Had a nice softshell over corn risotto at CF Folks for lunch today. Not a bad deal for $11.50.

Had the same from CF Folks today, but to be honest I wished they had served up the sandwich from last year. While the crab was excellent the risotto and salad didn't do much for me. The sandwich with remoulade was freaking fantastic.

I agree the crab was quite tasty and the risotto was a little bland.

I found that a quick grind of the sea salt (the grinder is right there on the counter) did wonders for the risotto (the crab too, actually). A really good crab. And the little grains of salt on the risotto just add that nice zing both the the flavor and the texture.

The crabcake sandwich here is a bargain for $10 and the staff is full of character.

It was Middle-Eastern day at C. F. Folks, and I ordered my lunch from the counter. When the gentleman asked me what I'd like, I ordered a bowl of vegetable soup and the Greek Lemon Chicken ($9.95).

He looked me dead in the eye, raised his index finger to me, and said slowly and scoldingly:

"Too much."

I gulped.

"Get a cup not a bowl," he said.

A downsell!

The soup ($2.95 for a CUP) was good in a way that my mom's is good: It tasted homemade, and was. The chicken was a tiny, deboned (not boneless), skinless half, flattened and roasted with oregano, lemon and garlic, served with its juices over rice, with a medium-sized green salad and piece of grilled pita bread. Like the soup, it was homey, good, and light on the salt.

It would be a stretch to say that C. F. Folks is one of the The! Greatest! Restaurants! in Washington, DC, but I'll say this much: It would be a sad day if it ever closed its doors.

On the way out, the gentleman who took my order, tended the register.

"You had a cup of soup, and what else?"

"The chicken."

He took my money, handed me my change, and said, "Come back and see us again, son."

With pleasure, sir.

Cheers,
Rocks.

I had a slightly similar experience the other day. We sat in the tented area (reasonably warm, even though it was 30 degrees outside). When I went inside to pay and mentioned that I had a bowl of the soup, the gentleman at the counter asked: "Are you sure it wasn't a cup?"

The soup of the day was tomato-crab, which actually didn't have much liquid because it contained so much crab and vegetables. There was also a decent amount of spice that worked well.

I had the hot pastrami sandwich (#1), about as tasty as I've eaten in the DC area though admittedly I haven't been to Deli City yet. My only quibble is that the meat could've been a tiny bit fattier.

My last time here had been in 2002, and I definitely won't wait another 6 years to return.

Grilled Swordfish Niçoise Salad $13.25
Berry Torta with ginger-crema $3.95

My office is moving to Chinatown so I'm running down the list of favorites that I won't be able to easily get to from the new location. This lunch today at CF Folks left me ambivalent. I was delighted to see the swordfish on the menu, but the grilling left the meat a bit flabby (although tasty). The dressing was a very good mustard-based vinegarette, but the random bits of potato and the half of a hard-boiled egg just seemed out of place. Also, terrible bread. The greens and surprise asparagus were quite good, and the torta was pretty tasty (blueberries, strawberries) but served in a pastry shell that was too hard to be easily cut with plastic knife/fork. I ended up eating it the torta my hands (civilized!).

I will still remember CF Folks fondly, but today they weren't exactly firing on all cylinders. The conversation with the guys behind the counter was good as ever, though

CF Folks are serving up a kickass BLT these days....I am going to be sad when tomato season is over