TimmySmith

You really should give it a go, if only to cross it off your list. Generally when I walk in the door, 2-3 people are already motioning me to a seat. I would suggest ordering a small bowl, the large is nearly big enough for 2. You pay in cash at the back when you are finished. Do not look for friendly or attentive service, this place is more like a Pho Phactory (patent pending) with really good soup.

If anyone lives up 270, Pho Nam (Shady Grove Road a block East of Best Buy) is the best I have had in MoCo by a mile. Very generous portions and terrific broth. I would suggest eating in, the noodles don't travel well. That still does not stop me from carrying out several times a month and eating in about the same.

They are. In fact a friend who does business with them told my they just bought something like 15 "Five guys" franchises. As for the food. Mama Lucia's in Fed Plaza used to be a Sunday lunch staple for me and the wife when we lived in Rockville. Pick any pasta dish off the menu and you could not go wrong (I would even put the food above overpriced, just don't get the hype Il Pizzico). Not incredible just very solid for the price. My personal favs were Chicken Cardinal and Penne Vodka. The pizza is just fantastic although I will still stand by La Pizzaria and mid Rockville as the best around. I also must agree with the rest that any other location Mama Lucia's presents food so different than Fed Plaza, it seems as if they are not related at all.

Good Guys? Glover Park Food

Had to try this out, so I went Saturday to Rollins Avenue. I got my usual (at Chipotle) hard shell tacos (I have a crunch thing). First of all Qdoba has no Carnitas which was a huge strike in my opinion. Even Baja Fresh has added them. So I got shredded beef along with various other ingredients, some I selected, some I did not (read the workers did not understand english at all, I mean none). I was saddened by the lack of a salsa bar, something Baja Fresh truly got right and Chipotle makes up for in other ways. The tacos themselves were absolutely tasteless. No flavor at all, nada. The hot sauce was nothing special, it looks like the spectacular red sauce at Chipotle yet does not deliver. I suppose it may have been opening jitters and I will try it again, but as for now it has absolutely nothing on Chipotle or Baja Fresh.

I ran into a neighbor of mine who is an Irish fiddler who had a regular gig at Nanny's. He told me something about legal problems, back taxes, whatever. He now plays Sundays at McGinty's. As for Nanny's, I really never got too much into the place with the 4 Ps being across the street.

Took the board's advice and made the trek to Temperance Hall just for the wings. They were exactly as advertised, perfectly fried and wet, but not too wet. The spice was what I would consider somewhere between medium and hot, enough to make your eyes sweat, but not so bad you had to take a break. The only possible detractor was the lack of enough celery and no carrots, which is a must for the perfect wing experience IMO. A couple of ales and a marvelous fish sandwich made for a perfect night. The wings alone would certainly make me return.