Tag Archives: Washington DC

FOOD

Pitango Gelato: Where Friends Reunite for Old World Favorites

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By Rohan:

This winter, I decided to visit one of my incredibly close friends from home who currently attends the University of Maryland. We decided to meet up at Gallery Place in Washington, DC, where the Capital Metro’s red line and green line intersect. We did not make any plans or reservations, that was never our style. This is the kind of person you meet up with and adventures simply happen. As we strolled around the chilly streets of downtown DC, we shared stories of college life and got nostalgic about the simplest things, from an amazing trip to Walt Disney World during our senior year to the coffee runs we would make on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis over the summer. It was then that we stumbled upon Pitango, a store that looked out-of-place amidst the sea of sports fans pouring out of the Verizon Center. It was relatively empty and had an “old meets new” Italian charm to it.

Little did we know we would spend an hour inside this small coffee and gelato shop, trying practically everything on the menu. The service was excellent, with baristas who came with stories to share and memories to make. The coffee was incredible, bold and rich, reminding me of similar drinks in Rome and Venice. The star of the show however, was the sipping hot chocolate, a delicacy I thought only existed in Eastern Europe. The concept was simple, thick, gooey, molten, bittersweet chocolate in a cup. There are not many adjectives needed to describe how delicious it tasted, especially when accompanied by an espresso shot to keep the conversation lively.

If you are ever in the downtown DC area, whether you are there for business, leisure, or catching up with an old friend as I was, I can’t recommend Pitango enough. Their ingredients are fresh, their servers are incredibly charming, and they provide a cozy backdrop on a cold wintry night.

Please do check them out here: http://pitangogelato.com/

TRAVEL

Falling In Love with Paper Travel Guides In The Digital Age

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By Lakshmi:

For the last several years, most of our trips have been facilitated by electronic media.  From downloading apps on local transit systems to those that point you to what’s around, from eguides to cities to programs that track your visits, going paperless has been quite a liberating experience.

However, despite our newly discovered efficiency, there is something magical about picking up a print travel magazine (the most recent case in point being an issue of Wanderlust at Heathrow airport) that sends our hormones into a state of bliss.  Given this induced state, it should come as no surprise that my heart skipped a beat or two when I discovered alacarte maps.

Pitched as a package that combines a travel guide with a city map that can serve as a piece of art, these extremely attractive, easy to carry guides may be the perfect companion to discovering an entire city or a quaint neighborhood.

Founded by two Swiss flashpackers (backpackers who like to journey in style), these enticing maps provide tons of tips from locals on where to go and what to do in addition to of course providing you with what you would expect from good old fashioned maps.  In fact, mix one part eye candy, one part personal tour guide and one part reliable data and you come up with a map ideally suited for today’s digital age limited attention span!

I happened to see the one on my former home town of Washington DC and can’t wait to buy a few for cities I am already quite familiar with…London, New York, Vienna.

Take a moment to peruse their collection at http://www.alacartemaps.com/ and if that’s not enough to get you excited, take a look at one of their creative videos at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvBqCCRd4PI

And if you’ve used their maps, please do send us your feedback.

FOOD

Indique Heights – Indian Food That Hits All The Right Notes

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By Lakshmi:

Chevy Chase, Maryland, a suburb of Washington DC occupies a very special place in our hearts.  It is where we lived, went to school and worked when we moved from India to the US.  Each time we return, we are overjoyed to go back and stay at a place we called home for many years.  This time was no different and what made Christmas day extra special was an incredibly beautiful, satisfying meal at Indique Heights.

Located right above the Friendship Heights metro station, Indique Heights is located right at the District/Maryland line.  As you come off the escalators and approach the restaurant, you are transported from a very modern commercial building to the ambiance of a home in India thousands of miles away.

A beautiful traditional swing occupies a prime location while comfy seating flanked by beautiful, colorful Indian artwork makes for a very relaxing lounging experience.  We turned up without reservations on a day when most restaurants were closed and the restaurant was packed.  We loved the excuse to linger, sit on the swing and take pictures.

The dinner menu at Indique Heights, carefully curated by Chef Vinod brings together an eclectic combination of Indian street food with north and south Indian cuisine. For those tired of the same repertoire of dishes served at many an Indian restaurant, the dishes here can be a beautiful, new sensory journey.

We started with the street food appetizers – Papri Chaat (flour crisps, potato, chick peas, yogurt, cilantro & tamarind Chutney), Bhel Puri (rice puffs, crispy gram flour noodles, cilantro, tamarind chutney) and the Mini Dosas (crepe made with a fermented batter of lentils and rice).  Everything was fresh and hit every sensory bud.  Spicy, Tangy, Sweet….my mouth waters just thinking about the flavors.  Sathya was so in love with the Mini Dosa that she went for seconds and thirds, till the restaurant loving her enthusiasm comped her a few more!

Given our vegetarian group, we ordered a thali (an assortment of vegetarian dishes with bread, rice and dessert), a biryani with rice and veggies, and some naan bread with  kadai paneer.  Unlike some of the grease filled dishes served by their brethren, the food here was light, with the spices bringing out the richness of the individual flavors, leaving one wanting to decipher the various ingredients making up the exquisite taste.

After all this food, there was not much room for dessert, but given the family’s staunch belief that life is too short to live without dessert, we indulged on that front as well.  An assortment of gulab jamun (deep-fried dough balls in sugar syrup) and some ice cream completed the meal.

To us, it was the perfect culmination to a beautiful day spent with family and friends in a city we adore.

Many years ago, Chef Vinod had catered my brother’s wedding when he had just one small restaurant in Rockville Maryland.  Now, he has multiple restaurants in the area and the food at Indique Heights leaves no unanswered questions on why Vinod and his restaurants are successful.

If you are in the DC area and in the mood for Indian food, do give them a try.  You can read more about them, their locations and more at

http://www.indiqueheights.com/