There is a Windy City Eats in Ashburn va off RT 7...I know they have them.
All an Italian beef sandwich is - beef that has been stewed for hours (Chip ribeye meat),Italian bread and giardiniera. You take the meat and stew it, then put it on the bread then dunk the sandwich into the jus, then top it with the peppers. What makes the Chicago ones so distinct, is the bread. Turano Bread company in Chicago makes the best rolls for this sandwich. Crispy on the outside, but light and fluffy in the middle.

I have been twice....both times.....Ah..Ok. The real good stuff is their brunch and the beer.

Love it....nice little cozy bar...Really good food and friendly staff. I have to say that i was suprised......and hope they do well.

Joe Raffa Must be on vacation cause 99% of his food is outstanding and evenly seasoned. i have never had an issue with any of his cooking going all the way back to Majestic (original) .......That has to be it, or they hired a new line cook that needs training.

Well it's an Italian place and from what I hear (and it's all good) expect this place to be a player when it comes to foodies making choices on where to dine in leesburg.
Now when I say italian, I mean good Italian not spag&mBalls. I mean fresh game, veal and fresh seafood. Something along the lines where they have a CHEF...not a kitchen manager. Go and see it. I haven't yet, but plan too soon.

The list we are talking about isn't online yet but if you are local then you should know about the Washingtonian Magazine's Top 100 list, that lists the "top 100 restaurants", in the order they are ranked by the food editors of the Washingtonian Magazine.

That's what this discussion is about.

Sorry. I feel the need to ask the question - But I have serious issues with this list.

1st, I love Komi, but #1?

2nd, J&G is a Steakhouse and hasn't been around nearly enough to get a rating like a #4.
I agree that Source and Mini should be in the top 10 - but before Eve, Citronelle and Cityzen?

I also feel that the horrible review that was performed on Inox, that had more to do with the economy than anything, continues with this slight of a placing into #55.
I have been to Jaleo many times. IT'S NO 32! AND INOX IS NO 55. So Jaleo is better than – Bourbon, Post, 701, Cava, RTS and Cork? Really?

2 Amy's - Whom by the way does PIZZA is listed 28, right before Volt, 1789 & Bourbon.
I love pizza. But if you are going to have a list, that talks about the best of the best, this clearly has to be a mistake.

Sorry - But to have this much pull in the city AND TODD, regardless if you feel you do or don't or Shouldn't - You do. The representation in this list is overly flawed.

And Finally - Equinox? #95? Really? I have been there 3 times in the last 6 months and a 2 star rating and number 95 is a sign of ignorance and total disrespect.
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Jenny - Look for Palio to open soon, might already be open on 2 Market street in Leesburg. I have heard good things from people that know the chef.

Also, I would go with reiflame's thoughts on Magnolia. Always great.

This is a little out of the way, but in Point of Rocks maryland is where my friends and I go. We find if you are going to spend some money on booze, that's the place you save the most money. But again, we live only about 15 miles from there so it does work for us.

I have always gone here for all of my professional needs. No Membership or business lic. needed.

Next Day Gourmet
(703) 333-5878
5701 General Washington Dr
Alexandria, VA

I would also do Central and agree with everything Elyssa says. BLT is good, but not great and Blue Duck is awesome but the wine isn't what it is at Central.
Happy birthday in advance! Hope you have good eats!

You will never go wrong with Blue Duck, but it is my feel that Robert Weland is one of the most underrated chefs in the dc area. I have had brunch at both and think both are equal and great places.

I would put this as a pretty good 5 -

1789 - for traditional American food, love this place....

Ben' s Chili bowl - There is nothing else like it that I have been to. Simply one of the best half smoke diners anywhere.

Cafe Atlantico - Jose Andres Best place in my opinion. If you can get a late min, place at the mini bar there....DO IT!

Becks - Fantastic food and the beer list is good too.

Central - Get the lobster burger.....You will regret it if you don't!

Where ever you go, I am sure you will have a great time, but these are my top 5, not all $$$$$

Then there is The Tavern at great falls- decent food, not fine dining by any means but decent. http://www.greatfallstavern.com/index...

Ok...But i never said it was an enjoyable wing. I just said that if you wanted the heat that the wing factory was the place to go.

Like I said, the wings at Jimmy's are the best in my book

I think the best thing to do in these situations is to know going into a time critical situation, that you might advise the person seating you that you are looking move out quickly because of prior engagements. If that doesn’t work, then the situation might call for sitting at the bar, where you always have attentive eyes and ears.

I do disagree with some of what some of the other posters have said, only because I eat at a Jose Andres restaurant 3 times a month. Never the same location each time, always going to different places. What I can say is that all restaurants have BAD servers. You hope and pray that you don’t get one, but you will eventually. The thing I always do is ask them to seat me in a section where there are other tables and not off in the corner alone. That is so if for some reason, it is taking a while to get a person over……I can flag someone down, as there is never that many bad servers in one restaurant.

"Oyamel's food also went downhill after the move to Penn Quarter,"....
I totally Disagree with this statement. Joe Raffa puts out some of the best Mexican around and has a high regard for his dishes and the quality of the food.

Maybe you feel that way considering the CryCity location was never busy so it made for a more pleasurable experience. But to say that the quality of the food has gone down,…….I think that is wrong.

I am shocked.
The Oyamel staff has always been on top of their game when it comes to service. The food for that matter has always been great also. Joe Raffa is a great chef and the management staff is all very well seasoned at their positions.

I would email the manager and let him know of the issues that you had. Even though it is now too late and you have left the building, they should know about the concerns that you have and the issues you encountered while dining there.

stevef@oyamel.com

or

joer@oyamel.com

I have had two friends married there, but attended only one of the events. They do make it a very nice wedding, but you have to remember that weddings go by so fast that sometimes, it's better to have a more middle of the road event rather than something so expensive, and lavish, that you might not fully enjoy.

If it's your wedding, you might think about using the Inn as a place to spend the night after the wedding, before your departure for your honeymoon.

I can tell you this; my wedding went by so fast, I didn't even get to eat, because of all of the talking and thanking of guests that my wife and I had to do. I can't tell you what was served, what I drank or what the florals looked like, not because I didn't care, but because everything was so rushed.

But hey, everyones wedding is different and it might turn out to be really nice and memorable. I do know that Patrick does a great job with his PDR menu.

Here’s the deal:

For insanely hot wings, The Hottest I have had, were at the Buffalo Wing Factory in Reston, Sterling and Ashburn. The “Flat liner” is a wing marinated in Habanero extract for something like 24hr, then after they are cooked, are dressed in the hot sauce with Habanero Extract in the sauce. They used to make you sign a waiver to buy the wings, I don’t know if you still have to or not.

When it comes to the best tasting and best wings overall, in my opinion, Jimmy’s Old Town in Herndon has some pretty flavorful wings. Not a big fan of the regulars there, but if you can stand listening to a little BS from Buffalo grumpy old men, then you will do just fine.

They could be what are called "Culls". That means that they are smaller that traditional lobsters and have less meat.
ask if they are culls...

When they 1st opened, Alan Yu was the chef, a great cook that worked for Michel, his menu was more intune with the Denver Menu.....and was good.

The last couple times I have been, it has made me wish I had gone to PS7 or Proof around the corner.

I think this is a perfect example of restaurant managers and chefs, thinking that they are dealing with an “Issue” rather than someone who involves themselves in Foodie blogs.
I hear about this all the time, where someone that works at a restaurant say something to a customer and they don’t realize, not only might have they lost a paying customer, they also activated a voice, that might speak out to several potential new customers.

I would have told him where he could put his coffee and called Dan Mesches one of the owners and told him what an inferior piece of S#*t he has working for him!

I think that most of the reviews that slate it, are when it's between it and a better place.
Take, PS7's, I think that hands down, Pete does a better job than Zengo. He offers a softer and more pleasant dining room, with food that shows his intelligence. That said, I don’t think that Zengo’s food is bad, I just think that it’s not all together geared to a vast number, just those that like that style cuisine. I think that Clyde’s Gallery Place is better, but it is really subject to the digression of the personal feelings of what you like and don't. It is also important to remember that Zengo has had numerous chefs, all with different ideas about approach to the menu. All of which, is really tough to build business and keep the food consistent when the driver of the kitchen is constantly changing, along with the ideas.

I have been a couple times and have always found the food Very Good.
You should have said something about the salt filled crab cake! I have had the crab cake two or three times and never had an issue. Sometimes, when prep cooks mix the crab wrong, they might add too much salt and it will ruin an entire meal. The guys at the Dock, are some of the friendliest people, I am sure that they would have mixed a new crab cake and checked the mix of the ones they had already prepped.
The one thing that we have to remember is, if you don't tell them something is wrong, they will never know.

I know that it wouldn’t sound all that great, but I think Fager’s Island has Really good prime rib. If you get there early enough, it really is one of the best in OC

Um...Yeah...they have more than just a tenderloin steak or Ribeye too....
They also have a poultry item on their menu!

I 2nd that....I got shattered on my 21st.........At........1789

Nizam's in Vienna I think is better. Nicer dinning room and the food seems to be more authentic. Kazan in good, but I just think that Nizams is better.

Totally agree ..... But then, hit Fells Point. Anyone of the 9000 bars they have.
Two things that I wish I had done on 21st....... Maryland crabs, and Drinking till I was Shattered in Fells Point!