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Showing results for tags 'Koshari'.
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I received a coupon/flyer in the mail today announcing a grand opening for Astor Mediterranean at 2300 N. Pershing Drive (not too far from the corner of N. Pershing and Arlington Blvd/Route 50). It says it's a family-owned restaurant first established in Adams Morgan in 1980. I assume it's the one located at 1829 Columbia Rd, and I found some positive posts about Astor here. Sounds like it might be good for a quick meal. -
Prince of Petworth reports on a coming, presumably Egyptian restaurant in Georgetown that even has koshari in its name! I haven't had koshari since I lived in Cairo for a summer in the late 1990s, but I lived on the stuff back then and would love to see a decent version come to DC. -
I posed this question to George at Mediterranean Gourmet Market, and he suggested Cairo Cafe at 6244 Little River Tpke. (703-750-3551). I have not tried it, but it's somewhere on my long list.... -
Last week's date night took my wife and me out of the rut we'd gotten ourselves into for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason was that I was tired of the same five or six restaurants that we seemed to rotate between. So when I noticed the sign for the Old Cairo Grill in the Wal-Mart shopping center in Burke, we drove over, lucked into a parking space, and checked out the menu. As you'd probably expect, this is Middle Eastern fare with hummus, pita, falafel and kababs. But this isn't a generic kabob house. The food here has a slightly different flavor profile that reminds me of food I've had elsewhere in North Africa. The proprietor, who is a very pleasant and extremely cheerful gentleman, assures me that the food is exactly like what you'd get in Cairo. I can't say from personal experience, but having traveled in the Middle East and North Africa, I can say that there are a couple of things missing. There aren't groups of men huddled around tables smoking. There isn't a fog of exhaust fumes floating in the open door from insane traffic outside, and there are no street merchants gathered around the door. While this does take away from the atmosphere (meaning you can't actually see the atmosphere floating around you), it does mean that you can actually taste the food. And being able to taste the food is a good thing. I had the Kofta Kabab plate, and while it's the skewered ground beef that you'd expect, the spices are different, and it's served on a rice-noodle mixture that soaks up the soaks up the juices from the meat. You're also served a tahini sauce, a hot freshly grilled pita and a simple salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and a little lettuce, dressed with a lemon juice vinaigrette. My wife had a gyro, but it's not the same as the similar Greek version of the sandwich. It's simpler, with different spices. We also had a hummus appetizer that comes with two grilled pitas. One interesting part of the flavors at the Old Cairo Grill is the use of cumin as a dominant spice. It's in the hummus and the tahini, and it's obviously part of the spice selection on the meats we tried. It's a nice change from the standard Greek flavors. The Old Cairo Grill is a simple space with wood tables and chairs, a white tile floor and some very nice art. One painting covers nearly an entire wall. You order at a counter and the proprietor delivers your food. This is a nice place. It's not fancy, but the food is good, and the prices are low. I'm planning to go back. You can find out more at the website: http://www.oldcairogrill.com/ Wayne Rash
