Destruya

Alaska Airlines serves this stuff in First Class if the trip is over 800 miles.

I'm hoping to get a chance to check out Howlin' Rays next week in LA. Evidently so long as you're on line by 7pm, you still get served.

The only time I was ever enthusiastic to visit a fast food restaurant in Europe was when my family lived in Sicily from August of '91 to September of '93 and as a kid it was my only chance to sate my craving for a Big Mac since the closest one to eastern Sicily at the time was in *Naples*.

This place - good though it may be - is kind of a NOVA Xerox'ed version of Howlin' Rays in LA: http://www.howlinrays.com/menu/

Had some business in the Reston/Herndon area and decided to set aside some time to try this place. Wooboi, did they underestimate demand. Even at ~11:15am, fifteen minutes after they opened, the line was already quite long (but not out the door). The good news is, despite having just one register, the line moves pretty quickly. The *bad* news is, seating inside the place is quite limited, and invariably with lunch crowds, you're going to get large(r) parties corralling tables together and making the problem worse. If you feel like chancing it, the to-go boxes are nice enough that eating in your car would be doable. As for the chicken - I liked it. It's pretty clear they brine their breasts/tenders, since the chicken has the internal look of a CFA breast - no stringiness here. I had a Level 2 sandwich and a Level 3 tender (to taste), and I'm glad I went that way, even though I'm sure I could've handled a Level 3 sandwich just fine. The strip mall/general vicinity this place is in is an unholy grouping of a lot of diet-killing eateries. There's a Gelato shop/cafe within spitting distance, a vegetarian Indian restaurant right next door, an Amphora Bakery next to that... ...too bad they only keep M-F hours, but they're going to do plenty of business from the businesses within walking distance. They'll have another location open in no time, most likely. Oh, and one other thing to keep in mind. On the glass in front of the prep area, they mention that their chicken is prepared with pork products (they don't elaborate as to how), so it's decidedly *not* Halal or Kosher.

Unfortunately, this place has closed. Another for the 'subscript' treatment.

So it seems I've been ~shanghaied~ into writing a new thread (for the first time in a while ), I decided to give this place a try tonight with a friend. The space itself is nice - very resplendent of Bonchon's decor - right down to the same slippery floor tiles. Their HVAC system certainly works well, as it was almost chilly in the restaurant. Notable annoyances of the space were: NASCAR on TV (it was NBCSN, but still) and Korean pop/rap playing at a volume that noticeably impeded conversation. I don't mind music I can't understand (I've lived abroad), but when it's at a volume that makes conversation difficult (it wasn't painfully loud, just 'too noticeable'), that's something different altogether. A nice touch was after we'd ordered, they came out with a plate of ~6 free tenders glazed in their soy garlic sauce as an "on the house" appetizer of sorts. Their product is much more enjoyable and 'meatier' than Bonchon's boneless offerings, retaining enough juiciness that it isn't like trying to eat leather if left to sit for more than ten minutes. As for an entree, I ordered their spicy garlic sauce while my dining companion ordered their "snow onion" chicken. The Spicy Garlic was "just spicy enough" for me, and by the end, my eyes were slightly watery and I had that phenomena where everything that touched my tongue reactivated the latent spice. The "Snow Onion" chicken (in tender form) is a mass of pre-cut tenders smothered in a white garlic-based sauce and *buried* underneath a bed of slightly-pickled onions. You go 'bib-less' at your own peril in trying to eat it with a nice shirt on (makes you wonder if there's a reason they opened so nearby a laundromat). They also talked up (and down) their "Tikkudak," which they said has a 'smokier' taste that some either prefer or dislike. Not exactly a stirring recommendation - and it also sounds like it would increase preparation time, as it's cooked twice - both fried and oven-baked. There were a few negatives, which might just be chalked up to it being a new place: 1) The serving staff were very disorganized and a bit scatterbrained. Anyone who's been to the ABC Canteen knows it's *not* a large space - at all. To get refills, and I desperately needed mine to curb the heat in my mouth - I had to bring our glasses up to the bar and have them refilled. They also didn't know off the top of their heads if they had iced tea (they do, unsweetened). One of the servers spent the majority of her time on her phone and/or laptop in the back (so in addition to the music, our dining experience was punctuated by the default Verizon ringtone multiple times). Granted, it wasn't very busy, but it still was a bit of a put-off, even though she wasn't our server. 2) The food was brought out one entree at a time, in a slightly haphazard manner. Our surprise "on the house" Soy Garlic tenders came out first, followed about 5-10 minutes later by my friend's Snow Onion entree, then another 5-7 minutes later by my Spicy Garlic plate, and finally, the curly fries we'd ordered to be the 'appetizer' of sorts (not knowing we were going to get free tenders) came out last, when both of us were on our last legs hunger-wise. I found myself having to practically choke a few fries down at the end of the meal simply to feel as if I was getting some value out of the five dollars the side cost. It's kind of funny - every "KFC" place in the area has a caveat against it: Bonchon has spotty quality but nice decor/seating, BB-Q in Falls Church has a tasty product but an unattractive setting (not to mention you having to know it's there to know it exists at all), and this place has a tasty product and 'okay' decor/surroundings, but service that leaves a bit to be desired. No one's gotten it quite right yet.

The former ABC Canteen spot in Fairfax has been replaced by a new Korean Fried Chicken branch: Choong Man Chicken.

Yeah, I tried "Oh George!" on the underside and wasn't impressed for the money paid. The service was good and the space itself was nice, though.

Looking at their menu, it seems this place is more "fast froo froo casual" than a formal restaurant like Ford's.

So the Post's review is pretty spot-on. The burger *does* taste more like a cheesesteak. It's pretty damned good, even if I found the patties a bit over-seasoned (and honestly, what *isn't* at Taylor). I can't see myself going out of my way to have more of them, but since it's a Winter menu item and not super-limited like it evidently was last time, it's nice knowing that I could get it again sometime in the next few weeks if the urge struck.

I'm hoping to try this tonight, but wanted to let everyone here know that evidently this is a *really* good burger: Supposedly the only location this isn't going to be sold this Winter is the one at DCA.

They've changed their website address - the one in the dining guide is vacated/incorrect: https://www.thetrapezaria.com/

I've been getting the "Wrecking Ball" at Potbelly. You'd probably like it, Don. It's their Wreck, only with meatballs (don't let them short-change you on them - there should be 4-5 cut in halves and placed along the breadth of the sub, or broken into loose meat and spread) and marinara. It's like a meatball and a toasted cold cut sub all in one. Definitely good for a quick/easy take-away dinner, especially in "Big" form. The "Sicilian" as well. https://ownthemeal.com/secret-menu/potbelly/

Yeah, I've got to give the nod to Santini's over the late Chase the Submarine's offering, simply because you get *way* more for your money calorie/food-wise at Santini's, even with the 8". Next time I'm in Arlington I'll definitely hit that place up, though.