I was at Big Bear this weekend and someone mentioned that Naby’s Island Restaurant, located at 1128 H Street, NE, has some of the best Jamaican food in town. I, of course, am a huge Sweet Mango Cafe fan. Then as I was walking back up Georgia Ave. I spotted Negril’s Eatery located at 2301 Georgia Ave., NW.
So first are there any fans of these two spots? Secondly, where’s your favorite Jamaican spot in town?
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Hominy, a new restaurant, had opened up above Bohemian Caverns at the corner of 11th and U. Well, I have a little addendum that I had to add. Apparently they have complimentary champagne for brunch on Sundays.
Now we have discussed some of the best breakfast and brunch options in the past but this has got to put them in the running. Now that the weather is getting better, I thought I’d ask a slight variation on the question – where is the best outdoor brunch spot in town?
I recently did an interview with the Examiner (to be published Sunday) and this was one of the questions they asked. As I was answering it, I thought to myself “man this would be a good FQoTD”. Since this has been a pretty rough week, I thought this would make for a nice ending. I had a bit of a goofy answer, claiming that laying in my hammock is the most romantic spot in DC. But what do you guys think, where’s your most romantic spot in DC? The monuments? Arboretum? Roof decks? Or are you with me on the hammock…
“Have you ever done a post about barbershops in the area? I want to find a reputable shop for my husband. He’s white(ish), which matters in the world of haircare.”
I feel like I may have but it must’ve been a long time ago because I can’t find it. I’ve been a super cuts devotee for a while but I really ought to try some of the local shops. So I’m also interested in what folks recommend. Any regulars of some local spots? Does it really matter what race you are when it comes to barber shops? I’d imagine that they are trained and can do good work regardless of your hair type.
“I have a question for the masses… where is the best tattoo studio in the greater DC area? You feature the tattoo of the week on occasion and there are a few in my circle considering new body art, we are ill-reputed transplants as a byproduct of being in the military, so we do not know the reputation of places in the area. Cost and location are not huge issues, we’d venture out to the ‘burbs if necessary. Of concern are cleanliness, reputation and good artists.”
Let me just say the tattoo of the week will resume as soon as the weather gets warmer! But also I know there are lots of folks on here who have strong opinions about tattoos. So for those who aren’t fans please skip this post. But for those out there who are fans and/or have visited a good reputable artist in the city please leave your suggestions in the comments.
We judged the best burgers in town. Now, a reader would like to know where we can find the best crab cakes. I’ve never had one at The Heights but I hear they’re pretty good. A friend of mine is a huge devotee of the crab cakes found at Eastern Market. So where’s the best one you’ve had?
You can read the first entry here. Entry two is from Robert:
“SHAWARMA KING
Some of the better shawarma I’ve had in DC. Although shawarma is often billed as fast food in the Middle East, here it took a little longer to prepare, but my patience paid off. One nice feature of Shawarma King was the option to have the shawarma made on pita or on a larger wrap – same price, which is $5.95. I went with the wrap because it allows you to take better advantage of the a la carte servings (I piled them on). There are 16 different toppings to choose from – all looking reasonably fresh, which included, Lebanese hot sauce, pickled peppers, pickled eggplant, a cucumber/yogurt sauce (similar to a tzatziki sauce), as well as hummus and a delicious sliced fried cauliflower. I’m assuming Shawarma King is Lebanese-owned and operated, because in preparing my wrap they also offered to tinfoil it and throw it on a panini-style grill (normally done over a flame, but this wasn’t an outdoor cart). The result was an incredible Shawarma that is definitely worthy of carry-out.
SHAWARMA SPOT
One of the biggest highlights of Shawarma Spot – or at least I was first sold on it from their suggestive declarative statement on their menu – was their fresh brick oven baked pita. Beyond that, I thought the shawarmas were standard fair. I was disappointed that the toppings bar only had 12 options (three of which were very pedestrian toppings for a shawarma spot: sliced tomatoes, old looking sliced lettuce, and mayo) and was not self-serve (I like to have some portion control… or lack thereof). Also, hummus and baba were not even options in the toppings bar – you have to specially request baba on your shawarma. Shawarma Spot does have a greater variety of menu options, such as salads (fatouch, tabbouleh) and manakeesh (bread topped with jebna, lahma bi’ajeen, or zaatar). But there were no falafel options whatsoever!
THE DECISION
In this shawarmoff, the winner is Shawarma King. You get the most value for your dollar with the King (the Spot’s chicken shawarma runs around $7.50 with tax included) and you have the ability to dish out as much of any of the 16 diverse toppings that you wish. Shawarma Spot’s space also seemed a bit cramped, and the messiness award would also go to the Spot – I had to resort to fork and knife… what an embarrassment.”
Entry 3 by Jeannie after the jump. (more…)
Hi PoP,
I have an emergency question of the day: Do you know (or have you heard of) a good place to get authentic tamales in the Petworth/Columbia Heights/U St. area? I’m from Texas and they are traditional Chirstmas fare….and I’d love to serve them at a party I am having this weekend (I have a procrastination problem!) Mexican-style is my preference (masa filled with pork and wraped in a corn husk), but I know there are tons of declicious Latin American establishments in the area, so I wouldn’t be adverse to branching out.
Any suggestions are much appreciated!
Check Tina’s post on Pupuseria San Miguel. I’d also check with Taqueria Distrito Federal with locations in Columbia Heights on 14th Street and in Petworth on Kennedy Street.
Surely Odentex will have a few suggestions? Where do you guys get your tamales?
It may surprise a few folks, since I’m such a huge advocate of Dunkin Donuts coffee, Columbia Heights Coffee, and Coffee spots in general, that I’m also quite fond of an occasional cup of tea. I saw this sign at 1332 9th Street and I’m wondering if anyone has purchased tea here before? It looks legit.
Where are the best hidden spots?
“I’ve been craving it for some time now where is the best spot in the city for bowl?”
My guess would be Bistro Du Coin on Connecticut Ave in north Dupont. Any other spots to check out?