Top Restaurants in District of Columbia

lauramk   -   When I first dined at Himalayan Heritage we had been having some cold, wintry weather with lots of snow and ice and blustery cold wind, but the moment ... more

lauramk   -   When I first dined at Himalayan Heritage we had been having some cold, wintry weather with lots of snow and ice and blustery cold wind, but the moment we stepped into Himalayan Heritage, it was like stepping in a warm and welcoming Newar village. The fragrance of the food to follow teased us as we walked through the dining room decorated in shades of firelight with wooden beams and detailing and lanterns hanging from the ceiling. We started our meal with a couple of subcontinental appetizers, a couple of large, delicious, mildly-spiced samosas stuffed with potatoes , peas and onions; and a few small yakitori-sized skewers of sliced chicken that had been marinated in a peanut sauce and grilled – for a Himalayan take on the Indo-Pacific standard. The appetizers came with a selection of condiments: a mildly spicy coriander-mint sauce, a sweet tamarind sauce and a spicy aloo aachar made from potatoes and peas. While we dined and conversed, music with birdsong and flutes played softly in the background to complete the Nepali atmosphere. In a leisurely but timely manner – not too soon and not to slow – our waitress asked if we would like our main courses: Lamb Kadai; Khukhura Ko Masu; Himalayan Karahi and Goa Fish Curry. Our dishes came with plain basmati rice and a bread basket that included plain naan, garlic naan and tandori roti. The bowls were placed in the center of the table community style so we could all taste each one. One of the things that I love about Nepali food, and one of the reasons I consider it a ‘fusion” cuisine, is that there are South Asian and East Asian (and a few Western Asian) elements in the food. Sometimes this mixture of cuisines is found in ingredients and their combinations and other times it is seen in a mixture of preparation methods. The Lamb Kadai was a straight-off lamb curry. Whenever I dine at subcontinental or Himalayan restaurants, I always order at least one lamb dish – it is one of the ways I rate the restaurant. If they do a good job on the vindaloo or the korma or the kadai, then the meal is off to a great start. The curry we had consisted of tender bits of lamb that just dripped off the fork in a rich tomato-based curry with bay leaves, lots of ginger and cumin and a healthy blast of garam masala. The Nepali version we had was spicy but not hot with the cumin, ginger along with the tomatos as the strongest flavors in the dish. The Nepali version is also a lot saucier and less “sweet” than some of the Indian takes on the dish you may be familiar with because of the different ingredients in the Nepali garam masala. The Khukhura Ko Masu is a fascinating dish that really blends east and west nicely. First off, it is a chicken curry that starts as a stir fry with ginger, garlic and tomato that is then allowed to simmer in coconut milk just a bit to develop a mild-to moderately spicy sauce. It has a host of western, southern and eastern Asian ingredients that when combined create a really uniquely flavored dish. Although the sauce is a reddish brown from the tomatoes and red onions, it uses a lot of different types of citrus a citrus-like flavors to flavor it, including lemon zest, lime and lemon grass. At one point I got a blast of what could only have been Sichuan pepper and there were also smoky overtones of black cardamom and curry leaves as well. A really delicious dish. The Himalayan Karahi was another dish that mixed preparation styles first marinating and grilling the meats and then combining them with sweet peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. Now, dishes called “karahi” are eaten from Afghanistan, across the subcontinent and into the Himalayas. These dishes are all named for the iron cooking pot used to cook in. To my knowledge, the Nepalese are the only people in this swath of territory who grill the meat in the karahi (or kadai) and then combine it with other spices and vegetables in for stove top cooking. The meat itself (a combination of chicken and lamb)was tender and delicately flavored with a hint of a citrus bite telling that it was marinated in lemon juice and perhaps ginger and garlic. Surrounding the meat were heaps of delicious sweet peppers and tomatoes with only a small amount of light sauce. A real Himalayan treat! The Goa Fish Curry had tender but firm chunks of a mild fish (more like a cod than a catfish) in a rich coconut sauce with a gentle tamarind bite and soured with malt vinegar. The Nepali version of the dish was a great deal more mild and balanced than a lot of Indian takes on the dish that I’ve tried. We ordered it to offset the tomato-based curries and dishes that we had on the table and it didn’t disappoint. I don’t usually say much about the bread at restaurants – for all too often it is but an afterthought or simply a utensil to eat with, but the garlic naan at Himalayan Heritage, served piping hot was nothing short of amazing. Although stuffed to the brim with wonderful food, we smiled and asked the waitress for the dessert menu. We decided on the keer and a halwa. The keer was a rice pudding in which the rice is cooked in a mixture of coconut and cow’s milk until it quite soft. The Nepali version we had was flavored with rosewater, cardamom and sliced pistachios and served chilled. The additions to the dessert can vary quite a bit to include raisins and other types of nuts. The Halwa was also delicious. To the surprise of some of you, perhaps, it is a carrot-based dessert that is eaten widely throughout Central and South Asia and the Himalayas. The carrots are grated and boiled in a whole milk or as we had in a mixture of coconut and whole cow’s milk until they are soft. Then they are flavored with cardamom, raisins and sliced almonds and pistachios. A different and perhaps more healthy dessert than is often eaten. I highly recommend Himalayan Heritage. It is one of the best Asian restaurants that DC has to offer. less

lauramk   -   I have wanted to try DC’s Burma restaurant for a few years now, but for one reason or another, never managed to get there when they were open. It si ... more

lauramk   -   I have wanted to try DC’s Burma restaurant for a few years now, but for one reason or another, never managed to get there when they were open. It sits right in the heart of Chinatown on 740 6th St NW (off of H street), on the second floor above a Thai eatery. When a colleague suggested we go out to lunch recently to discuss an upcoming project, I jumped at the chance to try the restaurant that had so long beckoned me. We’ve been having what can only be described as monsoon rains here in the DC area, and on the day we dined at Burma my colleague and I both got drenched on our way to lunch. The decor and atmosphere of Burma are plain and unassuming with a few paintings and crafts to decorate the walls, and on the day we went, there was no climate control. We were wet, and the restaurant was hot – so it was quite like dining in Southeast Asia that day. But, authenticity is a good thing, so we didn’t mind. We sipped Burmese sweet iced teas while perusing the menu which cooled us down a bit, and started with the pickled green tea leaf salad which was simply delicious. It was astringent from the the flavor of the tea leaves and just a bit sour from the pickling, but had peanuts, sesame oil, ground shrimp and fish sauce to round out the edges and bring it back down to earth. As prepared that day it was a great deal less fishy than salads I’ve had in Asia, but it was still quite good. It was the sort of dish you just want to keep picking at – this desire, of course, helped along by the glutamates in the fish sauce. Our main courses were Tamarind Fish and Mango Pork. The Tamarind Fish was another winning dish with the lightly spicy and sour tamarind and onion-based brown sauce teasing the full flavor out of the fish – in this case salmon. The dish was much less hot and sour than I remember, and I found the choice of salmon a bit puzzling – a big, fat, hunk of meaty catfish would have been more authentic, but nevertheless it was good. The Mango Pork was mild and delicious. The mango was more sweet than sour and lacked the bite that pickled mango often has, but the pork was slowly cooked to perfection and was juicy and buttery. The tamarind and lemon added to the rich brown sauce of the dish, but were not overly sour or otherwise obtrusive. A gentle alternative for those not liking too much spice or heat in their food. We alas only sampled these few dishes, but were generally pleased with the results. In a metropolitan area simply glutted with Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Malay restaurants, the growing presence of Burmese and other Asian cuisines is welcome. Burma DC offers good, simple, homestyle food that we enjoyed (especially the tea-leaf salad). If I have a criticism, its to be found in what feel like muted flavors – less heat, less spice, less sour than the authentic Burmese food I remember. Still, I hope to return to sample a few more dishes. There are a few, such as pickled mustard leaf and sour bamboo shoot (each with choice of meat) that I’d like to try as well as a whole array of noodle dishes, a couple of kebabs and of course the great fish-soup, mohinga. So, yeah, I’ll be back. less

ethiopianqueen   -   Hands down the best Ethiopian Restaurant in the DC metropolitan area. The food was so original and the crowd is great. I got the Dukem tibs and Dukem ... more

ethiopianqueen   -   Hands down the best Ethiopian Restaurant in the DC metropolitan area. The food was so original and the crowd is great. I got the Dukem tibs and Dukem Kifto. The food is authentic and its a great establishment thats been around for years! less

Kate F.   -   The waitress disappeared for ten minutes at a time many, many times. This was particularly frustrating when my meal came out incorrectly, and I had no ... more

Kate F.   -   The waitress disappeared for ten minutes at a time many, many times. This was particularly frustrating when my meal came out incorrectly, and I had no one to send it back to. We also never got refills on our drinks. Because the waitress had disappeared, we had to ask a passing busboy for the check. The waitress then finally came and we asked her for the check, and she still didn't come back for ten minutes then either. So I went to the hostess desk to ask to speak to a manager about the missing bill. I told the manager that service had been rediculously slow, that the waitress had been disappearing all night, and we had been waiting long for our check and were wondering where it was. The manager went and told the waitress, and then the waitress confronted us (insinuating that she didn't understand why we would have had a problem with her). I did tell her that we had been wondering where the check was. After paying the bill, the manager delivered the check back to us, stating that she was sorry for our experience. Considering the poor service, we were expecting some sort of compensation, a free dessert, even a small discount. And the manager certainly had the opportunity to do so, and chose not to. Prices are not the cheapest, and just overall a lousy experience. With several restaurants in this area, and several of them with excellent service, I can guarantee you that we will not be back. less

JMC G.   -   Good Indian food in a very pretty setting. Service is great. The lamb vindaloo will warm up your tongue. Nice place that will give you a meal to remem ... more

JMC G.   -   Good Indian food in a very pretty setting. Service is great. The lamb vindaloo will warm up your tongue. Nice place that will give you a meal to remember without breaking the bank. less

JMC G.   -   I think this is an excellent restaurant. it might be a little bit westernized but i do think the curries are excellent. Just for the decor alone it is ... more

JMC G.   -   I think this is an excellent restaurant. it might be a little bit westernized but i do think the curries are excellent. Just for the decor alone it is worth the trip. Great restaurant for a first date. less

JMC G.   -   This is a wonderful neighborhood restaurant. Excellent food. Small, cozy, friendly. The chef owner is always around and happy to speak with his guests ... more

JMC G.   -   This is a wonderful neighborhood restaurant. Excellent food. Small, cozy, friendly. The chef owner is always around and happy to speak with his guests. I highly recommend it. less