Tag Archives: sweet potato fries

gourmet gas station

21 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in american, cheap eats, latin, sandwich, washington d.c.

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lowest prices |14th and W NW | U Street

This summer, one of my friends changed the way I view gas station food marts when he told me about Fast Gourmet, the hidden but Yelp-loved sandwich shop inside the Lowest Prices gas station at 14th and W NW.

Yes, inside the gas station.

Honestly, I probably would not have agreed to go if not for the fact it was proposed as a post-night on U Street destination. I’d walked/driven by the gas station countless times, but I never noticed the sign above what I assumed was the attached convenience mart.

Inside the mart is unlike any gas station I’ve ever seen. It was bright, clean, and had plenty of seating. Neatly printed chalkboard menus above the cash registers offer a mix of traditional American diner/deli menu items, but the standouts are the Latin-themed items, such as the cubano, empanadas, and chivito, which is (according to Wiki) a national dish in Uruguay.

I haven’t had other chivitos to compare, but Fast Gourmet’s version of the sandwich includes beef tenderloin, mozzarella, black forest ham, bacon, green olives, hard boiled eggs, escabeche, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and a soft bun. Delicious is an understatement. And I’m pretty sure my assessment would be the same at 3 PM as it was at 3 AM.

chivito | fast gourmet | U Street

Of course, I substituted the regular fries for sweet potato fries, and they are also worth writing home about. Not overfried, greasy, or soggy.  Crisp and well-seasoned with cinnamon and salt.

And they deliver!

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don’t forget the fries with bobby’s burger

16 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in american, burger, cheap eats, potatoes, washington d.c.

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sweet potato fries | bobby's burger palace | west end

The D.C. burger tour continues with Bobby Flay’s Bobby’s Burger Palace, which opened at 21st and K in August. Although the line was out the door at lunchtime, the line seemed to move relatively quickly (no 90-minute waits here) since cashiers took orders and distributed number tents. Staff then brought orders out to seated patrons (even at lunchtime, there are plenty of seats at the communal tables).

L.A. Burger (medium, no cheese) | bobby's burger palace | west end

Although I’ve never eaten at any of Bobby Flay’s other restaurants, I’ve assumed that he cooks every piece of meat to perfection (great editing, Food Network!). I’m happy to report that his Burger Palace further perpetuates my assumption. I ordered the L.A. burger without cheese because guacamole is one of my favorite food groups (and cheese is my least). By default, the burgers are cooked perfectly medium, and the patty was well-seasoned. Most impressively, three burgers ordered at three different temperatures (rare, medium, and well done) were each actually grilled as ordered!

Although the sweet potato fries are listed as a “side,” they certainly deserve to share center stage. Bobby’s sweet potato fries are exactly as I like them best — crisp on the outside and tender on the inside! Now if I could get a side of chipotle mayo. . .

P.S. Bobby Flay is having a Q&A session, followed by a book signing, at Sixth & I Synagogue next Wednesday, September 21, at 7:30 P.M. For more info and tickets, click here.

“food for the people by the people”

24 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by in american, cocktails, potatoes, small plates, washington d.c.

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lincoln restaurant floor | downtown

Ever wonder how Lincoln ended up on the penny? About.com has a very detailed history from a self-proclaimed avid coin collector.

Although we already pay homage to Abe via that memorial thing, D.C. now also has Lincoln Restaurant downtown on Vermont Ave, where the floor is lined with over one million pennies honoring our 16th president. The interior design of the space, along with a great cocktail list, contribute to a fun and lively vibe.

tater tots

Lincoln features “seasonal small plates,” most of which sound delicious.  So, when two of my friends and I visited for a small birthday dinner a few weeks ago, we had to exercise quite a bit of discipline to not order absolutely everything we wanted to try. In the end, we ended up with: tater tots (of course), sweet potato fries (of course x2), heirloom tomato risotto, baked cana de cabra goat cheese, coffee rubbed duck breast, poached arctic char, lobster beignets, and the strawberry rhubarb crisp. Because it was my friend’s birthday, we also got a special off-menu spiced cake dessert gratis.

coffee rubbed duck breast w farro salad

My favorites were the the coffee rubbed duck breast, lobster beignets (which, to be honest, really resembled hush puppies more than beignets), and the off-menu spiced cake. On my list to try next time: citrus marinated roasted beets, Meyer Farm NY strip steak, beef carpaccio & fried oysters, roasted brook trout, and funnel cake with bing cherries (which narrowly lost out on the first visit!).

lobster beignets aka lobster hush puppies

off-menu spiced birthday cakes
baked cana de cabra goat cheese
sweet potato fries
arctic char with broccoli and prosciutto
strawberry rhubarb crisp w pistachio streusel and vanilla bean ice cream