In a DCist interview several weeks ago, Tyler Cowen declared that Zenebech Injera at 6th and T Streets NW was serving up the best Ethiopian food in town. We put the advice of the economics professor/ethnic eats guru to the test. more ›

Sietsema responds, sorta Last week, we asked Tom for a clarification of the star-rating system. During his Dining Guide chat, he linked to his ratings code, which he posted this past Monday. One of the chatters had the same questions we had, "Have you ever considered a different system for your ratings? So often you will write a review where you rave about the food but mention something else (service, appearance) that you didn't like,... more ›

We here at DCist wonder why they schedule Restaurant Week immediately after the Thanksgiving-Hanukah- Christmas-Kwanzaa season of fat-assedness. It's like D.C.'s restaurant community is our collective grandma: "Washington! My God, you look so gaunt! What in the world are they feeding you? It's high time you started having three course dinners after three course lunches. I mean you're rail thin! Look, your pants are hanging off of you." No Grandma, the pants are saggy because we had to "upgrade" to the relaxed version from the husky section. more ›

We were dismayed to see that the Washingtonian recently dissed one of our favorite cheap eats joints in Alexandria, Café Monti, saying “the lackluster goulash, watery pastas, and stale tarts had us heading for the door.” more ›

Over the years, we’ve come to think of Peruvian-style chicken, or pollo a la brasa, as the unofficial fast food of the D.C. area. Sure, we’re big fans of all the Afghan and Persian kebab joints, the numerous Vietnamese pho parlors, and the ever proliferating pupuserias, but Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken has the sort of broad cross-cultural appeal that these other equally worthy cheap eats lack. more ›

This week saw the official introduction of our newest service to make all of our social lives that much easier -- Last Call. For those of you that missed the news, our tech guru Tom Lee has set up a system through which you can check Metro arrival times, movies, weather and open tables at area restaurants by simply sending us a text message with your query. We're working to iron out any hiccups, so... more ›

By DCist contributor Ari Charney more ›

Just two days after the announcement that Garrett Graff was joining the Washingtonian as Editor-at-Large, it has been announced that Todd Kliman, award-winning food writer for the Washington City Paper, has been named Dining Editor for the city's monthly glossy. According to Don Rockwell, Kliman will

hav[e] editorial control over the upcoming Best 100 Restaurants and Cheap Eats issues. Thomas Head and Cynthia Hacinli will remain at the Washingtonian and work with Todd, who will begin his new job next month.

We've noticed that an increasing number of food resources have popped up recently in the D.C. blog world. In addition to the eGullet D.C. and Delmarva forum, DCFoodies, and DCFüd, new arrivals include Don Rockwell's new project, frequent DCist commenter Matt Singerman's vegetarian food blog, and the not-really-new-but-new-to-us DC Food Blog. To help keep all of these sites -- and any other food news that comes our way -- together for you, DCist introduces The Weekly Feed, a compilation of the week's food news. more ›

In search of cheap eats before a movie at the new Regal multiplex at Gallery Place, DCist wandered the streets of Chinatown in an attempt to asses the recent diminution of traditional businesses and their replacement by big name corporate chow. While McDonalds touted Chinese characters on their facade nary a lo-mien noodle was to be found inside. Pot Belly’s also declared their support of the Chinese culture with a decorative store front Wandering inside... more ›

It's never been hard to find cheap ethnic cuisine in the D.C. area -- from Burmese to Ethiopian to Middle Eastern via the Netherlands. Still, despite our miserliness and our search for interesting new foods, DCist has been looking over one of the long-time staples of cheap eats in D.C.: The Islander, possibly the only place on U Street where you can hear live music and enjoy authentic Caribbean cuisine. And with the prices decidedly... more ›

Indeed, the 18th Street strip's fast food options consist of McDonald's, Julia's Empanadas and the three giant pizza slice outlets. So the Amsterdam Falafel Shop is probably a breath of fresh air for the neighborhood's quick and cheap eats sector. (Of course, up and around the corner on Columbia Road, there are plenty of great places to get Mexican and Central American eats.) more ›

The results are in: The Post's 2004 Best Bets Readers' Choice Awards were decided today. And the winners are ... (drumroll, please): Pretty much all the same places that won last year! But that's OK -- by and large, DCist approves of the victors (though we'll never understand why Starbucks consistently comes in the top three of Best Coffee Shop; same with Borders for Best Bookstore. Isn't this supposed to be about D.C.'s best local and non-totally-massive-and-impersonal establishments?). more ›

D.C. may not be on the cutting edge of many things, but when we find something good in this swamp of a city, by god, we're going to hold onto it and claim it vociferously as our own. That's why it's important to show your D.C. pride and cast your votes in the Post's Annual Reader's Choice Best Bets contest, which ends tomorrow at noon. Swear that Ozio's has a better happy hour than... more ›