DCVegEats

Took a while to get to this Vegan Middle Eastern Street Food location.  It is, in a word, striking.  You are hit with a rich smell of spices as soon as you enter, followed by the impact of a funky design -- concrete floors and distressed wood -- followed by the sound of bouncy Middle Eastern music.  Much like the statement on the wall (pictured) this is a place designed to assault the senses.  The food ain't bad either.  It is one of those restaurants where you pick a base then a topping (don't be fooled by the "burger" listings, there is no meat here) along with sauces and/or sides.  Faced with too many choices I had too much (again).  I got a rice and lentil bowl with the Shouk burger and a side of Falafel (I kinda sorta love Falafel).  The dish I received was replete with a wide variety of flavors and textures.  I took small bites and time to savor it.  There was the crunchiness of the burger, the sweetness of tomato, pickled turnip and charred onion, the soft sp

Karma claims to be the "Best Indian Restaurant" in DC.  Quite a statement given the talent evident at nearby Rasika .  Not an empty boast though.  My recent visit left me wondering if this newer restaurant could, in fact, take the crown.  It's a challenging comparison as the two restaurants are both very very good, but also very different.  Karma's space is large, airy and bright.  An open kitchen and engaging white and blue design make the space feel sleek and cutting edge.  The food is similarly bold and full bodied.  In comparison Rasika , which has excellent dishes, was a darker, more subtle experience.  Vegetarian offerings are plentiful with fewer vegan choices and an interesting spice guide on the back of the menu.  There was a large selection and much to my stomach's dismay, I tried many of them (had to take home leftovers, which I gleefully ate the next morning).  Began with the Pan Fried Idli, two small, spongy patties served with two sauces.  The mint

As widely reported, Mike Isabella is shutting down all of his DC area restaurants after Christmas.  I don't want to dance on his grave.  It's sad, nearly as sad as what caused this -- a toxic environment for his female employees.  A ton of restaurant workers now have to stress over the holidays as to how they are going to pay the rent in January.  I never made it to the well-rated Arroz but had mixed feelings about his Arlington establishments.  Kapnos was great, Pepita was lousy and Yona clocked in terrific in my first visit and terrible in my second.  I do believe things happen for a reason though.  It's not so much that Mike Isabella did bad, it's that he did the kind of bad that has been going on forever, and it's time to get woke.  TV "reality" shows be darned.  A dominant male, slightly tipsy, moody, flirty head chef and restaurateur is no longer acceptable.  For that matter, female chefs and restaurateurs still make up a teenier portion of this in

Getting back to the point that I do cook for myself now and then (more lately given finances and travel) I have a few cookbooks to recommend.  I know, I know, cookbooks are  passé  in the age of the internet.  I, too, tend to go online before going to my bookshelf.  When I go online I'm usually looking for something specific.  The nice thing about a cookbook is discovering a recipe for something you never considered.  My return to cookbooks coincided with purchasing an Instant Pot last year.  I love it.  At the very least I like to steam veggies in it once a week then use them in various dishes throughout the week (cabbage, carrots, brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.)  The Instant Pot is great for soups and beans.  It's a little iffy on grains but I'm working on it.  In the meantime, check out the following.  I have a lot of cookbooks.  A couple of these have withstood the test of time: Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourret.  No, it&#

Took a while to get to this upscale veggie restaurant.  Post food critic Tom Sietsema, a meat lover, declared it to be one of his top favorites and ever since reservations have been few and far between.  There were real strengths and a couple of weaknesses.  On the plus side it is just delightful to go to a restaurant where I can eat ANYTHING.  There is joy in having choices.  The menu is clearly seasonal and based on the interests of the chef.  Divided into three sections (Urban Picnic, Farm Board and Wood & Fire) there are four selections per section for a total of twelve offerings.  Portions are generally small and the waitress recommended picking one item from each section.  My first selection, the Stuffed Avocado (pictured) was the best of my offerings.  No only good on taste, it also had that nice mix of creamy, crunchy, etc.  Companions got the Beet Toast and Fancy Radishes, declaring both to be quite good.  The person who ordered the radishes said the best thing was that

Another chain which is decent for vegetarians but has a good number of drawbacks.  The biggest drawback is their own success.  What used to be a nice stop for soup, sandwich or a grain bowl has become a crazed affair with lines and rushed cooks.  That's not to say they don't try.  Pre-ordering online is well-run and a good attempt by the company to deal with the hordes.  It doesn't fix the real issue, a nicely conceived dish being destroyed by lightening preparation.  Today I tried the "new" Modern Caprese.  It sounded good but what I got was a balsamic soggy mess with limp arugula and a smashed tomato slice.  And oh, yes, there was a small bit of mozzarella.  Most of the other ingredients couldn't be detected (parmesan, basil white bean puree, smoky tomato confit).  The bread (a black pepper focaccia) was good.  One hopes that a bread factory can, in fact, make a decent bread.  They do.  I also got a bag of chips instead of the requested apple -- this was a