Spices: just right for a Friday night.

Last Friday, Jason and I had planned to see Waltz with Bashir at E Street Cinema, but the 7:30 show was sold out by midday. We could've gone to the 10 p.m. show, but honestly, by the time Friday rolls around, I'm usually ready for a pretty low-key sort of evening (the kind where I can be warm and cozy in my apartment by around 10 p.m.). So we opted to skip the movie, and grab a casual dinner at Spices, in Cleveland Park. I'd never been to Spices before, but the Pan-Asian eatery is a sister restaurant to Nooshi (where I dined with some frequency during my GW days), and the menu is almost identical.

Spices is a nice place, but it's certainly not what most people would consider upscale in a traditional sense. However, something about the experience felt totally luxurious. I think it was a combination of the Champagne Mojito, wonderful company, and the knowledge that I didn't have anywhere to be that night. No agenda, no schedule, just yummy Asian fare and the whole weekend ahead of me.

We opted to split appetizers of Sichuan Dragon Dumplings (filled with chicken, watercress, and shitaake mushroom) and Firefly Calamari (served with a tangy honey lemon dip). The dumplings were juicy, and slightly crunchy from the watercress, with a delicious soy-scallion sauce. The calamari was good, its saltiness tempered by the sweetness of the sauce. For an entree, I ordered the Drunken Noodles - wide rice noodles with minced chicken, peppers, onions, and basil. It was utterly satisfying. Jason got the Mee Goreng, spicy egg noodles that come with your choice of chicken, beef, pork, or seafood. He got it with chicken, and, of course, asked if the kitchen could make it extra spicy. It came out moderately spicy, but not 5-alarm fiery (he prefers the latter).

As I alluded to above, my Champagne Mojito was great - refreshing, yet indulgent with the addition of bubbly. Jason ordered a White Russian. (Have I mentioned he's a huge Big Lebowski fan?) For dessert, we split a plate of three mochi ice creams - ginger, red bean, and green tea. The ice cream was perfectly creamy, but in such a modest quantity that it wasn't overwhelming.

Service was good throughout most of the meal, yet I definitely got the feeling that we were being rushed toward the end. Our server practically threw our bill at us as we were finishing the dessert, and swooped in to try to pick it up while we were still looking it over. When I politely told her we needed another minute, she hovered, hawk-like, from a few feet away, pouncing triumphantly the second we signed our names on our respective receipts. It was a rather abrupt end to an otherwise relaxing meal, especially since there seemed to be a fair amount of open tables around us (so we weren't preventing them from seating others).

Minor service blips aside, it was a really nice way to spend a Friday evening. Even though I was sad we'd missed the movie, I must admit it was awfully nice to not have to rush off after dinner.

Good to know: Spices is located at 3333 Connecticut Ave., pretty much right next to the Cleveland Park Metro (Red line). The atmosphere is super casual.

Noodle Express

Tonight Jason and I met up with his old college roommate, Ming Ye, who happened to be in town for the weekend. After wandering around Chinatown for a bit, we happened upon Chinatown Express, whose crowded dining room we took to be a good sign. An elderly gentleman was making fresh noodles in the front window, threading the long tubular strands through his fingers and then stretching his hands apart in a tangled accordion of pasta. I suddenly had a hankering for noodle soup.

Despite its intriguing exterior, Chinatown Express doesn't offer a lot in the way of decor. Upon entering, we navigated a perilously narrow staircase to enter a small room, where we were seated at a plain round table, bathed in the harsh glow of neon lighting and a television set playing an unrecognizeable news station.

But no matter. The chicken noodle soup was restorative. Spicy and head-clearing with generous additions of Sriracha and hot chili oil, and utterly comforting in its familiarity, it was uncomplicated bliss from the first slurpy bite. Hot pork buns, shrimp dumplings with tangy scallion sauce, and a soothing cup of tea rounded out the delicious offerings.

It's easy to see why the Washingtonian named Chinatown Express a "no frills" favorite in their "Best of Chinatown" feature. For $5.95, you can get aforementioned noodles, either as soup or fried - lo mein style - with your choice of chicken, beef, seafood, or vegetables. In an expensive city where good Chinese food is hard to come by, I say that's a pretty great deal.

Good to know:
Chinatown Express is located at 746 6th Street, NW. By Metro, exit at Chinatown/Gallery Place Metro (Green, Yellow, or Red line), and exit on the north side of the Verizon Center. Walk east for one block on H Street until you get to 6th. Chinatown Express will be on the right-hand side near the corner of H and 6th.

Photo of Chinatown Express from The Backpack Boy's blog.