"First we eat,
then we do everything else". -M.F.K. Fisher
To me, food is the very essence of life and culture, and the
cuisine of a certain location can describe much about the culture. However,
when living on an intern budget, it can be difficult to enjoy a good meal
without breaking the bank. Here are my top five places to dine out while here
in DC on a budget.
5. Hill Country
Barbecue Market, DC
On a late Saturday night, Matt, Ana, Luke and I we managed
to stumble into this BBQ joint. While I was personally not a fan of the
overbearing country music, Hill Country Barbecue did a stellar job when it came
to food. Matt, Ana, and I shared the Pittmaster ($28), which came with 1/4 lb
Brisket, a pork spare rib, 1/4 chicken, hot links, and two sides. (We got the mashed
potatoes and mac n' cheese). This was a great deal for a whole lot of
delicious, well prepared meat.
4. Grand Trunk
I was lucky to grow up with a mother who cooked amazing
Indian food often and instilled a passion for cooking and eating at an early
age. So, I must say I am a harsher critic when I go to Indian restaurants.
However, close your eyes. Imagine you have Tom Haverford (Parks and
Recreation), P Diddy, and Kanye West come together to create a new, hip, vibrant
Indian restaurant. That is the perfect way to describe Grand Trunk. When I
visited with my mentor Scott Greytak, I got the Naan chicken burger along with
the garlic fries. While I was skeptical at first, the food passed my standards,
and was an extremely filling meal. Even better-almost everything is less than $10.
3. Honorable mention-
Sonny's Cheesesteaks
While not technically a DC experience, if you manage to visit
Philadelphia during your WAIP experience, you absolutely must visit Sonny's Cheesesteaks. On our WAIP Philly trip, I tried
the Bacon Cheeseteak ($11) with wiz and onions (the authentic Philly way). Yet,
I must warn you, ordering a cheeseteak is not as easy as it is to order other
food. visitphilly.com offers the following explanation.
"Locals have become so adept at this practice that they basically have it down to three words: saying “one whiz with” to the person behind the counter means that you would like one cheesesteak [denoted by the “one”] with Cheez Whiz as your choice of cheese [denoted by the “whiz”] and with fried onions [denoted by the “with”]. Similarly, saying “one provolone without” would secure you a single cheesesteak [one] made with provolone cheese [provolone] and without fried onions [without]. Or saying “two american with” would get you two cheesesteaks both with american cheese and fried onions."
Once you have that warm, delicious, mouth-watering, food-coma-inducing cheesesteak in your hand, the world just seems to move a little slower. In that moment, it was simply me, and that beautiful cheesesteak. As my palate does enjoy a little more spice, I sprinkled a little hot sauce on top, and it made the flavors even more vibrant.
PC @wethewaipers
2. Taylors Gourmet Sandwiches
I'm a pretty simple man. Honestly, I really dislike paying for something that I can do, and I've been making sandwiches my entire life. But there is something about Taylor's Sandwiches that has a flavor that you just can't quite put your finger on. I visited there one Sunday afternoon for lunch, and tried the "South": a hand breaded chicken cutlet with basil pesto, roma tomatoes and lemon basil goat cheese. Quite frankly, I have never had a sandwich that delicious. The way it was created had such a delicate balance between all flavors; and, for $7.49, I was highly pleased.
1. District Taco
District. Taco. Of our entire time here in DC, no restaurant has bonded us as a cohort as this one. No restaurant has aroused such passion from us. The iconic DC restaurant that started as a food truck in 2009 has now exploded with six locations in the DC/Virginia area. Although the tacos themselves are excellent (3 tacos for $8), I am personally a huge fan of the Nachos Borrachos (also only $8). Additionally, District Taco has a wide assortment of salsas for every palate, ranging from a mild Tomatillio to an extreme Habanero (available by request only).
To eat is to love. To love is to live.
-Farhad Choksy
I'm a pretty simple man. Honestly, I really dislike paying for something that I can do, and I've been making sandwiches my entire life. But there is something about Taylor's Sandwiches that has a flavor that you just can't quite put your finger on. I visited there one Sunday afternoon for lunch, and tried the "South": a hand breaded chicken cutlet with basil pesto, roma tomatoes and lemon basil goat cheese. Quite frankly, I have never had a sandwich that delicious. The way it was created had such a delicate balance between all flavors; and, for $7.49, I was highly pleased.
1. District Taco
District. Taco. Of our entire time here in DC, no restaurant has bonded us as a cohort as this one. No restaurant has aroused such passion from us. The iconic DC restaurant that started as a food truck in 2009 has now exploded with six locations in the DC/Virginia area. Although the tacos themselves are excellent (3 tacos for $8), I am personally a huge fan of the Nachos Borrachos (also only $8). Additionally, District Taco has a wide assortment of salsas for every palate, ranging from a mild Tomatillio to an extreme Habanero (available by request only).
To eat is to love. To love is to live.
-Farhad Choksy
No comments:
Post a Comment