Street Team Mission 1: From Deviled Eggs to Lox Spread

The S² Street Team had a very busy weekend. Present were S1, S2, and the Cub Reporter. We began on Friday night at an old favorite, 2 Amy’s. Here’s the rundown:

2 Amy’s (Friday evening):

• Ambience: 2 Amy’s is killer. It’s got the family-style restaurant vibe down. Loud, but warm and inviting.
• Drinks: Reasonably priced, solid wines. Well selected for the food. We tried red and whites, and the cub reporter had a lemonade. She liked its tartness. As we’re not dorks, we didn’t write all the wine names down. There was a Cusomano in the mix. It was spicy. One of S2’s favorites is the Montepulciano. He claims that he’s going to name his first born son “Montepulciano.” Hey, he can use Monty as a nickname.
• Appetizers: The team ordered the deviled eggs with pesto and the eggplant, walnut, and golden raisins salad. S2 was skeptical of the eggs, but after persuasion from S1, their creamy goodness was enjoyed by all. The eggplant salad was ridiculously good.
• Pizza: S1 ordered her favorite the Santa Brigida with some hedgehog mushrooms. We all mooched a little of her arugula. S2 ordered the Margherita with the mushrooms as well. Very simple, sweet tomatoes. The Cubbie got a 2 Amy’s with the eggplant confit topping.
• Dessert: We shared the brownie fudge ice cream. Great creamy texture. The brownie chunks were moist but not too fudgy.
• Recommendation: 2 Amy’s remains the emperor of DC’s pizza world. It’s good for all occasions.

Dolcezza Gelato (Friday evening, 2^nd dessert):

• One dessert wasn’t enough, so we headed down the street to Dolcezza, the Argentine gelato place. S1 had Georgia Butter Pecan; S2 had the Classic Vanilla and Dulce de Leche; and the Cubbie had Hazelnut and Mascarpone. We all agreed that the Cubbie chose the best flavors. She has quite the palate. S2 is jealous.

Kotobuki (Saturday evening):

• S1 and S2, sans the Cubbie, went to their favorite sushi spot in the Palisades.
• Ambience: Kotobuki is all about being small. Part of the charm is the short wait for a table on the narrow steps.
• Appetizers: Having learned from previous visits, the team asked for two orders of the shrimp shumai. With the tiny bit of mustard on the side, they are a little piece of steamy heaven. Miso soup complemented well.
• Meal: The team got some yellow tail rolls and the kamemeshi, a traditional style of Japanese home cooking. The main dinner was a hot pot of eel, vegetables, and rice. Very nourishing on a cold winter day. It came with four sides: mushrooms, seaweed, daikon and carrots, and a sashimi dish. We finished it off with some gen mai cha tea.
• Recommendation: Kotobuki is that elusive sushi place in the District. It presents its fish correctly and is very reasonably priced. The Japanese home cooking is a particularly unique and delicious addition to the usual selection.

Black Salt (Saturday evening, drinks):

• Ambience: Bustling, great lighting, a typical Palisades neighborhood hangout. The bartender kicked ass. She rightly cut off a customer who had a little too much to drink.
• Drinks: S1 had the Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel. Perfect. S2 had the Yakima Valley Syrah. Big fan of the bold.
• Dessert: S1 connived her way into getting the chocolate peanut butter crunch cake with peanut brittle and caramelized bananas. It was possibly the greatest cake ever made. S2 reluctantly had 3 or 4 bites. Maybe 5.

Bagelry (Sunday morning):

• The team finished off the weekend with bagels (pumpernickel, marble, plain, and cinnamon raisin) from this authentic spot up in Wheaton.

Submitted by S2

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The S² Street Team