Taste of Texas
Tex-Mex gets a bad rap as greasy gringo food, but Republic Cantina in Truxton Circle (43 N St., NW) is trying to rehabilitate and modernize that image with a menu of breakfast tacos, smoked-brisket enchiladas, and avocado margaritas. Our big question: Will Lone Star State loyalists revolt at paying extra for rice and beans alongside their sizzling fajitas? (Hey, at least the chips and salsa are still free!)
Brewery to Watch
![Aslin Beer Co., Alexandria, VA - Washingtonian Aslin’s new tasting room.](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ASLINBEERCO_0022.SPREAD.jpg)
Few local breweries get beer nerds buzzing like Aslin—credit very limited production and distribution, a big Insta following, and fun indie releases such as raspberry-lime Gose. Visitors can taste and buy cans to go at its new tasting room (847 S. Pickett St., Alexandria) alongside food-truck eats. The original Herndon taproom, currently closed, is slated for a resurrection later this year.
Quick Lunch Spot
![Kabobi by Helmand, Herndon, VA - Washingtonian Lunch bowls at Kabobi by the Helmand.](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/KABOBI_0011.SPREAD.jpg)
The Afghan dining room the Helmand, a Baltimore institution, has entered the fast-casual game. At the new Kabobi by the Helmand (2321 Dulles Station Blvd., Herndon), staples such as yogurt-drizzled pumpkin, raisin-studded rice, and seekh kebabs get the lunch-bowl treatment. Our top order: juicy beef meatballs and peas atop rice and gently spiced spinach.
All-American Sweets
![Sidekick Bakery, Arlington, VA - Washingtonian The French-fry-and-ice-cream-inspired croissant.](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SIDEKICKBAKERY_0006.jpg)
The Ted’s Bulletin folks—purveyors of cheesecake pop-tarts and boozy milkshakes—have a new target: croissants. At Sidekick (4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington), their new Ballston bakery, the pastries are big and buttery and utterly Americanized. (One is filled with Coca-Cola–infused pastry cream and gilded with Pop Rocks; another is stuffed with the makings of a Reuben sandwich.) To our surprise, the tastiest of the bunch is the most dubious-sounding—a potato-chip-topped, malt-cream-stuffed confection inspired by dipping French fries into a Wendy’s Frosty.
Hot Opening
![untitled-2352.SPREAD - Washingtonian Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj. Photograph of Bajaj by Rey Lopez.](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/untitled-2352.SPREAD.jpg)
Rasika restaurateur Ashok Bajaj is on the cusp of completing an ambitious $6.5-million project at the historic address occupied by Restaurant Nora for nearly 40 years. In late October, he’ll debut Annabelle (2132 Florida Ave., NW), which will mix fine-dining touches such as oyster and caviar service with a retro vibe, complete with a classic cocktail bar and second-floor art gallery.
This article appears in the September 2019 issue of Washingtonian.