Richard Sandoval doesn’t need any introductions or promotions. That’s why I was delighted when the General Manager of Zengo, Frank Ortiz, agreed to have me write a feature story to spotlight their new menu items. I invited Anca Grindeanu, a bartender at the Carving Room, to be a guest blogger for RUNINdc Before the MCI …
Category Archives: Wine
Absolute Thai
I met Wirut just outside the Irish Channel a year ago when he was opening up a noodle and sushi bar next door. “sah-wah-dee.” “Have you been to Thailand, the ‘Land of Smiles’?” “Yes, Phuket, twice, both times by boat — when I was 5, living on a sailboat and at 17 on a frigate …
Carlos’ Coppi’s
Down the road from Ben‘s Chili Bowl on 12th and U, tall cranes dot the skyline along the 14th St corridor. The young, vibrant masses are moving in, and shopping and dining out have become more fashionable. After months of construction, the massive Louis at 14th was finally taking shape. As 270 apartments were getting …
Meskerem
When Meskerem opened on March 15, 1985, there wasn’t much of Ethiopia in D.C. Its owners were amongst the first wave of immigrants who fled their homeland after a Marxist military junta overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974.1 That coup triggered the civil war between Ethiopia and Eritrea that lasted until 2000 with the final …
Iron Chef
One sunny weekend during the fall of 2013. The restaurant scene in G-Town was abuzz with tourist activity. I passed Georgetown Piano Bar and then Jinx Tattoo parlor, soothing sounds of reggae music emanated from the brown brick establishment. Bandolero was next and this is where I hoped I would cut my first big deal. …