Lost Dog Cafe

I had been to the original Lost Dog Cafe (website here) on Washington Boulevard and liked it very much, so I was quite excited when a second location opened up on Columbia Pike, near Walter Reed Drive. They serve sandwiches and pizza mostly, and have lots of vegetarian options. Ian and I have been there twice now, both times for weekend lunches.

Purebred (Lost Dog Cafe)

The first time we went, I ordered a Purebred sandwich, but with roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes. First of all, let me say that their pita bread is delicious. Then it had garlic butter, artichokes, spinach, the red peppers, and it was topped with a generous portion of mozzarella and fontina cheeses. It was very good, but heavy.

Fries (Lost Dog Cafe)

Because the sandwich was so big, I only ate a couple of the fries Ian ordered. They were seasoned waffle fries and very good.

Blondie (Lost Dog Cafe)

Ian also wanted to try their blondie, but we were both full, so we got it to go. I tried it, and it was good, but in my opinion it was more like a chocolate chip cookie bar than a true blondie.

Da Basil (Lost Dog Cafe)

The next time we went to Lost Dog, it was really warm out, so I wanted something a little lighter than the Purebred. This time I ordered Da Basil. Da Basil is essentially a Greek Salad on a pita, with lettuce, tomato, onion, green peppers, olives, feta cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing. This was also very good. It is a nice summery sandwich. I also had a Black Cherry soda which just about made my day. Lost Dog Cafe also does delivery, so we may try them out in the near future.

The Italian Store

Last Thursday night, Ian and I were hanging out with Ian’s friend Chris. We were hungry and decided to get some take-out from the Italian Store, in Lion Village Shopping Center off Lee Highway in North Arlington. The Italian Store (website here) is somewhat of an institution in Arlington, and although I have spent a lot of time in the area, this is the first time I had ever been there. The store has all sorts of interesting Italian products in addition to the take-away food (there are a few tables outside). Some of the cheeses looked incredibly tempting; they had burrata and a marscapone gorgonzola that I had my eye on. The frozen food section looked incredible also.

Cheese Combo Sub (The Italian Store)

Ian and Chris shared a pizza with mushrooms and prosciuttio, but I was not feeling the pizza route, so I went with a sub. I ordered a Cheese combo sub (mozzarella, provolone, and havarti) with lettuce, onion, hot peppers, mayo and their house dressing. I normally don’t order both mayo and dressing, but this time it was a good time that I did, because there was hardly any of either on the sandwich. The hot peppers were very flavorful, though, so any bite that included them was really good. The serving of cheese was very generous and the quality seemed high. Generally, I liked it, although more dressing would have been a little nice.

The real complaint was the wait. When we called and ordered, we were told it would be 35 minutes. After about 30 minutes we headed over, but the pizza still wasn’t done (although my sandwich was). I had plenty of time to fully peruse the store, and then we still had to wait. All in all, the wait was around 50-55 minutes, which was excessive for one pizza and a sandwich, when they didn’t really seem that busy. The staff was rather disorganized and some didn’t seem like they were really doing anything.

Nando’s Peri Peri

For my very first post, I wanted to review a place that I have been to many times and love, but last night we went to this really awesome restaurant and I was too excited not to post about it right away. Nando’s Peri Peri (you can find their interesting, interactive website here) is a chain restaurant with locations all over the world (and I really mean all over) and two in downtown DC. The restaurant specializes in Portuguese grilled chicken and sauces infused with African bird’s eye chillis and spices (Peri-Peri sauce). However, they also have two vegetarian sandwiches, which the host pointed out when he explained the menu and ordering system to us (I thought that was nice that they mention vegetarians up front) : the ubiquitous veggie burger, which they dress up with chilli jam and yogurt sauce, which does sound better than average, and a portoballa and halloumi cheese sandwich, which can be served on a Portuguese roll, pita, or whole wheat wrap. The ordering system is interesting. You are showed to a table and given menus, then when you are ready, you queue at the counter to order and pay, and then the food is brought to your table (quite quicky). Desserts are ordered from a waitress.

I went with Ian and Nisha, and we decided we wanted an appetizer. They had a number that looked really tasty, including some marinated olives that were on display, but we decided on their red pepper dip.

Red Pepper Dip (Nando Peri-Peri)

This dip was good, sweet and a little smoky, and served with toasty pita bread that tasted like it might have had some whole wheat flour in it. It was a good choice, and we were all very happy with it.

We also got a pitcher of sangria to share.

Sangria (Nando Peri-Peri)

This was better than most restaurant sangria. It did have some sort of carbonation, but it was not too sweet. The fruit seemed to be apples and oranges, which was good, because I don’t like my sangria too busy. Also, the choice of wine was good, not too heavy.

Portobella Halloumi Sandwich with Macho Peas (Nando Peri Peri)

For the main event, I got the portobella halloumi sandwich. I had been on the fence about whether to add pineapple (they have a list of extras you can add to your sandwich for a little extra), but when I ordered, the first words to come out of the waitress’s mouth were, “Do you want to add pineapple to that?” I was sold. You are given a choice of how spicy you want you food (there is also a sauce bar to customize your choice later). Choices range from Mild (lemon & herb) to Extra Hot. I chose Hot because that is how I roll. On the side I got Macho Peas*, which was peas prepared with parsley, mint, and chilli. They were not spicy but mighty tasty, full of sweet pea goodness.

*Note- I ended up giving about half of my peas to Nisha because I was getting full and I still wanted dessert. Also she really liked them, too.

Inside of my sandwich (Nando Peri-Peri)

I really cannot say enough good things about the flavor conbination of this sandwich. The mushroom was earthy and meaty; the cheese was thick, chewy, and salty; the pineapple was sweet and slightly caramelized, and the sauce was spicy and tangy with a hint of citrus. When they combined, there was an explosion of flavor in every bite. The sauce made the sandwich very messy, though, but they understand and prepare for this.

Napkin (Nando Peri-Peri)

The only downside of this sandwich is that it came with lettuce and tomato, which was not stated on the menu. The lettuce was fine, but the tomato was out of season and did not add to the sandwich in any way.

The dessert menu at Nando Peri-Peri looked very appetizing, and we saw a few of them pass us while we were at the table, and they looked just as good as the menu made them sound. Nisha and Ian shared a piece of raspberry cheesecake.

Raspberry Brulee Cheesecake (Nando Peri-Peri)

I took a bite of this. It was very light and fluffy. However, while at the counter, I had seen some tasty looking egg custard tarts in the display case.

Naughty Natas (Nando Peri-Peri)

These little gems are called Naughty Natas, and they are delicious. However, they are rather small, so they are not too sinful. The custard was creamy with a hit of vanilla and slightly carmelized on top. The crust was a little tough to cut, but it was flaky and tasty.

All in all, we really had a great time. Ian had a chicken sandwich with fries and Nisha had a chicken pita and they also enjoyed their meals. We all left stuffed. We visited the location near Dupont Circle, but there is also one near the Verizon Center. For the location and the serving sizes, the prices are a steal. I definitely will be returning to this restaurant.

**UPDATE**

So I have gone back to Nando’s Peri Peri (this time the one in Chinatown) and tried the Veggie Pita (hot) w/ pineapple. It was not bad. It still had the sweetness of the chilli jam and pineapple and the spiciness from the hot sauce. The burger itself, however, is one of the tofu or tvp heavy burgers, which is not my favorite. The sauce was also very uneven on the burger, so the first half was dry, and the second half was very messy. I did like the large amount of greens and bell pepper strips on top, though. It is a lot healthier than the halloumi and mushroom sandwich, but I’m not sure I will get it again.