CF Folks are nice

'Hello! How ya doing? What can I get ya today?' booms the grey-haired guy behind the counter. I immediately assume that my lunch partner amg is a frequent customer and good acquaintance. But one delectable ham, turkey, and Swiss with Russian dressing on pumpernickel later it becomes obvious that this enthusiastic greeting is standard treatment for all customers. I’m reminded of a small chalet in Grindelwald, where after a day of hiking with a heavy pack you stumble into a pub to hear from the rubicund bartender, in good English no less, 'Welcome Home!"

It's taken three attempts to get into CF Folks in Farragut North- it's always been too full with the line snaking into the overheated plastic porch. But this time, thanks to an early appointment across the street for scary vaccines, we happened to be there in time to beat the famished crowds.

The menu is a mix of hearty sandwiches and salads, with a specials menu of curry and other ethnic food you wouldn’t expect at what looks like a small 1950's blue collar lunch counter. It's front wall is heavy with awards and laminated articles touting the food as 'shockingly good'. Eat outside on the sidewalk, pay inside when you're done. If there was such a category as Dive restaurant, this would be #1, with Tastee Diner in Bethesda perhaps taking the #2 slot.