Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Alexandria'.
-
Couldn't find a free-standing Pines of Florence thread, but arlnow.com reports that they have reopened on Columbia Pike. They are offering a 50% off deal until 8/18. -
Stopped by Smoking Kow for a late lunch today. They opened earlier this week. The place is pretty small, with about four picnic tables to eat at inside. They didn't have wings, tacos or ribs today, which was too bad. I ordered the two-meat platter with pulled pork and brisket, along with barbecue beans and mac and cheese. I also tried all of their sauces. I believe they were: original, vinegar, mumbo, chipotle, and gold. I thought the pulled pork and the brisket were both good, though they didn't provide a lot of it for a platter. I also thought it strange that the brisket only comes chopped. It made me suspicious that they're trying to cover up something, because that's why I do when my brisket turns out dry. Of the sauces, I enjoyed the chipotle the most, especially with the brisket. I really enjoyed their barbecue beans. They're red and white beans with a vinegary sauce that has a lot of interesting flavor to it. Can't wait to try that again. The mac and cheese was creamy, fine, nothing to really write home about. Overall, I'll definitely give this place another chance. I think the transition from food truck to restaurant will probably give them some growing pains. The menus (and meat portions) seem more geared toward sandwiches, which makes sense for a food truck. Hopefully they'll have brisket slices and ribs in the near future.- 21 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- Local Chain
- Barbecue
- (and 3 more)
-
Interesting find. I believe I know which shopping center that is. What did you get there? -
As far as I’m aware, Kismet Modern Indian in Old Town is the finest Indian restaurant in the DC area right now, and perhaps ever. (Based on a single carry out order, its sibling Karma is right there by its side). The breads, the raita, and some of the dishes are the best Indian food I’ve had on this side of the Atlantic. It’s on a very short list of regular go-to’s, and tonight was probably my tenth time ordering from them. Honestly, I wouldn’t know what to even compare it to in the DC area. It’s very expensive, but the quality is in the dishes. Kismet also has a workable wine and beer list. There have been a few dishes I haven’t loved, but there has been nothing I thought wasn’t honorable. I feel like I’m dining at a Michelin one-star restaurant in London. Cheers, Rocks- 5 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- Alexandria
- Old Town
- (and 3 more)
-
From: The List, Are You On It. Christophe Poteaux, currently Executive Chef / Food & Beverage Director for Aquarelle at The Watergate, will open this new restaurant in Old Town Alexandria by September, featuring a moderately priced, modern French/Mediterranean cuisine with a blend of world ingredients. So does anyone know where and when this is going to open? -
Should be pretty interesting to see how it is received by the community. "A Sushi Bar Fit For Adults" (WTOP, 4/26/13) "Preparations Underway For Upscale Sushi Bar in Del Ray" (Del Ray Patch, 4/9/13)- 54 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- Alexandria
- Del Ray
- (and 4 more)
-
Not only is this restaurant not in the dining guide, but neither is Kingstowne. As far as Kingstowne is concerned, that slight is merited. The food there is abysmal. But as far as Johnny's is concerned, this is one of the better pizza places in Fairfax County, similar in a way to Tony's in Fair Lakes. I'm not talking about artisanal flatbreads in wood-fired ovens with charred bottoms and with artichokes and pears and goat cheese on them. I'm talking about pizza to whom you would treat your son's rugby team, or your neighbors from Brooklyn, or your old frat brothers, or the local fire house, or returning veterans, or people with a last name ending in a vowel. This is hearty and tasty fare, not necessarily low cost, but hitting some good notes in the quality department. The Meatatarian, Valentino Special and Mo's Special are among my favorite pizzas in the area, and I've heard others rave about the Buffalo Chicken pizza. Subs are pretty good here too, about as good as Bozelli's but maybe not quite up to Italian Store standards. I have taken a liking to the salami, anchovy and roasted peppers sub. Pastas and other entrees are in the good category, not great, but filling and tasty and able to feed a family well. However, I don't recommend this place for eat-in. The interior is small, and storage shelves and crates cramp the back end of the limited space. For a quick snack when you're in the area, it's not bad, but take-out or delivery within a 3-mile radius is a better bet. http://www.johnnysnystylepizzeria.com/index.html -
I look at this as "new opening" experience, but not a good one. Mia's had been open about 10 days when I dined there last Sunday evening. It retains the layout established by Carluccio's: The bar is in the back left of the 1st floor, with dining tables at the front. The former bakery area is now a pizza oven and "bar style" seating for dining. The main kitchen and a dining area on the second floor. Overall, I liked the decor and interior look and feel. The menu looks great, though our food was a mixed bag, as was the service. They have a number of issues to work out in these early days. We arrived for a 7:30 reservation at 7:21 and were told (unapologetically) it would be a few minutes before we could be seated. The place was busy, but I didn't feel welcomed at all by the host. (Perhaps he was trying to accentuate an air of exclusivity and buzz. Hmmm.) I initially thought the bar was in the front by the host stand -- and it was full. But this is bar seating at the pizza oven. There's no bartender there. So we left and had a drink at Pizzeria Paradiso, to return in a little while. When we returned we were seated with our party. Where to begin? The service was ok, with exceptions. The food was a mixed bag, as were the drinks. Definitely a lot to process here -- for me and for Mia's. They have a nice cocktail and wine list. I enjoyed their camomile tea-infused Negroni and we ordered a nice bottle of wine (delivered by a manager with radio in her ear and on her hip). But the Bellini was a problem for one of our companions. They had eaten at the bar a few days before and enjoyed Bellini's there. But this one was different. The menu lists "prosecco, peach purée, orange juice, lavender bitters." They believed the original was either missing the bitters or had much less. And the same for the orange juice. They found this one disappointing. The four of us ordered a spinach salad and capresse to share, with 2 pastas, eggplant parm, and a pizza (which looked like a "flat bread" to me). First the salad arrived. We saw a Capresse coming at the same time, but it wasn't delivered to our table. It was ~10 min before we asked about the capresse almost as one was arriving. The spinach salad was fine; solid. The Capresse has some of the best mozzarella I've tasted. Very fresh and delicious. But it was served with grape tomatoes, and not enough of them for the generous cheese slices. I could swear I saw slices of tomato on the first Capresse I saw, but not sure. About the same time as the Capresse arrived, the pizza arrived. The pizza's are rectangular and cut diagonally thought the center, and perhaps two more times--I didn't really study it.. Again, it seemed like a flatbread, though I didn't taste. (I'm not familiar with rectangular Italian pizza, maybe that's a thing.) Unfortunately, that meant that one us had his dinner too early. I ordered a "spicy" shrimp Diavolo with fettuccine (the online menu shows this as "LOBSTER FRA DIAVOLO"--that was not on offer). Other meals included RIGATONI ALLA CALABRESE, and EGGPLANT & PORCINI “POLPETTA”. The house made pastas are delicious. My pasta was light and delicate, despite the wide noodle. The Calabrese was a very tasty sauce and the pasta was a bit more al dente but delicious. I liked the eggplant, though I'm not much of a connoisseur in that department; our companion found the portion too large and the breading a little too much. Now back to the shrimp. It was devoid of spice. The only hint of spice was the red pepper I shook onto it. The tomato sauce was flavorful and fresh tasting, but the chef forgot to add several spices I suspect. That was another disappointment. The pasta dishes were still tasty enough that we took home what we didn't eat. When our waiter came back we chatted with her about all of these observations and we got nothing more than "oh, sorry" this and that, as well as an exaplainaton that the pizza kitchen is separate from the main, so food might come out differently. Uh, ok, it's still a poor experience. What annoys me is that after trying to give genuine, helpful feedback we go no acknowledgement. We should have been comped the Bellini at a minimum. Maybe offered a discount on the check or on a future visit. The manager should have been called to talk with us (they were NOT remotely busy by this point). We were told how the staff had trained for a month before opening. I think they missed a few things in training. I also wonder what the management trained on. I also have to mention that the seating is too tight in the tables by 1st floor windows. There is barely enough room for waitstaff to get between the tables perpendicular to the windows and the chairs of patrons seated in the tables parallel to the windows. I was bumped at least twice, my sweater was brushed off the back of the chair, as was my wife's coat. I looked a the layout and wondered what the managers were thinking. I saw staff struggling to get through the gauntlet of patrons' chairs and window tables with less than 3 feet of clearance. The divider between dining and bar should be moved 2-3 feet toward the bar. I want Mia's to succeed and I'm generally a fan of Alexandria Restaurant Group's efforts and what they bring to the community. This location has a history of being difficult -- it's sad to think about how long it's been vacant over the past 15 years. I note that there are several Italian restaurants on this block (Il Porto, Landini Bothers) and a pizza restaurant (Pizzaria Paradiso). So I have to wonder whether an Italian kitchen is what the 100 block of King St needed. Is this a slap in the face? The gauntlet thrown down? I'll leave that for others to decide.- 17 replies
-
- 2
-
-
-
- Alexandria
- Old Town
- (and 2 more)
-
I didn't see a thread for Vola's so I thought I would start one. Website Vola's is located in the old Waterfront Market space. They have both the restaurant and outside seating on the boardwalk at the waterfront currently open. I went for lunch yesterday. The inside has that seaside casual seafood joint vibe to it, and I thought it was nice for this location. The outside seating really hasn't changed at all from Waterfront Market. I would suspect that it will do really well. The space is laid out similarly to Waterfront Market with the bar where the service counters were located. I thought the menu had a nice selection of items and will go back and try other things, especially as my office is next door. I don't think they are near as good as Drift, but after one meal, it is not a bad option in Old Town. My server was Donovan, I would go back alone for the service. He was just genuinely nice and warm, but was very professional at the same time. I really enjoyed having him as my server. The food came out in a reasonable time for my lunch break, which is more than can be said for Blackwall Hitch. I had the grouper sandwich. It tasted to me like the grouper was done via sous vide then seared off, but I am not sure, and I don't care if it was as it kept the fish very moist, but also appropriately flavored, but the texture of the fish didn't fall apart, like the salmon I must have sous vide for too long the other night. I really like the sandwich, I thought it had a good bread, sauce, lettuce ratio and nice seasoning. The fries with old bay were delicious and I ate way more than I needed to- although I am quite partial to Old Bay on about anything. The coleslaw was also pretty darn good. It was on the sweet side, but not real sugary like they serve some places down south, I thought it had a nice balance to it and I like the thinness of the sauce. I thought the prices were in line with this part of town for what you got. I am hoping they have a fish taco special every now and then. But I definitely will go try more of the menu. Same photo from the Where did I Dine thread of the sandwich.
- 10 replies
-
- 4
-
-
- Alexandria
- Old Town
- (and 4 more)
-
I don't see a thread for Lena's Wood-Fired Pizzas & Tap at 401 E Braddock Rd, near Braddock Metro Station. Friends and family opening was this weekend, and soft opening reported for today. This is said to be a partnership between management of The Majestic/Virtue and the Yates family. The space looks great. Large bar. Extensive outdoor patio with fire pit and gas heaters.
- 11 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- Alexandria
- Braddock Road Metro
- (and 4 more)
-
La Fromagerie is a new cheese shop that will be opening soon in Old Town (corner of King and Payne Streets). From the website, it looks like the focus will be on American products. Anybody have any additional details? -
I am more than mildly excited about the opening of Shababi, a takeout-only "ghost restaurant" operating out of Roro's Modern Lebanese Cuisine at 5655 General Washington Drive, Unit A, in Alexandria. Musakhan is more or less the national dish of Palestine, and when executed well, it is among the best of the world's chicken meals. And I have a feeling to believe it will be executed well, because Marcelle Afram was the former executive chef at Michelin-starred Maydan in DC, and is teamed up with Roro Asmar, who own's Roro's. If you've never had musakhan, it's a real treat for chicken lovers. It's a rotisserie-style halal chicken with amazingly crispy skin, coated with allspice, sumac, cumin, fenugreek, and cardamom, and cooked in a special oven imported from Lebanon. And as if that wasn't enough, za'atar fries and onion flatbread, followed by funnel cake-like zalabia for dessert, shoudl make for delectable meal. And for you vegetarians, I'm betting the mushroom shawarma will hit the spot. They will start taking pre-orders on January 18 and will go live on January 22.
- 13 replies
-
- 4
-
-
- Palestinian
- Lebanese
- (and 5 more)
-
https://www.oaksteakhouserestaurant.com/alexandria-menus/ Hubby and I went to Oak Steakhouse the other night. Surprisingly it was our first time there. We thought about getting fancy steak, but Hubby felt like steak frites, and there was a halibut with curry sauce that sounded great. So we went off script. Glasses of wine, as we didn't really want to go all out. But we were celebrating a good day of work for me with a nice dinner. Hubby's steak frites was likely 6 oz steak and a huge pile of fries. The fries were good, I stole many. The steak had good flavor, I just had a bite. I am interested in getting a good steak next time around, looked good. BUT... my halibut was great. It was crispy on the outside but tender and flaky inside. It was served with forbidden rice, red curry sauce, green papaya and nam prik. It was really delicious. Honestly, it will be hard not to order it again. Hubby thought it was spicy, I didn't really think it was spicy, but the rice was cooked well, I dipped lots of fries in the curry sauce too. I loved it. We also were given a side of brussels with apple cider soy caramel sauce with crispy shallots, and man they were great. REALLY sauced and carmelized, but I liked them a lot. Hubby also was a huge fan. I am sure these are not low calorie Brussel sprouts, but man, delicious umami, sweet with a hint of salty. Loved them! Anyway, not cheap, but very good, and very nice service. Halibut was def worth it.
-
- 6
-
-
- Alexandria
- Steak
- (and 1 more)
-
We used to be fans of La Strada before it closed, but only recently found out (via a Daily Deal) that a new restaurant had long since taken its place. I'm surprised that I didn't hear of its replacement before. Apparently, the new place has been in operation about 2 years. Before we went, I read that it was owned by the same owners as Pines of Florence, of which I had not heard good things. Nonetheless, we gave it a try last night and were impressed. We enjoyed the caprese, mussels with linguini, and spaghetti bolognese. Bread was good too. My husband said the minestrone soup was the highlight of his meal. We like the menu choices - solid Italian-American which I miss from my childhood in Brooklyn. We will be back to try other tempting menu items like eggplant parmesan and seafood pasta! The only nit was that the mussels were small, but they were tasty and the marinara sauce was delish. I recommend that people give it a try. I am worried about the survival of the mom and pops. -
I've eaten there in the past, for dinner and for weekend brunch. I haven't been there in a few years because it wasn't that good, but I might give it a try again....it's literally right around the corner from Mediterranean Gourmet Market, so if I'm in that neighborhood, I'm usually there for my MGM fix.
-
This restaurant is in soft-opening mode still with little web presence and a limited menu (not all the items on the printed menu are available yet)...that being said I think it is a game changer for the miserable state of dumplings in Alexandria. We went on a Sunday morning and had the following: Pork Soup Dumplings(XLB) --- I thought these were better than the XLB at all the Rockville joints. Great flavor to the soup--perfect mix of fat and meat. Thin delicate wrapper, yet sturdy enough not to tear when removing it from steamer basket. Steamed shrimp (har gow)--crisp shrimp, well made tapioca wrapper, held up without becoming mushy Scallion Pancake--were fine--Ive had better--less flaky and more flat Pan Fried Buns with egg and Chive--these were deep fried and tasty with fresh chives Pan Fried Buns with shrimp and Chives-- These were in a har gow style wrapper but pan fried with crispy bottoms--excellent Vegetable Stir Fried Noodles--these were a bust--we wanted something with the hand pulled noodles and these were the only veg option--noodles were good but sauce tasted like it had tomato sauce or ketchup in it--very weird This place is a franchise from NYC and is well reviewed there. I am excited for the full menu and will definitely be back. I think this place is going to be mobbed once fully opened and reviewed in the press. No website yet-- so I am grudgingly putting the yelp link here.- 18 replies
-
- 5
-
-
-
- New York Franchise
- Alexandria
- (and 2 more)
-
Hmmm . . . everything I've ever read about Yamazoto emphasizes that it's a place specializing in, well, humongous "specialty" rolls, which I've found to be a surefire sign that I won't like it. But if other Rockwellians would confirm its quality . . . -
WARNING: Shameless plug for Evening Star Cafe & The Wild Grape (JParrot)... This Monday, April 24th, the Evening Star Cafe is hosting Richard Weiss of The Wild Grape at our monthly wine dinner. If you like small production wines from South Africa, this is most definitely a not-to-be-missed dinner. Chef Matt Cordes and his staff are pairing their creations with seven wines from The Wild Grape. Menu Vischysoisse with Parsley Froth paired with a 2005 Louisvale Unwooded Chardonnay (Western Cape) Seared Scallops with Farmer Greens, Fennel & Articoke and a Lavender Vinaigrette paired with a 2005 Monteroso de Franchi Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc Pan-Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast with Savory Sour Cherry Bread Pudding, Minted Duck Jus and Micro Greens paired with a 2003 Avondale "Amira" Syrah (Coastal Region) and a 2003 Hartenberg "Ecurie" Cab, Shiraz, Pinotage, Merlot Blend (Stellenbosch) Caraway & Herb Crusted Lamb Round with Red Onion, Parsley & Black Pepper Creme paired with a 2003 Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Blend and a 2001 Vergenoegd Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Stellenbosch) Raisin Tart with Port & Muscat Drizzle paired with a 2005 Vriesenhof Melelo Muscat d'Alexandrie, Tinta Touriga (Stellenbosch) Price is $85 per person (includes tax & gratuity). RSVP by calling Planet Wine at 703.549.3444. -
Had a pre-dinner meal at Sampan Cafe this evening. This place is in the little strip mall where Mediterranean Gourmet Market is located, and whenever I'm in this vicinity, I always eat at Mediterranean Gourmet Market. It's the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia, I'm convinced, but it turns out it closes on Sunday evening at 5pm. So, Plan B was Sampan Cafe, a few doors down. I had been going to Sampan Cafe for over 20 years in its original incarnation. It used to be the definition of American Chinese, with big floppy egg rolls and chop suey on the menu, and the waiters clad in red tuxedo tops. Not many Chinese people ate there back then. It closed about 6 years ago and an average-ish Vietnamese restaurant took its place. Then about 4 years ago, it reincarnated as Sampan Cafe, under different ownership. I have raved a bit on this board about Canton Cafe in Springfield. Sampan Cafe is at least its equal, and maybe then some. Aside from a few quirks in the service -- girlfriend's entree arrived about 5 minutes before mine -- the food here is very good and the clientele is mostly Chinese. We started with a whole steamed oyster with black bean sauce that was exquisite (and large). Last night I had the Beef in Black Pepper Sauce at Canton Cafe and labeled it Peking man-food. I mentioned that at $16 it was superior to any beef dish I ever had at Morton's or Ruth's Chris or any other steak house that would charge $40 for a la carte beef. Well, tonight I had the same dish at Sampan Cafe, and it was even better and was only $14. It came out sizzling like Canton fajitas, but the beef was perfect, tender and juicy. Girlfriend had her standard seafood combination, which in this case was off menu. Chunks of scallops, shrimp, lobster, and veggies in a white sauce, for $12.50 (did I mention lobster?). The chef's specialty here is "Hong Kong style" and I intend to come back and taste "Sour Cabbage Stir Fried with Intestine" and "Salt Fish and Chicken Stir Fried with Chive Flower".... Bottom line is that Sampan Cafe in its current incarnation is very good, and at least the equal of Canton Cafe, but at a better value. [but I still have the problem of passing up the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia just a few doors down!]
-
I just saw the paperwork in the window. Oriental Cafe's signage is still up and the interior looks untouched thus far. Please, if there is a Santa Claus, let this place be better than the Little Caesar's abomination a few doors down.- 29 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- Local Chain
- Alexandria
- (and 6 more)
-
We happened upon the now open Monaco Old Town when we couldn't find enough seats to eat at the bar at Eve. The restaurant and bar areas were both packed and it was pretty late so we just picked our way through the bar menu. The shrimp corn dog was lightly breaded and much better than it sounds. The crab cake, fries, fried apple pie/turnover, and vanilla ice cream were not. The space is modern and maybe a little overly hip. They do have 20 bottles of wine at $20 a piece and a couple VA wines (Barboursville) available by the glass. I'm not sure I'll rush back, but it looks like they've already developed a pretty good following. Some more details here. -
Don asked where we've eaten recently. Last night we walked to the Pita House in Old Town. website It was our second visit this year. It is a nice walk though old town and a casual and inexpensive spot. They seem to do a fair amount of takeout, as well. I had the chicken shawarama salad and my husband had one oft the specials - it was lamb stewed with okra and other veggies. He loved it. The lamb was tender and he really likes okra. It came with a basic salad and rice. The shawarama salad was a basic garden salad with feta cheese and chicken shawarama. Pretty tasty, although a the chicken was a bit dry. The tahini sauce was a nice addition. I didn't try the pita bread, but my husband pretty much demolished the basket on his own. We've been eating out a lot lately - this last week has also included: CD Cafe - Solomons Overwood - Alexandria plus festival food at Zoofari and the Brew-and-Que (St. Mary's county) -
Mango Mike's owners are opening a new place (supposedly bbq?) in that former gas station/now construction site next to the Dairy Godmother. I guess they're participating to generate some buzz/goodwill in the new neighborhood. -
Market to Market in Del Ray offers made to order subs and sandwiches with fresh breads and quality ingredients. They also have prepared foods such as lasagna and meatballs that come from the kitchen(s) of Cafe Pizzaiolo. They carry a small selection gourmet groceries (pasta, sauce etc), wines, a large beer selection and probably one of the best baguettes in the DC area. There are a couple tables inside and out, as well as a blackboard with daily specials. Look for Specialicious coupons and you'll really get a deal. Try the "Randolph" and enjoy very thin pastrami on rye and just go with the shredded lettuce and tomato. It works!
-
I could not find a topic for Monterey's Pizza in Alexandria. They just opened a new location about a block away from their old location. They are going to have a patio, they have some inside seating (not huge about 7 tables of various sizes). Beer and wine license coming. We have tried DRP, Lost Dog (our previous favorite), Lena's and Monterey's so far has been our favorite delivery/eat in pizza that we have found so far in the Alexandria/Del Ray area. the crust has nice char, I think the toppings are really good. The staff is really nice, delivery is fast. We have eaten in their new location and while not amazing ambiance wasn't bad, we watched baseball and ate some pizza. I think the sauce is better than Lena's, crust is better than Lost Dog, and I am not sure why exactly, but as a whole I find it better than DRP. Anyway, just my two cents.
- 4 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- Alexandria
- Pizza
- (and 2 more)
