DCVegEats

Yes, I'm doing it again.  A recent trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto tingled the taste-buds more than expected.  I share the following just in case any readers travel north of the border.  First off, there is a good deal of ethnic diversity in Canada, which is reflected in their restaurant options.  Second, there are a LOT of Indian restaurants and Italian restaurants (in this part of Canada, anyway).  Top of the mark was Moksha Indian , a quiet place off the tourist trail in Niagara.  Truly the best Indian I have had while travelling.  Traditional dishes mixed with highly innovative offerings.  The Garlic Naan comes with honey and the Papadums arrive formed into tents.  Both of these seemed to be Canadian twists which showed up in other restaurants, but the "peanut shooters" (sauteed peanuts with zingy veggies) appeared in shot glasses, which just tickled me pink.  As a second runner-up we have Aanch , a "modernistic" upscale Indian restaurant in Toronto (wit

Billed as modern Indian and Nepali this new addition to Pentagon Row features many familiar dishes typical in southern Indian restaurants (milder spices and more tomato-based offerings).  Their 11:30am to 3pm weekday brunch offers a chance to get a good overview of their food.  Today, I was able to try out a small salad with pickle, Vegetable Pakora, Chana Masala, Palak Paneer, Nilgiri Korma, Daal Fry and a salad.  All dishes were very mild with the Daal (which included brown, black and yellow lentils) and Chana having a nice, subtle flavor.  The Palak Paneer, my favorite dish, was too mild for my tastes so I added some pickle relish from the condiments, which provided quite a kick.  The salad was predominantly iceberg lettuce which I don't care for, but the cucumbers and carrot slices seemed very fresh.  The Nilgiri Korma was the best of the bunch and something I would have never tried if not for the buffet as I usually skip creamy sauces.  The cream was light and the dish flavo

Not the first thing which comes to mind for a vegetarian when choosing a restaurant, this sports bar at Ballston has surprisingly good food.  One of several stops this summer to explore DC's gazpacho options ( American Son was sadly a fail when they neglected to have the gazpacho listed on their menu at lunch last week) the various options were fresh, well seasoned and thought-through.  Keeping to their Spanish roots, not only was there gazpacho on the menu but many other items one might find at Jaleo and similar establishments.  Bottom line -- the gazpacho was some of the best I have had.  Creamy, presumably without the help of dairy products, and containing just a hint of hot pepper, I really had to slow down and savor every sip.  I also had the Brava Potatoes, which had an anglicized name but were simply Patatas Bravas.  This dish is typically about the garlic aioli, which in this case was very good.  The star here, however, were the potatoes, which were high quality (think Y