The Spot: Manna Restaurant, 8640 Flower Ave., Takoma Park, (301) 589-9390

The Cuisine: Dominican, Latin American

The Go-To Dish: Mofongo de camarones (shrimp mofongo)

The Scoop: Even without a drop of Dominican or Puerto Rican blood in my body, I always thought of Caribbean/Latin America cuisine as my comfort food while growing up in the New York/New Jersey area. It started with my Puerto Rican neighbor, Grace, who used to watch me when my parents worked at night. I remember how the smells of Grace's kitchen would blanket the block, as warm and inviting as a comforter on a cold night.

I was looking for that kind of comfort when I stumbled across Manna Restaurant, a Takoma Park spot serving up authentic Dominican fare. I was in a mofongo mood and when you're in a mofongo mood, nothing will satisfy you besides, well, mofongo. If you're not familiar with the dish, mofongo is made from fried plantains mashed together with broth, garlic, butter, olive oil, and bacon. It is usually served with either shrimp or some sort of fried meat on the side, often sitting in a pool of broth soup. If that sounds like a heart attack on a plate, you're catching my drift.

Manna won't win any style points — it is a hole in the wall with a few chairs, a TV, and an even smaller hole in the wall for takeout orders. But this is exactly why I thought I was in for a treat. It brought back memories of a great Dominican spot I used to frequent in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, called Gena's Grill, where I would start my day with a breakfast of eggs and mashed plantains. I ordered Manna's mofongo de camarones (shrimp mofongo) with a side of longaniza (Dominican sausage) and a pastelito Dominicano (Dominican beef patty).

The pastelito was scrumptious, but the longaniza was dry. I knew it wouldn't matter in the end as long as the mofongo was good, which it was not. The outsides were overly fried, which made the dish way too chewy. The core was softer and had more flavor, but it still lacked spice and was served too cold for my liking. On top of that, my mofongo came over a full bed of salad! Never in my life had I seen that, definitely not in Grace's kitchen.

The Verdict: I wanted to like Manna Restaurant, but I just couldn't. The bottom line: The food just ain't that good. Maybe it was an off day?

It's about a month later than originally thought, but Capital City Cheesecake will be making its brick-and-mortar debut on Saturday in Takoma Park with an expanded concept and lots of free samples.

"They have added to their original concept by hiring chef Annette Ryan who will prepare lunch items like salads, pasta salads and sandwiches as well as bagels baked on premises," e-mails Laura Barclay, who's handling PR chores for sisters and CCC founders Caitlin and Meaghan Murphy.

Wait, did she just say fresh bagels baked on premise? In Takoma Park, the town that thrives on organic produce, vegan-Korean fare and old hippie ideals? Be still my carb-craving heart!

No worries, though. CCC will still be a cheesecake factory of much gentler proportions. Pastry chef Caitlin Murphy will continue to crank out the cheesecakes on which the former online shop has made its reputation. You can buy them by the slice or in miniature form or in the standard 9-inch rounds. The shop is even launching what it's calling a "cheesecake truffle," which is a small bite of cheesecake dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, pecans, or pistachios.

What else will be on the menu at CCC? How 'bout muffins, sticky buns, yogurt parfaits, and waffles,served for both breakfast and lunch. There will be fair trade coffee, too, from PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. based in Topeka, Kan., which only makes sense. I'm not sure the town's Prius class-consciousness could stand anything less. (Hey, I'm not beating up TP; I live there.)

Saturday's grand opening schedule is after the jump.

Capital City Cheesecake Grand Opening Schedule

9 a.m.: Ribbon cutting and muffin samples

9  to 10:30 a.m.:  muffin samples

11 a.m.:  door prize giveaway: dozen muffins with free delivery

11 to 11:30 a.m.: Meet chef Annette Ryan and vote for new bagel spreads and toppings

Noon to 2 p.m.: Music, vegan samples, chocolate samples

12:30 to 1:30 p.m.:  Face painting

2 p.m.: Door prize giveaway: free lunch

3 to 3:30 p.m.: Meet our head pastry chef Caitlin Murphy and vote for new cheesecake flavors and toppings

5 p.m.: Door prize giveaway: dozen cheesecake truffles with free delivery

5:30 to 6 p.m.: Cheesecake truffle samples

6:30 to  7 p.m.:  Miniature cheesecake samples

7:30 p.m.: Door prize: 9” original cheesecake with strawberry/blueberry fruit sauce

Capital City Cheesecake, 7071 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park

It's been a capital week here at Young & Hungry Central. Or more like a "Capital City" week. Three of your five favorite posts focused on the latest news about Capital City Diner and Capital City Cheesecake, a pair of capital operations not at all related.

Take a look:

1. Capital City Diner Ready to Open on Tuesday (*)
2. An Early Look at Capital City Diner
3. Sucking the Enjoyment Out of Beer
4. Capital City Cheesecake to Take Over Former Savory Cafe in Takoma Park
5. December's Fire Has Stoked Some New Ideas at Equinox

* A certain light-drinking Budweiser beer was, once again, a popular item among readers, but we’ve stopped counting it.

Photo courtesy of Capital City Cheesecake

Since last year, Capital City Cheesecake has been operating out of the kitchen at Colonel Brooks' Tavern in Brookland, where CCC founders Caitlin and Meaghan Murphy were born and raised. Starting in April, the sisters will abandon their childhood stomping grounds for a place of their own: the former Savory Cafe in Takoma Park.

To fill that yawning, tri-level space in downtown Takoma Park, the Murphy sisters are looking to expand their offerings beyond the miniature and classic cheesecakes on which they've made their reputation. They plan to add sugar cookies, vegan cheesecakes, and (naturally) cupcakes, which seems to be the new generation's drug of choice.

Even better, the sisters will launch a "morning cafe" on the weekends, from about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., during which they will serve homemade buttermilk waffles, bagels with various house-made spreads, muffins, coffee, and juices.

The upstairs will be a casual cafe with tables and chairs for those who want a slice of cheesecake (or a miniature cheesecake all to themselves!) and a cup of coffee. The small entry level will boast couches and wifi for the cyber squatters among you, while the downstairs will be a multi-purpose space. It will be rented out for private parties or used for cooking classes with a pastry chef.

When the downstairs is not being employed for either purpose, says Meaghan Murphy, the 25-year-old CEO, customers will be able to wander down there and interact with the chef,  28-year-old Caitlin Murphy, who will be working out of an open kitchen.

"Further down the road, we hope to develop into a bakery," says Meaghan Murphy, hinting at brownies, croissants, and signature sweets like a chocolate panino with strawberries.

Capital City Cheesecake hopes to open on Saturday, April 3, or at least sometime close to then. But whatever the opening date, the sisters are encouraging customers to give them a try before then. You might say they are enticing customers to sample their cheesecakes: The Murphys are offering free delivery anywhere inside the Beltway with an order of $25 or more (or one dozen items).

You can order online here.

Photo courtesy of Capital City Cheesecake

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.

"We're short 23 spaces," she says. "We had no idea that this was a requirement."

Clark and Smith have applied for a parking waiver. If that fails, Clark says, there is an office next door that has agreed to let the restaurant use its lot. The chef is confident the General Store and Post Office Tavern will open in early January.

Her Takoma Park operation, which will serve Eastern European cuisine and rotisserie chicken, is also rolling along. Plumbers are laying pipe now for a new sewer system. Clark and Smith are aiming for a spring opening date.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

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.