Kibbee Nayee

I don't think Dera has closed. It is right next door to the two empty spaces that will soon be filled by Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken and Makchang Dodook.

I have driven back and forth past The Block on many occasions without stopping in. Today I stopped in, and I'm not likely to pass it by so frequently in the future. My previous go-to (and carry out) banh mi sandwiches were always DC Sandwich in Falls Church and Le Bledo in Springfield. Both are very good. But the char siu pork banh mi with added egg and a side of fries from Balo today was spectacular. I will return many times for that sandwich. It survived about an 8-mile trip home while retaining its deliciousness and texture, and Lady Kibbee devoured the near-perfect fries when I arrived home. Let me repeat, those fries traveled about 8 miles and were absolutely delicious upon arrival at my home. As if that wasn't enough, the combination dumplings from Bold Dumpling at the next stall over also survived the trip and was a nice treat. A lovely meal all around. Worth the detour to Annandale.

Catching up on the restaurant scene post-pandemic is a daily process, and too many updates involve closings. But there are some openings to report! Two new restaurants are preparing to open on a strip of Brookfield Plaza that already has the best Thai restaurant in Springfield -- Thai Ghang Waan -- and the best Korean restaurant south of Annandale -- Kang Chon -- as well as my favorite Halal butcher and second-favorite butcher in Springfield. The new restaurants will be Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken and Makchang Dodook. Bonchon is a national chain, but brings Korean fried chicken to Springfield for the first time. Makchong Doddok is a Korean BBQ restaurant whose only other outpost appears to be in Ho Chi Minh City. To both of these establishments, welcome to Springfield!

Closed. Apparently a victim of the pandemic.

Four years since the last post? The wife and I were passing through the Merrifield area around lunchtime on a recent Saturday, and Merrifield has plenty of nice dining options. I was open to any suggestions, but having received none, I wanted to see if Four Sisters had survived the pandemic. I figured any restaurant coming up on two decades would be fading, and the pandemic would probably push it over the edge, so as much for curiosity as for serious eating, we ended up there. My expectations were in check. Some normal precautions were in place. Plastic covered menus, cleansed after each use, were passed to us at the door. We were seated but instructed to order our food at the bar, and it would be served to our table number. Reasonable spacing was observed. We decided to order lunch to be eaten in the restaurant, and takeout to be eaten at home for dinner. For lunch, I had the shaking beef, and Lady Kibbee ordered the shrimp with broccoli. Both dishes were very good to excellent. Portions were generous, flavors were delicious, and value was exceptional. For takeout, I had the vermicelli with grilled pork and chả giò, and spouse had another shrimp dish. All in, tax plus tip, four covers, just about $100. It's rare for any restaurant to be bringing it for multiple decades, but Four Sisters still has what it takes to be a satisfying dining destination.

Drove by Sea Pearl a week ago after another wonderful meal at Four Sisters and noticed that Sea Pearl is deader than a doornail. Neon signs removed. Closed.

Nice, our community is back to life.

Rule of thumb -- if you're looking for prepared foods, and even if the interior resembles more of a quick-mart than a restaurant, Mediterranean Gourmet Bakery is my go-to. It is also the very best of the best for order-ahead foods like stuffed grape leaves or kibbeh nayyeh. It also has a nice selection of Lebanese beers and wines. For spices, olives, baked desserts, and fresh-out-of-the-oven pita bread, head to Mediterranean Bakery. I rarely hit one without hitting the other, usually on a weekend provisions run.

I haven't been to Ashburn in a while, but the grilled octopus appetizer and hanger steak at AhSo would do me a world of good right about now.

Under the general heading of "I told you so" even Trump questions whether or not Kushner actually brokered a peace deal. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-questioned-kushner-peace-middle-east-israel-hamas-violence-2021-6 TL;DL -- there was no peace deal.

Some pretty harsh comments about this place in the preceding posts. No, it's not fine dining, but I've definitely had worse BBQ. I've also had better. With a house full of 20 coming over for a Father's Day-eve celebration, including 8 children, I decided I wasn't going to cook. With about 48 hours to order some catering, and knowing that the Mission BBQ catering kitchen was only a mile away, I went for it. The meal for 20 people came to just about $20 a head all in. With the added benefit of not having to cook anything, and just tossing the plates and utensils in the trash afterwards, easy-peasy. The meats were all good -- not great, but not bad at all -- ribs, brisket, pulled chicken, and regular sausage. While I might have overall higher standards, the crowd was very happy. The meats got thumbs up all around. The sides were garden salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, and corn bread. The kiddies ate to their heart's content. I was told by the assemblage to do this again sometime. Like I said, I have had better BBQ on many occasions, but I've also had far worse, and the crowd was very happy with the spread.

From the Ask Tom chat yesterday: Old Ebbitt Grill (Kibbee Nayee) 11:25 a.m. My wife and I enjoyed my birthday oyster feast at OEG last Saturday during their raw bar happy hour, and it remains the best deal in the city on oysters. However, the classic wine pairing for oysters is musacadet, and it cannot be found on the OEG wine list. Why would a restaurant that sells so many oysters not have a muscadet to accompany? Tom Sietsema Food Critic Beats me. You should inquire! Or register a request. (I like sancerre or chablis with my bivaves. )

A note from Roberto Donna regarding Kibbeh Nayyeh: "That is one of the best dishes in the world!!!!!! Very few things are better then this. Buon appetito!"

What is there to say? George and Lily are still bringing it. Another year, another birthday, and another of my favorite meals, all the more so this year because my kids surprised me with a feast. "Dad, don't cook this time, we'll take care of everything." And wow, they did. Here is the kibbeh nayyeh, wrapped in plastic, and it was divine. Accompaniments included stuffed grape leaves, fried kibbeh meatballs, the best baba ghanoush in the DC metropolitan area, hummus, shanklish dip, assorted sfeehah and ftayer, tzatziki, and so on and so forth. What a feast. George and Lily might be inching ever so slowly to retirement, and I will be a sad camper when this place eventually closes. But it's still the best at what they do. (And they topped it off with a cameo happy birthday video from Rick Harrison of Pawn Stars, so this is a happy dad today.)

These drop-ins will be good for business in general across the downtown restaurant scene.