Tacos, Tortas and Tequilas

With an established branch in Silver Spring this combo street food cafe and upscale Mexican restaurant (Buena Vida, on the second floor and open only for dinner and weekend brunches) has made a much ballyhooed entrance into the Clarendon area. I managed two visits in a week to the the downstairs cafe ("TTT") and there are real pluses with a few minuses. On the plus side the food is very good. The four salad offerings are unique and flavorful. The "mix and match" tacos come on hand-made tortillas which melt in your mouth and the guacamole is delectable -- basically mashed avocado with a kind of salsa fresca. The crispy potato taco is "beyond", a small fried treat which will warm the cockles of your tastebuds with a crispy outside and a smooth, soft inside. The refried beans are vegetarian (yay!) and breakfast items are available all day. Those are the strengths. The weaknesses impact the overall dining experience. There is price gouging. You can order guacamole but the chips are extra (really???) You can switch out the beans and rice for a small side salad, but it will cost you $4. The wait staff is severely under-trained. On the first visit our waitress disappeared after handing us menus and we nearly had to get up to flag someone down to make our order. It took three requests to get the bill and at the end of the meal she mixed up the receipts and credit cards, returning the wrong bill with the wrong card. On the second visit I specifically asked the waiter to check on how vegetarian the egg dishes were, then got ham on my plate. After it was sent back (I hadn't had a single bite), I was charged double for the dish. Lastly, the bathroom is on the second floor (broken/inaccessible elevator) and was completely out of toilet paper (except for the many bits all over the floor). I was handed a roll of paper towels by a member of the staff, but I found that "insufficient". Bottom line -- the food is worth it. If they can clean and stock their bathroom and get their wait staff up to par, then we may have a winner.

Three establishments in one -- a downstairs cafe with "street food", an upscale Mexican restaurant and a rooftop bar
2900 Wilson Blvd, Arlington and 8407 Ramsey Ave, Silver Spring
https://www.tttrestaurant.com/

Comments

RASA

The popular grain bowl trend gets a twist with this Indian-inspired takeout bowl place. Same concept -- a base, greens, toppings, etc., but the options are mostly Indian inspired and the majority of offerings are vegetarian (although not vegan, given the heavy use of Ghee in cooking). My take is mixed. Some of the items were outstanding, some less so. I got the Lemon Tumeric Rice, which was delightful. Fresh and tangy, with a little bite, it was one of the best rice dishes I've ever tried. On top of this I got the Tofu/Cauliflower protein. It was half and half. The cauliflower was perfectly roasted, the roasted onions delightful, and the nuts were a beautiful added crunch. The tofu, however, was watery, and the green and red peppers well past prime. Next, I added sauteed spinach, which was incredibly bland, and the peanut sesame sauce, which was "okay" but forgettable. I didn't do additional toppings, although there were plenty. I did get two of the mini s

First Watch

Meant to invite some family members here but a friend beat me to the punch. We compromised and went together. Unfortunately, this is a place where it looks better than it is. Across the board. The funky design scheme makes it an echo chamber and, with the pumping music, very loud. Conversation was difficult. The menu is covered in glossy photos and descriptions of the food but ... I started with the Morning Meditation Fresh Juice, a pretty blend of citrus and beet. Or I tried to. Took three reminders to the waiter and when it finally arrived, halfway into the meal, it was 90% ice and 10% juice. My companions opted for coffee. It was ice cold. Another long wait (about 20 minutes) to get new coffee -- and included a reminder to staff that they wanted fresh cups as well. I ordered the Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl, which was described as having up to 12 ingredients. It had three. The quinoa, an egg, maybe two teeny slices of tomato past its prime. It wasn't hot or cold, just r

Mezeh

With this new version of a middle-eastern inspired "bowl/pita/wrap" meal the Ballston Mezeh has a lot to praise and a few things it could do better. On the plus side is a ton of options. For a base they move beyond the simple rice or greens selections to specific greens options/mixes and then they have three kinds of rice (including Riced Cauliflower with Bulgar Wheat for the Keto crowd). After that there are two different protein options for veggies -- Falafel and Veggie Kofta. I selected the Kofta just so that I could have something new ... and loved it. But you aren't done there. You can choose up to 12 toppings (TWELVE) out of 27. Then there are the dressings. Again, the choices are overwhelming with eight -- each sounds amazing. I went with the Spicy Mango and was not disappointed. I ordered a bowl and still got a nice big slice of warm pita which was just yummy. The challenge however, is that the bowl I ordered online wasn't really full. There were lot

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