I had this crazy idea that it would be easy to resist eating
out in DC. Yeah, go ahead, laugh it up.
I rarely did it back home! Ah,
but that was then.
Seriously, it's fantastic! And I'm going to temporarily set aside the
clear and present danger to my wallet and just talk about my new favorite eats
and drinks.
This is where I'm taking you if you come to visit me. It's like Subway, only with burritos or rice
bowls, and it's completely addicting.
You have to order fast, which
is a common denominator in all my city dining experiences thus far. But it's cheap, since there's no wait staff,
and even cheaper if you split a single bowl with your sister. Best dining spot so far: sitting on a rock
wall in the Mosaic District with Chloe.
A friend took me here for lunch, and it's a lot like
Chipotle, only with Mediterranean food.
I got rice, chicken, tzatziki, kalamata olives, tomato and cucumbers,
and a few other things. It was
delicious, but next time I'll be more daring.
I'm not sure where 'liking Starbucks' fits into the current
trend structure. Does it make me clichéd,
classy, an indie poser, a true cosmopolitan, an enemy of good coffee, a connoisseur…?
Oh well.
I still like it. And my sister
gave me a gift card, which I am hoarding like a nugget of potential happiness
in my purse. Fortunately, you can't
swing a dead cat in this town without hitting a round green Siren logo.
Read the sign and you're 80% there, except you're assuming
grease and starch, and you can stop that right now. Only fresh and homegrown ingredients in homey,
tasty combinations. Mommy and Daddy took
us here for Sunday Brunch before they headed back to North Carolina. I got cranberry pancakes and nearly proposed
on the spot. Silver Diner has personal
jukeboxes at the tables so you could request favorite tunes for the overhead
stereo ― I think we picked something by the Beach Boys, but it was so noisy, we
never could tell if it played.
In tone, Artie's reminds me of Fatz Café, only less
'southern comfort' and more 'elegant boathouse'. Chloe let me try her salmon (which is also
her dish of choice at Coastal Flats), and I had chicken with some amazing
sauce. Our waiter totally nailed the
menu run-down, except he botched one of the specials ― and was dramatically
relieved when no one ordered it. I like
such restaurants, because I feel classy and metropolitan, but I still get
enough food to eat.
A favorite from previous trips to DC, and it turns out
Artie's is produced (is that even the word?) by the same company! You can tell.
If Artie's is the mature, yacht-racing oldest son, then Coastal Flats is
like the noisy, beach-bum little brother.
If you ever go, get the Grouper Fingers.
…I promise they're delicious, and not as weird as they sound.
Last, but certainly not least: the Harvest hang-out of
choice! Every Sunday night after my
young-adults group at church lets out, anyone who still wants to visit goes to
Biersch. Usually people get light fare
and beer, and I have to resist the urge to rest my forehead on the edge of my
table and laugh: I am so not living
in a Baptist town anymore. Alas, I continue to be a lightweight and
Biersch is too solidly German to pull half pints, so I'm sticking with raspberry
lemonade. Mock at your leisure. It's fun to meet new people and hear their
stories, but it's also fun to just sit in the midst of it all and enjoy the
warmth.
Now I just have to make myself live within my means ― the
sheer tastiness and variety of options are not a good excuse to dine myself out
of my gas and grocery budget.
So come visit me sometime! That will be an excellent excuse.
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