🚀 go-pugleaf

After yet another delicious, reasonably priced dinner (to celebrate the
publication of my first book!), I talked it over with Kali, and we decided
it would be OK to post to dc.dining about the Belmont Kitchen.  Our concern
was that we like it so much, we don't want it to be overwhelmed!  We decided
that the dc.dining crowd isn't _that_ big, and you deserve to know.

The Belmont Kitchen is on the corner of 18th St. & Belmont Rd., in the
middle of Adams Morgan.  The chef, Duane Judson, is quite creative, and his
palate just seems to fit ours to a 'T'.  Last night, we had two of his
specials: an appetizer of baby russet potatoes, stuffed with a large shrimp,
grilled, and served over a spicy tomato sauce -- the garlicly, chunky sauce
was a perfect foil for the unusual texture combination of the potato and
shrimp.  That was followed by his wild mushroom ravioli, topped with shrimp
and red peppers, in a wonderfully intense lobster butter.  (Not good for the
cholesterol count, but wonderful for the soul!).  In addition, we had a
couple of our old standbys: the spinach and garlic flan (yummy!), followed
by one of his "upsidedown pizzas," this one with chicken, artichoke hearts,
shitake mushrooms and lots of basil.  Everything is perfectly fresh, and
just alive with flavor.  It was a wonderful meal.  Appetizers are in the $5
range, and the entrees run from $10-20 or so.  There's a reasonable choice
of vegetarian and heart-healthy items, too.

The Belmont Kitchen also has a good collection of wines and spirits.  One of
my favorite drinks there is the "Razztini," which is 100 proof Stolichnya
that has had rasberries soaking in it for weeks, served with a twist and a
fresh raspberry.  They have a reasonably extensive wine list; last night we
had the inexpensive but tasty 1990 Mondavi Zin ($16).  Another plus to their
bar is their fairly serious assortment of brandies & other after dinner
drinks.  Coffee & dessert are pretty good, too.

During the summer, they have outdoor seating, and they have two smallish
dining rooms open year round; reservations, especially on weekend evenings,
are crucial.  They are also starting to do special events, like evenings
with a fixed menu and an associated wine tasting.  Although not every meal
I've had there has been transcendent, and it's not quite in the etherial
leagues of DC's very best, nevertheless for the price it just can't be beat.

Larry

--
Lawrence Hunter, PhD.
National Library of Medicine
Bldg. 38A, MS-54
Bethesda. MD 20894 USA
tel: +1 (301) 496-9300
fax: +1 (301) 496-0673 
internet: hunter@nlm.nih.gov
encryption: PGP 2.1 public key via "finger hunter@work.nlm.nih.gov"