Shophouse

Alright, I hate doing this. I really do. I know that most of the currently imaginary reader-base of this blog is scattered around the country or the world. I have a few DC-Specific things I could talk about and I'm tempted to now and again because it's my life. This is my every day, or at least my every breakfast and/or lunch, and this is my blog, and maybe, just maybe, sometimes I want to tell you people what I had for lunch even if I know you probably can't have it. The good news in this case, though, is that maybe, just maybe, someday you'll be able to.

So, we all know about Chipotle. I'll talk about it at some point. It's a great option for us on the go. It's also one of those restaurants I never gave much thought to before having to become Gluten-Free. Well, the owners of Chipotle are trying out another new restaurant here in DC, and it's sort of a treasure trove for we of the unable-to-eat-gluten tribe. Shophouse is located in Dupont Circle, right next to some Salad place that I think people like and the BGR Burger Joint which is a perfectly acceptable burger place if you're cool with not having a bun (and hey, we can talk about that later too!). It's also maybe a three minute walk from Hello Cupcake! (their exclamation point, not mine), which if we're going to go on DC places will be on the docent, because, you know, cupcakes. It's a good twenty minute walk from work for me, but it's totally worth it.

It runs on the same sort of formula as Chipotle. You tell them what you want for the counter-service. You start with a base of rice/noodles/etc. Add in meat (lamb, chicken, tofu and Meatballs!), a vegetable, a sauce (all too spicy for my blood, but I'm very, very weak), a garnish (beats me), and then toasted rice or garlic or something. For me, it's almost always rice, meatballs, this vaguely sweet and garlicky charred corn, and then a metric ton of the toasted rice. I have no idea what toasted rice is, but it's a little sweet and crunchy and awesome.

Anyway, the point to this, to all of it, is that the place is ENTIRELY gluten free. Entirely. You can get rice-based gluten free meatballs, which is absolutely worth the walk because the texture of them is something I miss. All of this, with a fairly quick moving line, is about $7.50, which is totally reasonable for the amount of food you get and the fact it's all gluten free.

All in all, it's a pretty great, convenient little place. The downside is that there's one in DC, one coming to Bethesda, and apparently, one in Hollywood, so well, I guess it's good if you're a tourist. It also, to me, makes it seem like the first store was enough of a success that they are trying more. There's hope yet for the rest of you.