Drumstick please!

This was a cup of 'drumstick' flavor ice cream that I bought from a little coffee and treats stall in the Longworth Congressional office building in DC. It was so good I couldn't get the picture taken before I ate it. We should deconstruct flavors and experiences from our childhood ilke this more often.

According to the Edy's website - it is only available May - Aug, so if you see it, stock up!

Indian Luxe in the Capital

I don't eat Indian enough. I've rarely found myself in the mood ever since I left Atlanta 5 years ago. There I had a set of reliable places like the cheap, but tasty Zyka, which was located in a former church adjacent to a Montesouri School on Lawrenceville highway (in Decatur, GA). I went every other week, so I knew the menu, had my favorites and, still being fresh from college, was comfortable with the relatively cafeteria feel of the dining room. Now, whenever I think of Indian, the unfamiliarity of the dishes and the risks of new, more expensive venues (such as we have in Minneapolis) I'm not as motivated.

On my recent trip to Washington DC for the HRC Equality Convention, I took a chance by agreeing to have dinner with some of my fellow Minnesotan convention attendess (whom I did not know very well) to try a highly rated Indian gastronomic palace called Rasika. I'm so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.

The company was incredibly lively and intelligent - we discussed everything from politics to how the oil & water relationship one of my dining companions had with his partner resulted in an explosively vibrant sex life. No doubt the openess of the conversation was fueled by the incredibly flavorful food. We shared the three appetizers pictured here. The highlight was the Palak Chat - an impossible mixture of crispy fried spinach, sweet yogurt, tamerind and date chutney. We also had the Ragda Patties (spiced potato, tamerind date, chick peas with mint chutney) and an incredible tilapia grilled with currry spices in a banana leaf. My entree was a sinus clearing dish called Chicken Green Masala. I'm not sure how some mint, coriander and spices could come together as such a volcanic sauce. Not to say it wasn't a welcome experience. Spicy flavors activate pleasure centers in the brain - the plate was very clean.

The scene was definitely a see and be seen crowd - the decor uber modern and lively and the service was attentive, prompt and top notch. I'm a gainfully employed adult who values food, so the price didn't phase me (it also helped that one of my companions picked up the bill). Nevertheless, this was not the cheap Zyka Indian-in-the-Church-Hall from a prior time in my life, but I think we can all stand a little more luxe in our Indian cuisine.

A Folksy Counter in DC

I was in Washinton DC earlier this month for the Human Rights Campaign's annual spring lobby day and equality convention. Fleeing an impending blizzard in Minneapolis, I arrived about 12 hours early. I found time to wander out of my hotel to try a local lunch counter, CF Folks, that had been highly rated by several sources. CF is a small, unassuming place and not what you'd expect to find in a big city. The patrons are in the DC norm suits and ties, but behind the counter, it's like these folks came through a wormhole from some small town in Kansas straight into this urban jungle.

Wednesday was Indian and Italian day (not in the same dish, mind you), so I decided to try the lamb curry. The elderly lady behind the counter asked me if I wanted the "secret sauce" which I readily accepted. The sauce was a fruity, spicy chutney that pulled the melange of tender meat and rich thick curry slurry together.

Not to get out of place like that without dessert, I requested the sweet of the day, warm peach cobbler with rum rasin ice cream. Not my grandma's cobbler, but the first bite sent my eyes to the back of my head. CF Folks definitely offers a soul-satisfying experience that assures me there is still some heart left in the nation's capitol.