I’m a picky eater. The list of foods I don’t like — or won’t even try — is longer than a CVS receipt. But that doesn’t mean I’m not an adventurous eater. The Complimentary Spouse and I love to try new cuisines, and we make a point of trying something different every time we travel to an alpha city (one that is populous and diverse enough to support a few out-of-the-ordinary restaurants).
Some of the highlights of our culinary adventures:
- Uzbek food: Farida in New York — We went there with the brother-in-law and his partner, and we ate so much food that they had to roll us out the door. We were introduced to the owner’s mother, who was in charge of all the food, but she didn’t speak much English so it was a very quick conversation. We basically rubbed our bellies and said “mmm” to let her know how much we enjoyed the meal.
- Armenian food: Gayane’s in Madrid — The restaurant was not busy, so the owner spent a lot of time talking to us. He spoke excellent English, which more than made up for my rusty Spanish. He enthusiastically told us that pretty much everything originated in Armenia (bread, beer, wine) and handed out a list of famous Armenians. We noticed the Kardashians weren’t included.
- Uighur food: Dolan Uyghur in Washington, D.C. — We visited this restaurant long before the Uighur genocide. The cuisine would be best described as a fusion of Turkish and Chinese food. My favorite thing was the Laghman noodles.
- Ethiopian food: Lots of places in Washington, D.C. — We love Ethiopian food, but we once took my parents to an Ethiopian restaurant in Tampa (which has since closed) and they despised it. Oh well. I guess injara bread isn’t for everyone!
This weekend, we’ll be getting our first taste of Georgian food1 on a trip to New York. Watch for a review on the Daily Dave in a few days.
1The Eastern European country, not the U.S. state known for peaches and voter suppression.