Genevieve

Oh, and they're inexpensive, I think have a good beer selection (I don't drink it so I'm not positive), and have accessible proprietors/cooks.

How about Clare and Don's Beach Shack, in Falls Church? When they were in Clarendon, I loved them as a hangout. I don't know about local ingredients (suspect not), but they're cozy, local, tasty, and fun. The seafood is very well done and the fried alligator and fried pickles are great comfort food. http://www.clareanddons.com/

Hey folks, I need to meet my out-of-town family to say goodbye and hang out for an hour starting around 4:30 this afternoon. They have to be at the American History museum at 6:30, and one family member may not be up to walking far (so it either has to be near the museum, or somewhere where she can get a taxi for a short ride). Is there anywhere you recommend, open at 4:30 (so therefore not Central or TenPenh), near the museum, where a group could hang out, have drinks/coffee and maybe snack? All I see nearby is the Post Office Pavilion, which seems very uninspired. Zaytinya could work only if they would taxi afterwards, but I'm trying to think of anything nearby. Teaism is too far for one family member to walk. The Sculpture Garden is likewise too far (and no taxi available there if family member needs it). Thank you!!

Ooh, I will have to go to Zaytinya next year on Passover and get that with the cucumber! (and ask for their GF menu to see what else is likely to be KforP.) Thanks!

My favorite Arlington Chinese restaurant (30 years ago) served sesame broccoli, which I adored and haven't seen on other menus. Has anyone seen it at Chinese or pan-Asian restaurants? It was a side dish with lightly cooked broccoli stems, crisp, not greasy, pungent and imbued with sesame flavor. (I failed at making it at home - blanched the broccoli as described, but it never took on the flavor of the sesame, it was just coated and oily. And frankly, I'd rather order it than cook it.) Thank you!

You could do Giant or other grocery for the large amount of cupcakes you need for the party, and then fancy mini cupcakes for his actual birthday at home, for just the immediate family. Or even see if he might be good with the fancy mini cupcakes for his actual family birthday, and a sheet cake (Costco makes terrific ones, actually) for the party. That's how we've always solved the 'want good cake'/'need to serve tons of people' conundrum.

Thank you!

I dearly miss the house dish Hsian Foong Chicken, from Hsian Foong Chinese restaurant in Arlington, which I grew up eating. They closed in the 90's or so. Does anyone remember this dish and know of anything like it somewhere else? It was small bits of chicken (too small to be called chunks, but bigger than diced), in a light red savory spicy sauce that may have included tomato (but no tomato chunks), over those little styrofoam-y crunchy white noodles. I have never tasted anything like it elsewhere, and can't identify what was in the sauce. I'm hoping someone else remembers it and knows a dish like it! Also (this is an easier one), Hsian Foong had the best sesame broccoli I've ever had - lightly cooked broccoli stems, crisp, not greasy, pungent and imbued with sesame flavor. If anyone knows a Chinese restaurant that makes stellar sesame broccoli, I'd be grateful. (I failed at making it at home - blanched the broccoli as described, but it never took on the flavor of the sesame, it was just coated and oily. And frankly, I'd rather order it than cook it.) Thank you! [edited to note that the title was changed, but the dish wasn't chicken and broccoli -- the sesame broccoli was a side dish.]

Has anyone tried the raviolini with hay-smoked ricotta? We're going there for dinner tonight, and I'm intrigued. Also, what desserts on the winter menu have been worth ordering? I've seen mixed reviews on dessert, very pro and fairly con. Looking at the sour cherry almond pie. Thanks!

We went a couple weeks ago after I'd read about it on this board. Knocked our socks off. We will most definitely be back again and again.

Wow. All right, I will have to go back soon and get that. A really good lobster roll is one of my favorite summertime treats (that and a really good, non-batter-fried, soft shell crab). I would not have expected to see one in the fall. We had marvelous takeout from Liberty last week -- oh my God, the forest mushroom pizza had me sighing and gobbling it up. And I didn't even realize that the arugula was there in a separate takeout container until it was halfway eaten - but loved the lightly lemony arugula on top. It was thoughtful of them to package it separately so it didn't make the beautiful crisp crust soggy, I just needed to look at everything we got so I could notice it.

I love the Birchmere as a music provider, and am reconciled to their menu (the red beans and rice and cornbread make for a fairly decent dinner), but as a non-drinker, this really pisses me off.

Don't know about the bread at lunch as I've only been there for dinner, but I noticed the lack of recent reviews and since I have been there lately, wanted to chime in. We're in the neighborhood and we go here perhaps once a month. The food is always delicious and the service is always good and sometimes outstanding. Love the mixed green salad with creamy goat cheese, oranges, tiny seeds, nuts, and other tasty things - a great mix of textures and tastes. We usually order the seared scallops (more delicately cooked than most places, but cooked through and not fishy, and with a lovely sauce), grape leaves (I can't comment but my husband likes them very much), chicken shish taouk for our son, and a few other things depending on our taste that day. The lentil soup with something green (chard? kale?) is really terrific, great in the cold months, flavorful and filling. The bread is hot and soft and not spongy like purchased pita, and the dips that come with it are addictively tasty - a yogurt spread, zaatar spices (I dip in the yogurt and then the spices), and good olive oil, plus some pungent olives. Definitely recommended. We've brought family of various ages and they've all been happy here. Also, we came on Christmas day, and everything was as good as usual or better, with extra attentive service.

We had a truly excellent pizza here about a week and a half ago. The crust was crackly and tasty, the toppings were superb. My guys went for the multiple meat pizza, so we had: their housemade sausage, which was extremely flavorful (but not too spicy for the kid) and plump and just marvelous; meatballs, which were large but still well-cooked throughout, and tangy and lovely; and two other meats I can't remember, I think a house-made pepperoni and something else. All of the meats were nitrate-free, which was a good thing to see. My sandwich was tasty but not quite as successful: roasted veggies and Coach Farm goat cheese on foccaccia. The bread was lovely, rosemary-scented and well-textured. I think the generous amount of veggies (eggplant and mushrooms and squash, maybe something else too) overwhelmed the sandwich, without something to mellow them. The terrific goat cheese would have done so, if there had been more of it compared to the veggies - it was just a light spread. Well-intentioned and just needs some tweaking, I think, to be a very good sandwich. Maybe a little arugula or something green to temper the roasted veggies a bit and offer a contrast? And definitely more of the cheese. The kiddo was a huge fan of the warm chocolate chip cookie dough sundae dessert. We all liked it, but he's a fan for life. The cookie dough is part soft and part cooked by the intense but brief heating in the oven -- an unusual texture to have both cookie and dough in the dessert, and it worked well. Service was very good and attentive, though the server didn't know the non-pizza menu items that well yet. I would very much like to see the thoroughly-stocked bar offer a few non-alcoholic cocktails as well. Overall, we were fans - we're in the neighborhood and will definitely be back with some frequency. I need to try the less meaty pizzas (some sounded very appealing), though I'll make sure to sample the guys' meatballs and sausage.

Enjoy! I may have to get some of these buns too, for when my Chicago native mom comes over - she's always looking for Chicago-style hot dogs in the area, and would hot dogs in these buns (me too) even without the classic toppings.

Thank you!!! I hadn't thought of that, but based on your suggestion I called and the person answering the phone said it shouldn't be a problem to do fried calamari even if it's not on the menu, and said it often is on the menu. so that's great! Thanks so much for suggesting it. With the butterscotch pot de creme, is the "scotched milkshake" something that's poured on, or on the side? That dessert sounds amazing to me, but I need a non-alcoholic dessert (migraines triggered by alcohol) and would prefer not to make a big deal out of it when we're there.

I hope you have a marvelous time at Palena! Some time, you and your husband might enjoy Zaytinya, which is less high-end special-occasion than the ones recommended here, so you might be happy there before your next award (congrats!). Zaytinya has the best fried calamari I've ever had -- it may not compare to what you had in LA, but if you like good, fresh, very lightly fried calamari, Zaytinya's your place.

Great minds . . . I was just coming here to post that I suddenly thought of BlackSalt and made a reservation! Thank you for confirming that it's quiet, which is what I thought I remembered - it's been a couple years since I've been. It's perfect because we want to be celebratory but I got a request not to be not overly fancy - BlackSalt is so delicious and creative and fresh, and it's elegant but not overwhelmingly fancy (since the guest of honor is low-keying the significant birthday). Now I just have to figure out what the kiddo will eat there, since there's no fried calamari and I'm not sure he'll eat fried clams . . . but I'm sure we can get him one of the grilled fish entrees without the sauce. And I'm looking lovingly at the butterscotch pot de creme (wonder if I can get it w/o the scotched milkshake?) and the banana coconut cream pie with roasted pineapple. I'm sure even the healthy eaters will have a little of the desserts . . .

Ella's is family-friendly, though you need to have your whole party there before they will seat you, so you can have kids having to wait if your party isn't there. The pizzas are tasty and there are more adventurous choices, and they can go fairly quickly if you tell them you're in a rush. Zaytinya has been wonderful with my 10-year-old each time we've gone. He likes fried calamari and theirs is the best he's ever had, and the puffy-bread is a real kid-pleaser. It's a little elegant but not overwhelmingly so, the Dyson hand-dryer in the bathroom is way cool for a kid if they're old enough not to be scared by it, and the peach and sour cherry juices have been hits. Perfect place to go with a kid who is a little adventurous (they don't have to be supremely so, but a little bit). Oyamel has been great with kids too. When it was a slow time there (definitely not at peak hours), they asked my son if he'd like to help make the guacamole in the volcanic-rock mortar and pestle they bring to the table. For a semi-adventurous eater, the soft tacos are good (mine asks for just the meat and tortilla, but he loves them, and we get the sides). Teaism is good but I had a harder time finding something my son would eat there, because the menu is shorter and more items have some spice to them. He would prefer not to go back there - it depends on your kid and what they're used to eating. I love it, especially the shrimp summer rolls and the lentil soup or Asian gazpacho, depending which they're serving. Rasika does have some standard Indian dishes as well as the creative ones - check their menu for next time and see if they have rogan josh, I seem to remember having a lamb dish that was very tasty but disappointed me because I prefer their creative dishes. If they've got her rogan josh, you can take her and she'll love the elegance and the breads. Tangysweet or Red Velvet Cupcake afterwards for a treat is a great idea (unless you eat at Oyamel or Zaytinya, which have outstanding desserts). There's also Gifford's ice cream, right near Ford's Theatre - it's a hole in the wall, but the ice cream is good, especially with hot fudge.

We're in Arlington, could easily do NoVa restaurants, and DC restaurants in places that have parking (can't walk from Metro right now). I thought of Hook but couldn't think of anywhere to park. Kaz Sushi might work, thank you. Right now I have a reservation at Flying Fish in Alexandria but am prepared to cancel it and reserve somewhere else.

We live in that area and like both Minh's and Nam Viet. Minh's is good for a little less standard food like shrimp-and-yam-cakes (must-have appetizer). Their pho is not their strong point, and neither are their summer rolls, but many of their dishes are delicious and they have a long menu. I've been told by Vietnamese friends that their food is quite authentic. Nam Viet is a little more casual looking (though still white-tablecloth), their pho and summer rolls are top-notch, and they excel at standards like pork with rice noodles. I haven't looked around their menu much to see if they have things off the beaten path, as I've been very happy there with the standars.

My kiddo loved Co. Co. Sala with a passion, but he is a chocolate nut like me. I like the food a lot, actually, but I like it better at lunch when it's not so busy and loud. Dessert after is a good idea, and maybe lunch on a weekend before the Verizon Center.

We had a lovely lunch at Johnny's Half-Shell last week. Two of us had soft-shell crab special, which was delectable -- perfectly cooked, sauteed soft-shells, in a basil and Old Bay cream sauce that was not too strong on the Old Bay (I like the sweet crab taste to sing out and not be overwhelmed). It came with moist and flavorful spoonbread full of corn kernels. One of us had a marvelous grilled halibut filet in red pepper sauce, and one of us had a crab cake which she said was just right, full of lump crab, not breading. Desserts were good too, though the service was a little slow (we'd warned our waitress at the beginning that one of us needed to leave early, but she took a while to bring dessert menus and then take our order, and didn't bring the dessert in time and we had to ask her to go back for a to-go box). I think I had a peach pie - desserts aren't on the website and I can't remember exactly - but I know it was a fresh fruit pie and the crust was just right, and I didn't leave a bite of it.

Any tips on places that are not noisy and also have healthy and delicious food? Healthy could be defined as seafood available in non-fried/butter-sauced form, or Japanese or other light Asian, or organic (though Founding Farmers is organic but looks to have few lighter options on the menu), or just light in general. I'm doing a dinner for a special birthday, and the guest of honor has hearing difficulties and particularly finds noisy restaurants to be a problem. Several members of the party prefer to eat lighter food. This would be for a Sunday evening, but early (5:00, 5:30) dinner would be fine. Thank you!!

Thank you! We're going for lunch, to celebrate a birthday, but I'll keep it in mind for appetizers (and recommend it to our interns, who'll like cheap good apps).