"When you finally spot the door to La’ Shukran, hidden in a Union Market alleyway, and walk inside, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of a long black and white-tiled staircase. A single candle burns by the entry, and an Afghan rug is mounted to a wall over the stairs. Soft sounds of cars honking, birds chirping, and people talking in a souk play through speakers lining the steps. Inside, all that wind up suddenly makes sense. La’ Shukran is its own self-contained world, a place to go when you want to forget you’re in DC and lose yourself in a Levantine salon with exceptional small plates, and the feeling that at any moment a dance party could break out and not end until dawn. Plates of hummus with beef tongue or escargot dot most tables, and an entire menu of cocktails made with arak are churned out from behind the bar. The Arab funk music is loud but never overpowering, and provides the perfect soundtrack for a hang with old friends, or a date night cozied up underneath a shelf of decorative (we think) hookahs. photo credit: Hawkeye Johnson photo credit: Hawkeye Johnson Food Rundown photo credit: Hawkeye Johnson Escargot Hummus These snails come drenched in arak butter and studded like jewels in a bed of hummus. Smear them on the house-made sourdough bread, but do yourself a favor and try one or two on their own with the butter. The hummus and bread are excellent, but can mask the subtle earthiness of the escargot. As a result, this is a great gateway dish for people who say they don’t like snails. Crispy Sweetbreads If it were socially acceptable, we would carry around an order of these grape-sized sweetbread nuggets in our pockets every day. Perfectly fried, the meat inside is silky and creamy. Dip them liberally in the amba honey sauce and pop them into your mouth whole. Duck Leg The carob-glazed duck leg confit is served with lentils, root vegetables, and a spoon. Tap the duck with the spoon and watch as it falls apart. Mix the sweet shreds of meat in with the lentils and slap a dollop of the cool vadouvan yogurt on top. You’ll never want to eat duck another way again." - Jonathan Smith
