In other reviews, I’ve been tempted to talk about ambience and reputation; at Domku I want to get straight to the food.  Domku is a true food-y haven in close proximity to Columbia Heights—a place that manages to simultaneously serve adventure and comfort on a single plate.  

CH residents have long pined for a nearby, sit-down breakfast place and Domku is a dream fulfilled—a place to read the paper, get high-quality coffee and teas, and a fresh, interesting breakfast menu at neighborly prices.  Domku’s chef Eric Evans whips up variations on crepes, waffles, omelets, and two stunning "must try" dishes: the grits bake, a casserole of grits, cheese, and egg ($4.50) and the egg and cheese jaffle ($5) which is a cross between a toasted egg sandwich and a hotpocket, served with the perfect accompaniment to its crisp buttery exterior with the depth and tang of baked beans.  

The next important dimension Domku brings foodies is Gravlax: wild caught salmon shipped from Norway every week, cured under the dutiful guidance and delicate palette of Eric.  (Click the photo to see Eric examining "day 3" of the curing process.) You can enjoy it in two appetizers: in the first, it sidles the natural accoutrements of capers, onion, pickle, peppery greens and crackers or, alternately, on an open face sandwich. As a salad it arrives atop a heap of fresh, assertive greens and pine nuts w/ piquant fresh vinaigrette; or, lastly, as the pinnacle of the breakfast menu, with eggs benedict, sandwiched between a soft cooked egg and sourdough, slathered in hollandaise.   

Their lunch and dinner menu includes perogies, Swedish meatballs, kielbasa and things titled "nalesniki" and "knedliky" that increase the intrigue of a neighborhood meal and, to my delight, the food-talk in which the staff happily engages.  The dish that I order and reorder is the Norwegian fish chowder:  hearty chunks of potato and fish in a creamy (but not viscous) fish base for, I kid you not, $8 for a generous bowlful.  

The menu is Slavic and Scandinavian dishes which, I’ve observed, sometimes make newcomers reticent with the unfamiliarity.   But owner Kera Carpenter notes that the food only seems exotic on the surface; upon trying, they recognize old favorites—meatballs, sandwiches, dumplings, noodle and potato dishes—with slight variations.  "It’s essentially peasant food" Kera explains "and people have been making similar dishes all over the Western world for ever; Domku just focuses on one region."  And it is true. In my visits to try one unfamiliarly-titled dish after another, I found it exceptionally easy to surrender to the pleasure of recognition.  My grandmother didn’t make this dish, but she made something very much like it.  In this culture geared toward mediocre, highly processed foods, the opportunity of indulging in uniquely prepared dishes with exceptionally fresh, unfussed ingredients is a treat that transcends ethnic identities.   

The space where this deliciousness takes place is, at first glance, a teeny little building on Upshur.  And indeed, the name Domku (technically W Domku) roughly translates from Polish to "in the little house."  But once you step through the deceptively small store-front, a strikingly open and well-lighted expanse of restaurant unfolds:  there’s a large U-shaped bar at the center, preceded by clusters of small dining tables, casually poised couches and a mix of easy chairs.  Imagine you have an artist friend who can decorate; it’s her house.   Just when you think you’ve seen the end of it, there’s a cool little pool table and a standing bar carefully tucked away in the back. 

Now, enough talk. I feel another jaffle fix coming on and there’s only one place in town that can save me.