Taste of Maine – Luke’s Lobster

Taste of Maine - Luke's Lobster
1/2 lobster roll, 1/2 shrimp roll, 1/2 crab roll, lemonade, chips and a pickle. $20
Luke’s Lobster, Washington DC

Mmm, these were pretty good! I really liked that the lobster roll consisted of whole lobster claws. The rolls were fairly small but three of them were more than enough to make for a large lunch.

Lemonade and salt and vinegar chips - Luke's Lobster
Lemonade and salt and vinegar chips.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Foie gras parfait – Le Diplomate

Foie gras parfait - Le Diplomate
Pain d’epice, huckleberry mustard. $15
Le Diplomate, Washington DC

Mmm, this appetizer was heaven! The foie gras parfait was whipped to an light, silky texture and it was so delicious with the toast and huckleberry. It was very rich but I tried my best to finish it throughout the meal. Noms!

Ventoux cocktail - Le Diplomate
Ventoux: old overholt rye, lemon, egg white, red wine float. $12

US Botanic Garden Conservatory
US Botanic Garden Conservatory.

1/4 chicken breast and wing – Nando’s Peri-Peri

1/4 chicken breast and wing - Nando's Peri-Peri
Peri-Peri chicken with hot sauce, served with coleslaw and garlic bread. $9.45
Nando’s Peri-Peri, Washington DC

This chicken was certainly tender and flavorful, but I didn’t think that it was a “praise Jesus” moment that everyone has with Nando’s. The food runners were really nice and mine even gave me an extra wing since mine was on the small side. The girls working the door could use a little more professional training though. I felt like they were acting like immature high school hall monitors.

National Gallery of Art atrium
National Gallery of Art atrium.

Steamed dim sum – Ping Pong

Steamed dim sum - Ping Pong
Spicy vegetable dumpling, beef dumpling, seafood dumpling, chive and shrimp dumpling, honey barbecued pork bun (char siu bun). Lunch prix fixe $25
Ping Pong, Washington DC

I appreciated the different colors and shapes of these dumplings and the fillings were pretty tasty too. What I didn’t appreciate was that they were over steamed so the wrappers were soft, mushy and gelatinous. The pork bun was good.

Ping Pong steamer trays
Ping Pong steamer trays.

Four-Sided Pyramid, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
Four-Sided Pyramid, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.

Grilled broccolini – Kapnos

Grilled broccolini - Kapnos
Mizitha cheese, tomato, kalamata olives, capers. $12
Kapnos, Washington DC

Firstly, I think twelve bucks is a bit much for a few stalks of broccolini. Secondly, their was a fishy flavor to this dish that I really couldn’t place my finger on. It tasted like there was some anchovies or something fermented. I liked the flavor, but there was nothing written on the menu that would point indicate its source.

National World War II Memorial
National World War II Memorial.

Get Him to the Greek pan pizza – Graffiato

Get Him to the Greek pan pizza - Graffiato
Lamb, tzatziki, feta, arugula. Happy hour $6
Graffiato, Washington DC

I didn’t know this was gonna arrive with potato chips on top – that was an unpleasant surprise. And I’m not sure how potato chips scream Greek, but whatever. This actually tasted good, but I still wasn’t a fan of the oddly textured crust on these mini pan pizzas.

Vieux Carre cocktail - Graffiato
Vieux Carre: bulleit rye, fundador brandy, Drambuie, peychaud bitters, angostura bitters. $13

Washington Monument
Washington Monument.

Vanilla bean creme brulee – Le Diplomate

Vanilla bean creme brulee - Le Diplomate
Sable Breton cookie. $8
Le Diplomate, Washington DC

Crème brulees don’t usually excite me unless their an unexpected flavor so I wasn’t crazy about this dessert. It tasted fine and the vanilla flavor was there, but I wasn’t wowed. I did like the Breton cookies though.

Pamplemousse Presse cocktail - Le Diplomate
Pamplemousse Presse: Combier pamplemousse sparkling wine, lemon. $10

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Righteous cheese plate – Thally

Righteous cheese plate - Thally
Quince, lavender honey, spiced nuts, cranberry-walnut bread, one each cow, goat, sheep. $16
Thally, Washington DC

Mmm, this was a really good cheese plate. I liked the variety of milk source and the garnishes were yummy!

Ms. Rosemary Bulleit cocktail - Thally
Ms. Rosemary Bulleit: bulleit bourbon, dolin blanc, luxardo maraschino, house-made ginger soda. $10

Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium
Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.

Fried and baked dim sum – Ping Pong

Fried and baked dim sum - Ping Pong
Honey roasted chicken puff, chicken and black pepper spring roll, crispy prawn ball, panko crusted edamame and crab cake, sweet and sour sauce. Lunch prix fixe $25
Ping Pong, Washington DC

Meh, I thought that the prix fixe price was great, but I wasn’t that impressed with the dim sum items and especially not by their lame sauces. The chicken puff tasted great but I thought the pastry was a too thick for the filling ratio. The spring roll was your usual spring roll. The prawn ball was over-fried as was the edamame crab cake.

Fried wontons - Ping Pong
Fried wontons with sweet and sour sauce. Complimentary

Chinatown gate
Chinatown gate.

Melitzanosalata spread – Kapnos

Melitzanosalata spread - Kapnos
Smoked eggplant, roasted peppers, walnuts, feta. Served with flatbread. $8
Kapnos, Washington DC

Mmm, this spread was delicious. I personally love eggplants and this preparation was new to me (and I loved it). Their made to order flatbread is also pretty amazing! Noms!

Prosecco - Kapnos
Prosecco “on tap”, Montelvini, Italy, MV. Glass $9

National Mall view
National Mall view from the Washington Monument towards the Capitol Building.

Duck sarladaise – Le Diplomate

Duck sarladaise - Le Diplomate
Confit, sunnyside up egg, roasted potatoes. $15
Le Diplomate, Washington DC

Mmm, I love Le Diplomate. The service is wonderful and the food is very tasty. This duck dish was certainly heavy but it tasted great and the hollandaise sauce was surprisingly bright. Noms!

Pimm's Cup cocktail - Le Diplomate
Pimm’s Cup: Pimm’s no. 1, cucumber, L’Esprit de June. $10

Bread basket - Le Diplomate
Bread basket. Complimentary
Omg, this bread basket is glorious!

Morning at Thomas Circle
Morning at Thomas Circle.