Week 4 - Cuba/Cubano's

This week’s restaurant is Cubano’s, a Cuban restaurant in Silver Spring. My in laws are Cuban, and over the years I have enjoyed many Cuban meals.

Staying true to Cuban tradition, I go to Cubano’s for lunch when the largest meal of the day is eaten. I started with a mango fruit drink (no more Sprites). The Casals make delicious ham croquettes, so I was eager to try Cubano’s. The Cubano’s version was good, but not as good as the Casals. And that’s how the rest of the meal went. My main course was Boliche Asado Estilo Eloisa, a beef dish with gravy served with black beans, rice, and plantains. The food was pretty good. But my father in law just has a flare for improvising, and his dishes are always seem to have unique flavors. Straight forward Cuban food seemed ordinary. Flan for desert was high point of the meal, one of the best I’ve had.

I also found that the quick pace of service detracted from the experience. A modern restaurant needs to get their lunch time patrons out the door and back to work quickly. Cuban families spend a couple of hours eating and drinking. They take their time and enjoy each others company.

Week 3 - Nepal/Himalayan Heritage

Himalayan Heritage is part of the reason I started this blog. A review in the Sunday Post Magazine a few weeks back made me stop and think, “A Nepalese restaurant serving great food – they received two stars. I’d love to eat there.” So now I have my chance.

I head to Adams Morgan in the bitter cold (for Washington at least), and it seems fitting I’m going to a restaurant from a snow covered country. I arrive for lunch to find a buffet being served. I’d hope to order momo, or dumplings, and another recommended dish, batter-fried cauliflower with a spicy kick called Gobi Manchurian (supposed to be incredible). These dishes are only on the dinner menu. I’m disappointed, but I enjoy the Nepalese buffet of paneer kadi, veg pagoda, curry chicken, chana masala, and tandoori chicken. All the dishes are quite good, but none lived up to the glowing review that first caught my attention. It seems they change their lunch buffet daily, and you’ll find pleasant surprises each time you visit. I’ll have to come back for dinner for the other dishes.

The restaurant seems authentically Nepalese, but how would I really know. Soothing Buddhist chanting is played in the background. My waitress has a centered, peaceful aura about her, and together with the music and surroundings I start to appreciate being in the moment. For a few minutes I forget about work, this blog, and day to day worries. So maybe that’s the lesson. The past and future are not here today. I’ll pretend I’m dining in the mountains of Nepal on a cold winter day.

(the brochure on this table was a for some type of

mountaineering GPS tracking locator system for climbers)

Restaurant: Himalayan Heritage, Adams Morgan, DC

$10.99 lunch buffet

Week 2 - Lebanon/Lebanese Taverna

There's a great little Lebanese cafe in Rockville called Lebanese Taverna. I'm new to the blog and don't want a huge challenge right away. So I order a beef shawarma sandwich. It's not that exotic, but at least it's not my usual dish at Taverna.

I pick up the sandwich to take a bite and it immediately starts to fall apart in my hands. The bread collapses and the beef spills out. The paper wrap get tangled up in the sandwich. It's a mess.

Right away I can't help but think, "This sandwich is a metaphor for the civil war raging in Lebanon." I'm reminded of Muslims and Christians battling in war torn Beirut. Then add the PLO and U.S. Marines. I see it all there in the sandwich. I add the cool yogurt sauce that comes on the side to quell the conflict, and finish the sandwich with a fork and knife.

Restaurant: Lebanese Taverna, Rockville, MD $5.99 Beef Shawarma sandwich

Week 1 - Sweden/Swedish meatballs at Ikea

One word comes to mind after shopping at Ikea. Modular. And I think the meatball is the perfect modular food.

Traditionally served with potatoes, lingonberry jam, and gravy, Ikea offers these delicious little spheres to hungry shoppers for $3.99. A real bargain by any measure.

After a little research I find that the Swedes are a practical, sensible, historically democratic people. The meatball seems to me to embody those ideals.

Restaurant: College Park Ikea $3.99 meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, and lingonberries.

Genesis

It's the first Saturday of the New Year. A time to renew and resolve. My family and I are at Ikea doing our best to organize our lives. We sit down to enjoy a delicious meal of Swedish meatballs. I'm looking down at my plate when it hits me. Here I am in the nation's Capital with restaurants from all over the world to choose from.

Why not dine at a different nation's restaurant every week of the year? One week Thai food, another week Italian. Of course those are the easy ones. Can it be done? Are there enough countries' restaurants around DC to even get close to 52 weeks?

And what does a countries food say about their people? What can you learn from different cuisines?

I'm going to explore new restaurants, new dishes, and blog along the way. I've got my iPhone to document the whole thing. I can post the blog on Facebook. Okay, this could be cool.

So the challenge has been made.

Mike