East Coast Food Swing- Philly Cheesesteaks + DC Seafood and Brunch

Recently I did a little East Coast swing by spending time in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia PA. Seafood and Philly Cheesesteaks is mostly what were on. 

This trip was about exploration of culture, architecture, landmarks, and food. Lots of food. In DC upon arrival the first restaurant we went to was Lapis for brunch. Lapis is a Michelin Bib Gourmand rated restaurant specializing in Afghan cuisine that boasts one of the best brunches in DC.  What captured my attention when doing research on various brunch spots were the rosewater and cardamom pancakes with pistachios and warm rosewater syrup served here. This sounded pretty intriguing. Very unique to my palate and very delicious. It was even garnished with edible rose petals. So glad I tried this!

Here are some of the other establishments where we dined and what we thought about them. 

Old Ebbitt Grill- Salmon Salad (B+) and Trout Parmesan (B-). The salad was good and hearty. The trout was better than decent, but the first bite had a somewhat fishy taste which subsided as I continued to eat. Although it was breaded, I also expected the coating/batter to have specs of herb and parmesan. It didn't. The hollandaise sauce on the same fork as the trout was very delicious and is what saved this dish. Sides were green beans and roasted potatoes which were also better than decent. Prior to dining here I was told this spot was a DC institution so I was expecting a lot. There were many people in attendance which most times will indicate the food is good. To be fair I didn't eat their raw oysters which from what I'm told is what they do best. Since I'm not the raw oyster connoisseur my opinion may not have mattered as much if I tried them. Once again what I had was better than decent. If in the area again I would stop in for a cocktail and try something different on the menu. The service was Excellent enough for me to want to dine there again.  https://www.ebbitt.com/

BlackSalt- Shrimp Bisque with Brioche Croutons (A). Smoked Salmon Rillete Served with fresh house made crackers. (A+) I also was able to experience this dish with fresh house made potato chips. There isn't a whole lot more to elaborate on here. Just simply good food. Go and check them out for yourself. Everything was Absolutely Delish and the presentation was nice, neat, and classic! http://www.blacksaltrestaurant.com

Brine- Lobster Mussels (A+). PEI Mussels with lobster meat and shrimp sitting in lobster bisque. Truffled Mushroom Mussels (A+). PEI Mussels with shiitake mushrooms sitting in a pool of truffle cream which was similar to a creamy broth. It was like eating cream of truffle bisque.  I requested mine with no bacon.  Scampi Oysters (A+),  Cornmeal Crusted Oysters (A+). This was one of the few times I've had fried oysters with absolutely no trace of fishy flavor. They were very tender and drizzled with Old Bay aioli. We went during Happy Hour so some of the items cost less than when it's not Happy Hour. The service was EXCELLENT as we sat at the Chef's table. Very Dope dining experience and the best one of the trip.  Shouts out to my homie Sheila for helping curate such a great foodie experience! 

Happy Hour at Brine is everyday from 5pm-7pm and all day on Tuesday. If you order mussels make sure you ask for the bread to be warm when sopping up that juicy goodness!  https://www.brineoysterdc.com/

         

Dalessandro's Steaks Philadelphia PA

It had been a long time since I had a Dalessandro's Chicken Cheesesteak. Approximately 15 years ago when trying to find the best or close to the best cheesesteak in Philly I stumbled upon Dalessandro's. I was in Philly for work and at that time my research platforms for many things were Citysearch, Yelp, and word of mouth. Strong recommendations from all of the above regarding Dalessandro's. That was my second trip to Philly so on my first trip I tried Geno's, Pat's, and Jim's on South Street. Although, I went against my homie Champ's advice I tried Geno's and Pat's. After all, seeing Geno's on Yo! MTV Raps back in the day when the legendary hip hop group Three Times Dope was featured on an episode is what sparked my initial interest in cheesesteaks. That jawn looked phenomenal with the cheese wiz and onions all over it! Nevertheless, Geno's and Pats were less than what I was expecting flavor wise as they reminded me of Steak Um sandwiches you get in the grocery store, but Pat's and Geno's do stake their claim as the original cheesesteak spots. Jim's however gave me a proper introduction to a Philly Cheesesteak in Philly.  

At the time of my first visit, I was living in Atlanta after college and there were two spots I frequented; Ernestine's and Gutbuster's. Gutbuster's was near the AUC while Ernestine's was downtown. The folks who opened both spots were from Philly and both spots were Black owned. Once I tasted both, but especially Gutbuster's I instantly enjoyed it and understood why this sandwich was so popular and delicious when done right. At first bite it reminded me of a huge sandwich that tasted like a White Castle due to the grilled onions, but much better.  The basics of what makes a Philly cheesesteak authentic is the bread which is usually an Amoroso Roll (local to Philly), white American or Provolone cheese or Wiz (Cheese Wiz), grilled onions, and seasoning. I would often order a chicken cheesesteak hoagie which comes with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayo. I would sometimes add mustard and ketchup and sometimes sweet and/or hot peppers. 

At Dalessandro's you once could eat inside which felt like a clean dive bar/hole in the wall, but since my last visit the spot transformed into a well organized carryout establishment. The line was long, but moving relatively fast. I ordered two. A chicken cheesesteak with grilled onions, mayo and white American cheese and a chicken cheesesteak hoagie with sharp provolone and white American cheese with grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and raw onions. Both also with pickles. This was such an Awesome foodie experience! Last time I had an actual chicken cheesesteak from Philly was just before the pandemic when my homie visiting Chicago (shout out to Nzinga!) brought me some from the famous Max's Steaks; which was also great and could also be argued as the best. For now I'm rolling with Dalessandro's. Next time I'm in Philly I'll get a fresh Max's jawn and we'll settle it at that time.  You can check out Dalessandro's at https://dalessandros.com/

For my Chicago peeps who want an authentic Philly Cheesesteak experience I recommend Philly's Best on Jackson near Halsted. They actually have Amoroso rolls flown in and follow all of the correct protocols other than the hot peppers being giardiniera, which makes sense because this is Chicago and not Philly.

Thanks for reading!

If you don't know you betta ask somebody! JLC