Cheap Eats 2007: Domku

Reviewed by Cynthia Hacinli , Michele Kayal , Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Don Rockwell

Domku

821 Upshur Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
Phone: 202.722.7475

Cuisines:
Russian/E. European, Scandinavian, Breakfast

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Georgia Ave.-Petworth

Price Range:
Moderate

Dress:
Informal

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Not needed

Special Features:
Weekend Brunch

Best Dishes
Gravlax and cream cheese sandwich; gravlax with sweet mustard; pickled herring plate; smoked sprats plate; beet salad; mussles in aquavit-cream; pierogi; Swedish meatballs; beef tenderloin with tomato hollandaise; Norwegian pancake; Finnish buttermilk cheese; baked beans on toast; house-infused aquavit, in flavors such as red chili pepper and caraway.

Price Details:
Appetizers $5 to $8; entrées $6 to $18.


The arty young crowd, the eclectic furnishings, the pool table in back—all make this Petworth restaurant/lounge feel like a college-town outpost. But instead of sprout cuisine, the focus is on the hearty cooking of Eastern Europe.

In keeping with the motif is a roster of wines and beers from the region, like the chewy Utenos Porter from Lithuania and Kindzmarauli Saperavi, a sturdy Georgian red wine. House-infused vodka aquavits come in oddball flavors like black currant and cardamom. These go well with big plates of pork chops, braised cabbage, and dumplings, or Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, and lingonberry preserves. A winter dish called Janssen’s Temptation shows what anchovies can do for a potato gratin. The two kinds of pork and cabbage in Bigos Warszawski give the robust stew a double whammy of flavor.

Almond cake with an almond-caramel topping is one way to go for dessert, but the hot glog, a warm brew of wine and vodka, is a contender, too.

Open daily except Monday for lunch and dinner.