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Cusbah Spices up H Street

20 Sep

Not long ago the 1100 block of H Street housed Taylor Gourmet, Little Miss Whiskey’s, and not much else.  The combination of vacant buildings and a somewhat sketchy liquor store made the block one of the less appealing parts of H Street.  However, this summer the block sprung to life with first the exciting addition of H&pizza and now Cusbah (1128 H Street), a Southeast Asian restaurant with a wonderful outdoor bar and patio.  Even in its first few weeks, Cusbah has already helped transform a largely abandoned block into one of the most exciting (and tasty) blocks on H Street.

Cusbah on H Street

The owners of Cusbah completely remodeled what had previously been Naby’s Island Restaurant into a beautiful new space that has both indoor and outdoor patio seating.  Cusbah is located in a corner townhouse unit on the eastern end of the block.  As you enter, the indoor seating is intimate with dimly lit lights that reveal jars of spices above the tables that line the left side of the restaurant.  The seats on the right hand side are high top stools located at the bar.  The owners knocked out part of the exterior wall on the right side to create a large window behind the bar to form a two sided bar (with the bar tenders in the middle by where the exterior wall should be), so that diners can sit inside at the bar or outside on the patio at the bar.  To get outside to the patio, diners are escorted through the restaurant and through the interior door by the bar to the patio that is located on the corner of H and 12th streets (it is separated from the sidewalk by a waist-high fence and several planters).  Apart from the bar seating (four seats) outside, there are a variety of regular tables and high top tables.  When it is nice weather outside, you would be pressed to find a more pleasant environment to dine.  As it gets colder outside, we are told that the owners plan to put up a temporary roof over the patio and will presumable heat it somewhat, so that diners can enjoy the patio even during the winter. Continue reading →

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Newsom: Bringing Global Cuisine and a Cool Hangout to H Street

18 Sep

We stopped by Newsom (1110 H Street, NE) during H Street Festival on Saturday and got a chance to talk with the owner of the restaurant which hopes to open within the next three weeks.  The restaurant will open up in the newly renovated Hubert Newsom building (which apparently has its origins in the 1890s), will serve a menu featuring “global cuisine,” and will be open for dinner and then brunch on the weekend.

Second Floor of Newsom (the window in the back left is the enclosed karaoke booth)

The owner told us that the food will draw inspiration from a variety of cuisines.  The preview menu during H Street Festival included jerk skewered quail (we didn’t personally try it but heard that it was quite tasty), steak and cheese spring rolls (we tried and enjoyed), pickled shrimp, edamame hummus, and crispy shishito peppers.

First Floor of Newsom

Newsom will have a variety of different cocktails and will also have sangria on tap according to the owner.  The drinks debuted during H Street Festival included Icy Ting (vodka, grapefruit, lavender bitters, lemon, and aloe), New Kid on the Block (bourbon, roselle syrup, condensed milk, and fruit), and the H Street Gold (bourbon, white wine, and fruit).

Window on Second Floor of Newsom Overlooking H Street

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New (Tasty) Details on H &Pizza

25 Apr

We’ve known for several months that a new gourmet pizza place was coming to H Street (1118 H Street to be precise) and would add an important missing ingredient to the H Street dining scene.  The new place will be called H &Pizza, and co-owners Steve Salis and Michael Lastoria have been slowly revealing the details of the restaurant in anticipation of the opening.  Last week, Washington City Paper filled in some details by reporting (among other details) that H &Pizza plans to open June 1st, will allow customers to completely customize their pizzas by featuring an assembly line style format (and choosing from a variety of toppings, sauces, and crusts), and will be open late on the weekends.

This week we caught up with co-owner Steve Salis and were able to learn some exciting (and tasty) details.  Most importantly, H &Pizza will not be any average pizza joint.  Check out some of these sauces that diners will be able to choose from: Basil Pesto, Mushroom Tartufo (Mushroom Truffle spread) Ricotta, Red Chickpea spread, Classic Marinara, and Spicy Marinara.  And how about these toppings: Smoked Bacon, Sopressata, Proscuitto, Hot Sausage, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Broccolli Rabe, Kalamata Olives, Artichokes, Arugula, Soy Cheese (lactose free) and mozzarella cheese they will make in house.  If you don’t feel like designing your own pizza, H &Pizza will offer special pizzas that you can order right off the menu and they will make for you.  In addition to pizza, H &Pizza will have several salads and deserts as well as a beverage menu featuring wine, beer, and specialty drinks.

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Is Lunch from a Food Truck Ever Worth $15? (What about $20?)

28 Mar

Mention lunch from a truck and many people think of the many hot dog stands and trucks around D.C. that have questionable sanitation and much more questionable food.  The idea of paying $10, $15, or even $20 for a meal from a truck seems crazy.  Standing in line for significant amounts of time sounds even more ridiculous.  Should a sane person ever pay that much for lunch from a truck?  Simply put: yes (but only on rare occasions…).  Some of the best lunch time meals can be bought at food trucks around D.C. and are worth the investment of time and money.  Let’s examine our two favorites: Jose Andres’ Pepe and Red Hook Lobster Pound. Continue reading →

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Washingtonian’s 100 Best Restaurants 2012: Winners and Losers

26 Dec

The Washingtonian is out with its annual review of top 100 restaurants in Washington, arguably one of, if not the, most important dining reviews in the area.  The list is in the January print edition and will be online soon.  This year, the format of the review continues to change.  In the past the Washingtonian ranked restaurants 1-100; however, over the past few years, the magazine has listed fewer restaurants numerically and instead grouped the majority of restaurants in one alphabetical list.

This year’s list only ranks the top ten restaurants numerically.  The magazine then lists ten restaurants that are “on the rise,” ten that are new and exciting, ten that are “tried and true” establishments, and then the remaining restaurants alphabetically (in the “More Great Dining” category).  This format clearly hurts the restaurants that do not make it into any of the top categories and instead fall into the last category of the remaining restaurants in alphabetical order (some of which were in the top ten last year).  This new format may in fact disadvantage some of the best restaurants in D.C. as it implies that they are not as good as they used to be, even though they may simply have been victims of the new format.

Here’s our quick take on some of the winners and losers in this year’s list (we encourage you to read the entire list in either the magazine or online, it’s well worth the read):

Winners

Ashok Bajaj Named restauranteur of the year by Washingtonian, his restaurants did very well on this year’s list with Rasika placing in the top ten, Bibiana and Ardeo & Bardeo landing in the “on the rise” list, and Oval Room and 701 also appearing on the list.

Johnny Monis Chef Monis’s Komi again is named the top restaurant in D.C. and his Little Serow receives three stars and is on the new list of exciting restaurants.

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