The Great Debate: Red Scare?

"Communism is the riddle of history solved, and it knows itself to be this solution." –Karl Marx, 1844

To start, I'm American and I love Freedom and Liberty. So when I went to the famous International Food Court and stumbled upon the Havana Café I felt threatened. The food did look delicious, including items such as chicken, shredded beef, rice and beans. However, the words listed across the storefront had me in fear: Havana—the nation's capital of Cuba and the thriving headquarters for the Communist regime in the 21^st Century. Clearly, I was caught between a rock and a hard place: Do I try a meal from the enemy and risk being blacklisted or go hungry? After much inner struggle, I reasoned that the Havana Café is in the famous International Food Court, the key word being "International." I figured when Americans go to Europe or South America they don't resist smoking a Cuban cigar for the same reason—it's too damn good to pass up.

I kept things simple, I ordered a Cuban sandwich with a side of Cuban style fries. I normally steer clear of sandwiches which have condiments such as pickles and mustard. Usually such additions to a sandwich steal the flavor from the sanctity of the sandwich. Of course, the perfect Cuban sandwich requires a delicate balancing act requiring just the right amount of pickles and mustard atop a mountain of roast pork, ham, and Swiss cheese. Whichever comrade premade this sandwich must have been a trapeze artist in a prior life, because the balancing act was performed to perfection. The flavors all blended together to create a wonderful flavor sensation. The fries, I must contest, were nothing to rant and rave about. I suggest ordering the regular fries when you make your visit.

My trip to the little island south of Miami wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it might be. At least I think so…right? Just in case, I will sleep with one eye open in the event that Senator McCarthy is after me. In the meantime, the comrades at the Havana Café should keep their sickles sharp and hammers finely tuned so that they can keep serving up the finest Cuban sandwich on K St.

Cosi Friday

I enjoyed a flatbread sandwich from Cosi on 12th and G today. Beyond the banter about hazing and drinking soy sauce combined with commentary regarding potential Saturday night activities, the food and atmosphere are very forgettable. I had an italiano sandwich with baby cut carrots and a cup of water. The food was good, the price was fair, and the free flatbread samples while waiting in line were warm and welcomed. The overall experience was a 6/10. Just right for a cool March Friday late afternoon.

Also, it is important to note that we gave a good spiting to the "Maine" lobster roll truck that was parked outside. Rural roads in Maine are the only place where lobster meat should be slung out of the back of a truck.. not in Washington, DC, and not for $15 a piece.

The Great Debate: Is Kelly's Cajun Grill actually a Chinese Restaurant?

Nestled within the confines of the famous International Food Court on 19th and K st. is Kelly's Cajun Grill. On its face, Kelly's appears to offer a variety of "Cajun" style dishes such as Bourbon Chicken and Blackened Fish. Initially, the menu offerings did not appear very inspiring and I lacked an interest in trying any of their dishes. That all changed last week when I walked past Kelly's storefront and a beautiful Asian temptress (a Kelly's Kitchen employee) offered me a sampling of their Bourbon Chicken dish. The flavor burst had me hooked, and I ordered Combo. #1: Bourbon Chicken with Fried Rice and Steamed Broccoli.

The dish itself is simply amazing; the chicken had great texture and is saturated with the perfect amount of their secret bourbon sauce. As much as I enjoyed the dish and left the famous International Food Court with a full stomach, something seemed amiss. Did I just eat a "Cajun" inspired dish or was it a Chinese meal dressed with Southern style tapestry? An old adage states that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its probably a duck. But what if it walks like a duck, but barks like a dog? Even though Kelly's doesn't serve duck, I argue to you--Kelly's Cajun Grill is a Chinese Restaurant.

My thesis, albeit controversial, is simple: Kelly's may boast that they serve "Cajun" meals, but evidence suggests otherwise. First, Kelly's is operated by Asians. Second, the menu includes popular items found on typical Chinese restaurant menus such as fried rice, lo mein and beef Bulgogi. Third, several items on the menu are labeled as "Cajun" such as the "Cajun Spicy Chicken," and "Cajun BBQ Ribs," but taste like chicken and ribs basted in teriyaki sauce. Despite all of this evidence, I still refused to accept that Kelly's is a Chinese Restaurant. The final piece of evidence which convinced me otherwise occurred about 30 minutes after eating my meal when I found myself hungry again...

To conlcude, the food at Kelly's is good, whether it is "Cajun" or Chinese. But one thing is for sure: Whoever this Kelly person is, he is definitely from the Far East.

Meat Head

I had the chance to dine at the corner of 12th and G yesterday afternoon when my coworker excitedly announced that the Meat Head Mobile Eatery had just twatted their location as being around the corner from our office.

It was nice to get outside of the Five Guys, PotBelly, Chop't, Mei Wah, Devon & Blakely, Cosi, Moe's routine that we have fallen into here on F Street. Meat Head offers simple, meat packed sandwiches at middle of the road prices. Unfortunately, we were two of the last customers of the day at 1:15pm and the truck had run out of chicken. Given that there are only three options on the menu, I settled for a MooMoo. The MooMoo isn't much more than a steak and cheese with some lettuce, fried onions, and chopped tomoatoes on top. By the time I had returned to the office, the sandwich was luke warm and a little dry. I give the food a 6/10.

The service, on the other hand, was excellent. The guy in the front seat of the truck taking orders gave me a free bag of chips and made a number of inappropriate sarcastic remarks to the needy woman that was in front of me in line. I like that... a lot.. and give the overall experience a 7.5/10. I recommend you go for the food, but stay for the service.

-CC