What inspired you go meatless for the month?
It was a combination of different factors: eating less meat, wanting to know where meat comes from, losing weight. I thought we'd [with husband John Porvaznik] go cold turkey so then it'd be easier to eat less meat when we reintroduce it.

What did you miss the most?
Pho with brisket and flank steak from Pho 75. And I've been craving Peruvian chicken even though I don't normally eat it. Every time I drove home, I thought, "I could go for Super Chicken."

Where did you find the best meatless eats about town?
Anytime I went Asian, I was happy. Four Sisters has a whole vegetarian section and Dino had a vegetarian tasting menu from two different farms and that was terrific. I'd never been to Asylum before and was in Adams Morgan reviewing Dr. Horrible at DCAC and tried their vegetarian cheese steak and it wasn't bad.

What was the hardest part of staying meatless?
Making sure you asked beyond the menu descriptions. I wanted an asparagus soup but it was made with chicken broth so I didn't get it. It's hard at places that are least descriptive with their menu. And bar food was hard to find anything other than fried cheese.

What did you learn?
Restaurants are becoming more conscious. Carmine's had a entire separate menu for different allergies and restrictions (garlic, dairy, wheat/gluten and vegetarian and vegan menus.) It wasn't as challenging as I thought it was going to be in the beginning.

What would you say to encourage someone trying to eat meatless for a month?
Try to do as much home cooking as possible. We made tempeh, but was not a fan, and seitan. We also made mushroom masala and seitan stroganoff.

Would you do it again?
I think in general I will just eat less meat and I'm probably going to stay with not eating meat for breakfast and lunch. I would have no problem to do it again, but it was more about adapting to a more conscious style. We're trying to be more of a flexitarian and know the source of our food. If we've gone back to our old ways we might do it again next March. But if someone invites us over for a chicken dinner we're not going to say no. We're not going to turn into a Portlandia sketch.

Photo courtesy Joanne Lawton/Washington Business Journal

A friend of mine has been in the mood for pho. And the winter blast we're having makes for a perfect excuse to go seek out the traditional Vietnamese soup. I've been thinking of pho places accessible by public transit and within a 20-minute Metrorail ride of downtown D.C. I'm catching a movie tonight, and I'm pondering my options.

Pho 75, the pho-only, cafeteria-style restaurant on Wilson Boulevard between the Rosslyn and Court House stations, immediately comes to mind. Pho 75 is cash-only and features shared table seating, which really seems to upset some folks (tough luck, quite your bellyaching), but here's what The Washington Post's Tom Sietsema wrote five years ago about the place: "Pho 75's dining hall is not much to look at, just row after row of tables in a utilitarian box, and the service, while speedy, can vary from cheerful to sullen. But in all likelihood, you'll be too busy slurping your meal-in-a-bowl ($5.45) to care." I wonder if those prices have stayed the same. It's been awhile since I've been there and seems like a top contender to check out tonight.

Those particular about their pho seem to generally poo-poo Cleveland Park's Nam-Viet outpost. But it's been a generally reliable place when I want Vietnamese that's nearby and when I've wanted something more than just pho. And I've always liked gawking at the collection of pictures of all the famous patrons on the wall, including one of then-Attorney General Janet Reno awkwardly holding a baby. Because Nam-Viet serves more than just pho, you can have a much larger meal if you like. But with pho, what's the point in overstuffing yourself with distractions? It's definitely convenient, regardless of anything else.

Pho 14 in Columbia Heights gets good marks and is definitely within my downtown-proximity window, but has a reputation for being packed. (Washington City Paper readers named best pho restaurant earlier this year.) Maybe Pho Viet up the street instead?

Minh's on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington is another option. Washingtonian says it's "one of the area’s preeminent destinations for Vietnamese cooking," but doesn't mention anything about pho. I've been to Mihn's a handful of times in the past few years and have never ordered pho there. And while it's not good to put all one's faith in the Yelp community for guidance, but one common Mihn's-related thread you see pop up is "go to Pho 75" instead for pho.

Now, I really want to go to Toan in Montgomery County. But that's not going to happen, because it's no longer in business. Which is sad. Just read this mouth-watering Tim Carman description from Jaunary:

The pho at Toan goes down like liquid foie gras. Or pâtè soup. Or rendered beef marrow. You get the idea: The broth is slippery rich. It's so rich, flavorful, and full bodied, in fact, that I feel very little need to doctor the broth with Sriracha sauce and hoisin.

Hmmm, I'm getting very hungry for dinner. Maybe I should eat some lunch, first?

Any pho suggestions for tonight that fit my movie plans?

Photo of Toan's pho with added fat by Tim Carman

From Wheaton to Falls Church, I’ve tried countless bowls of pho looking for one with the depth and pure heady aroma of Pho 75’s. I have yet to find one, which is why when I need a fix of this Vietnamese noodle soup, I continue to roll right into Hyattsville. I can’t vouch for the other Pho 75 locations, but this spot always treats me right. I don’t come for the joint’s Spartan, prison-mess atmosphere. I come for the soup, which benefits from the cooks’ doing nothing but doting over its long-simmering flavors.

1510 University Blvd. E., Hyattsville (301) 434-7844

The Five Guys burger in all its unfiltered glory

We're down to the wire on the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame contest. You have only until Friday to cast your vote.

As you likely know by now, the top five dishes will be part of the hall's inaugural class, with more plates to be inducted in the years to come. As it stands, the leaderboard remains virtually the same from last week's, although the falafel from Amsterdam is quietly challenging the half-smoke from Ben's for the top spot. The Falafelshop is probably gaming the system, but, hell, that's the problem with public online contests.

Just as troubling: As the contest winds down, Y&H has been revisiting some of the leading dishes (see, ahem, the above photo) in preparation for writing a recap about this madness. During my visits, I've found myself confronted by some tough questions, such as:

Do we really want the current iteration of the Five Guys burger to serve as D.C.'s calling card? Does a restaurant's longevity automatically make its food worthy of Hall of Fame status?

It's not like we can go back on our promise to induct the winners, although one Y&H reader, Rob, suggested that very idea to me:

I would vote to remove 5 Guys from the list. The chain is not local anymore, even though they started out that way. Should we have McDonalds on the list then?

To be fair, the site of the original McDonald'sin San Bernardino, Calif., has been turned into a museum, which goes way beyond a simple online Hall of Fame vote, but I get your point, Rob. I'd be curious on what the rest of you think. Chime in via e-mail and let me know your thoughts.

Meanwhile, here's the leaderboard:

1. Half-smoke with chili at Ben's Chili Bowl, 399 votes
2. Falafel at Amsterdam Falafelshop, 349
3. Hamburger at Five Guys, 223
4. Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico, 161
5. Margherita pizza at 2Amys, 148
6. Burger from Ray's Hell Burger, 125
7. Salty oat cookie at Teaism, 124
8. Pho at Pho 75, 115
9. Palak chaat at Rasika, 112
10. Fried whiting at Horace & Dickie's, 104
11. Atomica pizza at Pizzeria Paradiso, 87
12. Chicken croquetas at Jaleo, 83
13. Cowboy-cut bone-in ribeye at Ray's the Steaks, 71
14. Spit-roasted goat at Komi, 65
15. Lobster burger at Central Michel Richard, 60

Only four more days to go, so get votingif you want to see that leaderboard flip.

The big news this week concerns Amsterdam Falafelshop's dramatic rise to second place on the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame leaderboard.  The falafel's surge was no doubt assisted by promotions like this one on VegDC.com's Facebook page, which of course points out the whole problem with online public surveys: Folks can stuff the ballot box.

And leave comments like this:

"There should be more vegan options on this list!"

Ahem, Y&H desperately needs an international election monitoring group. Or at least experts to supplement the public vote, which is the direction that Y&H's heading.

Here's the current leaderboard:

1. Half-smoke with chili at Ben's Chili Bowl, 363
2. Falafel at Amsterdam Falafelshop, 259
3. Hamburger at Five Guys, 206
4. Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico, 142
5. Margherita pizza at 2Amys, 134
6. Burger from Ray's Hell Burger, 111
7. Salty oat cookie at Teaism, 109
8. Pho at Pho 75, 99
9. Palak chaat at Rasika, 99
10. Fried whiting at Horace & Dickie's, 90

There are still two weeks left to vote for the inaugural class in the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame. So get voting!

With only three weeks of voting left in the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame, the leaderboard remains virtually unchanged from last week's, save for a little jockeying at the bottom and 2Amys' suddenly move into a fourth-place tie with the falafel sandwich at Amsterdam.

Remember, only the top five dishes will be part of the Hall's inaugural class. So if you don't like the looks of the list below, get voting.

1. Half-smoke with chili at Ben's Chili Bowl, 334 votes
2. Hamburger at Five Guys, 157
3. Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico, 128
4. Margherita pizza at 2Amys, 115
5. Falafel at Amsterdam Falafelshop, 115
6. Burger from Ray's Hell Burger, 99
7. Salty oat cookie at Teaism, 98
8. Palak chaat at Rasika, 89
9. Pho at Pho 75, 88
10. Fried whiting at Horace & Dickie's, 83

The interesting thing is, several high-end dishes are holding their breath just below the surface of the Top 10 list. Check it out:

11. Atomica pizza at Pizzeria Paradiso, 58

12. Lobster burger at Central Michel Richard, 46

13. Cowboy-cut bone-in ribeye at Ray's the Steaks, 45

14. Shrimp and grits at Vidalia, 41

15. Spit-roasted goat at Komi, 41

With a coordinated campaign, any one of these dishes could easily sneak into the rarefied air of the Top 5. So what are you waiting for? Start canvassing for votes!

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

The D.C. Dish Hall of Fame leaderboard remains virtually unchanged after a week of voting, save for the flip-flop of the ninth and tenth place dishes. After a strong surge last week, Horace & Dickie's  fried whiting moves up a notch into ninth place.

But I have to say, I think the list is still missing some great dishes. Plates like Frank Ruta's roast chicken and Michel Richard's lobster burger are nowhere to be seen, meaning they will not, at present, be part of the inaugural class of the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame. A shame that would be, to paraphase a certain elderly sage.

A comment we received this morning, I think, sums up the feelings of a number of voters, who seem to view this contest as an exercise in classism, not a genuine search for D.C.'s finest plates:

like most things in DC, the options show extreme class stratification. I'd love to know the percentage of DC residents who've enjoyed the CityZen Parker House Rolls or Komi's spit roasted goat.

I understand that more people can afford to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl over CityZen. But I don't think you should hold that against a great side like Eric Ziebold's Parker House rolls. It deserves a place among the city's best as much as the chili half-smoke. Well, almost as much.

So, c'mon, let's try to put our prole resentments aside and vote for the best, regardless of price.  You can vote here.

The leaderboard:

1. Half-smoke with chili at Ben's Chili Bowl, 298 votes
2. Hamburger at Five Guys, 142
3. Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico, 115
4. Falafel at Amsterdam Falafelshop, 107
5. Margherita pizza at 2Amys, 100
6. Burger from Ray's Hell Burger, 89
7. Salty oat cookie at Teaism, 85
8. Palak chaat at Rasika, 80
9. Fried whiting at Horace & Dickie's, 76
10. Pho at Pho 75, 75

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Y&H has been promoting the pleasures of fried whiting for years. It's truly one of the District's under-appreciated plates, which is why I was happy to see the whiting at Horace & Dickie's enter this week's leaderboard for the D.C Dish Hall of Fame.

Granted, the dish still doesn't have enough votes to enter the Hall. It needs to be among the top five to earn that honor. But regardless, I'm glad to see it get some love. Maybe you'd like to give it more affection? Vote here.

Speaking of which, the falafel sandwich at Amsterdam Falafelshop also made a strong move last week, adding nearly 30 votes to its total despite the owners', ahem, questionable behavior at the Strathmore. I credit the uptick to a groundswell of vegan/vegetarian voters, who were no doubt spurred by some online petition. How do I know this?

Because Y&H received a number of e-mails like this one from avalon345:

"Not enough vegetarian/vegan choices! Looks like 1950s fare..."

Yeah, sure. Where were you eating palak chaat, pho, and Peruvian chicken in the '50s, avalon345?

The current leaderboard after the jump:

1. Half-smoke with chili at Ben’s Chili Bowl, 250 votes
2. Hamburger at Five Guys, 118
3. Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico, 104
4. Falafel at Amsterdam Falafelshop, 92
5. Margherita pizza at 2Amys, 87
6. Burger from Ray’s Hell Burger, 76
7. Salty oat cookie at Teaism, 70
8. Palak chaat at Rasika, 70
9. Pho at Pho 75, 63
10. Fried whiting at Horace & Dickie's, 40

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Voting is just a couple of weeks old for the inaugural class of the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame, but already a pattern has emerged: Fast foods are dominating the competition.

That's hardly surprising, of course. On a daily basis, you know that people order about 500 more half smokes at Ben's Chili Bowl than, say, order Frank Ruta's roast chicken at Palena Cafe. But just because the odds are stacked against your favorite dish, that's no excuse to sit back and let the fast foods run away with this.

Start pressing your friends to vote for your favorite dish. The voting doesn't end until Dec. 11, when we will induct the top 5 into Washington City Paper's inaugural D.C. Dish Hall of Fame.

Take a look at the current leaders:

1. Half-smoke with chili at Ben's Chili Bowl, 191 votes
2. Hamburger at Five Guys, 92
3. Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico, 80
4. Falafel at Amsterdam Falafelshop, 64
5. Margherita pizza at 2Amys, 59
6. Burger from Ray's Hell Burger, 59
7. Salty oat cookie at Teaism, 57
8. Pho at Pho 75, 55
9. Palak chaat at Rasika, 49
10. Smoked branzino carpaccio at Teatro Goldoni, 37

Don't like the looks of the current leaderboard? Get voting!

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

A couple of weeks ago, Y&H asked you to nominate the entrees and appetizers and desserts that you felt were worthy of inclusion into a D.C. Dish Hall of Fame. Y'all tore into the assignment like a pack of wolves on a dead carcass.  I received Tweets, personal e-mails, and lots of suggestions via the comments section.

Then for this week's Young & Hungry column, I contacted a few chefs for their input on HOF dishes. All told, between the public and chefs, you nominated more than 100 dishes, with very little overlap. I've narrowed down the list down to the 30 dishes that could represent D.C. well, if elected to the hall.

Now it's your turn. You can vote for three dishes and three dishes only. The top five vote-getters will be part of the inaugural class of the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame. You have until Dec. 11 to vote.

Pass the word around!

Photo by Darrow Montgomery