Eat Great Cheap 2018Chef Seng Luangrath doesn’t just operate two Laotian restaurants—she started an entire movement to gain recognition for her native cuisine. It’s worked: She and son Bobby Pradachith have amassed a devoted following for their pungent, fiery cooking. They’ve converted Washingtonians to the wonders of crispy coconut rice salad with fermented pork; minced-meat laab salads tossed in herbs and fish sauce; plus off-cuts such as grilled chicken hearts and fried pig’s ear. Also good: Pork sausage; piing (grilled marinated meats); fish steamed in banana leaves; tamarind soup.
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.
