Italian – Grazie Mille

Trendy and chic, Grazie Mille, located behind its sister venue, Grazie Nonna, is already a hit amongst locals. Low lighting, invigorating tunes, and an opulent décor create a fun and energetic vibe at this bar/restaurant. For a dreamy vegetarian dish to pair with one of their sensational drinks, try the stracciatella. Served with sweet, garlicky roasted tomatoes and a hunk of chewy bread, the creamy cheese is sinfully good. As noted, drinks are great; I recommend the Vatican, a bright, boozy martini, as well as a glass of their rose Lambrusco. Gather with friends at the bar or in their cozy circular booths over drinks, drinks and snacks, or a full-on dinner – just be sure to get the stracciatella!

Mexican – Amparo Fondita

This long-awaited Mexican spot is officially open in Dupont Circle, and reservations are already getting booked up. Come to Amparo Fondita for the herbed guacamole and margaritas, and stay for the decadent corn quesadillas stuffed with cheese and huitlacoche, the potato and chard tacos, and the chile relleno, doused in a spicy tomato infused salsa frontera. For dessert, don’t skip the luscious, coffee-flavored flan.

African – Almeda

Located in the same spot as former hotspots Himitsu, Pom-Pom, and Little Vietnam, Almeda serves up a small but delightful menu with a memorable vegetarian jollof rice risotto, which is warm and creamy, topped with crunchy peanuts for texture and pickled plantains for a tart note.

Vietnamese – Muoi Tieu

Formerly a food truck, Muoi Tieu moved into their Takoma Park brick and mortar in late 2023 and just recently opened their doors to the public in January 2024. Muoi Tieu is another new restaurant offering vegetarian dishes packed with flavor. The menu is mini but with several tempting vegetarian items, including crispy, savory spring rolls filled with shiitake mushrooms, crispy cabbage, lettuce, slivered carrots, sweet jicama, and fresh herbs. From there, try the steamed rice cakes topped with tofu, a turmeric-infused vegan crepe filled with mushrooms, or the vegan pho.

Spanish – Casa Teresa

Feast on all the veggie tapas at Casa Teresa, which range from garlicky Catalan tomato bread, grilled veggies served with a nutty Romanesco sauce, piquillo peppers, crispy and addictive patatas fritas, roasted eggplant drizzled in a sherry dressing. Pair your dishes with a sherry or vermouth from the extensive list or a bottle of Spanish wine.

D.C. Restaurants with Vegetarian Dishes: Practical Tips

Maybe you’re already a vegetarian, or perhaps you want to eat more vegetarian dishes while dining out. Here are some tips: For a seamless vegetarian dining experience, start by identifying vegetarian options on the menu, often marked or in a separate section. If you need help, ask the staff about ingredients and see if they can make any substitutions. Happy veggie eating!

The post New D.C. Restaurants with Vegetarian Dishes That Will Make You Keep Your Resolutions appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

While DC has a plethora of tapas restaurants, Calle Cinco brings a different vibe to DC’s tapa scene. Small, cozy, and romantic with a small food and drink menu, it is a departure from the huge, rowdy tapas venues like Boqueria, Jaleo, and Barcelona Wine Bar. This is a place where you can have an intimate conversation over a bottle of wine and a series of small bites.

The Tapas

The menu at Calle Cinco may be small but is full of delicious gems. Between two of us, we had eight tapas and we were stuffed. I highly recommend starting with the pan con tomate. It’s just bread with tomatoes but the bread is super crunchy and drenched in fruity olive oil, and the tomato spread is infused with garlic and herbs. It’s a fresh, bright entry into your meal.

What to Order

From there, I would get the Spanish olives, marinated in orange zest, and the patatas bravas, which are drenched in a creamy housemade aioli. Setas, wild mushrooms tossed with corn and fragrant hazelnuts was one of the best dishes. It has a sweet-earthy-nutty flavor profile and was one of the heartier, more filling dishes. Piquillo peppers were also a hit, oozing with creamy goat cheese. I always recommend a cheese plate, which comes with crunchy bread and jam. Extra bread is always available if you need it!

The Drinks

The wine list is small at Calle Cinco but has everything you need: cava, verdejo, and tempranillo. I do recommend kicking off your meal with a Manhattan or rose sangria, because, well, why not?

The Dessert

For dessert, we loved the churros, which were sweet and freshly fried, served with a creamy chocolate sauce, as well as the crème brulee, lusciously silky and super satisfying.

Calle Cinco: The Verdict

Many DC restaurants are great for groups, and some of the more romantic ones are really expensive. Calle Cinco is a great date night spot you can enjoy without breaking the bank. It’s technically still a pop-up, so I would check it out before it changes into something else!

Calle Cinco, 465 K St NW, Washington, DC, Website 

The post DC Dining: Tapas & Drinks at Calle Cinco appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

Location:  One of the things that makes Shake Shack Union Station unique is that it is one of the few locations that offers breakfast.  When the powers to be decided to open up shop at Union Station they wanted to cater to the traveling crowd.  That being said, it opens at 7am and it offers breakfast until 10:30am.  No more hangry train/bus trips to New York City!  Just as any Shake Shack it is always packed!  Don’t let the long line scare you!  It moves pretty fast!

Food:  Although I’ve eaten plenty of times at Shake Shack, it was my first time trying the breakfast menu. I had the sausage egg, and cheese sandwich.  They use the same buns as the burgers, sausage is juicy, and the cheese is perfectly melted. Delicious.  The restaurant serves hot coffee but also serves Stumptown Cold Brew.  This cute little carton reminiscent of a chocolate milk carton but it is a delicious cafe au lait. A must try…

The verdict: I know I am preaching to the choir here… but if you haven’t tried breakfast at Shake Shack Union Station, book that Amtrak or Bolt to NYC as an excuse to indulge.  What is your favorite travel eats place?  I’m excited to see what other goodies I can find in airports, hotels, and train stations around the world!

The post Travel Eats: Shake Shack Union Station appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

About Daisuke Utagawa Travel Influences

1. What was your first trip abroad as an adult? What were your impressions?

This is a tricky one. My first overseas trip as an adult was moving to USA (for the second time) from Japan as a Sushi Chef.  My first visit to the US was in 1969 as a kid.  I left the US when anti Vietnam war sentiment was raging (George McGovern was running for the president), and hippie culture was the norm.  I returned to the US in 1983 and the popular culture was completely different, “business / corporate / currier” was the main focus of most people.

My first trip out of the US I think, was to the British Virgin Islands. There, aside from obvious things such as amazing sea and scenery my impression was how different the cuisine was to that of the US. Even though available groceries locally are very similar to what one can find in US, what people did with it was totally different, especially home cooking. Growing up in Tokyo, I was pretty familiar with Chinese and European cooking, but this was something really different, and it made me started thinking about a cuisine as crystallization of a local culture.

2. How does travel inspire the menus of your restaurants? 

Although my restaurants are Japanese restaurants, I learn a great deal from experiencing how other culture relates to the local cuisine. I’m always looking for different thought processes in creating dishes; algorithm, if I’m permitted to call it that. This algorithm is formed by the long process of environment and people arriving at the particular local cuisine. I also have fun trying to figure out the people by what and how they eat. Bringing all that back and juxtapose it to the Japanese cuisine helps me to have deeper understanding of my own cuisine. And incorporating the algorithm – or thought process- to our cuisine where it fits is also fun.

3. You grew up in Japan and travel back there often. What are you must-see places?

• Must “see” places and must “eat” places are often the same for me hahaha. So let me stick to must “see” places.  Saihouji (Temple) in Kyoto. This is one of the most special places on earth for me. It is amazing how a man made garden can really show essence of nature/universe in such a profound way. If you go there, try to empty your mind as much as possible. The temple has 30 minutes mandatory meditative calligraphy session before entering the garden. This helps doing just that.
• Tsukiji fish market. Foodstuff creeping in, haha. The workers in the market are really bothered by tourists, as this place is really meant for professional fishmongers only. Having said that, I still recommend “civilians” to go and check it out before its relocation. One can feel the soulof Tokyo at Tsukiji.
• Marukoma Onsen at Shikotsuko Hokkaido. This is a hot spring spa by Shikotsu Lake in Hokkaido. There is a Japanese saying “inochi no sentaku” which roughly means cleansing of life. I do just that there.

4. From a culinary perspective, which place (Aside from Japan) inspires you the most? Why?

• Burgundy France. The winemaking philosophy of the good wine producers of Burgundy deeply resonates with what I believe in in terms of cuisine and drinks. They are living this philosophy, not just talking about it. (actually most don’t talk, they just do) I have tremendous respect for them.
• Genova /Liguria Italy. How people in Liguria have a deep understanding of the sea and the mountain, and how they approach the ingredients to make dishes.
• Hong Kong. One of the most dynamic food cities in the world. The long history of Hong Kong residents’ obsession with food has created amazing eateries. One table a night private restaurants, food stalls that serve most delicately and expertly prepared dishes, and hidden dim-sum restaurants that use exotic ingredients that are no longer available. And much much more in a small island. I always find something incredible when I go to HK.

  

5. Please share your favorite travel tips.

• To visit Saihouji (Moss garden in Kyoto), normally one must go through an arduous process of mailing them a request to visit together with self-addressed and pre-paid post card and wait for few weeks for reply. But there is sort of a back door….. Hire a local taxi for a day to hit the notable spots in Kyoto, and ask the driver if there is any way to get in to Saihouji. There are usually few slots open due to cancellation, and the drivers have connections. Since Kyoto is a bit spread out, its good to hire a cab for a day to see the sights and hit good eateries anyway.
• Normally arriving in Tokyo from the US, one wakes up very early, say about 5am and very hungry. This is the best time to go to Tsukiji market and hang out a bit and then tuck in to one of the food stalls by 6am.
• I like to drive in Europe, so I would fly in to Geneva and rent a car there. The rental cars in Switzerland are usually cheaper, and in better condition. They also have better selection.
• f you like skiing in Europe and are tired of smart places in the Swiss, Italian and French Alps? Try Austria. Skiing is great, accommodations are warm, welcoming and family oriented, great food, and not as expensive as the rest.
• For outdoor oriented people who are also passionate eater, try Hokkaido. Hokkaido is good for both winter and summer. In the winter, the best powder snow can be found in Hokkaido. In the summer, hiking / camping is amazing. Together with abundant amazing seafood, farmed products and hot springs, it’s a big wonder for me why more international travelers don’t go to Hokkaido. I mean where else can one have an epic day skiing on powder snow all day, then soak in a mineral natural hot springs, then dine on most amazing sashimi? Oh, and Nikka factory in Otaru sells factory only whiskeys that are just amazing…

Big thanks to Daisuke Utagawa for taking the time to answer my travel influences interview (and for the lovely Italy travel tips). We followed his foodie advice in Camogli and had an unforgettable dinner!  Check out his restaurants, Daikaya in Downtown DC and Sushiko in Chevy Chase, MD. 

The post Travel Influences: Daisuke Utagawa appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

Casa Luca DC’s Broccolini with Toasted Pine Nut Pane Fritto & “Pesto”

Blanch the remaining stems for 3 minutes in salted, boiling water and shock in ice water in order to keep their bright green color.  Drain the stems & pat dry.  In a blender, combine the blanched stems, pine nuts, garlic, cheese & olive oil.  Blend until the pesto is smooth & creamy.  Season with salt & fresh pepper.

To finish the dish simply sauté the broccolini florettes with olive oil & garlic for a few minutes.  The stems will turn bright green and the florettes will be soft & tender. Before serving add the julienne of the broccolini leaves.  Spoon a bit of the “pesto” onto the bottom of your favorite serving dish and top with the broccolini.  Sprinkle the pane fritto on top and serve.

Executive Chef Erin Clarke grew up in the local area and has always had a passion for all things healthy.  Aside from being a chef, she has also educated children and family in healthy cooking via different food focused organizations.  I love how she brings out another side of Italian cooking, introducing us to delicious vegetarian and gluten-free dishes.  Buon appetito!

The post Chef Recipes: Casa Luca DC appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

The Scene:  As you enter the space, with its grapevines intertwining in the patio, you can immediately see this place is an oasis in the middle of the city.  Even in a hot muggy day,  you can catch people sitting on the patio catching up over coffees or beers. During the day, the cafe is filled with creatives typing away on the laptops and neighborhood folks coming in and out for coffee. However, there’s a time when the laptops are stowed, the baristas slow down, and food takes center stage:  dinner service.

The Food:  My breakfast favorite is a savory everything bagel with lox and cream cheese.  Their lunch menu changes often.  My favorite, the pastrami is no longer on the menu, but their grilled cheese is just as delicious.  This is the part of Big Bear Cafe that everybody knows.  That being said, I am going to move on to share our recent dinner experience there.

Although I lived around the corner of Big Bear Cafe for over two years and had countless bagels and sandwiches, I never tried their dinner menu.  It took to move a few neighborhoods over to try it.  The kitchen at the cafe is tiny and the daily, date stamped menu has limited items, which truly reflects the vision of using locally sourced products (I once spotted the chef at the farmer’s market buying the greens for the restaurant).

We started with soft shell crab and mussels, two of my favorite seafood items. The soft shell crab was the perfect consistency as you bit into the juicy and salty legs.  The mussels were large and plum and perfect with the accompanying bread.  The dishes were deliciously simple, devoid of any crazy garnishes or presentations.  The main courses were the stars of the dinner: a beautifully juicy pork chop sitting on top of potato puree, mushrooms, and asparagus.  The Dutchman raved about his free range chicken served with fresh sauteed greens and rice.

The verdict:  I believe Big Bear Cafe deliberately does not serve dessert because the main dishes speak for themselves.  All you need to conclude your evening is a nice macchiatto or an espresso and take a stroll on First Street to indulge in real estate porn.  As any special place, one has to share it with the masses.  The dinner service provides a more intimate setting for a date night or a catch up session with friends.  Whether you’re visiting DC or a local, this is a must-eat spot. Have you been to Big Bear Cafe? What’s your favorite time of the day to go? Tip: make reservations for dinner, you can do it via Open Table.

The post Restaurant of the Month: Big Bear Cafe appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

About:  Locally owned &pizza has ten locations in the DC Metro area.  My first experience was at the &pizza at my neighborhood in Brookland.  I quickly became fond of the custom artisan pizzas made swiftly in front of you without losing the flavor.  The employees aka “tribe members” are friendly and animated which makes the experience not only efficient but fun.  When I found out there was a &Pizza DCA location opening, I found a way to get the behind the scenes scoop on the place.

&Pizza

The Scene:  An airport restaurant is a challenge when you have factors as space and security.  The space of &pizza DCA is pretty small with a small eating area but the pizzas were quickly churning out while I was there.  From families to pilots, there was a constant stream of people wanting to indulge in pizza during my visit.  In a high stress environment such as an airport is was refreshing to see employees happily interacting with the customers.

The Food:  Sometimes there’s a disconnect from a menu you see at a restaurant to its airport location, however, I did not see this with &pizza.  My pizza, the Moonstruck pizza (Mushroom Truffle, Roasted Wild Mushroom Blend, Crumbled Goat Cheese, Fig Marsala, Red Pepper Chili Oil, and Cracked Black Pepper) had the same quality as the one I’ve had in their Brookland location.

The Verdict:  It’s refreshing to see airports, train stations, and hotels starting to recognize traveler’s needs for great food.  It’s exciting to see the movement here in DC, especially when locally owned shops like &pizza are able to open locations in both Reagan National and Dulles Airports.  Tip:  The airport locations are the only ones which serve breakfast! 

* I was invited by &pizza to discover their DCA airport location.  As always, opinions are mine.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The post Airport Eats: &pizza DCA appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

When I first heard about STK DC, the first thing that came to mind was a flashy restaurant where people go to be seen. I envisioned aspiring models in 5 inch heels drinking champagne before a night out. In many ways it is that place, however, it is so much more.  However, I recently went there for lunch and experienced a much laid back atmosphere which allowed me to focus on the good stuff:  the food.

The scene: I love a good lunch because it’s an escape from the office.  With a good dish you can be transported to the south of France or return energized from trading ideas with friends.  I did just that with Jessica, a good friend and her son Jack. We started our lunch with a cocktail in the patio and moved indoors to eat.  The lunch scene is much more relaxed than dinner service, perfect scene to catch up.

The Décor:  Although the interior seems to have been designed for evening entertaining, it makes a calm escape, especially on blazing hot DC summer days.  There,  I encountered a combination of working lunches and tourists looking for a foodie escape. The one detail which brings STK DC to life is the bar. With white lacquered adorning the walls, it adds a rock and roll element in the middle of conservative DC.

The food:  Let’s start with the bread.  It was hard to pace myself with the soft and buttery mini loaf served in a cast iron and creamy butter.  Jessica and Jack raved about the tuna tartare so I had to try it. The spicy tuna sits on a layer of avocado and is topped with two large taro root chips. I immediately understood their devotion when I bit into a taro chip loaded with tuna and avocado.  Vegetarians can indulge in fried green tomatoes with white asparagus.  This South Carolina meets Germany starter is also one not to be missed.

With a name like STK DC one feels tempted order the steak. I ordered a skirt steak which came with chimichurri. The steak was juicy, however, I couldn’t help to drool over Jessica’s short rib grilled cheese.  With tender pieces of short rib smothered in melted Danish cheese it’s a nice midday indulgence.  Dining Traveler Tip: discover expensive restaurants at lunch. They usually offer great prix fixe menus for a fraction of what you will pay for dinner.  STK offers a great lunch menu deal with 2 courses starting at $20.

Verdict:  We ended our meal with banana cream pie in a jar and “birthday cake” ( an almond torte filled with cookie dough ice cream and frosted with vanilla butter cream).  What I appreciate about STK DC is that they can make comfort food like a grilled cheese sandwich look and feel sexy in its environment.  Lunch at STK DC is perfect for a midday rendezvous or a business meeting in a quiet space without the stiffness of other establishment restaurants nearby.  Tip: head to STK in the month of June for “drunkin doughnuts”, doughnuts filled with booze. Cheers! 

The post Power Lunch: STK DC appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

The Art:  The Sofitel DC has been partnering up with artists for years in order to keep the décor current and keep guests inspired during their stay.  Ana, an art lover was happy to attend the opening of the art exhibit of Hervé Maury, a French artist whose collection invokes the south of France on April 14th.  The exhibit is not conventional as it is placed along the walls of ICI Urban Bistro and Le Bar.  As you dine, you can take in the playful and colorful works of the artist.  The art is not only an exhibition but available for purchase as well.  Additionally, Sofitel DC is hosting Art Soiree every Friday on the terrace throughout the early summer.  Mingle with locals, indulge in special cocktails, and take in the art.  Note: The of Hervé Maury`s exhibition ends on June 14^th.

The Food:  Chef Franck Loquet brings the colors and the feel of Hervé Maury’s  art alive in his menu.  Despite the bustling sounds of Washington, DC, it is easy to sit at the patio of for lunch and be taken to the south of France via the palate.  The lemon ricotta mousse marries the tartness of the lemon with the ricotta beautifully. The seared tuna with a fennel puree, inspired by the painting “Cohue”.  The puree is simple yet flavorful, harmonizing well with the tuna.  What is a little escape without indulgence?  For dessert, I shared the jumbo macaroon filled with fresh raspberries with my lunch dates.  Biting into the crisp exterior of the macaroon and finding the sweetness of the lychee with the fresh raspberries made me briefly believe I was on holiday.  It is nice to know Sofitel DC ICI Urban Bistro also offers a 30 minute business lunch.  Perfect for a culinary holiday in the middle of the day.

Le Bar:  The Sofitel DC ICI Urban Bistro “Le Bar” brings a mélange of people together at happy hour: tourists unwinding after a day of intense sightseeing, well-suited lobbyists and government employees, and ladies like myself and Lacey from A Lacey Perspective talking blog business.  The bar offers an extensive French dominated wine list but also has an inventive cocktail menu.  The star is the So Bee Mine cocktail made with vodka, Yuzu, Saint Germain, and honey produced at the rooftop of the property.  There is a beekeeper who comes from Maryland to take care of the free roaming bees, who are known to travel as far as the Tidal Basin.

The Verdict:  Need a short escape?  You can experience art, sophisticated simplicity, and an inspiring menu at the Sofitel DC.  Sometimes it’s something as simple as biting into a delicious macaroon that can momentarily transport you to a happy, decadent place.

The post Art & Food: Sofitel DC ICI Urban Bistro appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

All about El Centro DF Menu “Destination Guadalajara”

Cocktails:  El Centro DF menu is known for its creative margaritas and the cocktails of Destination Guadalajara do not disappoint.  The menu has a choice of watermelon infused margarita and the Spiña, a pineapple and serrano infused drink.  I’ve had a thing for spicy cocktails of late.  The Spiña won my heart with the chile laced salt rim and the fusion of the sweet pineapple and spicy peppers.

Appetizers:  The El Centro DF Menu of Guadalajara included shrimp cocktail, plantain empanadas, beef taquitos, and an heirloom tomato salad.  I love plantains (the Puerto Rican in me) and must say I love the innovative way it is employed on the empanadas.  They are filled with cheese (queso fresco) with plum mole.  The flavors went along perfectly.  The winner among my two dining partners was the shrimp cocktail.  They both loved the light flavors, perfect for the summer.  The heirloom tomato salad was ok, it just felt like something that can be easily be made a home.  I love going for more complex dishes that I am too lazy to try at home when eating out!

Mains:  Sometimes  it can be challenging to get a group of people together with different dietary needs in one restaurant.  I enjoyed that the restaurant has several gluten-free and vegetarian dishes.  One of the vegetarian dishes that even carnivores will love are the vegetarian tacos.  They are made with hearty veggies such as mushroom and squash and topped with crispy cheese. Delicious. For the meat eaters, the pork chicharron tacos should be on your list.  The chicharron was nice and crispy but not greasy (tough to pull).

Dessert:  If you have room for dessert (we all had a very small space) go for the churros.  The purists may be disappointed as the churros are not dense but we all agreed that we enjoyed how light and airy they were. The creative dipping sauce of passion fruit in addition to the chocolate was deliciously summery too.

The Verdict:  A must when in DC.  El Centro DF menu continues to evolve without changing what has made this place a local favorite.  Whether it is the rooftop of the 14th Street location or people watching in Georgetown, it’s always a good time.  The friendliness of the staff, the margaritas, and the creative menu is one of the reasons why El Centro DF has been one of my favorites in DC since I moved to the city.  Tip: don’t miss their bottomless brunch!

* Disclaimer: El Centro DF hosted my dinner. As always opinions are mine….

The post Virtual Travel: El Centro DF Menu “Destination Guadalajara” appeared first on The Dining Traveler.