Kosher Food and Drink

As my family and I happen into D.C. on occasion in the summer, it is nice to have some kosher options in the city proper. A few years back, a group of vegan restaurants went under the (Orthodox) supervision of DC Kosher, whose mission “is to help people in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) observe kosher dietary laws in strict accordance with Jewish law (halakha).”

DC Kosher “work[s] with restaurants and local manufacturers and help them become kosher certified,” and “does not charge the restaurant owners or manufacturers for this certification … view[ing] it as a blessing and honor to provide certification and waiv[ing] our fee in order to encourage more restaurants to become certified.”

With that said, this has been a boon to kosher D.C. residents, businesspeople, and tourists, as prior to this development, the kosher restaurant scene in the area was bleak.

As a matter of note, there are those in the Orthodox world who do not accept the DC Kosher certification. Discuss with your personal Rabbi.

With that said, we recently were visiting D.C. and decided to check out Pow Pow.

Pow Pow, Plant Based Bowls & Rolls

Pow Pow has two locations in D.C., one in NE and one in NW.

• Franklin Square, 1250 I Street NW #102, (202-629-4548)
• H Street Corridor, 1253 H Street NE, (202-399-1364)

POW POW’s H street location is open 11:30am-9pm daily for pick-up, delivery & indoor dining at our eating ledges.

POW POW’s Franklin Square location is open 11am – 9pm daily for indoor dining, pick-up, delivery & private event space use.

They both resemble each other in most every way, share ordering methods and have similar seating (some tables and a bar).

Parking was easy on a Sunday night, with free street parking at the NW location about a block away.

The ordering system is modern, utilizing a self-order system. One of the employees was right nearby to answer any questions we had. Each item is very customizable both in size and with add-ins or deletions.

From the time we placed our order, we had our food in 10 minutes or less. Although the restaurant was not busy, this was still well done. Appetizers and mains all came at about the same time, which was cool with us.

We ordered the following:

• Crispy Lemon Parm Brussels (side of crispy brussels with citrus and parm)
• Firecracker Cauliflower (panko fried cauliflower wings tossed in firecracker sauce with sriracha cashew peanut and sesame sauce drizzle)
• Sichuan Dumplings (6 steams or fried dumplings in red chili oil with sriracha cashew peanut crumbles and cilantro)
• Yoga Dragon (grilled plant-based chick’n in peanut sauce, black beans, edamame, carrot, tomato, bean sprouts, and sriracha cashew peanuts with sriracha and cucumber lime drizzle)
• Sticky Sesame (sticky sesame fried chicken, tomato, carrot, sesame, garlic, cucumbers, scallion with sticky sesame sauce)
• Teriyaki (teriyaki grilled chick’n and pineapple over fried rice, topped with grilled veggies and sriracha drizzle)

The final bill, including tip (which is as always optional but suggested), came to about $88, which included one cold drink. The rest of us just had the water they had available for free (which is always welcome).

We shared each dish, and each dish was very tasty, had a great appearance, and arrive fresh and hot. The food was plentiful and the prices reasonable. I would not call this food particularly healthy, though there are healthy(ish) choices and it’s easy to opt for a lighter dish (e.g. lettuce vs. fried rice in your bowl) while selecting your choices. The entire menu is vegan and the best compliment I can give is that you’ll forget this fact while you’re eating. Bear in mind that the spicy dishes are legitimately hot and spicy. You’ll find different flavor profiles than you might be used to in the typical kosher world, which is another good thing. Think lots of coconut, cilantro, citrus, sriracha and other Thai-style flavors.

The spot is generally modern chic and clean and without checking whether there is a kosher certificate you might not see another obviously Jewish person in the restaurant, which is not a good or bad thing, but indicates that people of all stripes like the food and don’t find the prices particularly high.

For one, I’m thankful DC Kosher makes the effort to bring more kosher options to the D.C. community. Considering that they are not paid for this role, it is truly for the sake of kosher keeping.