Spices Asian Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Cleveland Park, Washington, DC

We rarely go to Cleveland Park any more. The parking is atrocious, and the City just eliminated a group of spaces along that access road beside Connecticut. Still, when Nancy and I were driving home on an early evening after far, far too long between meals, as we approached Cleveland Park she said.,”How about Spices?” at which point a parking space in front of Spices opened up right before my eyes. I’m not a superstitious person, but I realize that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy, so I wasn’t about to eat anywhere else.

Spices sits at 3333 Connecticut Avenue, a few doors up from Vace.

The interior is sleek with hints of Eastern Asia,

and the menu touches most of the bases in terms of East and Southeast Asia. It set a good mood, especially since it was so quiet.

Nancy ordered the red curry, “Stir-fried fresh chili, peppers, onions, garlic & basil” ($18.50) with shrimp for $4.00 extra.

Mmmm. That looks good, and I did get a small taste and enjoyed it quite a bit. Garlic, chiles, and basil go a long way to making things delicious.

I meanwhile, couldn’t make up my mind and ordered General Tao chicken ($19.50), probably because I hadn’t had it in — certainly more than 15 years.

That’s a pretty hefty serving, including a lot of broccoli that was steamed beautifully. “Steamed beautifully?” Coming from me? It may have been situational, but it was really good, and I say that as no fan of broccoli or steamed foods other than crabs. And shrimp, both of which are a far cry from broccoli. Still, I loved Spices’ broccoli. Amazing.

I also enjoyed the chicken, especially after I added some soy sauce to balance the sweetness. I’ll confess one of my eccentricities. I eat those dried red chiles that come in General Tao, Kung Pao, and other dishes. Every one of them. The texture is not appealing, but their flavor suits me very well. Your views may differ. I liked the dish more than I expected I would, and I’m sure we’ll come back to Spices. The green curry sounds delicious. I recommend Spices. Go see the chef who made the steamed broccoli that I loved.

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