TheMatt's Profile
Breakfast in NOVA.
Hmm. Annandale might just be within 10 miles. I love a good bowl of jeonbokjuk (abalone porridge) or some Korean soup at Yechon for breakfast.
Todai in Fair Oaks- Any thoughts?
You know, the tempura isn't too bad. Though, maybe I'm just a fan of the salty-savory dipping sauce they have in the thermal pot next to it.
Todai in Fair Oaks- Any thoughts?
My feeling on Todai (from my experiences at lunch) is to focus on the cold items and soups and forget about the hot items.
As Soup says, their sushi actually isn't that bad. Great, no, but you've probably had worse. They have some salads as well on the cold bar. In the middle is the soup area. Their udon soup is pretty good (hard to screw that up, really), made to order (you ring the bell or some such) and they also usually have a cold soba soup as well.
That's the left and middle side of the restaurant, the right is dedicated to hot dishes and I've just never liked what they offer. Maybe it's better at dinner, but...
As for desserts, it's a mixed bag of the usual tiny cakes, etc. I think they might have made-to-order crepes at dinner. If nothing else, it's a change from the usual items.
Gourmet Ethiopian?
I'm pretty sure Meaza still has 100% teff injera available. It has additional cost associated and you have to ask for it, but it's worth it. Darker, better taste...mmm...
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Meaza Restaurant
5700 Columbia Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
Casual but special anniversary dinner in NoVA or DC?
One go-to place I have for casual but special is Dino in Cleveland Park. Great Italian food and the atmosphere isn't stuffy at all.
FroYo By The Shot
Well, I'm a fan of FroZenYo They are mainly in DC, but I think they have a Crystal City location (almost Arlington) with a Ballston one on the way.
The way they work is self-serve by weight. I usually go in and get just a wee bit of a couple flavors. It looks a bit ridiculous in the big cups they have (they just have one size container), but I don't care and the cashier doesn't seem to either. Perhaps there is a similar by-weight place someone knows about?
Gluten free injera in DC?
I know Meaza in Falls Church (which means you'd need a car) has a "premium" injera that, I believe, is all-teff. It costs a buck or so a piece and you have to ask for it specifically, but it's worth it in my opinion. The injera are the dark brown and sour, like you get from all-teff instead of the lighter color and flavor of the half-and-half. (That said, I'm not absolutely certain the premium injera is all-teff or just more-teff. Perhaps give them a call?)
And, if Meaza does all-teff injera, some of the U St and Adams Morgan joints must as well.
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Meaza Restaurant
5700 Columbia Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
Pani Puri & Other Chaat
Yeah, I'm a fan of Saravana Palace, especially with the a la carte menu and the weekend lunch buffet. They usually have one or two dishes you just never see at most Indian restaurants, doubly true on the buffet. Indo-Chinese, Southern Indian...it's always an adventure.
Authentic French Macaroon's?
I just got some macarons at the West End Farmers Market in Alexandria last Sunday. They were amazingly good. Not cheap, but good. Unfortunately, I didn't take a card and the plastic container that held them didn't have their name on it...so I have no idea who made them.
Suppose I'll just have to go back this week...
Where do I get paczkis in DC?
There are boxes of paczki in my Giant which is near Annandale, so that is a last resort, I suppose, if you can't find fresh-made. (I want to buy some, but the nutrition facts on the box scare me.)
Sampan Cafe, Szechuan Star, Peking Gourmet make List of Top 100 Chinese Restaurants.
I'm not sure how much stock I'd put in this. Szechuan Star is a perfectly serviceable American-Chinese restaurant, quite good the few times I've been there (in the strip mall near my local Giant), but I'm not sure I'd call it Top 100. But, then, I tend to like Chinese restaurants that aren't mainly American-Chinese. (Though maybe Szechuan Star has a Chinese menu I've never seen...)
In fact, after looking at the menu for Yang Ming (the #1) it appears that service and ambiance might be more important than food. And I can see how others might want that, but for me, I'll eat in dingy (but clean) surrounds with just enough service if I get authentic flavors I've never had before.
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Szechuan Star
6922 Bradlick Shopping Ctr, Annandale, VA 22003
Fried or Smoke Turkey
Speaking of "too much turkey", I'm thinking about trying Trader Joe's new Fully-Cooked Half-Turkey. Like you, a full turkey is too much, so I thought this might just be perfect.
Of course, whether it's good or not...
Hee Been alternative?
I suppose the usual answer to this question would be Il Mee Buffet. Some seem to prefer it over Hee Been and vice versa. Hee Been is better for sushi, if you want that, while Il Mee seems better to me for true Korean food.
Is Bloom Really THAT Good?
I can say that at 11 am today it was full. I thought I might drop in...and was quick disabused of that notion.
Take'n'Bake pizza (like Papa Murphy's) in Alexandria area?
I was wondering if anyone knew if there is an East Coast (or DC or NoVA) equivalent to Papa Murphy's? For those who don't know, in much of the country (closest is OH and NC), Papa Murphy's is a chain of pizza shops that specialize in making pizzas up to the point where they are ready to be cooked. You then take it home and bake it yourself in your oven.
From my days in Colorado, I often felt that if one wasn't going to make pizza at home, this was the best bet as at least you don't have to rely on the insulated bags and delivery people of the various omnipresent pizza chains. But, I haven't seen the PM equivalent here in the DC area, but as a fairly recent transplant--and an admittedly rare pizza eater, think once a year--it's possible that I just haven't tried to find it.
Ethnic Groceries in NoVa
I'd add the Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria on Pickett St. Another Lebanese place, I think, but they have many Middle Eastern groceries along with their house-made items like hummus, mujadarah, pitas, etc.
Also, may or may not fit, but the Swiss Bakery does have a selection of European items: http://www.theswissbakery.com/
Where to buy shirataki in Arlington or Alexandria?
I'm pretty sure they can be found at Fresh Mart on Backlick in Springfield. They also have a fair collection of Japanese supplies as well, the usual furikake, shoyu, mirin, curries... No Daruma (Fresh Mart is mainly Korean-focused), but more than most.
most authentic galbi in the area
I have heard good things about the galbi at Han Sung Oak which is in Falls Church and not Annandale like most of the Korean places. But, Han Sung Oak can get pricey.
If your and your guests start to desire other meats, the usual best bet is Honey Pig Gooldaegee: http://welcome.bz/serv/red/home.asp?blobid=8 No galbi, but pork belly that invades my dreams...
Soup!!! Gotta have it!
Seolleongtang, haejangguk, and samgyetang at Gamasot in Springfield. The first is mild and soothing, the second, hearty and filling, and the third the best chicken soup ever.
All that plus banchan? Life is good.
Looking for Japanese Style Curry in NoVA
Have you tried S&B Medium-Hot? That seems (to my taste buds) to be halfway between Mild and Hot...and is the one I buy.
Looking for Japanese Style Curry in NoVA
Akasaka in the Van Dorn Station multicultural strip mall has Japanese curry katsu, pork or chicken. I think it's good!
Any recs at Meaza Ethiopian
I know it's the "standard" Ethiopian dish, but I really like their doro wat. It might be the best version I've ever had.
Though, truth be told, I usually get that special veggie combo 80% of the time. I just love Ethiopian veggies...
24 hour dining places near Annandale?
I'm pretty sure the IHOP under the Comfort Inn (just east of the Barnside Diner on Little River) is a 24-hr IHOP as well.
Pho Thang Long->Pho Super Bowl, and Ba Le closed
And, as an addition, there is a new Vietnamese bakery in the old Ba Le space up the shopette. They do a pretty good banh mi sandwich, and a really good banh mi = loaf of bread. Worth way more than the 40 cents (I think) the loafs cost.
Trader Joe's Canned Smoked Trout - Back in May!
Does anyone know the price on these? I bought some blind this weekend...and loved it. But I trashed the receipt and being new-ish, my local TJ's didn't have one of their cutesy price things in front of the tins.
Just wondering how many I can afford when I go back to stock up.
Local Boiled Peanuts, NOVA?
Well, the American Peanut Council is in Alexandria. You could give them a call and ask, I guess.
My own searches on internet seem to turn up Williamsburg a couple times...but that's not local.
Everyday Eating: Restaurants you frequent
Guess I'll add my two cents.
Barnsider Diner most Sunday mornings for breakfast. Yeah, I'm fancy.
Mediterranean Bakery (on Pickett) for some manoush.
A&J-Annandale on the weekend for some Chinese breakfast. Or, if it's a bit later, anything from the regular menu.
Pho Hot usually for some banh mi bo kho.
But, I have to say that my one, true regular haunt I've established in my short time in DC is Gamasot in Springfield. I think I'm there once a week at least to get my sulleungtang fix.
Marinated Tofu Banh Mi/"Tofu Hoagie"?
Pho Hot in Annandale has an odd banh mi on its vegetarian menu:
BÁNH MÌ BÌ CHAY
Fried tofu, potato, yam rice noodle, roasted dark rice served with french bread and cucumber, cilantro, carrot, and special home made soy sauce.
http://phohot.com/menu.php?cat=7
No idea if it's any good, but their bread is great (I've had it with their banh mi bo kho).
Pho Hot -- Annandale
Haven't tried the pho yet, but I will say their banh mi bo kho is quite good. My only problem with it was the selection of beef in it: they included tendon, tripe, and other cuts that I know people like and love, but I just can't stand. (I bet it's the "everything" selection of cuts you see in a pho menu.) This is probably considered a bonus by most other eaters!
The banh mi part, though, was quite good. Made me realize how much I miss Vietnamese bread.
Tasty Korean Fare
I'm a big fan of Gamasot in Springfield. But, that could be due to my love for Korean soups. They specialize in seolleongtang and I seem to go there two, three times a month for it. And this from someone who mainly eats at home.
