TheGut

as I continue my pic posting binge. next stop Peter Chang. Simply love this place. 1. Cumin Lamb Chops 2. Fried Flounder 3. Cilantro Fish Rolls 4. Dry Fried Eggplant

I am on a pic sharing binge today and thought I would share pics of what I had at All Purpose about a month ago. 1. Eggplant Parm 2. Pizza 3. Lamb arancini 4. Seafood Misto (might be one of the top dishes from Summer 2016)

Here are pics of some of the dishes I have had at Afghan Bistro. 1. Lamb Chops with tenderloin 2. Lamb Shank Karahi with eggplant 3. Chicken with Eggplant.

The wife, the little squirt and I were finally able to get over to Tail Up Goat about a month ago. We did not have reservation. We just happened to be walking around Adams Morgan and it was close to 5pm opening time and decided to stop by and see if they could provide a table. The staff at Tail Up Goat is very very accommodating. Wonderful Staff. The food was delicious too. We of course got the lamb ribs and my little one (who was ten months at the time) went to town on those ribs. Thankfully, she is not a picky eater at this stage. We also had the goat lasagna and homemade bread, topped with heirloom tomatoes, and homemade thousand island dressing,

I love french fries that have been fried in glorious duck fat and have praised duck fat fries in all their glory. I now think I have a new favorite. French fries, that have been fried in beef fat. Flat out love it. Some of the best beef fat fries in the area are at Bside in the Mosaic in Merrifield VA. I have to have them every time I go there. I thought I would throw that out there and see what other people/posters think on who serves some of their favorite fries in the DMV.

I finally made it over to the new Taco Bamba in Vienna. I am regular at the Falls Church location, usually go there at least once a week. The new Vienna location places an emphasis on seafood, which I like. It gives each location its own identity. I had the El Titanico: Shrimp, Swordfish, Crab, Octopus, Avocado Pico de Gallo & the El Bacho: Carne Asada nachos with, Salsa Verde, Crema, Cotija, Pickled Fresnos, Pico de Gallo.

I posted this on Facebook (FB) after reading the list that DC eater put together. I know there are many wonderful places around the DMV but this initial list consists of places that I thought help make up the landscape of the DMV. This list is fluid and will be updated as time goes on. I hope people enjoy it. Recently DC eater put out a list on identifying some of the best Halal restaurants in the DMV. I applaud DC Eater on taking on this challenge but their list could use some work. The DC Eater list focused primarily on locations within DC and did not highlight the best of the best that the DC area as whole has to offer. Here is my attempt at the list. Feel free to share the post. Ravi Kabob: I am homer to this place. It holds a special place in my heart. The karahi and choley are Punjabi soul food of the highest order. If Trump were to get elected and brown people are sent to internment camps, I hope they serve Ravi's choley and naan as part of our daily meals. Ravi is unapologetic in its personification of being the best hole in the wall in the DC area for over 15+ years. Afghan Bistro: This family run restaurant is the new kid on the block for the DC area. This establishment has been open for less than year but is already receiving acclaim from foodies and critics alike (check out their review in Washingtonian Magazine and upcoming review in Washington Post is scheduled for publication). Make sure to check out the daily specials, which contains a lot of gems, from lamb chops, lamb shank, and chicken lawaan. Tooso Pakistani Kitchen: Located in the heart of Sterling Virginia, this restaurant serves one of the better weekend brunches in the area. Families line up for the halva puri brunch, the nehari, and chicken tandoori are dishes that lead the way. Tooso serves one of the better version of Falooda a cold dessert consisting of rose syrup and vermicelli noodles. The service will transport you back to Pakistan. Simply chaotic. Marib Restaurant: Yemini cuisine has recently taken off in the Washington DC area and Marib is the current gold standard for Yemini cuisine. Restaurant is named after the capital city of the Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen and was the capital of the Sabaean kingdom, which some scholars believe to be the ancient Sheba of biblical fame. Succulent tender pieces of slow roasted lamb served with rice and sahawiq. Amina Thai: First thing. Virginians do not like to travel cross the Potomac River into Maryland or be associated with the state of Maryland in any shape or form. Now one of the few reason to ever cross the Potomac, is going to Amina Thai in Silver Spring Maryland. Authentic spicy Kaprow, drunken noodles, and panang curry lead the way at this Thai Muslim restaurant. Curry Mantra: Located in Fairfax, VA from owner, director, producer Asad Sheikh (I think he secretly wanted to be a bollywood director growing up) who likes to compare himself to Ashok Bajaj (the restrauntuer behind the nationally acclaimed Rasika and Rasika West End in DC). With that said, Curry Mantra is a great lunch spot. Their daily buffet is one of the better lunch buffets in the region. Usually between 15-20 items available daily during lunch. Now, if you venture over during dinner time, Asad and his team serve one of the better goat biryanis in the DMV. Ya Hala: Located in Vienna, Virginia, this authentic Lebanese cafe serves fresh middle eastern dishes ranging from shawarma, kefta meshwi, and other lebanese classics. All the meat that used comes fro their halal meat market, which is conveniently located next door. Ya Hala also caters and they have very reasonable prices. Punjabi By Nature: I love hole in the walls. They serve some of the best food and this place is no exception. Located inside at the food court of Lotte Plaza, the Korean super grocery store, this food court stalls serves mouth watering tandoori chicken, along with egg paratha, and daal makahni. Great for people who are doing some grocery shopping and want to grab a bite too. Kids can gallop freely around the food court area while parents eat. Aldeerah: This Saudi restaurant is the new kid on the block. it has been open for less than two years and makes this inaugural list because frankly it is literally the first Saudi restaurant to open in The DMV in the thirties years that I have lived in this area. Everyone knows that Saudi's love to eat and the furniture is very Saudiesque, over the top. Wide seats are accommodating to people with healthy appetites and who may have shunned working out for a few years. Now the food offered and served are mainly dishes from the central part of Saudi Arabia, known as “Najd." The Saudi version of samasa, potato kibba, and lamb mandi are some go to dishes. Creekstone Farms: I saved the last spot for fine dining and neighborhood restaurants that serve Creekstone Farms beef, which is halal. I plan on expanding this out and having a top 10 list of places in the DC area that carry Creekstone Farms beef.

I found out about Afghan Bistro back in June through a random email from OpenTable, which listed the place as one of their most booked and highly rated places. I thought this cannot be right and started doing some research. Checked out yelp and saw that they an almost 5 star rating and again was like this cannot be true. How many family members did they get to post on Yelp? lol I then hit up my Afghani friend and asked him if had heard of the place and he said no. Convinced him to try it out with me, even though he said and I agree (until I had Afghan Bistro) that the best Afghani food is served in homes not at restaurants. Went and it was amazing. Have now gone 4 times, the last visit was for my mom's birthday. If you read Ann Limpert's review of Afghan Bistro in Washingtonian Magazine she mentions a diner who loved the food so much that he started dancing in parking lot. I tried attaching the entire video but due to size limits unable to do that. the ten second video is now one second. Bistro1.mov When I was there in July, Tim Carmen and his wife were eating dinner at Afghan Bistro. I thought maybe he would do a column for the $20 Diner on Afghan Bistro. Happy to see that Tom ventured out of DC to this place.

Hey Everyone, My name is Naeem and I am new to the board. Been living in the DC area for 30 years. Looking forward to conversing with everyone about the local restaurant scene in the DMV. Also on Instagram as "The_Gut." I