Monthly Archives: November 2011
Lunch Spotlight: Soup and Sandwich Edition
I’ve been absent as of late, dear readers. I’m sure you noticed. Between fighting the first cold-weather cold of the season and craziness at work, motivation to post, and time to eat, has been severely lacking. But, I’m back! I’ll be busy the next few days, cleaning out the cobwebs and all that, but for now I leave you with this:
It’s Friday, the ending of a very long week. I’m still feeling a little sick-y I cannot kick this cold and the weather has officially become cold. It’s about time, it IS November, after all. Seriously, it was 65* earlier this week–Now it’s 35*. I try to bring lunch during the week as often as I can, being gluten free AND on a 20-something budget just doesn’t allow for much lunch indulgence.
This cold weather makes me think of hot soup. So, what’s a hungry working gluten-free girl to do? Soup and Sandwich of course!
Soup, Sandwich, And my messy desk
Turkey sandwich: Boars Head Oven Gold Roasted Turkey Breast [All Boars Head products are gluten free] on Udi’s toasted whole grain bread.
Soup: A can of Progresso Traditional Chicken and Rice. Gluten free and 90 calories/serving (there are TWO servings/can)? Yes, Please!
Holy Moly Merzi
I write this still deep into my post-lunch food coma.
This afternoon I made the trek from my office in Metro Center over to Penn Quarter for lunch at Merzi. The Penn Quarter ‘hood, which surrounds the Verizon Center, is known for great sit-down locations, often frequented by the President and First Lady—but is seriously lacking in the fast casual scene. Enter Merzi, a “Chipotle-style” Indian restaurant boasting fresh, healthy, flavorful ingredients. My lunch today was a dance party in my mouth.
When Merzi was originally suggested as our destination, I did what any good Gluten-Free-Girl would do: I scoped out my potential meal on their website. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a prominently placed Allergen list. Most everything is gluten free! Obviously common items like Naan, Samosas, and Potato Tikka, are off limits to the gluten-free, but you can still make a hell of a meal without any of that. I chose to keep it simple (and mild), choosing rice, chicken, chickpeas, onions, a light tomato/cucumber “salad” topped off with some “mild” sauce:
Apologies for the quality—I took this on my Blackberry and it was a little dark in the corner where we sat.
Every. Item. Was. Delicious. And filling. I ate about 3/4 of it until I could eat no more.
My gluten-eating friends enjoyed it equally as much.
“Mmmmm.” “This is epically good.” “Oh.My.God.” “This is making me cry its so good.”
So the next time you find yourself in DC or Chinatown/Penn Quarter/The Archives/Gallery Place, make sure you check out Merzi. And, the whole thing came in at $9.82 including a Boylan Soda (bonus points for that) you simply cannot ask for more in a lunchtime treat.
415 7th Street, NW,
Washington, DC. 20004.
1-202-65-MERZI
