Pasha Bistro

After spending way too much money at Border's going out of business sale, best buddy of BOOF, Mo and I found ourselves hungry in DC. per usual. It was a Sunday afternoon so somethings are open and somethings weren't. We originally intended to check out Maoz Vegetarian because I not only have heard so many great things about it but also I had a groupon to use there. Unfortunately, upon arriving to Maoz, we noticed that it was closed. sad day. sad face.

we were in the dupont area, so we knew that we could find something to satisfy our vegetarian and gluten-free taste buds, but nothing we saw seemed to appetizing. we continued to walk and were eventually in the area of another place I had a livingsocial/groupon deal to (i have a TON, i know it's a problem), Pasha Bistro. It ended up being the perfect stop on a warm but cloudy sunday afternoon. Pasha Bistro is located on 17th Street, in I guess what we could call the East part of the Dupont Circle Neighborhood. It is close to Komi (#1 restaurant in DMV), Mr. Yogato and Cafe Green to name a few.

the inside of Pasha Bistro is really nothing spectacular but it does feature a nice large covered outdoor patio out front which I am really a fan of and 17th street is another one of those great places to people watch. first things first, we had to ensure that the falafel was gluten-free so Mo could eat it, and not to worry...it was.

we started off by ordering some hummus which was nice, creamy and delicious. there is nothing like fresh made hummus served with ezme, feta and pita. the flavors were there and it was a nice and simple dish and the pita was also super delicious.

i then also ordered the spinach pie which was sauteed spinach and feta baked in a puff pastry and this was also very delicious. the feta nicely balanced the seasoning of the spinach and this was a dish that Mo really wish that she could have eaten. I wish she could have too. :-(

for our meals, Mo ordered the Falafel Platter which came with fries, a house salad and hummus. Mo enjoyed every part of the meal and it was nice to see a restaurant not skimp out on the house salad. she did mention that the falafel was good but it was not as fluffy on the inside as some others. the seasoning of the crust, however, was really good. the fries were also tasty shoestring fries more so then your average shoestring fry.

I ordered the Veggie Pita which was filled with grilled zucchini, eggplant, onions, bell pepper, and feta cheese. the veggies were all cooked really well and seasoned nicely and i really enjoyed it. it came with a large helping of those shoestring fries and they were really really good. i am also a big fan of the fact that despite Mediterranean cuisine really favors a lot of meat (lamb), there was more then ample veggie options on the menu. i did like that they included a lot of veggies and the pita was overflowing with them. job well done.



all in all, both Mo and I enjoyed our time at Pasha Bistro. if you are looking for a cheap, casual and tasty meal with buds then pasha bistro can definitely be your stop. I would definitely recommend it on a spring, cool summer or fall evening with buds on the patio.

Grade: B

Ella's Pizza

On an impromptu evening, the two BOOF buddies that have known me the longest, Mo and LB, and I ventured to Chinatown/Penn Quarter to use one of my livingsocial deals to Ella's Pizza. there are about a billion and one reasons that I am sad to be leaving DC this year, but one of them is definitely because LB just moved into town and it's been about 9years since we were in the same city together. sad face. nevertheless, both Mo and I bought the livingsocial deal because it is one of the few DC pizza locations that offer Gluten-Free Pizza.

Ella's Pizza has a really nice warm vibe to it and it sits right on the line of Chinatown/Penn Quarter (which I really don't understand that whole stupid distinction). It is dimly lit and almost has four different sections but all with the same casual hang out vibe. however, you definitely notice the distinction as one section has the power red walls, one section has a calmer sea blue wall, another section has a standard eggshell white wall and then there is the large bar spanning a large part of the left side of the restaurant (upon entering). although the restaurant was in my opinion good for a few friends, rather then an intimate date, I found myself wanting to have a little bit more harmony in the decor theme. but that's just an opinion. we didn't make it to dinner until much later but they also apparently have a really nice happy hour featuring $5.00 7inch Pizzas, $1.00 off American Draughts, and 3.50/16.00 (glass/carafe) of sangria(which is good). I think that happy hour is the only time I would probably go back to Ella's. More on that.

Mo ordered the Gluten-Free Napoletana which has tomato sauce, capers, anchovies, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella. For Mo, it is all about grading the crust and for her, it was a well-done Gluten-Free crust. It had a good crisp to it but the only really good thing about the whole pizza was the crust. The anchovies, basil and mozzarella were all very fresh but there was no seasoning on the pizza and the sauce was extremely bland. This is something that we would all criticize in our pizzas.

LB ordered the Melanzane which was topped with a tomato sauce, red onions, olives, yellow peppers, eggplant and goat cheese. I also eyed this pizza on the menu but once again, we were underwhelmed by their "Wood Fired" pizza. The ingredients were great but there was little to no seasoning on the pizza. Mo made an accurate comment that if you have to put red-pepper flakes, pepper, and salt on you pizza, then there is something wrong with the pizza.

I ordered the wild mushroom with spinach, tomato sauce and mild goat cheese and it was more of the same. Good ingredients, poor outcome. I love me some goat cheese so I tend to think that is an automatic winner but the spinach and mushrooms lacked any flavorful depth that really could make this pizza sing.

After having good pizza at il Canale, 2 Amys, Liberty Tree, and even Vapianos, I guess I would at least expect a nice tomato sauce. I clearly think that the Tomato sauce was the downfall of the pizza. Well, under-seasoning all around. The combinations that they have on their menu are really great and the ingredients are good, but those factors are unable to outweigh the lack of flavor. The crust on the non-gluten free pizza was fine but nothing to call home about. Ella's just get a different sauce (I mean, even TJ's Tomato Basil Marinara has better flavor) and get a little heavier handed on your seasoning, and you'll be fine.

Grade: C