FOOD DIVERSIONS CROSSWORD Next time you’re worrying about what to cook, pay Walton a visit in Silver Spring. He also does limited deliveries in the area. Don’t skip the coleslaw. —Sabrina Medora Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ 4818 Yuma St. NW; (202) 350-9791; pitmastersbackalleybbq.com Needing to sink my teeth into a tender and flavorful beef brisket at the start of the pandemic led me down a narrow path near 95-yearold Wagshal’s Delicatessen in Spring Valley. That’s where you’ll find the intentionally unassuming Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ. A sign adorned with a pig and the D.C. flag announces the takeout restaurant’s existence. Twenty weeks into the public health emergency, their beef brisket provides the simplest pleasure at a challenging time. My go-to order is the Austin brisket sandwich. Manager Warren Alonge says the brisket gets trimmed inside Wagshal’s before it’s injected with its juices. Then it gets a beef rub, marinates, and enters the smoker for about eight hours. The sandwich comes with crispy fried onions and barbecue sauce on the side, but I haven’t needed to try them because the brisket on bread is a wor thy enough meal on its own. The glistening pink meat is caramelized in all the right places. Make the trip, because good Austin brisket stands alone. Salt, pepper, char, smoke. The rest is magic. If you’re not feeling like something between a bun, Pitmasters sells a la carte meat ranging from St. Louis cut pork ribs and half smokes to Carolina chopped pork and smoked chicken wings. Sides include cheesy grits, fried okra, cheddar biscuits, and baked beans. Orders can be placed online for pickup and delivery is available through delivery apps. —Marcus K. Dowling
and cheese sandwich on an everything bagel with an iced coffee. Be sure to douse whatever you eat with their jalapeĂąo and garlic “secret sauce.â€? The hospitality at the family-owned restaurant, even during a pandemic, is exceptional. The staff regularly treats customers like friends. Adding to the charm is eccentric decor like souvenir mugs, colorful clipboard menus that display far more dishes than are listed online, comfy seating arrangements of regal cushioned chairs mixed with sofas, and amusing signs that instruct patrons not to rush the chef, because each dish is made with love. Many times when calling in an order, I’ve been greeted by, “Hey Sweetie, what can I get for you?â€? Heat Da Spot has been open throughout the pandemic. They currently welcome customers for outside dining in addition to pickup and delivery through Uber Eats and Grubhub. —Julia Terbrock Lyman’s Tavern 3720 14th St. NW; (202) 723-0502; facebook.com/lymanstaverndc A handful of weeks after D.C.’s stay-athome order began, I came across a tweet. “I would pay one million dollars for the cheapest beer at the shittiest dive bar in America,â€? it said. From my apartment in Mount Pleasant, I stared longingly at the Raven Grill. I thought often of my favorite things at my regular haunts: the spiced Old Fashioneds and trivia nights at Jackie Lee’s, under the metallic tinsel where my friends threw their wedding party; the sloppy pineapple burgers and punk shows at Slash Run; the fried chicken at Service Bar. Most of all, I missed Lyman’s Tavern, owned by Jess Kleinmann and Kevin Perone. I missed dropping into a patio seat after a long workday and nursing a sweaty highball, losing horribly at pinball, and having a place to bring first dates and friends I hadn’t seen in a while. When Lyman’s finally reopened for takeout in May, I rejoiced. Once a week or more–– usually more– –I’d walk up 1 4th Street NW to its outdoor area to pick up a freshly squeezed orange crush and an order of vegetarian sliders. Impossible meat, ketchup, pickles, American cheese, chips: the stuff of childhood, the stuff of normalcy. I’d house those sliders like they were the last taste of bar food I’d ever get. I hope I was just being dramatic. Call ahead for takeout or just order at its outdoor bar. Patio seating, with great dog watching, is now available. —Morgan Baskin
“There is only one secret—passion. You have to get a good product first, and then you have to like and love what you are doing.�
Heat Da Spot 3213 Georgia Ave. NW; (202) 836-4719; heatdaspotcafe.com Once you spot the lowercase red “H� made from red crates outside the building, you’ll know you made it to the right place in Park View. Heat Da Spot, known for the friendliness of its staff, opened in 2015. It’s one of my favorite breakfast spots, serving Ethiopian and American food that is consistently delicious and coffee that is reliably strong. Their Ethiopian breakfast, featuring spongy injera, ful (mashed beans), eggs, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, is one of their most popular dishes, but my usual order is a bacon, egg,
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