stevem

Finally made it to Roses. I'm not sure I can do justice to the food other than saying it was just fantastic (and I ate too much). Instead, I'll highlight two things.

1 - This seems like a very good time of year to go. We got there at 445 on a Wednesday, sweat profusely for 20 minutes, and were happily sitting on stools watching the kitchen by 505. Super easy.

2 - The soft shell small plate special was a fun mix of sweet and pretty spicy and displayed in a funky steamer basket thing. It was exactly as described. And, I love that they tell you the price of the special that's not on the menu. It seems like a small detail but it demonstrates a level of hospitality one doesn't always find in an "expensive" restaurant.

Went Friday for lunch. Everyone was friendly and the spring rolls and my wife's vermicelli with beef was perfect and fresh. My rice crepe with pork roll was, uh, weird. It's totally on me and the menu said what it was but I wasn't expecting a spam/pork roll situation. This was definitely user error but would not order that again.

Assuming it's like the El Tio in Falls Church, it's perfectly fine Salvadorean/Mex.  Globby and salty but good. The service is always really solicitous, and it could not be more family friendly. Oyamel this is not.  Fun fact that different family members also operate Los Tios if Del Ray.

Enjoyed a good meal at this new fast casual place in Mosaic a few weeks ago. The three of us each got different meats with sides (lentils, etc). The Naan was well made and buttery. I don't recall all the details, but it was hearty and reasonable. Sauces were not too spicy but flavorful and unboring. 

I do recall this weird automatic hand wash contraption thing in the dining room. It was awesome.

I'm trying to figure out if we ordered wrong tonight. We got the half and half bowl. The spicy broth was, well, spicy. 

Nothing else really has much flavor - lamb, shrimp, mushrooms, etc.

The process was fun and my $4 IPA was nice, but I don't feel like I need to rush back.

Although you *can* always get a space, it's quite irritating to navigate through there.  

This strip mall will eventually be across the street from a giant mixed-use development where the 7-11/Mikes/etc. is now. It's hard to say if that will make that area more or less desirable.

Extremely happy to report that it's back open. It's not my place to speak to the business details, but the custard was perfect on Saturday and it was great to see Liz.

As sad as we are, we all agree. You will be missed deeply but are entitled to your next adventure. I can only hope you get a cool new Twitter handle soon. 

(And that your new business is in Falls Church, but I digress....)

We didn't love the interim name, and I remember just lighting up when she made the second change. Dairy Godmother was perfect and so reflected the vibe of the place. 

Still have a couple small gift certs. Dang it!

We were there the day they opened and remained frequent flyers. I even won a "name the flavor" contest very early on. Liz was a great member of the neighborhood. Happy for Liz but incredibly sad.

Every time we leave here I say (usually aloud, it's annoying), "This food is really good."

Just shared some pizzas. The DOC is consistently great and pleasingly came uncut this time.  The pepperoni is even better.

The reasonably priced and varied kids menu is a plus.

We've had the same server a couple times now and I really need to get his name. Efficient and friendly.

It's a treat to have such high quality pizza in such a low maintenance environment.

Family enjoyed a very nice Christmas Eve dinner here.

Good selection of cheeses to start.

Wife's Thai-ish mussels were pleasantly spicy. My tartine was flavorful and crispy.  I took a minor risk and got the sausage/hot dog thing. It was fine...

Very good reasonably priced kids menu. Boys' burger was the sleeper dish.

Friendly but not overbearing service.

All in all, a nicely festive dinner.

Yep. Weird location and I wonder how the Z Pizza also stays open. 

Speaking of Flippin', went to the one in Falls Church today. Slice was fine. Wings were horrific. Lesson learned...

Apparently, the odds are capped at 5000-1. So, I've heard an argument that making that bet was actually a BAD value because the true odds were much higher.

Checked out the new dinner menu tonight.

The adults had burgers ($12-15). My BLT burger was appropriately cooked and very tasty. The Other raved about her burger with fried egg and giant onion ring. She's smarter than me and only ate half. Good, crispy fries.

Kids both ate off the kids' menu ($6). Boy pronounced the grilled cheese to be of high quality.

Service was relaxed without being lazy. Music is always awesome and there are very pretty holiday decorations and a giant Gingerbread house.

This coming Wednesday features Beers and Carols at 7.

It's been six months so I wanted to take a second and give another shout-out. The Vigilante coffee and espresso drinks remain strong and the addition of the Nutella croissant is a plus. I've been for dinner/drinks in the evening a few times, and that is lovely as well. Parking behind the shop in the garage is easy.

The music is also always good, although I could deal with a little less Oasis and a little more Blur.

Falls Church needs to support this independent shop to keep us from being stuck with only the chains...

So, is it really worth going with two folks (and NOT doing Don's trick of ordering lots of stuff to-go) or will you not be able to try enough of the menu to be worthwhile?

Map's been updated with a few new entries, including Sweet Science in Adams Morgan.  Once again, if there's a place you feel should be included, please post here, and thanks.

Hi.

I'd hope you could get Cafe Kindred in Falls Church.

It continues to solve the Great Falls Church Coffee Problem.

Went recently. I messed up and didn't make a big enough deal of my son's nut allergy. When his (non-nut) milkshake arrived, I then asked about the equipment.

The server was extremely nice, didn't give me any stink eye, and brought another shake that has been prepared in their extra-scrubbed shake machine. It was delicious.

The Boy loved his food and my burger was perfectly pleasant.

You can't overstate the importance of service when dining with kids....

We are off to Iceland next week. So appreciative of this forum!

The long-awaited bar and evening hours appear to be happening now. They have some nice beers and the people eating the fries with vinegar last night seemed quite happy. The extended hours are not every night so your mileage may vary...

The getting into the garage on that side of (going towards 66) is very easy and there is parking on the top level of the garage right behind the cafe, although the spaces aren't wonderfully marked.

Leaving the garage (right turn only) is a marginal adventure, but that's a small price to pay for supporting a local business.

The parking lot at the big Starbucks in the Famous Daves/Chipotle lot is also irritating, but for different reasons.

This place was really hopping this Sunday morning. This was our second time at Cafe Kindred and the first since they started doing coffee drinks. They do a really good flat white. It comes on a tray with a cookie and small glass of sparkling water (I believe.) Since I've had some not so great flat whites, it is nice to find a place that can do one right. (Don't ask me what exactly a flat white is, but I know it when I taste it! My husband, the Australian, gave it a thumbs up.) We had a lemon bar and an almond apricot pastry. Both very good. Looking forward to more visits!

Place is still sadly slow on weekday mornings.  Please help them....

Just sharing that the espresso/cappuccino service is now happening here (not just drip coffee).  My cappuccino was served today on a platter with simple syrup and a small snack. Classy joint!

Please support them so we can keep having nice things in Falls Church.