La Loma

Close buddies of BOOF, Twin and Nattag and I always try and get together but this does not always happen as often as we would like. however, with my DC departure imminently approaching, we knew that we had to make something happen very soon. we all finally found a day that we could meet up for drinks and because I was trying to use up all/most of my groupon/livingsocial deals before I left, I recommended Lounge 201 by Union Station for happy hour.

Unfortunately, as I reached Lounge 201 on one of many blisteringly hot DC summer days, I came to found that they are randomly closed for "special events" on mondays, none of which were actually occuring. weird. so sadly, i was unable to use my groupon, but with so many great places in such a close vicinity, we walked a little farther up Mass to a Capitol Mexican spot, La Loma.

La Loma sits in Capitol Hill on Mass just south of Stanton Square Park and just north of Union Station next to two other restaurants, Bistro Cacao and Cafe Berlin. I had previously been to La Loma before with BOOF buddy, ea, before BOOF officially began and really enjoyed myself. the best feature of these three restaurants are their large front outdoor patios. All three have very expansive outside seating and because it is in the front rather then in the back, it allows for a nice amount of people watching. however, the bushes are a little high in most areas so it limits outside people watching you eat. On summer evenings and afternoons, it can be one of the most pleseant places to be in DC with the hustle and bustle of the outdoor patios of each restaurant.

Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, it was really really really hot and humid outside (go figure DC), so we opted to sit inside in the nice air conditioning. sigh. The inside decor is very "traditionally mexican" (whatever that is supposed to mean) with bold color choices on the walls, a few cacti throughout but nothing too unexpected. we weren't really hungry so we just ordered the strawberry margaritas and the guacamole.

the margaritas were good and a perfect way to cool off on a hot hot summer day (did I mention that it was hot outside?), but not the best margaritas I have ever had and nothing to call home about. however, we did only start off with a half pitcher and we ended up ordering another half pitcher, so they had to have done something well.

the complimentary chips and salsa were decent, but the salsa was a little watery which I am not really a fan of because it makes it that more difficult to scoop the salsa on your chip. however, i could not stop eating the chips and salsa. the guacamole was nice and fresh but i do wish we would have been given a little bit more for all the chips that they put on the plate. the guacamole was served with a special more phyllo texture chip that was so good. i could just ate a bowl of those chips and been a happy camper. they should really make those chips the highlight of their restaurant because they were heavy enough to withhold the weight of the guac and not crumble but light and airy all at the same time.

all in all, i would maybe go back to la loma for a meal, especially because of its convenience. when I was there before, I am pretty certain that I had the Veggie fajitas which were tasty but nothing above average. there are plenty of things to do in the are (see, Cafe Berlin) but i would only recommend La Loma for a cheap bite, not necessarily for quality Mexican. Go to Casa Oaxaca for that.

Grade: B-/C+

Casa Oaxaca

after our horrific experience at bourbon, a bunch of us were hungry (we had planned to eat dinner at bourbon but clearly that didn't happen), so i decided to throw out the option of casa oaxaca. a few months back, casa oaxaca had been featured on groupon or living social and I meant to purchase the deal but I unfortunately forgot to buy it but great buddy of BOOF, sho, purchased it and went there with her bf and they both said it was super delicious. essentially, i had been trying to get there ever since and with a group of buds who are willing to try mostly any cuisine, casa oaxaca seemed like the perfect spot for us to hit up.

casa oaxaca is located in adams mo on 18th street a little north of California. It is definitely a perfect place to go pre a night out in adams mo or just to grab a good meal and drinks with friends. after reading numerous yelp reviews, most rave about how authentic the mexican cuisine coming out of this restaurant is and i will definitely echo those sentiments. lucky for us, psuedo bigbro of BOOF, ak, also our resident tex-mex expert was in tow, so he definitely could give us the real review on how authentic this place is.

casa oaxaca has a few levels of seating, a long with some outdoor seating, but with a large group without a reservation, they easily accommodated us quickly on the bottom level. the lighting is dim but comfortable and it was actually very nice that we were downstairs because our group can definitely be a little rambunctious at times. the restaurant definitely depends on a lot of natural lighting which i prefer but as the evening hours set in, it definitely is very dim and more candlelit than anything else. the colors are warm red and yellow colors, the tables are a brown wood and the restaurant is definitely welcoming. the restaurant also features artwork from what i presume to be local artists which is pretty interesting. I do not know if I would call the artwork "good" but rather just "interesting".

to start off they give you complimentary little tostadas topped with mole and melted cheese. they are definitely a nice little treat but nothing too heavy to ruin the rest of your meal.

we all ordered various things but most of the group went with the tacos of some sort. some members of the group had the "Famosos Tacos de Borrego" which are tacos with slow roasted lamb with garlic and oaxacan peppers. Others had the "Tacos de Carnitas" which are pork carnitas roasted in garlic-guakillo sauce and some others also had the "Famosos Tacos de Arrachera" which is the Tacos with grilled skirt steak. all the BOOF buddies who ordered the tacos of some flavor were all very pleased with the flavor. all the meats were seasoned well, the sauces were not too overpowering and they flavors were traditional but yet not boring.

Another BOOF buddy ordered the Mole Verde Con Costillas de Puerco which is a Green Mole with Baby Pork Ribs and he was very pleased with the flavor. This was also one of the most visually pleasing entrees of the evening (i can say that even as a pesca/vegetarian), and the flavor did not disappoint.

BOOF buddy kk, decided to order the Mole Negro Oaxaqueno which is a black mole with chicken breast. This buddy also enjoyed the dish but it was definitely one of the more simple dishes of the evening.

I ordered the Enchiladas De Camaron Y Queso de Cabra which were Enchiladas with Goat Cheese, Shrimp, and poblano pepper cream sauce. These were so so good. The flavors were delicious, the sauce was perfectly creamy and had such a slight but perfect poblano pepper that it perfectly complimented the shrimp. I am also still on this goat cheese kick (i probably would now call it an all out love affair), so pairing goat cheese and shrimp only seems like a brilliant idea that casa oaxaca did very well. if only all mexican cuisine were this flavorful, not greasy and delicious...

because i was driving, i did not partake in any beverages at casa oaxaca but the table had the sangria and maragaritas which everyone said were very good.

All in all, after the debacle at Bourbon, we only knew that the night could get better but we were not aware of how much better. Casa Oaxaca is definitely a hidden gem in DC and if you want good mole and real authentic flavors to boot, then the casa is your place. This is definitely the best Mexican I have had in DC and even ak, the expert said that it was the best he has had in the DC/MD/VA area and it is up there with the stuff he used to get in Texas. Go here. You won't regret it.

Grade: A/A-

Well-Dressed Burrito

best burrito in DC? it's a far cry from it.

after hearing rave review after rave review, i thought that I would convince my co-workers to take a bite out of what is referred to as the "best burrito in DC". now, mind you, one of my BOOF buddies, ak, is the resident expert on burritos as he has spent a fair amount of time in texas where burritos reign supreme. the best burritos most of us have had come from chipotle or qdoba, therefore, we were all in anticipation of burrito deliciousness from the well-dressed burrito.

the well-dressed burrito is in located in an alley, yes an alley, south of dupont circle. the line out of the restaurant/take out spot is known to come all the way out of store and down the alley. it is only open mon-friday during lunch time, so if you live outside of the area, it is almost impossible to get there for this burrito. you definitely feel like you are apart of something special as you venture into this alleyway and open those large doors. the name is not really even apparent on the store, there is just a small picture of a penguin. yes, a penguin...it is apparently their moniker.

so after all of that, we were excited to get these burritos. we drove all the way across town during lunch to pick them up and bring them back to indulge in what was supposed to be an unforgettable experience. so yeah, it was very much forgettable. BOOF buddies ak and rm got the grilled chicken burritos while me and ml (the other veg buddy) ordered the sauteed veggie burritos (with spinach). we were all very much overwhelmed. because ak is the burrito expert he was really really unpleased with the final result and even prefers the burritos from the popular tex-mex chain, chipotle, to this well-dressed burrito. they said that there chicken was dried, there was no sauce sauce that gave it an extra spice and the meat was seasoned subpar.

both ml and i thought the veggie burritos were ok but we were definitely underwhelmed. i liked the variety of veggies that they included (carrots, broccoli), but it lacked seasoning again and there was no real "kick" to the burrito. I would take qdoba and chipotle over well-dressed any day.

sm opted to not get the burrito and opted for the chimichanga (you could actually consider her a chimichanga connoisseur of sorts), and she said it was decent but not the best she has ever had and there was nothing too special about it. the best thing of the meal may have been the guac that we ordered which was nice, fresh and tasty. they also accidentally gave us a bean and cheese burrito (well, actually...we ordered it, changed our order, they never took it off the order, charged us for it and then gave it to us anyways), so all of us took a bite of that which was also decent but nothing to write home about.

a couple of positives (because i am a REALLY nice person :-D):

1) the scene. it is pretty cool to walk down an alley and feel like you are going to some sort of hidden gem for lunch that only a few people are privy to.

2) it's really cheap. dc is an expensive city to say the least so be able to get a quick (service is VERY good) and really cheap meal (under 6$), that is definitely a plus.

3) size: it is a really big burrito. it is definitely "well-dressed" in terms of all the stuff they put on it. i had a whole half of a burrito for dinner that night too.

overall: after reading some additional reviews, many people mention that the burritos may not be the best thing on the menu and to try their tacos, taco salads and other things. HOWEVER, i do not know how i feel about this because they are called the "well-dressed burrito", so their burritos SHOULD be the best thing on the menu.

Grade: C

Lariol Plaza

god i am so behind. it is not even funny. i have about 20 billion posts to write…its been a busy few weeks for BOOF dining with buddies as summer 2010 sets in.

best buddies of BOOF who were previously featured in the trip to Zaytinya were back for our last gathering in this great city together before we all set off for the next adventures in our lives. it’s been a great year and it has gone too fast but it is funny how these things work out. who would have thought that we not only would remain so close after meeting on another continent but then we would end up in the same city. i miss this already.

it has been a long time coming since my last trip to lauriol and i honestly think that i have been craving it since then. there have been ample opportunities for me to get to go to lauriol since but it has never seemed to work out, so when were looking for somewhere to enjoy our last dc dinner, it was only natural that i through out the idea of lauriol and everyone was excited. i mean what is summer without a swirl margarita?

lauriol is located on the dupont circle/adams morgan border in a seemingly quieter part of both dupont and adams morgan. lauriol is known for their great space but also very very very busy dinner hours. it is a HUGE restaurant which is necessary as they always have a wait after 6:30 on any given evening. It has a very modern flair and we opted to sit outside on this warm early summer evening, but their outdoor seating is wonderful because it 1) is covered (barring the numerous impromptu sun showers) and 2) has ceiling fans to take away some of the DC humidity.

first things first we started off with a pitcher of swirl margaritas (1/2 strawberry 1/2 regular) which never disappoints. we also munched on some complementary chips and salsa which is a typical and delicious staple of any mexican restaurant.

onto the entrees. hugdoll ordered the brazilian salad which consisted of Grilled marinated chicken, spinach, avocodas, palmittos, other regular salad veggies, zucchini, olives and topped with an olive oil vinaigrette. She enjoyed it, thought the chicken was cooked well and enjoyed the variety of vegetables other than the typical salad staples that it included.

kb ordered the spinach quesadillas which also looked delicious. by ordering the regular size, she had a plateful of deliciousness with a super reasonable price tag. she enjoyed the flavor of the quesadillas and although there was nothing special about them, they did the trick.




sio ordered the cheese enchilladas and she thoroughly enjoyed those as well. They were filled with Monterrey jack cheese and topped with a chile ancho sauce and served with rice and frijoles a la charra. another mexican staple done well with good taste and seasoning but nothing too special.




i ordered my typical mexican meal in the veggie fajitas. i really enjoyed this because they had a real variety of veggies which is a nice departure from the typical onions and peppers. They included other veggies such as zucchini, carrots, eggplant and the winner of the evening, plantains. that definitely put these veggie fajitas on the map because the plantains added such a nice sweet taste to the typical salt and pepper seasonings that are standard in a meal such as that. surprisingly delicious.

all in all, a trip to lauriol never disappoints. although the food is nothing too special and mind blowing, it is well done cheap mexican. i believe that they could make their flavors a little more complex and could add a “kick” to their meals. but i guess you get what you pay for. furthermore, the ambiance is great and the swirl margaritas are always delicious. i recommend getting there as early as possible or even maybe going for lunch. if you wanted to get seated in a timely manner on an evening after 6pm, lauriol is definitely not your place. furthermore, they do not take reservations so although it is an ideal location for a large group, this can be very difficult because you are not sure when you will get a table. you could be waiting for a very very very long time but they will supply you with an endless supply of chips and salsa while you wait…and clearly, a drink if you so desire.

Overall Grade: B+ (ambiance/service/restaurant)/ C+ (food)

quick veggie mexican pitas

really? you are probably like what is this girl thinking? i’ve never seen mexican and pita go together. Or maybe you have?

anywho. i was hungry one evening and had some veggies that need to be cooked before they went bad, and I had initially thought i had some whole wheat tortilla wraps but I was mistaken. however, i improvised and found some whole wheat pita in the freezer and decided to put it to use.



Ingredients
1/2 Yellow Onion Chopped

1 Cup of Sliced Mushrooms

8 oz of Baby spinach

1 Chopped Bell Pepper

2 Whole Wheat Pitas

1/4 Cup of Shredded Cheese


Directions
1) Heat frying pan on medium with olive oil

2) Saute onions with a pinch of salt and pepper

3) Add bell pepper and mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 4-6 minutes until mushrooms are cooked through. Meanwhile heat pitas.

4) Add spinach for 2-3 minutes before it wilts

5) Remove veggies from the stove top

6) Insert veggies into pita and add cheese

7) Enjoy and Share!
NOTES: You can really add whatever you want to this mix. I was just trying to use up what was getting ready to go bad in my fridge :-)