Monday, March 30, 2009

Tasty Bite: Saigon Bistro

Phở near Dupont! This place doesn't have the wiry little man who looks like he'd rather be shoving bamboo splinters under your fingernails like the Arlington standby Pho 75, but the phở is mean enough to compensate. Even the vegetarian Phở Rau Cái is especially good here, as far as meatless dishes go. It smells of cinnamon and exotic, sweaty climes. Not unlike A-lo.



Rating: n/a
Recommended: Phở Rau Cái, Phở Tái Chín


Saigon Bistro
2153 P St. NW
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 558-6188

A Second Look: Ipoh

Roti canai is sooo good, and everyone I know likes it. Can it be so hard? Why aren't there roti canai vendors on every street corner? A big pot of chicken curry, and whatever they use to cook that crispy, flaky, chewy pancake. Food cart entrepreneurs take note!

Until someone implements my fantastic business ideas, Ipoh does as fine a roti canai as you'll find anywhere in DC. It's only a tad spicy, too much so for A-lo's delicate innards, but nothing your average curry-friendly fellow can't handle. With excellent green curry and pad thai, and some easily avoidable misses like the mango chicken (life tip: in the daring game of pan-asian menu navigation, "mango" is always a minus, and "crispy" a massive plus), Ipoh should be dominating the Woodley Park asian delivery scene. If they do a good General Tso's, I can finally say a sweet goodbye to Mr. Chen's.

Rating: 3 stars
Recommended: Roti canai, green curry, pad thai


Ipoh Asian Cuisine
2625 Connecticut Avenue NW, 2nd FL
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 332-3636

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Buzzworthy: Taylor Gourmet

The one convenience that I wish we had more of around here in the District would be more bakeries. Sure, there are Marvelous Market and Firehook, but they range from OK to not-so-OK.

Gourmet Taylor, an Italian-style sandwich shop in the too cool H St neighborhood sounds like a step in the right direction. Yeah, it's not a bakery, but they still deal in some baked goods—and truck bread in daily from Philly apparently!—so I think we should be grateful for that small crumb (ha!).

Both the Post and the City Paper have some recentish write-ups, and they appear to describe Gourmet Taylor as a quality hip establishment. I haven't tried it yet, but any new retail option enticing enough to get me out of my usual neighborhood circuit is enough for my Buzzworthy list. Hmmm, sounds like the perfect solution for the upcoming barrage of Spring picnics (if Spring ever decides to show its allergy-ridden face.)

Rating: n/a
Recommended: not yet tried


Taylor Gourmet
1116 H St NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 684-7001

Monday, March 16, 2009

Tasty Bite: Ipoh - Superb Asian Delivery Finally?

One of the few negative aspects of living in Adams Morgan/Woodley/Dupont Circle is the lack of a reliable and worthy Asian delivery option.

Ipoh Asian Cuisine opened in the last few months in Woodley Park, and it promises to end our gastro curse. It's one of those nondescript Pan Asian restaurants that cooks everything from pad thai to lo mein to sushi. Normally, I would avoid such a place. The range of cuisines, while convenient, means the kitchen doesn't turn out anything memorable (see Banana Leaf in Dupont). But all these other offerings are mere distractions from the star attraction: Malaysian food. Apparently Ipoh is a city in Malaysia, and if there is one Maylaysian dish that can draw me in, it is the heaven sent, Roti Canai!

Roti Canai is a flakey, slightly greasy pancake, usually accompanied by a small side of chicken curry liquid for dripping. You just rip the roti apart, dip the buttery crispy chunks in the mildly spicy chicken curry sauce, and chomp away. It's a fantastic appetizer or light meal, and I'm happy to report that Ipoh's version is excellent. I'll admit that I'm no expert on Maylasian food, but Ipoh's rendition is the best that I've ever had. And best of all, they offer free delivery.

I haven't tried any of their other dishes, but I will definitely be rushing back, so keep an eye out for a review in the future.

Rating: n/a
Recommended: Roti Canai


Ipoh Asian Cuisine
2625 Connecticut Avenue NW, 2nd FL
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 332-3636