alexandria1

The Five Guys near my hotel in Seville last week was open until 1 AM on weeknights, 2 AM on weekends. A Granada location appears to be coming soon. The Taco Bell near the center of Seville looked nice from the outside. The pringa and the churrasco at Bodega Santa Cruz were pretty good. Standing at the bar I guess that counts as fast food too.

Had an excellent char kway teow at Little Penang in Wellington recently. Jealous of the density of Malaysian restaurants in Aus/NZ cities. High density of craft breweries in Wellington as well, basically the same as the US in terms of beer styles, food offerings, and aesthetics. Also enjoyed the stir fried crispy pork belly (mhu grob padt prik khing) at Chat Thai in Sydney.

Planning to open another location in the old Dunkin' Donuts closer to the King Street metro station. https://www.alxnow.com/2022/01/05/chewish-deli-to-open-second-location-in-old-town/

Closing on January 24: https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/food-and-dining/atlantis-restaurant-to-close-alexandria-pandemic/ Nearly a third of the restaurant's lengthy lifespan has passed since the last post in this thread!

Staff quits again: https://www.alxnow.com/2020/11/16/killer-e-s-p-staff-quit-again-over-alleged-inappropriate-behavior/

Morphing into "King & Rye" starting September 9: https://www.kingandrye.com/

Picked up a pizza from the Old Town Red Rocks last weekend--they have a couple parking spots blocked off for "curbside pickup", but there was no curbside pickup in evidence--had to go into restaurant where they had the pizza boxes lined up on the bar, which wasn't too bad except they also wanted me to sign a receipt, which was weird since I had paid online.

Urbano 116 "pivoting to tex-mex": https://dc.eater.com/2020/2/20/21115483/urbano-116-mexican-restaurant-coming-to-fairfax-mosaic-district-brine-changing-menu-to-tex-mex

Pennsylvania slaps Trickling Springs Creamery owners with $4 million fine for fraud Accountant in Amish country charged with milking $60 million from his creamery and fellow Mennonite investors

Had a good "Sicilian" pepperoni slice from Scarr's a couple weeks ago. Even though it had probably been sitting for a while before reheating, the crust held up well, the sauce was heated to less-than-molten, and the cheese had the right texture. When I mentioned to local friends the next day that I was hunting for good slices of pizza on this visit, Scarr's was the first place they mentioned. The slice I got from Prince Street a short while later was an underbaked disappointment despite being minutes out of the oven.

Now open in Singapore: https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/five-guys-sells-more-than-1000-burgers-500-milkshakes-on-opening-day

Went to the Sloppy Mama's on Lee Highway for the first time yesterday. Brisket had good flavor but was far too dry. Had been to their Ballston Quarter stall before and remember it being a little better. Liked the brisket at Monk's a couple months ago, but like every place the reviews are wildly inconsistent so I guess I caught them on a good day.

Ended up at Fairfax Coffee House for an (early afternoon) breakfast sandwich of egg, sausage, and cheddar on a biscuit. Fork was required. I was satisfied.

Charles Town/Ranson Had a good chopped brisket sandwich at Tee Dawg's BBQ on Washington St. in Charles Town this summer. Place is only open Thursday-Sunday and several menu items were crossed out (shortly after opening, so not like they had sold out ). It wasn't clear whether you could get the meats in non-sandwich form. Bushel & Peck a few blocks away on Washington St. sells produce and other foods from local producers. Step in Time Bake Shop sells pepperoni rolls and other baked goods out of an awkward location at the entrance to the Ranson Civic Center, which was being set up for a Quinceanera when I stopped in. At $5.50 apiece the pepperoni rolls are a lot more expensive than the Fairmont/Clarksburg places but they are pretty substantial. There was some cheese baked into a the bread which I don't think is standard.' Are there any decent places for a weekday lunch in Berkeley Springs?

Rustico in Alexandria often has a cask or two.

Ice Cream Jubilee closed (or "taking a break") here as of July 31st. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/d14bf08698cb1ba7a8ad0c7f0/images/8bf420b8-c549-438b-baca-7e4b064736db.png

Was in Geneva for a few days recently and if there was a VORP stat for sustenance per Swiss Franc relative to other local options, the Manor restaurant would be a Hall of Famer. Large slice of quiche, chocolate tart, and bottle of soda came to just under 15 CHF. Best air conditioning in town too. No wonder it was mobbed at lunchtime. There was also a food truck festival in the Jardin Anglais by the lake. In Geneva your "Philly cheeseteak sub (USA)" comes on brioche and is topped with mustard and pickles. All for the low price of 13 CHF. The bifana truck was a winner, as was the place doing freshly breaded and fried chicken tenders. Skip the empanadas.

Coming to the Misha's space in Old Town: https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/food-and-dining/jenis-splendid-ice-creams-coming-to-alexandria/

Now with Orlando location: https://www.miasitalian.com/locations

Made my AC&T fried chicken debut last night and thought it was very good, maybe a tiny bit too salty. The donuts from the Pennsylvania Dutch Market on the north side of town are above average and come in a wide variety of flavors.

Strangely prescient!

I had breakfast here a few months ago. IIRC the hash browns & eggs doused in sausage gravy were fine, but I'm not particularly motivated to try any of the non-breakfast items. Come to think of it, I live within walking distance and haven't been motivated to return for breakfast either. They were doing decent business on a Sunday morning, enough well-dressed people that it was probably a post-church crowd.

"Upper Volta" is still sitting unused, and when that becomes stale they can rebrand the restaurant as Burkina Faso.

When they first opened they said it was the same meats as a Pork Barrel, but different sauces. Never been to Pork Barrel myself, so I can't compare. I've found the chopped pork to be the most consistent meat at Sweet Fire Donna's--the brisket, pulled pork, and ribs can all be good on their day, but can also be dry and bland-ish. Overall it's been a great place to have in the neighborhood. Same people also own Tequila & Taco which opened next door at the beginning of May, and maybe their eternally delayed Whiskey & Oyster on John Carlyle Square will one day come to fruition...

Spent a few days in Kuala Lumpur recently. I had been there for a couple short visits before, but not for about five years. Despite some brief stomach distress likely brought on by hotel breakfast (at the Hilton KL), I managed some decent eating: Restoran Sai Woo--This is on the very busy and somewhat touristy Jalan Alor strip of restaurants with mostly outdoor seating, in Bukit Bintang in the center of the city. The "famous" dish here is the chicken wings at Wong Ah Wah restaurant, all the way at the far end of the strip. I had those last time I was in KL and they were good but not life-changing. Wong Ah Wah was mobbed this time, so I went a couple doors down to Sai Woo, which was also doing good business. The grilled chicken wings were excellent (and one Malaysian wing = two US wings), while the spicy sambal squid was not as spicy as I had hoped/feared. Five wings, the squid, and a large Tiger beer (stick with the brown-bottled beer here) came to about US $16. Would definitely recommend heading to Jalan Alor. Roast Duckling--A stall in the "Hutong" food court in the Lot 10 Mall. The idea here is that all the stalls are outposts of "famous" street food stalls, which is better in theory and than in execution. Got the roast duck with rice, the rice was fragrant and flavorful while the roast duck was just okay. For less than $4 US I can't complain. Once had a good char kway teow in this food court but that stall is gone. The top floor of the Lot 10 mall has something like 25 Japanese restaurants, might be interesting. Madam Kwan's--Popular mall chain, Nasi Bojari (similar to Nasi Lemak but with spiced tri-colored rice and beef rendang on the side), and Otak-Otak (spiced fish paste) both very good. Bunn Choon Bakery--In Chinatown just south of the tacky Petaling Street market, egg tart wasn't quite as good as in Macau and Hong Kong IMO--not enough egginess in the custard. Sergeant Chicken Rice--Thanks to the aformentioned stomach distress, I cancelled plans to check out the street food around Kampung Baru and hang around the Suria KLCC. This food court chicken rice did a great job settling the stomach. Kaya toast and iced coffee from Toast Box in the same food court wasn't as good for the stomach, but irresistible nonetheless. Creme Brulee Milk Tea at Royaltea--Picture a standard chain milk tea place, I think there are even branches in the US. Six young people working there, plus a middle-aged man in the corner overseeing things. A man prominently sporting a DUTERTE wristband takes your order. You order the creme brulee milk tea, expecting a vaguely caramelly flavored drink. The six people appear to be working hard, and there was only one other person waiting for a drink, yet five minutes pass and no drinks are forthcoming. The overseer in the corner is getting a little agitated. You spot what looks like it may be your drink, but the cup is barely more than half full. Then Mr. DUTERTE pulls out a whipped cream cannister and your half-cup of milk tea becomes a nearly-full cup of half-whipped cream/half-tea. Your mood brightens, but that now nearly-full cup remains out of your reach. Another minute or two passes--the person who ordered ahead of you hasn't gotten their drink either--and then one of those other six workers reaches into a refrigerator and pulls out a tray of actual creme brulee, places a generous slice on top of the pillow of whipped cream, and finally presents you with your tea. In a sense, the most memorable food experience of the trip, and I really don't want to know how many calories this was. Durian-flavored stuff was everywhere, including a bunch of novelty-ish products. Durian cream puffs at Beard Papas I can understand, but do the locals really eat durian-filled chocolate or drink durian coffee? Lots of Japanese food and shops at the big malls, I think most of them have Japanese investors/developers. Ruling party campaign signs were everywhere, and opposition signs nowhere, even though the opposition was a lock to win about 80% of the vote and almost all the seats in KL and suburbs.