Shrimp Taco – Wong Eats

Taqueria Distrito Federal

Washington DC is going through spurts of change, especially in certain neighborhoods in this small district. I have been living in my adopted city since my arrival for graduate school, and I have seen the changes in various parts of the city, from the squalid days of the 80’s crack years to today’s prosperous times especially in neighborhoods that have gone through some serious gentrification. One such neighborhood is Columbia Heights, an area once known for its high density of immigrants mainly from Central America. Walking around Columbia Heights metro stop these days, one can’t help but marvel at the swanky condo buildings and shopping centers that were not in existence not too long ago – one could assume its mistaken identity with such drastic changes. I faced such mistaken identity when I bought some online coupons for a taco place, thinking that it was a high-end Mexican restaurant that I had been waiting to do a review on, confusing the order of the words in the name. Oh well, with such fate in the coupons, I looked up the online reviews, which built up some anticipation in me to visit this low-key establishment.

Taqueria Distrito Federal is located about half-mile from the above-mentioned metro stop. Heading north, one notices the effects of gentrification petering off as the buildings look more aged and the din of the streets pulsating with rhythmic lilts of salsa and merengue, in addition to a growing density of Latinos and less of the gringo. TDF is on the ground level of what looks like a townhouse with a small patio area for al fresco dining, prime dining property compared to the rather cavernous inside. Once seated, I was regaled with a bowl of creamy green salsa with some thin fried nachos. Not thinking much of the usual pedestrian offering, I took a small bite while I was perusing the menu. Immediately, I sensed that this was a different type of salsa. My investigative tongue was analyzing the interesting notes, coming up with a slightly smoothness from the avocado, some front-mouth heat from jalapeño peppers, herbaceous from a hit of cilantro, and tartness from a good dose of lime juice (not so limey, unfortunately, on another visit). Before I knew it, I was making some dent in the basket of chips which supported the limelight (pun intended) on the salsa. The drink offerings were the perfect accompaniment to the nachos. On one visit, it was Jamaica, Hibiscus flower water, with its slight floral notes and its soft berry-like puckeriness. Another visit’s liquid was Marañon, Cashew fruit juice, which I appreciated for its unique fruitiness with a gentle tannin-like quality. In addition, other drinks are the usual Mexican/Central American offerings of Horchata, Tamarindo, and Jarritos (Mexican sodas made with REAL sugar). Authenticity definitely starts here indeed.

The menu offers primarily Mexican street-fare that are relatively small bites. I could not help but zone in on the Tostadas, and on one visit, the topping of choice was fish. The crispy fried corn tortilla was nice and crispy, strong enough to support the layers of slightly smokey mashed black beans, the fish, a handful of crisp lettuce, and a slathering of light crema, Mexican sour cream (less sour than the usual) along with shaved mild Mexican cheese. But what really got my attention was the fish that was cooked firm but the right texture for this dish and tasting well-seasoned. I was curious to what type fish was being used, guessing Red Snapper. The waitress said it was Tilapia – seriously? There was no hint of the dreaded muddiness sometimes associated with the fish, and I was enjoying every morsel of that sea protein. This was definitely delicioso especially given that it was that fish of choice. Another trip’s order was made with shrimp which was not so exciting for the red bean paste was a bit flavorless and the shrimp not as tasty as the fish version. Other versions can be ordered with different meat topping but seafood is the way to go for me with this crispy tortilla bite.

Being a Mexican taqueria, TDF’s menu highlights its taco offerings. An order for lunch one day was made with the tilapia fish, tasting similar to the tostada on the same visit. Pieces of fish came sitting on a couple of small tortillas, tasting fairly fresh and with its corn notes, but perhaps store bought since it didn’t have the hand-made appearance judging by the perfectly round shape. In addition to the protein, a topping of ripe avocado slices, sweet white onion and cilantro, with a lime wedge was its simple accompaniments. And that’s all is really needed for this dish as to not overwhelm the palate with strong flavors. A friend’s order of a trio made with shrimp on another visit looked very appetizing and beautifully presented. One taste of his taco pointed to fresh plump shrimp, slightly marinated in perhaps reddish achiote and a hint of chili powder. Moving beyond seafood, a dinner order made with barbacoa, goat, was a bit too much for the sitting. The pieces of meat were a bit tough, although well seasoned with achiote and chili, and it was sitting on a small pool of reddish oil on top of the tortillas. The strong flavors of this meat was a bit overwhelming and off putting. Another order on another visit was on the safer side. Taco al Pastor came with pieces of beef that was also marinated the similar fashion as above (like how it is done South of the Border, according to a Puerto Rican friend who has visited the capitol), with the cut of meat tasting well-seasoned, mild in meat flavor, and tender to the bite. Other taco offerings are made with interesting cuts of meat, such as beef tongue, tripe, and chorizo (Mexican spicy sausage). Here there is a taco for everyone, from the risk-taker to the not-so.

The special of the house is listed as Plato Especial. The plate arrived with chunks of pork ribs smothered in a green sauce, served with black beans and yellow rice. A bite into the meat revealed its fattiness and strong pork flavor, simmered in the sauce until nearly falling off the bone. But it was the sauce that made the dish, tasting tart from green tomatillos (a relative of the gooseberry), slightly pungent with a good hit of garlic and cilantro, and spicy from the use of green chilies. The sauce looked plentiful until I was searching for more spoonfuls to finish my meat off, wishing for more on the plate. The black beans were definitely house-cooked judging by its bare firmness which tasted seasoned but a bit ordinary. Not much can be said about the yellow rice, but very few places can impress me with this starch cooked this way.

Perusing the menu, the weekend specials grabbed my attention immediately, and I knew I had to pay my visits on the weekend to try them. I was quite hesitant ordering the Tamales since my experience at another Mexican restaurant was disappointing and they tasted quite stodgy. My order of a pair arrived made with red sauce and green with the other. One forkful into these small bites dispelled all sense of doubt. The red version had some smokey heat from the use of dried chili sauce paired with pieces of tender pork that were well-seasoned, perhaps boiled in a good stock. The green version exuded its green chili vegetal heat with pieces of dark chicken meat that was equally tender. But what made them very successful and extremely tasty was the light fluffiness of the dough, masa harina, tasting extremely savory with the right amount of salt and stock. The moist corn husk as their shell was indicative of them being freshly-made and steamed to order (a far cry from the microwaved version in the other place) imparting more corn goodness into the moist dough. I think I could have just had these delightful parcels as my main meal that day.

The other weekend specials are soup based. The first is Menudo, the famous, or infamous, Mexican soup. I reluctantly ordered this soup due to its reputation and my preconceived notion of what it would taste like; being known as a cure for hangover with pieces of off-cuts was not exactly its most appealing quality. My bowl arrived with a reddish soup submerging pieces of barely recognizable and unrecognizable pieces of, uhm, meat. One dip of the spoon was a revelation. The reddish soup was not spicy at all, but savory and colored by the use of achiote. Fishing around the soup, I came across pieces of tripe and huge chunks of cow feet that was a slight put-off for me, even for this adventurous gourmand. After adding some sweet onion, fragrant cilantro and a good squeeze of lime, I was beginning to appreciate the broth, which was devoid of excessive grease, and the pieces of soft tripe that disintegrated in my mouth easily. The cow foot? Nah, not for me. I prefer to leave it to the inebriated to show either their ravenous hunger or drunken stupor to muster that piece of appendage.

The other soup dish was Pozole. A big bowl arrived with pieces of hominy (reconstituted dried corn) and chunks of pork, all cooked in a fairly clear broth. After my dining companion dumped in a plateful of side condiments of onions, radishes, lettuce, cilantro, cracked crispy tortilla, along with lots of lime juice, I dipped my spoon to have a taste – I fell in love with this bowlful immediately. The hominy was cooked enough with still a slight bite left, paired with the fork-tender pieces of pork, swimming in that oh-so-good broth that was clean tasting and herbaceous from a good sprinkling of Mexican oregano, possessing a slightly darker flavor than its Mediterranean cousin. I was also enjoying the accompaniments in the soup with the onions providing a sweet crunch, the crispy tortilla for more crunch and toasted corn notes, the lime juice for citrus tang, and the lettuce and radish that brought some cooling vegetal crunch to this hot soup. Even though I had my order in front of me, I kept reaching over for more of this soup with its irresistible flavor and ingredients. It was definitely a very tasty Pozole, órale! (Sorry, I couldn’t help it).

Despite the mistaken identity on my part, I’m glad I made it to Taqueria Distrito Federal for its authentic and tasty Mexican street fare that puts most places making similar attempts, especially Tex-Mex, to shame. Yes, the place is a bit of a dive and the dining area lacking in ambience. But what makes this establishment worthwhile is the dishes that are worth the trip, starting with their tacos (al pastor and the seafood kinds were my favorite), the tostadas, the ethereally light yet savory red and green tamales that raised my eyebrows, the pork house special cooked in that can’t-get-enough tangy and spicy green sauce, and that irresistible Pozole stew that just blew me away. And there is that rather funky Menudo soup whose broth was revealing but a challenge for the sober-minded diner. Instead of a trip south of the border for authentic Mexican fare, a short trip up Columbia Heights will whisk one away from the usual environment, and your taste buds will take a gastronomic journey with its authentic offerings. Buen Provecho.

Café Citron

Restaurants

In a modern hectic world that lacks enough hours, or so it appears, we seem unable to escape from a retail market that has nearly everything that caters to all our whims and wishes, from the mega-markets of Costco and Wegman’s to eating establishments that offer a fare encompassing a wide variety of cuisines, whether it is Global Fusion (I ate at such a place but it was not worth writing about), Pan-Asian (see blogs on Café Asia and Hee Been Bistro), Pan-European, or the many variations out there. But one cuisine that has resisted such grouping has been the cuisines of Latin America. Why? Try calling any Latino a Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, or Salvadorian without first ascertaining his/her background; the usual acerbic response (“Excuse me, I AM …..) is a good indicator of the nationalistic sentiment that is proudly worn with a certain tinge of defensiveness. With a huge Latino population in the DC area arriving from different nations and subsequent generations being born locally, this subtle yet well-demarcated border is slowly evaporating away with one group incorporating cultural traits and habits from those once viewed with suspect – look at the current popularity of Dominican Bachata music among all Latino groups.

So, when an online coupon offer popped up for a Pan-Latino restaurant, I knew I had to click BUY and explore this unique establishment. Café Citron is located a few doors away from Kababji, a recently reviewed Lebanese restaurant, just south of the busy and pedestrian-heavy Dupont Circle, a neighborhood that has been become chic among the young professionals who have homogenized this once gay ghetto – a large Anne Klein store popping up and the demise of a much beloved gay-oriented bookstore pretty much sealed this deal. From the outside, the restaurant is hardly conspicuous that it is easy to overlook its narrow entrance that seems to be overshadowed by nearby encroaching establishments. But once pass its entryway, you step into a long room filled with banquets on one side and a long bar on the other. I chose to plop myself down at a table upstairs that overlooked the main floor, hoping that I would get some sufficient decent light for this review.

Since I arrived during their Happy Hour (4:00-7:30 p.m.) and the place was already packed with young early diners, I decided to make my selections from the Starters/Tapas menu. I placed my order of 3 meat dishes from the “Qué Rico” (How Tasty) section and an equal amount from the “El Mar” (The Sea) side. For the first meat dish, I chose a house favorite of Venezuelan Empanadas, of which one was stuffed with beef and the other with chicken. Taking my first bite, I marveled at the cornflour dough that was crispy on the outside but moist and slightly spongy under its exterior. Both fillings had moist pieces of meat that were both slightly sweet and savory at the same time, with a hint of cumin to tie in the opposite flavors, much like a Bastilla dish found in Moroccan cuisine (cinnamon is used in this case). The side of spicy and garlicky cilantro sauce added the necessary acidity and spice kick to these small morsels. No surprise that these tasty bites are a house favorite judging by how quickly I devoured them.

Bolivian Sonso with Beef came as the next meat selection. Cubes of beef have been marinated in “exotic spices” and sautéed; they were tender and had the dark spice notes, but initially seemed a bit under salted until I got accustomed to the flavors. The patties of yucca mash and cheese were very delectable and these discs more or less stole the beef’s limelight. The outer part was crisp from the breading and frying, but rich and fluffy in the middle, providing a certain comfort-food quality. The use of yucca here points to the dish’s origins, most likely from the eastern lowlands bordering Brazil since this tropical root does not grow in the interior highlands. The side of the same cilantro sauce above added the necessary notes that lightened the rather filling patties.

Another Bolivian starter was the next choice: Bolivian Potato Cake. A thick pancake made of mashed potato was stuffed with seasoned ground beef and pan-fried, looking much like a Johnny Cake. It was rather fluffy with bits of seasoned beef in the middle. I felt transported to this landlocked nation with the potato cake knowing that the tuber is an indigenous staple of the Andean highlands. Being potato, it was a little stodgy and greasy from the frying. However, the side of spicy salsa and fresh Pico de Gallo added the necessary relief to the heaviness of the dish; an interesting dish though.

OK, enough meat for me, which seems to be staple of Latin-American cuisine. Seafood makes the other mainstay in most Latin-American diet due to the many nations that are surrounded by large bodies of water. My first order was Calamari a la Plancha. This type of seafood cooking is typical at seaside resorts found in Spain and South America. Most of the time, I’m quite leery of the way that most restaurants cook this mollusk, which results in a rubbery toughness. But in this case, it was tender, near fork tender. The large quantity of these seafood rings exuded smokiness from the high-heat searing on the flat griddle. The squeeze of lemon juice was all it needed to make this simple clean tasting dish soar. All this seafood for just $8 during Happy Hour makes it a must-order.

After having recently sampled another restaurant’s rendition of Ceviche and coming out dissatisfied, I decided to give this establishment a try. It arrived in a beautiful scallop-shaped bowl brimming with pieces of shrimp, fish, and chunks of fresh avocado, surrounded by a pile of fresh nacho chips. I must say that I was delighted that I ordered this dish since the shrimp and trout pieces (thank goodness it wasn’t the muddy Tilapia used in the last place) carried a clean tasting citrus flavor without being too acidic. The use of cilantro, fresh tomatoes, sweet red onions, and jalapeño peppers added the extra notes to the seafood, while the nacho scoopers provided the textural contrast to the moist and tender morsels. My only criticism is the slight iodine flavor in the shrimp which was the result of the use of table salt – sea salt would impart a cleaner taste. This wonderful version brought my taste buds to the seaside villages of Peru and Chile, renowned for their renditions of this pickled seafood dish. For $9 during Happy Hour, this would fill your mouth with some seafood joy.

The last dish originates from Mexico, namely Baja California. Shrimp Corn Tortilla Tacos is a regional specialty that takes advantage of the abundance of seafood in the northwestern coast of that country. I quite enjoyed this dish with the homemade corn tortillas that had a faint scent of corn and lime, the rather firm but well-seasoned pieces of grilled shrimp, and the pieces of ripe avocado that lent a richness to these wraps. As with tradition, the tortillas were the soft kind and they came in doubles to be able to support all the bits of seafood goodness. The cilantro leaves and red onions added some pungency, herbal fragrance, and sweetness to the shrimp, while a squeeze of lemon juice, also customary, gave the tacos the citrus hit that made them even more delectable.

Pan-Latino is here to stay, and I am thrilled that Café Citron is the trailblazer in an over-saturated market of Latino restaurants, especially in the Washington DC area, offering a wide variety of tasty offerings from the myriad of Latin-American cuisines that reflect their unique history and their regional and topographical differences. Looking through the menu, I am tempted to pay this establishment another visit soon to try their other dishes that are Cuban, Peruvian, Mexican, or Bolivian-inspired that seem to evoke unique flavors and combinations. Maybe I will end up getting up and shuffling my feet during the free Salsa lessons (offered twice a week) or clapping my hands while the Brazilian Samba dancers were showing off their incredible sensual dexterity during a mid-week visit that livened up the place – as if the delicious food needed a strong supporting actor at all. Entertainment aside, I will be returning for the great bites, the variety of dishes, and the low prices especially during Happy Hour. ¡Bienvenido Pan-Latino!