SoxFan1's Profile
Kabobs in NOVA
@ comestibles--I got takeout from Kabob Tavern one week ago. If you do not make any special requests, your order comes with both white and brown rice (not sure that the brown rice is sauteed with onions, and it appears to be the same as the white rice, but with some sort of seasoning that turns it brown). Whatever the case, if they are offering white and brown rice, is it that difficult to imagine that you could get half and half, even if it is not the default?
Haleem (I thought is was halim, but what do I know), is a side that is frequently (or maybe all the time, based on my half-dozen visits) a "special" side. I have had it at least the last 4 times I have been there, and it is good AND quite spicy.
So, as MikeR said, the website may not be keeping up with actual offerings.
Good Bottle Shops for Beer in DC area
I haven't heard anyone announce availability of KBS yet this year, although it should be soon. Norm's limited customers to two bottles per person last year, others do something similar. I think Rick's uses a "waitlist", which is probably already longer than what their allotment will be. I don't know what goes on in the DC and Maryland shops.
Norm's and Rick's will have just about everything that is distributed in Virginia (Great Lakes Brewing out of Cleveland hit the shelves in VA for the first time earlier this week). A couple of the Whole Foods supermarkets (Vienna and FairLakes) also have fairly extensive offerings.
Kabob Tavern in Vienna, VA?
@ judoka--I don't believe that you had the "exact opposite experience" than I had--I did not trash the place, and had some nice things to say about it. The chicken just did not knock my socks off. And this is the first kabob place I have ever been to (and I have been to many in the area) that serves pita bread rather than naan or something closely akin to naan.
Kabob Tavern in Vienna, VA?
I had not heard about this new place until seeing the above post. I went by last night and picked up a chicken kabob to go. The order ($10) comes with a decent amount of chcken, quite a bit of basmati rice, a side (e.g., chickpeas), a grilled tomato/onion "salad", and a quartered piece of PITA bread (i.e., not naan). It was quite a bit of food for the money.
The chickpeas were good-not all mushy and soggy like some kabob places serve. The chicken was seasoned, but I did not pick up any particular marinade/spice flavor. It had a brownish hue rather than yellowish or reddish, which is what I am accustomed to seeing, and it tasted OK--not the best I've ever had and not the worst. The pita bread worked fine as a carrier for the chicken and the accompanying chutney, but I sure would have preferred naan. I did not check when I was there, but it is possible that they do not have a tandoori oven to cook naan.
The kabob place is only the downstairs of the former Nizam's, and is nicely decorated. Probably the nicest kabob place I have been to in terms of level of finish. The woman taking my order said that they would be opening up the upstars floor sometime in February for Mediterranean "fine dining".
Good hoagies in Northern VA or general DC area?
That's one reason why I get the "single meat" portion at the Deli. I will resolve to try the Italian Store, as I sometimes jump off of the GW Parkway at Spout Run if traffic is really bad. That way, I will be better informed.
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Italian Store
3123 Lee Hwy, Arlington, VA 22201
Good hoagies in Northern VA or general DC area?
I "third" the Hot Sicilian, and just wanted to note that the standard is a "double meat" portion, and it can be ordered as a "single meat" portion for a couple of bucks less (about 6.00 for the 8"), for those of you, like me, who have to watch the calories and sodium intake.
Also, I am glad (and mildly surprised) that Al's Steaks in Alexandria is being generally panned here. I think there was an older thread in which I was the lone voice saying that Al's really isn't very good. Their cheesesteak has some degree of visual appeal, but I found it totally lacking in taste.
Mario's is an acquired taste (standard toppings--mayo, yellow mustard, dry slaw, and sweet pickles, yes, even on the steak and cheese), but I have fond memories. The steak is a little thicker and tougher than what you would normally expect, but good flavor.
Eatbar - Any good?
Maybe all of you know this, and that it would thus go without saying, but Red Apron and EatBar both operate under the umbrella of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group.
Place to watch Steelers/Ravens game Saturday near Tysons Corner?
Near Tysons, the only places that come to mind are Chics and Wings, set back by Bed, Bath and Beyond on Rt. 7, and the Gordon Biersch restaurant/bar at Tysons I. My choice of those two would be the bar at Gordon Biersch--usually a good football crowd over the holiday and into NFL playoffs.
For a better beer selection, Rustico in Ballston (not really that far from Tysons, if you do the Dulles Toll Road to 66) would be a good choice. If a link appears in this message for Rustico, it will probably have the address for the one outside of Old Town, but there is also one in Ballston that opened a couple of months ago.
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Rustico
827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314
Top Loudon County Picks -- 2010
PassionFish is not in Sterling or Loudoun County. It is in Reston Town Center, in Fairfax County, albeit not terribly far from Sterling.
Places with live music (but not a club) Fairfax, Vienna, Falls Church
JV, while within the geographical boundary of the original post, is nothing like what the poster sounds like he/she is looking for.
Ice House Cafe, on the other hand, while being a tad further out than Vienna, sounds exactly like what the poster is looking for, by my reading. Herndon, but easily accessible. No place like it that I am aware of in "Fairfax, Vienna, Falls Church" as defined in the original post.
Who killed the DC halfsmoke?
Mario's in Arlington--the steak has gotten a little too tough over the years. And while I am sure that hot peppers gives a different (and maybe better) taste, the slaw/mustard/sweet pickles from the Wilson Blvd original place is what distinguishes (in the best way possible) the Mario's steak and cheese from the rest!
Al's has never done it for me, regardless of what it is being compared to. The beef looks great, but has been totally flavorless, in my experiences.
Brickskeller Closing?
I. Rex, I have not seen the "good riddance" posts as I am not connected to a bunch of local blogs.
It might not be all that well known, but Greg Engert, highly esteemed beer director for ChurchKey and the 2 Rusticos, and his sidekick, Nahim Simon, beertender extraordinaire first at Rustico and now at ChurchKey, both spent time "cutting their teeth" at the Brick.
I did not frequent the Brick, but am very happy for what it has spawned off.
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Rustico
827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314
Great Falls -- Tavern or Brogue?
Second the above. The Tavern's food, on the couple of occasions we have eaten there, ranged from lackluster (as noted above) to not very good at all.
Rustico 2: Electric Boogaloo
For the time being, the food/beer should be pretty much a clone of Rustico Alexandria.
The head chef from Alexandria will be the Exec. chef of both, and is expected to spend the bulk of his time for awhile getting the new kitchen moving at full speed. I had dinner there Saturday night, and everything on the menu were menu staples from Alexandria. The Asst. Beer Manager (they still consider Greg to be the Beer Manager) from Alexandria has moved over to Ballston, and has 10 additional taps at his disposal, so I would expect more of the same, and then some.
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Rustico
827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314
Still time for a good Octoberfest?
Rustico's is this Saturday, Oct. 9, from 12-6, so it seems to fit your late afternoon criteria. It is held in the parking lot behind their restaurant, which is not exactly a beer hall, but the crowd is lively enough. There has been live music (no oompah bands, though) in past years, but I do not know what entertainment is for this year. The big draw is the large number of seasonal beers (think pumpkin beers and probably a couple of hoppy ones, in addition to Octoberfest/marzen) served. Also, there should be a smattering of food offerings by Rustico itself and a couple of their co-owned restaurants (Neighborhood Restaurant Group).
Some portion of the proceeds will go to, I believe, DC Central Kitchen.
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Rustico
827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314
Kabobs in NOVA
Update to the above. I am not trying to be insulting, VirginiaCook, but I had a good, and then a very bad experience at Pamir in the past week.
Early in the week, I decided to give Pamir a second chance, as I only wanted a veggie and rice, no meat. The chick peas were a little less sweet, and the seasoned rice was good. I got a decent-to-generous portion of each at the menu price of @2.95 each.
I went back Sunday night to get the same order. When I asked for an order of rice and an order of chick peas, I was asked by the mid-20's, apparent son of an owner, who was sitting in one of the booths, if I wanted a large or a small order of rice. I asked the price of the large order, and how much more rice I would get than what would be normal with ordering a kabob. He told me 6.95, and it would be what I would normally get with a kabob. I had gotten at least that much earlier in the week for 2.95.
I pointed out to him that for 2.00 more I could get the boneless chicken kabob, which would include not only that amount of rice, but also a decent amount of chicken, AND chickpeas, as well as one naan (bread). That seemed to stump him, and he started talking in a non-English language to a woman (which is why I assume that he is the son of an owner) who was sitting with a couple of other ostensible family members at the booth nearest the cash register. He began something of a negotiation session with me, asking how much I had paid earlier in the week for my order, etc. (the menu had both rice and vegetable sides listed at 2.95 apiece).
At that point, I began to feel like there might be different pricing for such non-standard things, based on what the guy thought he could gouge me for. No thanks, the food is far from being that special, and I will never return again.
If you do, you might want to mention that the attempts to gouge non-regulars, who could possibly become regulars, is not a good business practice.
I
Volt, Restaurant Eve, or???
I can't imagine that you would be able to comfortably get to either of these places by 8:00 if you are landing at Dulles at 6:00 on a Friday evening. That being said, those are two great choices, absent the potential difficultly in getting there on time. Volt would seemingly be better, transportation wise, but I have not gone in that direction from Dulles on a Friday evening.
I don't know where your mom lives, but a potentially more realistic place for you (arriving at Dulles) to get to by 8:00 is PassionFish at Reston Town Center. Not quite what Eve or Volt have to offer, but some of the best seafood in the DC area.
Piece-wise Gyros?
Not DC or suburban Maryland, but since you mention the Plaka in Athens, I thought I would mention Plaka Grill in Vienna, VA. In the heart of Vienna, on Lawyers Rd., just off 123/Maple Ave.
They use a stack of sliced pork on a spit/rotisserie for their Plaka gyro. Pretty tasty. They also offer "the usual" type of gyro, so make sure to take care when ordering if you get out in this direction.
Dinner for 7 near National Harbor
It would be the ferry to Old Town, and then a short cab ride, but Bastille is one of my favorite restaurants in Alexandria. Not so sure if it fits the bill for a business dinner, but worth looking into.
Closer to the ferry is Columbia Firehouse, which may be more suitable for you needs.
An outsider's first impressions of chowing in NOVA, and a request for suggestions ...
I know that I skew heavily toward "vanilla" when it comes to kabob places, but I look forward to seeing your reviews of any boneless chicken kabob orders that you deem worthy of reporting on. Good naan, rice and sides factor in for me.
The "brown sauce" or chutney at Reston Kabob is, as Dennis S mentions, exceptional, even though it is not incendiary as it once was. Try it, instead of lemon juice, to reinvigorate the boneless chicken kabob.
Office Holiday Party
Possibly an upgrade over Gordon Biersch, if that is the direction you are heading, is the District Chophouse on 7th St. Coincidentally, also a former bank building with a private space in the former basement vault. The beer is much better, as is the food (albeit from only a limited sampling).
Restaurants Everyone Loves Except You
OK, as if it matters...
The original owner's son is a CIA grad, and the son came back to work at Vienna Inn, presumably to pay off his "college loan" given by his parents. That was at least 8-10 years ago, probably more. The father passed away, and the CIA grad ran the business for a short time thereafter.
During the time that the son was there, there were a few menu changes that put other things on the map besides chili dogs. The changes were generally met with Dennis S's sentiment, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". So while there are remnants of menu items that are better than chili dogs (I particularly like their turkey club, which is quite good in the "diner" sense, if not upscale or gourmet sense), those efforts were not embraced by the clientele. The son eventually sold the business to a local (people call him Marty) business man, and the food generally remains true to its longstanding form, including the chili dogs.
On the plus side, Marty's brother, Brian, has seen fit to put up a couple of decent (Starr Hill) beers on tap, so it is now a little more that a "pitcher of Bud Light" kind of place for beer.
The CIA grad/son of owner is now, I have heard, the owner and proprietor of a Bed and Breakfast in New England.
Staying at hotel in Tysons corner
You seem to have hit a slow time on this board. I would have expected a myriad of responses for your price range and some of your selected cuisines.
I know you did not mention seafood, and I know you are from a seafood region, but PassionFish in Reston (Reston Town Center) might be a different enough take to merit consideration.
Indian closer to you would be Haandi in Falls Church, VA, or, further away (and bordering on your 20 mile range and fighting into DC) would be Rasika.
I will let others more knowledgeable chime in on Korean places in Annandale, VA (although Woo Lae Oak in Tysons is not terrible), and Vietnamese places in Falls Church (Eden Center) and maybe Arlington. Those are cuisines that are big here and might be hard to come by in New England. (c'mon, help this guy out!)
Good, fair food can be found at Liberty Tavern in the Clarendon section of Arlington, VA.
[EDIT] I was just perusing some other threads, and some of what I was promoting that we help you with can be found in a post titled "New to DC area - Restaurant suggestions for Arlington and area" (sorry, I have no idea how to link you to it). If you do have the time, and really are willing to explore a little, you would be better off not anchoring yourself to Tysons Corner. Arlington, Falls Church, Annandale, and Reston are not all that far away, and really expand your possibilities.
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Rasika Restaurant
633 D Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
Haandi
1222 W Broad St, Falls Church, VA 22046
Woo Lae Oak
8240 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182
The Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201
Kabobs in NOVA
If Pamir is your idea of amazing, you should probably try a few of the other places mentioned here. I went there tonight based on the above post and its proximity to my commute home. The boneless chicken kabob (all I ever order at Kabob places) probably would have been half-decent had they chosen to cook it all the way through. There were only two pieces that I felt safe eating.
Even if the chicken had been thorougly cooked, I prefer the marinades/spicing that gives the chicken a reddish hue, rather than the yellow hue (saffron?) that their chicken has.
The chick peas were passable, if sweet, but the naan was brittle by the time I got home. The rice was pretty good, a lot like the seasoned (brown) rice that Reston Kabob serves. I did not try the white sauce, the green sauce was akin to what Shamshiry provides, and not great.
Food Corner Kabob House in Tysons (shopping center with Marshall's and Sports Authority) and Charcoal Kabob in Herndon are much better overall than Pamir out here in the western burbs. Food Corner is a little more pricey, however. At Food Corner, try not only the sauce they serve with their carry out orders (green, but yogurt based), but also the somewhat hotter green sauce that is in the squeeze bottles on the tables (ask for an empty sauce cup if you are doing carry out).
EDIT: I noted after posting that a link had been added for Food Corner Kabob House in Annandale, which is commonly owned with the one in Tysons. I have never been to the one in Annandale.
Reston Kabob's brown sauce, although it has been toned down a little, is the best sauce at any of the places I go to. Charcoal Kabob has the best naan.
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Shamshiry
8607 Westwood Center Dr Ste 100A, Vienna, VA 22182
Food Corner Kabob House
7031 Little River Tpke Ste 1A, Annandale, VA 22003
Delirium Tremens Beer - In Bulk.
Depending upon your location in NoVa, you could likely get Rick's in Alexandria or Norm's in Vienna to order you the quantities that you are looking for. It will probably take a week for it to get in, though. Neither likely keeps a huge stash of it, as it is probably not a high volume seller. Total Wine is very hit-or-miss on their inventories. If you are planning to go to one of those stores, I recommend calling in advance to check their stock.
"Home of the" or "World's Best" Food in Washington, DC
Burger King-Home of the Whopper. Maybe the one in Falls Church city? I think their exterior signage (on the roof of the building, not the street sign) had the slogan on it last time I was by there.
"Home of the" or "World's Best" Food in Washington, DC
World's Best Cheesecake did indeed move to Ashland, VA, or thereabouts, several years ago. The original owner sold to a local family, and they moved the business from Lee Highway to Chantilly, as the walk-up retail part of the business had greatly declined over the years. The family decided to relocate themselves and the business to Ashland for "quality of life" reasons. They sold the business to the current owners a couple of years later. I do not know what the facility in Ashland looks like, so do not know if there is any decent exterior signage.
NCAA viewing in Alexandria?
You won't get audio, and it might be a little crowded, but Rustico will have as many games as are being played on their four screens behind the bar. Great beer selection goes without saying, and their burger is pretty darn good also!
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Rustico
827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314
Good Restaurants in Vienna, Virginia
No new occupant. The place is more desolate than ever. There was a "Bar for Sale" sign in the window for quite some time, and maybe about three months ago, a rent-a-truck hauled the bar away. The store next to it (a fabric store?) also went out of business a while back, so only the front corner of the jewelry store still exists on that stretch.
Where to find good Cheese Fries?
Those cheese fries (Snuffer's web site) look a lot like the ones at Fuddrucker's.
