Skysplitter

M-W works for me (unless there's an unknown meeting lurking ) and I'm rearing to get back to 4 Sisters, but am pretty much game for all the above.

The usual places include- Argia's Don & Clare's Beach Shack (especially on warm days, dining outside, woot!) Super Chicken Elevation Burger Dogwood Cafe Natalia's Lost Dog Cafe Z Pizza Occasional places include- The Chinese place on 7 next to Dogwood The Thai place on 7 kinda near Dogwood Kasha's Kitchen, which I keep meaning to get to more often And Luzmilla's Cuisine Have you checked some of them out before?

Hah, well he'll have to take mine too! Those crinkle cut fries make me smile every time I get them The chicken parm sub is pretty serviceable and everything my coworkers have ordered in the past have been pretty decent too. I didn't know they did breakfast, might have to check that out sometime!

I'm at the corner of Lee/Washington and 7/Broad and would love to break out from the usual haunts (or could introduce people to them too), whatever works

Thanks for the tip on Myanmar- I always drive by there on my way home but have never gone in. Hopefully this week we'll trek out to the Lebanese Butcher too! Our boundaries are usually limited to what we can walk to, and what's under $15, heh. Lost Dog delivers and Sundae/Kasha's are near the bank And now that the thread is split off, if anyone in Falls Church area is looking for coffee, the "downtown" area has several great local places to choose from, specifically Natalia's, the 2 Sister's Coffee Shack and Stacey's. If you get espressor anything at Natalia's, expect a wait, but at least you can get one of their delicious cookies to tide you over (the big ones in the jars). They do have a few tables, but no outlets available for computers that I've been able to find. 2 Sister's is also great (and usually fast) and offers a drive through window or a walk up window. It IS a shack, so there's no place to sit down, unless you count the picnic tables in the back. Stacey's is the most traditional of coffee houses and I think offers up wifi and plugs for laptops if you are so inclined. All in all, a nice respite from the Starbucks of the world.

Not to hijack the thread, but since you work down the street from me, I'd like to inquire what your Falls Church top 10 is. I usually do take out, ergo my list reflects that- Top 5ish in no order- Super Chicken, Argia's, Lost Dog (yeah, yeah, it's Arlington), Dogwood Tavern and the Elevation. The other 5 are usually in random rotation- Natalia's Pastry Shop (yes, they do lunch and have borscht from time to time, also greak cookies), Lazy Sundae, Luzmilla's (just added!), Kasha's Kitchen and zPizza. To jump back on topic, everyone at the office is a big fan of Argia's sandwiches, especially the el gusto, chicken one, and the tomato/mozz one. I've tried the lunch fritatta special twice. The first one was potato, which was great, albeit too salty. The second time I hoped the salt would not be in such force, alas, it was. When we've dined it, it's been hit or miss with the pastas, and the one time I ordered a pesto dish, I'd swear it was just parsley and olive oil mixed together, no basil, no garlic. However, I had that tomato basil soup on hand, and it indeed made a great sauce with the pasta (edited for spelling)

I work at the intersection of Broad and Washington in Falls Church and a coworker steered us this way for lunch a few months ago. At first we wondered if it was worth the drive, even though it was short (hey, we walk to everything, including once to the German place waaaay down the road), but it didn't take much to impress us. We've been back a number of times and ordered delivery from them since they are one of the very few establishments in that Falls Church area who does actually deliver. Here's the general consensus from my coworkers and moi -Pizza- is OK. Interesting toppings, good crusts. However, I am from Boston, I am a pizza snob, and I'm not a huge fan. Z Pizza is down the street from us and is our go-do delivery joint for pizza and salad, which I admit to being addicted to their Thai pizza, but that's another post. For the Lost Dog, the sandwiches here are the real star, so -Sandwiches- are fabulous, especially the hot sandwiches, which start popping up after option #20 or so. Their homemade pitas are nothing short of awesome, and I have yet to have a dud sandwich. My favorites include the Dotty (yum black beans), the Muttly, the Bird, and the Fat Molly. I have heard good things about the Cowboy, the President and the Razbo-Oscar. -The Fries- suck. A lot. Every time I say I'm not going to get them, and then think, wait, I'll give them a second chance, well, they end up sucking. They're waffle fries with "Italian Seasoning" which is fine in and of itself, however they have always arrived limp, mushy, and otherwise unenthusiastic about being a french fry. And this has always been for dining in; I've never tempted the fry gods by ordering them for delivery. Also, the Clemson Tiger Tea consisting of half lemonade, half iced-tea, rocks. Also, they deliver that, heh. The prices that aren't too far off from what the other sandwich joints offer (Cosi, Quiznos, Subway), plus there's the added plus of being able to buy BEER, either with lunch or on your way out from their cases. Parking can be difficult at times with a parking lot that's only a tiny bit bigger than Samantha's over in Silver Springs, but street parking can usually be found fairly easily.

Because my memory is atrocious, I've kept forgetting to post about the few places I visited. I'm looking forward to visiting the rest First off- Original Pancake House on Broad st. I ended up going here with a coworker for a late lunch, intending to eat, well, lunch. But when you're a pancake house and can smell pancakes, it is difficult to resist the lure. So we didn't! Pancakes (mine- blueberry, hers- banana nut) were good, not great. The home fries needed some salt, but were otherwise also pretty good. I'd probably end up back here just for a change in the lunch routine, which consists mostly of Super Chicken, Elevation Burger, Lost Dog and Argia's, but only because I'm tired of the rest. And second, Dominion Restaurant, which does still have the Corkie's sign lit up when you go in. I didn't get a chance to quiz the waitress on the changeover, but it certainly seemed as nothing had changed there, including the waitress My friend got some sort of omelette and homefries, both of which were very tasty, and I got the "lemon poppyseed french toast" which is exactly what it sounds like- slabs of poppyseed bread, dunked in an egg wash and fried up. The cup of Smuckers Maple Syrup was entirely unnecessary, and it reminded me mostly of the muffin fry-ups my dad would do when I was a kid, but it was unexpected and yummy. Oh, yes, and we got the beignets to start out with (who can resist a beignet?!) and while not as good as my beloved beignets from Duck Fat up in Portland, ME, they were pretty good for being down the street! On a related note, although it did not come up in this posting, there is a hole in the wall bagel place on Route 7 with the Giant/Staples/CVS in Falls Church, which I think is actually called Bagels Deli & Donuts. The highlight of this place is the freshly made breakfast bagel sandwiches, including crispy bacon. I can't say that I love the bagels, a bit too, er, bready, for lack of good adjective, but a freshly fried egg and bacon with cheddar cheese more than makes up for it. I haven't tried the doughnuts either, but they've sat there, tempting me the few times I've been in. They also have a sign up that says they do uber-cheap breakfast combos with pancakes, eggs cooked in a few ways and the requisite sausage or bacon, but I have yet to try it. Thanks for the tips on the other restaurants. If I manage to wake myself up early next weekend, perhaps I shall give them a shot. Can anyone say pancake-off?

Despite the fact I've lived in Falls Church and/or McLean for almost two years, I haven't really found a good breakfast place (this may or may not be due to the fact that I haven't really looked either...) When I lived in Wheaton, there was Nick's Diner, the Royal Mile, and even the Austin Grill when in a pinch (and others I'm forgetting, I'm sure). I know there's the Original Pancake on Washington St, but what else am I missing? My dream breakfast usually consists of blueberry pancakes, crispy bacon, hashbrowns and bottomless coffee. Occasionally I switch out for the omelette experience. Any ideas for the Falls Church/Vienna/Fairfax area? I'm always willing to travel farther in the NoVa area if there is someplace I simply must go to of course

Moorenko's in Silver Spring and McLean sold pumpkin ice cream this time last year and I would figure they would do so again. Try it with chocolate sprinkles (I had to retype that, I called them jimmies, but I'm not in the ice cream motherland New England anymore...). Chocolate and pumpkin ice cream ROCKS. I would avoid any major supermarket brand. I tried some recently and was sorely disappointed

Camden is a jewel without a doubt. I worked there 2 summers ago and think of the town often. If you're going back this summer, check out my 2 haunts. One's Boynton-McKay, which is a coffee shop that does breakfast and lunch, which are really quite good. The coffee at the place is amazing, and I usually managed to come out with one of their baked goodies. They had a strawberry coffee cake which I still remember, yum. The other is Francine (forgo Natalie's, just go straight to Francine). I preferred the atmosphere of Francine to Primo's and the service, but from what I recall, I think Primo's food was a little above Francine. I only ate here a few times since my miserable paycheck didn't really allow for more, but when I head back there, I make a point to put it in my schedule (not Primo's, heh). Their cocktails are quite good, their steak frites are to do die for, but the place is SMALL. I think maybe 35 people can fit in there at a time, including the bar and the outside tables. It's worth the wait however Francine Bistro 55 Chestnut St Camden, ME 04843 phone: 207-230-0083 Boyton-McKay 30 Main St Camden, ME 207-236-2465 (closed on Mondays)

Wait! I didn't get to chime in yet Camille-Beau mentioned Duck Fat and I have been there twice. Last time I was home I pondered taking a drive up just to grab lunch there, along with walking around Portland. Their schtick is that they do their fries up in, yeup, duck fat. They also make outstandng beignets (uh, not in duck fat) and their sandwiches aren't half bad. It's not in the downtown area, but is easily walked to for lunch. Not quite having the budget for any of the big dollar places, my friends and I ended up at the Pepperclub whose menu tilts largely toward vegetarian and I recall having some of the best veggie lasagna ever from there. I second Bintliff's in Portland for brunch and the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth. Bintliff's usually has an insane wait, but they serve you coffee as you wake up and mill about! The good thing about being in Ogunquit is that you're close to all the other Southern Maine foodie places. Last I heard, Joshua's in Wells was serving up great food at a more affordable price point. Bonus points for being in Wells is a chance to get dessert at the Scoopdeck which is usually the reason I come home 5 pounds heavier. I still dream of their blueberry cheesecake ice cream and lemon merigue ice cream. Extremely glad to be going back there in another week! If you're a diner hound, there's one in Wells called The Maine Diner which I'm not the hugest fan of, however, their muffins rock. Hope you enjoy your time up there, it's a beautiful time to head Down East

I knew there had to be a light at the end of this god forsaken week! And for once I can go! Hooray for temporarily working on the hill! Mmm, or not since I probably won't be able to feel my toes once I get there...

Ok, I love the board, but sometimes good stuff stays hidden! January is nearing an end, but I thought I'd made my voice known- I'm out in Tyson's and up for gatherings whenever, or lunch partners in search of something better than the Corner Bakery

Before anyone gets any ideas, this is not my engagement party! A friend of mine is getting married over in Greece next summer so she wants to have a nice engagement party state-side for all of her friends in the area. She's looking mostly in Northern Virginia and driving farther out into VA is not a problem. DC is a bit of a problem with parking, etc. (Her comments, not mine!) The guiding principles are- someplace that looks nice and not like a banquet hall and good food (hence the post). So she's looking at 2941, whose thread has been rather silent as of late, and looking for others. I saw Lightfoot Restaurant listed in Don's guide, and I sent her the link for Patowmack Farm, not knowing if they can accomodate that many people at all. Has anyone been to Lightfoot? Other ideas? .02? danke for anything!

I will be attending and bring a pie or two of some sort. We'll see what happens Saturday afternoon and leave it at that. Also, this is a public announcement that I will be doing videotaped interviews with some Donrockwell.com members who are fans of the Shoebox Oven. I have the full blessing of Krishna Brown, owner of the very merry little bakery, as well as Don Rocks and company. I am doing a documentary on the Shoebox Oven focusing on what it takes to make it in this business, and spreading the word about her wares on a site like this is certainly part of it. If you don't know about Shoebox, head on over to the Shopping and Cooking section and there's a great, informative thread over there. I do not want to freak anyone out when they get there and see a video camera! I want to assure everyone that you will NOT BE FILMED unless you sign a written release that allows me to do so. This won't end up on teh evil YouTube, it will be shown in my Documentary Production class at American University (I am a graduate film student there). I might point my camera at a dead pig or two because, really I don't see these things everyday If anyone has any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me. If you're a Shoebox fan and would like to tell me why you dig Shoebox on camera, PM me as well. Looking forward to a great afternoon! nicole (or skysplitter if you prefer)

Getting out for under $30 can be a little tough. If you go app/entree/dessert with water, might come to $30, not including tax or tip. It's worth the splurge if you ask me. Can't miss- the chicken. Heaven! Also, FWIW, I'm 5'6" and I found the bar way too high to be able to be seated and eat comfortably. I would've needed a phone book on the chair to make it work!

Last night I dined at Corduroy with my sister as a sort of last hurrah of DC dining before I move to Maine (for just the summer). I daresay I've never seen Corduroy this busy except during Restaurant Week, but the service was it's usual outstanding self, despite several large parties at the time. Since I'd read that Tom Brown had left for Agraria (who's somehow always been my waiter, and will be missed!) I requested to be seated in dear Ferhat's section. I can only echo the board sentiments and say that Ferhat is the man . I'll comment on what I haven't seen commentary on yet recently, and that's namably on the beet salad and the halibut. The beet salad comes with goat cheese, which I didn't see at first but then realized it was on the bottom of the plate as if heated, then formed into a circle. The beets were sweet so with the combo of the cheese and onions, um, yeah. If you like beets, I'm not sure how you can pass this up. The same with the halibut. Ferhat steered me in this direction (rather than the lamb) and it was every bit as good as I was hoping. The halibut is served with some sort of meyer lemon/butter/creamy sauce that was out of this world. The potato/leek salad served with it also goes pretty well with the sauce We unexpectedly received chocolate ice cream (well, my sister can't eat ice cream, so it was swapped out for strawberry sobet which packed a huge strawberry punch). Now, despite the fact that we were both stuffed, I made it clear dessert was not to be missed at Corduroy. Ergo, you all must go get the strawberry tart. I got the chocolate sabayon and wished I had gotten the tart. The strawberries had a really bright flavor and there was just something indescribably about the combo of the tart with the berries. I'd be tempted to go back to Corduroy this week just to get the tart, heh. Anyway, thanks to the powers that be Corduroy for yet another outstanding meal

Well I just got back from San Francisco and thought I would offer up my .02. I did not make it to Danko since I blew threw alot of money in San Jose. I did however end up at Dottie's True Blue Cafe in the Union Square area and Aziza in the Richmond district. Dottie's was a place I had started to read about- greasy spoon diner place with alot of character and great food. There were words of caution about it being in the Tenderloin, but balderdash I say. Easy walk from Union Square. As with most popular breakfast places, Dottie's was a little pricey, but damn it was worth it. For $11 you can get 2 big pancakes (I got the blueberry cornmeal), 2 eggs, bacon, potatoes and fresh squeezed OJ. THe coffee's also pretty damned good. I've eaten at alot of diners and breakfast joints in my time (I LOVE breakfast foods) and this was clearly in the top 5 places I've eaten at. Bintiff's [now Bayside American Cafe] in Portland, ME also comes to mind as does a place in Waterville, ME that I can't recall the name of right now. Anyway, they also bake muffins, cinnamon rolls, several breads, all available there or to go. I left with one of their legendary cinnamon rolls, which was a sugar shock experience, but quite good all the same. Lots of walnuts and brown sugar = yum. Onto Aziza, which is very popular over on the Chowhound board (reserve comments for the *other* CH thread ). Aziza serves Moroccan food, which I'd never had, but made a reservation for 1 and trekked on out to the Richmond area. Easily accessible via bus and on the main drag, the outward appearance is deceiving. I wondered what I was walking into (dive?!) and was treated to one of the most beautiful interiors I've ever dined in. Dark blue walls, candles all around, alcoves with plastered arches, red glass chandeliers- stunning really. But what really impressed me is that I was just a 1 top, got a prime seat in an alcove clearly meant for 3 or 4 people, and the service was outstanding. I started off with a lemon-basil martini which set the evening off just right. I found out after the fact that Aziza is becoming well known for their mixed drinks, and the martini was just proof in the glass. I ordered the lentil soup and the guinea hen. The soup was quite good, but when I got the guinea hen dish, the first words out of my mouth were in fact "holy shit!". It's served with a saffron, lemon and I think red pepper sauce, along with a purple potato mash. The last time I'd had such a reaction I was at Corduroy. A deceptively simple dish, all the flavors meshed well together. I had to tell myself to eat slowly. Dessert was a simple malted milk ice cream with chocolate chips and 2 cookies. Difficult to finish, but quite good. Damage for 1 drink, soup, hen and dessert with tip was about $60. I would definitely go back. And if you're in town, you have to try and get there. (I would actually order you to RUN not walk, but to each his own.) This restaurant is doing everything right. Not a single misstep the entire evening. I'm already looking forward to the next time I can eat there. I want a Chef Power and Chef Lahlou face off now

For me, this was a bit of a culinary adventure because 1- I don't usually eat shellfish, 2- I had never eaten venison before and 3- I don't like licorice. The shrimp tartar I thought was pretty good. Keep in mind I've never had tartar in any way shape or form, but I was shocked I was eating shrimp. And not hating it! For me, and I think our table, the star of the evening was the venison. The rock star dish even. The syrah sauce with the venison was an amazing combination, and the vegetables were welcome accompaniments (sp?) As for the controversial dessert, well, not everyone likes licorice. I still don't. But I think I would have liked it alot sans the sauce. I liked the squash, I loved the ice cream. Nuff said. The meringue dish was the Brazo de Mercedes and was outstanding. Very light, the strawberry slices and sauce were also light and everything came together nicely. I wanted more damnit! But did Tuesday get the cookie plate? How could there be no comments on the cookies? Yay for cookies- candied lemon peel (I think), pistachio lace cookies and Ferhat's little cookies that had no name, but were made of some combo of flour, cornstarch, maybe sugar, and with a dusting of cocoa on top. Tasty. Alright, clearly I need sleep. But it was a great night. Nice to finally meet some of the people behind the screen names.

*Cry* I envy you, since I'm originally from there. Radius and #9 both have great reps in town, but it's been awhile since I've eaten at either. You might want to consider Oleanna as well- Chef Sortun received a James Beard award last year, but it's in Cambridge in Inman Square, which would require some decent walking or a cab ride. http://oleanarestaurant.com/ (watch out- VERY ANNOYING FLASH!) Here are some other recs for lunch or otherwise: Dessert- Finale. Locations in both the Theatre District and Harvard Square. They now do dinner, but I've always stuck to dessert and wine. Hamburgers- Mrs. bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square. It's an institution, and while Bostonians love to debate the best burger in town, this place has got charm in a classic New England way Raspberry Lime Rickeys- available at either Bartleys, or at Emack and Bolio's if you're walking on Newbury Street. If you don't get ice cream up there, I'll cry. Toscanini's is always highly regarded. (I'm originally from the burbs, so I know more places out of town rather than in town for ice cream.) Have a blast and dress warmly!

I thought about going to Chez Panisse, but my time in San Francisco is very limited. It's more like 2.5 days (driving up from San Jose Monday morning) so I'm trying my best to stay in the city (I don't have car access after that ride up from SJ). The more I read about the city and the food, etc, the more I'm sure I'll be back, so I'd like to save it for another trip when I have more time. From the SF Chowhounds, Quince seems to be doing well. I saw that in Tom's postcard as well, and not to be rude to Quince, but with Notti and Dino [Closed Jan 12, 2014] in DC, I don't feel the need to travel across the country to get Italian I'm sure they're using local ingredients in interesting ways, but Aziza's Moroccan I believe, Coco500 [Closed Jan 9, 2014] has an interesting menu (formerly Bizou), etc, etc, and for me, that's more of a draw. I'll be sure to report back wherever I go... too bad I have to wait another few weeks

So has anyone else been to San Francisco lately? I'll be going in March for 3 days (in San Jose before then) and have been trolling Chowhound, here and elesewhere to see where to eat. I'll be eating alone, I don't eat shellfish and am not looking to go home broke But I am staying at a hostel for a reason. That said, I'm plotting my sightseeing around- Gary Danko (at the bar), Zuni Cafe, Aziza [Closed May 22, 2016 "for two months of renovations"], Coco500 [Closed Jul 9, 2014], the Tartine Bakery, possibly the coffee place Tom mentioned in his chat today (Graffeo), and maybe Dottie's True Blue Cafe for breakfast. If anyone has any other notes, comments, what have you, I'd love to hear it

Hmm, I misread where it said we won't get to see if beforehand. I assumed so (and we know what assuming does boys and girls!) because I know I'll have to drop if there's alot of shellfish on the menu. I'd have a hard time putting forth my $$ only to find out *there* that I couldn't eat half of what's being offered Just my .02. This dilemma will probably be solved for me by the lottery anyway

Truer words were never spoken. I've given the place another chance after a lackluster first visit, and it failed to impress me once again. Samantha's and Mandalay nearly always deliver a good meal however. Any hidden gems in Takoma Park we should know about?