lion

That looks pretty good, unfortunately Thursday night is rough especially first week of school. 

On 8/20/2018 at 2:24 PM, ktmoomau said:

Yep,  In Thomas/Davis you have a few good options.  Sirianni's for pizza, pasta, parmesan wedges and salads- it is excellent, we make a trip over from Oakland to go here a lot.  Mutley's isn't terrible.  The burrito place- Hellbender has big as your head burritos, they are ok, I am not a big burrito person though so I don't go here a lot.  I head the food over at White Grass was good too.  Blackwater has it's own sit down restaurant, but I haven't been in years.  Which train are you doing?  The one in Elkins?  Elkins is a pretty good ways from Blackwater Falls still, just FYI on pretty curvy roads.  I take my neices to CJ Maggies in Elkins, it isn't fine dining, but it has sandwiches, salads, bar food, etc none of which has ever been bad.  But the area around Blackwater Falls is very pretty.  There are some cute shops/galleries in Thomas/Davis now.  You aren't too far from Seneca Rocks and the smoke holes either if you want something else to do.

The Purple Fiddle is fun, and the Tip Top has nice coffee and pastries, and at night has cocktails.  They I think also have an outpost of Mountain State Brewing, we like the one at Deep Creek.  Good pizza and beer.  If you go up via Wardensville there is a nice little bakery and farm market at the stop sign.  And the Kakapoon is good "country cookin".  I doubt there are very nice hotel/motel options in that area, so camping is probably not a bad option.  There are also lots of vacation homes for skiing that you might be able to rent in summer too.  There is a nice little B&B in Lost River though that I stayed at.

Thanks for such a comprehensive reply, Ktmoomau! There are a lot of good suggestions for a trip to that region. Still haven't decided on the train yet but considering the Durbin Rocket since it is 2 hours long trip. 

25 minutes ago, kgottwald said:

Teens don't go to the Galleria; there's nothing there they can afford.

That has been the case since it's inception. 

We've been going there for frequently for the past 5 years as it is a very baby to kid friendly place especially with the Women's wash room nearby the cafe. A lot of families frequent the Cafe as there are plenty of booths and it gives off the impression of being in a normal restaurant. It is still our default place to eat in either of the two Tyson Corner malls. The quality has dropped slightly but the change which has occurred more noticeably is that they appear to have cut back on trying new items.

For us and the Tyson's area, Nordstrom Cafe and Silver Diner our are regular family sit down places. Asian Origin is our take away place, though we have taken friends there. 

Reston NOW OP-Ed on Wheel Lock Properties and their possible plan for Hidden Creek Golf Course. 

On 8/16/2018 at 1:10 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

I had looked into that awhile back but never pulled the trigger.  Which train are you taking?  Now that I looked over the website again, I might take the kids to Elkins and ride the Tygart Flyer.

Are you spending the night, if so, where?

Not sure which train yet but most likely a short travel time one around 2-4 hours. For our 4 years old that would be a good length. 

Still in the planning stages as we are trying to go with another family so accommodations will depend upon availability and when we could pull the trigger. There are some cabins and lodge rooms in the Blackwater State Park which would be good.

1 hour ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Whachoo gonna do there?

We wanted to take our 4 year old on a railway adventure and figured to make a weekend of it. 

Has anyone visited near the Blackwater Falls State Park in WV and if so any dining recommendations? 

RIP

Recently I visited five granite counter top places as we are doing a small addition to the kitchen by adding a cabinet where the tv media center stands. We needed to use a remnant piece after visiting all of those places found prices varied $35-$55 per square feet. The piece chosen to use is a close match but still a couple of shades away from our countertop.

There are several places in Merrifield and tons more in Sterling and would recommend negotiating. We decided to use Granite Center  as it was a good mixture of service and cost.

Actually enjoyed some tacos and beer at Crooked Run in Sterling after making a final decision. 

What would work in the space? 

On 8/1/2018 at 4:29 PM, Ferris Bueller said:

This may be a long-winded way of answering your question(s), but I am neither pro/contra to Reston development as long all the components needed to lessen or accommodate the increased density appropriate.  

I think that is the rub, the components to accommodate increased density are not being considered any real capacity at a county level. As Reston is not a 'city' in the established sense as Vienna, we're at the discretion of what the county wants to address. RA, the Reston Association, additionally has pretty much abdicated applying any reasonable measures to deal with the increased density issues. 

The baker one in Georgetown Inter harbor isn't that bad and we've enjoyed brunch there a couple of times with other families. Tried the Tysons location once with a friend on a weeknight and surprisingly it was fairly packed. 

We haven't made any attempt to try out the Wiehle Avenue location even though outside of South Lakes shopping center is the closest restaurant to us. It just seems like a place we'll go to with out of town visitors who need very basic cuisine and don't want to eat in a fast casual style restaurant.

Again Reston's current info-structure can not support the current level of residents. 

21 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

Former Reston Town Center Business Reopens by Dan Taylor, Patch

The Bike Lane has opened up its new location after leaving RTC over paid parking.

That's good to hear. Amazing that near the Reston US Post Office you now have smaller business area with Beloved Yoga, Chef on Wheels and now a loft building goin up next to Akamai!

It use to just be low level offices. 

---

Mezeh Mediterranean Grill (Ferris Bueller)

We've gone many times as the parking spaces are easy to use and not an issue. Agree that it is a smaller store in many ways and unfortunately the quality at the hot bar is not up to the standards at the McLean or Bethesda stores. However the sushi counter is still very good and in a way probably is the best sushi in Reston! 

I'm not sure but it seems like Balducci's is lowering the quality some of the meats and seafood to bring down the costs to be more competitive with the other local grocery chains. 

We also have been there a couple of times. Nunu is the brother of the sister (owner) at Thai Luang and unfortunately they had a falling out many years ago now. His new place is good for Thai food and locally, he's one of the most friendly restauranteurs in the area.  

Sorry to hear that. Godspeed Herschel. 

3 hours ago, tfbrennan said:

We've done your kind of thing on the way from WI to DC -- makes a long trip fun.

This cute little burger joint with cute little burgers in Urbana OH:  Crabill's Hamburgers

Old fashioned steakhouse in Dayton OH: The Pine Club

Ice cream in Yellow Springs OH: Young's Jersey Dairy

Second on The Pine Club and Young's Jersey Dairy. There are better tasting stuffed pizzas in Chicago but still fond of Giordano's.

On 4/2/2018 at 11:43 AM, TedE said:

We happened to be back in Rehoboth for a couple of days last week during the Spring release of 120.  This year they offered the option of a vertical tasting for 2015-2018 from a keg of each year that had been set aside for this purpose ($15 for 4 tastings of those vintages from kegs was a relative bargain).  The flight is pictured, 2015 on the left and the just released 2018 on the right.  You can tell just from the photo that only a year of cellaring produces some pretty drastic changes in this beer.  The flavor profiles are even more dramatic.  Collectively, if 2015/16/17 were subtle variations on the theme, 2018 was a different composition entirely.  When fresh this beer is bright, obviously hopped to the high heavens, with a flat malt profile and a distinct alcohol note in the finish, but doesn't drink like something that weighs in at 18%.  One year of age flips that on its head: the hops, having partially or completely broken down, are now background notes (albeit very loud ones, but they aren't what draws your attention at first) and the malt backbone becomes downright vinous with a warming alcohol presence throughout.  Those qualities were more concentrated in the 2015; interestingly I thought the '15 and '17 were most similar, with the '16 retaining more of the floral characteristics.  The overall package reminded me more of a Sauterne than a fresh IPA the older it got.  If you are ever in the position to sample vintages of this beer that have been aged under optimal conditions I would highly recommend it.

A very fortuitous trip and a great experience!

Checking the back of the fridge yesterday during the World Cup and my 2016 120's are finally finished, need to stock up again the next round. 

Obviously heard about his drug history but didn’t know about the depression. Surprising to say the least. 

RIP. 

Thanks for all the replies, great ideas to consider. Washingtony, thanks for writing your travel experience out, Norway sounds like a good place to experience them.

We finally made it to Rasa about a month ago and forgot to write it up.

I think the Vinod Brothers are trying to bring a high level of quality food down into the fast casual restaurant scene. It many ways they have succeeded bringing more flavorful tastes to the masses. Their approach to reinventing Indian style cuisine reminded me of Banyan Tree South Asian Grill in Fairfax, VA. Unfortunately Banyan Tree has closed down and basically was operating as an Indian Chipotle. Rasa definitely is more ambitious in the scope of their agenda and brings more sharpness to the flavors and a higher quality of ingredients. They have a diversity of items in their menu which is pretty remarkable for fast casual as everything is made fresh. 

Service was very good and the space is warm and inviting. It was a little on the expensive for fast casual but good value for the quality.

Rasa and Indigo are pretty good for eating Indian food outside the house in DC. 

Never was a fan of Busara in RTC, but losing The Bike Lane was their loss. 

Thinking of potential upcoming trips and wondered if anyone has seen the Northern Lights in a setting where there is a unique culinary experience. It doesn't have to be the 'best' meal but rather an experience which would match with the light show. 

Thanks!