With a name like New World Mall, I had high(ish) hopes. Not sure why. I had read that one could get the famous Sichuan breakfast crepe/roll and the famous Xian “burger” all in one place.
Flaky Xian “burger”.
So I went.
Well, it is a huge mall with a grocery store. That’s a plus. The food court is in the basement. There are toilets. That’s a plus. Some of the food stands are extremely busy.
Breakfast wrap.
I had the breakfast wrap. Maybe I don’t get the hype. Maybe it’s me. I tried the Xian “burger” and it was good but not something I’d walk over ice (again) to get to.
Noodles and dumplings (those took 20 minutes or longer — seemed like foreva).
We sat at a table that was mysteriously available. Next to a woman who insulted us. It was awkward. Sort of. Mostly, I wished that she had not been so insulting. But there has to be room for all of us in this world.
So all in all, the hype is good advertisement. They got my money. So it worked.
For $95 per person, you get a whole lot of history and trivia about Chinatown Manhattan and New York City (what Chinese dish was invented in Manhattan? That sort of thing). Oh, and you get to eat at five different places.
Chinatown Manhattan
I won’t give away all the places on the food tour, but it was definitely worth it. We went with Ultimate Food Tours.
Steamed buns.
Our group had ten people and the tour took three hours. Along the way, our guide shared lore, etiquette (how to eat a soup dumpling properly!), and stories about the Chinese in America.
Soup dumplings.
The guide was awesome and he left without waiting for a tip!
The Washington Monument was supposed to be 600 feet tall to honor George Washington (who was 6 feet 2 inches). It is not quite that tall because of structural concerns.
Life size statue of George Washington.
To visit, one has to reserve free tickets online (the use the national parks app). I was invited to go up.
The security is like airport security (including no liquids).
View to the east and the capitol building.
The elevator ride up is 70 seconds and my ears popped. The ranger who rode with us told us interesting facts.
Useful signs.
The top offers good views all around DC. There is also a small museum.
The ride down is two minutes stopping at times for views of the inside of the monument. When the elevator makes these stops, the lights dim… they should warn people about this… so they don’t panic (when the elevator was built, it was steam powered and women were not allowed to take it because supposedly the steam would be too much for them). The modern elevator is large and pleasant, except for those unexpected moments when the lights dim.
You know a place is good when it transports you to your mom or grandma’s kitchen.
Last year, I mentioned my recommendations for where to eat in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. But I didn’t add photos.
L’Ardente’s pappardelle pasta was pure comfort.
Now I have a new recommendations. From that list, have you been to Cielo Rojoand Y Noodles? Try them!
Y Noodles signature spicy noodle dish.
Now, on to other recommendations.
Cheese and wine at the Italian Store.
The Italian Store: Having lived in Italy, I am obnoxiously picky about my pasta. Luckily most grocery stores in this are now carry good brands of pasta. But, if you want, you can go to the Italian Store. They now have a second location in a off the metro area of Arlington. The original location a few miles away was famous for getting New York City style bagels delivered fresh every morning (New York city is about a four hour drive from here).
Imagine how much sugo gets sucked up by that great pasta shape!
The Italian store also makes fresh pizzas and sandwiches. Plus they have fresh baked bread.
There are seats inside along the front window and they have a few tables and chairs outdoors.
Bread presented in a fun way at the Italian Store.
Sidamo Coffee and Tea: It’s an Ethiopian coffee shop in Washington, DC. (Coffee as a drink was invented in Ethiopia about 500 years ago). The Sidamo cafe serves coffee but what I like is their breakfast sandwiches and the side of banana and honey.
Loved my breakfast sandwich. It tasted homemade. The giant coffee pot makes for a good photo op.
Good CompanyDoughnuts: Speaking of breakfast (was I?) and good friends, the Good Company Doughnut makes great breakfasts and doughnuts. They have two locations, one in Pentagon City and the other in Ballston. They make ‘mini’ doughnuts of a good size and of those, I think that the espresso cream is the best. No custard. Just frosting, inside and out. With chocolate glaze.
Look at that espresso cream…
Good Doughnut Company also makes great breakfast sandwiches and meals for any time of the day. Really delish. One time, I was sitting next to a French tourist who said that she came back two days in a row! Mainly for the espresso cream doughnut…
This is a salad of chickpeas. So good you won’t want to share.
VillaYara: This Lebanese place is so good that it transported a Lebanese person to their childhood and made them cry.
Thin ice cream strands.
While I am not really into desserts, I did enjoy the variety of desserts at Villa Yara. Not only the baklava. I can’t recall what they were called, but one was a sort of floss of ice cream (this is the one that made the Lebanese person cry as they recalled eating this dish in their grandma’s kitchen). The other was a cardamom ice cream, but much more complex. The baklava was excellent too.
I’m a sucker for dairy and the labneh, with olive oil and pepper, served like a scoop of ice cream — made me really happy.
A ball of pure dairy joy.
Misha’s Coffee: The pastries are much better than at many other bakeries. It’s a feel good kind of coffee shop. Independent. Quality. A nice place to be.
The Danish at Misha’s.
Get the “Danish” and the “coffee cake.” I’m sure the rest is good but the Danish was exceptionally so.
2Fifty Barbecue: If you want the most tender barbeque meat, then go to 2Fifty barbecue in Washington, DC. This is the softest moistest meat in this area. Nope, the other places do not compare!
So juicy it fell apart.
Lai Lai Malatang (inside 99 Ranch): Inside the 99 Ranch store in Fairfax, there is a stall where you can choose your own hotpot or dry noodle dish. It’s spicy in a good way.
Lai Lai Malatang where I chose what they stir fried for me.
Truong Tien: This northern central Vietnamese place was trending for a hot moment last year. The food is good. Go for the mini taco style Vietnamese omelet crepe. This blogger described his experience there.
Those small round things are open face dumplings.
As I find other places, I’ll write about them. Happy eating!
Do you love the Southwest of the USA? But wish it was in South Africa? Then you are in luck! Here are some of the things to do in Clarens, South Africa. The Golden Gate National Park is right there, and this town is near Lesotho, so it makes for a good stopping point. The area has a frontier, southwest USA, feel to it. It’s about fours from Pretoria.
Golden Gate Park.
Cheese tasting at Baris: This farm cheese shop is so fun. Go for lunch and order a cheese tasting.
Cheese tasting platter at Baris.
Hiking: This is the real reason many people visit this area.
Gorgeous sunset in Golden Gate Park.
Gin tasting: At Clarens Brewery, they have a gin store, Junipers Craft Gin Bar, and they do tastings (plus they have some yummy food including their ‘chips’ or fries and they have Bunny Chow, a curry-in-a-loaf-of-bread specialty of South Africa.
View over my Bunny Chow.
Shopping: Lots of artwork, souvenirs, cards, clothes, and gin. I almost bought paintings by this local artist, Johan Smith. There are other cute shops including the Purple Onion. Make sure to check them all out. They are all next to each other. Everything from art, fudge, cards, shoes, clothes, and antiques.
Clarens has a Southwest wild west feel.
Entertainment: This town has live entertainment including a local guy who is famous in this local town.
Old timey feel at Purple Onion.
Eating: Surprisingly good restaurants for such a small town. The Italian one, Bocca di Lupo, run by a guy from Bologna, is divine. Excellent pizza and pasta.
Spicy spaghetti.
Sleeping: You can stay in a castle. I stayed at the Protea, a Marriott hotel because it was about four minutes downhill by food from the Clarens square with the shops and restaurants. Made for an easy commute after shopping or eating.
The shop at Highland Brew.
Outside of the town of Clarens, there are other things to do and see. Other than the cheese place, there is also a dinosaur center. If you want another cafe with views of the mountains and hiking areas, check out Highland Brew. It has food and drink, plus a shop selling jam and coffee.
