Joon S.'s Profile

A more relevant name for a sandwich shop / bakery was never conceived.  The Bread Line serves up sandwiches on bread baked fresh daily on premises, and during the lunch hour the line is out the door.  However, the line moves very quickly, though it looks daunting: usually, you wait in line, order, and pay within 7 minutes on even the busiest day.

This is one of my favorite places to grab a relatively quick lunch that is not (1) microwaved, (2) from Trader Joe's, or (3) from the Marvin Center (i.e. the GW student commons).  They serve up delicious sandwiches, piadines, salads, and soup.

If you're a fan of egg salad, look no further.  This place has the BEST egg salad sandwich I've ever had.  Huge chunks of egg in a light, creamy sauce, seasoned perhaps with a bit of garlic, salt, and pepper.  The best part of this particular sandwich, however, is the lettuce.  I don't know what kind they use, but it has a slightly bitter, herbal quality that complements the creamy richness of the egg salad.  The bread--two slices of thick white or olive--is delicious, though the crust can be a bit too chewy.

The sole reason the Bread Line gets four stars in my book is the bread.  Their bread is fantastic, but oftentimes it is inconsistent or the crusts are too hard.  Don't get me wrong--I'm a huge fan of crusty crusts--but sometimes their baguettes are a bit... too crusty.  They go over the line from crusty to downright hard.  This is a problem for items like their French Madrange ham sandwich.  (I had this sandwich one time and it was delicious, but it felt like I had chewed through glass after I was done.)

Safer bets are their "softer" sandwiches, especially their daily specials.  On Fridays, for instance, they had fried cod sandwiches which are superb, along with BBQ pork sandwiches that are tangy, messy, and satisfying.  You can choose to forego their sandwiches completely and get a piadine instead.  Piadines are like flatbread or pita, which the Bread Line uses to wrap up fillings like lamb and tabouleh on Wednesdays.  Their falafel sandwiches are good too, but don't expect pita: their flatbread is sort of like a cross between pita, tortilla, and crepe, but it's delicious, soft, chewy, and grilled.

Be sure to split an order of fries--one plate is enough for two or three people.  They're not crispy per se, but they're not soggy either.  They're sort of like... home-style fries, the kind your mom would make (if she made fries).  But they're good, and especially good, I've found, dipped in some malt vinegar.

There's indoor seating but it can be somewhat stuffy and crowded.  There is outdoor seating but that space comes at a premium, as every DC office dweller wants a piece of this beautiful spring weather.  Who could blame them, especially if they're enjoying a great Bread Line sandwich to go with the sun?

PRICES:
Pizzas: $6-$7
Sandwiches/piadines: $8-$10
Fries: $2.30
Complete meal (sandwich, fries, and drink): around $13-$15

Mmm.  They raised the prices.  A cup of coffee is no longer $1.17.  I have moved on to greener--and cheaper--pastures.  =(

One of the best things about Berkeley is that it is close to nature.  You can drive to Tilden Park, or drive out to the coastline.  But Berkeley has, within its city limits, various wonderful locations for those who just want a demitasse of nature instead of a cup.

I would love to sit at the International House Cafe at the top of Bancroft Avenue and look down at the sun glistening on the Bay, or hike the fire trails above Memorial Stadium.  For an experience that is equal parts reflective and surreal, however, nothing beats climbing up Indian Rock.

For one, this rock seems to be in the middle of nowhere--it juts up among regular homes and streets.  And the climb up is precarious, just narrow steps hewn from the rock itself.  Up, up, up--groping in the dark, loose gravel.  The wind and cold.  Drunk people hopping from ledge to ledge.  

But once you get up to the top and find a perch: what a feeling!  Looking out over trees and homes and land and water.  A place to go for quiet thought, tranquility, and solitude.  A little bit of nature in the middle of the city.

I have been coming to Moishe's Restaurant since as long as I've been coming to the Farmers Market, which was when the Farmers Market was JUST the Farmers Market and not the Farmers Market next to the Grove.  Childhood memories and experiences often determine what foods we love and hate later in adult life; further, they create impressions of what we expect from certain types of food.

For me, Moishe's typifies what I classify as "Mediterranean food."  How can it not when it has some of the best roast chicken in LA?  It is juicy, flavorful, and big, with crisp skin that begs to be slathered with garlic butter.  Further, you won't be able to find fresher, more vibrant sides: the green green tabouleh, the fresh creamy hummus, the firm moist cous cous.

I personally like the beef and chicken shawerma, but I could recognize that it might not be the best out there.  Still, it is very good and I usually find myself devouring shawerma when I visit the Farmers Market.

The only true negative--and probably not their fault--is that they have high prices compared to other Mediterranean joints.  For instance, Al Wazir Chicken (Hollywood, CA) has perhaps better roast chicken for a few bucks less.  But it's like this: my mom might not be the best cook, but her food sure does taste great after a few months out on my own.

For such a simple food, pizza is surprisingly polarizing.  Not only are there arguments to be made for and against different forms--thick or thin crust?--and styles--New York or New Haven?  Chicago or California?--but for and against the myriad practitioners of the pizza arts.   It is the closest food will come to irrational and irreconcilable internecine strife.

Why argue the differences when we could be celebrating the diversity?  Sometimes I want an obscenely-filling Chicago-style deep-dish pizza from Zachary's (Berkeley and Oakland, CA); other times, I long for the cheap slices of pizza and beer I had in a long-ago trip to the Big Apple.  Californian-style pizza with all its frou-frou organic ingredients has its moments, too, as does the straight-up Italian varieties offered by Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont Circle.

What a wonderful place.  You walk up a narrow flight of stairs to a little dining room that looks like it could have been the ground floor of some Washingtonite's home.  It's a great place to take a date (if you're not pathetic like me and actually go on dates), especially one of the tables next to the window overlooking P Street.

For starters, the Insalata di Tonno e Fagioli (tuna and white bean salad) for $6.50 is wonderful--savory marinated chunks of tuna and tender white beans in piquant vinegar.  Homemade bread ($2.00) is good to mop up the flavorful broth of this dish.  Another great starter is the Panzanella (Tuscan Vegetable Salad served over Mixed Greens OR Homemade Bread) ($6.25-$6.50).

Be sure to save room for one of their pies.  They do seem a bit pricey, especially given the advertised sizes.  For instance, my favorite pie--the Margherita--is $10.25 for an eight-inch and $16.50 for a twelve-inch pizza.  Luckily, the eight-inch pizza is more than sufficient for the heartiest of appetites and plenty for two (if you order a starter).  I would probably recommend a twelve-inch pie with a starter and some bread for a party of three really hungry people.

I found their Atomica (Tomato, Salami, Black Olives, Hot Pepper Flakes, Mozzarella) pizza too salty, as well as their Napoletana (Tomato, Basil, Anchovy, Capers, Mozzarella).  Personally, I would recommend one of the simpler pies, especially because the best part of their pizzas is, I believe, their heavenly crusts.

The crusts are chewy and floury, thick, crisp on the bottom, with a pleasant hint of salt.  They are utterly addicting and a perfect foil for the toppings--if you keep them light!

Finally, I must say a word about their panini.  I had the Arrosto di Agnello (Roast Lamb marinated with Oregano and Garlic) for $8.95.  The lamb is subtle, with merely the thought of gaminess.  The lamb is served cold.  It comes with a side of potato chips (or a side salad for $2.50 extra) and a variety of delicious olives.  It is a great alternative for someone who doesn't want to be weighed down by a shitload of carbs.

Overall, Pizzeria Paradiso is one of my favorite dining establishments in DC.  California-style-quality fresh ingredients with the best of Neapolitan-style crusts.  It is, to continue the above metaphor, proof that the blending of different ethnicities often brings out the best of all worlds.

A reunion with fair Penelope must not have been the only thing Odysseus desired upon his return home to Ithaca.  After years of subsisting on whatever food he could scrounge, he probably was looking forward to the olives and wine of his native land.

And so it is with anyone who leaves home for school or work or a new life.  It is not only the friends and family, nor the tall poplars or gentle hills that keep a hold of one's heart: the home-cooked meals and well-worn restaurants, too, beckon as surely as any Siren's song.

For me, there are restaurants that have set the bar for what I expect in different types of cuisine.  For instance, I compare all burritos to those I had as a child at the long-closed (but never forgotten) Lolita's in Alhambra.  In a similar manner, Mandarin Noodle House is what I expect from Chinese comfort food.

I would not characterize Mandarin Noodle House as a hole in the wall, because it's a bit larger, cleaner, and brighter than the average hole in the wall.  There are plenty of tables at which to sit and eat, though usually I find myself taking my food to go.  It feels very much like a big and surprisingly friendly dining room--yes, the service is pretty good and pretty efficient.

Of course, all this talk merely prefaces my words on their food.  I can think of nothing better on a blustery winter night than their beef stewed soup with handmade noodles ($7.50)--rich beef broth; thick, soft noodles; greens; and thick slices of tender beef--or their "champong" (spicy chili soup noodle) for $6.50--a spicy red seafood broth with flour noodles, vegetables, and little chili peppers that will kick your ass if you inadvertently eat one.

To start a larger meal, I would recommend two appetizers: their famous thin onion pancakes ($3.75) and their pan-fried meat dumplings (potstickers) ($5.75).  Their onion pancakes have never been replicated in my book.  They are sort of like a touch, multi-layered cross between a crepe and a Spanish tortilla.  They are absolutely delicious dipped in Sriracha chili sauce, and you would be well-advised to order two servings if you are dealing with a few people in your party.  The pan-fried meat potstickers, of which you get 8 in a serving, are huge bundles of joy--steaming hot, succulent meat-broth gushing out upon the first bite.  They are good with the Noodle House's spiced soy sauce.

Also worth a mention is the restaurant's take on pork fried rice ($6.95), which seems almost bland.  It's not greasy, it's not salty, but it's very clean and--crisp.  Think of it as a sauvignon blanc: a great palate cleanser!

I have tried, in Berkeley and DC, to find a place that comes close to approximating the warm, filling glory of this place.  Perhaps it is nostalgia, but I have not been successful in that endeavor.  But I am comforted in knowing that, though I don't have a Penelope waiting for me, I can order some wonderful soup and onion pancakes to share with my family.

One of my favorite things about Berkeley was the ability to go to any of a number of great cafes and order an iced Americano or a nice latte with a delicious sandwich.  It was much harder to do that in Pasadena.  Luckily, it seems DC has a few good spots to drink coffee and pick up a decent bite for lunch.

I had come across mention of Big Bear Cafe in articles about artisanal coffee shops.  I was attracted to the fact that they used Counter Culture beans (Durham, NC) and that the owners put a great deal of effort into properly training their baristas in the art of coffee.  They also use Chemex coffeemakers, which look like large Erlenmeyer flasks (Chemex coffeemakers use special, heavy paper filters that make for an exceptionally clean cup of coffee--otherwise, they work just like other cone filter brew systems), and serve some good-sounding food items.

HOWEVER: it's all the way out in the middle of "nowhere"--nowhere, of course, being a relative term.  Big Bear Cafe is very far from Foggy Bottom, which prevented me from visiting.

Until recently.  My friend Bill was studying there for finals and I decided to check it out.  I took the blue line, transferred at Metro Center to the red line, transferred at Chinatown to the green line, and got off at Shaw/Howard U.  I then walked about six blocks to the cafe.  It was worth the effort.

They did a GREAT job of decorating the place--dark wood inside offset by a high ceiling and a lot of big windows.  Hipsters, galore (see: Intelligentsia Coffee, Silver Lake, CA).  They had a few different coffees available, so I decided on the Finca Mauritania from El Salvador, to be brewed via Chemex.  I also ordered a chicken pesto sandwich.

First, the sandwich: very well made and delicious.  It came with a side salad that was good but scarcely more than a few gentle tufts of green.  Delicious overall, but I was definitely feenin' some more salad.

Second, the first Chemex the barista brewed was VERY, VERY light.  So light, in fact, that it looked like oolong tea.  I tasted it--front notes very pure, citrusy, but lacking any finish whatsover.  I took it up to her and conferred with her--we determined it probably was misbrewed, and I got some Salvadorean "Los Luchadores" instead as a replacement.  To tell you the truth, I liked the flavor of the Finca Mauritania better--the Los Luchadores was a bit bitter for my taste--but the Los Luchadores was brewed correctly!

Overall, wonderful decoration and ambiance, good (albeit small portions of) food, and good coffee.  I'm taking off one star because a gourmet coffee shop should not be making those mistakes in brewing--if I'm paying $3+ for a cup of coffee, I'd better be getting what I paid for!  That being said, I'll have to come back another day and write an update.

My friend James was taking a detour in DC on his way from California to New York; James, his friend Nick and I shared two bottles of wine at my place, then we took the Metro to U Street.  I suggested Ben's because I had never been before; they had both experienced the Chili Bowl and heartily embraced my suggestion.

I fancy myself somewhat of a greasy spoon connoisseur.  The two poles of my existence in SoCal are Lucky Boy (Pasadena, CA) and The Hat (Alhambra, CA).  One can engage in philosophical arguments about the relative merits of both places; for me, the focus of such arguments is inevitably about their chili cheese fries.  Are chili cheese fries better when the interstices of the fries are completely filled with chili and cheese?  Or is it better when the fries, chili, and cheese are separate and distinct elements in a whole?  

Thus, when I got to Ben's Chili Bowl, I already had firmly defined expectations of good chili cheese fries.  Would the fries at Ben's be a contender--a rival philosophy?  Would they be allied to one school of thought or the other?  Or would they not be up for the challenge?

Neon signs, check.  Soul and hip-hop blaring at club volumes inside?  Didn't quite expect it, but pretty awesome (especially when Shaft came on).  More than forty items on the menu?  Check.  Outlandish claims of world-famousness/notoriety?  Present.  I ordered a chili half-smoke (Bill Cosby's favorite), an order of chili cheese fries, and a coke.  James and Nick ordered chili half-smokes as well.

The half-smoke was good, the chili was good, but nothing spectacular.  Very workmanlike.  The side of chips was decent but, I feel, superfluous.  The chili cheese fries were more along the lines of Lucky Boy--drenched in ladles and ladles of cheese and chili.  They used nacho cheese, which reminded me of I.B. Hoagies (Berkeley, CA)--I'm personally a fan of shredded cheese.  The chili was thick, substantial, and filling.  Pretty good--comparable to Lucky Boy's.

Overall, Ben's is a solid place that deserves a place in any greasy spoon connoisseur's heart (literally).  I'll have to go back and try their other offerings.  What I tried was good--above average--but not spectacular.  However, I give it four stars for the overall ambiance and great sense of history.  They might not have the best chili cheese fries I've ever had, but Ben's certainly is the most historical.  And every bite drips with cheese--and soul.

There's a reason I'm drawn to the novels of Steinbeck and Kerouac, and the art of Edward Hopper.  They capture views of America that, though seen from different perspectives and--especially for Hopper--can be as ironic as they are sentimental, combine to give a sense of this country not only as a place but as a sheer possibility.  Sure, "Early Sunday Morning," "Summer Interior," and "Nighthawks" convey isolation and desperation, but doesn't Kerouac's "On the Road" also convey that same desperation?  That desperation to be more than just some schmo working in a factory somewhere in Jersey?  Isn't Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley: In Search of America" just "Dharma Bums" if the protagonists were older and wiser?

One superficial connection between all three artists' work (and the random late-night thought that popped into my head and inspired this disgression) is the recurrence of the diner as a de facto town hall in a country that was discovering the new--liberating?  alienating?--concept of mass mobility.  What is more American than the roadside diner, serving pie and coffee and burgers to hard-working truckers or hitchhiking Beats?  

It's hard to find authentic roadside diners nowadays.  And the Market Lunch in Eastern Market is by no means a diner.  It's a simple lunch counter at the front entrance of the South Hall that serves birch beer and cheeseburgers, pulled pork and coleslaw or fried oysters on buns.  Their fries are a Midway between crisp and soggy; brown, not golden.  There's not going to be any radio hall music, nor is there going to be anyone hitching from Lowell to Denver.  But it offers solid food and, what's more, it offers me, at least, some semblance of an America I've only experienced secondhand, a place where I could stop for a bite and leave for who knows what could be out there.

I came here for breakfast with a dear friend from my Berkeley days.  With the caveat that I did not try their lunch or dinner options, I have to say I was very impressed.

Are you guys familiar with the blog "Stuff White People Like"?  (http://stuffwhitepeopl...)  One of the entries should be for "brunch spots."  My perennial all-time favorite is La Note (Berkeley, CA), but Founding Farmers is definitely a delicious--and attractive--stand-in.

Where La Note is Provencal--shades of yellow, French servers, huge latte cups, baguettes, and jazz--Founding Farmers is Modern American--sleek lines and organic curves, concrete and glass, reclaimed wood.  The food strikes me as Californian cuisine--egg scrambles, meats from local farms, fresh fruit, heirloom tomatoes.  The food is locally grown, which is a great concept; the coffee is from Intelligentsia (Chicago, IL, or Los Angeles, CA).

My friend had the eggs florentine with a side of farmer's salad ($10.00); I had the crab and lobster hash with a side of heirloom tomatoes ($14.00).  We each ordered cups of the house coffee ($3.00), which is a blend created by Intelligentsia especially for Founding Farmers.

The eggs florentine were standard--good, but not transcendental.  The farmer's salad, on the other hand, was absolutely delicious!  If I remember correctly, it consisted of greens, halved grapes, nuts, some sort of cheese, and a champagne vinaigrette.  It was tart, crisp, and a nice foil for the rich florentine.

The crab and lobster hash was very good--the eggs were fluffy, the potatoes crisp, and the chunks of crustaceans HUGE.  The heirloom tomatoes were covered in some sort of vinaigrette as well--there were two huge slices about three inches in diameter and about a third of an inch thick.  They were raw, which wasn't exactly what I was expecting.  (I'd still have to give La Note the edge here for their fried Provencal tomatoes--yum!)

The coffee was outstanding!  It must have been some sort of Latin American blend--maybe Salvadorean?--because of its light body, clean and balanced acidity, and citrus notes.  For $3.00 it was a steal--especially if you were like me and had three cups (free refills!).

Overall, Founding Farmers is an outstanding place for breakfast/brunch, probably a better option than, say, Kramerbooks (Dupont Circle, DC).  The ambiance is nice, the food is good, the coffee is better, the price is right, and for just a moment I feel as if I'm back in beautiful ole' California.