Franklun's Profile
Good breakfast or lunch spot near Mayflower Hotel
I have a friend going in to DC this weekend for a wedding and staying at the Mayflower Hotel. I don't really remember that area at all and don't have time to research, I know you guys are good on this board...any quick tips? Thanks...
Durham NC - vegetarian options
Yeah, I already have a stop at Allen & Son planned after I dump him back off at the airport and before I get on the road back up to DC. That was a favorite when I lived down there way back when, and the "barbecue" in the DC area is a joke, even though everyone seems to think they've found the "real deal" at one place or another.
If I get two alone meals, I will have to hit up a tacqueria since the DC area is also virtually devoid of authentic Mexican food (and most of what we accept as authentic are mexican staples prepared by salvadoreans for salvadorean tastes...VERY tasty in many spots, but different). There wasn't much in the way of real mexican options when I was down there, probably because there wasn't much in the way of a latin american population yet, mexican or otherwise. Right about the time I left there was some place opened up near Duke's east campus that had big burritos which were a great deal on a quantity/price ratio basis but really not very good from what I recall. Other than that I don't really remember anything even close to a tacqueria so I am interested to explore this option.
Durham NC - vegetarian options
Visiting the Durham, NC area next week and meeting with a client who's flying in from California. He's reportedly a vegetarian and I have to take him out for a couple meals. He seems like the type who would be just as up for casual / hole in the wall ethnic eateries as finer dining...so recs for either would be helpful.
Doesn't have to be a strictly vegetarian place...actually for my own personal sake it would probably be better if it wasn't...but some place that would have a lot of appealing vegetarian options on the menu. Willing to drive anywhere in the triangle area if necessary.
I was planning to go to Blue Nile but that was nixed when I was talking to him about DC's excellent Ethiopian dining and he said "you know, Ethiopian is like the one cuisine I don't really care for."
Thanks for your help folks!
Is there such a thing as a good "pizza by the slice" spot in DC & Metro Area?
Can y'all big city folk school lil ol me up on the grammars since I am a backwards Nova residence and you do the english so good. Any schoolin you could offer up in being condescending and rude would also be real appreciated like.
Sometimes I forgot how much cooler I was when I lived in the district. Just think...all those suburbanites I forgot to look down my nose at!
Moving to Columbia
Sushi Sono is very close and Sushi King is not far away. I like both.
The Next Food Network Star
Not sure about the ripoff thing...the Next Food Network Star pre-dates Top Chef by almost a year. However, I would agree that this season's Food Network star seems (at first glance) to be a little more similar to Top Chef season 2 than previous incarnations.
Central Review: Fancy Cheesecake Factory for People with Food Pretensions
I wouldn't put it down to the level of Cheesecake Factory, a place I despise...but I too fail to see what all the fuss is about. They could charge 22 bucks for a Ruby Tuesday's bison burger here on a slightly fancier bun and everyone would be raving about the genius of it.
Pho in Baltimore
Believe it or not, the vietnamese population in NoVA alone approaches that of the entire Seattle metro area, so it would make sense that one could get some decent Vietnamese food in NoVA. Not the case in Baltimore though...glad to see a few attempts popping up at least.
New Restaurant in Centreville, VA?
Good find. Do you have any info that would suggest it might be a mexican restaurant? "Sangria Restaurant" screams TAPAS BAR/LOUNGE to me.
I think the last 3-storey Mexican "restaurant" I went to was Papas & Beer in Ensenada. Don't remember much of it.
Where do you do your grocery shopping in the DC area?
Initially I hated Wegman's but soon I learned to appreciate it. Definitely a big-time avoid on weekends. Even when its crowded, they get people checked out quickly with seemingly dozens of lanes open at ones, but it is just impossible to navigate the store and everyone is seemingly meandering about with their heads up their a$$e$. Even at peak times I've never had a problem finding a spot there, I don't really take issue with walking a few hundred feet from a "far" away spot to the store so I don't really look for prime real estate.
The main benefits of Wegman's for me: 1) I am able to get all of my staples which I used to have to go to Safeway, Whole Foods, and TJ for. An occasional trip to TJ is still required. This saves me time, which is most valuable to me. 2) I no longer have to pay whole foods prices for high quality meats, produce, cheese, etc, which is quite valuable to me. and 3) it can be made to be on my way home from work once a week if I modify my route a bit.
But then again if I had to drive 50 miles for anything higher end, I would just make do with Safeway.
Is there still an Oyster Happy Hour at Clyde's Mark Center 10-Midnight?
Is there still an Oyster Happy Hour at Clyde's Mark Center 10-Midnight monday - thurs? Thanks for letting me know!
Crab cakes at the Market Inn?
I am no crabcake expert, but being a frequent business traveller to your area (both Baltimore and Northern Virginia) I end up in a lot of the places that end up in national media outlets as that's what colleagues want to go to. Accordingly, we have been to both Market Inn and Faidley's for crabcakes. Let's just say there was no comparison, the crabcake at Faidley's was incredible and the one at Market Inn was just a crabcake.
That being said, I love crab cakes made with the blue crab you guys have here and I'll take just about any of them over the junk they pass as crabcakes back on the west coast. The only one I had that I didn't like was at some place on the Baltimore harbor, the name escapes me, where the deep-fried crabcake had a taste and consistency which harkened me back to a desparation McChicken sandwich I had eaten several months earlier, with more starchy fillers.
I have had crabcakes at several neighborhoody bar type places in and around Baltimore and really enjoyed most, more than any I can recall having in DC or its immediate suburbs.
In general, the bar food up in Baltimore is really something else. As someone who eats a lot of it as a frequent solo diner, I really value that. I wish I could remember the names of the various places. Hopefully Baltimoreans don't take that for granted. My experiences in VA have been just the opposite. I have been told that bars here are required by law to serve food. It seems that most are doing it simply to meet that legal requirement. I just posted regarding the Firkin and Hound -- a place I didn't really enjoy food-wise (visiting a friend who just moved to the South Riding development) but considering it is in VA it is probably better than average for local bar food in my opinion (which is, no doubt, based on very limited experience).
Firkin and Hound
And what might you have done with the time you invested in complaining about the complainers? At least the other folks had complaints relevant to their experiences at the restaurant.
I've been to the place, and I thought it met my thoroughly average expectations. The people were indeed nice, they did not have the polish I would expect at a 4 star restaurant, but I did not expect that. The food was the quality you would expect from Northern Virginia bar food, which generally sucks, if not a little better. They have decent specials and some of the standard bar fare was better than average (wings were decent as another poster pointed out). If someone went to Firkin and Hound in South Riding expecting a genuine british pub experience with exquisite dining and impeccible service, then maybe someone should remind him/her that he/she is at Firkin and Hound in South Riding and should just enjoy it for what its worth. So in that respect, I agree with you Pub Lover.
Free-range Thanksgiving turkey?
For the truest free-rangers of all, I visit my brother in upstate NY, get a non-resident permit, and shoot a nice fat bearded turkey for myself. I don't know how you can have a "free range" domesticated turkey when ol' Tom and his turkey buddies live wild and free over a broad geographic range in the U.S., waiting patiently to be harvested.
Question Two: Sushi
Frankly OP, I have to question your tastes a little bit...in San Diego, Sushi Ono is decent at best (gets by on hype) and Sushi Ito flatly sucks. Sushi on the Rock and Zenbu, for all their La Jolla pomp, serve far better sushi than either of those places if one properly orders. So, you have your tastes and preferences, which is fine of course, Lord knows I have mine....but your thoughts won't follow prevailing local opinions on what makes for good sushi.
If the recs in this thread don't float your boat, there are a couple of places up in columbia that get raves 'round here, the names escape me but i'm sure they are searchable.
Lauriol Plaza
When did 10 people enter the equation? You had asked why anyone would ever order margaritas at LP any other way than by the half or full pitcher. If you're not sucking them down (easy to do with 10 people) then they would definitely fall victim to icemelt.
I wish I had that many friends. Or that many people I could tolerate, for that matter.
