Ferris Bueller

....and the Pennsylvania Avenue location - after being purchased by Landry's Inc.

This steak chain is closing two D.C.-area restaurants By Rebecca Cooper  – Digital Editor, Washington Business Journal

Great Falls Creamery has been around for some time and according to their website:

Our ice cream starts with all-natural ingredients, and cream from the Maryland Milk Cooperative. It’s made with cane sugar and no artificial flavors or stabilizers.

They also reference they serve ~100 restaurants in the DC/NoVa/MD area.

---

Toby's Homemade Ice Cream & Coffee (DonRocks)

Not sure if anyone saw this - interesting after close to 10 years at the Redskins.

Washington Redskins SVP Tony Wyllie Named Regional President And Managing Director of Special Olympics North America

Sadly the 'Skins have put the "dys" in function, like the "F" in weigh.

Snyder is not a publically popular guy, but from a financial perspective the Team has increased in value exponentially (~$3,400,000,000 - 2019) since he has owned it; the $$ he reaps every, single year are just silly. Once granted/approved, NFL ownership, as a whole, is a money grab.

Tough to be a 'Skins fan, and thinking they will miraculously turnaround in another mediocre season is poppycock. The blame always rests with the Head Coach, who will not be back next year - the major problem is...what other Coach would ever want to come here if not simply for a big payday? Running out of former coaches, College coaches and secondary or tertiary coaches to coax here.

There are not many that can stand the test of time. Morton's has been sold off and too streamlined, not to mention crazy expanded menu. Capital Grille is hit-or-miss for me. 

Bring your wallets - no particular order:

DC Prime (NoVa) Ashburn off Route 7

GARs recent addition (NoVA) Tyson's area - Randy's Prime

The Palm - (NoVa and DC) always sort of corny but good service, steaks and drinks.

Report: Uncle Julio’s and Boston Properties Settle Reston Town Center Parking Lawsuit by Fatimah Waseem - Restonnow (from WBJ)

One of the issues Uncle Julio’s had raised in its complaint was that its closest parking garage in the development had become less accessible as a result of another parking-related lawsuit at the property. According to the Uncle Julio’s complaint, after Jackson’s restaurant sued over paid parking, a judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing Reston Town Center from enforcing the pay-to-park system on Jackson’s customers in the Orange garage. Subsequently, according to Uncle Julio’s, the pay-to-park system was disabled at the Orange garage.

“As a consequence, patrons throughout the Reston Town Center now attempt to park at the Orange Garage in order to avoid the imposition of parking charges,” stated the complaint, which was amended in March.

It all depends on the level of service you want/expect.

Tip the valet $10 or $20 on the way in, your car will be in the front, or close by, when you come out.  This avoids any valet from driving your car more than a few feet and also almost eliminates issues for any damage. Trust me, you do not want a valet driving your car around the block - remember the valet in Ferris' Bueller's Day off?  It happens. Always tip on the way in.

Tip the bellman, front desk and concierge and everyone will greet you by name, help you with whatever you need and you/your family will enjoy your time away more.  It may cost you $30-$50, which is nothing if staying at a nice resort or higher-end hotel. 

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

By the way, I *always* give the hotel clerk $5 upon check-in - a gesture that is met with absolute shock and disbelief almost without exception, and probably 50% of the time, I've gotten an upgrade

If you do this, you will likely get warm cookies @ turndown, late checkout accommodation, or some sort of amenity - people deal with jackholes daily and any extra observation or appreciation of even decent service goes a long way.

I do not believe SOB sells ammo - only been through there once and did not stop.

Playing to lottery in Connecticut, Ohio and Florida? There could have been three more mass shootings if these men weren't stopped, authorities say By Dakin Andone, Harmeet Kaur and Madeline Holcombe, CNN

8 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

It seems like these are perks that credit cards and travel agencies dole out for their "premier" members - to justify membership price or customer loyalty.

I agree - we are also Bonvoy members but not Platinum level - requesting the late checkout at check-in certainly appears to help.

Possibly, however with a few CC benefits you can circumvent some of the new standard hassles. Having just come off a few weeks of travels both US and BC - using your Amex card for hotel booking at participating resorts (Hotel Collection & FH&R) or properties, gets you early check-in (12 PM), room upgrade, late checkout (4 PM) and often times resort credit (towards spa or something) and bfast for 2.  We lucked out and got $100 spa credit and $200 resort credit which we used towards a fantastic steakhouse restaurant on property.  Obviously a lot depends on where you stay, but it was nice not having to race out the door by 11 AM if we were sightseeing or whatever on our checkout day. There are other credit cards with benefits, but Amex as pretty easy and true to what was advertised.  Top it off with Lounge access at numerous airports and you can have a decent airport experience as well and not be rushed to your flight or sitting at the gate for an hour+ once you have cleared TSA.  Amex & Citi pay for your Global Entry or TSA Pre every 5 years too.

Cheesecake Factory acquiring Fox Restaurant Concepts By Brandon Brown, Phoenix Business Journal

$308M deal, locally it affects FlowerChild and North Italia locations.

He is still in the game, sort of - in the Big3 Basketball League as a Coach.

Gun Laws (scorecard) - Texas received an F, Ohio a D.

Virginia received a D.

Do not mean to get off topic, but because the gun law/safety/background check appears to have a direct affect on incidents (there are multiple sources out there, I just used the Giffords site). 

Additionally - The NY to Florida Pipeline (I95) has been historic for many years and the Virginia laws lax enough to make it an attractive stop for those going through to replenish their firearm(s) stock.  Since this a DC-Metro area based website from inception, I only wanted to point out since it literally in our own backyard.  

2 more just died, so the total for El Paso as of this writing is 22. Shocked is not the correct word, perhaps saddened or pissed - trying to explain it to my kids is the hardest part. Despite vigilance in attempting to shield them from the news coverage for 72 hours and then nothing.

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Remember the name Pete Buttigieg (and, absent some unforeseen scandal, remember I said this twenty years from now).

I hear you, but like it or not his sexual orientation will be his Achilles. I do not agree with how the process works that way, however we are still stuck on stupid.

Mayor Pete calls for change after deadly shootings: 'We cannot allow the Second Amendment to be a death sentence'.  

We are powerless - fragmented and like I mentioned months ago, I would love to be proven wrong on this.  I just do not observe a climate of change, politically or socially. It is a 72-hour window following these tragedies and then it is gone...until the next one.

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

That depends on what you mean by "we."

"...we the people."

They just opened their Reston location Friday - apparently have another coming soon to Tysons and one already open in DC according to their website. On good word, the place was packed, food was pretty good.  It is situated on the main promenade diagonally across from Clydes in the old Paolo's (then Neyla) space.  Indoor and outdoor seating is also nice, the latter being close to the main fountain at RTC.  Appear to have around 25 locations throughout the US.

Part of the FOX Restaurant Group which also has a FlowerChild location in DC.

In El Paso Shooting Suspect’s Manifesto, an Echo of Trump’s Language By Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear, NYT

20 dead, 26 injured

The Dayton shooter wore a mask, bulletproof vest and hearing protection as he opened fire, police chief says By Jay Croft and Darran Simon, CNN

9 dead 27 injured

Anyone? Anyone?  neighborhood of 29 dead and 53 injured in preliminary #'s - senseless shootings back-to-school shopping and out enjoying themselves - the Dayton shooter even killed his own sister (22).

Are we simply becoming immune to the violence?

No reservations

1+ hour wait every night

The owner/chef's mom often worked the hostess stand

Kitchen was completely open and active, fun to watch

No menu

$$$$$

Only served beer and wine - had a great selection of both

All waiters wore pagers even though place was small, they were paged when food was ready and had to drop what they were doing to serve it immediately. 

If you knew the owner he would send complimentary apps to you while waiting in the bar, being from South Philly, the Philly Cheesesteak was silly good.

Block of Parmigiano Reggiano prominently displayed on the corner of kitchen bar area, which they shaved pieces off of and added to their EVOO to go with your fresh baked bread, when seated.

TVs around the restaurant playing Ragin' Bull, The Godfather, Sopranos episodes etc - when a particularly classic scene came on the volume was increased and everyone stopped talking and watched the movie for 30-45 seconds.

9 PM - Barry White was cranked up and TV volumes decreased, basically turned into a sudo-dining, nightclub atmosphere where people may have danced and enjoyed music while finishing up their meals.

Closed the restaurant the month of August and spent time in NJ cooking for the cast and crew of the Sopranos when it was filming - this was done multiple years in a row, hence the larger-than-life framed, signed poster of the cast in the rear of the restaurant.  

Back in the day....I have probably eaten there 25 times and never had an issue with service, food or anything.

On 8/3/2019 at 8:21 AM, dcandohio said:

No.  I live really close to that place, and it has a reputation as being only for the “see and be seen crowd.”  Reviews by locals are uniformly awful.  

Truly a shame if that is the case.  It was great back in the day before all the fame and fortune...the food was exceptional and the eclectic nature of the place just fun.

This guy started out in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in a strip mall (that is being gracious).  Matarorano's, the place was nothing, but the food and show kicked arse.  My wife and I purposely planned an overnite layover in FTL on our trip back the Bahamas to have dinner at the original location.  Things have gone very well for Mr. Martarano and he has expanded quite a bit.  The food, if at all like Fort Lauderdale, is exceptional.  The atmosphere is entertainment on its own. They used to not have a menu and never took reservations.  I ate there a lot and it was just fun.  I could bore everyone with details, suffice to say classic movies (Gangster) played throughout dinner, and at 9 PM, they start blaring Barry White music.  People get up from their tables and start dancing with everyone.  Sounds tacky as hell, but it obviously worked.  Steve is a character and if you happen to meet him you will know why.  Good stuff.

On 7/29/2019 at 3:25 PM, Bob Wells said:

How would you folks rate Ciao in Centreville? I'm always thinking I need to take my family there more. We've always enjoyed their pizza and other dishes. The place is generally packed.

I made a special trip out there a few weeks ago for lunch.  Service was great, food was great and the owner stopped by to welcome us and make sure we enjoyed everything.  It is a small-town, independently-owned restaurant in suburbia - that does what they do well.  From their Caesar salad to pizza and pasta dishes they are all decent.  The opened a Gelato place next door, but whenever I visit Ciao, after salad and an entree, I do not have room for gelato.  And yes the place is always very busy.

Agree with your assessment - sadly Claude Moore closed in December 2018 - a true loss for those who were able to get there and for those who never had the opportunity.

The biggest challenge with Scott's Run is the parking.  Unless you go during the week the place is packed on weekends, and the overflow parking sux.  Great park, easy access to the river and multiple cool trails to get you there.

As stated by others, trails on both sides are plentiful.  Weekends on both sides are pretty busy especially in Summer months; lines in/out of the actual Great Falls Park off 193 and Old Dominion can be long at peak, weekend & holiday times. 

VA-Great Falls has decent parking, a visitor center and nice trails from easy to moderate difficulty.  Several overlooks and plenty of picnic tables/grilling areas if you want to eat there.  You are elevated for a lot of the hiking so you are looking down on the river from better vantage points.

MD-Great Falls - has the canal paths which are wider, flat and generally straighter. There are some locks to view (mostly dry now), and several old lock-tender homes.  There are  several pretty challenging paths for all ages, although some of the more popular trails run right next to the river and are not likely suitable for under 8 year-olds.  Climbing over rocks and narrow footing on some parts of the trails is typical. 

The biggest difference I see is at both parks you can access being closer and actually right up to the river on the MD side easier than the VA side. Living in VA makes this side easier to access and less of a planned trip - going across the bridge into MD takes more time/effort.

On 3/24/2018 at 8:49 PM, Ferris Bueller said:

Best Signs from the March - I hope momentum increases and pressure follows....I do not think it will happen, but would love to be proven wrong on this topic.

---

[NB - I hope people click on the above "Best Signs" link. Cheers, Rocks (I'll delete my invasive comment in a couple of days)]

So it has been 18 months since this post...what has changed?

For the inconvenience of doing a kitchen renovation, I would err on the side of complete versus partial.  The cabinet choices typically involve some lead time (6+ weeks) and the design/layout is probably the main reason you are considering a remodel.  Depending on your appliance selection(s) you can have lead times on those as well.  Since you will be without cooking facilities in the kitchen while the renovation ongoing, better to limit the time and get life back to normal as efficiently as possible.