Neither This Nor That: Fusion Food at Zengo and various ramblings

Recently my brilliant friend L and I had dinner at Zengo. The mango mojitos were dangerously fruity (excellent) and the food and decor were, as usual, very pretty.

The menu hasn't changed since I last went with happy hour buddies; it's still a hip mix of Asian and Latin American influences. The presentation is still wild. An entree of fried tofu arrived stacked like pancakes. "How do I eat this?" friend asked. She felt the primary taste was salt (that would be soy sauce). My grilled tuna tacos were, to me, quite delicious with their little accompaniments of guac and mango salsa. The charred edges of tuna blended wonderfully wit the fried taco shell, resulting in something akin to a tuna-enhanced Frito. What more could a girl ask for... well maybe more. Dainty tapas plates are so cute though. Friend thought that some things were better left un-fusioned. Fair enough. I think that I would return for just drinks from now on, and maybe a smaller plate or two.

Discussion veered towards the multicultural. We weighed the merits of British/U.S. crossover television, like Dead Like Me or Skins coming to the U.S. I understand redos of shows that were originally in another language (Ugly Betty, how I adore thee!). But why do the same show over in English? Puzzling.

Healthier Indian Food @ Masala Art

"Some Americans don't get real Indian food. They eat quick stuff made with cream or half & half and it tastes great because fat tastes great. But that's not the point. That place in Tenleytown, though, is where you get food that might come out of a real Indian kitchen, and it's not made with a tub of half & half." - S.

Intrigued by the comments (and conflicting reviews) surroundingd Masala Art, I took the family to enjoy the kindly lit space and newish feel that characterizes this Tenleytown gem. Dishes run from $10 for vegetarian to upwards of $15 for meat plates. Tables seat between two and four, but the space is generous and deep for parties. I liked the mix of Mughal art, religious sculpture, and track lighting; lots of talking points for the socially-awkward. The entire restaurant's floor is level (once inside, there are no sunken or raised levels, and no stairs to negotiate) with a wide center lane.

Once the food arrives, you'll want to take your time with it. The menu runs a little smaller than some other places, but the selection is well-thought out and shows some experimental knack. Appetizers like the Sarson Wall Gobhi are surprisingly good. Mine arrived with four honking-size florets of cauliflower that had gotten caught in a fight with a bright yellow turmeric sauce (oddly, not mustard) and had lost. The flavors are very bright and untamed. Thank goodness for rice. Chicken and lamb dishes came nicely portioned in separate asymmetrical bowls for each dish and portion of rice; there's little chance of leftovers, which can be a relief. From the portions and plating, it wouldn't be my first choice for going family-style, but it would be high on my list of "nice dinners" where forks do not cross plates.

The naan comes in an intriguing range of flavors, like sea salt. The salt is a nice contrast. I think they must go lighter on the clarified butter here, since I left feeling very light and satisfied, instead of sleepy. If there is one thing that you MUST try, though, it's the mango lassi. Holy cow. This one does the place proud. It's a seamless transition from pure, ripe fruit to thick, substantial yogurt (think Greek) without a trace of wateriness. You could almost bite this beverage. It's indispensible for handling some of the pretty hot dishes, too. Unlike the dishes, it would be cute to share this one... if you can part with it :). A $4.95, it's a truly indulgent twist on the typical smoothie.

I would consider going again. 3.5/5 noms for now. . . while the lassi truly knocked my socks off, I did feel some of the flavors were a little unbalanced, and I would have appreciated more naan :P. Of course, it might have been a matter of what I ordered. Thoughts on Masala Art?

Soup for the Twentysomething Soul at @ Pho 14

"I dreamed. . . that I drank from the most extraordinary soup I had ever tasted, every briny sip was a kind of ecstasy. . . The soup was filled with all that I had ever cared for in my life, and while I drank it, this man spoke his words right into my heart." - Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

There is something about soup in the winter. Last week the nomelette braved some sub-freezing weather for soup with an old friend who is, ironically, one degree removed from Arthur Golden.

At Pho 14 in Columbia Heights, I was greeted by a man with a handwritten list of names (the wait would be around 20 minutes on a crowded weekday night) at a smallish place that smelled like the real deal - beef, chicken, and the unmistakable, unctuous whiff of fish sauce. With the smoothly laquered counters, colored lights, and the construction right outside, for a moment, I imagined myself in Hanoi, at some upscale restaurant by the lake. The illusion vanished as I read the largely English menu. I started the order with some spring rolls (the kind with seafood inside, not fried.) The appetizer was about $5.95. The presentation was delightful - curlicues of calamari peeked out of steamed rice paper wrapped around some pale root vegetables. My friend, expecting the usual shrimp & basil combo, looked at it askance. I suppose some people do not find protruding tentacles to be that appetizing.

Anyway, the calamari was so delicate as to be bland to my admittedly cruder taste. Next time I'll stick with a traditional shrimp version. The seafood, however, was very fresh, so I am excited to see what else the house can do with it.

For a little less than $9, I snagged a regular bowl of the No. 8 pho; a rich mix of beef tendon, top round, flank steak, and just the right amount of noodles. To tendon haters: embrace the chew - it's funner. The taste is very similar to what you'd find at the sister restaurant, Pho 75, in Falls Church, which is to say, great. The broth is very beefy and perfectly clear; no fat clouds the surface. I feel there's enough pho to satisfy even the hungriest. Even the regular bowl was way bigger than my face; better eaters can order up two sizes, too.

Basil. lime, bean sprouts, fish sauce, hoison sauce, and hot sauce are all at your disposal; there was one plate for friend and I to share. And the sliced jalepenos! I suppose I'm an oddball but pho to me isn't pho unless I am crying tears of spicy joy. Other than that, it needs minimal doctoring.

While the menu offers an array of rice and noodle options, everyone I saw that night was drinking up the special.

If you are in the Columbia Heights area, I definitely recommend giving this place a shot. The decor is super cute, the food arrives very quickly (our order was ready in less than 15 minutes) and the lighting is especially nice.

Overall, this place definitely earns 4.5/5 noms. I would be inclined to give it five, were the competition in NoVA not so impossibly stiff. For a meal under $15 that soothes your tummy, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place in D.C.

Deal or No Deal

This morning, I spent a little under an hour hashing out an imaginary agreement with some other 1Ls in a flash negotiatons competition. I didn't enter to win; I just entered it because it seemed like fun, worthwhile practice. How often will someone take you aside and tell you, you need to be more assertive in your delivery? Yeah.

To prepare, I read a little bit of Getting to Yes, a well-known tome on the theory and practice of negotiations, with the Harvard imprimatur. The advice that I took away was not to let my own fears dominate my perception of the negotiation. We sometimes suspect the worst of others when we have much at stake. Often that is just not warranted.

During the negotiations, I was nervous, but I just focused on figuring out what the other side wanted. The judges later said that I saw all the "intangibles" in the deal. I certainly threw out a few of solutions that had intangible value aspects; one of the ideas was adopted in the final agreement. (In the end, we all walked away happy.)

Then night before, I had charted out the best alternative to a negotiated agreement - what could we walk away with if negotiations didn't go our way? Not good.

As the other side put forth proposals that were close, but not quite what my side could give, I wondered:
What is the difference between being aggressive and being a jerk? Where is the line between honesty and revealing too much? When is the right moment to assert your position? And there was the whole nonverbal communication thing; it's harder than it looks. :P My partner and I had trouble passing the ball to one another sometimes. But we avoided any noticeable fumbles.

I felt that the other side gave off a really calm vibe. To me it made a difference. Given our side's incomplete information, it was nice to be able to trust the other side to some extent. They seemed reasonable. The whole thing was much different from negotiations I had seen on TV, usually involving one side trying to entrap the other (usually between cops and felons... pretty exciting but not helpful). Everyone was on the level.

I was so elated that we had reached an agreement that worked for everyone before the clock ran out. :) Even though we were graded individually, everyone in the group contributed to the outcome. Just need to work a bit on my delivery and try a few more competitions this semester.