dracisk

Thanks, Bart! I thought I'd been to Barrel Oak and now that you describe it I realize I have. I remember the dogs and kids. :-) I've read great things about RdV, but I don't think I want to spend $50 there, and my friends won't want to, either.

I think I'll gently push for Linden and see how willing people will be to drive an hour, then we'll figure out our plan from there.

Thank you all for the suggestions! We'll see how far my friends are willing to drive. An hour drive seems reasonable to me. Looks like if we drive to Linden (I think we're going to be a party of six on Saturday) we could stop at Aspen Dale, Three Fox, Barrel Oak, and/or Cobbler Mountain on the way back, but they're all pretty close to Linden. Does anyone know of anything worthwhile between Delaplane and Leesburg?

I'm glad to know about the closer option of the Barns of Hamilton Station, maybe for Friday or Sunday. (Saturday will be our main day for exploring.) There's also a vineyard within walking distance of the house we're renting -- Casanel Vineyards. Does anyone know anything about them? I suspect we'll check it out due to proximity alone, but I'm curious about any intel.

Thanks again!!

I'm spending this weekend in Virginia (in Hamilton, which is just west of Leesburg) with some friends, and we're hoping to do some wine tasting. Can anyone recommended some places to try? None of us is a serious wine taster, but I'd still rather hit some of the better vineyards rather than the worse ones. I saw that someone recommended Hiddencroft Vineyards in Lovettsville, which seems to be not too far away from where we're staying, so I'll put that on my list. I've also seen people praise RdV Vineyards, but I see that they charge $50 for their tour and tasting, and I doubt my friends will want to pay that much (nor do I, to be honest). Plus, it's a 45-minute drive from where we're staying. Is there anywhere else in closer proximity to Leesburg worth checking out?

If anyone has any restaurant recommendations, I'd appreciate those as well. I believe I've read mixed reviews of Tuscarora Mill on this site. I had lunch there maybe 6 years ago and don't remember much about it, and that's about the only place I know in Leesburg or vicinity.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

A very belated and therefore low on detail recap:

We went to the

On 11/6/2015 at 5:27 PM, farmer john said:

barbecue place on the way out of town on 522 North

(Shawn's Smokehouse BBQ) and enjoyed it quite a bit. My husband and I both got combo platters that we shared with the toddler. I ordered my brisket moist and it was a little too moist for my taste, but I'm guessing that's just a personal preference. We enjoyed sampling the different (I believe house made) barbecue sauces on the table. The only other detail I remember is that their cole slaw had shredded coconut in it, which I'd never seen before. I don't even like coconut that much, but I really enjoyed this. The coconut added to the light and refreshing quality of the cole slaw, which wasn't loaded with mayonnaise.

We also went to Yoders and really enjoyed that. We ate lunch at their sandwich bar. (They have a small seating area for people who want to eat in.) The sandwiches were made with Boar's Head meats. We bought some baked goods for later, and the toddler enjoyed the animals in the back.

I wanted to go to the Barbecue Exchange, but we were afraid we'd drive 35 minutes and find the place slammed, so we didn't venture over there this time. We're set to visit the farm again this fall, so I'm hoping to hit the Barbecue Exchange (maybe at an off hour if there is such a thing) and some of the other recommendations in this thread then.

Thanks again to all!

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Do you really benefit from these five paragraphs?

That's more detail than I'd need or want. I appreciate some synopsis of the plot to refresh my memory or to help me decide whether I want to see the movie. I'm not sure what level of detail is exactly right, but the level of detail in the excerpt you quoted seems like overkill.

I'm capable of reading a review and not remembering any plot details by the time I see the movie. I'm also capable of watching a movie and forgetting plot details the next day. Basically my mind is a sieve. So when reviews recount important plot points it's helpful to me after I've seen the movie and not hurtful to me before I've seen the movie. (I'd remember if the review revealed a major spoiler, but they usually either don't do that or include spoiler alerts.) I also agree with Eric that it's useful to know a little about the plot so I know if I'm interested in the movie. I also don't usually read more than two or three reviews, so the plot synopses don't get overly repetitive.

I ate dinner there a couple of years ago. I don't remember many details, but I remember enjoying my meal. I do remember that they made me an interesting and yummy mocktail because I was pregnant at the time -- I really appreciated bartenders who could whip up something more interesting than some mixed juices.

I went Wednesday. My group of four got there a little before 5:30pm (I was the last to arrive right at 5:30pm) and was the second party in line. Needless to say, we got one of the four tops no problem. There were several people in line behind us but not an insane number. The other four top was occupied for most of our time there (I'm pretty sure the second party was a party of three -- a couple with a toddler), but I'm pretty sure there were counter stools available for most of the time (though maybe not two or three together).

I knew very little about Filipino food before going in and greatly enjoyed my meal. I'm glad others posted the menu because I would never have remembered the names or known how to describe most of what we ate.

I really enjoyed the adobong puso ng saging (banana hearts, tofu skin, black peppercorn). This may have been my favorite dish of the night. Very rich and savory.

The pancit bihon guisado (rice noodles, wood ear mushrooms, lemon oil) was probably my least favorite dish of the night. I love mushrooms and was intrigued by the lemon oil, but it was kind of blah. Not bad, just not as delicious and interesting as everything else.

The ukoy had soft shell crab rather than shrimp, as others seem to have had. I really enjoyed the sweet potato but didn't get much crab flavor and am not sure I even got much crab in my portions, but that might have been my bad luck as everyone at my table tore up the fritter.

I enjoyed the ginisang tulya (littleneck clams, chinese sausage, sichuan chile), though I was expecting more heat given the components. I didn't find it excessively fishy. I enjoyed the interplay of the clams and the sausage.

The piniritong isda (branzino, spicy greens, maggi vinaigrette) wasn't really my cup of tea since I'm not a huge fan of fish (especially not whole fish). That being said, I tried some and thought it was pretty good, but I never would have ordered this if left to my own devices. This was a special the night we were there.

The kanding maranao (goat, palapa, tomatoes) was rich and deeply flavorful, maybe too much so on this hot night and after everything else we'd consumed (it was the last dish we received). I found the goat a bit fatty. I don't eat a lot of goat, so I'm not sure if this is common.

I really enjoyed the lumpiang sariwa (pork, shrimp, red cabbage). Bright and fresh flavors with the pork (and I assume shrimp) ground and wrapped in some kind of wrapper (rice?) with greens (and presumably red cabbage, although I don't remember that) with peanut sauce on the plate. Yum. It kind of reminded me of Vietnamese summer rolls, except without the dreaded cilantro.

I also had a cocktail that I would have liked to have purchased in a 2-liter bottle. It's unfortunately not on the menu posted above. I think it was called the Lady Pirate. I couldn't recite its ingredients (it may have had rum and grapefruit juice among other things -- it was fizzy), but it was refreshing and delicious.

The pork tocino pictured immediately above wasn't on the menu the night we went, but my party would have been all over that if it had been. It looks amazing.

On 2/16/2013 at 9:52 AM, dcandohio said:

I went, so you don't have to...

Tel'Veh is housed in one of those massive new apartment buildings on Mass. Ave. Looking at the web site you could be convinced that it is a serious wine bar with a good raw bar, so I was really curious. It's been open since May, so lack of any posting made me wonder...hidden gem? In short, no.

...

I believe Tel'Veh serves as a convenient and pleasant, albeit pricey, living room for the tenants of the apartments and condos above and near-by. It is definitely not a place to seek out, and we see no reason to return.

This place is now Philos Bar, still with a Greek emphasis, although I can't tell from the website whether it has anything to do with Tel'veh. It's near my office, but I've never been (although I might go today).

I went once when I lived in Anne Arundel County. It's been about 3 years, so I don't remember many details, but I do remember interesting cocktails and tasty food. If I spent more time in the Annapolis area I'd definitely go back.

4 hours ago, jondagle said:

Food cart or truck is probably the best option, and I'll be that's not allowed anywhere were it would make good sense.

There are always tons of food trucks just west of North Capitol on Mass Ave. An independent coffee truck would make a killing, I'd think, but it would still be a hike for people in the House and Senate office buildings.

5 hours ago, dz50 said:

This is in no way limited to Tail Up Goat, as many restaurants do this, but I do wish if cilantro was on a dish it would be noted on the menu.  It might be a small thing or garnish for some people, but it is really an offensive taste for others (like me).  I can't be the only one who thinks this, right?  I know there are a lot of cilantro haters out there.

You're not the only one.

I love this place.

I had lunch at Indigo today. I was hoping to have the mango chicken I’ve had in the past, but they didn’t have it, so I resisted the urge to order butter chicken, which I love but is widely available, and ordered something I’ve never had or even seen on a restaurant menu, dhansak chicken. It was delicious! I can't do justice to describing it, but it was very tender pieces of chicken in a mellow yellow sauce with lentils. According to my Mumbaikar dining companion (the same friend from a few posts up), this is a Parsi dish frequently made with beef or lamb. He was very impressed with it, as he was with everything on his plate (three vegetarian dishes, including an excellent rendition of palak paneer in which the spinach flavor really came through – maybe they’re a little less heavy with the cream than other places?).

The restaurant was not that crowded, which surprised me. They were certainly doing good business, but they weren’t bursting at the gills like they have been on my previous visits. The patrons, as Simul noted above, were quite diverse, which I agree is nice to see. Among them were quite a few Indians who appeared to be from India (not Indian-Americans), maybe looking for a taste of home. My Mumbaikar friend isn’t generally very interested in restaurants and particularly not Indian ones (since he can get excellent Indian cooking at home from his mom, who lives with him), but I think he likes this place as much as I do. I don't eat out much at work, but I'm supposed to have lunch with another friend in a couple of weeks, and I might suggest Indigo again.

Welp, looks like Silver Spring is getting another Ethiopian restaurant in the Jackie's space (noticed the signage tonight).

"Ethiopian Restaurant Coming to Jackie's Former Space in Silver Spring" by Andrew Metcalf on bethesdamagazine.com

The Baltimore Suburbs Including Annapolis part of the Baltimore Dining Guide seems to have disappeared. Is that a glitch or by design?

There's one opening at the Wheaton Mall, too.

The Rosewood DC website has this on the Grill Room, but there are no links to menus or OpenTable or anything like that. Maybe they'll add more later.

15 minutes ago, DanielK said:

You wouldn't have gone wrong with the rabbit either - that was a stunning dish.

I'll just have to go back. :-)

24 minutes ago, Simon said:

Does anyone have any more first-hand reports about the roast chicken?  Is it worth the "opportunity cost," when there are so many creative (and smaller) dishes on the menu?

I'm almost never inclined to order chicken in a restaurant, but I thought the chicken was well worth it. I had to convince my friend to order the chicken because she was interested in the rabbit to share.

The lemon-garlic panade in the menu description is inserted between the meat and the skin of the chicken (as I believe others have discussed) and was so delicious. The chicken was extremely moist and tender with a hint of lemon and garlic from the panade. The skin was delightfully crispy. And of course it's a high quality bird (but the portion size was still quite ample). The potatoes that came with it were also delicious.

My friend and I are big eaters, though, and despite ordering the chicken we were still able to sample of bunch of other things on the menu. The waitress warned us that we might have leftovers from the chicken given everything else we ordered, but we proved her wrong. :-)

Looks like Mari Vanna has it. I have yet to try this wondrous food, but I hope to soon.

I noticed a storefront (not open yet) on Connecticut Avenue in Dupont Circle today. I believe it was between N Street and the Mayflower. Their website just says "Dupont Circle location coming soon."

That does sound like a pretty good strategy on their part.

Not online yet I assume? I looked briefly and didn't see it (also assume you would have included a link if it was online).

Totally agree.  It's obvious how and why the changing of the guard ceremony is so moving, but the VIetnam Veterans Memorial is another story.  I'm not sure how a relatively plain wall can have such an impact, but somehow it makes a huge one.

I think it's all those names in stark relief, plus in my experience everyone at the wall is always very solemn and somber. I don't even have any personal connection to the Vietnam War -- I was born a couple of years before it ended, and no one in my family was involved -- but I'm still moved by the wall. My parents had a classmate who died in Vietnam, and I've found his name on the wall. Obviously I didn't know him, but when I found his name I was very moved.

There's an Oscar-winning documentary ("Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision") about the young Chinese-American artist who designed the memorial. She was 21 and still an undergraduate at Yale when her design was chosen in a competition. I haven't seen the documentary, but I've wanted to.

Thanks, Don. This is actually for tomorrow. I wasn't sure about Brewer's Art with a toddler, but I'll consider it.