| Our Picks for the Best Ethnic Restaurants Philly and D.C. Have To Offer |  |  |  |
| Written by Mark Sellers | |
| PHILADELPHIA Manila Bay 6724 Castor Ave. 215-722-7877 www.manila-bay.com Manila Bay, one of only two Filipino restaurants in the city (the other, Old City's Cebu, is owned by the same people), can provide a great introduction to the native foods of the archipelago. Traditional dishes include kare-kare, tender oxtail in a sweet peanut butter sauce; adobo, pork in a garlicky, vinegary sauce; or crispy pata, fatty, deep-fried pork's feet served with a tangy vinaigrette sauce. The service is warm and accommodating, there's a liquor license and live entertainment, and best of all, most dishes run under $10. Dahlak 4708 Baltimore Ave. 215-726-6464 www.dahlakrestaurant.com Dahlak specializes in dishes from the neighboring African nations of Ethiopia and Eritrea. One of the most important aspects of the cuisine is injera, a spongy bread served with every meal - it's used as both a utensil (rip some off and scoop up your grub) and a platter (dishes are served atop an injera plate). Don't miss dishes like dulet, spicy chopped beef liver and tripe (it's served on the rare side); kinche, a vegetarian dish of crushed wheat flavored with rich clarified butter; and yebeg tibs, savory cubes of lamb cooked with an assortment of vegetables and spices. Rangoon 119 N. 9th St. 215-829-8939 www.phillychinatown.com/rangoon.htm Located in the heart of Philly's Chinatown district, Rangoon is the only Burmese restaurant in the city, but that doesn't mean they slack on quality. Don't miss the Northern Burma fried noodle entree, noodles, shrimp, chicken, scallions, bean sprouts and spices stir-fried to perfection; or the spicy mango shrimp, served with bell peppers, fresh mango and a mango sauce. Their most famous dish is Thousand Layer Bread, a wad of crispy crepe dough served with a kickin' potato curry for dipping. New Delhi 4004 Chestnut St. 215-386-1941 www.newdelhiweb.com New Delhi's is one of Philly's longest-running restaurants, and quite simply, it rules. We'll spare you the décor details (take our word for it, it's nice) and skip right to the food: Menu highlights include lamb rogan josh (lamb in a savory, not-too-spicy sauce), chicken vindaloo (premium chicken doused in a fiery red sauce) and tandoori shrimp (flavored with herbs and spices and cooked to smoky perfection in the tandoor, an Indian charcoal oven). Las Bugambilias 148 South St. 215-922-3190 Las Bugambilias is a beautiful little restaurant specializing in fresh and fanciful south-of-the-border cuisine. Chef/owner Carlos Molina's specialties include traditional tortilla soup, a savory combo of Mexican peppers, crunchy tortilla strips, chicken, cheese and avocado; and his sumptuous bistec tampiquena, tender strips of skirt steak wrapped around a grilled poblano pepper stuffed with salty Chihuahua cheese. Added bonus: Their margaritas are strong. WASHINGTON, D.C. 4912 4912 Wisconsin Ave. NW 202-966-4696 www.4912thaicuisine.com Thai is the word at this conveniently named restaurant. The prices are right (dinner entrees cap off at $11) and the choices are abundant. Check out seafood galanga soup (shrimp, scallops, squid and mushrooms cooked with galanga, a pungent rhizome popular in Thai cooking); house specialty pad Thai; and green and red curries featuring chicken, beef, shrimp and duck. Eat First Restaurant 609 H St. NW 202-289-1703 Here’s one restaurant name you and your naggy grandmother can definitely agree upon. This late-night Chinese outpost, open until 2 a.m. weekdays and 3 a.m. on the weekends, serves standbys like spring rolls and crab wontons in addition to the Holy Trinity of ruthlessly Americanized Chinese food: General Tso’s, kung pao and sweet and sour chickens. The most expensive menu item is $5.25, meaning those big portions are a hell of a deal. Jaleo 480 7th St. NW 202-628-7949 www.jaleo.com Jaleo is a popular destination for tapas, shareable, vastly varied Spanish small plates. The menu is a mixture of classic and modern takes on Iberian cuisine. Go old-school with tortilla de patatas (potato and onion omelette) or croquetas de pollo (chicken croquettes), or take a stab at not-so-common treats like calamares encebollados (a whole squid seared with onions and mushrooms) or erizos de mar con pipirrana (sea urchin served with vegetables). Afghan Grill 2309 Calvert St. NW 202-234-5095 www.afghangrill.com Afghani food is characteristically succulent, and there are few places better to treat yourself than the simple but elegant Afghan Grill. Start off by splitting a plate of sambosa goshti, fried pastry shells stuffed with rich ground beef, chick peas and green peas. Chicken, beef, lamb and shrimp are all available in trusty kabob form, but don’t overlook traditional fare like kadu buranee (sautéed pumpkin) or mantoo (steamed beef dumplings). Nooshi 1120 19th St. NW 202-293-3138 www.nooshidc.com Nooshi’s like a culinary passport: The gigantic menu features foods from pretty much every Asian country you can think of. For starters, there are Vietnamese spring rolls, stuffed with pork and crab; mee goreng, Malaysian egg noodles stir-fried with veggies, tofu, and your choice of meat; and Indonesian nasi goreng, or chicken fried rice with egg. Oh, and they have tons of sushi. Keep your eye out for the kimchi tuna roll, a Japanese/Korean fusion of fish, “tempura drops,” scallion and spicy kimchi sauce. |
No comments:
Post a Comment