Nomadic Month of May, Part 2: Washington, D.C.

Next stop on my nomadic month of May was Washington, D.C. My friend Shelby (from Portland) was in the town working and said that I could crash with her and her cats for the week. I made this week about food trucks and repeat visits to some favorites.

FOOD I ATE // PLACES I WENT

White Tiger: [website]
Shelby and I kicked off my week with some Indian food at White Tiger. There was not much going on the evening we were there. But the food was delicious. I had the vegetable kofta and Shelby had the paneer. Both were delicious as was the naan bread.

Pour House: [website]
After dinner we walked to the Pour House to watch some of the Celtics vs. 76ers game. And found Bell's Oberon.

Sol Mexican Grill: [Facebook]
My first food truck of the week was the Sol Mexican Grill. For a veggie burrito. I skipped the cheese and sour cream so it was vegan. There was no need for either. Worth a repeat visit in the future.

Pound The Hill: [website]
Shelby and I had a late dinner at Pound The Hill, a coffee shop on Pennsylvania Ave. They have a great dinner menu as well. We split the Tuscan Bread Salad and the hummus plate. That salad was amazing!

Ebenezers Coffeehouse: [website]
I like Ebenezers. It was particularly convenient to Shelby's apartment last year and while I was out on my hunt for a lunch truck, I stopped for an iced coffee. Good stuff.

DC Ballers: [website]
Food truck #2 was DC Ballers, a falafel and fries truck. I went with the falafel side and sweet potato fries. I went with the chipotle may as my dipping sauce, which was NOT a wrong choice. It as delicious with both the fries and falafel.

Founding Farmers: [website]

Return visit #1. Leslie and I went here last year for Sunday brunch. The wait was worth it. Shelby and I planned before my arrival that we would have eat there. So we did. Dinner this time. Without a reservation there was going to be a wait so we hovered in the bar area and scored to chairs pretty quickly.

I love that Founding Farms has vegan options. I chose the vegan meatless bacon burger and it did not disappoint.

sweetgreen: [website]
Before a stop at Whole Foods in the neighborhood, we of course needed dessert. So we hit sweetgreen, a salad and frozen yogurt place. They had a special that week, with blueberrys, agave and graham crackers. Pretty good, though very sweet.

This is a chain in the area, but how many cities have such frozen yogurt chains these days? Lots of them do. And this is a decent one.

Big Cheese Truck: [website]
Next food truck lunch came from the Big Cheese Truck. I've been following them on Twitter for a while and missed trying their food by mere minutes last year. This time I made it before they closed up for lunch. I had the Cherry Glen, which is Cherry Glen chevre with lemon fig jam, and it was delicious.

FYI, there are no substitutions from the menu, I think because they have the sandwiches pre-made and they just grill them in the truck. That helps keep the line moving but I think hurts the hot-off-the-grill freshness. It makes a difference, especially after enjoying so many sandwiches from The Grilled Cheeserie in Nashville that makes them to order.

TaKorean: [website]
Hands down my favorite food truck in D.C. and possibly my all-time favorite. They offer a vegan taco that is simply the best. I will go out of my way to have one of these. It's caramelized tofu goodness.

Sweetbites: [website]
I took my tacos over to Farragut Square and joined a few other hundred people for lunch. It was Food Truck Friday so there were more trucks to enjoy, including my dessert choice Sweetbites, a cupcake truck.

There was a line so I had some time to debate which kind of cupcake I wanted. I chose the Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache. I chose well. The cupcake was just so-so, not dry as some tend to be. But the flavors with the cake, ganache and frosting were delightful.

Newseum: [website]
I had a coupon. That's why I went. The ticket was good for admission for two consecutive days. Which made it totally worth it. I wanted to visit on previous trips to D.C. but with so any free things to do, I couldn't bring myself to spend the money for a ticket. My friend Shelby had coupon for 33 percent off. And it was totally worth the $15 for the two days, and I did need that second day.

Highlights were the 9/11 exhibit, the Pulitzer Prize Photographs gallery and the little tour of the studio for This Week With George Stephanopoulos. (I might have a little crush on George.)

Jimmy T's Place:
Shelby and I went over to the greasy spoon down the block from her apartment for breakfast. It took forever and the coffee was standard, lousy diner coffee. I remember Shelby's breakfast looking lousy and I don't even remember what I ordered...eggs and toast, I think.

Ethiopic: [website]
Alongside Takorean, this is probably my favorite restaurant. It's a must-stop for me in D.C. Not only do I love Ethiopian food, but I love to eat with hands. I pretty much ate an entire vegetarian sampler myself. This place is never bad.

Ted's Bulletin: [website]
We picked up one of Shelby's co-workers who had dropped her keys down an elevator shaft and decided we should do dessert at Ted's. Because dessert there is something special. I had the white russian milkshake. I think I shouted "oh my word" after taking a sip; good thing we were sitting outside. The onion rings were good, too.

Pound The Hill:
I think Pound became my new favorite coffee shop in D.C. Shelby and I had to redeem the breakfast from the day before. If I remember correctly, I had some kind of spinach, egg and feta croissant (not vegan) and some of their yummy coffee. It more than redeemed the previous day's breakfast outing.

Biergarten Haus: [website]
Shelby and I met up with some of the concert crew in the afternoon. I'd been here two years ago when it was brand new and the place was buzzing. Good this time around and not so crowded.

Rita's: [website]
Shelby and I couldn't decide what we wanted for dinner as we walked back home so we decided to do an ice cream tour to see if that would sort out our feelings towards actual food. Starting with Rita's. I had the Red Velvet Italian Ice -- not that great.

Pitango Gelato: [website]
Lucky for us, there is now a Pitango Gelato out by Eastern Market, close to Shelby's place; this is both delicious and dangerous news. Still not "feeling" any of the restaurants in the area, we go for more ice cream. I went with a nutty combination on this visit: the Nicciola (hazelnut) and the Silician Almond. We ended up going hom and making dinner.

BACK TO D.C. I headed back to D.C. after my time in Virginia (recap blog to follow) to catch a cheaper flight to Chicago. But I also got to spend time with Shelby and Russ and catch some of the The National Memorial Day Concert on the lawn of the Capitol Building, before it was called for rain.  The last few stops I made during the Nomadic Month of May included....

Teaism:
Leslie and I popped in here last year for a quick bite. I had a cold dish with tofu that was amazing. This time I tried the Indian Spinach Curry, which was good, but afterward I wished that I had just ordered that tofu dish again.

The Orange Cow:
After my spicy lunch, I wanted something cold. I was in the neighborhood of the downtown Pitango but before I got there, I turned a corner and found The Orange Cow ice cream truck. This was new to me, so I had to try it. I went with the Coffee Oreo. A great choice.

Pound The Hill:
As if I hadn't been here enough in the last two weeks... One more morning was not going to hurt anyone. I kept reading on Yelp and Foursquare about this place's Nutella latte. I didn't try that latte but I did try the Nutella scone with my Americano, and boy howdy, was that thing ever good. Which reminds me. I meant to "google" a recipe for those.

Acqua Al 2:
The dinner winner was this little Italian place by Eastern Market, and I was a winner with the ravioli with pear something or other that they had on special that night.

Pitango Gelato:
Since Pitango was across the street, across the street we must go for dessert. Chocolate Noir and Spicy Chocolate sorbets: the perfect chocolate combination.

And thus ended my time in D.C. and my Nomadic Month of May. It sounds like all I did was eat and drink coffee. Which was mostly true. The rest of the time I was working from home. I didn't spend much time out and about in the city since I had done most of it already.

Nomadic Month of May, Part 1: NYC

I became a nomad for the month of May. My house sold and my new place in Springfield was not available until June 1. So what is a homeless Traveling Auntie to do? Visit different friends in different cities and see what new exciting things she can find. First stop: New York City....

Now, of course I've been to NYC a bunch. I love it so much. But I have a never-ending list of places that I want to try, though this time I did return to a few spots that I love. The first three days of my time in the city I stayed in Times Square with work colleagues for a summit that our organization was holding. I had free time to escape the craziness of Times Square to find less touristy places to enjoy, as is my custom.

PLACES I WENT // FOOD I ATE

The Treats Truck: [website]
A repeat visit. My co-worker Jasmine and I went for a wander and we found The Treats Truck. And I needed a sweet treat: a Rice Krispy treat. So delicious.

Carmine's: [website]
Our first evening was a dinner with board members and staff at Carmine's. One of those legendary restaurants on Times Square, and a place I would not normally go. What I did appreciate about Carmine's is that they have a separate vegan menu that they allowed me to order from.

The Hummus & Pita Company: [website]
The best pita sandwich that I've ever had. They make the pita bread fresh right there. I had the vegetarian pita, with tabuleh, cous cous, chickpea salad and hummus. And free baklava, because I followed them on Twitter and mentioned them; they gave me a passcode. A good lunch stop to remember for the future.

Cafe Grumpy: [website]
I was in the neighborhood (Chelsea) and felt like getting a coffee. I knew where to go -- one of my favorite places. Always good coffee.

Lula's Sweet Apothecary: [website]
I have had Lula's on the brain since I was there in December. And I had to have it at least once while I was in the city. This time I went with cookies & cream. I did not choose poorly.

Vic's Bagel Bar: [website]
I've had Vic's on my list. They used to have a truck. But no longer. So my co-worker and I found the storefront and boy, did the little walk pay off. I had the Mediterranean breakfast bagel and a LARGE Stumptown coffee. All the hype about this place was right.

Jaya Malaysian:
Lunch on Friday after the summit finished was down in Chinatown at a little place that one of my co-workers knew about. I went with the deep friend tofu with Thai sauce, and whatever veggie appetizers that my co-worker ordered for the table.

Artichoke Basille's Pizza: [website]
Rather than eat at Juniors in Times Square with a bunch of co-workers, my co-worker/hotel roommate went to get pizza. She wanted some pizza before leaving the city, and I knew where to take her: my favorite pizza place. We split a wedge of Artichoke pizza and then walked to our dessert spot....

Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck: [website]
Dessert was more ice cream but this time from one of my ice cream trucks, Coolhaus. I had the chocolate chocolate chip cookie with Guinness chip ice cream. Yeah, that was a winning combo.

Joe the Art of Coffee (at Grand Central Terminal): [website]
I spent my Saturday in the city before heading out to Brooklyn to stay with a friend for the rest of the weekend. I needed to start my day with some good coffee and the Yelp reviews led me to Joe. The closest one being in Grand Central. One coffee and one scone purchased, I paused in the main terminal and people watched while I fueled up.

The Green Bean Cafe: [website]
I wandered about Tudor City for a while, found a bench in the shade to finish my coffee and read, then wandered past the U.N. before heading up to the Upper East Side for some museum time. By the time, I reached UES, I was ready for lunch. A search for good veggie food led me to The Green Bean Cafe. I got a Organic Tempeh Bacon BLT sandwich to go. Amazing. So delicious. I will go back to try another sandwich.

The Jewish Museum of New York: [website]
I have not spent much time on Museum Mile. So this trip I decided to check out a few museums while in the city this time. On Saturday the Jewish Museum is free (since it's Sabbath). The store and cafe are not open but you can go to the exhibits for free. I really enjoyed this museum with a good mix of history and modern art.

Juliette: [website]
I made my way out to my friend's in Brooklyn area. He suggested that we try his favorite place for dinner in Williamsburg. Juliette is supposedly a Parisian restaurant in W'burg. I had the vegetarian sandwich on focaccia with Japanese eggplant which was delicious. But our service was awful. I'd go back as long as we didn't have the same waiter.

Spuyten Duyvil: [website]
We walked a few blocks for a post-dinner drink. I did not like my choice.

The Mud Truck: [website]
I headed back into the city for another museum and on my way, I needed coffee. I had a couple places in East Village on my list but they were not open. So I went to the nearby Mud Truck and got myself an iced coffee and croissant. It's nice to know that I can always find the Mud Truck at Astor Place.

Museum of the City of New York: [website]
After stopping by my favorite used bookstore just up from the Mud Truck, Alabaster (where I found a cheap biography on Albert Einstein to add to my reading list for 2012), I jumped on the subway and headed back up to the UES for the Museum of the City of New York.

For $10 admission, I saw a video art installment along with the permanent exhibits. But the best part was The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan. According to the website, it's been extended to July 15. Totally worth the price of admission to have a guided tour through the exhibit and then any additional time you need to go through and look at all the pictures of Manhattan from farmland to present day. Loved it.

Central Park:
I had gotten a late start and didn't have sufficient time for the Guggenheim or the Met. I'll have to do those next time. So I wandered back south through Central Park. It was a Sunday afternoon so the park was bustling with great people watching. Real fun.

S'Mac: [website]
Dinner was vegan mac-n-cheese in the East Village. It was good vegan mac-n-cheese but still not as good as what I had at Kate's Joint nearby in December.

Jane's Sweet Buns: [website]
I read about Jane's in Imbibe magazine that featured the top spots in NYC. This place was included in the list because it makes sweet buns that include adult libations. I got The Old Fashioned and The Rum Runner to share with my friend.

Effy's Cafe: [website]
I met my friend Dawn for lunch up by her work on UES. This was after I became stranded on the subway with my luggage. Ugh. Thank God for cabs. Anyway, she took me around the corner to Effy's.  I had the Hummus Sandwich, which included Spanish eggplant, boiled egg and Israeli salad on 7-grain bread. Best eggplant sandwich I've ever had. I was in heaven. And then there was the cupcake that Dawn got me for dessert: Oreo Cupcake. Yes. And I even had leftovers to take on the train with me to D.C.

My East Coast Tour: Third And Final Stop, Washington, D.C.

Nat'l Portrait Gallery

My third and last stop on my East Coast tour included my friends Shelby and Leslie. Shelby was back in D.C. working for Capitol Concerts (like last year when I visited) and Leslie wanted to join part of my tour so she got her job (with College of Charleston) to book a photo shoot with an alumnus for their alumni magazine.

I arrived on Thursday evening via Amtrak at D.C.'s Union Station. The train ride from NYC to D.C. was about four hours long and went smoothly, other than my constant and annoying cough (sorry to my fellow passengers).

My friend and Shelby's man Russ met me at the train station to walk the few blocks to Shelby's apartment. Russ was in between NBA playoff games and was in town for about 12 hours or so. Good to see him even if but for a few hours.

My first trip to D.C. last year (June 2010) was all about visiting landmarks and being a tourist. This time, it would be about hanging out. And of course I found a website that listed all the food trucks in D.C. [website].

Ethiopic: [website]
Dinner was almost too easy to decide. Last year we found this Ethiopian restaurant and I fell in love. Shelby's apartment this year was even closer to it. How convenient! After Shelby and I made a stop to Rite Aid for cold medicine for me and various sundries for her, we met Russ and her co-worker Michelle there.

I really love this place. The interior itself has some hard edges and brick walls which don't absorb sound well but the food is amazing. And they have plenty of vegetarian options. AND you get to eat with your hands. We ordered two samplers: one meat and one meat-free. Russ and I took to the meat-free mostly. What I liked about the sampler was that there was some spicy and some not so spicy dishes included.

This is a must for anyone willing to try something different. If you like ethnic food, go. If you like Ethiopian food, good. If you like eating with your hands, GO!

National Archives: [website]
One thing I did not see on my tour of D.C. last year was the National Archives. I did not make an appointment and didn't want to stand in line in the 90+ degree heat. Call me crazy. So this year I booked a tour, paid the $1.50 ticket fee online and got my ticket to go to the Archives to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence on Friday afternoon before Leslie arrived.

Booking the tour online is the way to go. I showed up 15 minutes beforehand like the ticket told me to. I got in line and was in the door in minutes while the other line was stretched out the door and had to wait while I and other groups made our way in.

The security guard at the door checking my ticket said, "Only one?" "Yep!" I cheerily replied. I'm quite happy to be doing what I want when I want.

I'm really glad I took the hour to walk over to the Archives, go through security and wait the few minutes for my turn to see these documents. Man, now I feel like a real American. It was really inspiring to the real "John Hancock" and Benjamin Franklin's signature, etc. Really cool.

Teaism: A Tea House: [website]

Leslie arrived! And we were going to meet Shelby for dinner but we were both kind of hungry and needed a snack. Thanks to Yelp we found Teaism in Penn Quarter. I would definitely go back. It calls itself a tea house but it has good food, with vegetarian options.

I had the Tofu Noodle Salad, which had chilled noodles, tofu, scallions, peppers, mint, peanuts with soy lime dressing. Perfectly delicious, light and refreshing.

Zaytinya: [website]

Pretty view, bad service

We met Shelby and Michelle after they finished work. Neither had eaten dinner so we joined them at Zaytinya, a fancy small plates restaurant with Greek, Lebanese and Turkish style food. Both Michelle and Shelby had been here before and loved it. It was a rather long wait for a table inside but there was a settee and chairs available on the patio so we sat there. We decided it was probably a setting used more for guests to only have drinks and not so much food as the service went from OK to horrible as the night progressed.

After my tofu salad, I was not all too hungry. Leslie and I were more interested in trying a drink, appetizer and perhaps dessert as we hung out with Shelby and Michelle. The first server noted that both patio servers would be helping us -- that should have been our first clue. The first server took drink orders and the second server gave great recommendations for the table. Then we barely saw them the rest of the meal. The server's assistant was more helpful than our two servers; she brought us more bread, extra place settings, etc. We even had to wave down the first server to order desserts. When it came time for the check, he just set it down on the table and kept walking without a "thank you, hope it was all delicious." We were not impressed.

We put our money together and paid the bill (I can't remember total, maybe $150) but left ZERO tip. Instead we gave $20 to the server's assistant for her helpfulness and attentiveness. I might or might not have left a zero tip in the past, I can't remember, but this was the first time that Shelby or Michelle have stiffed a server. Michelle sent an email the next day to the manager to explain what happened. She never heard back to my knowledge.

Anyways, the food we had was good but the service left a bad aftertaste. It's a shame.

Ebenezer's Coffeehouse: [website]
I visited Ebenezer's last year on my visit but this time around we were only three blocks down the street. It became the neighborhood coffeehouse for us. And I made it my morning office on Monday morning while still in town.

The coffee is delicious and Leslie and I split an almond croissant, which was a most excellent choice.

Note: They do ask that you spend a minimum for credit/debit cards but will let you use your card for $2 or less if you don't have cash, as I discovered. Had I known that ahead of time, I most definitely would have been sure to have cash. Thanks for the grace, Ebenezer's.

National Portrait Gallery: [website]

I visited last year but it enjoyed so much more this time because I was with a portrait photographer, my friend Leslie. It was so much fun to look through exhibits like Americans Now with her. It was also fun to have my own photographer on hand for the day. She took some different shots all throughout the day and in the gallery.

Pitango Gelato: [website]

I first heard about Pitango Gelato via Twitter last year and took Shelby there for the first time. After our lunch (which was less than memorable so I'm skipping it) and Leslie's shopping spree through H&M, we stopped for an afternoon snack. I mixed the non-diary Chocolate Noir and Crema; twas delightful!

The National Mall:
We took some time in the shade, laying in the green grass of the National Mall, waiting for Shelby to get off work, and trying to decide where to meet Leslie's friend Abigail for dinner. Such prime people watching here! And I was wishing I had brought my running shoes to join all the runners going up and down the mall.

Commissary: [website]
With the help of Yelp and Urbanspoon, we hunted for places in the Logan Circle area for food. ChurchKey was recommended to us but as we roamed the streets waiting for Abigail to catch up, we found Commissary. And I must say it might have been my favorite find in D.C. this time.

Commissary is a "Super Green" establishment, using wind energy credits, recycled materials as furnishings, and use only recyclable or biodegradable materials throughout. They are in the process of certifying all their restaurants with the "Green Restaurants Association." And they are vegetarian friendly.

We waited at the bar for our table and our friend. They had a good selection of beer on hand. For dinner I had the Grilled Tofu, Quinoa, Grilled Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts. It was really good. Maybe a little more than I wanted to pay at $12.95 but it was delicious. And always good to see Bell's on the drink menu.

ChurchKey: [website]

Leslie is a giant

We had considered Birch & Barley, the restaurant below ChurchKey, for dinner but it was a bit pricey. And I was happy with our Commissary choice. But we went back to ChurchKey to peruse their drink list -- and made a few happy choices.

Both Leslie and Abigail had their cameras with them, as photographers sometimes do. And we were approached by some random guy who was with some other random guy who was supposed to be someone, and they were getting on a party bus, and he wanted to know if we wanted to join so that Leslie and Abigail could shoot photos. Like paparazzi. They declined. Instead, Abigail was our paparazzi.

Founding Farmers: [website]
OK, I take it back. Commissary and Founding Farmers might be in a tie.

After strolling past the White House on a Sunday morning, Leslie and I went to have brunch at Founding Farmers. It was more like lunchtime by the time we got a seat. Make a reservation when you go. We passed the time with some coffee from Starbucks across the street and figuring out which bus to take to Georgetown to meet Abigail at the Georgetown Flea Market.

Founding Farmers is GREEN! They are LEED certified and a certified Green Restaurant. Read more here. And they seek out the smallest carbon footprint by gathering food as close to home as possible but also buys carbon offsets when it finds something at a family farm in Chile that needs to be shared. Read more here.

Once seated, we ordered the French press coffee with Intelligentsia and decided to split the "Drag Through the Garden" Pan Scramble and New Orleans Style French Toast (all pictured at the right). That French toast was amazing, simply amazing.

Leslie couldn't stop shooting what she saw on our table. Food is one of her best subjects. And then she gets to eat it. It's a win-win.

Georgetown Flea Market: [website]
We made it up to Georgetown Flea Market. But as we started our browsing, it started raining and all the vendors scrambled to cover up their wares. Sad. We didn't get very far in the flea market. Better luck next time.

Sprinkles Cupcakes: [website]
I couldn't resist a stop at a cupcake shop. After all my sweets in NYC and all. The line at Georgetown Cupcakes (TLC's DC Cupcakes) was ridiculous; there was no way I was standing in line there. But there was no wait at Sprinkles and Sprinkles (Food Network's "Cupcake Wars") is just as "famous" as Georgetown. I broke with tradition and didn't get Red Velvet or Chocolate anything. I had the Salted Caramel and was not disappointed.

Raku: [website]
For dinner on Sunday we all had sushi on the brain. Again, through Urbanspoon and Yelp we found Raku in Dupont Circle. Our find turned out pretty well. Not my favorite sushi of all time (that honor goes to Bamboo in Portland, OR) but it was good. They did have a couple good veggie roll options, which always makes me happy. I had the Veggie Lover Roll and Crunchy Spicy Avo-Q Roll. Both were good and worth the price.

TaKorean: [website]

Hello, delicious taco!

From the Washington DC Food Truck round-up website I found TaKorean, a Korean BBQ food truck with vegan and vegetarian options. Once Leslie finished up at her photo shoot, we headed out to find the moving target for lunch. I had the Carmelized Tofu Taco, vegan style. I could have eaten three more easily but we thought we might catch the grilled cheese truck, too (we missed it). This easily goes in the Top 3 with Commissary and Founding Farmers. I will chase this truck down again next time I'm in town (New Year's this year).

Rita's: [website]
Now, I have a Rita's down the street in Hermitage but there was one nearby Shelby's place so we stopped to pick up dessert on our way home to make a pizza in the oven at home. I had the chocolate and vanilla swirl custard. And I'm glad that sometimes forget that I have a Rita's down the street. I love frozen custard.

***That wraps up the stops and sites of my East Coast tour's final stop in D.C. Now to plan a West Coast tour....L.A. to San Fran to Portland maybe? Who's in?!?!?!