Fettoosh
We went to a Lebanese-Moroccan restaurant and ordered zaalouk, a blend of roasted eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and olive oil, and though it contains the same core ingredients as many other Mediterranean dishes, it has its own personality. The house-marinated black olives, left with the pits intact, make you pause and not too quickly scoop the thick dip with charred slices of baguette. We also ordered a combo platter of kabobs, chicken, lamb and kefta, a ground beef patty of sorts and a crowd favorite, as we swiped it through a thick pond of hummus. The merguez tagine, lamb sausages in a spicy, kicky tomato sauce, was lovely. But was it comforting?
As we were leaving, people speaking in a foreign tongue to the Moroccan-born owner were served a giant platter with a protruding leg of lamb. Huge swaths of soft acorn squash and butternut squash cocooned around the hunk of meat, along with zucchini, carrots, cabbage, turnips, fava beans and chickpeas. This was the topper to a bed of couscous. A generous, king-sized bed of couscous. I couldn’t look away. That was comfort. We packed up our leftovers, paid the bill and left. But I had to come back.
It’s not easy to look at a menu from the other side of the world and know what will feel like home. But that’s the transportive magic of food.
The next day, alone, I slipped into Fettoosh: two visits in two days. The owner, warm and gregarious, recognized me as any good owner would. “Good to see you again,” he says. I quickly peeled the skin from the acorn squash to eat the soft, orange flesh. I pulled the soft meat from the bone. The couscous, these tiny balls the size of the dot on a lady bug, were fragrant and juicy. I closed my eyes. It was just right. // 5100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; fettoosh.com
Sidebar
Think cookie dough can’t get any better than dragging a finger through the batter of your grandmother’s bowl? Well, that’s tough to beat. But another way to relive that memory: order the “Treat yo self” at SideBar in Leesburg. Four scoops of cookie dough are beer-battered, deep-fried and served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. The outer layer is crunchy and the interior is gooey with melty chocolate. Call granny and tell her to meet you at the bar. // 24 S. King St., Leesburg; facebook.com/SideBarLBG
Social House Kitchen & Tap
Some places are known for finesse and fussy presentations, and some just know how to work the fryer. From the owner of Velocity Wings, trust the bar food at Social House Kitchen & Tap (now in South Riding and Ashburn). Fries, hand-cut here to quarter-inch thickness (thicker than regular fries, but not as thick as steak fries), are fried, cooled and then fried a second time at order for a crispy on the outside, creamy in the center stick of potato, and served with ketchup and a housemade ranch dressing. Onion rings are treated just as seriously, with beer and whiskey added to a tempura batter for a fluffy, puffy exterior with a soft, sweet onion inside. It’s served with ranch too, as well as a horseradish aioli, but the presentation is just as good: rings stack on top of each other on a silver pole, like a winning round of horseshoes. // 25370 Eastern Marketplace Plaza, South Riding; 42841 Creek View Plaza, Suite 145, Ashburn; socialhousesouthriding.com
Infinity Tea
The girl behind the counter said she used to eat it as an after school snack: a sliced baguette, slathered with butter, topped with sugar and warmed so it forms an almost crystalized frosting. Simply called sweet bread, simple as a child’s smile.
// 6647 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church; facebook.com/Infiniteava
Cheesesteak Express & Kabob Depot
In what world does crinkle-cut fries, a layer of shaved beef, diced bell peppers, provolone cheese, boom boom sauce and a dusting of sumac make a poutine? Maybe it’s when an Afghan native opens a counter operation inside of a gas station on the edge of Chantilly and South Riding and the food is actually fresh and cooked to order (and can take 15 minutes because word’s gotten out that there is some legit food in this tucked-away strip mall). The resulting dish of cheesesteak poutine is, sure, sloppy and messy, but also delicious and, if this is possible, well executed. There’s a balance of fries and meat and that cloak of cheese. Also great: the chicken kabob and saucy chickpeas. // 24651 Southpoint Drive, Chantilly; 703-957-4705
Milagro’s Pupuseria
The housemade thick, doughy flour tortilla is folded over and around the goods like a sleeping bag, and much easier to eat than an over-stuffed
burrito. Inside is everything you want for breakfast: scrambled eggs, cheese, crema, fried beans and avocado. The Honduran baleada, from the family-owned Milagro’s Pupuseria, is the oversized breakfast wrap—and comes two to an order!—you never knew you needed. // 301 S. Washington St., Falls Church; 703-534-3838
Malaysian Kopitiam
High school reunions can be fraught with anxiety, inadequacy, awkwardness. Restaurant reunions? They’re just delicious. After 15 years in downtown D.C., Malaysia Kopitiam took a four-year hiatus before reopening in Centreville. Now located in a strip mall near plenty of neighborhoods, the previous problems of parking shortages and lack of dinnertime diners vanquished, leaving vibrant curries and the cross-cultural snacks of Malaysia’s street food. The laksa curry lets long, thin egg noodles linger in a thick, kicky sauce filled with chunks of tender chicken, eggplant and okra. Sheets of tofu skin house bits of fish for a crunchy, addictive starter. Dunk buttery roti in a savory chicken curry. Fried rice is best for its crown of puffy fried egg. But most of all, it feels good to see an old friend. // 5085 Station Valley Drive, Centreville; malaysiankopitiamva.com
Khan Japanese Kitchen & Bar
Tteokbokki has all the things. The Korean dish has soft, chewy rice cakes in the shape of short doughy logs, smothered in gochujang, a chili paste that is savory and spicy, balanced with sweetness and a bit of funk. And yes, it’s good just like that. Wanna make it better? Add a cloak of melted mozzarella, and let the marriage of East and West dazzle. // 4231 Markham St., Suite A-B, Annandale; facebook.com/izakayzkhan
Bob & Edith’s Diner
It was snowing, hailing and sleeting, and Bob & Edith’s was packed, accordingly. There’s about a dozen tables and a half-dozen stools, a small space with wrap around windows looking out to Columbia Pike in Arlington, the original location. There’s a frozen-in-time feel—it’s been here since 1969 and there’s now four locations in Northern Virginia—a place loud with chatter, and louder with the short-order cooks scraping spatulas against the griddle. It’s a place to spot all sorts of types, young and old, and someone from anywhere on the Earth. The food is secondary—giant pancakes, sandwiches on rye, coffee black and thick milkshakes tufted with whipped cream. There are newer diners and restaurants with better food, but that’s not what Bob & Edith’s is for. // Multiple NoVA locations; bobandedithsdiner.com
Thanh Truc
There is soap for every occasion, for every culture. In Spain, gazpacho, a virtual garden, is blended and served cool from pitchers into glasses. For Jews, the embodiment of familial love is found inside matzah ball soup. Across Asia, soup is breakfast; soup is everything. Pho is homey and beloved, ramen is a display in artistry. They’ve both conquered this region’s attention. But get to know bun bo hue. It’s born from pork and beef, alive with lemongrass and filled with a ham hock, sliced beef shank, steamed pork sausages and round, thick, slurpable noodles. There’s spicier versions to be found (try the one at Nam-Viet) but this one inside the Eden Center leaves room for everyone to enjoy, though heat freaks can add sate, a fish sauce and lemongrass chili oil, for some extra fire. // 6795 Wilson Blvd., Suite 29, Falls Church; 703-534-6988
Balo Kitchen
It’s brave to mess with a classic American sandwich. But Balo Kitchen, a stall inside Annandale’s food hall, The Block, reimagines the French dip with the scents of Vietnamese cooking. The build-your-own creation comes in many parts: a huge bone-in short rib arching out of an even bigger white bowl filled with pho broth. On the side, find a sliced French baguette, slathered in garlic aioli, along with garnishes of scallions, cilantro, pickled onions, lime and hoisin sauce. Tear off some bread, use chopsticks to pull the meat into the sandwich, add toppings and dip, dip, dip. It’s meaty, brothy and ultra-savory: a story of how the American melting pot is as delicious as ever. // The Block: 4221 John Marr Drive, Annandale; balokitchen.com
Melt
The best eats at Melt might not even be the traditional burger and fries, both of which are great (the onion rings are also a good idea, and especially hard to pass up as a side of three for $1.10). Ground bison is somehow meatier, more savory, than the usual beef patty, with this version featuring a peppery crust. It doesn’t even need a bump from the pile of bacon strips. Also, a side of baked beans—a touch sweet, but mostly just a homey, saucy bowl—is so good here’s hoping the team has plans for a barbecue restaurant. // 525 E. Market St., Suite J, Leesburg; meltgourmetcheeseburgers.com
Manna Bistro & Bakery
A perfect snack, purified, spiced butter, berbere and mitmita (both Ethiopian spice blends) are slathered on toasted injera, rolled up like a scroll and sliced into logs for easy eating. Qategna is buttery, spicy, bready—a combination for instant gratification. // 14215X Centreville Square, Centreville; mannabistro.com
Mo:Mo House
Can’t decide whether to get momo fried, sauteed or steamed? Get the Nepalese dumplings in a soup instead. Jhol momo comes stuffed with a mixture of paneer and vegetables (cabbage, carrots, onions) and bob in a complex, thick, gravy-like liquid flush with tomatoes, cumin and coriander and brightened with lime, channeling a subtle heat. Momos are a restaurant staple in Nepal, says Roju Basnet of Vienna’s new Mo:Mo House. She owns it with her husband, and her dad, a chef for the last 25 years, runs the kitchen along with her mom.
Jhol (pronounced zool) momo is a “pretty new trend in Nepal,” says Basnet, saying they’ve only become popular in the last 10 or so years. “They’re relatively new, because momos have been around forever.” While there’s multiple variations on this soupy theme, Basnet’s version is like a heady tomato soup, and dip a slice of paneer stuffed naan in there and it’s like another version of a tomato soup and grilled cheese combo. // 131-A Maple Ave. W, Vienna; momohouseva.com
Tortilleria El Molino
Barbacoa, a weekend only delicacy, the word from which barbecue was born: beef, served in clumps, barely shredded, each bite meaty with melting fat. Double layered mini corn tortillas are served three to an order at Tortilleria El Molino, along with a big bowl of soup—broth and salty, and filled with huge chunks of potato, a fist-sized cob of corn, carrots, cabbage and a slice of beef to be sopped up with the packet of tortillas, warmed on the griddle at order. A line snakes out the door. Wait. // 8456 Centreville Road, Manassas Park; facebook.com/elmolinotortillas
Punjabi Junction
We live in a sad-desk-lunch country. Sad salads, sad sandwiches, sad frozen microwavable meals. Even if you buy that midday meal from one of the dozens of fast-casual shops slinging grain bowls and conveyor belt pizzas, it’s a rush back to the office. Except—except—with an Indian buffet. The buffet forces a leisurely, multi-course meal. Punjabi Junction does a great job: spicy rice, creamy spinach with corn, sweet butter chicken, crispy eggplant pakora, blackened tandoori chicken and plenty of other gleaming silver tubs filled with curries. The naan, gratis, is puffy with a visible sheen of butter. Eat the whole basket; you can’t take it back to your desk. // 23520 Overland Drive, Suite 112, Sterling; punjabijunctionva.com
Luciano
The best pizza shop is the one that will deliver to your house. The best pizza-by-the-slice? That’s harder to find around here. Not many places do it, not even walkable little towns. Old Town Alexandria just got a Roman-style pizza counter, Pendleton Carryout Co., with squared-off cuts. But that elusive triangle, the pleasantly greasy, foldable (if you’re in that camp), cheesy, eat-on-the-go slice is still an anomaly in these parts. A slice at Luciano isn’t a bad bet. It’s not grossly oversized. It’s crispy, a factor of being cooked once as a part of a pie, and then re-warmed at order for the slice. There’s a balance of cheese and sauce and a chewy crust. But don’t overthink it. Finish it in five bites. // 2946-G Chain Bridge Road, Oakton; lucianoitalianrestaurantsandpizzerias.com
See the full Comfort Food feature from the January issue here.