Image: Boom. Last Updated: February 2024 Overview: Victor Albisu made his mark on fine dining with two highly-regarded spots, the smoky Del Campo, and the revelatory Poca Madre, but it was the fast-casual Taco Bamba that took off.  After a few years when D.C. had to go without, we are now blessed with one location at City Ridge.  There were rumors of more coming, but those appear to be fading. The tacos are excellent, bursting with ingredients and flavors.  We often fault tacos that are unbalanced but not those from Taco Bamba, they can be over the top in a good way.  They ..read more

Image: Sardinian Dumplings. Last Updated: April 2024 Overview: Masseria established itself as an oasis in the grit of the old Union Market.  In the intervening years, the grit has been claimed by growth.  One side of the open-air courtyard is now dominated by a high-rise structure.  Nonetheless, there is still an Alice-in-Wonderland feeling as you enter, breaking away from the bustle of backed-up Ubers clogging the road.  The intent was to have the feel of a villa in the Italian countryside, and it does manage to transport. The other thing that makes Masseria great is the ..read more

Image: Like the swallows… Dearest Gentle Reader, welcome back to our recap of dining news and updates to our site. We have gone to a monthly schedule of postings instead of weekly. We will see if this works. It did provide some extra time to do a few more posts, as noted below on our site updates. So, thank you for joining us. Shall we proceed? Let’s… Updates to D.C. Recommended Restaurant List Added: Chicatana – With a large collection of tequila and mezcal, and better than you would expect food, this dive-y spot can hang with the big dogs on 14th Street. Saya Salteña – Bolivian street food t ..read more

Image: Plate o’ Tacos. Last Updated: March 2024 Overview: Come for the wide selection of tequilla and mezcal, stay for the better than you might expect food.  The menu is anchored by a number of taco options that can be mixed and matched, or like a table next to us on our visit, you can just go big with four carne asada.  It takes some pretty good food to be able to hang with the big dogs on this stretch of 14th Street.  Chicatana holds its own. We will confess this place was put on our radar by the effusive love it gets from local food writers.  Tom in the Post raved over ..read more

Image: To remind you of the name. Last Updated: March 2024 Overview: Saya Salteña opened downtown near the World Bank in a small spot with warm pockets to fill you up.  Salteñas are Bolivia’s close relative of the empanada.  They are more “soupy” than otherwise expected, to the point you should eat from the top down.  Biting in the middle invites disaster.  You can use a spoon or slurp depending on your disposition (and maybe clothing choice that day).  And as owner Maria Iturralde says, “Think of the pastry as an edible cup.”  The savory interior (beef, chicken o ..read more

Image: Simple. Sublime. Last Updated: March 2024 Overview: The focus here is a Roman-style flatbread called pinsa.  It does not look that much different from Neapolitan-style pizza with puffed-up edges, thin crust and sizzling toppings out of the wood-burning oven, but there are subtle differences. It is oval in shape, not a circle.  The dough is composed of wheat, soy, and rice flour.  It reaches a higher hydration point than traditional pizza dough.  The result is something slightly lighter, airier without much of a tang.  It does not peter out toward the center, but ..read more

Image: Ready to go. Last Updated: February 2024 This place organically creates a bit of a buzz.  Tourists coming a couple blocks from the Mall overlap with local office workers at happy hour to fill up the two bars inside.  The Mexican place in the José Andrés Chinatown constellation, it does guacamole, tacos and margaritas well.  Several different dining areas fill out the light-drenched corner spot.  The crowds come for a reason.  Oyamel is a reliably good, fun option good for groups or smaller parties. Like the other Andrés places, the serving style is small plates ..read more

Image: A reminder from Ruta. Dearest Gentle Reader, thanks for clicking through. We’ve been off for a few weeks, so an assortment of stories that you may have already seen and one new addition to our D.C. dining guide this week. So, shall we begin with our recap of dining news from near and abroad, starting with our own site…. Updates to the D.C. Recommended Restaurant List Added: Amparo Fondita – The small but mighty new Mexican spot in Dupont. Comings & Goings: Destino and Las Gemelas closed up shop. Amanda Michelle Gomez wrote about it for DCist, but now you can’t access that because WA ..read more

Image: Turkey hiding in mole. Last Updated: February 2024 Overview: The small spot on P Street has been home to many a favorite for locals.  With the closing of Pesce (which reopened a few blocks away!) there was a risk that would not continue.  Fear not, Amparo Fondita has cooking that could fill a larger space and pull diners from farther away, but it has been channeled into a cozy storefront fit for the neighborhood. The food is from Chef Christian Irabién, who was behind the very good Muchas Gracias in Chevy Chase, who said one of the goals is to do recognizable Mexican. “I feel ..read more

Image: Half Smoke Last Updated: January 2024 Overview: Ben’s Chili Bowl serves a classic D.C. half-smoke with chili.  Other hot dogs are also available, including turkey dogs.  They come with chips, but you can add fries (with chili or not).  There are those that say the place deserves more recognition for its place in history than its food offerings, and that may be a fair knock.  We still enjoy the classic half-smoke regardless of its culinary pedigree, or maybe despite it. In addition to the dogs and fries, they have burgers (including turkey and veggie patties).  T ..read more