Jump to content

Dining in NoMa


Recommended Posts

Drum roll please...Delle & Campbell are back at 8th and H, NW, along with two other carts, On The Fly and Capital Carts (an employment project of, you guessed it, DC Central Kitchen)! I will post more about the menus for each cart, but I can tell ya this--no hot dogs!Washington Business Journal

Wondering if anyone knows whether these food carts will venture over to the NoMa neighborhood? NoMa (which stands for North of Mass. Ave.) is in the vicinity of the New York Metro stop, the Greyhound bus station, and the new ATF headquarters building. My federal agency, with 450+ employees, is moving to NoMa (1st and L Street., N.E.) in November and at the present time lunch options are dismal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wondering if anyone knows whether these food carts will venture over to the NoMa neighborhood? NoMa (which stands for North of Mass. Ave.) is in the vicinity of the New York Metro stop, the Greyhound bus station, and the new ATF headquarters building. My federal agency, with 450+ employees, is moving to NoMa (1st and L Street., N.E.) in November and at the present time lunch options are dismal.

To call them dismal is an embarrassment to all things dismal, no the lunch options in that part of town are of such a vile level that even Dante refused to include such things in the Divine Comedy (really could an Italian believe that even in Hell that such horrible food exists?). Your only bet right now is well… it just saddens me to write that you really have no decent options unless you get on the Metro, or walk to the other side of Union Station and order something from Bistro Italiano, otherwise may God have mercy on your taste buds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, as I've posted here before, my new office is in a desolate region called "NOMA" between Union Station and the corner of Florida and New York Avenues. Food options are limited (but improving); good food options even more limited. My coworkers want to throw a small lunch party next Wednesday to welcome back someone who's been away for a month. Nine people, one with mobility issues, one vegetarian (eats some seafood). They'd prefer delivery (Taylor Gourmet currently in the lead), second choice is sending someone to pick it up, third choice piling into a couple of taxis.

Assuming 10-15 minutes each way from 131 M Street, NE if we pick up the food ourselves, any suggestions in the $20-25/person range (no drinks)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, as I've posted here before, my new office is in a desolate region called "NOMA" between Union Station and the corner of Florida and New York Avenues. Food options are limited (but improving); good food options even more limited. My coworkers want to throw a small lunch party next Wednesday to welcome back someone who's been away for a month. Nine people, one with mobility issues, one vegetarian (eats some seafood). They'd prefer delivery (Taylor Gourmet currently in the lead), second choice is sending someone to pick it up, third choice piling into a couple of taxis.

Assuming 10-15 minutes each way from 131 M Street, NE if we pick up the food ourselves, any suggestions in the $20-25/person range (no drinks)?

Well, you might explore Deli City. Mostly sandwiches (with other specials, as well) but the best pastrami south of Second Avenue and they may even have something vegetarian for your communist friend. Well within 10 minutes, I'll wager, on Bladensburg just a block from NY Ave. If you've not been there, well worth a scouting trip -- and you can pick up a Reuben as early 6:45 AM, if you don't want to venture out at lunch.

You might also consider Zenebech, if your office is cool enough to tolerate Ethiopian food.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ethiopian is not an option. Since it looks like our choices are sandwiches (Taylor), sandwiches (A Litteri) and more sandwiches (Deli City), we'll go with the one that delivers. Personally, I'd rather go down to Johnny's Half Shell for oysters and beer, but that's not my call.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just cobbled this thread together from various other topics. Click here for a description of NoMa.

(If anyone sees anything in the "Northeast and Northwest Capitol Hill" section of the Dining Guide that fits in these boundaries, would you let me know? I'm doing 18 things at once right now, and I know I'm going to miss something. Thanks in advance if you can PM me.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why there are so many restaurants in NoMa/Bloomingdale....and why there might be quite a few more:  I found this article telling.

I lived in NoMa for 2 years, and I do not know where the "so many restaurants" are - unless you are lumping other neighborhoods in?

We always felt that restaurants/bars were exactly what were missing from NoMa.  With all of the apartments and disposable income, it amazed us that we had to go to other neighborhoods to eat and drink.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I lived in NoMa for 2 years, and I do not know where the "so many restaurants" are - unless you are lumping other neighborhoods in?

We always felt that restaurants/bars were exactly what were missing from NoMa.  With all of the apartments and disposable income, it amazed us that we had to go to other neighborhoods to eat and drink.

You're right - we have exactly *two* restaurants in NoMa in our Dining Guide, but Dave's demographic was useful because if correct, it's most likely a harbinger of things to come (unfortunately, millenials, en masse, may bring quantity more than quality).

This city was on the verge of becoming a world-class dining destination until Washingtonian live-tweeted opening night at Adour. That brought on the Great Recession which we've still never recovered from, and most likely changed the way America dines for decades to come.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I lived in NoMa for 2 years, and I do not know where the "so many restaurants" are - unless you are lumping other neighborhoods in?

We always felt that restaurants/bars were exactly what were missing from NoMa.  With all of the apartments and disposable income, it amazed us that we had to go to other neighborhoods to eat and drink.

You would know better than I.  Regardless of what restaurants have been there during this growth, it would appear that with that demographic change there will be more going forward.

Being on "the wrong side" of important places (The Capitol, Verizon Center, etc.) can be a very wise long-term investment.

hmm....having "been there" long ago....I'd say that "a very wise long-term investment" misses some little details such as recessions, no market, vacancy, risk, etc etc etc.   A little easier said than done.

On the other hand...having been there a long time ago...the only place to eat in the area was a McDonald's.  On the dining side, things have picked up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hmm....having "been there" long ago....I'd say that "a very wise long-term investment" misses some little details such as recessions, no market, vacancy, risk, etc etc etc.   A little easier said than done.

I'm talking about a young person buying and living there, and I used the auxillary-modified verb "can be," not "is."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

NoMa has been an absolutely terrible place for dining.  Even the relatively new Haris Teeter there was temporarily closed down by the health department.  And since it's going from nothing to high density buildings without any high-end hotels, I don't expect to see any extremely interesting (read: new blood) restaurants going in there since rents will be so high.  And even if one does, hopefully they don't end up like Kushi.  Best case scenario:  Busboys & Poets, maybe a Spike M. joint too.

EDIT:  There will be a art-housey type of theater in NoMa soon, and they will dump $10 billion into renovating Union Station here in the coming years, and the restaurant scene should be worth checking out then, but I view that more of Union Station thing than NoMa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

NoMa has been an absolutely terrible place for dining.  Even the relatively new Haris Teeter there was temporarily closed down by the health department.  And since it's going from nothing to high density buildings without any high-end hotels, I don't expect to see any extremely interesting (read: new blood) restaurants going in there since rents will be so high.  And even if one does, hopefully they don't end up like Kushi.  Best case scenario:  Busboys & Poets, maybe a Spike M. joint too. 

Damned if Todd Gray *still* doesn't have his name on Watershed. You've got to wonder what the arrangement is for something like this. "We pay you X dollars, you come to the opening party, sketch out the opening menu, and promise to drive by once a year and wave?"

If I were Todd Gray, I'm not sure I'd want my name on this dish:

post-2-0-06826200-1426962105_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Watershed is just terrible.  Even when we realized that the food was no bueno, we still figured, "Hey, at least it's an okay place to have a couple of beers, right?"  WRONG.  Among the worst service we've ever experienced at a bar - alternating between completely inattentive and in-your-face obnoxious.

When we would walk to the Big Board, we would pass Indigo and TD Burger, which are across from one another on K Street NE.  Indigo, inevitably, would be PACKED (and would smell delicious, of course), and TD Burger would be like a ghost town.  The neighborhood is CLAMORING for more.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...