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Leroy and Lewis Upscaling a food truck is not a layup; probably more like a contested three-pointer. Valentina's BBQ, which was easily one of the top five barbecue restaurants in the state from 2015-2019, has fully self-destructed since their 2023 move from a not-so-well-run food trailer to disastrously-run, labor-law-violating, 6,500 square foot restaurant. So seven years of success parked outside and a top ten ranking in the last Texas Monthly Top 50 was not a guarantee that Leroy and Lewis could translate the best of that experience to the great indoors. Fortunately for all involved, the new location of Leroy and Lewis is the best version yet. They opened this February in a modern, well-designed space -- the line has been routed to stay mostly indoors and wrap around the shaded building when at peak capacity, although with continuous hours until 9 pm there should not be as much reason to hurt yourself outside. The menu has also expanded. The everyday beef cheeks that became one of their specialties has now moved to Fridays only, victims of their own success as the wholesale price has increased and the extra trim turned into a surplus of barbacoa, which did not sell with the same voracity. Still, Fridays are a great day to be at Leroy and Lewis if only for those beef cheeks. I'd compare them to Texas-style burnt ends -- richly rendered fat and muscle, with concentrated smoke and more bark than a slice of brisket. As they only serve brisket on Saturdays and now limiting beef cheeks as well, the daily replacements are now both from the shoulder. The chuck steak ($40/pound) is one of those options, and reminded me of lean brisket with moist-side flavor. Delicious, but the real winner was the flat-iron ($40/pound). Succulent flat-iron steak that has been smoked for hours was not something I knew I was missing out on in life. A must-get. Sausages are tasty; I prefer the beef chorizo ($7) but it's a heavy boy and I'm getting a little bored of Texas links in general (save the ones from Tom Micklethwait). Pulled whole hog was a positive surprise -- the little bits of pork crackling they add a la minute were a nice facsimile of North Carolina, although knowing their clientele there was a scant amount of vinegar in the meat, if any. Miso-glazed carrots ($30/pound) were the most anticipated non-meat, but I wish there was more miso-glazed flavor, as they came off as just really good smoked and charred carrots. The classic cauliflower burnt ends ($30/pound) are still better at this point, perhaps due to experience. Sides range from additional meals (great version of a Frito pie if interested or the chori-papas) to palate-cleansers (grain-bow salad, kale Caesar, mild but well-fermented kimchi). Also a fan of the cheddar cheesecake with apple butter ($8) to wrap up those final 500 calories. There is one caveat with the move, at least to this point. The Leroy and Lewis burger is one of the most iconic barbecue dishes of the last decade. It's up there with Heim's bacon burnt ends, Hutchins' Texas Twinkies, the brisket elote at Panther City and Valentina's Real Deal Holyfield. A huge patty of brisket trim, smoked to a perfect medium in the offset and crusted up over a flat top (in the firebox!) -- it was the barbecue burger to defeat all barbecue burgers, one that has yet to be bested. If you want that burger, you should probably go to their food trailer (which still exists at Cosmic Coffee, albeit an updated model). The version served at the restaurant is a really delicious burger, but not as thick and not as well-cooked (mine was over). The production limitations at the trailer seem to ensure a more consistent version. A lot of words, but Leroy and Lewis is a lot for a barbecue joint. I didn't even mention the direct-smoked chicken engorged in its own juice, their two new burgers (pork and smash), smoked Italian beef, bacon ribs, huge onion rings with Alabama white sauce, or the many other future creations Evan Leroy and Sawyer Lewis will come up with in their expanded space. Sometimes it's hard to take the good times with you when you change locations. But it's a lot easier when you are always coming up with the next big delicious thing in barbecue. Above-left: Chuck steak (top left), flat-iron (clockwise), kale Caesar, whole hog, beet barbecue sauce (mild beet flavor, mostly for sweetness), mustard sauce (also on the sweeter side but nicely balanced), hop sausage, beef chorizo sausage, miso-glazed carrots and cauliflower burnt ends. Above-right: same tray with kimchi. Above-left: the juiciest chicken with a little Alabama white sauce for dipping, undistinguishable but unmistakably delicious beef cheeks, namesake burger. Above-right: cheddar cheesecake with apple butter and a tuile.

Firfir does seem to be it. I tore the injera into pieces and mixed it into the skillet with the eggs, the way it would be done with migas and tortillas or tortilla chips.

I agree that Gyusan is a ripoff and not that great. Sad though. They kept disparaging Korean BBQ and my husband and I, at the end of dinner, talked about how we wished we had Korean BBQ instead. Also, I saw their add in ARL Now that this was "upscale" or "fine-dinning" sushi. No. It's not. It's a bigger version of Sushi Zen with more new stuff in it. Check out the lamps over the sushi bar with your google translate, for fun.

I went to the Matchbox along Bethesda Row recently and the vibe is sort of sports bar meets Applebee's. Food was fine but really a sad shadow of its once great Chinatown self. I did enjoy the 7 Locks Surrender Ryepa, a good local beer.

My family -- Vietnamese Buddhists -- does not consider fish sauce part of a "chay" or vegetarian diet because an animal has died in the process. They have their own vegetarian fish sauce, usually made with mushrooms. Dairy, honey, butter, and eggs however can be used when eating "chay" but is pretty rare (except for eggs) in Vietnamese cuisine anyway.

Clarity in Vienna announced Tracy O'Grady as its new Executive Chef in a Facebook post.

Matchbox has revamped its menu, focusing on lower prices and value offerings: https://www.sourceofthespring.com/silver-spring-news/2822958/matchbox-restaurants-get-a-fresh-value-driven-makeover-new-menu/

J. Hollinger's Waterman's Chophouse, which opened in 2022 in the former home of The Classics in downtown Silver Spring, has expanded its Happy Hour menu with new dishes and signature drinks priced between $5 and $10. https://www.sourceofthespring.com/silver-spring-news/2823317/j-hollingers-expands-happy-hour-menu-with-5-10-food-drink-specials/

Thanks to Don's link, here's the list. If you haven't seen the article, they list them in alphabetical order, not in a ranked list. 2Fifty Barbecue – Riverdale Park Albi – Navy Yard Almeda – Petworth Baan Siam – Mount Vernon Square Bostan – Arlington Bresca – 14th St. Corridor Casa Teresa – Downtown DC Crisfield – Silver Spring Ellie Bird – Falls Church Ethoipc – H St. Corridor Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly – Rockville Lapis – Adams Morgan Maketto – H St. Corridor Mama Chang – Fairfax Mita – Shaw Oyster Oyster – Shaw Pineapple and Pearls – Capitol Hill Pupuseria Mama Emilia – Rockville Rasika – Penn Quarter and West End Reveler’s Hour – Adams Morgan St. James – U St. The Dabney – Shaw The Duck & the Peach – Capitol Hill Thip Khao – Columbia Heights Z&Z Manoushe Bakery - Rockville

This place just opened this week. It’s on Barracks Row across the street from the Belga Cafe. https://www.jabwemetindiankitchen.com

Today was an easy sheet pan meal: cheesy chicken and veggies. I had an excess leek in the produce drawer so I added it to the mixture and my defrosted bag of chicken yielded 2 very large breasts so I thought that was the right amount. I ended up spreading it across 2 sheet pans and while it didn't crisp up excessively, it was a very enjoyable meal for our first night out on the deck this year.

Here's the website: https://www.kanjiarlington.com/ My friends ate there and thought it was pretty decent. They did not say the same for nearby Gyusan Japanese BBQ, which they thought was mediocre overall and a ripoff.

i tried the Wiseguy at Pentagon City last month and it was pretty good (I always just order plain cheese). Sorry to hear the Rosslyn location has gone downhill. For both places, I wish there were more room to eat.

Here’s one of my 10 monthly gift links (for those who can’t get past the paywall): “The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C. Right Now” by five authors on nytimes.com

I thought about chiming in and saying ‘all Vietnamese vegetarian will also be vegan’ [to hell with the split infinitive], but then I thought of the occasional egg (especially during breakfast) and fish sauce (fermented krill et al). But from vegan.com: ”As a largely Buddhist country, Vietnam offers plenty of vegetarian restaurants. They serve up a staggering variety of vegan dishes, many of which are remarkably healthy and loaded with veggies.”

I've been to Thanh Van many times. It's really casual - they have pre cooked as well as cooked to order food. Their English is pretty limited. I just point to things I want to try. I like it, but it's not a place to really meet and hang with friends.

Not sure about Thanh Van but Chay has been getting a lot of good press and its vegetarian and vegan offerings. https://www.chayrestaurant.com/ Any decent Vietnamese restaurant will give have vegetarian and vegan options. If you are looking to stay in Eden Center proper, Rice Paper and Truong Tien have good vegetarian options. Not sure if they are vegan but I'm not sure what would make them vegan and not vegetarian since there's no dairy.

My understanding is that this is a vegan Vietnamese restaurant in Eden Center. Has anyone eaten here? We have vegan friends for whom we are dying to find a good place to eat with a decent number of choices. Recommendations for other vegan places (aside from True Food Kitchen, only because we ate with our friends there previously) are also welcome. Or, at least, a place with a heavy lean towards vegan. Thank you! -Courtney

Our last two meals at Kinship were great. Last Sunday (it’s always best to go early in the week), the two stars were: Saucisson a l’Ail d’Agneau - fava beans, marinated maitakes, parsley vinaigrette (house-made lamb saucisson served warm!) Sautéed Sea Scallops - toasted sesame velouté, asparagus, anise hyssop, and shaved radish (The “secret ingredient” in the sauce (which you’ll want to pick up and drink, but can’t) is that they lightly smoke the scallop feet and add them.) 05.03.24.pdf

Enkulal Firfir?

A friend switched me on to a recipe for One pot harissa chicken and chickpeas. I like spicy food, and this was pleasant, but not overly spicy and very easy to make. In concept and execution, it is similar to a chicken paprikash. I served it over Trader Joe’s organic couscous. It’s a great way to use all those cans of chickpeas that seem to be lurking in the pantry.

On Thursday, I made vegan Sichuan mala dry pot. My husband wasn't a fan of the lotus root, it's a texture thing, but I enjoyed it all. Last night, my husband made the most unique chili I've ever had. Not sure I would call it chili but it is fairly good. Today was spicy mushroom noodles. The dry pot was saltier than we like, so we used about half the soy sauce it called for and that was right amount. We bought a lot of produce for the recipes and ended up doubling all three recipes. I'm a fan of leftovers so glad we did this and of course, chili always tastes better the next day.

The milk bread here (which is set in stacks near the kitchen when they've gotten a delivery in) is wonderful. They clearly use quite a lot of this. It's used not just for the toasts but for sandwiches and croutons in the bright and delicious bread salad. The fries, which come with black pepper aioli and ketchup, are excellent, if you are a fry aficionado. This is a quirky concept but a reliable restaurant with excellent service.

I hemmed and hawed for too long and then couldn't get a reservation for Meaza at a time that would work for us and our guests, so we ended up at Ethiopic, which had been my first thought. So I looped around and ended up back where I started. I hadn't been there since a couple years before the pandemic, but the food and service were just as good as they'd been in the past. We paid extra to get the fully teff injera, which is always so good. The server wanted to double check that we didn't have any gluten issues when I was willing to pay extra to get the teff. I thought that was good looking out. She also made a point when bringing the bill of saying that a 20% tip had already been added so we didn't need to tip, which we appreciated. We also left her an extra cash tip. In addition to the 7 item vegetarian platter we got an order of butcha, the chickpea salad of theirs I absolutely love, and a beef tibs and a lamb tibs. We ended up with leftovers, which we brought home. I turned the little bit of remaining food on the big platter and the berbere and juice-soaked injera under it into a migas kind of thing with a bunch of scrambled eggs. (There is an Ethiopian name for the dish that the ripped injera goes into, but I forget what it is.) Anyway, Ethiopic is still quite good. I do eventually want to get to Meaza and Chercher, though. It's been way too long since I've gotten Ethiopian food. Our friends live in New Zealand, where there is one Ethiopian restaurant in the entire country and not near them, so this was their very specific request.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/dc-best-restaurants.html Have at it! Probably not as bad as you'd expect.