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BklynBoy

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  1. BklynBoy
    I am one of the pessimists when it comes to Tysons. I think the failure to tunnel beneath Tysons combined with the width of Leesburg Pike and Rt123 will prevent Tysons from evolving into a Ballston/Clarendon type location. One of the things that makes both of those neighborhoods work is the outdoor seating that integrates eating/drinking spots with pedestrian traffic. That is not going to work in Tysons. Being a native New Yorker raised a couple of blocks from the "El", I reflect on how different the real estate values and esthetics are on streets with a subway as opposed to the same streets where the subway comes out of the ground and continues as an elevated line. The other aspect of the plan that concerns me is that none of new stations have any parking and at the same time there is still not much of a mass transit plan to enable people like me who live within a 2 mile radius of one of the stations to get there easily.
  2. BklynBoy
    I haven't shopped there in a year or so. I have always thought that there breads/rolls were better than their sweet good.
  3. BklynBoy
    More decoration:
  4. BklynBoy
    I love that place. Earlier in the year, I ate there for the first time in more than 30 years. It is still my favorite pastrami sandwich in NY. When I was a kid, we would often drive from Brooklyn to the lower east side to shop. Lunch was either Katz's or the now closed Ratners dairy restaurant
  5. BklynBoy
    With my wife away for the past three months and quite a bit of travel on my part, I have not eaten out locally very much lately. Two weeks ago I came home from a two week trip at 9:45 PM on a Saturday night and with nothing in the house to eat, dropped my bags and went to Amoos as they were getting ready to close. The first thing that happens is I get a hug from Seb and he says "we haven't seen you in three months, we thought maybe you didn't like our food anymore". When a restaurant accurately knows how many months it has been since you came in last, you can understand why I said in an earlier post that eating there was like visiting family....except Amoo makes better food.
  6. BklynBoy
    I went there again today. I think it was my forth visit, the last one being about a month ago. I am an offal hound, so I just love the meat choices. In fact, I love offal so much there are a number of more traditional fillings I have not tried there yet as I keep getting drawn back to the lengua and tripas. Today, I went with birria (lamb) and carnitas. Both were very good. The ordering and the line have improved. The salsas remain terrific. My original criticism also remains valid: fillings and salsas this good cry out for better tortillas. Per the tortilla thread on this board, it is a challenge getting house made or high quality, commercial bakery made corn tortillas in an area without a critical mass of Mexicans, but I hope Albisu comes up with a creative solution the way Sandoval or Fuego have
  7. BklynBoy
    I think you are correct Don. On a couple of occasions, I have looked at the line in the Italian store and decided to go to the Burger Joint instead. In fact, that is how I came to try Burger Joint for the first time.
  8. BklynBoy
    Thank goodness for variety, the spice of life
  9. BklynBoy
    I do not like very sweet corn either, but I do like Silver Queen. For the past few years, I have come to really prefer grill my corn and to dress it the Mexican/Soutwestern way, by squeezing lime on it and sprinkling it with good chili powder instead of the old butter/salt.
  10. BklynBoy
    I always thought that the BGR bun was the weak spot in an otherwise perfect burger. IMHO, Brioch buns fall apart with juicy burgers. I prefer something closer to a lightly toasted hard kaiser roll that has enough crust to stand up to the juice without falling apart. What is the new bun like?
  11. BklynBoy
    I went back to Taco Bamba this weekend and found it much improved from the opening night problems. It was almost empty on Sat afternoon, which may have also helped. This time when I ordered, I asked if I could have a masa tortilla. The woman taking the order said yes, I could have either masa or flour tortillas, but I think the default is flour. I ordered a lengua and a tripas taco. The tripas was cooked to order and the line cook asked me if I wanted them crispy as she put the order of pre-blanched tripe into the deep fryer. Both tacos were filled to overflowing with meat and both were dressed with just a bit of cilantro. Both were very good. My earlier comments stand in terms of tortillas. This place would be wonderful, instead of just very good, if they had house made tortillas. I would also prefer a wider selection of traditional things to dress my tacos with. The salsas remain superb. I will return and see if they progress from very good to wonderful.
  12. BklynBoy
    I concur on Mark's. On Saturday, I was in the mood for a cold Vietnamese salad, but the parking lot at Eden was so full I ended up at Mark's. This is the first time I have been there since the management change and I will not go back for dim sum. Few selections, most items were out too long and past their prime. Prices have gone up too
  13. BklynBoy
    We tried Kazan once about 10 years ago and had the same experience you did; decidedly mediocre and overpriced for the mediocre quality. Between the food and having to watch the staff fawn over Newty and Callista, I took them off the list. The level of choices in Mclean continues to deteriorate (notwithstanding Amoos). Bisto Vivant has gone down hill. I used to go to Tachibanna all the time but the quality there is not what it used to be and the prices have gone up. My favorite places in MClean that serve alcohol are Absolute Thai and Capri. Absolute Thai is one of my favorite Thai restaurants and the in house patisserie are wonderful, if you can wrap your head around the concept of Thai food and French pastry in the same place. Capri is also pretty good, their house made pasta and ragu sauce is killer as are their grilled fish dishes. Gilberts is also ok, they have actually improved over the past few years. They are no Ray's, but not awful either. I frequently go to Gilberts for lunch at the bar and have not been unhappy with their soups, sandwiches and salads.
  14. BklynBoy
    Being BklynBoy, I love the pickles from Guss Pickles. We used to stop at their lower east side stand when I was a kid. Balducci's used to carry them, but stopped earlier this year. You can order them from their web site
  15. BklynBoy
    I recommend America Seafood in the Lee Hights Shopping center on Lee Highway. I bought softshells from them a few weeks ago for $7.00 each and they were large and fresh. They also serve softshell sandwiches and other fish sandwiches on their back patio
  16. BklynBoy
    Victor Albisu's Taco Bamba opened yesterday in Falls Church/Tysons. It was a rough opening day. When the wife and I arrived at about 7PM the air conditioning was not working and their expediter was doing double duty dealing with the AC techs. We tried six tacos between us, Lengua, Tripas, Suadera and Pastor. All of the fillings were excellent, especially the tripe. The Pastor was not made on a rotating spit and suffered for not being quite crispy enough on the exterior. The flavorings on all the other meats were excellent, better than anything I have had in DC. The house made salsas that were served with the tacos were also excellent. We did not try the tamales, but if they are as good as the ones sold in his mother's store next door, then they are very good. The biggest disappointment were the tortillas. They were flour instead of corn and were not house made. My wife, the Arizonan, seeing the packaged soft tacos opted for the crispy tacos which were made from masa and they worked better than the soft flour ones. For me, the result was like having great pastrami on wonder bread. I hope they get a better supplier for the tortillas. I also prefer to dress my own tacos with, depending on the type of taco, cabbage, raddish, cilantro, onion or peppers. The tacos came pre-dressed though they did have small cups of diced raddish available. With opening night jitters, we ended up missing part of our order, but that is par for the course for any opening night. I am going to work my way down the menu and give them a chance to work out the kinks. As a former Miami resident, I am looking forward to trying their Torta Cubana and I hope they take a shot at another MIami favorite I miss Lechon (whole roasted pig). All things considered, I am very happy Victor Albisu has saved me a trip to Maryland to get a taco
  17. BklynBoy
    It has been less than a month since I posted about trying Amoos. We have worked our way through almost everything on the menu, most of it has been sublime with nothing less than very good. It is really hard to recommend any one item on the menu because all of it is good, it's just a matter of what you are in the mood for, but the stews are something special and the rice that accompanies the stews is wonderful, especially the Polo dill flavored rice dishes. When it comes to kabobs, I usually go for the lamb or ground meat chenjah and avoid the chicken because it can be so dry, no so at Amoos. Here all of the chicken variations are moist and have a lovely flavor from the marinade. The cornish game hen kabobs are also wonderful. Even dishes I would not think of as being particularly Persian, like the mussels, have been great. In less than a month, we have probably eaten there a dozen times. Most people are not greeted by their families as warmly as Sebastian and his father greet customers, which makes eating here both special and comforting.
  18. BklynBoy
    The last time I tried Amoos was under the previous management. Based on this thread I decided to try it again. That was last Friday...I've been there three times since. As you all have said, the food is fantastic and the owner is a prince among men. Everything we have had there has been wonderful. I have always loved baba ghanoush, but the eggplant appetizer is on a different plane (surrounded by angels singing its praises). The lamb shank stew was great and even the chicken (both the tandori and the kabob) are a rarity in that they are actually moist. Every time I have been there the owner has thrown in a freebie, one time it was there chicken salad, another time baklava and last time it was the house baked bread. Alas, this has come at a most inopportune time for me. two weeks ago I just seriously told myself I needed to go back on Atkins and drop some weight, but between the bread and the rice (and free baklava) there it is going to be a real challenge to come home with a naked kabob and a salad
  19. BklynBoy
    An Indian friend took me to Karaikudi http://www.karaikudiva.com/. Terrific, very authentic Chettined food. They have a lunch buffet and most of the dishes were different than I am used to seeing in American Indian restaurants. Be forewarned by this Chillihead, the spicy dishes are Indian spicy.
  20. BklynBoy
    We were on the way to the Russian Gourmet on a weekday last week and on the spur of the moment decided to sit outside for a late lunch at Bon Vivant. Pate, cold tomato soup, mussels and a couple of glasses of wine. It is great to have a place in Mclean with terrific food and where - like any neighborhood bistro - you do not feel awkward dropping in dressed informally
  21. BklynBoy
    The branch in Mclean shut down a few months ago. No great loss, the chain has been going down hill for years
  22. BklynBoy
    I made caponata last weekend and needed some pine nuts. I found them for $12/lb in the refrigerated case at the Lebanese Gourmet Market in Mclean. I do not know the country of origin but they were very good. I suspect that other Middle-Eastern markets have similar quality and price
  23. BklynBoy
    I eat a fair amount of Pho because it is so wide spread in DC, but there is substance to your observations. All Pho I have had loses in comparison to Chinese noodle soups with house made noodles and house roasted meat. In the last couple of weeks I have had noodle soup at Lotus Garden in Vienna a few times and the quality of hand pulled noodles really grows on you.
  24. BklynBoy
    I have bought their products from Arrowine. Wonderful stuff
  25. BklynBoy
    Wasting good corned beef or pastrami on anything other than rye bread with 'little bit of deli' mustard is the equivalent of drowning toro belly tuna in a pool of soy sauce with too much wasabi. Why bother to buy the good stuff if you are just going to defile it? On the other hand, if we are talking about typical mass market/super market corned beef, no treatment known to man is capable of defiling it
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