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Chef's Kitchen, Adams Morgan - Bitten by M'Dawg.


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Hi all,

Not sure exactly when, but recently a new Indian place opened up in the old Burrito Brothers spot on 18th street in Adams Morgan.

It's called Chef's Kitchen and seems to be mostly a carryout operation, since there are only a couple of tables in the front.

Has anyone been yet? I'll probably check it out one of these nights after work, but I thought I'd see if anyone had any comments first.

I grabbed a menu and it looks like it covers all the Indian standards. They have a variety of kabob platters that come with all the fixins for $7-$9. There's also a specialities section of curries, which can also be ordered together as part of a combo platter in the $9 range.

Probably the first thing I'll try to find out is the difference between the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Butter Chicken. The Tikka Masala description reads "boneless chicken breast with Chef's masala and fresh tomato with a honey sauce, garnished with fresh coriander. Simmered to prefection! (sic)" The Butter Chicken reads "freshly cooked boneless chicken thigh simmered in a tomato and honey sauce. Garnished with fresh coriander and Chef's personal touch." So it seems the major difference is light vs. dark meat and Chef's masala vs. Chef's "personal touch." I wonder what's so personal about his/her touch...

The menu also lists a burrito and a gyro, and encourages you to try the "kabob dog."

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The menu also lists a burrito and a gyro, and encourages you to try the "kabob dog."

I was really excited about this new addition to the neighborhood until I hit that sentence. Wow. Talk about uncomfortable fusion.

Still, could be interesting as a way to break up an all-falafel evening diet. Let us know if the food's any good.

Jael

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Keep in mind, I don't have much experience with Indian food, but...

I can't see us going back. I'd had a craving for Indian food for months, so out of curiosity and convenience, we hit this place a few weeks ago (shortly after they opened, to be fair again). I got the butter chicken and the daal- bland, bland, bland. I couldn't stomach more than two bites of the daal (thin and soupy and made with yellow lentils), and the butter chicken was... well, boring. Fine, but bland.

But if anyone has a different experience, I'd love to hear it and give them another chance. I hate writing negative things about a newcomer- I always want them to succeed. Especially since the price is right and the location is less than a block from our place. And they deliver.

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OK, stopped in last night after work.

The problems with high hopes is that they're too easily dashed. I tried the thali combo with chicken korma, butter chicken, and lamb roganjosh. The korma and butter chicken sauce seemed really watered down, the korma especially so. The lamb was actually decent and its sauce much thicker than the others. It didn't look like chicken tikka masala was an option, but I couldn't quite figure it out since the only staff member who spoke English was the manager, and he was busily running around. The naan was good.

I might give them another chance with one of their kabob platters, since I'd prefer to have something that's not just scooped up from a steam tray. The portion sizes were ample, but not ridiculous. I could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting, but since I had a later engagement I turned it into two light meals.

It's still the cheapest Indian in the area, and by no means bad. I do get cravings from time to time, so in the future it may hit the spot perfectly. But I don't see myself being a regular there.

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Older posted article in the DCIST by Scott Reitz. Pic also by DCISTChef

So finally was able to give the new Chef's Kitchen a try. Everything is clean and looking nice in there, well for fast food. I spoke with one of two owners (Fariq, or Farook ?) and he was quite excited about the place. Entree's were around $8-9 and slightly higher in price than say Delhi Dhaba, but they did have the Mix and match which gives you a nice sample of what they have.

They have a full Vegan menu, but alas they also have the Indian curried staples that we all love. I particularly enjoyed my butter chicken with Naan and Spinach-Tofu creation. The Naan was a little heavy and thick, but other than that everything was smooth and tasty. I don't know if many places do this, but they did place tomato chunks and slices in with the Masala sauce. That tomato didn't seem to taint it though and actually soaked up some of the grease that would normally go along with it, but added a little acidity?

All in all, the food was easy on the palate like any quality Indian Food place should. No extreme spices or grease or oils, but came with some sauces that accompany any taste buds that wanted to kick it up a notch.

Fariq, or Farook said that they will have late night specials around $5 for all of us Drunken late nighters opting against wet bread cheese and tomato sauce(Jumbo Slice).

They’re open Fri & Sat till 4:00 am and 2:00 am on Thursday nights for now.

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