DC Area Lunch Eats - Part One

I get excited when thinking about some of my favorite spots to eat. As I think about it now, though, it's a lot easier for me to single out lunch places than dinner places. Why is that? It's almost bothersome. Every year when my birthday hits (which is dangerously soon now), I agonize over making the decision on where to eat with my family and friends for dinner. There's an abundance of tasty spots, but for some reason, none stick out at the moment, which is why decision making at that time is hard.

Here's where I've been for the past few birthdays:

Filomena, Bodega Spanish Tapas and Lounge, Indique Heights, Zaytinya, Ceviche, Mai Thai, Sorriso, PF Changs, Alero, Paper Moon...

Of the places listed above, I enjoyed all of them, and have been back several times to Indique Heights (GREAT buffet lunches) and Zaytinya. I am looking for suggestions, though, for this year's birthday dinner with my family.

Now back to lunch. Since graduating from University of Maryland a mere seven years ago, I have accumulated an expanded list of favorites. I know every food publication and critic known to man have set out lists of restaurant guides based on price, food type, atmosphere, service and more, but mine is simply based on taste, satisfaction and likelihood of return visits. One of the places discussed below is Pret A Manger. I did a little grab-and-go from there today and am nothing but smiles in the aftermath of this spicy falafel wrap.



Having worked in Tyson's Corner, K Street area, Chinatown and Union Station, I have experienced a sampling of food court fare, franchised "fast-casual" joints, Mom-and-Pop spots, vendor carts, and other unique concepts to this region and from other regions of the states. I am also quite familiar with the offerings of the Bethesda and Silver Spring area, so will include some of my best lunch bites in no particular order.

1. New York deli (Vienna, Va.) – this deli bakes its own mini-loaves of soft, pillowy bread that come in wheat, white, or pumpernickel to make the most satisfying and comforting sandwiches. These eats can be hot or cold and have a New York flair to them. Wraps are also available, as are a number of traditionally prepared deli salads and sides. My favorite? It’s a tie between a wheat mini loaf with hot turkey and Swiss (with banana peppers, Dijon, lettuce and tomatoes) or the Guiliani (I need to go back to double-check the name) but as I recall, it involves thousand island, and a couple of juicy meats on that heavenly bread.

2. Main Street Deli (Fairfax, Va.) – Another good find with some of the area’s best bagels, fresh, homemade cream cheeses, a variety of classic deli sandwiches and sides. My friend Sheri introduced it to me and makes me wish I lived in Fairfax so I could go more often. Their lox cream cheese spread is uber-creamy and includes finely chopped scallions. My favorite? The Everything Bagel (drowned in everythings on its exterior) with lox cream cheese.

3. Prêt A Manger (DC, NY) – newly opened at 11th and F Street near Metro Center, this place has won a spot in my will. I had seen them in NYC on many a visit, but never knew what it was, and still continue to pronounce this French phrase as “Prett-Ah-Main-Jerr.” Prêt showcases a refreshing variety of prepared hot and cold sandwiches, soups, salads, and more that boast a high nutritional value and lower calorie count without sacrificing flavor. My favorite? The spicy falafel wrap. This warm bundle of joy has five little falafel balls, coated in a spicy tomato sauce and enveloped by roasted red peppers, melted feta cheese, and a cooling yogurt sauce. Masterfully executed.

4. Teaism (DC) – thinking this place was solely a tea house, I was pleasantly surprised on a recent trip with coworkers that revealed a cute dining area and vastly enticing, Asian-inspired menu. There’s something for everyone there, as most of you know, from breakfast items like chicken sausage, naan and raita, to homemade desserts like carrot cake scones, to their famous lunch bento boxes and entrees. My favorite? The palak paneer with its generous portion of brown rice and cooling yogurt sauce that complement the creamy and delectably chewy spinach curry with cheese.

5. Pedro and Vinny’s Burrito Cart (DC) – a great find while working in McPherson Square, this vendor cart features the burrito creations of a former DC executive chef. Tired of the thankless grind, John Rider took things into his own hands and launched “Pedro and Vinny’s.” Having talked to him on several occasions, I learned that he rises each morning around 3:00am to make the burrito’s fresh contents—black beans seasoned perfectly with a hint of cinnamon, salsa, Mexican rice, guacamole, refried beans, and of course, his “Goose Sauce” creation (a mango-habanero hot sauce). He has a variety of tortilla flavors, cheese, and likely 50 other hot sauces on display and ready to be added to the burrito mix. He drives in daily from Northern, Va. to get to the city early enough to park and set up his shop that opens daily from 11:00am-2:00pm (or until he runs out of ingredients). I could go on and on about this man, but I know he makes upwards of six-figures in this gig selling his $5 burritos. My favorite? Medium burrito, no cheese, tomato-chili tortilla, black beans, salsa, rice, Goose sauce, and Georgia peach hot sauce (a peach and Vidalia onion hot sauce).

6. Naan and Beyond (DC) – after my first taste of Indian food back in 2006 and absolutely loving it, I discovered Naan and Beyond in Farragut North. They have a variety of naan sandwiches, rice (biryani) dishes with meat tikkas, vegetables, samosas, chutneys and naan—all cooked in the Tandoori oven (aside from the rice…can’t quite kabob that). What makes this place stand out is its fast-casual nature, different layers of flavor in each dish and the complexity to their seemingly basic chutneys. My favorite? A side of veggie biryani topped with juicy chicken tikka and drizzled with mango chutney. Oh and add to that a veggie samosa…this fried goodness has a blistered, crunchy exterior that protects the smooth potatoes and peas mixed with traditional Indian spices.

7. Ali Baba’s Falafel (Bethesda, Md.) – this big food truck parks itself regularly at the Bethesda Women’s Co-op Farmer’s Market in downtown Bethesda. I had noticed it several months, maybe even years, before I gave it a try. The origins of this cart mimic that of Pedro and Vinny’s burrito cart. The owner/operator sold his antique business for this falafel truck. While the name suggests that it only offers falafel, it also has standard grilled fare like burgers, and lamb and beef gyros. My favorite? The small falafel sandwich with everything on it…cabbage/slaw, tahini sauce, warm crusty falafel balls, banana peppers, and tomatoes.

8. Jungle Grille (College Park, Md.) – a frequent go-to spot during the college years, this casual restaurant offers a fresh, healthy spot for college-goers and beyond. Their frozen yogurt case and milkshakes with fruit are divine. Their peanut butter cookies are (insert high pitched voice) THE best. Their sandwiches and jungle salads with juicy grilled chicken breasts are beyond satisfying. I miss this place. My favorite? The jungle grille sandwich on hoagie bread with chopped grilled chicken, grilled veggies, melted provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and slathered in their signature honey mustard dressing. I choose to wash that down with one of these: a peanut butter cookie, a vanilla milkshake, a chocolate banana milkshake, or coffee oreo frozen yogurt.

9. Chicken Rico (Greenbelt, Md.) – my first experience with pollo a la brasa, aka Peruvian chicken, was courtesy of my friend Julie. This is one of those places in a strip mall that most people would normally overlook. The menu includes white and dark meat chicken that can be ordered in a variety of portions with crispy browned skin on and bones in to add even more flavor to the already perfect meat. Side dishes include plantains, rice, beans, and other traditional concoctions. You haven’t had good, succulent chicken until you’ve had pollo a la brasa. My favorite? A quarter dark chicken with a side of rice and red beans (mixed together) and topped with this mysterious white sauce they serve in cuppins (my invented word for those little condiment cups found near condiment stations at a variety of food establishments). Make sure to bring a smoker-friend with you if you go cuz you’ll definitely need a smoke afterwards!

I have another nine lunch spots to chronicle and plan to discuss those tomorrow.

An old fashioned Mexican cobble-off

It's nearly August at this point and after having proclaimed a vow to make a variety of different fruit cobblers nearly two months ago, I decided to give a little update. The following have been checked off the list, some more permanently than others, and appear in order of preference.

1. peach blueberry
2. strawberry peach
3. strawberry rhubarb
4. blackberry
5. peach, apple, blueberry
6. blueberry cake
7. raspberry, blueberry, strawberry

I still have a long way to go, but after encountering my new favorite chef, The Pioneer Woman, I have a new angle to explore in the world of cobbler-making. My friend Julie introduced me to her blog and I have been in awe ever since. Her blog website is an amazing work of art and the camera she uses to take pictures of every intricately important step of the cooking process is state of the art. The cooking aspect indexes the recipes visually--genious idea. I've logged many hours scrolling through the thumbnails with an intense longing in my eyes. I aspire to be this woman. She has a family, a hungry husband, and a funny aversion to leaving her farm compound. Her diction and writing style crack me up and bring enjoyment to the basics of food preparation.

One particular post of hers about blackberry cobbler hit a sweet spot in my heart. She did two versions of this cobbler--one more cake like and one more traditional with crumbles baked on top. I have been making all of mine with the same crumbly top, but the pictures of the cake-like one demanded I give that version a try. I have never been a big fan of blackberries, either, because I've never been lucky enough to eat a sweet one--they've always been miserably sour.

This past weekend, I decided I should do a cobble-off with my friend Sheri. She's been my loyal partner-in-crime the past month or so with helping me assemble and sample (tough job) many different cobblers. And this time, since she had raved once about a yellow cake cobbler with peaches that she used to eat as a kid, I decided it was time to try that, too.

Thus begins our Mexican stand-off, err cobble-off. For the title of Best Cobbler, our competitors stand poised and ready. In the left corner, we have the overtly narcissistic Self-Rising Flour (SRF). Poised and ready, this grain prides itself in itself. Baking soda? No need. Eggs? Puhlease. And in the right corner, we have Betty Crocker sponsored Super Moist Yellow Cake (SMYC) mix. Bred from the storied Crocker family, this flashier mix boasts a warm, sunny color and the allure and promise of rich chocolate icing on its brazen uniform.

Well let's see how they match up. SRF's recipe was simple: just add sugar, butter, milk and top with blackberries. SMYC's recipe was simple, too, but involved oil, water and a few eggs for an extra boost.

After piling the blackberries on SRF, the blueberries were scattered onto SMYC. Pretty, aren't they? Let's take a closer look, especially at the sugar dust on top.

And now for the fight! SRF required a half hour longer to bake, so we got our first look at how SMYC turned out. OOoooohh....butter face. Can we put a brown bag over that?


Soon thereafter, SRF made it's grand exit from the oven...the last cobbler standing. Look at that beauty! Brings tears to my eyes. Perfectly cobbled. Blackberry goodness oozing from the cracks.

And now for the taste test! So far, SRF has SMYC beat by a landslide on appearance. I mean, come on. Would you want to be seen in public with SMYC? I didn't think so.

And the title goes to...SRF! The blackberries were perfectly roasted, their juices perfuming the kitchen and melting my taste buds into oblivion. Next time, however, Sheri and I will try to make her yellow cake cobbler by following an actual recipe rather than make it up as we go since I don't think it turned out the way it should have.

I am sad to report that Vanilla Ice Cream (VIC), upon hearing that two cobblers were to be baked in one sitting, mysteriously disappeared from Sheri's freezer before we had a chance to pin it down. Smart, VIC, very smart. You wouldn't have stood a chance.

Cold food is sensational

I never took chemistry in high school beyond the basic requirement. I was more of a physics and biology girl. And now that I am following my vocation as a food hound, I wish I had explored the realm of chemistry more extensively.

The "why" behind the human pallete and cooking is intriguing to me. A TV show on the Food Network once learned me that most of our taste buds lie in our noses, not on our tongue. Fascinating. It seems almost intuitive, though. When we have a stuffy nose, we can't taste our food as well. As a child, I would pinch my nose closed when drinking or eating something that was outrageously disgusting at the time. Perhaps this is why consuming hot foods blurs the senses more than refrigerator-cold leftovers because the steam and head dominate the senses moreso than the flavors of the food. At least in my case, eating hot foods doesn't give me the same pungent experience as when I munch on something cold (or room temperature for that matter). While eating steaming fresh corn on the cob is one of life's most simple pleasures, I think eating it cold is slightly better. I can taste the natural sugars in the corn as each little kernel bursts. It just seems more...awake than it does when it's steaming. Albeit, I'm more awake when the steaming corn scalds my gums and the roof of my mouth, but I don't need to be any more freakishly-alert than I already am when I'm eating.

From a chemistry perspective, I will hazard some guesses as to what's going on here. When food is cooked, a lot of the goings on (my fancy way of saying "cells") of the food itself are broken down. The heat alters the chemical makeup of the food. As far as taste goes, it is sometimes intensified and sometimes dulled. Take cheese, for example. A raw chunk of cheddar has much more of a bite than the melted version. As I absolutely love both versions, I am thinking of testing the taste of a chunk of cheddar cheese coated in melted cheese. Is that wrong? If it is, I don't want to be right. Cold pizza? Another true winner.

I will say that cooking is good for marrying a variety of ingredients and creating magical aromas in the kitchen, but I most appreciate it for the textures it chemically creates. As I finish writing this, I am mentally preparing to go heat up some leftover mac and cheese. This goes against my preference of cold leftovers over hot. But today I am more concerned with experiencing the creamy texture of the cheese rather than relishing the taste. The ear of corn will stay cold and be eaten in all it's cold, sensational glory. Yum.

Anniversary Planning

As my love life remains in a constant state of flux, I haven't had to worry about any upcoming landmark anniversaries. Whether that's a good thing is debatable. Instead, the most common anniversaries to which I have grown accustomed are the number of months at a job, the date of my layoff, and of course the anniversary of my renewed commitment to lose weight (which is a monthly occurrence).

The next looming anniversary is of my swan dive into blogger-hood. August 14 marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of this blog and my first-ever post. In preparation of this most spectacularly-ordinary day, I decided to give Infinite Appetite a much needed face lift. Despite having only the most rudimentary photo editing tools and rigid template options at my disposal, I was able to tighten things up a bit. More tweaks, slices, and dices to come soon...

Testing My Patience

Last weekend, I was running through the grocery to grab the items necessary to make a quick and healthy eggplant parmesan and noticed a throng of bright red rhubarb hanging out in the produce section. Hooah! I grabbed a bunch and threw a couple pints of strawberries into my basket and headed homeward for some therapy cooking. The eggplant dish turned out AMAZINGLY scrumptious, but the second go-around at strawberry rhubarb cobbler was a buzz kill. My failure to slice the thicker stalks of rhubarb into fine pieces yielded challengingly-crunchy chunks scattered about the dish. There was an excess of sugary fluid this time as well. Big time bummer.

In my attempt to give cobblers the cold shoulder this weekend, I will set my eyes on a new challenge--slow roasting a pork shoulder to make some mouth-watering pulled pork sandwiches. Slow roasting isn't much of a challenge, but refraining from opening the oven every ten minutes to see if progress has been made will be a Mount Everest climb. Yes, I'm one of those people. I guess I should start using the oven light more often instead. You should see how good I am at watching pots of water come to boil. I haven't picked out a particular rub recipe yet, but I already have some ideas of my own. The cooking part of this venture should take at least four hours, if not more.

My biggest fear is that my hours of patience will not guarantee an awesome end product. In fact, it could very well bum me out again. What if I overcook it? What if it's dry? What if it's undercooked and I get rabies? Sigh. I can't wait to find out.

Turning Good Food into Bad Food

I have been working out more over the past few months in an attempt to get back to the shape I never quite appreciated in my youthful twenties. After having mixed in cardio weight training and full body workouts with the occassional run, I have yet to see results. I am eating more, yes, and probably look a little more put together than I have, but still not pleased that most of my wardrobe sits on the bench waiting to get called into the game. It's a dangerous game, though, and I am still too afraid to take the gamble on wearing a snugger skirt or pair of pants for fear they might split during the workday. And if they don't split, they'd surely leave imprints of the button, brand name and all, on my skin.

Instead, I'm reluctantly trying to modify my eating habits (no more hot dogs for breakfast!) in the hopes that I can salvage my attire. Upon researching some healthier alternatives to comfortable recipes, I came across this healthy, non-fried version of eggplant parmesan (one of my all-time favorite dishes!). It looked rather bland to me, but I'm sure with the right amount of spice, it would be bearable.

EASY BAKED LOW CALORIE EGGPLANT PARMESAN
1 eggplant
diced canned tomatoes in water
extra virgin olive oil
low fat mozzarella cheese
grated or diced garlic
salt and pepper

Add garlic, oil, and salt and pepper to the diced tomatoes. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices, or as thinly as possible. Place first layer of eggplant into baking dish. Place a layer of diced tomatoes and top with sliced mozzarella cheese. Continue layering eggplant, sauce and mozzarella until you have 2 or 3 layers. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30-40min or until cooked through. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

And that's when I thought I had found the man of my dreams. Scrolling to the end of the recipe I found one lone comment.

Reviews and Comments (1)
Apr 7, 10:51 PM
Carl (in California) said:
Mmmm good! Embellished mine with pepperoni.

Be still my heart! And waistline! Then I snapped out of my pepperoni haze. I wanted to slap him. Of course it's good when you add bad food to it! Bad, Carl! BAD! I'm mad at him for throwing temptation my way.

Hey, Carl, you should try this salad I absolutely love--mixed greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, light honey mustard dressing, and a sliced hard-boiled egg. Oh, and for an extra punch, don't forget to top the salad with chicken wings, a fried sausage, and a sprinkling of nachos. Just thought I'd embellish it a little.