Home Plate

by David Hagedorn

Uncommonly Good

One bite of my roast pork sandwich and I understand why co-owners Joon Yang and chef Jon Mathieson named their Clarendon restaurant UnCommon Luncheonette. Packed with thin-sliced pork, broccoli rabe and melty sharp provolone cheese, the crusty baguette has soaked up the meat’s juices to perfection without becoming soggy.

“It’s Jon’s twist on the famous roast pork sandwich from John’s Roast Pork in Philly,” Yang explains. “The broccoli rabe is sauteed with shallots and garlic in olive oil. We roast the pork in house and reheat it in onion soup and beef jus.”

Jon Mathieson and Joon Yang

My taste buds signal my brain that this is no ordinary diner.

After bartending through college, graduating from Georgetown University in 1996, Yang worked as a financial consultant before returning to the restaurant world and eventually becoming assistant general manager at The Palm in Tysons Corner. In 2012, he opened Epic Smokehouse in Pentagon City, followed by American Prime in Tysons in 2017.

That’s where Mathieson came on as chef, right before the pandemic. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, his bona fides included stints at Le Bernardin and Lespinasse in Manhattan, Central Michel Richard in D.C., 2941 in Falls Church and his own restaurant, Inox, in McLean (now closed). Mathieson was also the chef for the Washington Commanders (then the Redskins) for five years.

Their concept for UnCommon Luncheonette, which opened in May, is New York diner-meets-French café. Serving breakfast and lunch only, the 1,900-square-foot corner space features a 10-seat counter, bistro chairs, honeycomb tile floors and lots of windows, with seating for 50 inside and another 50 outside. Hearty breakfast items ($7 to $16) include biscuits and gravy, avocado toast, egg sandwiches, pancakes, waffles and scrambles. A notable specialty is the breakfast poutine—french fries covered with sausage gravy, cheese curds and fried eggs.

Breakfast ends at 10:45, but that addictive dish is also on the lunch menu, as are three other poutines— crab, mushroom and housesmoked brisket—plus soups, salads, sandwiches ($9 to $13), flatbreads and entrées ($14 to $18).

Other standouts include a chunky mushroom soup, fish and chips, a boneless baby back rib sandwich and half a fried chicken served with mac ’n’ cheese, coleslaw and milk gravy.

Mathieson brines his chicken and cooks it in a pressure fryer to keep it juicy. The mac ’n’ cheese is made to order. Chefs’ touches like these make this lunch spot uncommon indeed! uncommonluncheonette.com

Mixed kabobs with saffron rice at Maman Joon Kitchen

Kabob Krazy

Stop by Maman Joon Kitchen in McLean and you’ll find co-owners Peter Tabibian and Kevin Ejtemai schmoozing with customers while packaging up fragrant kabobs and other Persian specialties such as ghormeh sabzi (tenderloin tips in herb stew), fesenjan (chicken and walnuts in pomegranate sauce) and gheymeh bademjan (eggplant stew).

Maman Joon—the name means “mother dear” in Farsi—began as a pop-up concept. Tabibian introduced it inside his Tenleytown burger restaurant, Z-Burger, in 2021 to make up for lost revenue during Covid. The eatery he opened in August with Ejtemai (a McLean resident) on Chain Bridge Road makes the concept permanent, and also houses a Z-Burger.

“Middle Eastern food is on the rise,” says Tabibian, who lives in Great Falls. Paying heed to another trend, the kitchen offers plant-based renditions of several traditional Persian dishes.

Tabibian’s family is of the Baha’i faith and fled Iran for religious reasons during that country’s 1979 revolution. They eventually made their way to Minnesota, where Tabibian landed his first job at a Burger King at 14. Two years later, the family moved east and he became an assistant manager at a Burger King in D.C.

In 1996, he answered an ad for a general manager at a Jerry’s Subs & Pizza in Capitol Heights, Maryland, and was hired when he walked in the door. “The first year I was there, we were robbed 12 times,” he says. “One morning, the whole safe was gone.”

He remained there for 12 years, quadrupling the store’s sales. In 2008, he struck out on his own with Z-Burger Tenleytown.

Maman Joon’s menu features seven appetizers ($5 to $6.50), including hummus, falafel, stuffed grape leaves and eggplant dip. The sleeper is the olivieh salad, made with shredded chicken, hard-boiled eggs, chopped dill pickle, green peas and mayo.

The proprietors take extra care with their kabobs ($13.99-$19.99), which come with saffron rice or salad. Chicken is marinated for three days with saffron, yogurt and lemon juice for extra tenderness.

Koobideh (a ground beef kabob whose name translates as “pounding”) is made with chopped onions, saffron and seasonings. “The more you massage it, the better it is,” Tabibian says. “We squeeze the mixture for an hour with our hands. This makes the kabob melt in your mouth when it’s grilled.”

Salmon kabobs and beef chunk skewers are also options. Pro tip: Ask for tadig, the crispy, crunchy bottom layer of the rice, which is available first come, first serve.

Maman Joon offers baklava and saffron rice pudding for dessert. But you may want to indulge in one of the 75 flavors of Z-Burger shakes on the menu. mamanjoonkitchen.com

ORDER THIS now

On a Roll!

Feeling blue about colder weather? Grab a taste of summer at Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls. The Annapolis, Maryland-based chain opened a Shirlington Village outpost in August, offering its signature clawed crustacean three different ways on griddled buns. Choices (all $20) include classic (chilled lobster dressed with mayo and lemon butter); lobster salad (classic with chopped celery added); or Connecticutstyle, dressed with melted butter and served warm. I say splurge on the Bar Harbor, which, for an extra $6, throws in more lobster meat, including a tail. If you’re eating on-site, go Connecticut style. If it’s takeout, lobster salad all the way. masonslobster.com