Episode II: A New Beginning

Sometimes, life just falls into place. After the creation of a new menu and two years at Tabaq Bistro on 14th and U St., I was offered a job to do what I always wanted: to run a restaurant. Darna Lounge and Restaurant, in Arlington, VA, approached me with the opportunity of a lifetime, and after careful consideration, I decided that my work at Tabaq was done. After four days pulling ten hour shifts in the kitchen working on syrups, foams, sugars and more, I realized that I hadn't let anyone know that I had gone. So let's talk.

Darna Lounge is a beautifully decorated loft tucked away in Arlington. As you walk through the door to the lounge, you ascend a dark, sketchy staircase. At the top, you turn the corner to a beautifully decorated room, dotted with plush beds and welcoming chairs. The smell of hookah gently permeates throughout the floor as the luminescent bar changes from yellow to green to red. Darna, as some of my Arab readers may know, means "Home," and that's exactly what you feel. Amjad, who is affectionately called Frank, (which is lucky for me because a blue collar white guy has trouble with Arabic names) is bouncing from table to table, greeting guests. Not only is he the matre-d of the Lounge, but he is also the self-taught mastermind of the Hookah program, which after tasting it for myself, I am confident is the best in the DMV area, and possibly the universe. 

After tweaking the upstairs cocktail menu, one of the owners, Mo, told me that the true work begins. Creating a cocktail menu for the downstairs restaurant had a huge challenge staring me in the face. Unlike DC, Virginia still has the archaic and ridiculous law prohibiting the infusion of alcohol. After much thought, I realized that I was stuck with the flavors of alcohol that I had, and would be flavoring all of the non-alcoholic components, such as syrups, foams, sugars, sodas, and lasis. This is when the lab began. Over the next few days I will be posting previews of some of the creations just to give you an idea what it will look like when the restaurant opens. Don't worry though, I have some surprises in store that will blow your mind.