November 16, 2007

Have you been bitten by FoodieBytes?

By now, you are all privy to the Big Idea. However, you probably do not want to be inundated with posts about it as I shamelessly use this space to further the Cause (have you seen the snaps of my adorable children with their gaping maws as they wait to be fed? No?)

As an Olive Branch, this is what I propose:
All posts will be titled "Have you been bitten by FoodieBytes?". I am hoping this will help those folks that live in the likes of Ohio and Alaska so that they will not have to squander precious blogsurfing seconds weeding through yet another post about FoodieBytes.

Does that sound fair enough? Yes? Okay - moving on............

FoodieBytes is going really well. We are getting some awesome feedback - even on the big sites like Chowhound. This is so exciting.....

One of the cool things about the site is how much I have had playing around with it, finding restaurants that I love to go to when I am in the particular cities supported.

For example, Haandi holds special memories.

It was 2001....X and I went to the DC area for the first time together as a couple. X had just bought a house there and at the time, we thought that would be the place where we would eventually live. For me, it was a chance to see X's "other life" since his company was based there and technically, he was supposed to go back there eventually. I remember specifically wandering through his freshly purchased house, wondering if that would be where we would have our children together. You know - all that dreamy crap you do when first dating.

We ate at Haandi (the Falls Church location) on that trip. We met my cousin Robin there and it turned out to be the last time I saw him before he passed away unexpectedly later that year, which admittedly, makes the meal extra special to me. I still get teary-eyed when I go there and see the table we sat at with him.

So, the food was just superb - we ordered a variety of typical Indian dishes - what I remembered most was their chicken saag. But what struck me most was two things. One, the service. It was polite, respectful. And the decor. It is very difficult to find "fancy" Indian restaurants* in the United States. Sure, dives serve excellent food, but sometimes, just sometimes, you want a cloth napkin. Know what I mean? So, yeah - Haandi has a nice place with good murals and furniture. Furthermore, the service is always, always polite. We go there nearly every time we go to DC together because it is SO nice to go to a fancy desi place for a change. Furthermore, X goes there quite frequently on his own as well when he is in town. It is one of his favorites because as he has said "It is difficult to find a good Indian restaurant with a nice interior that treats you well, too". And he is right.

*No, the hideous Bombay Palace does not count. Gorgeous decor. Nasty food. I was so pissed after a meal there, I nearly asked for our money back, but X thought that would be rude. I do not care if it is a favorite amongst Capital Hill lobbyists. Bleh. That place was so over-rated.

2 comments:

Monkey McWearingChaps said...

You found an Indian restaurant where the service is polite?

Actually, I have been in a few of those. The servers are usually American. :D

Moderndayhermit said...

My ex and I used to visit one of the few North Indian restaurants in Dallas (they mostly had South Indian at the time) and the owner/staff were so rude. We brought my parents and they were good as gold, otherwise they'd practically throw our food at us.