The fool's spring issue
a month in DC, new cookbooks, and birthday dinner decisions!
We made it through March! Patio season and fools spring is right around the corner in DC and I could not be more ready to sniffle my heart out.
I don’t have a 9-minute-read newsletter for you this month, but I do have some DC recs and mediocre reflections on food media.
District mode activated!
This was the first time in many moons that I spent an entire month in DC. We had some serious catching up to do in terms of restaurants. I feel like I’ve lost a bit of my pulse on DC spots, so it was nice to check out a few newer spots on my list. Here’s a few spots very much worth your while:
Tonari - This is the PLACE in DC right now. I’ve been heavily influenced by all the recent posts in the DC food realm. Whether you're there for a birthday dinner like we were, or checking out their Hole in the Wall $55 pre-fixe dessert gauntlet, you’re going to leave very happy. Simply put, the menu rocks. Japanese and Italian specials meld together and build the perfect environment for a group dinner. The apps are filled with amped up crowd pleasers, like the pile of prosciutto and chips, or burrata with orange and togarashi. The pasta and pizza portions are refreshingly large and intensely flavorful. Service is also incredibly kind!
Yasmine - This Lebanese kebab stand opened last October and will hopefully expand outside their stand in Union Market soon. Loved their lamb kebab and fries dipped in toum, but I definitely need to go back to explore more of their sides. Go for their happy hour from 3pm-close Monday through Wednesday!
Grazie Nonna - You have to ignore the corporate-trendy-red-sauce brand and focus solely on the food. They try their darndest to make the space feel homey, but placed in the shiny midtown center, it simply doesn’t match. HOWEVER this is an excellent saucy meal. Their half wedge serving of a caesar salad has earned a seat at the table next to Sonny’s Pizza’s mountain of lettuce and Martha Dear’s sally that is borderline explicit. They also have an excellent saucy drunken love pizza with spicy vodka sauce perfect for sit down dinner or leftovers. Their prosciutto and peas dish is a luscious (yeah - luscious - I said it!) spring celebration. They absolutely nail the tiramisu here. After the utterly boozy experience I had at L’Ardente last month, it was refreshing to have a no frills square slice.
Moh Moh Licious - For the love of all things spicy and delicious, please order takeout from here. This Nepalese spot has unreal Indo-Chinese dishes like samosa chat, paneer pakora, jhol momo, and biryani. You simply cannot order incorrectly. The portions are massive so be prepared to have leftovers for multiple days.
A month for cookbook drops!
We were swimming in cookbook drops in March! I’m working on my personal shelf of cookbooks that’s inspired by @grossypelosi’s rainbow cookbook collection. Speaking of! Dan Pelosi answered our thoughts and prayers with his very own cookbook, Let’s Eat, to be released in September this year. I can’t wait to use this book to make whatever kitchen I have by then feel like home. Grossy has an uncanny skill of developing a dish that feels like a hug, even if it’s your first time making it.
Sohla El-Waylly (@sohlae) announced her book, Start Here, which will be released in October this year. I’ve been waiting for this book since the 2020 implosion of Bon Appetit. Start Here is a guide for blooming home cooks looking to refine their fundamentals. The “approachable home cook” narrative from extremely qualified BA veterans has been done before and I’m curious to see how Sohla’s book will compare to her colleagues. We saw this with Carla Lalli Music’s Where Cooking Begins, Andy Baraghani’s The Cook You Want to Be, and Molly Baz’s over-interactive Cook This Book. I’m hopeful that Sohla’s narrative will share practical techniques through her creative dishes that we know and love. I always learn something from her recipes. I’ll never forget the gorgeous healthyish fried chicken recipe and the instant classic salted PB&J ice cream pie that I made in the same day in summer 2020. Her mind is truly too powerful.
The last release that I can’t wait to add to my cookbook shelf is Abi Balingit’s Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed. Her book was released in late February, and if you don’t already follow Abi on Instagram, what the heck are you doing? She’s brilliant and getting all of the praise she deserves for spotlighting Filipino desserts and reflecting on her experiences as a Filipino American. Her recent adobo chocolate chip cookies featured on NYT cooking are very high in my baking priority list. Please message me if you’d like the recipe I’d be happy to share!
Birthday dinner contenders!
My 25th rotation around the sun is coming up quite soon! And the quarter life is only soon to follow. This means the daunting choice of a birthday dinner is on the horizon. I’m leaning towards a safe bet this year. I need somewhere that consistently cranks out good food, and has decent, but not over the top service. Current contenders are Perry’s, Joselito, or Caruso’s Grocery.
Send me your favorite birthday dinner recs in DC!
Such an insightful read. Has me craving a trip to DC!
okay YUM! love the cookbook roundup!