Lunch at Franklin's

Back to Franklin's.  A celebratory (but kind of sad) lunch.  But there was nothing sad about The Vulcan Mind Meld -- Primanti Bros. Style.  Pastrami, corned beef, pickle slices, Swiss, provolone, slaw, skinny fries, hots, tomatoes, and Thousand Island dressing on toasted marble (rye/pumpernickel).  For $12 I got this enormous sandwich that I somehow managed to finish.  And then I wanted so so badly to take a nap.

I almost got the Cherry Glen Goat Cheese salad, which had DUCK.  Apples and walnuts and other stuff too, but duck confit?  Puhleeez people.  I just didn't feel much like lettuce today.  More like slaw.

EGM didn't want to stray far from her ordinary course--merguez mini burgers with tzatziki.  Service was great, as per usual, and our sodas were kept super filled.  Like our bellies.

Franklin's
5121 Baltimore Ave
Hyattsville, MD
Metro: Red line to Rhode Island Ave or Green Line to College Park, then a Metrobus that gets you to Franklin's on Route 1.  There's gotta be a few.  Or drive!  Parking in the lot next door is 25 cents per hour--major bargain compared to the meters in Arlington.

Ichiban Sushi

Where do you meet a sister staying in Annapolis?  You need an in-between kinda place, like Bowie! I even told my sister about how it's BOO-ee, not Bowie like David. 

The Yelp on this was mostly good, with a few not-as-positive, something about when the switch occurred from hole-in-the-wall sushi joint (good) to pricy "bistro" with the renovations (not as good). 

The seaweed salad was delightful.

My sister had the Tum Yum Goong soup, a spicy lemongrass broth with shrimp, knotted noodles, and baby bok choy.

Roll-wise, we shared the Alaska (salmon, avocado, cucumber), the Dragon (eel, cucumber, avocado), and the Spider (crab, cucumber, scallion).  The Spider was big and crunchy, probably the crowd favorite.  But I could also eat any eel roll all day long.  Mmm, slithery. 

We liked it! The service was a little iffy--I was asked if I wanted anything to drink before I opened a menu, so I said I wasn't sure yet.  The server returned about 5 seconds later to ask me again.  Also, he kept asking me if I wanted more water then going away with my glass for a while.  Come back!  Thirsty over here! 

I know almost nothing about most out-of-Beltway eats, with the exception of some Annapolis fare.  But you have to take risks, you know?  Also, Bowie Town Center has tons of stores and stuff, so some pre- or post-sushi shopping is definitely in order.  Dairy Queen makes a fine dessert.

Ichiban Sushi Asian Bistro
3921 Evergreen Parkway
Bowie, MD

Friendship (Heights) Friday

I'm having a personal dilemma about whether or not I should get the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment from Amazon or Crate and Barrel.  Notice the $20 difference, then combine it with the fact that I have C&B gift cards, so it would be "free."  But wouldn't it be better to pay less for the item and use the C&B for something else?  Perhaps presents for upcoming weddings, and additional table linens that I neither need nor have the proper table for?

Enough of my boring problems, let's get down to the week:

Yet ANOTHER Whole Foods opened in the Bethesda--Georgetown Corridor.   We Love DC, Mango & Tomato, and Two DC all checked it out on preview night.  We went the next night to check it out and pick up dinner.

I feel strongly that all supermarkets should have mushroom displays that show them in their natural habitat.

 Burger area - mmm bison!!!

 We headed to the Shish area. As in, kebab.

Lamb kofta with tzatziki, veggie salad, and stuffed grape leaves.

Beef shwarma with tabbouleh (thumbs up!) and rice.

Pretzel roll.  I couldn't help it after thinking about this  and this for a while.  

MacarONs, silly WF.  MacaROONs are our coconut friends.

Towers of sweets!!!  Macarons of all flavors and colors!

 Caaaaandies!  Not sure who Sandra Boynton is, but I bet her quote is right above there...

The bear-filling station.  Adorable.

BTW, I meant to share this with you earlier: an article from the Kitchn (via T) about how the name Whole Paycheck may be a tad unfair sometimes, depending on what you are getting.  I had a nice time at the new Foods.  It was packed, and the place was huge and full of treats and fun that Clarendon (and teensy River Road) can only dream about.  The only thing I really wanted but didn't get was a popsicle.  I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities this summer to wander over for dessert (or a post-run frozen treat!). 

Also, I made these cookies from State Dinner tonight, and yummmm.  Thanks @ElyssaK!

So I only have one baking sheet that fits in our new (smaller) oven.  Instead of baking in two shifts, I put a few in a large muffin sheet.  They came out just fine, in their own special shape.

Enter the cream cheese filling....

Now that I've gone on and on, here are a few notable links from the week:  Selling babies for beer.  Toasted coconut chocolate chunk cookies from Eat, Run, Read.  I like these little caviar topped apps from Mango & Tomato (especially the semi-homemade nature of it--good for a hostess with little time).  How about those hoe cakes at Art & Soul (and how about Angela for passing the notoriously difficult California bar?!), from I Flip For Food. I want to go to Pies 'n' Thighs just because of the name, from The New York Times. 

Enjoy the weekend people, whether you're in town visiting the newly named Andean bear cubs or heading out of town for a little foodfest.

Jungle Grille

I may not have easy access to happy hours or food trucks, but I've got a few things.  Namely, Franklin's and Jungle Grille.

I adored the homemade chicken salad on a wrap with sprouts, cucumber, lettuce, and tomato.  Pick all the crunchy toppings you want and make up your own sandwich--I did!  The chicken salad is herby and creamy, and did I mention that it's warm?  Warm (not hot) chicken salad, cool crunchy vegetables, and darn was I a happy gal.  I'm not sure if the photo does justice, but the size of this thing was pretty unbelievable.  I was preparing all day for JG, but I have to be honest--afterward I felt a little remorse for finishing.  Just tooooo full.  The pickle wasn't my favorite.  I rarely find a worth sandwich-side pickle.  Too floppy.

And that's my Nantucket Nectars (Half & Half) in the background, along with a giant cup with ice in it (soo thoughtful, a nice touch!). 

And HOMEMADE potato chips! These suckers are a cross between chip and wedge--they aren't really "crispy," but the opposite of that is NOT soggy, it's potato-ey.  Scientific word, look it up.  I loved these chips (and I'm not the only one).  One order is enough to share, so bring your buddy.

E enjoyed the chicken teriyaki with pineapple--she says it was tasty.  I can't deny or confirm because I didn't taste it, and I didn't even take a picture!  How is that possible!

Jungle Grille is a friendly place with a broad and delicious menu (and fro yo), but if you want, just go back and get the same thing every time.  It's not that they are reinventing the culinary wheel, it's just that in that area, most of the food is barely edible.  And that's why I bring my lunch 99% of the time.

The decor is a little odd, but not everything is about looks.  The soundtrack alone can woo you; we were constantly entertained by the mix of 80's and 90's pop that was played; we actually stopped our conversations and looked around, as in, "Really?  This song?"  Gooses.


Jungle Grille
8145 Baltimore Ave
College Park, MD
Metro: You can Green Line to College Park and take a bus.  Or drive.  It's in a strip mall with lots of other stuff, it took me a few minutes to find it!

Volt

Squeeee Top Chef restaurant trip!!!!  One of us had a plan to go to our favorite cheftestant's restaurant earlier this winter, but it was foiled.  Bryan Voltaggio was a close second, and his restaurant is a heck of a lot closer.  So off we went to Frederick with a pair of our most adventurous friends. 

I made the reservation over the phone--although OpenTable says that you can only book 30 days in advance, click at midnight of what would be the 30th day, and alas, it is booked.  You have to call (at least for now).

There are three (or really FOUR including the bar) areas in which you may dine:  a main dining room where you may order a la carte; the chef's dining room, where you are offered a 6 course tasting menu; and Table 21, where service includes--you guessed it--21 courses.  I know you're rushing to pick up the phone, but when I called T21 was booked through 2011.  Don't sigh with sadness just yet. Follow the chef on Twitter; he sometimes shouts out about last minute T21 cancellations, and a spot for 2 or 4 might just open up for you!  Just beware of weekday evening traffic up 270.

I'll run through what we had and then sum it up tastefully at the end.

The amuse--ahem, I mean chef's canapes--was a trio; a light crunchy poof of celeriac, a sunchoke soup (a fancier word for soup, but bear with me, it was liquid), and tuna confit on the right.  All different, all delicious.  This place is texture-tastic, as you'll continue to see.

  

Next, shiitake veloute with chili oil, basil, and pine nut sabayon.  Smooth.   Rich and delicate, at the same time.  We wanted to buy some jars of it before we left, but there were none available.  : (

  

Next course was a choice between a snake-shaped foie course that actually tasted like chocolate (I'm not kidding at all) and the goat cheese ravioli, which is what you see below.  The ravioli had some serious savory but sweet going on, with butternut squash and sage brown butter complimenting the still-firm pasta.  More!

Ever had fish that tastes like meat?  This shad (sitting on farro) has a dusting of dehydrated bacon, and the dish just doesn't taste like fish!  It's meaty and well-seasoned, and if you got a larger serving of this alone, you'd leave satisfied and convinced (aka, you'd "drink the Volt Kool-Aid").  The orange you see is carrot, and please, feel free to drag your fork of food along the various bright-colored purees that adorn these stunning dishes--it will never lead you astray.

NEXT:  I know, you're feeling full already.  BBQ pork shoulder with cannellini beans, glazed turnip, and pickled mustard.  If you like tender meat that falls apart at the fork's touch with flavor that makes your tongue write you a thank you note at the end of the night, then you like this dish. 

When J saw the bright colored fillings on these mashed potatoes, his first thought was HAMANTASCHEN.  After all, it was Purim.  But no, those were mashed potatoes, and although the one with the golden raisin filling was my favorite, they were not the star of this plate.  That would be the beef strip loin.  You know I'm not a big red meat person, and not really a big steak person--I'm the one who orders blackened salmon at Ray's the Steaks!  It's a texture thing, and it's part of the aftershocks of my former vegetarianism.  NO LONGER!  This piece was delicious, and I'd gladly eat it again.  On a daily basis.

White chocolate ganache, shaped into S-curves and chocolate ice cream, yummmm. 

 

We thought our meal was over, but these itty bitty ice cream sandwiches came out--dark chocolate, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip---yum!

  

Swiped credit cards returned, we had one last gift--wrapped up lemon poppy muffins.  J generally isn't a huge fan of lemon (or poppy, for that matter) and he enjoyed his muffin.  ME TOO!!!

 

The waiters wear suits and Chucks (are you listening, fashion police?).  The wine (we did the pairing) was spot on and delicious, the sommelier quite cheerful. The place is modern and sleek without being sterile; it's comfortable, it's fun, and best of all it's unpretentious.  The bar has awesome lights, comfy and funky couches, and a TV that went from playing the Olympics to showing a view of the kitchen.  On this particular evening Chef Voltaggio was in the house, and in the Chef's Dining Room you can watch him (and everyone else) work--I was a little starstruck, but I held it together.

This is one of the best meals I've ever had.  I liked everything, and I'd have each and every dish again--you wouldn't even have to twist my arm.  Now my "Before We Move Away" list includes Minibar, The Inn, and Table 21.  Not so good for the wallet.

Have you been to Table 21, Minibar, and/or The Inn?  What reigns supreme in this town (and its nearby surroundings, of course)?  Any of these, Komi, Citronelle?  CityZen?

I leave you with the view from our table.

Volt
228 N. Market St
Frederick, MD
Metro:  Take the closest line to your house to your friend's house who has a car.  Ta-da!

Franklin's

First, SORRY to all the Google Reader subscribers who saw a Franklin's post the other day and got super excited, only to see it blank--I published by accident and even though I deleted it, I cannot control the feed.  AHHHH I AM OUT OF CONTROL. Please accept this apology, and this internet hug as token of my affection ::hug::

Ahem.

I drove past Franklin's in downtown Hyattsville literally hundreds of times before having lunch there recently.  And now I can't wait to go back!  Preferably after work-hours though, because by the way, this place is also a brewery, and the brewer, Mike Roy, started last month--he's blogging here.  On this particular lunch day I went for Franklin's root beer--not particularly fizzy, but a nice change from the old brand and name.  If it's local, I want to try it.


First E had a cup of chili.  I tasted it, and it was just delicious.  Really flavorful, not spicy, and filled with veggies and beans. 

Next came the sliderfest--I had a seasonal special: Chinese Barbecued Duck Sandwiches.  Three little sandwiches (on the most delightful cornmeal crusted buns) with shredded duck drenched in hoisin barbecue sauce. I LOVED that this wasn't one big ducky sandwich, because something shredded and saucy would have turned the bread into a soggy mess.  And there were THREE, so I could trade one with E for one of hers.   My shoestring-type fries were pretty good, but they weren't super hot.  I could see how piping hot they would be awesome, though.

E got the Nickel Curves--3 housemade merguez burgers, or lamb sliders, topped with tzatziki.  Super yummy lamby flavor, and a major texture shock after eating my sandwiches.  I was transported to a place quite Mediterranean, and if I made a giant bowl of Israeli salad I'd love to serve these little gems at my house. 

This place gets a big lunch crowd, but there's plenty of space.  Check out that upstairs!  With the TVs and everything!  And by the way, there's a "general store" connected to it--knick knacks, toys, tchotchkes, and also wine & beer.  And I spied this across the street, knitty friends.

Options in this area are slim, but if you work in the area or it's in between a friend's place and yours, definitely go to Franklin's.  There are at least half a dozen things on the menu I'd like to try next time--I should bring some friends. 


Franklin's
5121 Baltimore Ave
Hyattsville, MD
Metro: Red line to Rhode Island Ave or Green Line to College Park, then a Metrobus that gets you to Franklin's on Route 1.  There's gotta be a few.  Or drive!  Parking in the lot next door is 25 cents per hour--major bargain compared to the meters in Arlington.

Cuba de Ayer

I'm sure you've gone to Cuba de Ayer for lunch after all of your curling excursions.  If not, you should go!  Honestly, I wasn't sure where to dine on this outer-beltway excursion, so I did what I always do:  ask the Washington Post.  I'm not sure I've ever had Cuban food (I can hear the clucking of my Florida friends from here--I'm sorry!!!), but I've been meaning to go to Cubano's in Silver Spring for a while--it just hasn't happened yet.   

First we shared the two orders of the papa rellena and tostones rellena.  The first is a lightly breaded stuffed potato with beef filling, the second came with 3 fried green plantains, again stuffed with beef.  These were both super tasty, but J liked the papa rellena better.  If these were hors d'oeuvres at a party, I'd totally fill up on them and not bother with dinner.  

 

For lunch we mostly got sandwiches, except for one veggie platter.  The sandwiches clocked in at about $7, and they were pretty huge.  SOME people couldn't finish theirs, but I had no issue (as per usual).  Curling can really work up an appetite, people.  I enjoyed the pan con ropa vieja (shredded beef in a tomato sauce on a baguette) and I'd get it again.  We even had a carafe of the very-fruit-filled sangria--if you don't like grape juice-type sangrias, then this one isn't for you.  But we finished it.

For a quick & cheap meal Cuba de Ayer really hit the spot.  Spelling sticklers, I apologize in advance.  The menu is rife with error.

Cuba de Ayer
15446 Old Columbia Pike
Burtonsville, MD
Metro:  You gotta drive.


Burtonsee6

Indique Heights

While in Boston with my sister a while back, the two of us enjoyed lunch at an Indian buffet.  I think that's why I felt like we should have Indian cuisine together on her recent visit!  Also, eating with actual family is like eating with M & F or J & J - SHARE CITY!!!!

We had never been to Indique Heights, but we did go to Indique in Cleveland Park...err maybe 4 years ago?

Enough background, on to the food.  The Street Snacks are where it's at--you can even see pictures online, although really, it doesn't do the taste justice.  Let's do a rundown:

Papri chaat: AMAZING!  My favorite dish.  it was a yogurty, chutney-y, creamy delicious happiness in a bowl, with some chickpeas, crisps, and potato pieces thrown in for interest.  I made sure to scrape the sides of the dish before I let anyone take this away.

Vegetable samosa chaat: Mmmm, yummy.  And pretty!  Sort of half-deconstructed samosa, easy to share.

Syrian lamb fry:  Super tender boneless lamb cooked with cardamom, cloves, fennel, cinnamon, and ginger.  A really great flavor combo, and the texture was yum.  And visually, there's nothing quite like a pile of meat!

Chicken mini-dosas: This crepe filled with a finely chopped chicken mixture was delicious--the chicken wasn't at all evenly distributed, so if you try to cut this up and divide it among the group some people will get an empty piece of pancake.  The chicken filling was a little spicy, super flavorful, and I could probably have two or three of these for dinner any night of the week.  Table shot!

Saffron malai kabab:  Superduper tender chicken breast chunks marinated in yogurt, cream cheese, and saffron.  Really yummy, the chicken definitely melted in your mouth, and most importantly, it came to the table piping hot.  I thought the saffron flavor was pretty light, but that may be best--the most expensive spice in the world is pretty potent!

Dal makhani:  Mmm, lentils in the tomato/garlic/ginger happiness, apparently simmers in the oven overnight.  A perfect complement to the paratha and chicken.

We had the perfect amount of food for the three of us--not a bite was leftover, and we were too full for dessert, but we didn't need any wheelbarrows or helpers to get us home.

The service was--well, I guess one word is attentive.  But maybe too attentive.  Our server re-filled water glasses after almost every sip we took.  He came back to our table two or three times to see if we were ready to order while we clearly had our menus open and were discussing our options (and we didn't do this for a longer-than-normal time).

And then there was the staring--I'm not a fan of staring, generally.  Servers who were not otherwise engaged stood at the stand with the computers (where they print the checks, etc) and chatted while staring at patrons.  If you're going to stand around and talk, do it somewhere else.  Or at least look at EACH OTHER.  People do not like being watched while they are eating!  REALLY.  WE DO NOT.

I guess if we weren't sitting in view of that waitstaff stand then we wouldn't have had this problem.  We were straight into the restaurant from the hostess stand and then on the right.  The place is huge, but it was mostly empty on a Friday night.  So when you visit (and you should), ask to be seated somewhere else!

My only other complaint is that the restaurant can be hard to find.  You have to take the escalator upstairs at the little bus pavillion by the Friendship Heights Metro, and there's a small sign advising you of that. But then you go into a building that looks like a bunch of doctors' offices, and you think hmmm where did we turn wrong?  Walk straight past the reception area for the office part of the building and the door to the restaurant is on the left. 

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Indique Heights
2 Wisconsin Circle
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Metro:  Red Line to Friendship Heights