I don’t really love eating with my hands but if I’m at Madjet, then yes, I love it.  Madjet is a little Ethiopian restaurant just a few doors down from the popular Dukem, which I’ll pass by any day to get to Madjet.  This little owner operated restaurant is a hangout for the locals, typically has a soccer game on the TV and serves some of the best beef tips I’ve ever had.  If you walk in and it is crowded, give it a few minutes as the tables turn pretty quickly.  If you walk in and it is empty, give it a few minutes as it will be at capacity.

I typically don’t go to Ethiopian restaurants without an expert and for that I turn to my good friend Zewdi.  She speaks the language, knows what is hot and what is really hot on the menu (which is important to some), and she makes the best Doro I’ve had the pleasure of eating.  She is herself an expert of this fantastic cuisine.

On my most recent trip, I went with 4 other friends.  The 5 of us split some beef tips, the vegetarian platter, and one of my favorites, Kitfo.  Kitfo is sometimes raw and sometimes lightly cooked steak tartar seasoned with spicy chili powder and herbed butter sauce.    We all ate happily (with our hands), shared some great conversation and when the check came fought over who should pay the $45.00 bill.

If you are in Washington DC, in the U Street Corridor and don’t want to eat another half smoked from Ben’s Chili Bowl, walk down another block a few doors past Dukem and have a great, inexpensive meal at Majet.

Majet Beef Tips - Photo courtesy of Julia Brault

I’ve never been a huge fan of fish with the exception of sushi due to a fish bone swallowing incident in my youth.  As I mature, albeit slowly, I am starting to accept and enjoy fish with some level of frequency.  Seafood fans who visit or live in Washington DC and the surrounding area need to take the time to visit Hook at 3241 M St, NW in the heart of Georgetown.  Their concept is simply, treat each guest like they are the only diners in the restaurant and provide quality ingredients with creativity.  Like their Tuna Tar-tare wrapped in a crisp Parmesan crusted wafer, which I couldn’t get enough of or the sea food combination platter with lobster, oysters, prawns, and muscles which come with 3 sauces for dipping.  Trust me and try the vinaigrette with everything on the combination platter.  The fried foods can be a bit oily and with my New Years resolution to eat better, I opted to pass on anything fried.  I was in luck because their calamari is grilled and you can taste the smoky charred flavor in every bite and this calamari was not chewy like you’d find on a buffet somewhere in Maryland.  If you are eating light and need to have a helping of greens, don’t pass up on the Arugula salad with prosciutto and healthy sleeves of Parmesan reggiano.  For the sweet tooth try the cinnamon sugar coated doughnuts which went well with both Kettle One and Tonic or bubbly.  Voted one of the best desserts in Washington DC is the Lingonberry Linzertorte, which is an ice cream that when eaten has a taste of teleggio cheese an the torte provides a hint of port giving you a cheese and wine flavor.  I thought this dish could have been on Iron Chef America for its creativity an who doesn’t love ice cream?  This is an excellent finish to a seafood feast, go there and pamper yourself.  And I forgot to mention the cost is in the realm of acceptablity. 

Peregrine Espresso

I had been meaning to get to Peregrine Espresso for some time now and I happened to pick the coldest day of the year to do so.  This says a lot about me and my coffee, I’ll go through great lengths to find a great coffee shop and I think I’ve found it at 660 Pennsylvania Av SE in Washington DC, about a half block away from Eastern Market. 

It is small, but coffee shops are not meant to be Big Box Retail in my opinion either, it is green both in color and operation, and it has some of the best coffee you can find in DC.  Believe me, I’ve looked all over.  I know I’ll have some complaints or what I like to call suggestions, come one and come all with any suggestions and I’ll be happy to give them a try. 

Peregrine appears crowded at times but production is quick and painless.  The menu is simple and straight forward and the staff are very pleasant.  I truly believe they are doing what they love based on how they treat the process and the customer and the result is a wonderful cup of joy.  If you are not a coffee drinker, their Tea is served in a nice heavy pot and provides about a cup and a half.  If you are on Capitol Hill or at Eastern Market and want a great coffee, walk on over to Peregrine, you won’t be disappointed.

I have been wandering the earth for almost 40 years now and half that time has included the wonderful world of coffee.  I’ve made several visits to Baked Wired in Georgetown on Thomas Jefferson Street, just south of M St for 2 reasons, the coffee and the granola. By most accounts this is a small shop with two sides, baked goods on the one and coffee on the other.  The two go hand in hand IMO.  The barista makes a great espresso or any variation there of.  The granola is labeled “crack” because of its addictive nature and I have to agree.  The pic  shows individual cup cakes under the glass of what looks to be laboratory vessels but don’t be overwhelmed as the staff are most helpful in selecting delicious cakes for any craving you may be having.  Give Baked Wired a try, I promise you’ll enjoy the visit.

If visiting the Washington DC area and looking for a place to have your next meal or looking for a special occasion location to enjoy life with family and friends, look to the Washington Posts 2009 Fall Dining Guide by Tom Sietsema. This is the 10th version of an extremely popular guide for navigating the DC area restaurant scene.  Browse by cuisine, location, price, rating, or look back on past highlights.

I love walking the streets of any town in the world and finding places that remind me of other cities and places I’ve visited over the years. The other day I was walking up Wisconsin Ave from M Street headed to the Georgetown Flea Market and walked by a place called Dolcezza Artisanal gelato and had to stop because of the big “Argentine” sign. If you ever go to Argentina, get the ice cream at any ice cream shop but my preference is Freddo and if you wonder what flavor to get, get dulce-de-leche. Unfortunately for me, Dolcezza did not make a batch of dulce-de-leche this day but my disappointment vanished once I started the tastings, starting with an avocado flavored ice cream which was smooth and not over powering. I love avocados! I moved on to ginger mint and was ready to order but decided to try one more, the lime and cilantro flavor and was immediately struck by the awesomeness of the lime and calmed by the soothing cilantro. I decided to go with both ginger and lime and enjoyed myself some great, made daily, gelato. Next time, I go for the coffee and I’ll write back.

Summers in Washington DC are very friendly and enjoyable if you can get past all the tourists that come to this great city. Fridays are special for me because one, it signals the end of a work week and two, the weekend is here. At lunch on Friday I normally take a walk with Rachel to the Trader Joes in Old Town Alexandria and pick up a few picnic items like sushi, crackers, cheese, olive spread, chips and dip, etc… we store the items in my office fridge for safe keeping and around 4:00 PM we drive into DC across the 14th Street bridge where we start looking for unrestricted parking or parking that will get us through the 6:30 PM time frame…. parking in DC is a gamble as the DC government apparently hates it when people drive into their city and evidence of such is the numerous pink parking tickets that adorn the windows of just about every other parked automobile in that city. If you can park it, they can ticket it! I think a new license plate motto is in order? I digress… We make our way toward 7th and Madison where the Smithsonian’s Sculpture garden is situated. We go early, and find a spot that will be shaded for the duration of the evening as summers in DC can be brutally hot. We lay out our blanket that is obviously too large for just 2 people but soon the crowds will cover every inch of grass available go go early, get a good spot, and protect it with your flip flops. We settle in and get our sangria and chill. About 5:00 PM the music starts and runs through 8:00 PM as the sun is settling over the horizon. Visiting DC or live in the area, check out Jazz in the Garden every Friday evening in the summer. I am said to say that the last Friday of the season is upon us and I at least hope to see a full crowd. Cheers!