Pozole rojo ($9) is made with pork and guajillo chiles at Oyamel. (Photo courtesy of Oyamel)
Dish of the week: Pozole
Where to get it: Oyamel, El Sol, Firefly, Taco Bamba, Taqueria Distrito Federal
No one would blame you if these gray, brisk late-fall days have you yearning for a little extra pep in your food. One prescription for the dreariness is a bowl of hearty Mexican pozole. Literally meaning “hominy” in Spanish, pozole is a traditional soup that sits somewhere between a soup and a stew and is made with chiles, meat, plenty of spices, and, of course, its namesake, hominy—corn kernels that have been soaked in lye until puffy and edible. Both red (rojo) and green (verde) variations are common and it’s often garnished with cilantro, lime, onions, and even radishes.
Of all the places to find the dish, Firefly restaurant (1310 New Hampshire Ave. NW) in Dupont Circle is one you might not expect. It’s not a Mexican restaurant, but Chef Jammir Gray, who took the kitchen’s reins in October, serves an excellent pozole. She uses a recipe she’s carried with her since cooking it as a staff meal in her early days.
Her version uses dried oregano and pork stock. It’s also evolved to be less spicy over the years, but it still packs a medium kick that warms you up during dreary weather. It matches well with an order of her jalapeno corn bread and honey butter and the rest of the comfort-food menu.
“Having made my way from the West Coast to the East Coast, I’ve realized that pozole is not common everywhere and that alone hurts my California soul,” she says. “I consider it as much of a comfort food as warm apple pie. So needless to say, it’s here to stay at Firefly.”
Not surprisingly, you’ll also find pozole on the menu at many Mexican kitchens around D.C. Start at Oyamel (401 7th St.), where the pozole rojo ($9) is made with pork and guajillo chiles. It’s a fitting start to a meal of guacamole, tacos and the restaurant’s signature “salt air” margaritas.
Pozole rojo is also on the dinner menu ($11.50) at El Sol (1227 11th St. NW)—it similarly has slow-braised pork and assorted condiments. On Saturdays and Sundays, head to Taqueria Distrito Federal (3463 14th St. NW), where pork pozole is a weekend special. Both spots offer online ordering, which will surely come in handy on the winter days to come.
For those out in Virginia, Chef Victor Albisu offers up both red and green pork pozoles at his Taco Bama locations in Falls Church (2190 Pimmitt Dr.) and Vienna (164 Maple Ave W.) They run $6 and $10 depending on size, so grab a bowl alongside an order of tacos.
