Pho 14

Location: 1436 Park Rd NW (Columbia Heights Metro)
Cost: $15


My dad came road tripped up to DC with me to help me move, and in return, I wanted to show him around DC.  He's not a big monument and museum guy, but I know he loves his food, so like a good son, I diligently scoured restaurant reviews in search of hearty asian food for the two of us to enjoy.  We just happened to be in Columbia Heights buying a mess of apartment stuff at Target, and stumbled across Pho 14 on our way back to the car.

Adam Express

Location: 3211 Mount Pleasant St NW (Columbia Heights Metro)
Cost: $10


Moving to DC was an adventure in its own right.  It's a 15-hour drive from Florida up to here, and my dad made the road trip with me to help me move all my heavy furniture in.  Two days, 3 storms, and 1 check engine light later, we were finally settled in...and super hungry.  Knowing my dad, I decided to look around for a decent asian restaurant, one that he'd actually like, since all the ones in Chinatown aren't that great.  What I found was Adam Express.

Luke's Lobster

Location: 624 E St NW (Gallery Place Metro)
Cost: $20


When I first told my friends I was going to DC for residency, the first thing they told me was to get used to the traffic, politics, and Old Bay.  So far, I've got 2 down, and one to go.  And wouldn't ya know it, with seafood on the brain, I began to yearn for the lobsters I had the last time I drove up to Maine.  Luckily enough, I was able to find a place to get my lobster roll fix at Luke's Lobster down in Penn Quarter.  My uncle decided to come along to try this place out too, so I had an extra set of food to try as well. =)

Tokyo 21

Location: 1400 N Wells (near Clark/Division Red Line or Schiller 22/36 buses)
Cost: $10


Ahhh, it's good to be back in Chicago.  The South was nice and all, but if there's one knock against them, it's that they're sorely lacking in the Asian cuisine department.  After a week in the muggy below-sea level heat, I was craving for something light, filling, and with more of an...Eastern flavor.  So I grabbed a few of my buddies and headed out to Tokyo 21.

Chix

Location: 2019 11th St NW (U St Metro)
Cost: $10


It's been a long orientation week, but I feel good!  My co-interns are awesome, the hospital is great...it looks like I'm gonna have a lotta fun (in between all the long hours and never-ending workload) over the next three years.  To celebrate the end of our first week together, Brian, Erin, Lauren, Nate, Roy, Zubin, and I headed out to Chix to grab some dinner on our one day off.

Shawafel

Location: 1322 H St NE (X2, X9 buses)
Cost: $10


I'm all moved in and finally ready to explore my neighborhood!  For those of you who don't know where I am, I live in the H Street/Atlas District of Northeast DC.  From what I've seen so far, it's an awesome little place, with a thriving music scene, great bars, and most of all, plenty of good food.  This afternoon, I took a stroll and walked into the first interesting restaurant I could find, a new little diner called Shawafel.

Lambert's Cafe

Location: 2305 E Malone, Sikeston, MO

Cost: $15

Like it or not, we've arrived at the end of the Deep South Road Trip.  Looking back on it all, Yien and I have had a ton of incredible food in such a short amount of time.  Of course, what better places to go to are there for a foodie like me than Memphis and New Orleans, two of the best cities for food in the country?  We've tried Tennessee dry rub barbecue, cajun seafood, and Louisiana fried chicken, just to name a few.

And of course, who better to accompany me on this epic road trip than my good friend Yien?  On the last leg of our trip back from Memphis to Chicago, 6 hours in, we were getting really hungry.  The upside to being hungry as a food blogger with a smartphone?  I get to just stumble across a place like Lambert's Cafe.

Cozy Corner

Location: 745 N Parkway, Memphis
Cost: $10


It's our last night in Memphis, and we're still high off that incredible Game 5 win over the Clippers.  Granted, by now we all know what ended up happening in that series, but the home team winning by the biggest margin of any game in that series made for a ridiculously fun experience.  The multiple beers along the 3 block walk to FedEx Forum didn't hurt, either.  In any case, we're about to leave the South for good, and we've yet to have any BBQ!  Travesty, especially considering how much I've heard about Memphis dry rub. With that in mind, Yien and I hauled ass to one of the more well-known (read: sketchier looking) BBQ shops in the city, Cozy Corner.

Gus's Fried Chicken

Location: 310 S Front St, Memphis

Cost: $10

Ack, I apologize for the glaring lack of posts over the past few weeks!  It's been a long and hectic ride, what with me finally becoming a doctor and whatnot.  Fortunately, amidst all the cap tossing, lofty speeches, and hanging with the fam, I haven't left out good eats & drinks!  Take a look at the CCE twitter feed for a preview of reviews to come, but for now, it's time to finish up the Epic Southern Road Trip.