africanist

So disappointing. I still may check it out though, if I'm ever in Germantown (actually I'm embarrassed to admit I'm not even sure where that is). With the number of Ghanaians in the region it seems like we should have more places to get some decent tilapia with kenkey, nkate kwan, omo tuo and fufu. I would do just about anything for even mediocre kelewele. Going all the way to Accra to get my fix is a little pricey.

I'm definitely willing to cut them some slack, as I said we will be back--it is by far the closest non-Pizza Hut pizza place to home. We also still go to Domku even thought the service we've experienced there has never been fantastic. I just hope that for their own sake they can improve the service (and turn the tables a bit more quickly)--they are already slammed with customers and I imagine the crowds will only continue to grow, especially since the food is quite good.

I've heard the rumor about the guy from 2 Amys as well, no idea about its veracity. We tried Red Rocks on Sunday night. We waited about 25 minutes for a table even though there were a number of open tables both inside and on the patio (none of them had been bussed yet). After being sat we waited another 20 minutes to order and then another hour for our pizza. It's a good thing they have a good beer list, as we went through three rounds before the food made it to the table (although the only way to get another drink was to literally wave the empty bottle in the air every time our waiter walked by--usually after doing this five or six times he would notice). The pizza was good. Not spectacular, but good. The crust was not quite thick/firm enough to hold up the toppings, but on the whole it was quite decent and worth the money. The service on the other hand was among the worst I have ever encountered in DC--and almost comically frantic. We'll be back, but another one or two experiences like this one may send us another few blocks over to Radius.

Those spicy dried mangos are awesome. On a recent flight to South Africa I managed to consume three packages of them with the help of the Malawian family sitting next to me. Unfortunately I don't think there's a Trader Joes in Lilongwe, so the folks I introduced to this product won't be able to feed their addiction .

Today is a day for pho if there ever was one. Is that place at 19th and L really awful? It's the only one near my office. Has anyone been to the little Vietnamese place on Park Rd. between 14th and 15th? I want to say it's called "Capitol Cafe" or something similar. I'm always somewhat tempted when I walk by, but I've never seen anyone in there. Is it even open anymore?

I haven't been yet, but I'll be there in a week and will give you the scoop when I return. I'm looking forward to some good wine and some better weather!

I actually just tried these tonight. Our power was out and we wanted a quick meal somewhere close to home (but far enough to still have electricity). They were really excellent. Maybe the hottest wings I've had in DC, but still not much more than that classic hot sauce and butter combo. I'm not from Buffalo, but I will definitely head back to Temperance for these wings again. Even if you don't like wings, a trip to Temperance Hall is worth it. They've got really good burgers and garlic fries. It's still bar food, but it's good bar food.

I'm interested in this one. We're trying to pick an Ethiopian caterer for our wedding, which means I must try every Ethiopian place in DC and around. Not that I have a kitfo addiction to feed or anything Hmmm... I think I quoted the wrong thing. Anyhow, I'm definitely interested in an Ethiopian outing.

Tonight, while taking a walk around the neighborhood my fiance and I acquired about three (maybe four?) pounds of jalapenos from a somewhat intoxicated man who claimed he had just picked them at some farm in VA yesterday. He was just giving them away because he didn't want them to go to waste. They look and smell excellent, but I'm not quite sure what to do with so many of them. Can jalapenos be frozen? I'm thinking of making salsa, and maybe roasting or stuffing some, but that won't hardly put a dent in the pile I've got in the fridge. What would you do?

I grabbed the September edition of DC North yesterday and there was a mention of this in it. I think it was in the section of news briefs for each ward but I can't remember for sure. It said two kids who were estimated to be 16 or 17 threw some kind of incindiery device through the door injuring one woman's leg. She was the only person hospitalized. Their web site still has the August version up, or I would link to the story. I'm a bit suprised this didn't get any other press, as far as I know things like this don't happen very often in Petworth. It's sad, and kind of bizarre.

When I went on Sunday afternoon it was packed, and a lot of the shelves were pretty sparsely stocked. The beer section was next to empty (GW students came back to school this week, coincidence?). Hopefully the GW kids will drop off a bit once the semester starts and they run out of money. Although I'm told GW closed its on campus grocery store this year, so maybe not. Either way, I am so excited about Trader Joes. I was genuinely shocked by how much cheaper items were than at Safeway or Giant.

I haven't eaten at Rumba Cafe, so I can't say whether Rumberos is comparable.

Sangria Cafe is interesting. I once had a couple of pupusas there while waiting for a friend who lives in the Woodner. It was really loud, as there were a couple of kids' birthday parties taking place, and a few groups of men having drinks on their Saturday afternoon. It was also really dark. I get a feeling they don't serve a lot of food, mostly beer. The pupusas were unremarkable, and took a long time to come out. The bartender seemed a bit confused that I actually wanted to eat something. I wouldn't really recommend going there, but I must admit it would be pretty sweet to have a bar on the ground floor of your apartment building, not to mention a grocery store.

I really wanted to like this place. It will be nice to have a place in the neighborhood to go with friends that's a step above Wonderland and all of the tiny Salvadoran places. Rumberos is not yet that place, although I think it has potential. And it's definitely not hurting for customers, it's been packed all of the three times I've gone. The space is interesting, although it tends to get loud and echo-ey on crowded weekend nights. The mixture of art on the walls is a nice touch. The service is very friendly, and the drinks are strong. The food just doesn't do it for me though. I've probably tried 3/4 of the tapas dishes and a couple of the salads at this point and nothing stands out as delicious. Everything I've ordered that involves beef has been so incredibly tough that I fear that it will fly off my plate as I try to cut it. The stuffed avocado sounds appetizing, but the shrimp salad inside has too much mayonnaise and not enough flavor. Duck tacos are ok but still bland, and for $9 I'd like more than one small taco. Various preparations of plantains and yucca are nothing special. I could bake half of a plantain with cheese on top at home, and I wouldn't charge someone $8 dollars for the pleasure of eating it. I guess my problem is the food isn't good enough to justify the prices. The tapas are small, and don't really taste that good. Weirdly, the last two times I've gone the waiters insisted on bringing one tapas to each of us at a time, and refrained from bringing anything else from the kitchen until each person had cleared their plate. I guess that's ok, but when ordering tapas I'd prefer to graze on a number of items at once, not be limited to whichever I ordered first. Maybe I've just ordered the wrong things, and there are some really good choices on the menu. Maybe the entrees are good, but for now I'll just go for a drink. I just can't stomach paying $30/person for a dinner and leaving hungry. Especially when I can get authentic Salvadoran, Mexican, Guatemalan, and Caribbean food within a few blocks and leave paying less money for a higher quality (and quantity) of food. I do wish Rumberos well though, and hopefully someday I will find something that I like on the menu.

El Rinconcito is great. The Carne Deshilada is my favorite too. It's easily enough for a second meal. Despite this I always order a couple of pupusas too, and end up with enough food to last for at least 2 lunches. The ceviches are suprisingly good as well. I don't really like how they do the plaintains, but the yucca is tasty. They do carry out as well, but for this I usually head to the new Salvadoran place on 11th (Acuario), simply because its closer to the house. Not quite as good, but cheaper and closer. However it is VERY important not to confuse this Rinconcito with El Rinconcito Deportivo on 11th just north of Kenyon. While the owner is a complete sweetheart, the drunk patrons are not, and the food isn't nearly good enough to put up with the machismo oozing out of the place. I do not need to be serenaded in slurred Spanglish while I eat my pupusas. And as for this: There's now a Ruby Tuesday's a block away, so, I guess there is even more reason to be frightened.

Congrats on the new house! At Georgia and Quakenbos (best DC street name ever!) is Chez Auntie Libe. Really interesting and fairly-priced Senegalese food, and Auntie Libe herself is a friendly and welcoming lady. She also does carry-out if you call ahead. It's not a place to stop in for a quick bite though, she cooks everything to order, and sometimes you wait a bit for your food. I find its best for everyone in your party to order the same thing, that way she can just cook a big pot of it. If she has bissap in stock you should definitely drink some.

Phew! I just flew back through Heathrow terminal 3 yesterday as well. The food selection there has always seemed pretty awful to me. When I saw your previous comment I was horrified that all of this time I've been eating overcooked $12 burgers when there was decent pizza to be had! The important question is, when flying through the international terminal can I access the pizza? Or do I have to go through terminal 2 security to get it? On the other hand, I am happy to report that the one sit down restaurant in the Cape Town airport actually has quite good food (definitely better than the standard, bland British-style food you get most places in that city), and the service is exceedingly friendly if not very efficient. I'm still thinking about the sour lemon shake that I had, and the chicken satay and calamari were suprisingly good.LHR CPT

Glad to see I'm not the only one whose rotation is heavily based on location. Very Regular: Temperance Hall (serious burger), Dukem, Oohs and Aahs, Domku, Taqueria Distrito Federal, Etete. Yes two Ethiopian places. I'm a kitfo addict. A little less regular: Kotobuki, Radius, Hanks, Meze, Acuario (probably belongs in the very regular but has only been open for a month), Chez Auntie Libe, Two Amys. Should really go more often: Komi, real Mexican food of any kind, Dino, Thai Xing. One of these days I really ought to venture out of the District. If only VA weren't so confusing, with Glebe Roads coming at you from every direction

Grover--thanks for taking the time to answer my question! Unfortunately I was too jet lagged to do anything but pass out in the transit hotel for a few hours and eat bad airport bi bim bap while watching Korea lose in the world cup. I've printed out your advice though, and next time I have an interminable delay in Incheon I am definitely going to get out of the airport. Thanks again!

I have a 12 hour layover at Incheon next week and want to get out into Seoul and eat some tasty Korean food. Any ideas? I'd also be interested in food markets and street food. Anything but sitting around the airport all day. Thanks!

I too would be quite displeased with non-spiced kitfo arriving at my door. I suppose at least it was raw. Last time I ordered kitfo I recall specifying at least 5 times "not cooked, yes--NOT COOKED!!" I'm not sure what I would have done in your situation, I probably would have eaten it for fear of trying to explain it over the phone. Like you, I guess I'm not very brave. On the other hand I am most curious what Ethiopian place delivers to Mt. Pleasant. I've been suffering for years up here with bad delivery food and even mediocre Ethiopian would be better than soggy pizza and unappetizing "Chinese."

When I was in Ghana a few years ago there were two "Irish pubs" in the capitol, both of which were very popular with the expat community. Although one was popular because it was the only place in the country to get tex-mex food.

Thanks very much for the advice! The shad turned out great, and this method is still a fairly simple and quick process for a weeknight dinner. I will definitely be cooking all kinds of fish in this manner. You weren't kidding about the bones, I tried to get them all out, but there are tons! Fortunately, I recently took my fiance to Senegal where he was subjected to eating fish eyes and tails, so picking out a few bones no longer phases him...

I picked up a couple of shad fillets on Sunday and am planning on cooking them for dinner tonight. The internet seems to not really know what to do, although I've found a lot of scientific descriptions of the fish. My current plan is broiling them with lemon, rosemary, parsley, and dill. Any other ideas on what to do with a shad?

My personal favorite was the girl who said she doesn't really like any red wines, um ok, so how the heck did you make it onto this panel? I've only been buying wine, legally, for 3 years--I know pretty well that I know next to nothing. Why would I read a review with someone with a similar lack of knowledge? I do appreciate the Post reviewing less expensive wines, because that's generally what I drink, but at least get someone who knows what they're talking about. I might as well just call my college roommates and reminisce about our days of drinking Boones Farm mixed with vodka.