Above and beyond at Etete

Although I've eaten at many restaurants with polite and efficient service, I have never before felt the urge to hug any servers. Well, not before last night anyway. Last night, I had the pleasure of dining Etete, whose warm and hospitable service was truly unlike anything I have ever experienced. Widely regarded as one of the city's best Ethiopian restaurant's, Etete's focus on creating a welcoming atmosphere was apparent the moment Jason and I stepped inside the restaurant, tucked into an attractively decorated townhouse in the heart of DC's Little Ethiopia neighborhood.

We were greeted immediately by a smiling hostess. I explained that we had made reservations, but that we were meeting a third person who hadn't arrived yet. I expected that we would be asked to wait until "all members of our party" were present and accounted for (as seems to be standard protocol at most places nowadays). However, the hostess cheerfully showed us to a table without a moment's hesitation. As I would soon find out, that gesture was but a hint at the effort Etete's staff makes toward ensuring a unique restaurant experience.

Served on a large circular platter lined with spongy injera bread, Etete's food lives up to the hype. We ordered a vegetable combination platter - potatoes in several different sauces, two spicy lentil dishes, collard greens, corn, and a green salad, all of which were fresher and more flavorful than the ones I've had at other Ethiopian restaurants. We each ordered an entree as well. Jason had Kitfo, minced raw beef seasoned with herbed butter and hot red pepper, and served with seasoned cottage cheese. The beef was a glistening pink and silky on the tongue, in texture akin to tuna tartare, but more deeply flavorful. I was stealthily scooping up bits of it throughout the meal. My Lega Tibs (lamb sauteed with onion and peppers) was equally delicious. Our friend ordered the Yeawaze Tibs, strips of beef sauteed with seasoned butter, fresh tomato, green pepper, onions, and spices.

We were halfway through our meal, when owner Tiwaltenigus Shenegeleg (the restaurant is named for her - "Mama" is "etete" in Amharic) appeared at our table, bearing fresh bowls of the vegetable dishes. Smiling at our grateful amazement, she proceeded to scoop heaping refills onto our platter, and then, noticing our near-empty basket of injera, instructed a server to bring more right away. The surprising touches didn't end there. Nearing the end of our meal, we looked up to see that Mama Shenegeleg was back, this time proffering a tin of roasting coffee beans which she wafted under our noses. The beans smelled amazing, but we were simply too full to partake in the complimentary coffee. The vibe was so relaxed that we lingered for awhile after paying the bill, but never felt rushed to leave. In fact, Mama Shenegeleg returned several more times, even as we sat talking long after we finished our meal, once bearing more coffee and then with freshly-popped popcorn.

The popcorn was a rather offbeat choice for a dessert offering. But then again, Etete is full of surprises. I can't wait to return.

Good to know:
Etete is located at 1942 9th Street, NW. The closest Metro stop is U Street/Cardozo on the Green or Yellow line. Exit the Metro at 10th Street. Etete is on the corner of 9th and U Streets.

Photos of Etete's food and building by Flickr users roboppy and rockcreek respectively.

The injustice of it all!

I know real food bloggers never take themselves this seriously...right? Thanks to Jason for passing this one along. Originally from the web comic Married to the Sea.

Evening Star shines (for the most part)

After a quick Target run the other evening, Jason and I found ourselves in the Crystal City/Alexandria area around dinnertime. I remembered that a colleague had recommended Evening Star Cafe in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood, so we decided to check it out.

Out of its cozy jewelbox townhouse setting (think Komi or Hank's), the homey neighborhood cafe serves eclectic American fare with a few twists here and there (for example, seared tuna - iterations of which can be found on virtually every menu these days - is treated to a decidedly non-standard carrot and coriander emulsion.) Indeed, the cafe has developed somewhat of a cult following with locals, and with good reason, as its charms are many. With its cheery but unfussy interior and prime location (just down the block from other foodie destinations like Cheesetique, the new Let's Meat on the Avenue butcher shop, The Dairy Godmother frozen custard shop, and a handful of great coffee shops), Evening Star Cafe has a lot going for it before you even open the menu.

And speaking of the menu, can we talk about the wine and beer menu for a minute? Evening Star Cafe partners with Planet Wine, its next door neighbor, to offer over 1000 bottles of select wines. The cafe also boasts several lounge spaces (separate from the main dining area) called Majestic Lounge and No. 9 line, giving Evening Star Cafe diners access to twenty beers on tap.

We started with the PEI Mussels, doused in a Roquefort cheese and chardonnay sauce. The mussels weren't quite as plump as ones I've seen elsewhere, but the sauce was dangerously addictive. At once creamy from the Roquefort and briny with the juice of the mussels. I didn't stop dipping the complimentary artisan bread until I'd sopped up the last delicious drop, which I washed down with a refreshing glass of Gruner Veltliner.

For my entree, I chose the brined and roasted chicken, served with jalepeno mac & cheese, braised greens, and thyme gravy. The chicken was amazing - tender and juicy with a golden skin. I was disappointed to find the jalepeno mac & cheese oddly greasy and flavorless, with none of the anticipated kick that one might expect with a spicy pepper as its main descriptor. Jason ordered the oven roasted barramundi with tasso ham & blue cheese grits, and tomato beurre blanc. I managed to sneak a bite of it, and found it suitably rich, the crispy skin of the fish giving way to its mild and pleasant flesh.

Sadly, I must say that I found the service to be totally apathetic. Our server was unenthusiastic at best, and that's when we had her attention. She appeared to lose interest completely about halfway through our meal, and we didn't see her again for quite some time. Finally, the hostess seemed to pick up on this, and came over to ask us how our meals were and clear our plates. After another long wait, our server made a grand reappearance to bring us the check. It was an odd dynamic, completely out-of-sync with the otherwise welcoming atmosphere. Ah well, I had good company and good food, and so overall it was a fairly positive experience.

After dinner, we stopped across the street at ACKC (Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections), an outpost of which just opened in Logan Circle. (The website only lists the Logan Circle location right now...I think the Del Ray location was just recently rebranded as ACKC). A champagne truffle, or, ahem, two, was the perfect ending to a great, if imperfect, meal.

Full Circa

Last night, Jason and I wandered around the Kalorama neighborhood for a bit, taking pictures of the mansions and embassies as the sun was setting.  Having worked up a little appetite, we made our way down Connecticut Ave. in the direction of the circle, to see if anything caught our fancy for dinner.  I found myself mildly interested in Sette Osteria, but there seemed to be a bit of a crowd waiting to be seated, so we ventured onward.  To my surprise, Dupont's new-ish bistro, Circa, didn't seem overly crowded, and to my further surprise, we were able to score a table on the patio, no problem.

Since it seemed like a sort of neighborhood wine bar/bistro place, I decided wine was the way to go, and ordered a glass of Chilean Malbec, which was quite good (and, as I would soon find out, its sharpness was a nice contract to the cheesy doughiness of pizza I would order).  Jason got a formidable-looking cocktail called The Ultimate Mojito.  

Circa's got a nice little cocktail list and a good wine list, but I must admit, I was mildly disappointed by the food menu.  I guess, given the sophisticated palates of the surrounding clientele, I was expecting it to be a little bit more inventive, and it just seemed very...pedestrian.  Crab cakes, mac & cheese, bistro steak, etc.  Ah well, I suppose t'is better to do simpler things and do them well than to take on too much. They also probably get a lot of tourists walking in because of the location, and I suppose a really exotic menu might not do much to lure in casual passers-by.

In any case, I'd heard good things about the pizza, so I ordered the Capriciosso pizza - ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, mushroom, basil, and prosciutto.  The pizza was pretty good, despite showing no signs of the aforementioned basil.  In spite of my Chicagoan connections, I prefer thinner crust pizza, and Circa's was slightly thick for my liking.  Hard to go wrong with prosciutto and lots of cheese though, so I did a pretty good number on it.  Jason got the Free Range Chicken pizza, with sundried tomatoes, artichokes, chicken, mozzarella, and basil.  I swiped a piece, and it was decent, though the sweetness of the tomatoes verged on cloying for me.  

Service was sort of meh.  I got the impression that our server was trying to emulate the understatedness of servers in really haute cuisine types of joints, but the end result was just sort of awkward.  Think lots of weird silences and halted, barely audible responses.  Overall, though, it's a fine place to grab a casual meal, if you're not expecting much in the way of culinary revelation.  I think I'll have to give it a couple more tries to see if we caught it on sort of a blah night.  

Good to know:

Circa is located at 1601 Connecticut Avenue, NW, practically right across the street from the Dupont Circle Metro stop on the Red Line.  Just exit on the North side, and cross Connecticut as if you're going to Kramerbooks, but hang a quick left on Connecticut instead.  It's right on the corner.

The atmosphere is super casual and anything goes.  There were families in shorts, tee-shirts, and tennis shoes, and there were glitterati in sparkly dresses and strappy heels and both fit right in.

Photos by Flickr user M.V. Jantzen, who takes great photos of DC.  Check out his stuff sometime.

Wishful Linking

I want to do this.

Why I Love It

Republic of Tea Blackberry Sage tea, organic spring mixed greens, whole wheat pitas (to stuff with various items and bring for lunch), red onions, chicken breast (to marinate and bake with cloves of garlic and white wine), Cherry Glen chevre (to spread on sandwiches or toss on salads), roasted marinated tomatoes, assorted olives from the olive bar, smoked salmon (on my morning toast, or in a salad with capers and red onion), garlic and herb spread, fresh mixed berries, New Zealand lamb loin chops (to crust with the rosemary I'm growing and pan sautee), parmesan and garlic pita chips, green onions, cucumbers, lemons, avocados (for salads, sandwiches, and fresh guacomole), whole wheat bagels, organic basil (goes on everything), thyme, whole wheat pasta, assorted heirloom tomatoes, poached mussels (to toss with olive oil, garlic, and pasta), a French baguette, marinated artichoke hearts, fresh shrimp, Campo de Montalban cheese, organic chives, peanut butter granola bars (for mornings when I don't have time to eat something real), capers, tuna packed in oil, cans of San Marzano tomatoes (to make homemade pasta sauce), Little Penguin Australian Pinot Noir, and whole dried figs.

Goodness and Greatness on 18th Street

Two meals on 18th Street this weekend - one good, and one great:

I'll start with the good. We finally got around to trying Casa Oaxaca ("wa-HA-ka") the new-ish Mexican place in Adams Morgan. This was the good, not great meal. Complimentary chips with an alright guacamole, that tasted sort of blah and mushy, like the avocados had been too ripe. A trio of blue corn tacos called Kekas - one pork carnitas, one poblano pepper, and one with huitlacoche (a type of fungus that grows on corn, but is considered a delicacy in traditional Mexican cuisine). The pork was nice and tender, the huitlacoche was interesting - sort of tangy, yet earthy. The poblano pepper was nothing special though - it tasted like regular green bell peppers heated up and stuffed in a taco. I had the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano for my entree - the chicken was tender, and the mole sauce was good, if a bit mild. I liked the fact that it was sprinkled with just a bit of queso blanco, and not smothered in a greasy blanket of cheese the way some Americanized Mexican food is. Jason had some type of seafood and goat cheese enchiladas, which I can't find on their online menu. He seemed to enjoy it alright, but was surprised at the dominant sweetness of the goat cheese. To drink, I had a Margarita (very good), and a Mojito (which was a bit syrupy). All in all, it wasn't knock-your-socks-off great, and I was a tad bit disappointed given how much Tom Sietsema praised it in his review. The service, however, was great - attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. I think it's worth another visit, as it's possible we just caught them on an off night.

We had another great meal though, at previously-blogged-about Las Canteras, which has quickly become one of our favorite places for a low-key dinner. I'm happy to report that the Pisco Sours are as good as ever and the Choros a la Chalaca (plump mussels with diced corn, tomato, and red onion) was as wonderful as the first time I tried it. I tried a new entree this time though, the Pescado a la Macho, poached white fish with a super spicy seafood sauce. It was ridiculously good, in that addictive makes-your-nose-run-and-your-eyes-water kind of way. For dessert, I tried the Guava Flan, which was a bit grainier than the flan I'm used to. The guava flavor was slightly overwhelmed by the caramel sauce that came on top. It was a nice, light way to end the meal though.

Good to know:
Casa Oaxaca is located at 2106 18th Street, NW. It's probably an easier walk from the Dupont Metro stop. Exit on the north side, walk up Connecticut, take a right on Florida, and then a left on 18th. It'll be on the left-hand side.

Las Canteras is located at 2307 18th Street, NW. Ditto on the above directions, except once you hit 18th, you'll walk up another block or so, and it'll be on the right-hand side.

Here's a helpful map.

Photo of 18th Street by Flickr user M.V. Jantzen.