Kibbee Nayee

Maybe this isn't the thread for this, or maybe it is. You see, I love excellent front of house service, and I tip generously when I feel that the staff is on their game. But....one of my pet peeves with some restaurants is when you walk in and you're greeted with something like "Where have you been, I haven't seen you in a long time!" It's a statement that balls up a lot of negative connotations all rolled into a seemingly innocent greeting. Like, I'm only supposed to come here when I exercise my few dining out options? Or, you prefer guests who come here all the time instead of me? That one little statement has caused me to stop visiting a few establishments because I don't want to be greeted like that.

I'm not a Starbucks fan, and I typically avoid the place whenever I have a choice, but a business associate wanted to meet at the new Starbucks in the Marymount University building on the corner of Glebe and Fairfax Drive. It was actually a nice, clean, well-laid-out space. I had a cold green tea, which was not nearly as offensive as their coffee. On that side of Glebe, I still can't understand why the continuously-empty SER is still in business. Unless they do an amazing dinner and weekend business, they must be going broke.

Springfield's best restaurant now has a new website.

Kind of a shame. Like going to see a major league baseball game, and instead, seeing the Orioles.

Michael Bozzelli is making the Alban Road flagship a special place for a good meal. And occasionally something interesting happens: 🚨🚨🚨 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Food Dude USA 💥 WILL BE FILMING 🎥 AT ALBAN RD, Fri 8/23 // stay tuned for info about killer deals🍕, beer 🍺 tasting & live music 🎸on that day 🙌 Food Dude is an interesting concept on the YouTube platform.

One of the specials at Breadline today was the Cuban, and what I saw on nearby tables looked like reasonable ingredients, but on a baguette....I went with my standard French Madrange ham (jambon) and cheese with butter on a baguette.

Your link hits a pay wall. It's Graham Holdings, who sold the Washington Post to Jeff Bezos. I think this will be a good move for Clyde's.

Sorry, but Norma's has closed. It was a simple stand in a large market, with a relatively pedestrian oven, but she won the 2016 Caputo Cup in New York. Serious pizza.

I grew up -- born and raised -- in the quaint Lancaster of Amish and Mennonite food. I grew up in the Lancaster of five food groups -- corn, chicken, flour, sugar, and dairy. I grew up never knowing that a jalapeño pepper existed, and where 'exotic' meant the annual festival at the Greek church. When I went into the Air Force in the late '70s, nobody I met had ever heard of pickled red beet eggs, shoo-fly pie, chicken corn soup, hard pretzels, silver queen corn, or anything close to organic farm-to-table fare. I'm glad Lancaster is on the food map now. I have gently been encouraging this forum to take a big cooler and head two and a half hours north for a wonderful day of foraging the local markets and grazing the local restaurants. (I suggest late summer -- September-ish -- for the chicken corn soup bazaars at the county fire halls.)

Other than Copa, I have eaten at Mi & Yu Noodle Bar, and it was good enough for a return visit. So was Copa. Lots of tantalizing treats on display at many of the food stands....

Way back in the '80s, when Joe Thiesmann's restaurant was on the corner of that strip, Samadi Sweets Cafe was the necessary stop for dessert. Apparently much has changed since my previous visits. If I recall correctly there was an Iranian restaurant across the way.....

Click here.

From Tom Sietsema's Facebook post: Sad news du jour: one of my favorite downtown restaurants, Woodward Table, is closing after a seven-year run near the White House. “We were never able to transcend the neighborhood,” owner Jeff Buben tells me. “It takes a lot of resources to run a restaurant like that.” Buben is looking at a late-August end date for both the 200-seat American eatery and the adjoining take-out operation.

Well, with Frank Ruta working with Ashok Bajaj and Knightsbridge, shouldn't we be looking for his heralded hamburger to reappear at some point?

Being a little bit Springfield-minded, I vote for the lamb burger at Afghan Bistro, and Tom Sietsema agrees with me.

By virtue of work location, I am occasionally find myself exploring the Food Court at Ballston Quarter. First general observation is that the Food Court at Ballston Quarter is not your father's food court. There are lots of very enticing options, and it's more of a Food Hall. Copa was our destination today, and it did not disappoint. I asked the server about other locations, and it turns out this is the only one, but there is an ownership connection with La Tasca. Makes sense, since there is a distinct Spanish flair to the dishes at Copa. I had the Serrano ham with Manchego cheese sandwich, and it was delicious. I would easily order it again. I chose the salad instead of the fries, and instead of the standard mixed greens grabbed out of the Sysco bag, the salad was a nicely composed Bibb lettuce with vinaigrette. Companion had the beef skewer cooked perfectly medium rare with a mound of Spanish rice and grilled eggplant. Copa was a pleasant surprise, inside a food court that itself is a pleasant surprise.

You can always ask to hold the mayo....

Dera has closed.

My current favorite is Chef Feliciano in Springfield. It's only open for lunch, but he serves a very good rendition of a very good sandwich.

For whatever reason, I feel compelled to provide input on the Springfield portion of the Dining Guide, but with the exception that "Multiple Locations" restaurants will be included in my list, because after all, they are in Springfield, and if you look at the Dining Guide for places in Springfield, the Multiple Locations restaurants need to appear in Springfield. Also, to the best of my knowledge, I included restaurants that are not in the Dining Guide (yet), and I rank-ordered the restaurants based on the Kibbee Nayee body of knowledge and experience. (CURRENT) DINING GUIDE LIST: Afghan Bistro - website - Twitter - Instagram - map - The best Afghan food I've ever eaten, extremely friendly and professional service, family-owned, open for lunch again as of Mar 1, 2018 with the original staff Cervantes Coffee Roasters - website - Instagram - map - Roaster-Owner Marialy Justiniano's single-origin coffees, fresh-roasted daily, a coffee gem in a warehouse setting Osteria Marzano - website - Twitter - Instagram - map - Chef Carmine Marzano used to head the kitchen at Luigino's downtown Marib - website - map - One of only 2-3 Yemeni restaurants in the DC area, open 10 AM 7 Days a week, I haven't yet been but reports are good Thai Ghang Waan - website - map Eleni's Greek Taverna - website - map *Flame Kabob - website Mike's American - website - @MikesAmerican - map 9 Pad Thai - website - map Le Bledo (Formerly Le Bledo Dalat) - Facebook - map Yindee Thai - website - Instagram - map Kana Sushi - website - map Kang Chon (formerly Oh Bok Jung) - website - map Yard House - website - Twitter - Instagram - map Hunan Taste - website - map Jacalito Rotisserie Chicken and Tex-Mex Grill - website - map Saigon Quan - Facebook - map Rivera's (703) 451-5344 Taiko Japanese Restaurant - website El Sabor Boliviano (703) 913-0617 Pho Hong Anh (703) 569-6060 Village Chicken - website Coco Rico (703) 822-0124 Sugar Palm Thai - website Kanjana Thai - website Saigon City - website Pho Saigon Quan - website Thai Cafe - website VN Cafe (703) 922-6228 RAWR Sushi - website Golden Hong Kong - website Asian Grill (703) 569-4800 Malek's Pizza Palace - website Karahi Kabob House - website - map Dining in Springfield see also: The Swiss Bakery (PROPOSED) KIBBEE NAYEE LIST: Afghan Bistro -- It deserves to be #1 by a good margin. Cervantes Coffee -- Best coffee around, but I'm not sure it's an apples-to-oranges comparison for this list. Coffee and a few pasties only, but oh, that coffee. Thai Ghang Waan -- Underrated Thai, and best Thai in Springfield by a lot. (Sugar Palm Thai should be moved to Alexandria.) 9 Pad Thai -- I've heard good things but haven't tried it yet. Eleni's Greek Taverna -- What suburban Greek food is meant to be, with outstanding service. Bozzelli's Flagship -- Best pizza in Springfield, Momma Bozzelli's specialties (since 1978!), large wine and beer assortment. Multiple locations, but this is the flagship. Marib -- I consider any place that doesn't serve alcohol to be carry-out only. Osteria Marzano -- I would move this restaurant under Franconia. I haven't been impressed by my visits here. Izumi Sushi -- Where Osaka Sushi used to be (behind Springfield Mall), and a bit better. Best sushi in Springfield, although that's faint praise. Della J's Delectables -- For some reason not in the Dining Guide. A mostly American menu, but the sides are all Southern, and the African-American draw to this place is noteworthy. Chef Feliciano -- Missing from the Dining Guide. Only open for lunch, but one of the best lunches in Springfield, and the best Cuban sandwich in Springfield. Outstanding catering menu. Bob and Edith's Diner -- Multiple Locations, but the best breakfast in Springfield. Ham 'n Eggs with Hash Browns is the way to start (or finish) any day. Le Bledo -- Consistent quality Vietnamese, with excellent phở and the best bánh mi in Springfield. Hai Duong -- Missing from the Dining Guide. New-ish Vietnamese sit-down restaurant in Brookfield Plaza with very good entrees. Pho Hong Anh -- Probably the best phở in Springfield since Phở 495 closed. Saigon City -- Le Bledo, Hai Duong, Phở Hong Anh , and Saigon City are a dead heat for me. It depends on mood and what you want on any given day. Saigon City has the best chả giò. Rivera's -- Nice little Latin American restaurant across from JW's. Mike's -- I guess I would stick Mike's somewhere about here, but you have to like mediocre and unimaginative fare accompanied by ear-shattering noise. JW's and Friends -- Missing from the Dining Guide, good American fare, lively bar for locals. Jacalito Rotisserie -- Tied with Village Chicken for the best rotisserie chicken in Springfield, but don't miss the taco salad and the seafood soup. Village Chicken -- Succulent chicken with a wide variety of sides, including pita with hummus. Coco Rico -- Basically Jacalito or Village Chicken, but with Middle Eastern sides. Moe's Peyton Place -- Missing from the Dining Guide. Over 48 years of standard diner fare, kind of a dive, with the second-best breakfast in Springfield, served all day. Dos Amigos -- Missing from the Dining Guide. Lively bar and actually good Tex-Mex, next to Costco. Karahi Kabob House -- Any place that doesn't serve alcohol is take-out only for the Kibbee Nayee's of the world. Good food, bad service, bad vibe. Asian Grill -- Suburban Americanized Chinese, better than most others, and well above average. Darren and Maggie are very gracious hosts. Maggie has worked for Darren for 28 years, starting at Ho's Dynasty in Burke. They are not married. Afghan Kabob -- Missing from the Dining Guide, with surprisingly good kabob platters. El Sabor Boliviano -- Sprinfield's best salteña, or maybe Springfield's only salteñas! Golden Hong Kong -- Good Chinese food, somewhat Americanized, next to Trader Joe's. Kang Chon -- Springfield's best Korean restaurant, although Annandale is only a few miles north, so go to Annandale. Saratoga Family Restaurant -- Missing from the Dining Guide, recently renovated, solid neighborhood Greek-Italian fare with not-bad pizza and very good salads and subs. Malek's -- See Delia's. Average pizza. subs, and salads with a Greek-ish leaning menu. Delia's -- See Malek's. Average pizza, subs, and salads with a Greek-ish leaning menu. Rolling Cooking -- Above average suburban Americanized Chinese food on Rolling Road. Des Pardes -- Missing from Dining Guide. New Pakistani restaurant where Aabshaar used to be. I haven't tried it yet. Kanjana Thai -- Recent visits have been regrettable. Hunan Taste -- See Kanjana Thai, but supposedly under new management. Desi Bethak -- New restaurant in the old Uncle Charlie's Pizzeria place, missing from the Dining Guide. Not yet visited. All of the Springfield Mall chains -- Not interesting enough to venture to the Mall, but the hot chicken livers at Nando's Peri Peri and the tabbouli at Mezeh are not offensive. All the rest -- Saigon Quan is closed. Listed separately in the Dining Guide is Pho Saigon Quan or Phở Sài Gòn Ơi, at the same address, which may or may not be closed. RAWR sushi and Taiko Sushi are so-so. So is Sarku Teriyaki and Sushi in Brookfield Plaza.

Went to the Ballston location for lunch today. I ordered the Cubano, because I have been on a continuous quest for the real deal in the Washington DC area -- so far, about two decades into my quest, the scorecard is about 5% hit, 95% miss. Rustico is another entry in the "miss" column, with shredded instead of sliced roasted pork, and a scant little pickle, on an overly greasy and uninteresting bun. Meh. Still searching for the perfect Cubano in the DC area. Closest to date were a lunchtime special at Acadiana about 5-6-7 years ago, and a version at Blue Iguana in Fair Lakes about two owners ago, when the menu tended towards Louisiana and Gulf fare. Otherwise, there are a lot of pretenders out there.

Springfield is not a major dining mecca, but El Sabor Boliviano on Backlick Rd has some serious salteñas.

For those of us challenged by the difference, can anyone explain the difference between the pupusa, the empanada, and the salteña?

Slightly off topic, I remember in the 1980s when I had the occasional trip to Europe, and I marveled at how wonderful the local brews were. But back home, we had precious few places we could go for good beer. There was a brewpub in Charlottesville, and then the Capitol Brewery downtown near the Greyhound station, and a tap room like Union Street Public House in Alexandria....but I recall researching what it would take to start a brewpub and I recall that the ordinances at the time made the concept prohibitive. Now they're everywhere. What happened when I wasn't paying attention?

This little gem caught our eye -- Benny Vitali's -- packed on a Friday mid-afternoon, with large and luscious-looking pizzas being consumed with abandon. Home of the "Virginia Slice." It's a mid-Atlantic chain, but the crowd was worth noticing. And because each Benny's location has its own name, like Benny Vitali's in Fredericksburg and Benny Marzanos' in Blacksburg, each location can be listed separately in the Dining Guide! I'm thinking Fredericksburg as a whole needs a refresh in the Dining Guide.