Jack Burden's Profile
Where can I buy Virginia peanuts?
I have tried different brands, but the Harris Teeter brand Virginia Peanuts is my mainstay.
Fredericksburg for a quick bite?
Capital Alehouse on Caroline Street. Loads of beer on tap for the adults and housemade hotdogs for the kids. We appreciated the plentiful and spacious booths to keep the kids (10, 5, 3) contained. Food was nothing special, but we'd go back.
Tosca, Marcel, Ray's, Jaleo: need pleasant atmosphere for four 50-somethings to have a grown up dinner
You might also consider Charlie Palmer Steak. The food is very good and I think you would appreciate the atmosphere for this occassion. The service is professional and the dining room affords diner's ample space so you never feel cramped and can easily carry on conversation. The decor is sleek and modern yet warm and inviting. There are nice views outside of the ample windows that look toward the Capitol. With its proximily to Capitol Hill, I think you will find other patrons to be well-dressed as well.
I agree with the other posts that the decor at Tosca can evoke a hotel conference with the heavy beige curtains (always closed) and otherwise non-descript interior. But for what it lacks in visual charm, the food is outstanding.
ISO good lunch in Leesburg
Wine Kitchen downtown. Food is really good and great wine by the glass selection. I would go there over Lightfoot or Tuscarora.
Virginia wine country day trip
Chester Gap Cellars, just outside of Front Royal and not far up the road from several other wineries, makes really good wine. After recent spins through several wineries this was the best of the bunch quality-wise. The viogniers, cabernet francs and merlots, were all the best wines we tasted all day at four wineries.
The tasting room isn't as well appointed as others, but there is a fantastic view from the winery, looking down the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge into the piedmont. We chatted with the owner/winemaker and it was clear he really cared about making the best wines he could make given the soil and climate conditions at his vineyard. That's why he makes just a few labels compared to the dozen or so you find at some other wineries.
I think the wines we bought were all in the $10-20 range.
Charlottesville
Sadly enough, I think Southern Culture is gone. Last time I was in C-ville the space was under construction and it looked like a new spot was going in. Southern Culture was great for brunch; I will never forget the Eggs Basin Street, poached eggs over little fried seafood cakes with jalapeno holandaisse. Also, some of the best grits I've ever had.
Can't miss with the C&O. Not particularly Southern, but it is really good. The downstairs in the room with the bar(same menu) is not as formal as the upstairs but can get a bit cramped. I'd go there with the kids on the early side of the dinner hour. Steak Chinoise is my favorite.
For picnic lunch supplies, in addition to Bel Air (Gourmet Exxon), Foods of All Nations makes great sandwiches. The one with country ham, honeycup mustard and pineapple slices offers great interplay of salty and sweet.
Heritage Turkey for Thanksgiving
A year or so ago, I ordered an organic, pasture-grazed turkey from Good Earth Farms in Wisconsin. As expected, the bird was a bit tougher and gamier than a conventional turkery, but I was pleased with it. It is delivered frozen via UPS. Not sure if it is "Heritage," but here is a link to the web site.
http://www.goodearthfarms.com/
Where to buy ginger beer?
Definitely seek out Barritts. http://www.barrittsgingerbeer.bm/. Barritts and Goslings makes the quintessential dark and stormy. I brought some back from the Bahamas but now its all gone (sigh). Reeds is an adequate substitute but not nearly as good.
Please post if you find Barritts anywhere around DC.
Stay away from Goya Ginger Beer. I bought some and found it undrinkable. Ginger Beer should have some bite, but this stuff burns. One of the ingredients is capsaicin -- ouch!
Bad experience in outer burbs of N. Va.
I ate at Dak's this weekend. Nothing special, but expectations weren't too high, so I can't say I was that disappointed. A bit overpriced, yes. I have to say the peanut soup was really good.
Whenever people ask for recs in Prince William County, I suggest Mateo's in Montclair (off of 234). The food is New Mexican and we have found it to be consistently good, particularly the red and green chile sauces. Nice decor too.
Dinner in Woodbridge?
Dixie Bones and Taste of Tandoor are both good choices close to the Mall.
Tim's River Shore is a crab shack down on the river. It's about a 15-minute drive from the Mall. The fried pickles alone are worth the trip. I usually go for the fried oysters. Nothin' fancy, think paper plates, etc., but the food is pretty good. I had a nice piece of fresh rock fish last time I was there. They have crabs too.
Miguel's Sante Fe cafe is also about 15 minutes away in Montclair one exit down 95 (Rt. 234 North). Really good chili-focused fresh-tasting New Mexican food. Good margaritas too.
Charlottesville [Moved from DC/Baltimore board]
We were in Charlottesville last weekend and it looks like Southern Culture is closed or is being renovated. Anyone know the story? We will really, really miss brunch at Southern Culture if it is gone.
Had dinner at South Street Brewery. Really good wheat beer and a strong brown ale. Food was pretty good.
Falls Church Frozen Custard
Carl's in Fredericksburg has ElectroFreeze machines, but I can't vounch for their age other than to say they look pretty old and make excellent custard.
Potomac Mills-- Any Options, Good Finds?
I concur that Dixie Bones and Taste of Tandoor are both good bets. We used to like Chada Thai across the street from the Mall, but ownership/management has changed for the worse.
A bit out of the way from the Mall, but worth a trip is Mateo's Santa Fe Cafe. It's in a strip mall on the south end of Montclair. Take the 234 North exit off of 95 South (one down from the Mall) and go about 4-5 miles north on 234 to Waterway Drive, make a right and look for it in the shopping center with the Burger King. They do New Mexico cuisine and the chile sauces, both red and green, are outstanding. We have found the food to be consistently fresh tasting and well-prepared. The brunch on Sunday and Saturday are especially good. We love this place.
Blue Duck Tavern-Dress Question
We recently dined at the Blue Duck on a Saturday afternoon. We dressed up, but everbody else was in jeans. That said, I think it is a nice space that merits more than jeans.
Food was really good.
chowworthy restaurants in Charlottesville, VA? [Moved from DC/Baltimore board]
C&O Restaurant, just off the Downtown Mall on Water Street is a good bet. We were there in the Spring and had a great meal. The goat cheese wantons with beets was out-of-this-world good. I can still recall the Steak Chinoise, sliced skirt(?) steak with a ginger cream sauce, and can't wait to get this again. They have a casual space downstairs and more formal setting in upstairs dining rooms, but I think both serve the same menu. This place has never disappointed.
For brunch Southern Culture on Main Street just west of the Downtown Mall is our favorite spot. Try the Eggs Basin Street (poached egg with jalapeno hollandaise and a baby cake (a fried seafood hash brown kind of thing)). Good grits last time we were there too.
I have heard good things about Duner's too.
There is a gelato place on the Downtown Mall that has loads of flavors. We found the gelato decent but not exceptional.
Fried Bologna Sandwich Or Other Unusual Midwestern Specialty
Tim's River Shore on the Potomac River in Dumfries, VA has great fried pickles. Tim's is basically a river front crab shack. We were down there on Friday for fried pickles and fried oysters. Nice fried shrimp too. A little bit off the beaten path, but a nice stop if you're in that area. There's a web site that probably has directions.
Indigo Landing for brunch?
There was a long and detailed thread from June, 2006 that I found with a search for my post on I.L. (see below from May 20906) that was buried in another thread. Don't know about the prix fixe brunch.
Previous Post . . .
We had a good lunch at Indigo Landing recently. Caveat -- i can't say I have ever had authentic lowcountry cuisine, so my comments are not relative to any standard, just how I perceived the food.
Oyster stew app was rich and buttery, but needed a little zip, or at least salt. Not bad, just needed a little more. As posted above, fried green tomatoes were good. Shrimp and grits were really good. Grits had nice flavor and weren't too heavy. Shrimp could have benefited from a little less time on the grill. Other entree was rockfish, which looking back actually looked more like the skate wing from the menu. It was good, but not exceptional. As for the sides, the collards were outstanding -- smokey and bacony but with nice collardy taste without too much of the strong taste that comes from being cooked for so long. Hoppin John was tasty too -- buttery with nice texture from the black eyes, but again could have used a little zip. For desert the home style chocolate cake was good as was the banana desert.
Service was uneven and we were left to wait an eternity at the end of the meal even though we said we were in a rush to get going. That said, it was only their second day serving lunch.
I would definitely go back and with a nice view of the water looking North to the city, it might make for a nice place to take tourist friends that are more inclined for a restaurant with a view.
Belgique Gourmande -- Occoquan (Long)
We went to this Belgian bistro in Occoquan, VA this weekend for brunch. Nice little spot.
We had been to Belgique Gourmande a year or so ago for the Moules Frites fest and were totally taken away by the frites, not to mention a selection of Belgian Beer that is hard to find anywhere but the city, much less as far out as the PWC.
From our chat with our waiter we learned that BG is under new ownership and that they are hoping to be more flexible and accomodating of their clientele. We had not been back because it seemed like the kind of place where you had to have a reservation and grazing on frites and beers or popping in just for desert would not have been welcome. [I remember something about a European system the table being yours for the night and that reservations were a must for this to work. I found the whole thing a bit unwelcoming. Ultimately if I am planning to spend the night around a dining table its going to be in a much nice restaurant.] Fortunately, this appears to be a perception that the new owners are working to dispell. The person serving said that they were planning to have happy hours and that popping in for beer and frites or desert would be welcome. [He said he was hoping to be serving draft beer on thier outside patio during the upcoming Occoquan Days craft show.]
Happy to report that the food was pretty good and the beer selection is intact.
We sat outside on nice shady brick patio along one of the streets with shops.
We had standard bruch faire. Started with the Mushroom Toasts, which are sauteed mushrooms in a light cream sauce with garlic over pieces of toated baguettes. Nothing fancy, just straightforward and good. Omelets and Frites were next. Not much to say about the omelet, good with a nice amount of ingredeints, but I wish it had come out a little hotter. Frites, were good but maybe not as good as last time. I found the crinkle cut a bit odd and have to say it does a disservice to the product. I can't help but think freezer bag when I see such a preformed shape. That said, I don't doubt that these were fresh cut. They were soft inside, crisp outside and tasted of potato. Served with a homemade mayo for dipping. I don't need gargantuan portions for satisfaction, but I could have used a few more frites on the plate. We debated ordering another side to share. Again, if the frites had only come out a little hotter they might have been great instead of just very good. We didn't have room to sample the Belgian waffles, but will probably make a return trip and try those for dessert.
That the food didn't come up piping hot and took a long time is a bit puzzling given that I think we were the only ones there. We may have caught them before they were ready for service.
We enjoyed cherry (boon) and peach (lindeman) lambics with the meal --and both were fantastic . They have Leffe Blonde and another Belgian brew on tap. The Leffe was outstanding deliciously cold and wonderfully aromatic and complex.
At about $6.95 for the omelets, an order of scrambled eggs for the Chowpup, and 3 beers (two at 11.25/btl) we got out for about $66.00 all inclusive. Belgian beer is often an pricey proposition, but I couldn't argue with that tab.
All in all we are glad to have rediscovered this place and looking forward to returning. If you are planning to be in Occoquan, a couple of Belgian beers sure does make brownsing through town a lot easier.
JB
1789 - Okay for two 26-year-olds???
We went there recently for our anniversary and had a great meal. Old school decor to be sure, but it really is a nice dining room. We sat on the main level and had the banquet seat in the corner that offered a view of the whole dining room. Don't sweat that you're a little younger; just go and have fun.
We thought the food was really good. Consider the escolar (a variety of tuna) if it is on the menu, this dish was fabulous . . . and the chocolate bred pudding for dessert was fantastic.
Be sure to tell them it's you anniversary.
JB
Acadiana or Vidalia?
We had a good lunch at Indigo Landing recently. Caveat -- i can't say I have ever had authentic lowcountry cuisine, so my comments are relative to any standard, just how I perceived the food.
Oyster stew app was rich and buttery, but needed a little zip, or at least salt. Not bad, just needed a little more. As posted above, fried green tomatoes were good. Shrimp and grits were really good. Grits had nice flavor and weren't too heavy. Shrimp could have benefited from a little less time on the grill. Other entree was rockfish, which looking back actually looked more like the skate wing from the menu. It was good, but not exceptional. As for the sides, the collards were outstanding -- smokey and bacony but with nice collardy taste without too much of the strong taste that comes from being cooked for so long. Hoppin John was tasty too -- buttery with nice texture from the black eyes. For desert the home style chocolate cake was good as was the banana desert.
Service was uneven and we were left to wait an eternity at the end of the meal even though we said we were in a rush to get going. That said, we were there for only there second day of lunch.
I would definitely go back and with a nice view of the water looking North to the city, it might make for a nice place to take tourist friends that are more inclined for a restaurant with a view.
