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Lapis

Billed as the best Afghan food in the DC area I'm glad to say the hype matched the quality of the food.  Getting in, however, was a bit of a challenge.  Arriving at 5pm, just as they opened, on a Wednesday night the hostess seemed confused that we didn't have reservations.  She flustered about a bit and then called over a supervisor who insisted on "giving us" a reservation as if we had done it online.  The gentleman couldn't get my name right after three tries and then insisted on taking my phone number ... at which point I was a tad unkind.  Eventually, we were seated in the downstairs room.  They apologized for this, something I didn't understand until an hour and a half later, when the place was full and the noise levels so high that conversation was impossible.  All of this unpleasantness was rectified by simply fabulous food and an outstanding server.

Between the three of us we ordered:  Aushak (veggie dumplings), Nask (yellow lentil soup), the Beet and Kale salads, the Mixed Grill (chicken, lamb and steak), Buranee Kadoo (a pumpkin dish), Shola (a bean/rice mix), the yellow lentil Dal, a side of Afghan flatbread, the Lapis Manhattan and a belgian style draft beer.

When asked, my tablemates and I all agreed that it was impossible to pick a favorite as everything was truly top-notch.  The salads were huge, large enough for a meal.  The dumplings were soft and layered in flavor, the various lentil dishes were well seasoned and rich.  The Shola, which our server said was underrated, was so delightfully complex that I kept taking smaller and smaller bites to taste everything in the dish.  The meat-eater was thrilled with the grill combo as each different type of meat was well-cooked and seasoned, difficult to do as each one has a different cooking time.  The pumpkin dish, which I did not order, was deemed outstanding by another party although it looked somewhat more plain than the description.  It was simply slices of what looked to be steamed pumpkin with some seasoned yogurt on top.  Even the Manhattan got an "oooo" from the person who ordered it.  The only downside, other than the hassle at being seated, was the cost -- which came to just over $200 with tax and tip (they said a 20% tip was included but the tip wasn't 20% so we threw in a little bit more.)

Was it a hit?  Yes.  Will I go again?  Perhaps.  There is certainly a lot to keep vegetarians and vegans interested.  The food quality and variety were significantly better than the Afghan restaurant near my house so it is worth the trip into the city.  Given the price, however, I'm saving this one for a special occasion.  And yes, next time I will make reservations.  I didn't this time because parking is always iffy (took me 15 minutes circling the block to get something) but it's clearly a popular location.  I can understand why.

High-end Afghan restaurant
1847 Columbia Road, NW
http://www.lapisdc.com/

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