The green sauce is key. The spicy, tart blend of jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, lemon, and spices works on just about everything—chicken-thigh kebabs; the comforting mashed-potato-and-leek-filled pastry known as bowlanee; and the stellar qabili palow,a heap of spiced rice, carrots, raisins, and hunks of lamb on the bone. About the only thing we don’t drizzle it on is mantu,savory pockets filled with beef and finished with yogurt and a tomato-lentil sauce. Also good: Vegetable platter; lamb or chicken carrayee; firnee (a sweet custard).
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
