Bob Wells

I just realized I never reported back and I am going to Shouk on Tuesday. Here's what I said on Yelp last October: "Finally made it back to Shouk so I could try the Fried Shouk'n. Delish! Got the greens-grains bowl with oyster mushrooms, cauliflower, and felafel. What a meal! Two meals in fact, really filling food. Harissa Mayo was the perfect condiment. Kudos!"

Yeah, I read that too. Still, if you've watched Godfather 2 more than a couple times, you think of this guy.

Don Ciccio? This is the second DC place I've seen named after someone who got zotzed. (The other being Masseria) Why not name places after guys who come out on top?

Yep, that sounds like exactly our dinner last friday night. I got the tasting menu and I will add that the wine pairing was actually a good deal: the pours were generous, the wines were delightfully obscure, and the sommeliers were lively and informative. Warning: The following is a first-world comment. I will add that while 2941 is a delightful restaurant, it is not in the same class as IALW. 2941's plating is quite nice and the food is quite flavorful, but when I compare the pics to those from our IALW meal, the difference is clear. Of course, you pay an s-ton more at IALW. But it's for a 3-michelin-star experience. Still, I highly recommend 2941 for a special occasion that won't break the bank (as much). NB: There's no valet parking at this time, so bring a coat if it's cold!

Finally getting back to 2941 for a 25th anniversary celebration. Anyone been recently? From what I can tell they are still firing on all cylinders.

Now I might drop a few shekels there.

They have great momos! I am within walking distance. BTW, Aago, a sitdown Nepalese-Indian resto around the corner, also has momos. Theirs are smaller and more delicate but a good appetizer if you dine at Aago (And you should). https://www.aagorestaurant.com/aagonva/ Another beloved local gas station eatery (and food truck) -- https://www.yoposcheesesteaksandmore.com/

Acting on a tip from a local, I swung by Zuppardi's in West Haven on a drive back from RI in June. The clam pie was spectacular. Pro-tip: The cannolis are also outstanding.

LOL that's how we felt about going to the Warwick Mall! An all-day event. Thayer St and downtown were an easy bus ride for us. (Hope 42)

Thayer St was my preferred hang too. I got my hair cut at Alba-Runci, worked part time at Thayer Market, spent untold hours browsing at College Hill Bookstore (motto: "Dedicated to the fine art of browsing"), scoured the used record stores etc etc.. It's still a fun area, but there are a lot more chains these days. Still, some good food such as Den-Den Fried Chicken (Korean food) on Waterman St. Other cool areas for walking around are: Hope St, Wayland Sq, and Wickenden St. Coffee Exchange on Wickenden has been around since the 1980s, great place to people watch. Snail salad is another old-school local delicacy. It's made with sea snails AKA whelks, and is commonly known as scungilli. Twins Pizza does a nice rendition and I'm sure Mike's and/or Angelo's could have it too.

Some more bakery tips: Pastiche on Spruce St on the Hill (just down from Caserta's) is a higher-end patisserie that is amazing. Also, you might want to try yet another kind of RI pizza: pizza strips aka party pizza aka bakery pizza. It's very simple yet addictive to many RIers (others hate it so ymmv). Among the best-known purveyors are Crugnale's, Palmieri's, Calvitto's, Jeannette's, DePetrillo's, and the Original Italian Bakery. (It's easy to find so clearly there is a demand LOL) Most of them also should have calzones and spinach pies (different from Greek spanakopita, these are basically turnovers). Another RI bakery treat is Wandies, which are very similar to the Polish kruscikis.

Yes, when I went there were families in there eating.

Awesome, I was just up there last weekend! Yes, I'm an RI boy like @dracisk. Oberlin is strong, but it will cost ya! Try the crudos. Jacques Pepin was there recently. Hemenways has been around forever. I've not been there in forever but it's solid. Sorry you can't get into Al Forno, but keep trying, it's worth it. The summer grilled pizza with local sweet corn is amazing. My brother has known George (RIP) and Joanne since their original location on Steeple Street! In fact, he visited with them at their summer place in Provence and they had lunch with a neighbor you might have heard of -- Patricia Wells (no relation). Now back to RI food. Old Canteen and Camille's are old-style fancy shmancy spots. Angelo's is very casual. Worth checking them out for a taste of old RI. There are a ton of newer spots on the Hill you should investigate. Also up there is Caserta's, which along with Twin's in North Providence are exemplars of another style of RI-pizza, thicker, with a crunchy crush. At both places cheese is an optional topping and i recommend you just get mushrooms and olives at either place. There's a new seafood shack in the Jewelry District (Dyer Street) called Dune Brothers -- great RI clamcakes, fish and chips, and lobster rolls. They have done so well they are already opening a bigger place on North Main Street. Now, for some baked goods. Seven Stars is a great bakery on Hope St (with other locations), Scialo Bros on the Hill is a 100+ year old place on the Hill that closed earlier this year (the sisters who owned it are really old) and shut off their ovens, which are original (apparently turning them on is a big deal). Things looked bleak but a buyer was found, with the agreement that one of the sisters would run the place, and they got the ovens turned back on. I.E., this is unique place and worth a visit. LaSalle Bakery is another old-line italian place and there are many others. Also prevalent are Portuguese bakers, with huge loaves of sweet bread, custard tarts and other delights. if you can get to Mikes at the VFW in Cranston, do so. Excellent homestyle italian food in an actual active VFW Hall. Cash only! Bonus: The locals are a trip. You'll likely see guys in colorful track suits, even in the summer. Try the polenta! There are some great Latino places in Central Falls (hometown of Viola Davis) and even several african spots there, in Pawtucket, and the West side of Providence. Chez Pascal is a wonderful french spot on Hope St on the East Side. There's a place across the street called Avenue N that looks really good. If you need more tips let me know! PS on the way back I swung by Zuppardi's in West Haven for a clam pizza and it totally rocked. Their cannoli are great too -- massive and delish. Easy access from 95 -- just call from the car and the pizza will be ready. Nice alternative to the big-name spots, been in the same family since 1934!

Thanks for sharing, the menu does look good. I would agree they will need to either change the menu regularly or offer other options. Interesting note: I was up in Rhode Island recently and had a nice order of snail salad from Twin's Pizza. It's made with sea snails aka whelk aka scungilli. (I.e., it's an italian or at least an italo-american dish up there) This Korean dish is the FIRST time I have seen anything close anywhere outside RI.

Sad to report that the mother-ship Ford's in Ashburn will be closing due to landlord-tenant issues but the other Ford's are alive and well.

Word on the Streat is that Streatside is donesky. I'm guessing the success rate of places that opened in 2019 is none too good. https://www.streat-side.com/

Well folks, it looks like COVID did what mediocre food and a bizarre location could not -- kill Alto Plaza.

It's our go-to order at MM too (with a few orders of meatballs as an app). Two slices of Holy Shiitake is the perfect meal. No light aioli here!

Thanks for the tip. We used to eat a lot of Thai food, but have really tailed off in the past couple years. Maybe some new places (to us) are what the doctor ordered. I have no interest in liver but will check out the rest of the menu.

WOW. I think if I ate nothing but food from the mediterranean region for the rest of my life, I would live long and die happy.

Hopefully it will be far better than the slophouse I tried once years ago.

The Arancini have always been a winner at Pup.

Bissell Bros out of Portland, ME, nice choice! Do they have any other Maine brews? Lot of good beer up there!

The Swings on 14th was a regular stop when I took a walk around the block. Since we are moving to Mount Vernon Sq this summer and I doubt I'll be back in the Metro Center office before then, Swings will be just a memory for me. This blows.

Too late for this trip, but there are several authentic taquerias in Georgetown.