Adventures In Menu Collecting: Nando's Peri-Peri

During a race weekend in March in Washington, DC, my running friends and I stumbled upon Nando's Peri-Peri Restaurant right after coming from the Expo to pick up our bibs. There were many restaurants in the area, but many of them were crowded because it was a Friday and happy hour. We also had a baby with us so it was tough to find a place that could accommodate all of us and a stroller.

When we entered the restaurant, none of us had any idea what Peri-Peri or 'Piri Piri' was. Apparently, Piri piri is a sauce that is Portuguese in origin and huge in Brazil. We were instructed to order at the counter and sit anywhere and they will bring the food to us when it's ready. It didn't take very long at all. I ordered Peri-Peri wings just to get a sense of the taste and cashew nuts seasoned with Peri-Peri. My friends ordered heartier meals. I had to eat lighter because I was meeting other friends for dinner much later.

Peri-Peri sauce tasted spicy with different kinds of seasoning. I could really taste the char on the wings, but overall it was good. In the future, if I ever end up back there, I would get a hearty meal with loads of Peri-Peri sauce to get a better sense.

The menu was fairly easy to collect. No one was paying much attention to the tables as this wasn't a formal sit down restaurant, where the wait staff collect the menus after you order, so I simply put a menu in my bag I got from the Expo and that was that.

Another place I visited, which I HAVE to mention here, is Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. While I didn't collect the menu (really can't because it's a grab and go kind of place), I have to notably mention this spot because the fried chicken is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Why? Just because. The crispy skin, the moist and tender meat and the greasy taste-oh so good! I love that part! Oh, and I ordered some doughnuts too. They were good.