Gluten Freebird

This week had some good highs and a few plunging lows. I usually only like to write up my favorites, but there were some real whoppers this week.

Let’s start with the good news:

I had a standout dish at the new Thirsty Bernie’s in Arlington. At the corner of Glebe and Lee Hwy, the self-proclaimed “Sports Bar and Grill” is really a gourmet sausage house in disguise. It comes to us courtesy of Jamie Stachowski, formerly of Restaurant Kolumbia. He was known for charcuterie and now offers Kielbasa, house-cured Pastrami, and Beef on Weck all under the glow of 15 plasma TVs. The restaurant is still working out substantial kinks, but the wings were a highlight. You don’t just order wings. You order mild, medium, hot, or grilled with bbq sauce. I opted for the grilled and was treated to nice char, fruity sauce and one of my best tastes of the week.

I also enjoyed a few good dishes at Indebleu, though the service did its best to distract me. The Halibut, poached in coconut milk and served with preserved lemon, spinach and black truffle, was delicate, aromatic and flavorful without letting the coconut overwhelm the fish. If you can eat gluten, “Spaghetti and Meatballs” were darling. The spaghetti was saffron ice cream mashed through a ricer, while meatballs were gulab jamun donuts (inedible to the glutenless). If only it hadn’t taken an hour to get our appetizers…

A far more authentic Indian experience was Passage to India, which amazed me with its understated, but well-spiced fare. A Parsi-style lamb stew with apricots was deliciously spicy and the Cheesy Chicken Kebab was spicy, succulent and addictive.

The most exciting meal was probably my unexpected gluten-free pretzel-and-beer fest at the baseball game.

Sadly, I had a few whopper experiences last week. The worst was a lunch at Dupont Grille. A beet salad had turned everything (cheese, pears, lettuce, the plate) red long before it arrived at my table and the scallops had managed to take on the same consistency as the overcooked risotto underneath. Quite a feat, if not quite a feast. My companion couldn’t swallow a bite of his crab cake. Luckily TangySweet was within walking distance!