jwhite

Ah, Taconazo, it feels like it's been forever my old friend.

Five tacos, each good to great examples of pretty classic taco varieties. First up is a lamb taco. Don't see too many of those but it has the richest flavor of the set. Next is a solid fish taco. Fried whitefish - a little on the thin side which keeps it from greatness but good overall. Topped with a traditional if slightly spicier baja sauce and some cabbage. Third is carnitas. A good size chunk of cooked then fried pork topped with pickled red onions. Meat is slightly drier than I would like but a bright tomatillo salsa brings it back nicely. Fourth is an al pastor. Less pineapple forward than many offerings so pineapple lovers be warned, traditionalists be advised. Finally, the most straightforward of the group - grilled steak chopped with onion and cilantro, lime on the side. Well executed.

The margarita on the rocks I had seemed the same as ever. A good to very good house margarita that I could drink far too many of. The tamales we started with is not something I would order again. Exterior was far too moist and the interior was dry. Not offensively bad but certainly the worst restaurant tamale I can recall in the recent past.

But Taconazo, my dear friend, I will see you again very soon.

Painful to read, lekkerwijn, but needed to be said.

I used to say there were two choices at Peking Gourmet Inn: Peking Duck, and glop; the last time I went, the Peking Duck was glop, too, so where does that leave us?

Thanks for your honesty. There was no malice to your post at all, and your disappointment was palpable.

I'm not sure I can agree with the comment about glop and as far as my handful of experiences this year go, I could probably just repost exactly what I said a few posts above in 2011.  I will add that the Lamb with Spring Onions is a solid, but oily option.

It is by no means a special occasion restaurant and the frustration expressed in the post above is certainly valid.  However, I think things have gone too far towards the negative in the recent flurry of activity.  In my quite humble opinion, it remains the best Americanized Chinese restaurant to which I can haul my family.  If there is a better one in Arlington, I would love to hear about it.

I agree with most of what lekkerwijin says.  Yes, a reservation is only an invitation to stand in line and the crowds are unbearable.  Yes, the service is awful.  Yes, most of the food is "mall Chinese" at best.  But if there's a better version of Peking Duck readily available in town, then please share the secret and spare the rest of us from ever having to go back here again

I want to eat at the malls you visit

Roberto Donna just raved about this place on Facebook. I'd never heard of it - does anyone have any opinions? (Website)

I stopped by for a weekend lunch and was underwhelmed. The pulled pork had no bark, no smoke ring, and was dry in parts.

The hot and sour soup tip is actually worth a lot (to me) because I love hot and sour soup in theory, but never think to order it because I never know what's in it. (What is in it besides corn starch, water, and vinegar? What gives it its brown color?) Hmm, now I'm craving it with fried wonton strips thrown into the bowl.

From my own few (semi-)recent experiences, I also agree that the duck itself is (still) really good and everything else I've tried is really bad - even the "grown in our back yard" garlic sprouts or whatever they are.

I've found myself there for weekend lunches twice in the past month or two and had the opposite experience. To level set, I've been coming here for the better part of a decade and view it as a very good example of an Americanized Chinese family restaurant. I never expect to be blown away but it's been a very solid place to take visiting relatives or just grab something quick and easy with the family. It's moderately consistent in execution though I do just about always order the same things.

Both visits I've ordered the Black Pepper Beef. Chunks of steak with onions and red peppers in a peppery but not particularly spicy, thin sauce. Good, flavorful crust and a decent amount of fat to keep the beef moist when cooked to medium - well. The use of chunks of steak, cooking them shy of well, and the lack of corn starch separate this from the versions I've gotten for about the same price from a large number of similar restaurants. On the first (recent) visit my wife had the chicken with the onions from their farm. It was probably the closest this place has come to really surprising me. It was simple and very good. The chicken was properly cooked (thigh meat if I recall), the onions were flavorful, and probably most importantly, it was not oversauced. One detraction, it was a bit too oily. Second visit they were out of the onions so the wife went with another dish I've had countless times, scallops with roasted garlic. Scallops were lightly breaded and cooked to just done. In the past, they've definitely overdone these so it was a nice treat to see them just about perfect. This was accompanied by the combination lo mein. Pork, beef, chicken, and shrimp with large soft noodles. I like the noodles in their lo mein, very good for this type of place and the meat was plentiful enough that I didn't have two kids fighting over the last piece of [X].

Service was professional and prompt both times .

As for the hot and sour soup, I did not order it either time due to the weather but I've had their version many times. It is one item I would definitely say has declined but it remains meatier and more flavorful than most. Sadly it has gotten gloppier and duller over the years but I still view it as above average.

My wife and I had an excellent, early Valentine's day dinner here. Service was near perfect; that wonderful balance of attentiveness without being intrusive. I started with the Coquilles St Jacques which was good but I must confess to wishing my wife would have shared more of her Sherry and Tomato Steamed Mussels. With the latter, the smokey ham really deepened the flavor of the tomato broth and made me wish I had more bread to sop it up. A minor quibble with both appetizers would be that the provided toast, while beautiful in presentation, lacked the mass required to mop up. For the mains I had the Duo of Veal and my wife had the Pan Roasted Flounder. The duo was osso bucco and a chop. I enjoyed the balance of the richness of the shank with the lighter chop which had a hint of tartness. Having previously lost some points by making a run at Guajillo's massive burrito on a date night, I did not give into my impulse to pick up the chop and get at the meat on the bone.

Beverage-wise I will echo comments previously made about the wine list and note that I drank (good) beer.

As I've seen the topic of Groupon use come up regularly, I'll add a note that we did use a Groupon. I did not present it at the start as I guess is technically required but instead simply put it and my credit card in the bill. When the server returned she simply mentioned the Groupon was applied and had both the adjusted receipt and an original one with the total highlighted, a not so subtle reminder for tipping purposes. I found this to work well and balance the concern of the diner about receiving lesser service while at the same time making sure a server does not get half a tip.

Earlier this week I was one of those people bringing in visiting family members. Mom was in town to celebrate Christmas with the grandkids and on our way back from BJ's (some things never change) we picked up a few pizzas for lunch. I thought I noticed the improvements in the dough mentioned above although that could simply be the power of suggestion. My favorite remains the salami pizza but mom's ham and mushroom was much better than I had expected. The mushrooms had been sauteed in white wine just prior and the flavor worked really well with the ham.

Yesterday I found myself at the zoo and thus 2 amys. Your pizza was much better, though I do so love their small plates, one day I'll wise up and just order those .

Great work as always although my officemates and I do so miss your cart

Stopped by for an early dinner. As mentioned upthread the chips, salsa, and guacamole were all very good. The salsa was probably a touch salty when taken in the admittedly large quantities I favor but that's a minor quibble. I don't recall it previously being on the menu but the taconaza was an easy pick. Five tacos: one each of pork, beef, chicken, lamb, and fish. All were good with the lamb being one of the best tacos I've eaten in recent memory. The beef (steak) was underseasoned and the worst of a very good bunch.

I stopped by for lunch today and had a Chicken Souvlaki Sandwich ($6.79), and it was fine, the best thing being the homemade yogurt. The food I saw there, including the pizza, looks extremely similar to what you see on the menu on their website, so if this appeals to you, give it a try.

The manager (perhaps the owner) was friendly and eager - while I was there, a lady walked in and asked what time he opened on Saturdays, because her son has an upcoming birthday party.

"What time would you like me to open?" he said. You have to love this.

Cheers,

Rocks

I found myself in need of a casual place to take the wife and two young children for dinner on a Friday night, didn't have any patience for waiting, and this post sprung to mind. Food-wise it seemed to be a pretty good version of the suburban italian / greek family spot. Nothing blew me away but it was well executed, if pretty standard fare. I did notice the eagerness you mention with examples including a behind the counter employee hustling out to help an overwhelmed mom and the manager trying to make right what appeared to be a dropped order.

Business seemed good with a mix of families and high school kids.

I've now had both the cheesesteak and the Spartan spiedie. The cheesesteak was good but the spiedie was great and based on the spiedie, I would put them on the same level as District Taco and Rebel Heros.

There is a definite void for a family-friendly breakfast place in Arlington--north of 50 there there is Silver Diner, Metro 29 and I think that's it. I could see them doing very well. Tacos were excellent, friendly staff, etc.

I found myself needing to find such a place a little after 9AM last Sunday. Having just dropped one kid off, I had an hour to kill and a two year old who absolutely did not want to go home. Fortunately District Taco was open and we were able to grab some breakfast tacos. I did not notice any of the seasoning issues mentioned and both the little one and I were quite happy. As for the prices, I had actually expected them to go up more than they did.

Ballston won the wildcard this week and I loved the Macho Meatball. I generally dislike mayo but this was applied lightly enough to not overwhelm. Cilantro and carrots were a very welcome addition to the meatball sub.

Banner on the website says OPEN NOW, but I would call first.

It is open but not serving the complete menu. We had the salami, goat cheese, and olive special and a plain cheese for the kids. Both were excellent and the kids preferred the salami and goat cheese (of course).

Cassatt's has been a brunch and breakfast favorite of ours for years with the big kiwi breakfast being my standard order. They can get backed up in the "kitchen" but other than that service has generally been good with a few standout servers.

As for the regulars, in my experience these consist of residents of Cherrydale as well as the communities north of Lee Hwy. It's very convenient to walk to during the warmer seasons and when shopping at Arrowine or the great toy store who's name slips my mind.

Big sale at Balducci's yesterday, today, and tomorrow: Wagyu boneless ribeye & NY strip steaks, $15.99/lb. Filets are $19.99, I think (Bill took the ad). "While supplies last." I got mine.

Plenty of stock at the McLean store this morning at about ~10:30 so I picked up a beautiful strip which I grilled tonight. It gave me something to do while giving a wife a break from the little ones and later a helluva dinner.

As for the earlier question regarding how to cook Wagyu, here's what I did with my 20 ouncer.

Built a hot charcoal fire with all coals on one half of the grill.

A half hour or so on the counter at room temperature.

Nothing more than coarse salt and pepper rubbed on.

Seared two minutes per side over the coals then rotated the grill grate to the cool side and covered for 3.

Rested for a few minutes.

Basically not much different than any other steak but making sure to err heavily on the rare side though I did notice much more fat melting to the fire causing some pretty awesome flareups. Very happy with the results and I wouldn't pay $45/lb for it but at these prices it felt like a steal.

The one thing to keep in mind about the cart is that it closes on random days. You should always check their website (click) to be sure it's open before you go.

It looks like they've cut back to Thursdays and Fridays. I'm not sure if that's a temporary thing or a more permanent change. Previously it had been around just about every non-rainy day and thy appeared to get good crowds throughout the week.

It's a shame, they just fired up the grill for those sausage sandwiches.

These posts have spurred me into adding Jackson's back into the lunch rotation and frankly I can't really understand why it ever got dropped. Simple but very well executed sandwiches with high quality ingredients. One thing I didn't see mentioned which I've always noticed is the service aspect; from the slicing of the meats to the careful placement of toppings, the people preparing the sandwiches seem to care about the final product in a way that I just don't see as often as I would like.

As for the specific sandwiches, their Reuben is excellent but heavy as is the corned beef on its own (today's choice). I did have the Cuban mentioned above and it was good; the pork was a touch drier than I would have hoped and the mayo too much but certainly something I'll order again (with no mayo). Their roast beef is something that deserves mention as well; when a just cut roast is on the station, I can't help but order it.

Oriental Gourmet (Arlington Lee-Harrison) - High Chair, baby-friendly.

Tachibana (McLean)* - High Chair, not-so baby-friendly. See Sunflower.

Yes, Lee-Harrison is like a mecca of kid friendly dining.

Surprised by your Tachibana comments, we've been there several times with no issues and the kids menu sushi options are great. One other place not yet mentioned is Harry's Tap Room. We go there for brunch a lot and for a little while were regular attendees of the burgers and bottles nights. Lots of families and a solid kids menu with crayons

Depending upon the reader, my comments may need to be taken with a grain of salt as I don't expect or need much from a place to be kid friendly. We usually bring our own seat top high chair and utensils and often don't even bother to order off the (generally subpar and unimaginative) kid's menu. I look it as an opportunity to try an extra appetizer and the toddler just shares with us, that's what she wants anyways. Obviously no fine dining, multi course, or clearly unsuitable places but if we get there early and be prepared, most of the places I would want to go to are very doable. Lastly, since it has come up before, Thirsty Bernie's was great to me and the toddler one weekday evening but that's more of a daddy's babysitting night place.

Help.

The little one and I were there about an hour ago and it did look to have the beginnings of a madhouse. Great burger and I agree the summery sides are an excellent decision. Staff was friendly and the environment was wonderful.

Thank you chef, this is a great addition to the neighborhood and we will be back.

There was an Abrby's at the foodcourt at Ballston Commons -- don't know if it is still there though. I think I had one of their beef sandwich products once which I found to be awful. Maybe it was the au jus with it, but whatever it was it was foul.

It's still there. I've found the key to be loading up on Arby's sauce and I wouldn't order a french dip there. For the person with stale fry complaints, this one seems to fry on demand.

I believe that I have now heard enough from this mean spirited board. When the attacks become personal and blindly seem intent on trying to force someone out of business I no longer have an interest in posting.

I do not think those two words mean what you think they mean.

Personal would imply something along the lines of calling the man's wife ugly or saying his kids are stupid. No one has sad any such thing to my knowledge. Critiquing how he runs a restaurant or even implying that he is not competent doing so is not a personal attack. It is a review of his performance.

Blindly would imply without merit and not based upon the poster's personal observation. This is laughable as the critical posts have had many observations and such personal observations are the key to an individual review.

You should probably stop posting on this matter as your biases, which initially I did not agree existed, have become clearly apparent with this post. If you do not believe me, as I doubt you will, have a trusted friend review the entire thread.

The single most bizarre thing about the place, however, is the defensiveness of Donna et al over the criticisms. I can honestly say that we've only had what can be characterized as "good" (decent, no glaring errors) service once. Every other visit had at least one thing go wrong that affected our ability to best enjoy our food. Examples include: my fish being served when I didn't have a knife and our inability to catch anyone's eye for ten minutes (fish went cold while I tried desperately to make eye contact with anyone in the room);

I'm a bit confused, did you mean to say fork instead of knife in the bolded section? It does not make sense that the lack of a knife would render any halfway decent prepared piece of fish impossible to eat.

Perhaps next time using your voice or even raising your hand might be a good idea. I don't mean to pick on you but this whine on an internet board because you acted ridiculously passive in a common situation stuff gets old. However I did get a good laugh picturing you giving the oblivious waiter the evil eye while your fish got cold so I guess it evens out.

Not that I am a "Donna Defender" or anything; actually I think he is an exceedingly talented chef who is inept at managing people and that this has become blatantly obvious as he moved down in cost structure.

As an aside, do they do carryout? Seems the best of both worlds.

Really? Diana Kennedy includes sesame seeds in her recipe for mole poblano de guajolote in The Cuisines of Mexico, and mentions earlier in the book that they're used in some sauces and in baking. Not intending to start a flame war here, just genuinely interested in your knowledge of Mexican cuisine (my favorite).

I was being facetious. Sorry if that did not convey.

The "Mole Mole Mole" was very good - three huge pieces of chicken breast, each covered/cooked with a different variety of mole sauce (verde, poblano and negro de Oaxaca). All three were delicious - the poblano may have been my favorite by a narrow margin. I was told it included such unexpected [eta - to me - i'm sure they are traditional to the recipe] ingredients as peanuts, mango, and sesame seeds. The dish was accompanied by a simple rice with mixed vegetables, marinated red onions, and a salsa/chutney of sorts that I believe consisted of beets, pineapple, and maybe a few other things rendered unidentifiable by the fine dice and the redness from the beets. I made 2 more meals out of the leftovers if that gives any idea of the portion size.

Things may have changed slightly. I received what was at best an entire chicken breast in three pieces with three different sauces. However, I can confirm that the wildly non traditional ingredient of sesame seeds was present. Note that I dined on Sunday so that issue may the reason I was served something that even Rio Grande could have bested.

Good news - I can get tri-tip (of course, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, free range). In fact, I just ate some yesterday and it was fantastic. I wasn't aware that they were little guys - about 8 ounces each. I was expecting a big "roast". Anyway, they are the perfect serving for one person and taste wonderful grilled and sliced thin.

At this point, I can get them in 6-packs. I will be getting my own cryo equipment so I can start packaging them in smaller sets. I'll update you when I do. In the meantime, if you'd like a pack of six, give me a holler! I expect they'll be about $6 per pound.

Jill

Jill,

Not sure what you got but it wasn't a whole tri tip. Also not sure why you would cryo an 8 oz mystery steak, or 6 of them for that matter.

OP,

Harris Teeter has them at generally about $5/lb as do most costco type places. At HT you need to talk to the meat man and deal with some odd looks and questions but you will eventually get one. As for cooking them, Santa Maria style rub and moderately high heat on a grill. Don't sear it quite like a steak but char it a fair bit. Serve at rare to medium rare but not blue. I like oak wood for them but you really can't go wrong with most woods. The flavor is probably the beefiest available and one of my favorites but tender beef lovers should know that it is a tough cut for steaks.

I went to Ted's Montana Grill in Crystal City for lunch today and it was ok. Nothing spectacular or noteworthy. A couple things though:

1. Everything they offer in beef, they also offer in bison. There is a nominal upcharge.

2. The onion rings are enormous. If you order the onion ring appetizer, you will get what amounts to probably 3-4 onions on your plate.

3. Service today was very overzealous, but that's to be expected as they opened recently (not sure of the exact date).

4. I was the only uniformed military member in the place which is very odd for Crystal Drive at that hour.

Edited for grammar.

I've been to Ted's in both Arlington and Denver. It's a great option to pick up a quick bite. A wide variety of good but not great burgers and the wonderful bison option to keep it sort of healthy. In the half dozen or so time I've been, I don't think I've ordered anything other than one of the burgers.

Regarding Matusake, the lunch buffet is really the only thing of note. For about $12, it's all you can eat of rice heavy sushi, a few chinese dishes, miso soup, and salad. Not bad for a work lunch outing but also not worth a trip.