dim sum and dosai
Mark had the day off for the MLK holiday….I didn’t.
He managed to head downtown to our newsroom and we checked out the dim sum offerings in Chinatown….
DC’s Chinatown is about a half-a-block long. We found spot that had dim sum and service with a smile….this is rare for us. After our last experience with dim sum in London’s Chinatown….we’re not use to good-old fashioned customer service.
Tony Cheng’s Seafood Restaurant (second floor) and his Mongolian Barbecue (first floor) had a dim sum menu - the cart service was only for the weekends. I think we were both surprised when the waitress was actually concerned about us having to wait for our dumplings to be steamed. Imagine. Back in London - at Aroma - the waitress couldn’t wait for us to leave :P. Apparently, there was a big group waiting for our table and the servers let us know we were holding up business.
Back in DC’s Chinatown, the waitress was sweet - kept us inform on the progress of our dim sum selections and totally took care of us… The dim sum….it was edible. I suppose I’m a bit spoiled - the Chinese restaurants in San Francisco and Oakland had tasty dim sum….At Tony Cheng’s - we had the shrimp dumplings, shrimp balls, shrimp and pork shui mai, steamed pork buns and egg custard tarts. I was a bit disappointed about getting our egg custards with the main course - I love how the crust flakes in your mouth right after they’re whipped out of the oven. But according to our waitress - they take a long time to prepare and she recomended ordering our desert at the same time as our lunch. The steamed shrimp ball had a fishy - icky taste. And of course, I bit into the shu mai, right after it was served - steaming hot….I had to do one of those gasping for cool air bits at the table. Really attractive stuff. Overall, the food was passable - not remarkable….I suppose the only reason we would come back is because we felt welcomed and were treated nicely. Couldn’t say the same about the Chinatown joints in London.
On MLK Holiday - I was in the mood to see “Hotel Rwanda” - but we took a nap and missed the film. So we did dinner at the Udupi Palace in Takoma Park. They have a branch in Chicago and I recognized it from a Medill Broadcast project. During our broadcast production quarter - we had to find something in Chicago/Evanston that our professors didn’t know about. Then we had to produce a SOT-type package…with interviews and b-roll. A year before, one group produced a video project on the Udupi restaurant on Devon. They showed us how the chef created these yummy Dosai dishes - they looked like crepes…but it’s made with rice dough stuff. After watching the package - I had a craving for dosai. I tried some in Berkeley - back in the summer. Good and filling. Now, on MLK - my dosai craving returned and I tried the paneer dosai - the India crepe stuffed with homemade cheese and bell peppers. It’s light and the cheese reminded me of an omlette dish. We also had pakoras for starters - breaded veggies. I tried a chilli pakora - the first time I willing bit into a chilli. My mouth didn’t explode and it had an interested, biting taste….kinda like when I have a nacho cheese craving…without the cheese. The Udupi Palace serves pure veggie cuisine and it’s sure to fill up the empty stomach. I was disappointed with the chai…but I guess I’m used to the super sweet tea served at Naan in Curry on Telegraph. So, I’m always expecting my chai to be sweet….still, I can always add sugar. Mark’s India coffee smelled great. I didn’t want to sip any of it. I didn’t want to stay wired and awake that evening.
One more…my Medill tuition covers a temporary membership at the National Press Club. The students in the newsroom decided to do the Pub Quiz last Thursday night. My team - “Three Blind Mice” - won four “Bowl Appetites”. Yum…the losing teams won $50-bottles of bourbon…something about being “first cask”. Ok…so before the Press Club - Mark and I wanted some happy hour grub. Lauren recomended Finemondo on Fth Street. The drinks were full price but they had 1/2 price appetizers and sandwiches. I had the salmon sandwich with arugola, roasted peppers and goat cheese. The half-sandwich covered a medium-sized plate. Another light and filling dish. It was an old crowd by the bar…so, when the old people strolled in, we shoved off for the Pub Quiz.
