Gingerbread locomotive...

Edible but not eatable? Christmas cheer and a feast for the eyes at the Jefferson/Lemaire. Nice touches on the track ballast !
Happy Holidays !!

Richmond Cheap Eats - skewered meat edition

Variously spelled - Kabob/Kebab/Kabab/Kebap, all cover different kinds of meats either skewered or directly heated by flame. Forgoing the sundry chain K places around, there are at least two very decent places around where one can get very good kebabs/shawarma style food for cheap (~ $10 pp).

The first is Dӧner Kebab in Carytown. We’ve had some pretty good shawarmas and Middle Eastern style kabobs here. Their falafel sandwich is also terrific. The preserved lemons (and pickled veggies) add an extra kick to their offerings.  (A while ago, these guys used to be out @ Broad/Meadow where they had some of the best pita chips in town for $1).
The second is more narrowly defined with some caveats. For the kabab of the South Asian variety, the Bangladeshi-run Darul Kabab on Old Parham Road makes for great takeout. One can get chapli as well as delicately spiced shish varieties of different kababs (all halal) with a well sized naan, salad and side.


A stone’s toss away is a little hidden gem – the RVA version of the Indian Pastry House. There is plenty of debate on the (largely average) Indian restaurants in RVA and food therein. However, there aren’t that many places around that serve Indian snacks and street food. With plenty of vegetarian options and a variety of dishes like dosas (delicate, crispy crepes made of rice flour and served with lentil soup and different fillings) and chaats, all for < $10, its hard not to like the IPH. 

NYKR cartoon

What we're watching ....

amidst some busy times, a thoroughly fascinating documentary film on the great sushi master Jiro. Dining at his celebrated, sushi only, Michelin 3-star restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, may well be beyond the reach (or even interest) of most, but this movie offers a mesmerizing glimpse into a chef, his craft and notions of 'perfection':

From the superlative, to a mixed bag of a book by Tyler Cowen, "An Economist Gets Lunch". Primarily included here because his blog has long been on my reading list and led me to some good eats around DC. A fascinating premise, if he focused on tying economics and food, which crop up every now and then. Instead, his skewering of foodie pretentiousness and holier-than-thou "locavores", both easy targets to begin with, is upstaged by his own, albeit in a different sense.