Hope, at last

As my pod-mate Sharon can attest to, my days at FCNL are largely spent reading, typing and munching. Munching on an endless series of Trader Joe snacks (the peanut butter filled pretzels, which Trevor recently introduced me to, are currently my favorite) and a large stockpile of dark chocolate and ginger candy (mmmmm ginger candy). And-- it will come as no surprise to those who know me-- I do even more munching outside of FCNL.

It’s true: I spend a better part of my life dreaming about good food (ay, even at the gym I’m usually watching the Food Network). I’m not quite as obsessive as my brother but I’m always on the lookout for a good meal. So, I was thrilled when Friday night (post a strange and crowded FCNL happy hour) I met a friend for a delightful Ethiopian meal at Dukem on U St. Now I’m not usually a fan of the slightly sour injera bread used to scoop up Ethiopian food but this bread surpassed expectation. We split a combo dish with samplings of a number of flavorful meats, veggies and delicious salads. A good busy buzz for a Friday night. Cheap by D.C. standards (read: not cheap but affordable). A decent amount of food that left us in a healthy food coma… All around a good time.

Having moved to D.C. from Providence (the Mecca in my mind of good, cheap, local restaurants), I’ve mourned and wept over the serious lack of reliable food establishments that plagues this city. Although K St. lobbyists apparently don’t mind paying an arm & a leg for a tasteless burger at a chain restaurant, I have slightly higher standards (insert joke about French having high standards here :) Thankfully, Dukem proved that in this dull city of black suits and burnt burgers, there remains a slim but solid glimmer of hope. If you haven’t been, I recommend you check it out!