lion

55 minutes ago, weezy said:

FYI, Groupon Goods today has refurb'd Vitamix blenders for $270 -- full 5-year Vitamix warranty.  I finally decided to pull the trigger.  That's the best price I've ever seen for them.

That's a great price! You won't regret getting one, we use it every few days. 

Has anyone done any work on Chicken Bone Broth soups recently?

Hi Tenunda and thanks for your nostalgic post. I also remember how wonderful Roberto Donna's pork shoulder sandwich with green sauce in Laboratorio space tasted especially after navigating the line that would snake around the dining room. Actually recall seeing Senator Mark Warner have lunch at a table and perhaps wondering why all these people were walking back to the kitchen. 

However your thread title reminds me more of my youth and my default favorite sandwich at Shackey's  Pizza Parlor in Tysons Corner. Their Steak and Cheese Sub was just a perfect combination of bread, thin grilled steak and cheese. I use to go there so frequently they knew my order especially my teenage age days working at the mall.

http://kottke.org/17/07/how-to-safely-enjoy-the-2017-solar-eclipse-a-buyers-guide-for-normal-people

I'm curious what people's experiences are having sushi in grocery stores. Locally, my best experience has been in Balducci's in Mclean. The quality of the sashimi is quite good and even quite close to some DC Japanese restaurants. When I've talked to the sushi chefs working the counter there, they seem to be quite well informed and many years of experience. 

Does anyone have any good experiences in getting sushi from grocery stores? 

On 7/8/2017 at 0:32 PM, astrid said:

I would be curious to hear how top tier sushi in Japan compares to what's available in North America.  The only Japanese sushi I've ever eaten was at sushi Kyotatsu in Narita.  It was quite good, probably in my top 10 sushi eating experience.  I know Kyotatsu is famously *good for airport* sushi, but it does make me wonder what's on offer in the rest of Japan.

The best places that I've been in Japan are just a different ballpark than what you can get here in the US. Even if a restaurant can get the same quality of fish sent to the US, a lot of the other ingredients are not the same quality. It has been a long time since my last visit so I may be romantizing a bit but the seasonality of individual parts of the Japanese cuisine is what is missing from the experience in the US and those textures and tastes can be quite compelling in their uniqueness.

Really need to get over there to try it out. But still holding out that I'll be able to make Tokyo this fall. 

Nice review Kibbee Nayee! We drove by the restaurant going from Merrifield to Tysons and both my wife and myself wondered exactly what kind of restaurant it was and if it was any good. Thanks for the detailed analysis. 

Not sure what would work in RTC at this point. Was surprised to see Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant was build into the parking lot near Potbelly's outside the RTC. 

18 hours ago, DonRocks said:

This got me to thinking: Try a Halal restaurant, and ask them if they'll sell you some (or give up the name of their supplier). It may be worth buying in bulk and freezing, if it's high-quality goat, which might even be butchered to order.

Look for the Halal markets that have butchers associated with them. They will cut the goat accordingly to what you plan to cook. 

RTC was pretty busy for Father's Day lunch today. I wouldn't say as busy as in the past or as busy for a Mother's Day. 

Interesting development with Jackson's lawsuit. 

Not close but Medina Market in the K-mart shopping center in Herndon has goat meat particularly goat leg which is good for goat curry. Been going there for over a decade. Its not organic quality level but it's still pretty good. 

That's funny! Just tried them for the first time this afternoon at Mom's Organic Market in the Mosaic and picked some up.

They do taste a bit like cotton candy. 

It is good news that BP decided to modify some of their parking polices but I think some damage has been done. Peoples' habits have had six months to adapt to going other places and more importantly explore new places. When the Reston Metro Station opens up some of the volume of traffic will increase and make up that deficiency but probably not in the same way Tysons Corners 1 mall has had happened. 

3 hours ago, JBag57 said:

Picking nits here a little, but the three places you mention here, as well as most of the places listed in the Vienna/Oakton Dining Guide, are more readily accessible if you take a left off of Hunter Mill Road onto Lawyers Road, which, as you approach 123 and turn left onto Church Street, will have Chase, Pure Pasty, and Clarity (in that order) all close by.  The Italian Gourmet would be a right on 123 (or some back roads).  The only place on the Dining Guide, as far as I can tell, that is more accessible by taking Hunter Mill Road all the way to 123 is Tigris.  And, yes, if you are on the east side of Reston, it is not really that far.

Right across 123 as you approach on Lawyers are Taco Bamba and Cava.

Red's Table is at the South Lakes shopping center in Reston, and is not awful.  They reportedly have a new chef.

Brown Bag at Plaza America in Reston has some decent sandwiches, but is a little pricey.  My understanding is that this is a retail location of a company in Reston that has been doing office catering for quite some time.

Good to hear that Red's Table has a new chef. After multiple visits, we like the setting and the relaxed atmosphere of a neighborhood restaurant, however the quality of the food has been subpar. The bar does have a good selection of VA beers though. 

In some ways that reminds me of Brown Bag as well. Going there it seems like the food will taste better but inevitably its a disappointing. 

1 hour ago, Kev29 said:

Hmm, 

Decent deli sandwiches
Noodles/ramen
Thai/Vietnamese/SE Asian
BBQ
Indian
A good burger

I'm not picky  Thanks in advance

Decent deli sandwiches It is a shame that Reston doesn't really have a good deli. Just a quick drive down to Vienna and The Italian Gourmet makes good sandwiches. 

Noodles/Ramen Not really familiar with any noodles or ramen place in this area that are non chain. I would say Dumpling Queen in Chantilly is good. 

Thai In Herndon one of the oldest Thai restaurants still around and doing good business is Thai Luang. Also there is a new Thai place called Hibiscus Thai Cuisine but haven't gotten to it yet since we usually get our Thai fix from Elephant Jumps or Sisters Thai. 

BBQ Willard's just opened up in the shopping center near Home Depot between Reston and Herndon. 

Indian Madras Chopsticks or Masala Wok in Herndon. 

Burger In Reston itself I would say just Five Guys. But if you are the west side, I would say go to Melt in Leesburg. Definitely worth the trip. 

I've listed most non-chain restaurants since those are the harder ones to find. Otherwise the RTC has a bunch as do the strip malls in the area. For example there are 3 or 4 Noodles and Company in that geographic area. 

On 5/15/2017 at 0:01 PM, Kev29 said:

This isn't specifically Town Center related, but I'm now working in Reston -- does anyone have any up to date tips? Dining Guide has only two italicized for Reston and Herndon.

Any kind of particular foods?

We also used David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop", it's good. 

Loudoun Tribune reported that they thought about opening in DC or Reston and picked Leesburg. 

It would have been nice to have something like Delirium in the local neighborhood. 

We ended up getting the KitchenAid ice cream maker to use with the mixer. I recall using it 5 or 6 times resulting in some tasty soft style ice creams. However it ended up next to the bread maker. 

Rent.

On 4/27/2017 at 6:54 PM, Ferris Bueller said:

Apparently the Urban designation is being used to justify the instigation of paid parking.  The place is dead during the week, even in the early nighttime, typically, happy-hour prime-time.  It appears the lack of patronage at RTC now is having a positive impact on the nearby businesses but best I can tell no real #'s have been provided on the positive impact, just observations and speculation.

Nearby areas like South Lakes shopping center have full parking lots a majority of time.

It is interesting to me that Willard's moved into the Home Depot shopping area which on a recent visit even an hour before lunch time was filled with people.

Also Kung Fu Tea opened up in Hunter Woods Shopping Center. Already have gone three times. They were doing good business. Frankly, it doesn't make any sense for Boston Properties to not have a business like Kung Fu Tea at the RTC because it would add value. I'm sure Kung Fu Tea got a good deal in rent since Petco left that location. 

Tried it recently for take out and found it to be in the ballpark for taste compared to HKP or Uncle Liu's.  

They are working out the kinks with service and running the new restaurant. It is a little smaller than I thought but has two private dining rooms. Think they should lighten up the decor a bit and drop the sushi component of the menu. It would be great if they added dim sum.  Also if they brought in more specialized szechuan dishes that would take care of my chinese cuisine needs. 

It seems like good poke is hard to find outside of Hawaii and the many times I've tried it in the DC area has been something that just doesn't come together. That said look forward to hitting some of the new spots.