(Above image by Andreas Feininger)


In this small corner of cyberspace I seek only to pass on information about the independent shops and businesses that make our cities unique. I'm quite unfamiliar with this scene or that scene, and I won't pretend to offer the scoop on the latest openings or trendiest hotspots. My writing is based solely on my own discoveries, experiences and reflections as I amble through the streets, searching for places to go. But if my readers know of any fine establishments I've overlooked, by all means fill me in, and I'll do my best to check them out.

Because I spend most of my time in either New York or Washington, D.C., my posts may seem heavily skewed towards these two locations. But I'm always looking for excuses to travel, and will try to hit and report on as many cities as possible. Notify me of the must-sees if I'm about to pay your hometown a visit.

- Matt

Feb 24, 2010

Dining in Southwest



(Top-tier eating: City Zen's interior. Image from https://www.ewatravel.com/)

As I've indiscreetly mentioned (read: shamelessly prostituted) in the past, I intern as a copy editor for The Southwester, a monthly, all-volunteer community newspaper serving the District's smallest quadrant. This week, our belated February issue hits the stands, and therein one may find a comprehensive dining guide to eateries within the boundaries of Southwest and Capitol Riverfont (hitherto known as Near Southeast).

Since many of the entries profile establishments unique to the city and neighborhood - including the renowned City Zen and its newer, more casual counterpart, The Sou'Wester, both helmed by James Beard award-winner Eric Ziebold - I'd like to link to our latest issue here. It's in PDF format, so scroll down to pages 7-9 to read our short takes on all the area's fine restaurants:

The Southwester Dining Guide 2009

Happy browsing, and happy dining.

Feb 13, 2010

The District Java Roundup, Part III



(There's a new café in town. Image from the Washington City Paper.)

It felt good hiking down to the southern quadrants after the snow trapped me in my Foggy Bottom dorm for a week, fomenting cabin fever like I’ve never experienced before. Both Southeast and Southwest appear in this final post wrapping up the series (for now). The tea has been excellent, and the locales interesting. Hope I can repeat something of this sort in other cities after the semester ends.

Big Chair Coffee n’ Grill – 2122 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE – With good reason, District press paid much attention to this café’s opening a month ago. Previously there had been no coffee shop anywhere east of the river, and on a main street dotted primarily with barber shops and bodegas, the community lacked an adequate space to gather, eat and socialize.
Big Chair assumed that role, and both neighbors and neighborhood leaders seem grateful for it. As I sat down to my tea and French fries (a better combination than you might believe), I saw the garrulous barista look towards the door and suddenly cry out:
“Mr. Mayor!”
Making his way to the counter was not our current triathlete, but a solemn, slow-moving Marion Barry. I never thought I’d sit less than five feet from the Ward 8 councilmember infamous former mayor, especially in such a modest room.
The storefront lacks any affectation whatsoever, save a few political posters, and the orange interior barely holds what’s more than necessary – two tables seating four each, a counter with several stools, and a television switched to CNN.
Food stays simple, too – American breakfast and lunch options, conventional coffee variations and about five or six teas. Beverages are quickly served in generously-sized mugs. Food takes some time, an apparent symptom of the new establishment’s growing pains. Many items listed on the menu were unavailable. I eventually settled on the aforementioned French fries, which turned out to be a crisp, greasy and completely inadvertent treat. At times, the vibe seemed to fluctuate between café and luncheonette.
Not bad for a newcomer, and already popular with the locals. Big Chair seems to have success cornered. All it needs to do is pounce.

Hogate's Café – 800 Water St. SW – Long before a bar named H2O impeded its quadrant’s continual development, or its owner was arrested for tax evasion, Hogate’s Restaurant stood as a classic staple on the Southwest Waterfront. Years later, it reopened with the same name in a larger space across the street, encompassing not just several dining areas but also a café on the southernmost side. This is the first location in many years where area residents can fetch a cup of coffee without trekking to another quadrant.
Many tables and narrow booths fill the dim interior and don’t fill up except on the busiest of occasions. A bar with sparse stools serves hard drinks, and numerous televisions are usually switched to sporting events (lots of Redskins). Overall a very relaxing aura. I could see it as a venue for pre-party cocktails.
The wait staff is friendly enough, but moves too leisurely too often. This is fine when a weekend needs to be killed, or mountains of work need to be completed. But distracting cravings usually return faster than a server. It would help if the food was exceptional, but it really isn’t – basic American cuisine, very typical, and slightly above par at best. I’m sure one would find higher-quality courses in the formal dining room, but for a quick bite Hogate’s has very little to offer.
Coffee, I’m told, is good. Tea selection isn’t bad – waitpersons will present the standard box with 6-8 choices. Wireless works well, and I’ve spend whole afternoons working with my editor. (Oh, be sure to pick up a copy of The Southwester off the stands outside. It’s free, and features my reportage.) The café is a decent place that would not have risen above mediocrity had the surrounding neighborhood not been screaming for such a coffee shop for ages. That alone demands my wishes for the best.

Bourbon Coffee – 2101 L St. NW – Dwarfed by federal buildings in one of the remotest, most anonymous areas just south of Dupont Circle, Bourbon’s storefront is easy to miss. Only a miniscule sign distinguishes it from the architectural monotony and less-than-stellar chains up 21st Street. Inattentive eyes wouldn’t penetrate the windows to make out the cozy décor within. An unknowing pedestrian might be inclined to just gravitate towards the familiar green Starbuck’s sign several blocks down.
But entering Bourbon is like stepping from the arctic into the tropics. Its windows look larger from the inside and let in enough sun to make it one of the most well-lit coffee shops I’ve ever frequented. Furniture consists principally of couches and padded chairs, assuring comfort. Rugs add a degree of homeliness, and coffee-themed paintings grace the walls. Jazz plays from a (somewhat out-of-place) flat-screen television switched to a music-only channel.
Bourbon serves Rwandan coffee, which means little to me but sure made the room smell rich. I believe it’s organic, and supports independent African farmers. I found the tea list impressive – a good mix of conventional blacks and herbals, as well as all sorts from eastern nations and three specially-listed organic flavors. I couldn’t imagine ordering anything larger than a 12-ounce cup, but the store offers 16-ounce servings and larger. The menu also lists cider, Mexican hot chocolate and horchata. Sandwiches and fruit salads seem pre-packaged and run-of-the-mill, but the baked goods are far superior. The croissant was the best I’ve had in the District so far.

Side note: A peculiar instance nearly soiled my exchange with the barista at Bourbon. I heard him say that my order came to about $2.60, so I handed him three singles. He looked at me dubiously, and asked for an additional 60 cents. He must be aching for exact change, I thought, but I didn’t have it, and told him so. “If you find 60 cents, let us know,” he said, and put my payment in the register and closed it up. Now I’m the passive type who wouldn’t raise a fuss over such a paltry amount, but thought it unprofessional – criminal, even – to deny me my change. Maybe five minutes later I realized that he must’ve said $3.60 , not $2.60. I apologized and made amends, but miscommunication really ruins server/patron encounters more than it should.

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Here the District Java Roundup series concludes temporarily. I’ll no longer seek out coffee shops to profile and review, since after these posts I have almost more options for hot drinks in this city than my mind can process. But I know I didn’t hit them all. If an assiduous reader wishes to alert me to a favorite shop I may have overlooked, forgotten or otherwise disregarded for any reason, leave a comment and I’ll seek it out. In the future I’ll make a post of reader suggestions that can grow gradually and continuously so long as I keep getting suggestions. Look for it in the future.

Feb 7, 2010

The District Java Roundup, Part II



(Sidamo's outdoor patio. Image, and frame, from http://www.sidamocoffeeandtea.com. One of these days I'll start taking my own pictures.)

Second installment in a series. I’ll probably tackle three more after this post, and temporarily wrap it up next time. But I certainly haven’t frequented every coffee shop in the District – I may have missed some well-renowned establishments – so I’m open to further suggestions, and can always resume Java Roundup whenever the opportunity arises. No reason why this can’t be a living document.

Everything mentioned in my introduction to Part I still rings true.

Sidamo Coffee and Tea – 417 H St. NE – Not far from the bridge, and before where the revitalized H Street Corridor really picks up, Sidamo beckons with a modest and fittingly slim façade. Inside looks like any other hip urban daytime joint, but something distinguishes this one from the rest. The fact that it is, to my knowledge, the only Ethiopian-style coffee shop in the District says something. (About Sidamo or the city? I’m not sure.) Coffee drinkers tell me that Ethiopian coffee is tasty coffee, Sidamo is number one on Yelp, and correlation does not imply causation, but we can probably make some connections here.
I last visited on a sweltering summer day (been awhile…) and bought a smoothie, which presumably makes me ill-equipped to provide an adequate review. But after I consume one of the most gratifying smoothies in recent memory, I feel compelled to throw in my two cents. There seemed to be very little seating inside, but I found a spot in the front without a problem. I later found out about a pleasant outdoor area. Décor was modest inside and out, but never lacking.
I need to frequent this shop, and much of H Street in general, far more often than I do. Though I may be late to the game, Sidamo and the neighborhood that houses it appear promising. Hope I haven’t missed much.

M. E. Swing Coffee Roasters – 1702 G St. NW – I’m sure countless State Department officials send their interns here on caffeine errands. This longtime community relic occupies a tight space beneath the Office of Thrift Supervision, on a corner directly opposite the White House portion of Pennsylvania Avenue, making it a prime destination for tourists and government workers alike. A rare nonagenarian business, Swing’s served the Penn Quarter beginning in 1916, bounced around the neighborhood in the latter part of last century, and appropriately wound up as close to the city’s symbolic heart as possible.
Most customers, I would wager, carry their beverages out, but one may sit down on antique-looking stools at the mahogany counter. The setup, along with the vintage photos on the walls, allow for an archaic air to emanate throughout, recalling a time when such family businesses dominated our cityscape (ah, nostalgia).
The coffee, I’m told, is some of the District’s best. The teas are standard middle-high-end brands, decent enough to spend money on if I were passing by. For all the sentimental rusticity, I couldn’t imagine getting too comfortable and working long hours inside, and only luck will assure a seat. You could settle on the metal chairs outside, amid the less-than-marvelous setting.
But the products should taste good. Not a hangout, surely, but a superior option to Starbuck’s for coffee on lunch break or during the commute.

Soho Tea & Coffee – 2150 P St. NW – A ways west from Dupont Circle on P Street, Soho boasts the roomiest shop, with the most seating, that I’ve visited so far. Interesting art and old Charlie Chaplin movie posters decorate the walls. There used to be couches in the corner, but more ordinary seating supplanted those, to accommodate more people – a bittersweet addendum, since the chairs are none too comfortable, but the place can crowd up on weekends.
To my knowledge, the best selection of teas, and by far the most multicultural in the city. Here I first tasted Assam and Zimbabwe, both excellent. Prices seem steep, but I couldn’t ask for more voluminous mugs. I haven’t yet tasted the sandwiches. The pastries and sweets are decent – once when I ordered two (cherry and lemon something-or-others), I found them difficult to finish. According to a sign at the counter, they demand a $5 minimum charge to use their wireless service. Understandable notion, but it seems pretty draconian. Yelp commentators are certainly unhappy about it.
Despite these minute shortcomings, Soho has become my regular haunt. Proximity helps, and as an unemployed college student I can settle there at times when it’s nearly empty. The staff stays warm and unobtrusive, and the music, ranging from jazz to 90s pop, never gets distracting. I’ve read, worked and met people here, and my taste buds have been satisfied. A fine environment all around.

Soon I’ll venture out of the northern quadrants, and hopefully across the river, to investigate two of three more coffee shops to wind up this series. Check back for write-ups two very new establishments in two promising neighborhoods.

Up next: Hogate’s Café, Big Chair and Bourbon

Feb 6, 2010

The District Java Roundup, Part I



(Tryst's interior, unusually empty. Image from purpleplaylist.wordpress.com)

The snowfall that indiscriminately blanketed the District these past few days got me to thinking about hot drinks. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I love tea and cocoa – beverages easy enough to prepare on my own, but nice to occasionally order in a cozy enclave surrounded by people my age.
Even though right now I’d have to traverse what looks like some post-apocalyptic landscape from Cormack McCarthy’s psyche to get to one, this city houses some top-rate coffee shops. After all, a metropolis saturated with youngsters demands environments where they may gather, loiter and lose themselves in their laptops. The following list comprises some popular District java cafés and their finest attributes.

It bears repeating that I am not a coffee drinker. I’ve never finished a full cup in my life, so for this list I judged more on price, comfort and ambiance – factors nearly as important, for these establishments, as the coffee itself. Though I suspect the selection and quality of teas and other hot drinks might reflect the selection and quality of the eponymous product.

Big Bear Café – 1700 First St. NW – Eckington, the neighborhood next up for gentrification and currently stuck in the checkerboard phase, saw its first visibly lucrative business open in 2006. Big Bear attracts young professionals and graduate students who’ve flocked to the area, and in its three-and-a-half years in operation grew from obscure hideout to neighborhood staple.
Inside, distorted Velvet Underground guitar riffs often ooze from the PA over abstract expressionist paintings, beneath which patrons sip Counter Culture Coffee, courtesy of a Nicaraguan-based company that stresses fair trade and sustainability. The staff serves drinks quickly and organic sandwiches slowly. If the tightly-packed tables crowd up, as they’ve been doing more and more frequently, one can sit outside where a housing development across Florida Avenue reminds anyone who cares to notice of the area’s quite recent indigent past.
Sometimes the staff will set up a project to play a film on the wall (camp horror on my Halloween visit). Servers are friendly but not garrulous. Generally customers will keep to themselves, either to spend hours talking within their own groups or working on their Macbooks. Five dollars can buy a sizeable pot of Chinese tea – very tasty tea that previously I had only bought in upscale Chinese restaurants – and all the time in the world to sit around doing whatever.
When no traffic impedes the view one may look across the street at locals sitting on benches before their federal housing. They’ll look right back at the young, more elegantly-dressed people relaxing in the coffee shop. The two parties will be spending the rest of their respective afternoons in vastly different ways.

Tryst – 2459 18th St. NW – The lounge that Big Bear usurped. Dim interior, bluish rectangles glowing on the cushioned seats haphazardly arranged around low tables. Loud jazz or indie music plays from the speakers. Or, on rare occasions, from a live group of musicians. It is difficult to find an empty seat – one must get close to one’s neighbors, even if they interact not once due to the loud music, stifling crowds, or work/studies to attend to.
Which is everything one seeks in their cool coffee shops, no? Up to the beholder, I presume. From behind the counter come moderately-priced drinks and pastries. A full bar goes into operation during the evenings (I believe that, after a certain hour on weekends, the staff begins carding at the door). It fits in marvelously into the Adams Morgan environment – busy into the morning hours, attracting its share of studious loners, rowdy carousers, and with-it scenesters. An ideal place to either begin or end an eventful evening.

Mid City Caffé – 1626 14th St. NW – I couldn’t begin to speculate as to what accounts for the two f’s. Marketing tactic suggesting distinction? Anyhow, this small space tucked above a modern furniture store filled a serious void in Logan Circle – Busboys and Poets would be the only comparable business close by, and I always considered that more a restaurant than a coffee shop.
Easy to miss, Mid City lies up a flight of bare steps, inside a bare room. It always elicited a somewhat incomplete aura for me – maybe it’s the white paint, white tiled floors or unadorned seating. It appears as if the contractors just left. Anyhow, it isn’t very bothersome. If you can find a seat in the two tiny rooms that quickly fill up, things are never all that uncomfortable.
I had only a small selection of teas to choose from, and when I ordered an additional cookie my bill got out of hand. But everything tasted delicious, and I could read undistracted on a seemingly foreboding, but actually rather pleasant, wooden bench. Indie folk music on the speakers never plays hard on the ears.
Not material for a regular haunt, but a place to go when in the neighborhood and seeking coffee, especially to spend time alone.

Well, I'm dead tired. Time to get away frrom the keyboard tonight. I still have many more coffeshops to profile, however, so check back soon.

Up next: Sidamo, Soho and M.E. Swings.