Shake Shack to Challenge Five Guys:

Thanx to an alert MillersTime reader (and favorite second daughter), I can ‘announce’ that NY’s best fast food burger (some might argue but ignore them) is coming to DC.

Some time in 2011, Shake Shack will open one of their few outlets outside of the NY metropolitan area.

And the battle will be on between Shake Shack and Five Guys.

It’s no contest, if you want my two-bit opinion.

Shake Shack wins.

And I’m a fan of Five Guys.

The new home in DC will be on the corner of Conn/18th & Jefferson, where there has been a Fuddruckers and where there have been a number of other eating ‘establishments’ previously.

I’ll bet that the only thing that could move the new Shake Shack out of this location is the need for more space in the immediate area.

And for those of you who believe Five Guys have the best (of the greasy) burgers, I am hoping that one of MillersTime foodie readers (are you paying attention TBall?) will organize a blind tasting contest once Shake Shack is up and running.

I will gladly join and pay for lunch for the first person to inform MillersTime of Opening Day.

For more details about the DC coming, Click Here. 

      

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Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza Opens Second DC Restaurant:

I have not eaten in the (original) New Haven version of this restaurant, nor any of the other pizza places that often get mentioned in the same sentence.

But I have been looking for a replacement for AV’s pizza in DC since AV’s kids sold out their  fine establishment on NY Ave for a hotel (which doesn’t seem to be be emerging).

And I think Pete’s may just be an acceptable substitute.

Pete’s crust is great, possibly even better than AV’s. The toppings are good, probably fresher than AV’s, and the spicing is also very good. I’m not sure anyone can match the ‘reverse toppings and spices of AV’s (I think they put the cheese on before a thin layer of garlic and tomato sauce), but Pete’s is good enough.

So if you’re looking for a pretty good substitute, check out Pete’s on the corner of Wisconsin and Fessenden. Their first DC restaurant opened about two years ago in the Columbia Heights area and has been a success there ever since.

This second restaurant is on Wisconsin Ave, NW, between Tenleytown and Friendship Heights, and is well situated to get both the northwest DC crowd and folks from Bethesda. Parking is pretty easy in this area. This new restaurant has about twice the seating (90) of the first one and is awaiting approval for outside seating also. There is a third restaurant planned for Northern Virginia.

They also have wonderful salads, and the pastas looked good too on some of the adjacent tables. Their deserts also looked enticing.

If you know of  better pizza in DC, please say so below.

Don’t bother mentioning Two Amy’s, which is overrated and not worth the wait. Pizza Paradisio ain’t bad, but it’s not even close to Pete’s.

We could also have a MillersTime blind test on pizza if any of you are so inclined.

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Masala Art:

Actually, the owner is DC’s Atul Bhola, former general manager at the Glover Park Heritage restaurant, and the chef, Surinder Kumar is also from Heritage (one of those few decent DC Indian restaurants).

We’ve only eaten here once; so we can’t vouch for the depth of the menu, but the butter chicken is as good as that dish gets, the naan with cilantro and rock salt alone is worth your trip, and they have a dessert, ‘Shahi Toast,’ we had many years ago in Agra, (called Shahi Tukra here?) which is also worth your tasting, as most Indian desserts pale by comparison to the main courses.

Let us know what you think of Masala Art and how it compares to other DC Indian restaurants..

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A Hidden Pleasure:

Most dim sum restaurants in this area serve Cantonese dim sum, tho there are a couple that do offer Northern Chinese little dishes.

One of these is a little place in Glover Park, on the second floor tucked between the first floor Kavanaugh’s pizza and the top floor Heritage Indian (and now Indian/Thai?) restaurant. and it serves Shanghai dim sum.

It’s not a place to go with a big group of people nor for a major Sunday brunch, but if you want a peaceful, quiet place with a pot of Chinese tea and a few home made Shaghai dumplings, this is the place for you.

They also have non dim sum dishes, but I’ve never seen the need to explore those as a pot of tea and a few orders of dumplings make a wonderful lunch and a peaceful way to spend an hour or two reading one of Lee Child’s thrillers, working a bit on your laptop or iPad, or even chatting with a friend.

In addition to the front room of about eight or so tables, there are two somewhat larger spaces in the back. Plus, there’s free wi-fi (ask for the password) and never any rush to get you to leave.

Many of the Yelp, Chowhound, and other reviews aren’t too high on this place, but check it out for yourself.  Just don’t tell everyone if you like it.