lmnopeas's Profile
Thirsty Bernie's in Arlington -- anyone been??
I posted that 9 months ago - beer selection has improved. I'm on the planet where things change over the course of time.
Biryani Corner - fast good Indian food in Dupont
That section of P Street is cursed. The place across the street has been the Fractured Prune, Aioli, and now Saigon Bistro. Cafe Trope just closed - Montsouris has been closed for some time.
beer, wings, brats -- for a beer connoisseur's send-off dinner tonight
If the beer is more important the food, than you should be heading to the Brickskellar. They have brats and I think they have wings and of course have a great beer selection. The food isn't great, but the space is pretty fun and tables tend to be available.
Biryani Corner - fast good Indian food in Dupont
The biryani is probably the weakest of the options at Biryani Corner, but it is a great place for a quick and cheap meal. In addition to the very tasty kathi rolls, they have dosas which are also good and some lentils and chickpeas and other curry stuff in steam trays. This is a deconsecrated Quizno's, so it is funny to see all the Quizno's stuff around in this Indian restaurant. If you do get the biryani, beware that it is a giant portion probably enough for two.
Naan and Kabob....new food cart in Arlington
I'm far from an expert on Afghan food, but the naan served at the cart is consistent with the naan that I have had at other Afghan restaurants. I can't say it is my favorite kind of bread, but it seems like a reasonable example of what you would see in the cuisine and not some kind of shortcut.
Naan and Kabob....new food cart in Arlington
I've been to the cart and I had more than a good vibe - I got really good food. It is a limited menu of three kabobs and hummus. I had the ground beef kabob (forgetting the Afghan name) that was cooked fresh in the cart. It was quite delicious and came with Afghan naan and salad. They even gave me some free green tea to drink on the cold day that I was there. I believe there were also lamb and chicken kabobs available.
With the Pupatella doing better business than when they started, I hope it will spread out to this cart as well. I'd recommend stopping by if you're in the area, it is lots of fun.
Food carts?
DC is still a little behind other cities when it comes to food carts, but it has improved a little bit recently. Here's a little ranking:
1. Pupatella - This is the finest food cart in the area. The pizzas and sandwiches coming out of here are as good as any casual options in the area. I'm not in Ballston often during the week, but when I do, I make it there.
2. Korean Food Cart on 14th - The bulgogi here is really delicious and a huge portion. It is simple and good.
3. Pedro and Vinnys - I haven't been since the return, but the burritos here are lots of fun and John Rider really makes the experience unique. The line can be really long, but I think it is worth it. I think a burrito is not quite up to the level of the carts above though.
4. On the Fly Carts - There are a whole bunch of these serving a variety of topics. I'm partial to the vegetarian tacos at the taco-based carts.
I'm always shocked to see lines out the door at Potbelly or something similar when cart food is available. I'm not sure if people are afraid or what, but I would definitely encourage folks to try it out.
Good Food & Growlers. Any Brewpubs offer take out growlers in Arlington area?
Rock Bottom in Ballston has growlers available.
Figs needed
I spotted and purchased some fresh figs at a stand at the Arlington Farmers Market at Courthouse today. It was Granny's Gardens, which is mostly a flower stand, but they did have the figs today. They were pretty tasty. I didn't ask if the figs would be back next week.
Good Stuff Eatery is better than Ray's Hell-Burger?
I would disagree pretty strongly. Ray's Hell Burger for me had such an incredible flavor of meat that I think I could eat it without any toppings or cheese and still be very happy. The quality of the meat shines through. While the Good Stuff burger is good, it cannot begin to compete with the Ray's Hell Burger. I think the Good Stuff burger probably beats out contenders like Five Guys, but I would put it in the category of Elevation Burger - an excellent fast food burger.
Ray's Hell Burger, on the other hand, made me completely reconsider my mixed feelings about burgers in general. One bite of that moist patty almost made me forget all the dry, tasteless garbage that I have eaten in the last 20 years.
In my opinion, Ray's Hell Burger is so much better than Good Stuff that it is not even a competition, but I suppose that reasonable people can disagree.
Spider Kelly's in Clarendon
I stopped by Spider Kelly's in Clarendon last night for a late dinner and walked away pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. The space was a little strange looking at first, almost like they had taken over a fancier restaurant, even though I know it was completely renovated after a run as India Curry House. After sitting there for a little while, I started to appreciate it more though.
There is no beer tap on tap, but a reasonable selection of bottles. If they are going to stick with just bottles, I'd hope they'd add some more exotic selections even on a rotating basis. But, I was happy with what I had to drink.
I had the Dr. Pepper pork chop and the mac and cheese and both were quite tasty. The pork chop was very moist and the Dr. Pepper flavor (marinade, brine ?) worked pretty well. The mac and cheese was really rich, but really delicious. The sauce was thick and cheesy and the noodles had not dissolved into paste.
Definitely a strong addition to Arlington and I look forward to returning.
Ray's Hell-Burgers Opens in Arlington
I ate there tonight and it was extraordinary. There was a short line to order, but I was able to get one of the handful of tables after ordered. I had a grilled burger with onions and peppers and hell sauce and gruyere. Although I can't say that I remember every burger that I've ever had, this may be the best ever.
The meat was incredibly tasty and juicy. So many restaurant burgers are just garbage and I was really prepared to be disappointed by this place, but it exceeded my expectations many times over.
I highly recommend it.
Thirsty Bernie's in Arlington -- anyone been??
I have been there and I like the food quite a bit. The pastrami sandwich was really tasty - it had a great smoky taste to it and it came with very good fries. The beer selection was pretty weak though. A minor step above Miller and Bud (Hoegarden and Boddington's), but it could be a lot better.
Ollie's Trolley
I don't think this is the same place. Ollie's Trolley doesn't have table service or drinks to my knowledge. Harry's is right next door and has burgers and drinks - was it that?
Razor clams? any DC restaurants serve them?
Mitsitam (in the Indian museum) has had razor clam pudding a few times that I've been there. It was pretty tasty.
Pupatella cart in Ballston
I live in Arlington but work in DC, so I don't often get the chance to stop by the Pupatella food cart outside the Ballston Metro stop. After stopping by today, I'm even more disappointed to not have the opportunity to go there for lunch more often.
I don't know how often they are doing this, but they were offering a grilled steak sandwich as a special. This sandwich was among the best that I have ever had, with great meat, onions, and cheese on a delicous grilled bun.
Quite frankly, I don't understand why there is not a line 20 people deep for this kind of food at this price. If you have a chance, get over there.
On The Fly?
I've been to the two carts in Gallery Place and I liked both of them. The Rocklands cart has Rocklands bbq, which I enjoy. I had a pork sandwich that I really enjoyed. The other cart has tacos and empanadas. I tried each of the three taco varieties that were available for $2. The pork taco was just ok, seemed like the meat had not been separated well and was a little hard to eat. The chicken taco had a nice flavor, not just a bland chicken. My real favorite (surprisingly) was the vegetarian taco. It had black beans and I think zuchinni or something like that. It was quite tasty and I would probably get that the next time that I go.
These carts have not been busy the two times that I have been there. I hope more people will be stopping by as it gets warmer, because it would be nice for these kinds of places to continue to be viable business opportunities.
Best Braised Lamb Shanks?
Layalina has a whole bunch of lamb shanks. I've only been there once and had the toasted lamb shank. It was great. Zaytinya also has a very nice lamb shank (hunkar begendi). It is a mezze, but it is pretty large for $9.
Arlington/Georgetown/Foggy Bottom Carryout
That's the place. I think it has changed hands once if not twice in recent times. I'm not sure if the chorizo tacos are even on the menu anymore. The pupusas that I ate a couple of weeks ago were pretty good. It would not shock me if it was closed as I was the only one in there on a Saturday night when other places were packed prior to the national Pupusa day in El Salvador.
Arlington/Georgetown/Foggy Bottom Carryout
When did San Vicente close? I was there two weeks ago. I always found it to be an interesting place.
Victory Hop Devil Draft?
Was on tap tonight (or last night, now) at Dremo's along with a couple of other IPAs. It is a good place to visit before it gets knocked down next year.
New Street Cart Vendors to hit DC
Had the bulgogi for lunch. Pretty tasty and nice to have more cart options in town.
Poutine, my cold weather craving
I've only been there a couple of times, but the food was much better than you would expect. I had some pretty good jambalaya and very nice pierogies. I believe it tends to get more crowded and smokier on weekend evenings, so if you hit it earlier in the day, you should be in good shape. It is a fun place.
Poutine, my cold weather craving
Jimmy's Old Town Tavern in Herndon, while not in MD or DC, is certainly closer than Quebec. I have not had them, but they are on the menu.
Cheese Curds in DC
There is a vendor at the Arlington Farmers Market that has cheese curds. The market is at Court House and is open on Saturday mornings.
pica deli (arlington)
The sign has now been covered with a new sign. It will be the new location for Rocklands Barbeque. It looks like they are still moving the Pica Deli stuff out though.
