WDC Home Brew Shakshuka

In the heart of the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC, lies a modest, lesser-known building - The Richmond.  Inside The Richmond, living amongst the residents of the nation's capital is an independently trained chef who has almost perfected the art of the Shakshuka. 

There was a healthy mixture of texture and taste with no bitterness from the tomato paste. While I find many home-cooked meals can have a risk of a 50/50 hit/miss rate - (while you do hope restaurants have a much higher (but not guaranteed) hit rate) – this was a smashing homerun.

The presentation was superb – great attention to freshness and diversity in the dish. I think that one of the hallmarks of great Shakshuka is that you almost don’t realize that it is an egg dish – this was a wonderful blending of ingredients that created a scrumptious celebration in your mouth. So yummy I forwent the bread and just enjoyed a direct fork to mouth digestion. Such was my experience at The Richmond.  A hidden gem in the heart of DC (and sometimes Jerusalem).

Derech HaGefen - Beit Zayit

Location might be the three most important considerations in real estate, but I can personally add that it also adds to a nice brunch experience.  The ambiance at Derech HaGefen is wonderful - just outside Jerusalem - and was a wonderful atmosphere to try another dish of shakshuka.

I'd give it an overall B+.  The appearance of the dish was less than impressive as my heart did sink for a moment as I questioned (again) my restaurant-ordering judgment and wondered aloud to my friends if I had become slave to the search for the best shakshuka to the detriment of other tasty items on the menu.  The taste was actually refreshing and the eggs, were not undercooked (common mistake and one that I could observe from the above picture). The Bread was solid but not that superfresh kind that implores you want to dip every piece into the pan and wipe it clean.  I mixed up the egg and sauce more than I usually do and it was digested quite smoothly. The grade was surely impacted by the environment and perhaps the fact that I was treated to the brunch.  Please go and be the judge of the place for yourselves.