Fri 6 Mar 2009
Three Top Spots to Cure Your Hangover
Posted by capitalspice under Restaurant Reviews
[6] Comments
Living in DC, we have a wide variety of bars and restaurants to get our drink on. We can go upscale creative at Gibson or Rasika, kick back at a favorite neighborhood joint like The Red and the Black or enjoy the simple pleasures of good wine and good company in a friend’s home. But sometimes we enjoy ourselves a little too much and the next morning needs a special kind of medicine. Here are three of our top spots to get us past the previous night’s sins. 
Pho 75
There is something magical about the combination of hot beef broth, slices of meat, noodles, sriracha sauce and soy sauce. A traditional Vietnamese soup, pho (prounounced “phuh”) features thinly-sliced meats, rice noodles, and cilantro in a beef broth served with garnishes. Pho 75 is a downscale, cafeteria style eatery where patrons sit elbow-to-elbow with strangers at long tables slurping wet noodles and broth with chopsticks. Their menu offers a pho soup base (broth, noodles) with a mix and match selection of meat preferences. Bowls come in regular and large, which in reality means large and gargantuan. My favorite drink to pair with pho is young coconut: a light beverage made of coconut water and tender, thinly sliced coconut meat. It’s a perfect sweet compliment to the spicy, salty soup. If you’re heading over, be prepared for a wait. The line is almost always out the door but it tends to move quickly.
Pho 75 (cash only)
1721 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22209
Two more hangover cures after the jump.
Wisemiller’s
I would like to give a shout out to the inventor of the Chicken Madness. How many undergraduates have had their Sunday afternoons saved by this straight-off-the-grill sandwich miracle? Wisemiller’s (known as Wisey’s to its regulars) is a bare bones grocery store serving local students’ immediate needs (bread, soda, chips, canned goods) with a small grill in the back. They serve up dozens of options but the Madness is the real draw. Served on a basic subroll, a Chicken Madness is chopped, grilled chicken smothered in cheese with bacon, lettuce, tomato, green peppers and onions and garnished with hot chille pepper. It’s a pedestrian mix but a potent one. I’ve never met a sandwich that does a better job of soothing an alcohol-distressed stomach.
Wisemiller’s
1236 36th St NW
Washington, DC 20007
California Tortilla
This isn’t your everyday taqueria. California Tortilla combines trusty base ingredients – tortillas, chicken, Mexican rice – and tosses them with fun accents like Thai peanut sauce, mango dressing and jerk chicken seasonings for inventive burrito creations. The entire franchise is quirky and energetic and service is always friendly, regardless of how slammed they are. If that isn’t enough, an entire wall of hot sauces are available for generous dousing. On a good day, this is a fun, indulgent meal that is a great alternative to quick service chains. On a rougher morning? Man, these puppies can soak up last night’s excess. Pair with a giant soda and you’ll be good to go for the rest of the day.
California Tortilla
728 7th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
6 Responses to “ Three Top Spots to Cure Your Hangover ”
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[...] 2. Get Chinese food in Chinatown. This is an epic food fail and a total disapopintment to many a visitor hoping that Chinatown (Chinablock, really) = good quality Chinese food. It does not. I’m sorry. I wish it did, too. If you find yourself in the Chinatown and staring down some hunger pains, head a few blocks into Penn Quarter for a plethora of options. Some of our favorites are the bar menu at Poste, small plates at Zaytinya, and hefty, creative burritos at California Tortilla. [...]
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[...] head nod at parties. We haven’t really gotten serious. My introduction centers mainly on pho, that glorious beefy noodle soup that warms my soul every winter. I’ve also indulged in the [...]
You know, I swear by honey before bed. I’ve been drinking like a fiend this weekend in Charleston at parties and am relatively unscathed. I was even rescued by a bartender who happened to be a beekeeper; when I wished aloud for honey at last call, he dashed out to his car, opened the jar, gave me a spoonful and the rest of it for the weekend. It works, I swear.
Wow. I’ve heard of a glass of water + advil or a bottle of gatorade at the ready but never honey. Do you think its simply the sugars your body is craving?
And as for that bartender rescue, that was very chivalrous but I’m sure it was 25% helpful and 75% driven by your lovely presence at his bar.
Maybe, but seriously. Who keeps jars of honey in his back seat?! It was absurd.
Maybe it’s a sugar thing? I dunno. Or a really great placebo. I kid you not. If you’ve been on a bender and take honey before bed (not that I’ve been on benders lately. . . ), you may not want to run a marathon, but your brain doesn’t swell against your skull. You can function, get off the couch, stay in enclosed quarters without having to get some air, etc.
I am on it!