Dahlia - Spring Valley, Washington D.C.

I happened upon this shopping center restaurant after a medical appointment and was pleasantly surprised. My daughter and I were just before the lunch crowds when we were seated in a corner of this this clean, bright, but underdecorated dining room. The host, waiter, and busboy were all three friendly and efficient.

Perhaps the dinner menu appears more permanent, but the lunch menu was simply printed on two sheets of paper. Despite its flimsy presentation, the list of menu options was wonderful. I had a tough time selecting between one of their uniquely topped pizzas, beefy black and red bean chili, and scallop salad to name a few. I decided on the crab cake sandwich and my daughter the hamburger.

The waiter brought me iced tea which tasted as though it had been brewed in the coffee maker. He was kind and quick about trading it in for a Diet Coke.

For a starter, I was delighted with the pear & blue cheese salad in a white basalmic viniagrette. An unusual flavor, familiar, but unidentifiable was mixed in with the greens. When I inquired, my waiter immediately knew it was the shaved fennel. Very interesting and delectable.

By the time our entrees arrived, the dining room was filling up. I noticed the patrons at lunch were predominantly female. One table had a lone male diner and another party had a couple. I wouldn't have identified the decor or menu as necessarily girly, but the lunch crowd was mainly girlfriends. The interesting part about that was the conversation. The dining room is one square room filled with tables. The conversations were not only easy to overhear, but difficult not to enjoin. I know they weren't talking to me or my daughter, but there were some fascinating things going on.

After her initial puzzlement over the mechanics of ingesting such a thick burger, my daughter polished off every bit of her burger. She didn't even realize she was eating onions until she was almost finished.
Although I was underwhelmed by my crabcake, the unique side of coleslaw perked it up. If we hadn't scarfed down the fries, we might have enjoyed a dessert.

I did appreciate our waiter's efficiency in bringing the check at the end. I hate to be kept waiting just to pay the bill.

I think I will be sure to schedule our future medical appointments around lunch. I am looking forward to sampling some more of my future favorites.