Cafe Berlin

Karthik and I don’t really go to upscale restaurants but our anniversary was a few weeks ago and we had a coupon to use up (of course). We went to Cafe Berlin which is right near Union Station. As soon as you walk inside you feel like you are in a different country. Our waitress checked on the vegetarian-ness of items which was great but the food was quite a let down.

The meal started off well with bread accompanied by chive infused butter, and potato pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream that were a little heavy but still delicious.

We ordered a spinach salad with candied walnuts and homemade honey mustard dressing that was overly sweet. The walnuts had a candy shell that was bigger than the walnut itself and the honey mustard dressing just made the whole dish sweet through and through.

Myanmar Restaurant

Karthik and I love Burmese food and we each have our favorite places. We are finally getting around to sharing our favorite places with each other. My favorite is Mandalay in Silver Spring and Karthik likes Myanmar Restaurant in Falls Church so that is where we ended up there on a cold Sunday afternoon. When you walk in it feels like you have walked into someone’s home that they have transformed into a restaurant. The menu is extensive but just remember to double check about fish sauce in everything, even the vegetarian dishes

We ordered the coconut soup which normally comes with chicken but they made it with tofu for us. It’s kind of like the Burmese pho. It comes with a separate dish of egg noodles, lime wedges, and onions. It was delicious. Hearty and coconuty.

We got two tofu dishes – one was coconut crispy tofu and the other was a tomato tofu. Both were ok, a little soggy but generally good flavor. We are excited to come back and try the jackfruit curry, fried rice, paratha, etc.

Habesha Market and Carry-Out

Our friend  introduced us to this gem out on 9th and U street – Habesha Market and Carry Out. We were in the mood for Ethiopian food and this hit the spot. It is more of a fast food, cafe style place and it was quick and delicious. Karthik and I shared the vegetarian platter that had about ten times on it. It was the best Ethiopian food we have had in DC thus far. The greens were buttery, the red lentils were adequately spicy, and we even tried new dishes such as a tomato and onion stuffed jalapeño and a beet curry. We don’t have much to say about this place besides “why aren’t you on your way there right now?”

They also make their own injera and sell it in the little store inside the market. We use it as a substitute for naan or roti when we eat Indian food.

For two people, the huge platter plus a soda came to about $13.95.

Pho DC

Karthik thinks we are going to pigeon hole ourselves into being Vietnamese restaurant reviewers instead of general restaurant reviewers, but our default comfort food has become Vietnamese so we can’t help it (for now)! My addiction prompted me to buy an online deal for the new Pho DC on 19th and L NW. This is the second branch of Pho DC – the other one is in Chinatown.

Karthik and I were disappointed with this place compared to the other Vietnamese places we have been to in the area (our favorites are  Pho Viet in DC and Lotus Cafe in MD). We are glad we had a coupon. We paid $20 for 2 drinks (coconut water and a mango martini), 2 appetizers (cheesy asparagus and garden rolls), and 2 entrees (tofu vermicelli and vegetarian pho).

• Cheesy Asparagus = one stalk of asparagus wrapped in cheese and deep fried.  Interesting concept, but very greasy. Karthik thought you can’t go wrong with fried cheese.
• Garden Roll = loaded it up with tofu and vermicelli.  They served it with a really good tomato-based sauce – they were out of peanut sauce.  Wasn’t the best Garden Roll, about average.
• Vermicelli with Tofu and Vegetables = basically plain vermicelli, fried tofu, cucumbers, and carrots in a bowl with soy sauce.  We were really hoping this would have more taste to it, but it was too plain. Perhaps a good stir-fry at home will give it the kick we like.
• Vegetarian Pho = we have definitely had much better broth.  Its the broth that makes the Pho and this was kinda bland.  They had a good amount of vegetables.  They didn’t serve the usual bean sprouts, mint, etc. on the side.  Karthik was disappointed that there wasn’t a bottle of sriracha and bottle of hoisin on the table.  But they did serve it in a small serving dish and so were able to spice up the Pho.

The verdict: Nice environment, very accommodating staff, but the food was not exciting at all.

Lotus Cafe

Lotus Cafe in Silver Spring, MD is our favorite pho place in the area. When we have pho cravings this is where we want to come. During our first visit here we got the veggie pho, tofu summer rolls, and black pepper gluten hot pot Everything was delicious. The summer rolls were fresh, crispy, and had basil in them. The black pepper gluten hot pot was extremely flavorful, had great consistency, and came out piping hot. I like the way gluten picks up flavor much more than tofu. And….the pho. Finally, a broth that was not bland, boring, or clear. The broth had a great taste and was packed with noodles, tofu, veggies and came with a heaping mound of bean sprouts, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, and sprigs of basil. Don’t forget to add hoisin and sriracha to your liking! We will definitely be coming here again….and again…and again. They have a whole vegetarian section on the menu to choose from!

V Falafel

Karthik and I have been meaning to try  V Falafel out since it opened but we never made it around to it. Finally, with some help from my mom and groupon we made it. The owner is extremely friendly and helped me order (aah everything on the menu was vegetarian!). They also have a running slideshow of pictures of the food so you can see what you are ordering. They have seating inside and outside. It was so pleasant to sit outside and enjoy the last few days of nice weather. We ordered a regular falafel sandwich in a pita and a falafel shwarma which is basically a grilled falafel in a wrap wit your choice of stuffing. We also got fries (not stellar). The falafel sandwich was delicious, really good salads, and good falafel balls. The falafel shwarma was GENIUS. We were talking to the owner and he said that he was getting all five star reviews on Yelp and then he got one 4 star review with the comment “all they have is falafel.” So, the owner decided to add something else to the menu – tada falafel shwarma!

The total came to about $17.00 for both of us (not including the $10 we got off with the Groupon). Not bad for a very filling and delicious dinner. Grainy ipad pics below. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Original Pancake House

 Original Pancake House in Falls CHurch

Karthik and I have been wanting to go here for ages. Our last attempt to make it out here ended in failure because the original location of the original pancake house was closed. We finally found a relatively free Saturday and made the trek out to falls church. We ordered a spinach crepe and original buttermilk pancakes. I was tempted to get pumpkin but since it was my first time here we decided to go with the original since that is supposed to be the best. Breakfast places are obviously great for vegetarians who eat eggs. But this places also has many sweet and savory crepes that don’t have eggs, even the crepe batter is eggless. (this piece of info might be worth double checking with your server).

Fresh spinach crepe – spinach and cheese in a crepe served with potato pancakes. The crepe was ok. It had a weird sweet taste though. The potato pancakes were pretty awful. Mushy, undercooked, no flavor and served with watery sour cream.

Buttermilk Pancakes – also a big disappointment. Mushy, doughy, dense, thick and served with bad tasting syrup.

The Verdict: we will not be coming here again. I am sure there are much better breakfast places in town. Our total bill including one cup of coffee and a side of two scrambled eggs (yes we like big breakfasts) came to 23.31.
                                                                   

Cheesetique

Karthik found this adorable place called Cheesetique right outside Alexandria, VA. It’s basically a cheese/wine store with a  bar/restaurant in the back. I wasn’t even hungry but we decided to have a quick bite because who can say no to cheese? The wait staff were incredibly friendly and very patient with us when we couldn’t decide between the many delicious sounding things on the menu. We eventually settled on a strawberry drink (Muscat Frizzante, strawberry puree, mint, lemon), chilled cucumber soup (creamy, peppery, refreshing), and a grilled cheese with 3 year cheddar, raw milk Dragon’s breath, Dubliner, and pimento peppers (appropriately gooey, packed with flavor, pure deliciousness, mixed greens w/ shallot vinaigrette was a perfect compliment).

• Menu: pretty easy to tell what is veg but you can always ask your waiter/waitress for clarification. Please note that not all of their cheeses might fit into your definition of vegetarian (microbial rennet vs animal rennet). Small plates (6/6), Leafy Greens (2/4 – not sure if their Caesar dressing is veg), Grilled Cheese (4/6), Large Plates (1/4),
• Total: $13.50 not including drink, tax, tip

The Verdict: GO NOW! They had a free wine tasting when we were there too. It’s fun, casual, and you will probably end up buying something that you don’t need.

Duangrat’s

A thai-mless classic for us!  I stumbled upon Duangrat’s a few years ago by accident.  I was amazed by the Rt. 7/Leesburg Pike’s international corridor between Eden Center (Rt. 50 & Rt. 7), Seven Corners, and Bailey’s Crossroads (Columbia Pike & Rt. 7).  You can pretty much take a culinary tour of the world within this corridor and is one of my favorite places to be adventurous.  I have taken Aparna to a few spots here – Song Que Deli, Raaga and Duangrat’s.

Duangrat’s is always delicious and is one of our go-to Thai spots (if we decide to venture out of VA).   Aparna got a taste of Duangrat’s last year and she has fallen in love with it as much as I have.  We also like the service here – they recognize us when we walk in…not because we go there often, but because they really do remember a face.  It is a one-of-a-kind local restaurant that has its roots here in the DC area.  Started back in 80’s, they are still serving up amazing meals.

• Menu – Vegetarian items clearly have their own section.  However, you can always ask them to make a dish vegetarian and might have to remind them to not use the fish sauce.
• Total – Be prepared to spend between $40 – $50 for two people.  Average price for a dinner entrée is about $15.  A bit more expensive, but worth the cost our opinion. Plus, we always have left-overs and makes a great lunch the next day!

The Verdict

If you want really good Thai food with a unique decor and a family feel…this is the place for you.  Be prepared to spend a bit more than what you might be accustomed to at a Thai restaurant, but totally worth it!  If you are looking for some deals, go on a Tuesday night, where you get a free bottle of wine with $40 purchase.  Either way, you shouldn’t be let down and is worth the venture out to VA!

Papaya Salad – spicy, tangy, right amount of crunchiness.  Ask for no-fish sauce or shrimp.  Simply delicious and great way to start an amazing meal.  If you are hungry, get this to start because it comes out really quickly!

Tofu Radna – crunchy vegetables, soft noodles, not too salty, and super garlicky YUM.  This is not as spicy as the drunken noodles, but just as much flavor.  They know how to make it amazing every single time!

 

Tofu Brahmh – the peanut sauce is delish!  We really have a hard time ordering anything else on the menu when we visit.  This is our go-to dish…just awesome!

Lycheetini – had a frozen lychee pop in it!  What an awesome drink…would totally recommend it.

Toki Undergound – late night Ramen

I was really excited to take Karthik to Toki Underground because of my obvious love for everything Japanese (even though this apparently has more of a Taiwanese influence) . My sister told me about an amazing ramen place in NY called Ippudo so I was thrilled to hear that there was a new place in DC. After reading many Yelp reviews I was convinced that we would have to wait 2+ hours for a table. However, we only had to wait about 30 minutes and they called us when our table was ready so we didn’t have to wait around aimlessly (there is no bar to wait at because the bar is used for seating). This place is easy to miss on the H St. NE strip – you have to look for the logo on the door and head up a narrow flight of stairs. The restaurant itself has a great ambiance – dark, exposed ceilings, skateboards as footstools, and what I am assuming to be Taiwanese cartoon characters as decoration. It definitely gave you a sense of being in another country so that was cool. 

• Menu: Vegetarian items are clearly marked. Dumplings (1 option), Ramen (1 option), Sides (depends), Desserts (all veg)
• Total: 33.20 not including tax and tip

Verdict: Fun experience, mediocre food. Waiters are very friendly and willing to explain dishes and help you decide.

 

Vegetarian Dumplings: The dumplings were not impressive. They were burnt and the filling was boring. The sauce, however, was delicious.

Corn: We ordered the grilled corn with spiced butter and crumbled cheese. It was pretty good but nothing to write home about.

Masumi Vegetarian Ramen: We ordered 1 bowl with extra noodles and we shared it. The broth was pretty bland and the noodles were sticky so it was hard to eat. It was satisfying but honestly nothing stellar.

Dessert: I was really excited about the almond cookies because I had read so much about them on Yelp and our waiter even said they were amazing. We waited 20+ minutes for 3 cookies and by that time I was falling asleep on the table so we asked for it to go. It was supposed to come with a glass of milk but I guess they couldn’t do the milk to go. So, we basically paid $7 for 3 almond cookies which did come out piping hot but honestly not cooked all the way through. Could have been delicious but turned out disappointing.  

But Karthik and I had a great time!