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Call Your Mother

Not exactly health food but pretty authentic and truly delightful on a cold rainy day.  This "Jew-ish" deli includes a good number of bagel options as well as expected sides -- latkes, pastries (such as black and whites, babka), and the unexpected -- an Israeli-style salad, a pizza bagel and Jew-ish tacos.  Not specifically veggie focused there is one veggie burger available but no vegan options.  Other diet concerns aren't covered either, as I noted "high gluten flour" being off-loaded from a truck for the next round of truly terrific bagels.  There are four types of bagels offered:  plain, sesame, za'atar and everything.  They come with all the toppings/sides one can imagine.  I got a za'atar bagel, toasted, with cream cheese and a side of latkes.  For an incredibly reasonable amount of money (less than $10 with a $2 tip) I left quite full.  The bagel was large and dense.  It had a crispy outside and an inside rich with herbs.  There was enough cream cheese on the bagel to cover my fat intake for the week.  The latkes (3) were also huge and thick, hamburger sized.  Deep fried with a moist, slightly salty interior, they were very good, made truly amazing by the accompanying sour cream and apple sauce.  This is a basic place.  Unfinished walls with pink and green paint splotches mix with a 1960s era linoleum floor and faux blue china plates.  I sat in one of the rocking chairs near the window but those sharing the communal table will have access to a gerry-rigged planter style condiments holder built into the center of the seating area.  Hip Hop music thumped throughout but highlighted my only concern.  Located in Petworth, a primarily African American neighborhood with a good number of Hispanics, there was not a single person of color either inside the eating area or behind the counter.  In fact, the only white people I saw on my stroll down from the metro were inside this shop.  It was, at the least, perplexing.  A neighborhood in transition I always worry about how gentrification brings with it less diversity.  That being said the offerings are as legit NYC as we are likely to get in little old DC, so enjoy.

Counter-service "Jew-ish" Deli
3301 Georgia Ave., NW
https://www.callyourmotherdeli.com/

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