Review #2: Old House Cosmopolitan Grill

29 September 2021

It’s strange, being in and out of the Northern Virginia-DC area for a good part of the last quarter of a century, to finally say ENOUGH and head out to unexpected pastures. Fate takes me elsewhere, and it’s time to say goodbye to what has become too comfortable for too long.

One of the harder parts of leaving and moving is to have final sessions with good friends, and tonight was one of them.

Meeting up with a good friend for the last time before leaving town, we decided to reconvene at Old House Cosmopolitan Grill, where we had a wonderful dinner several months ago. It’s always appropriate to go back to the best, most comfortable places for these moments.

We arrived to a quiet dining room early on this comfortable autumn early evening. A cocktail in hand, we carried on with our usual spirited conversation about our beloved Italy, Lithuania, and so much more. The jovial proprietor greeted us, and soon we sent him to the kitchen happy with our order. Quickly he returned with a wonderful bottle of red from his native Bosnia, and we began to enjoy the evening even more.

And even more when the ćevapčići arrived…I almost hate to share these beauties because they are utterly addictive and delicious. We both could have eaten several plates of this with our drinks, but we must resist temptation…

And just as we kept enjoying ourselves unexpectedly our main courses arrived…I opted for the Jägerschnitzel:

Honestly I wish I had what my friend had, the plain Wiener Schnitzel, as it looked so perfectly done. The Jägerschnitzel unfortunately was drenched in way too much of the traditional mushroom sauce, and the whole thing was a little too soaked. It should have been more of an accompaniment rather than a dominating factor. but it was filling and the veggies were nice, so all in all it worked okay.

And to mark what may be the final time here for us, we both got a baklava and šljivovica, but stupid me forgot to take a photo… It was delicious, both dessert and spirit. A wonderful way to end things…or was it?

We decided to carry on our conversation for a bit more, so we both reverted to one final cocktail and chatted until late, but not too late as we both had a busy plate for Thursday. So sadly, we had to call it a night and part after another wonderful evening.

There are quite a lot of things I will not miss about Northern Virginia and the DC-area, but things I will miss are the few good places like Old House Cosmopolitan Grill (and its convivial proprietor — hvala lijepa!) and long conversations with a good friend. That I treasure, and will miss most of all.

But as always, this place is always recommended!

Old House Cosmopolitan Grill
1024 Cameron Street
Alexandria, Virginia

Review: Cane

14 September 2021

Chatting with a good friend of mine, a fellow food afficionado, we always tossed around ideas about where to meet to eat. He suggested Cane, and a quick glance at the menu convinced me this would be a good idea. I was getting hungry just seeing some of those dishes…

On a hot and humid afternoon — hopefully the last of the humidity for the summer — I arrived at that segment of H Street after a very slow bus ride through rush-hour traffic. We met and was quickly seated at a table as they opened at 5pm. Cane, being so popular and not taking reservations, we happily decided on eating early. The minute we stepped in the aroma was beyond welcoming. I joked that I hope that aroma lingers in my mask for the long trek home afterwards…

They seem to have a lot of deliveries to process, so it was a little slow to get started at first. But quickly we got our drinks and my friend took over the ordering process — a selection that met with the approval of our excellent servers.

It was good to catch up and chat, something we all miss so much during this era. As we sipped at our drinks and carried on with the good “jutt” (we both have odd roots with Estonia), suddenly I feel this presence nearby and that wonderful aroma as we entered went up exponentially…the food has arrived, starting naturally with the starters…

First up of our three starters is the Trini-Chinese chicken, a lovely dish that blends the flavours of the Caribbean and Asia to make an incredibly delicious chicken. Glazed with a local version of oyster sauce, this absolutely delicious snack is one of those things that I can eat all day. So good…

The second item that arrived was one of the most beloved Trinidadian dishes, the double — a cumin-spiced channa (curried chickpeas) with a bana (fried flatbread) wrap. A messy but delicious snack that was done quite well here.

And finally, the geera pork — cumin spiced fried pork belly. Pretty good, but it was a little dry. Thank goodness they eventually brought out a selection of chutneys and sauces, which worked very well with the belly — especially the spicy “cane juice” made from scotch bonnet peppers. That turned a so-so dish into a delicious treat.

As we were working on the three starters, our friendly server suggested we may need a second table because of the size of the next dishes. Oh dear, did we order too much? She shifted an adjacent table up to ours and soon the next set of dishes arrived…and maybe we did over order. Oh my…

First up was the brilliant fried snapper escoveitch, a brilliant Caribbean preparation of pickled vegetables and spicy sauce. The fish was cooked brilliantly, the head stealthily stuffed with herbs. Fried to perfection, the skin was deliciously crispy while the flesh remained strong yet moist. A most excellent rendition, especially if you add another touch of the “cane juice” that I was quickly becoming addicted to…

Then within a minute the other main dish arrived — the oxtails. Oh my goodness, now I absolutely love oxtail, I have been known to eat an unhealthy amount of them in the past. These were huge! And deliciously grilled, with perfect consistency to enjoy every little morsel of flesh and just enough tender cartilage I could nibble at. I have been known to eat all of the cartilage in the past, but not in polite company!

With plenty of jasmine rice and hops — a Trinidadian bread — we had a crazy amount of food. The bread worked with various condiments and dishes, as well as the house spiced butter. How good is this all? And working with the rice we have a selection of chokas.

The 2 chokas — eggplant and tomato — were a wonderful addition, going well with the rice and bread and everything else. The wonderful part about this spread is that everything worked well with everything else, constantly giving rise to unique combinations of flavours for every combination — especially with the various sauces and chutneys as well.

The only thing…this was too much food! We did the best we could, but we were spent having polished off nearly everything. Wow, that was one of the best dinners I’ve had this year. Affordable, convivial, and delicious — exactly what you want to experience at a restaurant!

Trinidadian cuisine does not get as much love as it deserves, but Cane is very much a game-changer for those who have not had the joys of partaking in good Caribbean cooking. Nearly every dish was absolutely fantastic, with the Trini-Chinese chicken and oxtail being absolutely stunning. The fish was executed better than most Michelin-starred restaurants, and having all of the sauces on the side really gives diners control over their flavour profile in a very liberating way.

Highly, highly recommended!!!

Cane
403 H Street NE
Washington, DC