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noamb

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Everything posted by noamb

  1. noamb
    > As for eating fast food on vacation, our first stop after the airport on West Coast trips is In-N-Out if we can swing it yeah, I used to do that too. But not anymore https://www.npr.org/2023/07/19/1188706519/in-n-out-burger-bans-employees-from-wearing-masks
  2. noamb
    But trying to read the ingredients on the menu makes me cry
  3. noamb
    Can everyone start mentioning specific locations? I’ve been happy with the south Arlington location, and I’d be interested to know if these problems are location specific or not.
  4. noamb
    Thank you for the pointer. We went with our dumpling-obsessed child (well, adult now) and it was a success. A bit slow to get water and take our order, but after that the food actually showed up really fast. The three kinds of steamed dumplings (pork chive, shrimp celery, and tiger signature which were pork and shrimp) were all really good, as were the scallion pancakes. The chicken soup dumplings were just ok - a little doughy. Some day we’ll have to try the more Szechuan (?) appetizer things, like chicken in chili oil. No photos, but it looked exactly like the ones above P.S. probably the best steamed dumplings (selection and taste) we’ve had in NoVa. District dumplings in Arlington is OK, and Kung Fu Kitchen maybe had better soup dumplings, but other than that we’ve always felt in the past that we had to go to Dumplings and Beyond in DC or someplace in MD.
  5. noamb
    Has anyone been to the Chiko dumpling happy hour? In particular, I’m wondering what kind of dumplings they have, since I only see pork/kimchi on the menu, and I don’t feel like you should have a “dumpling happy hour” with only one variety.
  6. noamb
    Just went there Friday, had to sit on the patio because we had no reservation. Very good sai karok esaan (sausage, spelling’s probably wrong), a bit like sai oua, but more sour. Khao Soi (noodles in yellow curry broth) also very good, only slightly spicy. Meatiest chicken satay we’ve ever had, more spices on the (dark?) meat than usual, really good. Pad see ew also good, but more average. And the wings were vaguely reminiscent of K(orean)FC, with a bit more sour in the sauce (tamarind?), also great. After the post review I’m sure it’ll be even harder to get a table.
  7. noamb
    I know this is getting to be an old thread, and I use to have this opinion as well, but today I went to Daikaya after a number of disappointing NoVa ramen experiences (tanpopo, kimen, takohachi, takeshi, all at least pretty good at various times but bland and/or salty more recently), and it was not that good. Shio broth was very salty, and while my own noodles were cooked enough, barely, one of my companions’ were not even really cooked. Off topic, I guess, but I’ve heard good things about Hanabi. Anyplace else (NoVa ideally, maybe DC) that I should check out?
  8. noamb
    By the way, I wanted to make it clear that I do really appreciate the information about the restaurant and the food itself. It’s definitely the sort of place I would have liked if it were good. The whole pricing thing just hit my pet peeve.
  9. noamb
    Compare the food on any eating dimension (quality, quantity, variety) sure. Say whether the food is worth the price that’s being asked for here, sure. But compare absolute price to a different country with different economic conditions and requiring a trans-pacific flight? That doesn’t mean anything to me.
  10. noamb
    Who cares how much you’d pay in Singapore? It’s _much_ cheaper if you include the price of the plane ticket and hotel. It sucks, fine, I’m not surprised. But I don’t think it’s reasonable to compare prices to another drastically different country.
  11. noamb
    Somehow took me 20 years to get there, but the Waffle Shop (aka Wafle Shop, if you go with the awnings) in Alexandria (on Mt Vernon Ave in Arlandria, specifically) has menus saying they’ve been open since 1950.
  12. noamb
    Anyone heard anything about the planned new location in Arlington https://www.arlnow.com/2023/05/17/lao-restaurant-padaek-and-an-acai-bowl-eatery-are-coming-to-the-arlington-ridge-shopping-center/
  13. noamb
    Closed now, replace with another Thai place called Mum Aroi. I may start another thread. Market next door is also closed, but Duangrat still seems open.
  14. noamb
    I guess maybe this post really belongs here
  15. noamb
    Made it to the Arlington (not Annandale) kabobistan location finally. It was, indeed, very good. Just had the boneless chicken and sides. Rather different flavors than Kabob Palace (especially the chick peas) that reminded me a bit more of Persian kabobs. i definitely plan to go back and try some of the other items. At lunch, at least, they warned up that the bone-in chicken will take 25 min.
  16. noamb
    Coincidentally, we just finally went there for lunch (it’s been on my list for months) and thought it was great. The only place I recall being comparable was Rasika west end, but that was quite a few years ago so I have no idea how it’s doing now. Definitely a bit expensive, but not ridiculous for a special occasion. We also don’t know of any other especially good Indian, although we haven’t explored extensively. Spicekraft in Alexandria is fine, and tends to be our default because of proximity.
  17. noamb
    I didn’t see a topic, which reduces the chances that I found out about it here, so now I don’t remember where I heard about it, but we finally made it to Sahara Grill in Alexandria, not far from Pickett and Van Dorn (1st floor retail in what looks like one of the ubiquitous luxury condos and 1st floor retails, right by the Crafty Crab). The only downside was having to download the Pango app to park. Lots of space inside, and completely empty on a Thursday, so I’m worried about their future. We had a very good chicken shawarma on shrak (or some other very thin wrap) and falafel that was unexpectedly mini-donut shaped, but nice and green inside, and tasty. Hummus was very good, if a little smooth for my preference. Fried kibbeh (I.e. the footballs, not the baked slab variety) was good too. They at first mixed up the falafel plate with a sandwich, but they noticed and just made both for us without charging for the extra item. They also have beef shawarma, lots of other dips, as well as more main-dish like things including North African options such as tagines and bastilla. Anyway, I thought it was one of the better places I’d been to in a while.
  18. noamb
    Seems to have reopened with the same name in Pentagon Row (or whatever they’re renaming themselves). @DonRocks feel free to move this to a new topic. Anyway, pretty small menu, mainly 5 or 6 sandwiches, and some sides. We had a banh mi and a roasted mushroom. Pretty good, not amazing. Bread seemed like it would be good if it was warmer and crispier, but as it was, just ok. Banh mi was a bit overwhelmed with the cold cuts component. Not much seating inside, maybe 10-15 seats at some counters, and lots more outside, but it was chilly today. And Mr. Ma (or someone who looks exactly like his photos) himself was hanging out in the corner, looking at what I assume were business documents (at first I thought it was just some random guy working) but I was too shy to chat.
  19. noamb
    Hong Kong Pearl (7 corners) definitely does, on weekends anyway.
  20. noamb
    After some very inconsistent food at Smoking Kow (tiny, like 4 bites, upcharged spare ribs), I decide to try Smokecraft even though it’s considerably more expensive (and fancier). Food was good, but still inconsistent. Nice brisket, good flavor and pretty moist, but only two small slices. The bbq pork belly also had good flavor, but of two small slices I’d say 3/4 of the total was fat. I’ve had smoked pork belly before, at Chubby’s, and it doesn’t have to be that bad. For $23 (24?) for a two item combo + $4 upcharge for brisket, I’m even less willing to tolerate that kind of misfire. Flavor was great, though.
  21. noamb
    So I’ve been a long time fan, but the last couple of times the non-meat component (rice and spinach) has been oddly bland, although the meat has been as good as ever. What are the current alternative favorites, ideally in the same general area (northern Alexandria / southern Arlington)? Is Ravi Kabob still the other local winner?
  22. noamb
    Odd - I’m pretty sure I’ve ordered from wise guy (pentagon city location) without an app, just from the browser. Yup. Just rechecked. You do have to click on the “desktop” option, but it works fine on my iPhone.
  23. noamb
    I’ve had a surprisingly hard time figuring out which DC area (most relevantly for me the Virginia side) have good bread and butter, either free or as a bread basket you can order. I thought I’d turn to your collective wisdom. Bonus for places that aren’t too expensive. Carlyle in Shirlington has a decent one, from Best Buns. I’ve also heard good things about the Wharf in Alexandria, but the actual food is more expensive than I had been looking for. P.S. If I missed an existing thread, sorry, but I couldn’t figure out how to restrict my search to this board, or otherwise to the DC area.
  24. noamb
    Are we covering the Alexandria location (On Duke, formerly a Baja Frssh, near Kung Fu Kitchen) in this topic as well? If that’s a separate topic, feel free to move this post. We did take out yesterday, and it was just OK. They messed up one pizza, but caught the problem themselves and made a replacement, giving us both for no additional charge, which was nice enough, but was an additional 15 min wait. The pizzas themselves were pretty good, but not amazing. In particular, the crust was a bit tough for my taste. I think I liked Pete’s (now gone from Arlington) better, and definitely prefer Pupatella. it’s also consistent with my opinion (admittedly from a long time ago) that if you’re in New Haven, Sally’s and Pepe’s aren’t worth the line, and you should just go to Modern’s instead.
  25. noamb
    BTW, I just ran across a menu from Zikrayet, in Alexandria near the new Wegmans, and they list kibbe naye. I haven’t actually eaten there, though.
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