Dish of the Week: Street sweets
Where: Columbia Heights

If you can't get to the fair for fried treats, there are plenty of unique city options to satisfy a sweet tooth.

The D.C. food cart scene hasn't really picked up as much as everyone had been hoping. But if you head to Columbia Heights, you might stumble upon some more interesting street food. Wander around, and you're likely to find a fruit/vegetable vendor, and not just some guy polishing oranges and apples. Instead, a woman peeling and cutting fruits and vegetables into Ziploc bags.

If you're like me, you need to point and gesture a little to negotiate the language barrier. But you'll walk away with some ripe, sweet mangoes with optional chili sauce, lime juice, and salt for $2. You mouth will tingle as it's twisted all directions by the sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavors.

On the corner of 15th and Irving, ou can also opt for $1 snowballs that come in a multitude of flavors. Nothing really beats the heat like some sugary syrup on top of shaved ice. If we can only convince them to top it with marshmallow fluff.

Photo courtesy of mosley.brian

Small Bites
Pi
In math class in high school, we always celebrated pi day on March 14 by bringing in round foods for snacks. The owners of Saki and Chloe have decided to take that bit of nerd-dom and apply it to opening a brick-oven pizza place called Pi in the old Blue Fin in Adams Morgan, according to a Prince of Petworth commenter. Will it add another competitor to the gourmet pizza scene?

From cowgirls to church keys
We told you the Neighborhood Restaurant Group was planning on opening a bar in the old Dakota Cowgirl space. According to Ask Tom, they're now shooting for an October launch. The bottom level will be called Birch & Barley, and the upstairs, ChurchKey.

Restaurant Week
Restaurant Week starts Monday. There. We've mentioned it again, and now we're SO over it. Well... at least until it starts. For last minute reservations try calling or check out one of the numerous spots that are extending the deal.