The Washigtnon Post - 03.04.2020

7

Pg

the

washington

post

.

friday,

april

3,

2020

or a Balkan spread (think veal
soup, country chicken, baklava,
etc.) from the always-reliable
ambar in Clarendon?

Q: one of my closest friends
(she lives in Silver Spring) had
to cancel her babymoon because
of current circumstances. She
and her husband were planning
on going to Charleston in mid-
April. one of the big reasons
they chose Charleston was
because of the food. I’ve never
been, and don’t know much
about the cuisine down there,
but do you have any ideas of a
restaurant in D.C./Silver Spring
area that would be good to buy
them a gift card to? Anything in
the area with a Charleston vibe
or connection? Would love to
send her a gift card as a small
pick me up, so they can treat
themselves to some good food
while socially isolating or save
the gift card until it’s safe to
dine in.
a: Let me direct you to Gus’s
Fried Chicken in nearby
Greenbelt, which my colleague
Tim Carman reviewed several
years ago, and liked a lot. The
eatery is open for takeout and
delivery. fried chicken, okra,
mac and cheese and a slice of
chess pie will have your friends
thinking “Charleston” as they
enjoy the spreads.

Q: my husband and I decided to
get delivery from Dolan Uyghur
last week and are so glad we did.
The food traveled beautifully,
especially the mom’s Lagman —
the restaurant packed the
noodles and sauce separately
which was very thoughtful. The
food arrived quickly and was still
hot. This restaurant was the
perfect choice, since we weren’t
in the mood for typical delivery
cuisine. There’s nothing else like
Dolan Uyghur in Northwest D.C.!
a: my recent happy purchase
was an order of stone crab claws
with mustard sauce from Joe’s

ask tom from 6 seafood, Prime steak & stone
Crab in downtown Washington.
The signature dish was
beautifully staged in a black box
with a gold interior, atop a
sealed pillow of ice for keeping
the crab chilled en route. That
and a bottle of chablis, which
Joe’s also delivers, made for a
nice outdoor picnic earlier this
week — in my backyard, you
should know.

Q: Franklins is doing carryout.

I haven’t had a chance to try it

but I know you gave them a

shout out recently. If you’re

craving carbs, Bagel Place at

University of maryland is

accepting online orders.

a: Yay, franklins in Hyattsville,

among my top favorite

restaurants for the month of

kinder, gentler february. The

carryout menu looks pretty

extensive, offering lamb sliders,

crab cake platters, Cuban

sandwiches, pizza and more.

Q: I want to support my local

restaurants, I really do, but can

the virus live on food? I’m just

thinking about someone in the

kitchen sneezing or coughing on

it. I can handle the packages

and bring it home and dump it

into my dish or container then

discard of the packaging and

wash my hands, but I guess the

idea of catching the virus when

I live alone has turned me into a

bit of a germaphobe.

a: You are smart to be

concerned. A piece I read in the

Wall Street Journal said that if

you touch virus particles on raw

food and then touch your nose,

mouth or eyes, that’s a potential

source of transmission. But

experts say that’s unlikely. The

important things to do are (1)

wash your hands with soap and

water and (2) don’t eat food

with your hands.

 tom sietsema hosts a weekly

Q&a on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at

live.washingtonpost.com.

Ask Tom

Dayna smith For the Washington Post

Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, greens, coleslaw, beans, white
bread and other dishes at Gus’s Fried Chicken in Greenbelt.