the table. I was lucky when I ordered it, they gave me less drumsticks, more wings. Well...whatever the piece with the two bones are called, I like those parts of wings better, because they're usually softer and less tough than the other kind.

Calamari is cheaper during study snacks hour, however, it tends to be a little greasy, especially during early afternoon hours when my greasy tolerance is low. Besides, I don't ever want to have fried calamari again after I tried the soft kind at News Cafe.

Never quite hungry enough to get a burger, although they look comparable to the dinner fare and are cheaper. My friends pointed out that many study snack menu items are the same as dinner prices. Well, they have to make money somehow, right?

Chili is good, comparable to Clyde's, although still a bit too sweet for me.

Desserts never really wowed me when I went to Tombs for dinner. Although I keep on getting reminded that the dessert is amazing because the kitchen that makes it also work for 1789, a crazy, fancy, expensive, take your parents to it type of place. I think it's the only reason people remember when Georgetown was founded...by the name of the restaurant.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my 1789 experience. but this is a Tombs review after all.

Bottom line
go during study snacks hours with parties of 4 or more, and save money for another place for dinner. Not quite the best place for a date although some days it takes too much effort to walk more than a block away from campus.

Chu's Cafe

Next to Booeymonger Deli, this little cafe has very simple tables and chairs, no mood music, only a huge menu on the wall.

I ordered the Spicy Beef Soup Noodle which was served in a huge bowl, with similar designs as the bowls my family have at home. The soup was a bit much to drink though. The noodle they used is the Lo Mein noodle, not too wide, not too skinny. The beef was tender and sweet, with just enough spices and sauces. Chopped up scallion pieces in soup noodle is a must, and they put in plenty of it. Some bits of green baby bok choy? nice! I didn't realize Chinese restaurants around Georgetown actually carried bok choy in their veggie stock. Hunan Peking and Harmony Cafe obviously didn't. If they had veggies, I ususally got carrots, brocolli, water chestnuts, and onions, not that there's anything wrong with that. But bok choy is a hard find, and I love it.

Other dishes I tried are the almond chicken (soft, tender white meat) and sauteed string beans (not very green, maybe different variety of beans?)

The price is reasonable, although the service was lacking. I suppose it's a quick eat place. If it weren't for the soup noodle, I'd probably just order take out and bring it back to my place to enjoy.

It reminds me of home...just a little. probably with the simple no fuss decor and huge bowl of steaming noodles.

Another win for soup noodles!

The Caf

Up to now, I have not talked too much about cafeteria food, although I should review it nonetheless. I'll share some of my thoughts here.

tip #1: get your sides from the vegetarian aisle.

go to the vegetarian aisle to pick up good tasting veggie sides. as long as you don't stir fry meat in the wok there, I'm sure the people in line won't kill you for taking some of the veggie sides.
I also stir fry brocolli or spinach there once in a while to cook up my own side dish. avoid the "meatless meatballs" like the plague.

The kitchen staff always add too much vinegar and sweet sauce to tofu and eggplant, which is a crime in my books. but then again, tofu and eggplant really taste 1000 times better when you cook them with meat, and since they're in the vegetarian aisle, they can't do it. But that's a totally different entry.

tip #2: when all else fails, make a sandwich.

now that there's this machine that presses and heats up your sandwich, you should put as many coldcuts and cheese and other yummy stuff to create your sandwich. I discovered the red chili sauce one day when I was making my sandwich...so good! Also mayo and cucumber slices make a good tea sandwich.

tip #3: go get a hot sub from the grill station.

Grill station: order the steak and cheese, add mushrooms, oninons, and peppers.
the burgers are actually not bad either. beef or chicken are both available.

tip #4: soup/salad/fruit for your vitamin needs!

I always check the soup selection since some days they actually make rather good soups. For those of you who get bored of the salad bar like me and don't have time to stir fry veggies, some of the vegetable soups are actually very hearty. Avoid the "cream of (insert item here)" since they're too heavy and do not have visible vegetables.

Try adding some pineapples or peaches to your salad, they sweeten up your salad and you can avoid the fatty dressing. I also like to use vinegar and olive oil instead of dressing, adding squeezed lemon juice as well.

tip #5: spice up your ice cream/soft serve

I love the oreo bits they have near the ice cream machine. Also, try to make your own combo by mixing different flavors and toppings. I'm a purists and try to keep it to max of two flavors, with tons of oreo bits. adding fresh strawberry slices is a nice touch too. our school caf is actually famous for ice cream flavors. there are usually 12+ flavors...although lately I've spotted 5 or 6 variations on vanilla, yikes! coffee is one of the best but rare flavors, in my opinion.

tip #6: make your own ice tea!

Don't get ice tea from the soda fountain area, it's usually too sweet and really nasty. Instead, make hot tea with your favorite black/green tea (I like Tazo Zen, Earl Grey, Awake, and Darjeeling), then pour in a glass filled with ice cubes. Voila, instant great tasting ice tea. gotta love it! oh yea of course add a lemon slice as well.

You can use the same process to make ice coffee, just make your regular coffee with creamer, then pour into a ice filled glass. You can also create Chai by using Tazo Chai teabag and then adding half-n-half to the mug and stir.

Clyde's Gallery Place

707 7th Street, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202.349.3700

Crazy on a Friday night, beware!
Service was lacking, compared to the M Street branch. But the food made up for it.

We started off with peppercorn shrimp, which is lightly battered and flavored with pepper and salt, taste like this one dish I've had in Chinese restaurants. The Gallery Place/Chinatown Clyde's definitely focuses on seafood more. There are a dozen of seafood dishes throughout the menu, as well as a raw bar.

I had the fried oyster soup which was very rich and delicious. If you liked cooked oysters, you should try it out. The soup was okay but the oysters themselves were yummy. I was expecting maybe pieces of one oyster and was surprised when they put 3 in the bowl.

I think I had a salad of some sort...can't remember too well though, probably just a simple spinach one.

Will definitely come back again!

News Cafe

News Cafe
3056 M Street NW

How I managed to neglect this restaurant in my reviews is a mystery. I can't believe it took 4 years to find this place.

calamari siciliano: soft calamari, soaking up juices from olives, capers, tomatoes, and basil. a refreshing and rustic taste after all that fried nonsense elsewhere.

the pasta and pizza selections are good, but portions too big in my opinion.

dessert is okay...didn't like the chocolate strawberries that much though. and who has room for this after the huge entrees?

early bird special M-F before 4-7pm. $14.95 and you get the following:
1) soup or salad
2) pasta or pizza
3) dessert

I heard the crepes are good as well but I haven't tried it yet. I just hope it'll be as good as Bonarparte's.

macchiato was amazing, obviously made from excellent espresso.