One by one, we’re running through the 50 restaurants that made the cut on this year’s Young & Hungry Dining Guide. If you have visited the day’s featured restaurant, let us know what you think. If you’re planning to visit for the first time, tell us about your meal when you return.

When I want to eat vegetarian, I don’t visit one of those mock-meat places that press mushrooms or tempeh into something that resembles a chicken breast. That strikes me as wishful eating, the saddest of all possible dining experiences. I prefer to sample cuisines that have a rich history of vegetarian cooking, like South India’s. Every day, Udupi Palace in Takoma Park offers a grazing tour of the South Indian cuisine inspired by the ancient Vedas texts. For a modest sum, you can have, if not a religious experience, then at least a damn fine meal pulled together from a buffet table filled with idly patties, vada doughnuts, sambar soup, pullavs, and an ever-changing lineup of curries, some so hot you’ll drink every drop of water from the carafe on your table.

 Udupi Palace, 1329 University Blvd. E., Takoma Park, (301) 434-1531

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Prince of Petworth broke a juicy piece of news yesterday when he announced that former Colorado Kitchen chef/owner Gillian Clark had signed a letter of intent to open a nearly 4,000-square foot restaurant at Park Place, a mixed-use development at the corner of Georgia and New Hampshire avenues. Just one small correction, my liege: Clark tells me that the name of her restaurant will be the Georgia Avenue Meeting House, not the Meeting House.

She also says that the GA Meeting House will be, by 2011 or so, the third of hopefully five or more restaurants in her budding empire, co-owned by Clark and business partner, Robin Smith. “We’re going to be the next new restaurant group of D.C.,” Clark says. The partners plan to open restaurants in “spots where nobody wants to open” places, including the Benning neighborhood and other areas east of the Anacostia.

The two partners will likely be working with investors and/or developers to realize their plans, Clark says. “It’ll be harder to do with just the two of us,” she deadpans.

In the meantime, the opening of their General Store and Post Office Tavern in the Forest Glen neighborhood of Silver Spring has run into another bureaucratic snag: Montgomery County, Clark says, requires at least 30 parking spaces for the twin-concept operation.

Read More “More on Gillian Clark’s New Restaurant Ventures” »

Listen, I understand why people go to chain restaurants and fast food joints for lunch. It’s safe. It’s convenient, and after years of pigging out there, you know exactly what to expect. Who wants to gamble on lunch when you’re starving, have only an hour to eat, and need something hot and rich to make you forget what an asshole your boss is?

Walking into the Caribbean Palace in Takoma Park does, on some level, feel like a dare. It may be the most austere, white-washed joint I’ve ever seen. It looks as if someone took an old dry-cleaners store, attempted to turn it into a take-out, but ran out of cash shortly after the painters showed up. Half the time I walk in here, there’s no one at the counter. By the look of things, you feel like you should say a small, meditative prayer before placing any food into your mouth.

But don’t hesitate for a second. In a town full of really good Caribbean food—most of which can be found along the upper reaches of Georgia Avenue NW—I find myself pining for Caribbean Palace the most. It’s the joint’s roti that I can’t avoid for longer than a week at a stretch. The griddled flatbread itself is as flaky and rich as a croissant, balanced perfectly with the spicy, aromatic filling. You can order beef, goat, chicken, shrimp, or fish roti here, but I prefer the vegetarian roti, which avoids the chewiness problem that can plague some meat versions. Specifically, I order the combo veggie roti, stuffed with channa (chick peas), potato, and spinach. It’s more hearty and filling and satisfying than anything you’ll ever get from Potbelly or Ruby Tuesday or Wendy’s.

If you’re in the neighborhood, give it a shot. You may have yourself a new favorite lunch spot.

Caribbean Palace, 7680 New Hampshire Ave., Takoma Park. (301) 431-1563.