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monkeyrotica

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  1. monkeyrotica
    Mokomandy in Sterling serves poutine. It's served with sausage and bacon, but I'm sure they can hold it for you. Society Fair did a corned beef poutine that was an obscene mashup of fries, gravy, curds, and a breadless reuben. It took years off my life. I regret nothing.
  2. monkeyrotica
    Hit Tempt Asian Cafe the day after Thanksgiving for something spicy. Went ages ago because I was craving ma po tofu with some pork in it, but never got around to trying the spicier stuff. The joint was empty at 11:30am. First out was spicy pork belly with shaved cucumber and hot chili oil. The pork was thin sliced as was the cucumber and the textures really worked well together. I also got some spicy tripe with was also thin sliced, almost like a tender version of crispy pig ear. Unfortunately, the cilantro overpowered the other flavors. We ordered some spicy cod with soft tofu to share. The serving was enough for at least four people. Big bubbling cauldron of fish, tofu, toasted garlic and chilis. Nice textures with the predominate heat being black pepper. I ended up picking off most of the cilantro at which point the waitress asked if I wanted it off my fish dish which was still in the kitchen, which was nice. She also recommended the "Bamboo Fish," which I'd never heard of before and turned out to be boneless pieces of filet in a batter (I want to say egg-based, since it wasn't crispy like tempura but had the texture of a firm omelette, albeit deepfried) dusted with fried red chilies, cumin, and pepper. Nice level of heat that was almost at my sweat-breaking tolerance, but what got me were the combination of spices, which reminded me of Old Bay with the cumin and black pepper torqued up to 11. Just as we were leaving, a tour bus showed up and at least 40 Chinese folks piled off, so in spite of the 1-Star Yelp reviews for their uninspired General Tso's Chicken, they seemed to be doing pretty good business.
  3. monkeyrotica
    In no particular order: Restaurant Eve Namaste Momo Sushi Thai Ghang Waan Seoul Le Refuge Su Pollo Pupatella Vermillion Cosmopolitan Grill I guess I'll pile on the RT's love. Although I prefer the Leidenheimer po boys at Bayou, and the crawfish at Thaibox, the fry cook at RT's knows what he's doing. I'll also add Southside 815 for the low country cuisine; nothing fantastic, but always consistent. Good greens. Having had wildly inconsistent pies at both Red Rocks and Pizzeria Paradiso in Old Town, I find myself returning to Faccia Luna which has never let me down. For Mexican, it's a tossup: La Mexicana Bakery for the sopes; Tacos el Costalilla for the tacos. They're also one of the few places that still does a torta ahogada; I just wish it was on La Mexicana's bread. --- Seoul (TheMatt)
  4. monkeyrotica
    Vienna Inn and Shake Shack do good cheese fries, but neither are in Alexandria/Arlington. Haute Dogs in Old Town are pretty good, too. There's Ben's Chili Bowl off Wilson Blvd, but I've never been to that one. If it's anything like the U Street location, it'll be Cheez Whiz.
  5. monkeyrotica
    What's the age spread for the crowd at Bob's Barbershop? At my barbershop, the average age is 206 and they pretty much hate everything that isn't Matlock. I'll have to check this location out. Don't really care for the organic, free-range fare at Silver Diner. I usually end up at either Delia's, Alban Deli, or Gunston Gourmet for my diner fix. They're always full of construction workers and lawn care guys getting their morning grease fix on the cheap.
  6. monkeyrotica
    Rose's Luxury gets all the attention, but the area south of 8th Street near the SE Freeway and before you get to the Navy Yard has a few cheaper eats options worth mentioning. Open for over a year, Cafe Kimchi at 751 8th St SE offers good breakfasts and interesting Korean fusion. Located in the Capitol Hill Subs shop that had been around since at least the 1970s, the current shop is tiny with only a single communal table and two small counters with stools. They do mostly takeout, but they do kimchi burgers, kimchi burritos, kichi reubens, bulgogi subs, and even a kimchi grilled bacon cheese so you name it, they'll put kimchi on it. Nearly everything is under $10. Really clean shop and nice people. South of the freeway, Ziaafat Grill opened less than a month ago, serving Pakistani halal kabobs, curries, biryanis, as wel as haleem and nihari on the weekend. They're located in the former Levi's Port Cafe building and do most of their business on the $10 lunch buffet; the bone-in goat curry had a nice level of heat and you could cut it with a fork. Tandoori chicken was dark meat and was very moist and the rice was seasoned with peppercorns, carmelized onions, and cloves. Really nice use of aromatic spices with a good, slow burn that kicked in about 5 minutes after you started eating. This is definitely not a destination neighborhood, so I doubt any real estate developer will start trying to call it "SoBaRo" any time soon, particularly since there's still a Sbarro inside the Navy Yard food court. Still, they've finished construction on The Brig beer garden across the street and with Las Placitas moving in nextdoor, the area should be a lot less desolate.
  7. monkeyrotica
    Okay, I think I've got my bearings now. I definitely recall the Hot Shoppes at Baileys Crossroads where the Best Buy is now. I'm probably merging that one with the Roy Rogers in my brain. On the subject of diners in that area, I'd like to plug City Diner off Leesburg and Seminary. Solid Greek diner fare and breakfasts. And they do a surprisingly good mazoh ball soup, which was a godsend when I was craving mazoh ball soup and Celebrity Deli was out. Broader menu than Bob & Edith's, but less of a diner-ey vibe.
  8. monkeyrotica
    The place I'm thinking of was near Buchanan. It was a Hot Shoppes, then a Roy Rogers, then Bob & Ediths, then Sauca.
  9. monkeyrotica
    I was never a fan of the crowds or the lines or the drunks at the original Bob & Edith's; their second location in the old Hot Shoppes space further up Columbia Pike was an improvement, albeit short lived. I've been to the Crystal City location three times and every time, it was everything a diner experience was supposed to be. Burgers are solid, fries fried properly, coffee hot and fresh. Servers clean, fast, and professional. While I'll still go to the "Wafle Shop" in Del Ray for the ambience, I come here for the food.
  10. monkeyrotica
    Their schnitzels are pretty obscene. The last one I had was the size of a hubcap.
  11. monkeyrotica
    I guess I need to give Bozzelli's another try because I did the pepperoni cheesesteak at the Lorton shop and it was terrible. Since the Italian Shop in Belle Haven folded, I've been getting my Italian sub at Sherwood Gourmet, another mom & pop shop. Not as good as Italian Store or Mangialardo's or Litteri's, but it hits the spot and I don't have to drive an hour.
  12. monkeyrotica
    Really like the cevapcici and Bosnia Burgers at Cosmopolitan. Also the fresh breads. Both are excellent at Balkan Grill as well, but that's more carryout. They also do a killer doner kebab which is pretty hard to find around here. --- Cosmopolitan Grill (JSnake) Balkan Grill (Biscuit Girl)
  13. monkeyrotica
    We've been going to the El Paso near Belvoir for years. Recently, they opened yet another El Paso further north off Richmond Highway near Quander Road in the old Las Vegas Lounge location. Identical menus; pretty standard Tex Mex burritos/tacos/nachos. Generous portions, but nothing particularly exotic like what you'd find at Tacos El Costalilla. Just the familiar stuff you wouldn't mind serving your flavor-averse relatives while you have a bowl of their menudo with a bottle of Sol.
  14. monkeyrotica
    Tubby's folded a year or so ago. It's yet another car loan place. Johnny Mac's Rib Shack up Route 1 does really good soft serve, milkshakes, and concretes. The place looks like a retrofitted Tastee Freeze. The Carolina bbq is just okay (zero smoke flavor), but they do some solid breakfasts, cheeseburger subs, and chili dogs.
  15. monkeyrotica
    The pizzas at DRP have been hit or miss, depending on who's manning the ovens and what time of day. They have a double-patty burger called "I've Had That." It's served with pickles and Thousand Island sauce and reminds me a lot of the Mighty Mo burger from the Old Hot Shoppes. Only medium rare.
  16. monkeyrotica
    Booze is NOT cheap at Morini. They have a fairly deep selection of Italian reds, and they're priced accordingly.
  17. monkeyrotica
    La Mexicana upgraded their folding chairs and plastic tables. They've got six wooden two-person tables for dining in now. I also don't mind spending the extra couple of bucks just because the owners are such nice people. Really miss their torta ahogada. The Mexicuban is a solid sandwich, but it's a pretty obscene, two-person affair. Tacos El Costalila still does an ahogada, so I'll have to give theirs a try, but their bread isn't nearly as good as La Mexicana's.
  18. monkeyrotica
    Mamma's does decent pizzas, pastas, and gyros, but every time I go there, there's almost always a wait. I don't know whether this is because the food is great or the lack of anything comparable in the area. Primo Family Restaurant in Belle Haven used to be pretty terrible, but the last couple times, they managed to pull off pizzas and souvlakis without a hitch. Our usual Greek-owned pizzeria is Atlantis; I like them because they always have half a dozen soups on the menu. Most restaurants barely have one. When I want more classic diner fare, I do the new Bob & Edith's in Crystal City (there's another in Springfield, but I've never been). It's out in the sticks, but Astoria Pizza in Woodbridge is a stripmall time machine sent forward from 1975. Fugly carpet, stucco walls, good greasy pizzas.
  19. monkeyrotica
    We used to go to Mike's ages ago when I first started working at Fort Belvoir. It was a regular spot for promotion/retirement luncheons. Pema's and Via Veneto are very much in the same sauce-heavy, "spaghetti garden" vein. After trying all the brick oven pizzerias in Old Town, we always end up back at Faccia Luna. Nothing great, nothing terrible, nothing ridonkulously expensive, but consistent. For sweets, we're regulars at Hollin Hall Pastry Shop. La Mexicana also does excellent baked goods; my kids love their elephant ears. --- Tango Pastry (Rufo Tabayoyong) Mike's Italian (DonRocks) Mamma's Kitchen (JSnake) Del Ray Pizzeria (ktmoomau)
  20. monkeyrotica
    The fried oysters were outstanding, bluepoints I think. The local Rappahannocks on the half shell were small and fairly bland. The cioppino was tasty and my broiled sole with lemon butter was perfectly prepared. The long branch potatoes were made by someone who knows how to fry potatoes; crispy on the outside and steamy on the inside.
  21. monkeyrotica
    Well, there's Dishes of India, Su Pollo, Kimchi House, Tacos El Costalilla, and Rahama for Ghanaian food. They're definitely not upscale, but it's hardly a "wasteland" anymore. Have you tried River Bend Bistro in Hollin Hall? Nice upscale eatery using local ingredients and decent wine pours. I just wish half their menu didn't give me gout attacks.
  22. monkeyrotica
    I visit my mom in Bowie regularly and end up having to go to Crofton for lunches. We usually end up at Namaste for Indian or The Awe Shack for kebabs or Otani for sushi. Grace Garden in Odenton is always worth the detour. Galway Bay in Annapolis and Killarney House in Davidsonville have a decent Irish pub vibe and good unpretentious food. For German, Bavarian Brauhaus in Hanover is good for brats & schnitzels (about 20 minutes from Crofton).
  23. monkeyrotica
    The steak was seared, sliced into bite size pieces, and was served on a bed of julienned Chinese broccoli. The sauce was drizzled over the meat, but the broccoli kept the meat from sitting in it. When I first saw it, I was expecting something like those terrible dried hangar steak hors-d'oeuvres you find at trendy bars or poorly catered weddings. The meat was really tender and the sauce was well balanced.
  24. monkeyrotica
    Been here twice for lunch and excellent both times. The "pork jerky" was a tasty, porky treat. We also got a steak app that was dressed with a spicy, citrusey vinaigrette that was addictive. Really liked the fried catfish with chilis and basil and the wife got the green beef curry which she really liked. Not really into toxic levels of heat, so I appreciated the nice, warm, well-rounded levels of heat in the dishes. Yelpers are complaining that the old chef left and that the new one isn't as good. Can't comment on that, but I've enjoyed everything I've tried so far.
  25. monkeyrotica
    It's in Fair Lakes, but when I'm nearby and looking for pizza, Pomodoro.
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