DC Voyage Day 3

Today was another museum day, but more importantly it was a sleep in late day. Actually, today is a really important day if you’re in Washington DC. It’s Thursday.

Okay, seriously, it’s April 14, 2016, so it’s the 151st anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. So we started off with breakfast at a place called Ted’s Bulletin. I would call it a classy retro diner. No, not like Steak ‘N Shake. They make their own Poptarts. They come with sprinkles. I didn’t ask if they made their own sprinkles. I don’t even know how sprinkles are made.

 

 

Right, let’s get on with it. There’s a lot of good food and some museum to get to. So I had a Ted’s Burgh – two fat pieces of toast, medium burger, fried egg, and coleslaw with a heap of frenched fries. It came with ketchup, because this is America, and I asked for mustard because I have a complex palate. Adrienne got a cinnamon and brown sugar tart (with sprinkles, of course!), and  a grilled cheese with tomato soup. The burger was good, but it was a right mess. Toast should never be used in place of a bun except when you are literally starving and then, only in emergencies. The combination of coleslaw and fried egg on burger was unique. Now, it should be said, I do not under normal circumstances consume coleslaw. “Why is that?” you may be asking yourselves. It’s because mayonnaise-based foods, such as slaw and potato salads, if not maintained properly, harbor staph aureus and can easily cause food-borne illness. But I’m on vacation, so what the H? Also, because it was square toast with a circular burger, it took several bites to get to the good stuff. Adrienne’s breakfast looked good from afar. I also had coffee because it was like 11am and I hadn’t had any yet.

 

 

So we picked up from Ted’s and made our way to Ford’s Theatre. Last year, Adrienne got in and there was a guided tour with a fruitful discussion. This, unfortunately, did not pan out this year. We were surrounded with pubescent preteens. Their awkwardness was as palpable as their acne vulgaris. By the way, did you know that vulgaris means popular, so it’s really just saying “the acne that like everybody gets”? (Of note, there are other kinds of acne, such as neonatal, rosacea, and in pregnancy).

 

 

So we made our way to the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Art. These were just okay. There was an exhibit in the NPG that had portraits of each of the POTUS. It was fascinating to watch clothing and paining styles change so quickly. This was easily the best exhibit. There were a few that had Ancient Greek/Roman style statues. There was a lot of modern art that was, frankly, just not good art. There was a large piece of blue glass laying against the wall at a 45° angle. There were a few poorly done shapes. Compared to some of the classical masterpieces I saw earlier in the same museum, it’s just disappointing. It reminded me of this video. Slightly disappointed, we hopped on the Metro (I’ve been calling it the subway until now) back to the hotel got changed, and headed back out for dinner.

 

 

We made reservations for dinner several weeks ago on OpenTable at a well-acclaimed Indian restaurant called Rasika. It was dark and full of mirrors, and as soon as we walked in the door we were greeted by the aromas of faraway spices. Flavors unheard of by modern man! Actually, not really, we’re just from Indiana whose palate is geared more towards buffet lines.

Appetizer: Ragda patty: spiced potato and chickpeas topped with a date sauce, chopped onions, and cilantro. Both spicy and hot, but just amazing. The dish made a central patty of potato that was served on top of mashed chickpeas then topped with the sauces.

Adrienne’s dinner: chicken tikka masala. My dinner: tandoori salmon, malai chicken, and seekh kabab. Vegetable Istew as a side. And, of course, Naan. Her tikka masala was unbelievably complex and yet smooth. The salmon imparted a wonderful tandoori flavor (it was roasted in a clay pot), and the kabab. Americans don’t understand kebabs. The vegetable istew I ordered with the hopes that it would be reminiscent of the variety of kormas I have grown to love and long for. Korma is a yellow curry that it topped off with a little coconut milk that gives it a wonderful creamy texture and, when done properly, carries the flavor of the milk. This was very similar – thinner base than the korma but all the richness and beauty of coconut, with green beans, carrots, and celery. It was thin enough it had to be poured over rice, but there was plenty basmati to go around. The naan with thin and crispy on the bottom with giant air-pockets; they were perfect for what they’re there for: pushing food around, dipping, and scooping to eat.

 

In America, a kabab is a skewer onto which chunks of meat and roughly cut vegetables are placed. It is a rudimentary culinary style that needs to be done away with. It is prepared in such a way that none of the food on the skewer is cooked properly. And most of it is poorly seasoned anyway – if at all. A seekh kebab, on the other hand, this is a completely different animal altogether (1:30). The meat, usually ground lamb, is heavily seasoned (this doesn’t mean just salt, pepper, or hot pepper) and packed tightly around a skewer. It may be served with the skewer or without (this was without). The seasoned lamb is unforgettable and, once you’ve had it, you’ll laugh at the idea of backyard kababs.

 

After dinner, we caught a cab out to the Jefferson Memorial. Yesterday was the anniversary of his birthday so there were wreaths around his statue. Acne vulgaris was rampant here, as well. The sun began to set as we made our way around the basin (with the Washington Monument in full view) to the FDR Memorial, which was one of my favorites to date. Just past that was the MLK Memorial, which ranks right up there with FDR. At this point, the sun was down and we caught a cab back the hotel.

Stay tuned!