As I was walking through the neighborhood waiting for it to open, I was sure that Ulah Bistro was going to be Mongolian. No idea why. A quick wikipedia search shows that Ulah is the name of a fictional jungle princess, an unincorporated town in North Carolina, and an airport in Russia. Now it is also an American pizza bistro in Washington, DC.
My first Ulah experience was back in June, when a group desperately needed somewhere to eat--fast--on a Sunday evening. Tired and hung over from day drinking, not to mention the previous evening's Pride Celebration, we wandered U Street like the Donner Party looking for a spare arm. We ate at Ulah because their prices looked reasonable and there was no wait. We had a large party and got seated at a great rectangular table at the back of the second floor. The location was really perfect and this table gave our meal a semi-private dining feel.
Famished, we ordered some crab & artichoke dip ($9) for the table. It was pretty standard fare, but the flat bread it was served on did impress. In fact, it was just the right consistency mixed with taste and totally pushed me in the direction of ordering pizza, something I usually avoid when eating out.
Another diner and I were split between ordering the Carnivale ($14) and Ulah ($15) pizzas. Of course we decided to get one each and split them. You don't need to do this. A single pizza from Ulah is about perfect sized for two hungry people!
The Carnivale is a spruced-up version of a classic Margherita pizza (also on the menu) featuring sundried tomoatoes, and prosciutto. The prosciutto totally brings the dish together. John ordered it and definitely won the pizza contest of the night. But not by much. The Ulah pizza with its crab meat, tomatoes, garlic, oil, and cherry tomatoes topped in parmesan was also a treat, although it didn't keep nearly as well the next day. Other diners in our group tried the Bistro Burger ($9) and reviewed it well.
Perusing Ulah's website, the happy hour, patio, and brunch specials all look particularly worthwhile. This place isn't going to revolutionize Washington DC cuisine, but its rapidly becoming a favorite for eating out in the neighborhood.
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