dracisk

Having been born and raised in Rhode Island (and with my parents and the vast majority of my extended family born and raised there), I at least nominally root for all the New England/Boston teams. Having lived in DC or the DC area since 1998, I also root for the Washington teams, except that I waver about the Redskins due to Daniel Snyder, the name, and the fact that they're big rivals of the Giants, which is my father's NFL team (despite having been born and raised in New England, he started life as a Giants fan (the Patriots didn't come into existence until he was a teenager), and he HATES the Patriots). Probably of all the major sports I pay the most attention to and know the most about baseball, and of course I'm a Red Sox fan. Most of this comes from geography and family history, but the 1986 World Series (game six, Bill Buckner) also played a huge role. I was 13 and following every development of the season and the post-season. I was a paper girl, and every day as I delivered the paper I'd note the Red Sox "magic number" to clinch the pennant (I think that's what the magic number was?) as the regular season wound down -- this was on the front page of the Evening Edition (long since obsolete) of the Providence Journal. Then I kept tallies of the playoff series on the front of one of my school notebooks. I distinctly remember that game six and the ball dribbling through Buckner's legs and how heartbreaking it all was. From 1986 until 2004 I was a rabid fan and watched as many games as I could, even when I moved away from New England. Those playoff series against the Yankees in 2003 and 2004 were AMAZING (in 2003 in a terrible way and in 2004 in a wonderful way). Oddly enough, once the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 for the first time since 1918 my rabid fandom waned. I'm still certainly a fan, but I don't follow them like I used to, despite being married to a quite dedicated Red Sox fan. One of my friends described me as a foul weather fan. :-) In 2013 I got married in Vegas, and my husband and I watched playoff and World Series games in Vegas and all up the Califormia coast from LA to SF as we drove the Pacific Coast Highway for our honeymoon. We considered the World Series Championship that year to be the Red Sox's wedding gift to us. Funnily enough about the Orioles, they used to be a non-entity to me, despite them being the Red Sox's AL East rivals. But then I think partially because the Nats came on the scene (I consider them my NL team and am glad there's not much conflict between rooting for them and rooting for the Red Sox) and partially because the Orioles celebrated like they won the World Series when they eliminated the Red Sox from the postseason in either 2011 or 2012 (even though the Orioles didn't make the postseason that year either) I can't stand the Orioles. Makes for some fun trash talking with some of my fellow Marylanders.

I just read through the thread and I wondered if anyone had any updates since most of the reviews are at least 2 years old. I'm going to be in San Juan for the first time in mid-October with a group of five other women (and, most importantly from the eating in restaurants perspective, without my toddler!). I'm not sure how much say I'll have over where we eat (I already know one meal is spoken for -- a birthday dinner at La Madre, which I don't see mentioned in the thread). I'm hoping we won't eat every meal all together and I'll be able to herd smaller groups in certain directions, but I'm not sure how this will play out and don't want to be a food dictator at every mealtime. I know one other person very well and the others only a little bit or not at all. I'm also hoping I may be able to have a meal or two on my own, but I don't want to be or seem anti-social. (The others aren't necessarily willing to go to great lengths for great food.) Anyway, we're staying in Isla Verde and won't have a car. We'll be there for four full days. I know about Jose Enrique and would like to try it even if I have to go solo, and I saw El Jibarito mentioned several times above (and recently). Does anyone have any recent insights? Thanks in advance!

Pupatella. I live in Silver Spring, almost directly on the other side of the Beltway, and work in DC. I just don't get out to Arlington very much. I made a special trip for Osteria Morini last February and was glad I did. I'm never in that part of town unless for a (rare) baseball game.

I drove by recently and it looked to be open.

I'm on a trip down memory lane. I lived above Trio's for 2 years and then lived about 2 blocks south of there for 11 years. It's been a couple of years at this point, but I've enjoyed meals at both Floriana and Agora. I probably enjoyed Floriana more. I also would have suggested Hank's as a third alternative.

Thanks for taking one for the team. Too bad Urban Butcher didn't participate in Restaurant Week -- maybe next year!

I lived in Crofton from 2012 to 2014 and started spending time there in 2011. (I moved there from DC, which was culture shock enough -- I can't imagine moving there from NYC!!) Some thoughts: We liked Christopher's, which is mentioned upthread in posts from 2006. We never tried Fins [Closed] or Pachanga Grill (in Odenton) -- I wish we had! My husband grew up in Crofton and speaks fondly of Lucky Luciano's, but it closed, I think awhile ago. We liked Killarney House (in Davidsonville). I remember the atmosphere especially fondly, but we enjoyed the food as well. I'd heard good things about Bayside Bull (in Edgewater), but we never made it there. We celebrated my husband's birthday at the Old Stein Inn (in Edgewater) one year. I agree about the biergarten in the summer, and, while I'm no connoisseur of German food, I remember enjoying my meal. They had an oompah band! We ate at the Steakhouse (in Edgewater) (called The Original Steakhouse and Sports Theatre above -- I think they changed the name -- it may now be called the All-American Steakhouse) at least once. I don't remember much about it, but that doesn't necessarily mean much -- it was awhile ago. Our mainstay in the area was Grace Garden (in Odenton), which has its own thread. We also enjoyed Lures (in Crownsville) for their yummy burgers and pleasant back patio. In Crofton itself we liked Allison's, a family-owned and -operated restaurant with a pretty standard menu of enjoyable dishes.

Thank you! We went to All Set not long after they opened and were underwhelmed (sorry for the lack of detail, but it was too long ago at this point to provide more). I was considering Jackie's, too. We haven't been there. Do you think they could accommodate a toddler and a 4-year-old? I was hesitant because they seem somewhat upscale. The toddler is generally pretty good in restaurants as far as toddlers go; I'm not sure about the 4-year-old.

Has anyone been to Mix in Silver Spring recently? My husband is hell bent on taking me out for Silver Spring Restaurant Week and I'm trying to make my restaurant selection.

Yes, I remember Gaffney's. I don't know if there was anything between Gaffney's and Willow. I'm sad about Willow. I ate there a few times years and years ago and this thread renewed my interest, although I don't get to Arlington much these days.

I went to the original Austin location last year after many recommendations from Texans and honestly don't remember that much about it ... that probably says something.

I've never been to Mama Chuy, but I don't think it has anything to do with Chuy's, which is part of what's become a large Tex-Mex chain that started in Austin. People from Texas looooove Chuy's. There are Chuy's in Springfield and Richmond, too, plus a bunch of other locations, mostly in the South but also in Ohio.

I wouldn't put Scion in the pan-Asian category. They have a spring rolls starter, but other than that there's not much Asian on their menu. They describe their cuisine as contemporary American.

First off, Scion now has a Silver Spring location, so should it be listed in the multiple locations section of the Dining Guide? Second, I ate a rather underwhelming dinner at the Silver Spring location Saturday night. I remembered a rather tasty burger at lunch last summer (the Scion Burger), so I chose Scion again for a family dinner before my stepdaughter heads back to college. I was working within a lot of restraints (had to be someplace the whole family would like, that could accomodate our toddler, that would keep costs reasonable, that took reservations, not too far from home, etc., etc.), but I wish I'd chosen someplace else. We started with three appetizers, the Fried Pickles (tasty!), the Crab Spinach Dip (unevenly heated and lukewarm at that, not enough pita on the side, although our waitress happily brought lots more when we asked), and the Sweet Potato Nachos (I'm a sucker for nachos, but these were kind of a gloppy mess, basically nacho toppings over waffle cut sweet potato fries, and the "avocado sauce" was unappetizing (I should have known better)). I tried a couple of bites of my husband's Lobster Reuben, which was basically how Don described in 2010 (very rich, and I didn't get much sauerkraut taste, which would have been a welcome respite from the richness of everything else; I also don't remember much rye taste in the bread). I ordered the BBQ Duck Pasta, which I should have known would be a disaster from the description (Spicy Pulled Duck, Grilled Pineapple, Bell Peppers, Onions, BBQ Tomato Sauce, Fried Jalapenos, Linguine). The dish was basically a limp tangle of linguine tossed with the listed ingredients (except for the four pieces of grilled pineapple, which were placed around the outer edge of the shallow bowl) -- it really didn't come together. Big hunks of red bell pepper and onion. Some duck gristle. I rarely leave anything on my plate, but I left a few bites of this (believe me, that's saying a lot!). I guess I should have stuck with the burger, if it's as tasty as I remember it. And at least the fried pickles were good?

I was writing from the perspective of it not being your $10 work lunch, but it's sooooo much better than the $10 options. I was more than happy to pay my $17 yesterday (in addition to the mango chicken I also got some prantha, which they were more than happy to make for me without onion and cilantro), especially since I only buy my lunch at work once or twice a month. P.S. That's very cool that the owners live and are involved in the neighborhood -- I didn't know that.

Sadly, I wasn't drinking at any of my lunches there, but I believe they serve at least beer and wine. I think I saw beer taps and a sign about wine.

Indigo is not cheap but it's worth it. Limited seating inside but a great patio for beautiful days like today (not sure what they'll do in cold weather "“ I guess more people will carry out). Very friendly and warm service. Family-owned and "“operated, and you can tell (in a good way). I had lunch here for the third time today and ordered the mango chicken for the second time. The first time I ordered it I didn't realize it was a special. I was disappointed that it wasn't available the second time I visited, but I ordered the butter chicken, which was also delicious. But the mango chicken is not something I often see on menus in the area (or anywhere for that matter), and I love it. Thinking back, I can't remember if the chalkboard menu described it as spicy (it may have?). What I got was definitely not spicy, and I wouldn't have minded some spice to counteract the sweetness of the mango. Nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed this dish. The chickpeas (chana masala?) served on the side, often an afterthought in other restaurants, were delicious as well with a deep flavor. My dining companion ordered dal, which I can usually take or leave, but this dal was amazing, smoky and complex. I could have eaten a big bowl of this dal with some rice and been satisfied. My dining companion is a native of Bombay/Mumbai and says this is as good as the best home cooking he had growing up. I'm not as much of a connoisseur (I ate Indian food for the first time in college), but I also love the food here!

It (was) actually on University near the intersection with Georgia.

jdc, I can see the image you posted on my home computer, but I couldn't see it on my work computer earlier because Facebook is blocked at work. Exciting sign!

I can't access the image or link that jdc posted, so maybe I'm repeating what he or she already reported, but there's a new ice cream place called Yummy in My Tummy in Wheaton that serves ice cream made by the daughter and grandson of the owners of Tropical Ice Cream, which did indeed close, at least for awhile. (Apparently the now retired owner of Tropical Ice Cream also helps with Yummy in My Tummy's ice cream from time to time.) I live between Tropical Ice Cream and Yummy in My Tummy, and there's been a lot of discussion on my neighborhood listserv about both places. One neighbor recently reported seeing a "Reopening Soon" sign in the window at Tropical Ice Cream, but I haven't seen that myself. Every time I've been to Yummy in My Tummy this summer it's been empty -- they need more customers! I'm pretty sure I've seen Jamaican food there as well.

I've never lived in Northern Virginia and don't have a breadth of knowledge about the restaurants in Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria, but I really enjoyed dinner at Mokomandy in Sterling a couple of years ago -- hopefully it hasn't gone downhill since then. I'm not sure if it belongs on this list, but I wanted to throw it out there.

There's also The Daily Dish on Grubb Road a little bit west of downtown Silver Spring. I was there for brunch about a year ago and enjoyed it. They're in the same strip mall as Parkway Deli.

Urban Butcher in downtown Silver Spring does a Sunday brunch. I haven't been to brunch there, but I've been to dinner a couple of times and enjoyed it.

I could have sworn I'd had them (clams casino) at Carmine's, but I'm not seeing them on their current online menu. Maybe they're part of the hot antipasto appetizer.

I finally had a chance to try The Red Hen last night. (It's too bad I just joined this site a couple of months ago "“ I used to eat out a lot more before my daughter arrived last year.) My husband and I arrived at about 6:20pm and there was already a 90-minute wait for a table. On a Tuesday. In August. Thankfully we found two seats at the bar right away. (Actually, the very helpful and pleasant hosts helped us find them and even offered to ask people to move down to open up two seats together before noticing the two empty seats on the far side of the bar.) The bartender (a male; unfortunately his name escapes me) was also very helpful and pleasant. He spoke to us about the cocktails and wine and helped us narrow down our choices on the dinner menu. We started with the Whipped Ricotta Crostini with Balsamic Brown Butter & Truffle Honey, the Heirloom Tomato & Cucumber Salad with Fried Pita, Radish, Feta, Soft Herbs & Lemon Vinaigrette, and the Burrata with Grilled Asparagus Salad, Salami, Toasted Sesame, Oregano Vinaigrette & Breadcrumbs. My husband chose the tomato and cucumber salad, and I was least excited about that, but it was my favorite of the starters. Fresh and summery with a nice crunch from the fried pita (and the radish?). Maybe a bit too salty for me but otherwise really delicious. I always love burrata, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the asparagus salad and don't remember tasting salami at all. The bartender said lots of people start with the crostini, and I'm a sucker for a cheese and honey combo, but I didn't think this was very interesting. It lacked flavor for me. As a second course I ordered the Saffron Paccheri with Duck Leg Ragu, Chorizo, Mint, Baby Tomatoes & Parmigiano and my husband ordered the Charred Beef Short Ribs with Shelling Beans "˜alla Romesco,' Smoked Onion Salsa Verde, Feta & Balsamico. Of course I'd read about the rigatoni, but the bartender assured us it's never coming off the menu and I couldn't resist trying a pasta dish with mint in it. This dish was light and delicious and unique in terms of what I've ever eaten. I don't remember any taste of chorizo, though. My husband enjoyed his short ribs (he's a real beef guy and would have ordered a steak were there one on the menu), but from the couple of bites I tried I thought they were kind of dry and blah. The short ribs and the beans were certainly pleasantly smoky and earthy but were otherwise meh for me. I may not have been lucky enough from my particular bites, but I didn't get any flavor of the smoked onion salsa verde, the description of which sounds amazing to me. I don't think I see either of the desserts we ordered on the menu posted online. My husband had some kind of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce and maybe another ingredient. The hot fudge sauce was delicious, but this dessert was really pedestrian compared to my sweet corn cake with braised cherries, crème fraiche, and bay leaf gelato. Oh my goodness was this delicious. Summery and light, a great (and unique in terms of my eating experience) combination of flavors. Despite my minor quibbles, I'd go back to The Red Hen in a heartbeat. I definitely want to go back to try that rigatoni "“ hopefully I won't get seduced by another pasta dish next time. Oh, and we didn't find the restaurant excessively noisy.