Bangkok Joe's....more than just a pretty face

Bangkok Joe's

3000 K W. N.W. Washington, DC 20007

 Bangkok Joe's has been around for several years.  I'd been by for a cocktail party at some point, but never got in to have a meal.  Business brought me down to the waterfront, so I figured I'd stop in and have some lunch.

 My friend and I started in with some crab and pork shumai.  Joe's prides itself on dumplings and these were fresh and steamy.  The filling was meaty, without being mealy like some can be.  The scallions in the dipping sauce were crisp.  Nice touch.

 My dining companion had the Pho, though this was far from the standard.  The broth was much richer than what you'd expect and was very substantial.

 I had the fried tofu with basil.  It was mildly spicy and the tofu had a great texture and flavor.  It picked up a lot of the basil sauce.  It wasn't spicy by my standards, but I was afraid to order anything with more than one chili icon next to it on the menu after my snack at Mandalay yesterday.

 It is a pretty face...the headline wasn't misleading.  The fixtures and decoration are unique.  These little meringue-looking puffs were on the far wall.

 This wasn't on our table, but I saw them lighting something a few tables down...snapped a quick photo.  Based on what I could see it's some sort of deconstructed bananas foster with a spun-sugar topper.  Nice.

 If they knew a photographer was in the house the least they could have done was straighten up the chop-stick holders! 

 Neat stuff...are those chrome thingies coat hangers?  Or do they represent the steam coming off the shumai?

 I'm clueless as to the light fixtures, though they are nifty.

Here's another shot of the meringue wall.  There are lights coming down from multiple angles and it looks pretty cool.

Hope you enjoyed my fru-fru pix.  Please feel free to comment.  If you happen to go down there, let them konw you read about it on Pleasures of the Table!