DC's MANDU has moved, but the food is still marvelous (12-13-25)

 We piled into the car last night to head to MANDU and WAZE said it was on K Street in NoMa! Well, I must have missed the move from Dupont Circle and of course, parking in that new up and coming loaded with restaurants 'hood was not easy. The five of us settled in and our excellent server Ephram took our order, and we started with a bottle of Essay Chenin Blanc from South Africa, a great white with spicy foods. Later we switched to any equally wonderful Partridge Malbec, also great with spice, which there was plenty of.

Ephram brought out a pickle platter of kimchi (the best!), pickled cucumbers, bean sprouts and seaweed, but the amazing new taste for us was the Soy pickled radish which was tangy and yet also slightly sweet and we all loved. The Sojutini did not get a rave as the mango taste seemed lacking.

Ephram suggested the Kimchi Jjigae as many of us craved a big bowl of "soup" and this dish was loaded with spicy kimchi, braised pork rib meat and delicious tofu. So amazingly filling on the eve of the impending snow and cold. Soon Doobu was also a silken tofu stew with shrimp, scallops, clams and a soft egg on top.; a winner for seafood lovers! Kimchi Bokum Bap is an immense plate of everything with your choice of toppings as well to assemble your own dish as you like. That is what is so much fun about Korean food...it is hugely varying and always filling.

We were all stuffed and waddled home before the snow even fell.

Chef Danny Lee always makes his clients happy!

DC's CHANG CHANG is still ringing in the customers! (12-11-25)

 We joined some friends at CHANG CHANG, Perter Chang's downtown DC sport that has been a huge hit since it opened. We loved it the first time, and while our take-out experience last Xmas wasn't that wonderful, our meal last night was a big hit across the board.

Sam was with us and there is a wealth of veggie options here as well and this place does tofu better than anywhere, I can recall!

We ordered the same white we had last time which was Adegas Gran Vinum Mar de Vinas Albarino 2024 which is crisp, citrusy and acidic which is ideal with those very spicy dishes! Our server Wendy made some suggestions, and they were all spot on.

Sam had his own plate of delicious veggie pan fried dumplings with a soy-chili sauce that he declared divine. he also preferred the Mexican Coke to the sweeter Kimino Yuzu Soda!

We started with Manchurian Crispy Fish Slices in a gooey but awesomely yummy citrusy sweet and sour sauce.  Shanghai Pork Dumplings are now served on a piece of paper, so they do not stick to the steamer which was a problem before. They came off easily and popped in our mouths for a soup explosion and the vinegar/ginger sauce is superb.

(Photos on FB). I love good bread but sometimes a bao bun is just too much and that was the only problem for me all night. The delicious Peking Duck Bun needed more of that savory duck with hoisin sauce and less bun. I actually discarded the top portion of my bun!

Sizzling Brussels Sprouts and Tofu was a spicy and yummy dish again with that fab tofu.

Sam ordered the Mapo Tofu for his main which was even more spicy and came in broad bean paste with soy chili and black bean sauce. The purple and white rice dishes are ideal for this dish to mop up the sauce. The veggie lo main with long wheat noodles and bok choy was just that and the tongs that came with it were useless...luckily spoons and forks abounded.

I was sad not to see my favorite dish on the menu from last time and Wendy said, have no fear, we can special order the Dry Pot Scallop and Prawn with Asparagus & Cabbage which I think was even spicier than last time loaded with dried chilis. Now we know to ask for it even though it is not on the menu! Wendy also hit the jackpot with the Iron Plate Beef Tenderloin which is wok-fried tender beef with leeks. YUM!

Dessert here is a must and a big hit with the Passion Fruit Pie made of calamansi-lime infused filling on a rice flour graham crust and black-pepper spiked meringue. 

The lines at the door for take-out never stopped for hours, so I am hoping they improved that part of the experience as we wanted to try take-out again, but last year it was painful with a 30-minute wait for a simple order which was all messed up to boot

Dine in works wonders.

DC's AMAZONIA is amazing (12-8-25)

 Hotelier friends of ours were visiting DC and as foodies they always like a great dining experience, but Monday can be a hard night. I wanted to try CAUSA the Michelin star Peruvian fusion spot, but they are not open every evening, so we opted for AMAZONIA, its upstairs sister, where the service and food are easily star qualifiable!

Indeed, our server Alejandra was more than helpful and really made our experience superb.

We wanted to share some starters, and all decided that the ANTICUCHERIA was the way to go with several grilled skewered items. Our platter came with carrots (they were amazing), asparagus, mushrooms, salmon belly and chicken thighs. All were as juicy and tasty as could be and the two accompanying sauces while amazing were not even needed. Speaking of salsa they were my favorite aji amarillo and the slightly spicier (for the meat) aji panca. The ahi panca went superbly on the extra side anticuchera we ordered as I had to have the Corazon de Res!

Some of us had cocktails. There was a sweet Sana Sana with Amazonia acholado #7, pineapple, orange, aji amarillo and aji charipita. The Pisconi Blanco (with its adorable flag emblazoned ice-cube) was the opposite of sweet with La Diablada Pisco, luxardo bitters, dry vermouth & gary regan orange bitters. There were also Caipirinhas and I opted to start the fabulous white wine, a 2023 Domaine Billard la Combe Bazin Saint Romain that was creamy and minerally and great with all the tasty spices.

Mains were a super tender LOMO SALTADO made with wagyi a really great Chaufa Putumayo of chorizo, cecina, jasmine rice,  egg, soy, sesame and scallions.

My Oatarshca was a beautifully cooked Grouper in Banana Leaf with mishkina(a brilliant sauce)--fotos on FB--red onion, sacha culantro and crispy patacones hid under the banana leaf so they stayed super crispy.

Dessert was not a thought as we were all stuffed after a fabulous evening of food and friends.

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NYC's LAGOS is finger-licking good (11-28-25)

 We are always looking for better options around Times Square and lately it has not been so great, but I read an article ages ago in the Washington Post which recommended LAGOS at 727 Seventh Avenue(@49th St) so Sam and i tried it last night. It is next to that Gentlemen's Club on the east side of 7th Ave and the entry looked very similar with an outdoor podium (the guy was in the freezing cold 20 degree wind-chills) and a red carpet, so at first we were confused, but it is a separate entity, although we were carded and needed a license to get in which was scanned! The space is pretty neat and stretches back a way with one long banquette on the left side and tall backed chairs facing this. White marble tables are a contrast to the black chairs and black floors with some loud, but not invasive music. There were lots of crystal chandeliers that reminded us of the set from the matinée we had just seen, The Queen of Versailles!

The right side has a long bar with bar stools and the whole place was full at 5pm!

the menu has numerous vegetarian options, and the food is 100% African with great spice to boot. Sam had the Lagos Salad & Lagos Fried Rice (almost every dish can come with fish, shrimp, chicken or meat if you want for a surcharge), but I was blown away by the Per-Peri Chicken which was a gorgeous 1/2 chicken with crispy skin and a  superb slathering of spicy per-peri sauce on the skin and in a small cup on the side. A large portion of mashed sweet potato and sauteed veggies in a light sauce (that I could not figure out) were on the platter. It was the juiciest, moistest chicken I think i have ever had! We had room for dessert, but the options were not exciting, so we headed out back into the cold getting some fabulous chocolate barks up the street!

I would definitely return to Lagos as there were so many other dishes I wanted to try especially the other Jerk Chicken!

DC's PASCUAL offers passionate marvelous Mexican (11-13-25)

 Last night I joined my dear friend Jodi of over 40 years for dinner and we chose PASCUAL's the Capitol Hill outpost that has been getting raves for its marvelous Mexican cuisine for 1-3/4 years now. Chefs Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss have created a hot spot that can be tough to reserve, but worth the effort.  On arrival at 7pm, there were lots of folks dining outside too (and it was chilly!), but we were luckily inside. The decor is simple with a large bar and sadly only one door at the front which allows for major drafts to come in on a cold night. The experience was superb, and our server Shannon was super helpful in guiding us through the large and varied menu. On arrival outside (at the host desk) Jeremiah was a friendly face who made us feel at home.

My only complaint would be that the beautiful wooden tables and chairs offer no cushion for your derriere and by the end of 2-3/4 hours my rear was indeed sore! A cushion would have been so welcome. I am on a medical abstention from alcohol for now, so I opted for one of the non-alcoholic options which was great. The Tacos al Pastor Margarita (no clue why the name) was made with pineapple, chipotle, morita and lime and Jodi had the Mole Old Fashioned which smelled divine and had Mole Negro Mezcal, Empirical Pasilla Chile, Plum wine and Cacao Bitters! The mezcal menu here is huge and varied and truly daunting if you are a fan, but Shannon helped Jodi choose one for her second drink!

Since my margarita was called Tacos Al Pastor it made sense to start with a snack of the same dish made here with Salsa Cruda, Salsa Morita, roasted pina and served on a blue and white corn tortilla, which are made in house and easily deserve raves on their own. The meat was flavored to perfection.

The dishes here are indeed for sharing and work so well, so Shannon guided us and we ended up with too much and doggie bags but got to taste a wide selection starting with the Kampachi Crudo with Husk Cherry Leche De Tigre, Turmeric, Flying Dragon Citrus Curd that rocked.

Next came the North Carolina Shrimp Tamal with 4 perfectly ooked shrimp with Huacatay(Peruvian Black mint), Sweet Corn, Chintextle(a chile paste) & Purslaine leaves that was spiced perfectly not to overwhelm the shrimp but light up our mouths.

The Lamb Neck Barbacoa was a dish Shannon insisted we ordered and it is a huge chunk of lamb (with a crunchy crust and a tad of fat that works divinely) with Ayocote Beans, Salsa Cruda & Herbs. It comes served with tortillas for making a wonderful little "sandwich" that fills your mouth with flavor. On the side was Fideos Negros or vermicelli made with Huitlacoche, Maitake Mushrooms and Black Garlic that I loved. Indeed, there are many veggie dishes, so I look forward to returning here with Sam to try them as well.

Lately, I have started yearning for dessert and we could not resists sharing the Nixtamalized Pear with Pistachio Ice Cream, Toasted Meringue and stuffed with a Key Lime Ganache. Pastry Chef Isabel Coss has created a delicious dish here that I could eat every night!

I need to give a nod to the Tpo Chico Mexican Sparkling water that was yummy and of course, reminded me of one of my favorite childhood TV characters, Topo Gigio on The Ed Sullivan Show with which I say--great meal and "kiss me good night Eddie!"

DC's BARBOUZARD is BRILLIANT (10-15-25)

 Last week i joined three lady friends I met at a Jacques Pepin event here in May and we headed to Chef Cedric Maupillier's new fine dining destination BARBOOUZRAD. It has been open only two months and the place was heaving, yet it still had a reserved, refined air of elegance in the gorgeous decor. There is a long bar on one side, and the very large open space has dividers, but tables are well spaced. The noise levels were muted due to carpeting and very comfy padded furniture.

We ordered a bottle of Chablis "Le Finage" La Chablisienne 2022 that was delicious but alas came at warmer than room temperature and desperately needing chilling. Where is the white wine stored? The menu is divided into several categories and the raves from Tom Sietsema's final review before his retirement from the Washington Post went on about th FAUX GRAS OPERA which was a plate of bite-sized chicken & duck liver on brioche with a dab of preserved cherry port jelly that was simply divine indeed. Some of us had salads which were monstrous sized while I indulged with the Scallops a la Plancha starter which was so NOT French and a rich, but wonderfully spiced Asian-style dish with curry, lemongrass, ginger emulsion and beets and corn royale(like miniature souffles) that was quite filling. I knew I had ordered too much when my pasta of Lapin a la Marseillaise arrived piled high with cappinelle, rabbit ragu, white wine, tomato, olive, mushroom and pecorino!! I had a couple of bites and asked for the rest to go. I was so excited when the server, Carolyn, gave me a coat check number to claim the "doggie bag" on my out! What a brilliant idea! And how stupid I was to leave without it!! 

Joseph the sommelier was very helpful, and we ordered an amazing Chinon (Cab Franc) from the Loire by Mellot that was a little earthy and full of flavor. It was great with the other dishes as well such as Daube de Boeuf (like a huge stew), Branzino and the rich Salmon with caper beurre blanc and sorrel caviar.

One of the ladies knew that the huge private party in the back room was Punchbowl News, which of course, I have never heard of..I am so not a DC person when it comes to that! We were all amazed when Chef Cedric tore himself away from the VIPs to come say hello to us! He is really an amazing chef, as well as a generous person, and I am so glad he was able to reopen in this grand downtown location with a truly top-notch fine dining establishment.

We decided to share one dessert which was the NOCTURNE, an all chocolate ultra rich, layered velvety ganache with cocoa glaze, Espellette chile for a great little spice in a saffron sauce with sea salt! I am not a chocaholic, but splitting this four ways was ideal as I got just one and a half bites!

I can't wait to get back to Barbouzard as there are so many wonderful dishes to try on the menu and maybe I can get my leftovers :-))!!

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Boston's KRASI is Greek cuisine that is cool and creative (10-12-25)

 After attending Macbeth at the opera, we were joined by the two royal leads for a fabulous dinner at Boston's KRASI in the West End.  On arrival, there was a mix-up with our reservation, but it was indeed partially my fault as the person who made it used our soprano's last name, not mine! The manager was fab though and despite claiming overbooked, he cleared a large, raised table at the rear for 8 or more people and we got to occupancy half of it for three hours until the other group on the other side arrived as we were having dessert! The space is small and narrow and long with a long bar on one side and a tad noisy, but the food and superb service we got from Jorge made up for everything.

For us opera lovers, the bathrooms were loaded with photos of famous Greeks, with Callas being impressively featured more than anyone!

The water was Zagori from Greece, a new brand for us and quite nice and the menu while not huge, required negotiation which Jorge was perfect at. Some of us has Spritz's while I ordered a bottle of Assyrtiko from Domaine Mercouri in Ilia in western Greece where we had visited 6 years before and loved it. 2023 "Kallisto" was loaded with minerality and freshness that paired well with the strong food flavors. Since I loved this wine and the winery, we stayed with them for the red Mavro Daphne grape 2020 called "Daphne Nera" which was full bodied and superb with our heavier mains.

Krasi is a place to share dishes and that is exactly what we did with everything, making it so much more enjoyable and fun. Tiropita Rolls are cheese rolls with graviera and halloumi and a Greek honey butter on the side that all just melts in your mouth. Htipiti is that rich yet spicy whipped feta spread with roasted red chilis and are served with homemade rigali potato chips.  I love artichokes and we were all excited for Agginaropita which was a tart/pie of artichoke, caramelized onion, graviera cheese, thyme and sourdough but was way cheesier than artichoke-y, though delicious. I would stick to this or the Tiropita instead.

Noumbolo from Corfu was a charcuterie of wild boar with coriander and red wine and there are many charcuterie choices (not something you think of in Greece!) and each comes with Carob bread, toursi(pickled cauliflower and carrots), caperberries and olive tapenade. It was a fab new treat.

We chose three "mains" to have starting with the Makaronada of braised octopus, makarounes (cavatelli pasta) and tapioca frigania. The octopus was tender and tasty, and the pasta was excellent.  Lavraki was grape leaf wrapped whole Mediterranean sea bass with anchovy butter, sitari (pearl barley?) and horta(greens?) which I must have missed thought the fish was fleshy and tasty and loaded with spices and tasted just like Greece. The last main was Giouvetsi or Braised Lamb Osso Buco with ripe tomatoes, orzo, and mizithra cheese which was heavy rich and wonderful, and I had a teeny taste of as I was completely full by now. 

Jorge insisted on bringing glasses of Tsipouro an aged Greek grappa which was too akin to ouzo for me but then proffered a complimentary dessert that was out of this world: Portokalopita was a gorgeous syrup-soaked orange cake made with phyllo pastry instead of flour, Greek yogurt, manouri cheese olive oil, creating a uniquely moist and custardy texture. with ice cream.

What a ball was had by all!