Harry's Tap Room

So continuing on the theme of slackers catchin' the tail end of "DC restaurant week," Jewelyn and I had perfect timing and snagged the last available table-for-two.

I had the crab hash, which was like a dissected crabcake on top of a roast portobello mushroom cap with a warm salad of greens. They were quite generous with the crabmeat.

Jewelyn and I were both so taken with the entree possibilities that we ended up splitting the twin filet mignons with Sauce Bernaise on mashed potatoes and the signature Harry's Mussels (Prince Edward Island golden) steamed in white wine, garlic, and parsley. Both were amaaazing. The steak and mussels were cooked to perfection and the extra flavors complemented without overpowering the proteins' flavors.

And of course, what would Tulane reunion dinner be without a good bottle of wine and post-dinner drinks? (Lord knows we didn't have room for dessert despite the delicious-looking berry bundt cake and cheesecake they brought, but Tulanians always save room for drinkable desserts.)

2800 Claredon Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
703.778.7788
http://www.harrystaproom.com

Ten Penh

On the corner of Ten(th Street) and Pen(nsyvlania Avenue), this Pan-Asian paradise is from the same restauranteurs that own DC Coast, Ceiba, and - the best Cajun food outside of Louisiana - Acadiana. Funny enough, the location looks like Acadiana but with Asian accent pieces instead of Cajun.

If you're ever in DC for Restaurant Week, make reservations as soon as possible. Our Fridy afternoon call-in gave us a 10PM table. Restaurant Week is awesome by the way, if you can't make it now, go in August. It's $20 for a three-course lunch or $30 for a three-course dinner.

Mom and I settled into the bar while waiting and got some signature cocktails. I had an "Asian mojito" which is just like a regular one but with pear sake instead of rum and simple syrup.

When we got our table, we were greeted with a wonderful amuse bouche: A shot glass of squash soup enhanced with coconut milk, vegetable broth, and cilantro. Perfect to combat the winter weather.

For my appetizer, I had a salmon tartare which had the expected capers, onions, and cream cheese but also a pea-sized dot of wasabi on top and perhaps a little sesame oil. It was served with fried wontons, which lent a nice crunch to the rich, soft salmon.

My entree was four perfectly pan-seared scallops with cilantro sauce and a clearly-Thai-inspired braised pork belly and mashed potatoes. If you know my eating habits, cilantro is not my favorite herb (in moderation, swell) but the cilantro sauce was excellent.

Dessert was a cinnamon pumpkin bread and a chai cream cheese pudding. Both were amazing on their own, but the combination was killer.

The "au revoir bouche" (okay, just made that term up but lots of restaurants do it) was a milk chocolate brownie tinged with tamarind. I was a little hesitant but it was surprisingly good. Sweet is always better with a pinch of sour or salty.

My recommendation if you go there: Sit at the bar, and order the drinks and appetizers. The entrees and desserts were amazing, but I was really floored by the appetizers including my mother's chicken roti with tamarind sauce and my dad's Asian mushroom soup.

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC, 20004
202.393.4744
http://www.tenpenh.com

El Chalan

The place is very subtle, the lowest level of an Eye Street building. Small-ish tables, Peruvian art to match the food, and just-comfortable-enough-but-full-of-character wooden chairs. But it's the kind of place so good it doesn't need to be loud or conspicuous in any way.

When I was in high school and my mom wanted to meet for lunch or have dinner after work, this was always my vote since it was so good and convenient - less than ten minutes away from my school and even less from her office.

We always got the two house specialties: Lomo saltado, beef tips sauteed with potato wedges, carrots and onions (especial made with tenderloin) or arroz con mariscos, which is exactly what it translates, rice with seafood... a Peruvian version of paella, less salty and less aggressive in flavor but just as tasty.

Last night, since my dad and I were uncharacteristically "not that hungry," the three of us split two appetizers, the arroz, and a stew. (If I hadn't had a steak for lunch, lomo saltado would surely have been ordered.)

One appetizer was the palta con palmito, a salad slices of avocado and hearts of palm topped with slices of boiled egg, onion, tomato, and a dressing. Simple and good. The other was ceviche mixto, exactly what it sounds like: Fish, shrimp, conch, and squid marinated in lemon, chilis, and onion. It came with a single (decorative?) mussel and corn and yam for a side of texture and sweet.

The arroz was as good as I remember, and the cabrito norteno was goat stewed with beer, vinegar, onion and spices. The flavors married so well the only thing I could pick out was "delicious." It came with beans and rice, hearty and simple, perfect to complement the fork-tender meat. Great with a glass or two of house red.

All dishes are served with their ridiculously tender fresh bread and butter and some magical super-concentrated hot sauce. (I affectionately referred to it as "the sauce hotter than Britney Spears" back in 2001.) I swear, a mere drop of this stuff has enough capsaicin to satisfy even a spicy addict like me, and the heat has the pleasant effect of lingering and growing in intensity.

1924 Eye Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
202.293.2765
http://www.elchalanrestaurant.com

Bangkok Golden

After grocery shopping yesterday, my mom and I grabbed dinner at Bangkok Golden, a Thai restaurant near our house and a place where I've tried many things on the menu. The family owned restaurant will celebrate their decade anniversary next year and have opened two other branches in the DC metro area recently. As far as food, they have the requisite pad thai and curries as well as an extremely delicious fried whole flounder. (Sushi and salmon aside, I'm not much of a fish eater. But I do love that dish.) It is served with a choice of three sauces. I recommend the ginger sauce (don't usually like ginger either) with pork and shrimp.

That being said, we got two other items because the flounder requires at least four diners. The first was crispy duck with basil, which is my other favorite item on their menu. The duck is actually roast and then wrapped in a crisp batter and served with a very light sauce, thin slices of hot pepper, and beyond-wilted basil leaves somehow dried to be as fragile as possible without actually breaking. Since protein begs carbs, we also got another specialty of theirs, a tropical fried rice with chicken, shrimp, pineapple, egg, onion, tomato, curry and a topping of finely shredded dried pork. It's a whole lot of color and a whole lot of taste but surprisingly not overkill though it may sound it.

9503 Livingston Road
Fort Washington, MD 20744
301.248.8810
http://www.bangkokgoldenrestaurant.com

The Warehouse Bar and Grill

I took David to The Warehouse Bar and Grill because I couldn't remember whether I liked The Wharf or Fish Market better. All three Old Town restaurants are on the same block of King Street right before the water. The Warehouse isn't a warehouse at all, more like a townhouse. It has a stairwell filled with caricature portraits, some 3-Dimensional. It looked like a slow night, but there were several elderly people there. Always a good sign. Old people take their food seriously.

David and I both got cups of she crab soup, one of my favorite dishes in the world. It's a southeastern favorite but made best - in my opinion - with Maryland blue crab. Recipes vary but always involves the meat, fats and roe of female crabs, cream, and sherry. It's awesome, somewhere between a chowder and a bisque.

The waiter forgot my chopped "Jackson" salad, so I can't review it. But the ingredients sounded good: "Hearts of palm, crisp crumbled bacon, chopped egg, tomato, onion, corn and Iowa Maytag blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette."

I also had one of their "specialty sandwiches," The General Braddock. It's a butterflied filet mignon cooked to order (medium rare, of course) on French bread dressed with lettuce and tomatoes. It reminds me of a New Orleans po' boy, a very good thing. It's also topped with Monterey Jack cheese, garlic mayonnaise, and Cajun onion straws. (What makes them Cajun, I don't know. Maybe the fact that they're delicious?) It comes with fries, which I didn't realize, so I suppose it's good he forgot the salad.

Being both so full, we split a dessert after slowly eliminating all the options down to the least heavy. We split a slice of pecan pie a la mode. Nothing new but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

214 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.683.6868
http://www.rtsrestaurant.net/Warehouse.htm

Peking Gourmet Inn

After I assured my parents that David surely doesn't mind Asian food, we took him to Peking Gourmet Inn, a Chinese restaurant famous for their Peking duck as well as for the restaurant-encompassing gallery of celebrities and important government officials. And there's always the bulletproof windows they installed since President Bush (the first one) enjoyed many a meal there.
Of course, we ordered their famous specialty Peking duck. It's carved tableside and served with Hoisin sauce, fresh scallions, and just-made, still-hot "pancakes." You basically make your own little wraps, small enough to hold in one hand. So, sooo good.

We also ordered sea scallops with roasted garlic. The restaurant's description fits perfectly, so I'll use it: "Sautéed with snow peas, simply amazing!"

For vegetables, we opted for garlic sprouts stir fried with pork rather than with chicken or shrimp since we already had poultry and shellfish entrees. The sprouts are a nice change from the usual broccoli or spinach, and not as garlicky as one might expect. And yes, my family loves garlic. Classical vampires fear us.

All three aforementioned dishes were from the Chef's Specials section of the menu and deserve their place there, but what's an Asian meal without rice? We ordered yang chow fried rice, the spelling of which differs between restaurants. It's a popular combination fried rice and differs from normal combination fried rice (as the waitress explained to us) in its lack of soy sauce, which makes it more golden in color and less salty in taste. Peking Gourmet Inn makes theirs with chicken, eggs, onions, roast pork, and shrimp. We had to order a second helping.

Dessert was banana flambé. The bananas are coated with a sticky glaze and sesame seeds before being lit on fire and then dunked in an ice water bath. The result is a delicate shell around a hot gooey center. And it's not too sweet, just right.

Of course the receipt came with fortune cookies. My father left to smoke, so we opened his for him. It was the best one. "You will be hungry soon. Order take out now."

6029 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041
703.671.8088
http://www.pekinggourmet.com

Cafe Citron

I didn't really have a full meal here so much as snacks to compliment the drinks. The mojitos and sangria were good; their happy hour pitcher deal was sweet. Ryanne got a tres amigos appetizer for all of us with salsa, guacamole, and a "cheesy guacamole sauce" which wasn't very cheesy at all and led us to believe had mantequilla mixed in. The cocktail waitress did offer us extra nachos on the house when she saw we were out, so the place gets points for that. David and I split a chicken quesadilla with all the trimmings, which was quite good and actually overstuffed and spilling out. Good eats. I have been to the restaurant upstairs before for a full meal and recommend it for food besides for drinks and nightlife.

1343 Connecticut Avenue
Washington DC, 20036
202.530.8844
http://www.cafecitrondc.com