Culinary delights of Washington, D.C.

Half the reason for our recent trip to America was to visit friends in D.C.  Photos for our gallery or facebook will have to wait until Dani gets back, but I thought I’d share a few thoughts on eating in Washington:

  • Tyler Cowen knows what he’s talking about.  The complete version of his dining guide in a single page is here.
  • I ate buffalo (okay, okay. “american bison”) for the first and second time.  The first was in the wonderfully thought out food hall of the National Museum of the American Indian.  The second was in the form of a burger on the rooftop terrace of one of our friends.  Good times.
  • The cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake are delicious (and well worth the wait in line), but they’re not quite as good as those from the Primrose Bakery here in London.
  • The sandwiches at Dean & DeLuca are pretty damn fine.
  • The burgers at Ray’s Hell Burger (how do they not have their own website?) are utterly incredible.  I can have my burger au poivre?  With Foie Gras?  My mouth is watering just remembering it.
  • Be careful that the Ethopian restaurant you choose doesn’t slap you with $6 + tax + tip cokes (it was in the fine print of the menu).  Nevertheless, you’d be crazy to miss some Ethopian while you were there.
  • The crab cakes in Annapolis, MD are the perfect excuse for a day trip.
  • But hands down, the best food I had in D.C. — our friend Maria’s pasta aside, of course — was at Thai X-ing.  It is one guy in the basement of a house.  It’s freaking tiny and easily the best Thai food I have ever, ever eaten.  Here are two photos that I took on my phone (Click on each for a bigger version.  I apologise for the poor quality – the iPhone 3G only has a 1 megapixel camera and the receptor is hardly impressive):
    The kitchen at Thai X-ing

    Dani and Maria at Thai X-ing

    We somehow managed to fit eight people in the space behind Dani and Maria (the bird cage was moved). The cooking is really slow, so the thing to do is to place your order the day before you go if you’re going to eat there. Unbelievably cheap. I refuse to recommend a single dish.