M: IndAroma is an Indian bakery shop. I’ve been here before a long time ago and one of our closest friends keeps talking about going here cause it’s so amazing. I actually know the girl friend of the owner and have been meaning to go more often.
R: The cakes here are delicious!!!! On this one particular trip we got a slice of the mango mousse cake and butterscotch cake. The butterscotch cake (as you can see in the picture) had small crispy pieces of butterscotch candy on top which were amazing.
M: The mango mousse is one of the best things here. All there cakes are light and not too sweet, so I like them (I’m not into cake really, in general). We also got Madras Coffee, which is coffee with partly boiled milk and boiled water made frothy.
R: Very pretty atmosphere, lovely seating and decorations, very warm overall.
M: They do have food here also, not sure how good it is since I only come for pastries and coffee. Another place that’s not too far from here that’s similar is Sheila Bakery, which is a Korean place.
R: If you live in the area, definitely make a stop for a slice of cake and madras coffee after dinner.
M: So Eden Center is an area like China Town, it’s basically Little Saigon/ Viet Town. Instead of being blocks and streets in an urban area, it’s located by Seven Corners in a little shopping center complete with the cultural arches and Vietnamese characters (Along with English ones) for store names. The rows for parking lanes even have Vietnamese “street names”.
R: One of the first times I went to Eden Center was to try bubble tea at Song Que. My all-time favorite flavor is and always will be the coffee bubble tea. Other flavors that are good are pineapple, coconut, taro, etc.
M: At first I didn’t like bubble tea cause the tapioca bubbles felt weird. I like it now but even though I see the bubbles come up the straw, it still surprises me and feels weird. I’d say coffee is a safe choice, but mango and thai tea bubble tea aren’t bad either. Song Que is also known for their Banh Mi sandwiches (which we saw on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations). It’s a really simple and cheap sandwich. I’ve had it at another place in Eden Center and it was good there too.
R: There are two other pretty good places we’ve tried right next door. One of which is a hole in the wall pho place, Pho Xelua, that probably has the best pho I’ve ever had. We even went to go one night and a lady walked passed the door and said “they’re closing, too bad though, it’s the best place around!”
M: I agree. That was actually the best pho I’ve had out of around 7 places. You wouldn’t suspect much of a difference between different places, but I could tell a different in quality and taste.
R: That same night Pho Xelua was closed, we went to Viet Royale. Viet Royale is much more sit-down and fancy then the rest of the places in Eden.
M: We had a few friends of ours with us that night who never had tried pho before. I usually like getting it with all the different cuts of beef in it (including cartilage pieces). I recommended it to one of them and they were pretty much disgusted by it; they probably are never going to have pho again. So for first timers, I would recommend just chicken or regular cuts of beef.
R: Friends have recommended some other places in the shopping center to get a bite, I may wait to try those until I have some of them go with me. A lot of these places have their menu’s in Vietnamese, etc, so its really hard to know what to order unless someone has given you a suggestion.
R: SANGRIA!!!!! Awesome atmosphere, with 5 or 6 different kinds of in-house sangrias.
M: I wasn’t a big fan of sangria before but I love coming here. All the different flavors are good, but it’s funny to see how they use box wine. They end up making multiple huge containers of sangrias every day. You can see the giant glass containers at the bar with all the different fruits ans spices inside.
R: The different ones vary in strength and alcohol content. There is one called Cadillac Red, that has a good amount of brandy in it. It packs a strong punch.
M: So i would suggest coming here for happy hours mainly. It’s $12/$15 a pitcher for sangria vs $23+ and the tapas are $3 vs $8 regular.
R: Our favorite tapas are the calamari and the fried eggplant! So so good, and so so worth $3.
M: There are three La Tascas in the area: Chinatown, Old Town Alexandria, and Clarendon. I think the Chinatown one has better food and sangria, but it does get very crowded.
R: THIS IS ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE ALL TIME FAVORITE HAPPY HOUR SPOTS because compared to other bars where you’re usually just getting cheap beer and some mediocre nachos, here you getting an elegant atmosphere, drinks that are actually made and not served by popping open a bottle, and food that will make your taste buds very happy :)
http://www.latascausa.com/site/locations/washington-dc/
M: This is my favorite Pakistani/ Indian food in the DC area. My family and close family friends actually cater this place often when we have a lot guests over at our houses.
R: I’m persian, so I’d say its my favorite “brown” place to go for kabob. My favorite overall place for kabob is Shamshiry, but we’ll get to that in another post. The main differences for me between middle eastern (persian, arab, etc) kabob joints and brown ones (paki, indian, bengali, etc) are that the middle eastern ones are a bit more simple, more focused on the basics, while the “brown” ones have a lot more spices, and almost always have chick peas on the side.
M: I think the chick peas are actually one of my favorite things here. The spices and flavors are so bold on all the food. When you first walk into the place, you can smell and taste it in the air.
R: I love the samosas! Something I almost always get one while waiting for my meal.
M: Samosas are always a safe bet. They have meat and veggie ones. They usually serve them with green sauce (spicy) and brown sauce (sweet tamarind) on the side. It’s amazing dipping the samosa in a mix of the two.
R: When finding this place, you’ll notice there are two. Ones nicer and more of a sit-down place and the other, seems a lot more run-down (kind of place where you would pick up food to-go)
M: The sit down place would be better to go in a large group. There’s more space so it’s family-oriented. The run-down place is THE place to go. It’s small, cramped, dingy, etc but that’s where the legit food is. It seems as if these are two different restaurants.
R: It may have to do with the cooks? Everyone seems to prefer the older looking one for the food, I’d agree.
M: Next time you’re craving Indian food, in the Ballston area, or just looking for a quick and dirty (not actually dirty) meal, stop by Ravi Kabob and pick some up.
M: Right across the Potomac from Alexandria into Maryland (eww), National Harbor is a very nice view from Old Town Alexandria, driving over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, landing or taking off from Reagan Airport or just wherever you can see it from.
R: A very different scene. Its nice if you want a change from your typical outings in Clarendon, Georgetown or DC. Also, older crowd. Seems like most people are working age, 30s and up for the most part.
M: It’s like all those other areas. There are shops, restaurants, nice waterfront, along with the Gaylord Hotel. Yes, weird name but it is the heart of the area. I went to a conference here once and this place is huuuuuuuuge. It even has its own forest inside.
R: There are also events and such around the holidays. We went for the tree lighting event for Christmas. It was very crowded!
M: It is a pricey area somewhat like Gtown. They have a McCormick and Schmicks, Rosa Mexicana, and other well known places. We ended up going out for drinks at a local place called Ketchup. Cool artwork on the wall, all dealing with.. ketchup. They do have a piano bar there, I think it’s the only one in the area? It is an older crowd of course (like 30s and 40s) but it’s something different.
R: By the way, did I mention they have a peep factory!!
M: The one major problem with the area I’d say is PARKING. It’s like freakin $11 bucks an hour in the garage. Killer.
R: Yeah, I’d say go, check it out, see if its your style. It’s not somewhere I’d go to often, but it is something different than the usual bars/restaurants in town that we all know so well and all too often get bored of.
http://www.nationalharbor.com/intro.htm
M: I’ve always liked Ethiopian food. I’ve been to are Eyo, Meaza, Lalibela and some others I don’t remember before. Hands down, this is the best one I’ve been to.
R: My very first experience with Ethiopian food was not the best (we ate it elsewhere). Also, I always had this fear that all the food would have raw meat. For those who also have this stereotype that is preventing them from trying it, do not let that fear get in the way. Yes, most Ethiopian places have dishes with raw meat, but you can definitely get your meat cooked. So, one day Mo suggested we go to Dama. Considering my last experience eating Ethiopian food was not that great, I was a bit hesitant. But I decided to give it a second try. Looking back I am super happy I did. The first time I had eaten it, I had hated the bread, called “injera.” I even told Mo, I would eat the meat without the bread. At Dama, I found myself wanting to ask for additional injera. It has quickly become one of my favorite places to eat.
M: I actually liked the bread from the get go. I remember Raha said her parents didn’t like it cause it looked like a “wet towel”. I think the bread makes the experience. It would be just like everything else if it was with a fork or rice or whatever. Pertaining to that... you’re supposed to eat it with your hands, just in case you weren’t sure.
R: And it gets reallllly messy, so be prepared. Luckily they bring you a wet nap afterwards just like when you eat ribs.
M: So the place itself might be a little confusing. There’s two buildings and three different signs. There’s Dama Restaurant, Dama Diner, Dama Pastry and Cafe, or something like that. Just look for the building with the crazy parking in front. When you first walk in, the restaurant portion is on the right and there’s a mini grocery store to the left. If you walk through the grocery store, you’re in a little coffee/ dessert bar.
R: The first time we came we got a slice of white chocolate cake, espresso and tea. It was all delicious. The espresso came in a very cute clear glass, where you could definitely see the different parts, the cream, the body and the heart. (for all the coffee aficionados out there). The white chocolate cake was light, fluffy and rich tasting. Love love loved it!
M: It’s actually owned by one of my friend’s parents. I’m guessing it’s more authentic since mostly only Ethiopians are there. After going I looked it up on yelp and it actually got really good reviews and an average rating of over 4 (on a scale of 5).
R: On a side note, its not the fanciest of places, but still very cozy. Also, it seems as though they may be currently undergoing some renovation, but don’t let that stop you from dropping by. Definite two thumbs up for this place!!
P.S. if you take a look at the menu and are totally lost as to what to get, go for the Lamb Tibs!!! (Our favorite)
M: IndAroma is an Indian bakery shop. I’ve been here before a long time ago and one of our closest friends keeps talking about going here cause it’s so amazing. I actually know the girl friend of the owner and have been meaning to go more often. 
