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Kibbee Nayee

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Everything posted by Kibbee Nayee

  1. Kibbee Nayee
    I've been to Germany a number of times, and I agree that the food is generally hearty. A lot of countries with cold weather and hard workers develop dishes to appeal to the heartier appetites. Salads are not likely to brace you for the rigors of Alpine life. There are times when a good pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes really hit the spot, especially on New Year's Day for those of us from Amish country. And a full plate of schweineshnitzel with boiled potatoes, or oxtail soup, sends me over the top. Never in mid-summer, however, and not too often even in cold months....
  2. Kibbee Nayee
    When I titled this topic "National Chains" I was aiming at the indifference of kitchens with corporate HQs dictating recipes, and ingredients or finished products shipped from separate locations. I happen to like local chains -- Lebanese Taverna being my fave, but in the same category as GAR, Clyde's, and maybe even Silver Diner. These are not national chains.
  3. Kibbee Nayee
    If I recall correctly, it has pulled pork, rather than sliced roast pork. Please check it out and tell me I'm wrong. I've been on a search for the perfect Cuban sandwich in the DC area for many years, and I have only landed on two candidates -- occasionally at Blue Iguana in Fair Lakes, under its previous ownership, and as a lunch special at Acadiana downtown.
  4. Kibbee Nayee
    Rolling Cooking is a restaurant that has only been open since 2016 on Rolling Road near Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield. It's in the same plaza as Afghan Kabob and TCS Computer, behind Einstein Bagels. However, this version of Rolling Cooking is only 4 weeks old, according to the hostess, meaning it changed ownership at the end of January 2018. In the past 3 days I've ordered delivery and carry out, and right now, this is the best of Springfield's Americanized Chinese restaurants. What strikes me is how greaseless the fried dishes are -- the shrimp tempura has a heavier crust than I'm used to, but the greaseless crunch on the outside gives way to soft shrimp on the inside, and the salt-and-pepper flounder filet are delightful pillows of deliciousness. And I had this latter dish after delivery and carry out, both, and in both cases, it was delectable. In my delivery order a few days ago came shredded pork with chili peppers and General Tso's chicken. The pork was OK, not spectacular, but tasty. The General Tso's chicken was a nice rendition, with perfectly portioned chicken cubes bathed in a not-overly-sweet sauce that had a nice kick. In my take-out order tonight, I repeated the salt-and-pepper flounder to prove I wasn't imaging its goodness a few days -- I wasn't -- and I added the whole fried rockfish. The rockfish was a bit over-fried, so it had some dryness, and when the dryness co-mingled with the bony fish, it was as pleasant as I would have liked. This appears to be a dish to be eaten in the restaurant as soon as it comes out of the fryer. As I was waiting for my carry-out order, the hostess brought me a plate of warm, salty peanuts, followed by a cup of hot and sour soup, and a nice tumbler of hot tea. These treats were gratis, but inspired me to add a nice tip to the carry-out check. I also noticed a six-top occupied by a Hispanic family, and a beautiful dish of chicken fried rice in the middle of that table. A four-top with an Asian family speaking Chinese to the hostess is always a sign that the indigenous population enjoys the food here too. I'll keep an eye on Rolling Cooking to make sure that it stays consistent, but it ranks at least a nose ahead of Springfield's other Chinese offerings at this point.
  5. Kibbee Nayee
    Mt Rushmore is American, so for me, the four faces are James Beard, Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Paul Prudhomme. For those wishing to erect a Mt Rushmore of France, notice that three of the Americans have some French influence in them....or Cajun/Creole in the case of Prudhomme.
  6. Kibbee Nayee
    A worthy addition to the Springfield dining scene is Della J's Delectables on that fork of Backlick Road that splits off for a few blocks and has Five Guys, JW's, Moe's Peyton Place, and Rivera's. Della J's is a southern restaurant that opened in August of 2017 in the old Marino's Pizza location, so as a one-to-one swap, it automatically increased the quality of Springfield restaurants. The waitress I spoke with said they've been in soft-opening mode since last August, but are now moving forward with post-Valentines Day wind in their sails. It's a very nicely appointed restaurant with wooden floors and muted colors, a full bar, and 3 flat screens for the bar area. Someone's antique Larkin desk is the centerpiece of the wait stand. It almost looks out of place with the mostly modern decor. Southern home cooking is the menu's theme, although other than chicken biscuit on the sandwich side of the menu, and chicken and waffles on the entree side, the southern dishes are few and far between. This is otherwise a standard American diner menu. I had the chicken biscuit for lunch yesterday, and it was good. The chicken was offered deep-fried, pan-fried, or grilled, and I chose the pan-fried. The biscuit was very good, and the drizzle of honey gave the sandwich a pleasant sweetness. The accompanying fries were fresh out of the fryer with skins still on, but were a notch below the fries at Five Guys across the street. Della J's is still getting its footing, but is off to a promising start. I look forward to more meals there in the future.
  7. Kibbee Nayee
    For the sake of completeness, Moe's deserves a place in the Springfield section of the Dining Guide. It also deserves a place on the oldest restaurant list, having opened in 1971. Moe's is named for Mohammed Traish, who passed away in 2014. The restaurant opens at 7:00am, when it offers a hearty breakfast of everything from eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, scrapple, short stack, you name it. The restaurant closes at whatever time the crowd thins, maybe 11:00pm or midnight. If there is a central Springfield, and it's certainly not the hideous "town center" that occupies what was once Springfield Mall, then it's the complicated swath of roads and overpasses on the other side of the mixing bowl that encompasses JW's, Moe's, the Paper Moon strip club, and Mike's....more or less on a jagged line up Backlick Road. And Moe's is an anchor in that area, feeding the hungry workers at the start of the day and sopping up the JW's and Paper Moon's booze at the end of the day. Moe's burger has been my standard, topped with a fried egg and a few squirts of hot sauce. Keep your expectations in check -- it is what it is -- and you won't be disappointed or impressed.
  8. Kibbee Nayee
    I was there with Lady KN last week, and the lamb shanks were excellent. Fall-off-the-bone tender with an incredible blend of spices. Not to be missed. This is an interesting place to open a restaurant. It's an area where Springfield "townies" hang out. JW's across the street is the favorite watering hole for townies, and Moe's Peyton Place across from JW's is the local greasy spoon, dishing bacon and eggs for 40 years! EDIT: I stopped in today for lunch. It's in the former Marino's Pizza restaurant, and opened last August. The waitress told me they've been in soft opening mode since August. The place is really nice and clean on the inside. I sat at the bar and had a nice chicken and biscuit lunch plate. It was nice enough to order again. The only drawback of an otherwise pleasant Wednesday afternoon was the flatscreen offerings -- Kardashians on the screen in front of me, CNN on the right, and Olympic curling on the left. Bleh....
  9. Kibbee Nayee
    At least temporarily closed, because the structure is "unfit for habitation."
  10. Kibbee Nayee
    Not sure I would actually recommend this, but area food banks take canned goods.
  11. Kibbee Nayee
    I had TJ's jackfruit-in-the-can. It was semi-tasteless with a sour finish. If that's what jackfruit really tastes like, I'll pass....
  12. Kibbee Nayee
    Interesting ... I never order coffee with Dim Sum, thinking that tea is the natural accompaniment. I'll be in San Francisco in April and will have to try it.
  13. Kibbee Nayee
    Speaking only of their Springfield outpost, it has really gone downhill after the family rift that caused Eleni, her mom Cathy, and her uncle the cook, to depart and open Eleni's Greek Taverna. The following mostly left Delia's and went to Eleni's.
  14. Kibbee Nayee
    Time for a poll....Wawa, Rutter's, Sheetz, or Turkey Hill?
  15. Kibbee Nayee
    What a scathing indictment of that coffee! (I wouldn't drink Starbucks coffee at gunpoint. I'd rather drink the ooze coming out of a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant in August.)
  16. Kibbee Nayee
    "Slapfish has quickly captured the hearts of seafood lovers with their impressive celebrity chef-driven fine dining menu at fast casual prices." Please spare us....we already have Bonefish.
  17. Kibbee Nayee
    Inn at Little Washington is 12th....That's lower than I've seen it on NATIONAL lists....
  18. Kibbee Nayee
    I have eaten at Amuse probably a dozen times in the past year or so, primarily because it's convenient to one of my work locations. The menu is not very adventurous, but the food is passable and the dining room is well appointed. It's comfortable and pleasant for a sit-down meal in Rosslyn. But I mostly wanted to mention the front of the house, which gets scant attention around here. Tony is the waiter I'm referring to, short of stature but one of the best waiters in the DC area. He spent over 20 years running the dining room at the long-closed Tivoli, over the Rosslyn Metro, and he does his weekends at Lebanese Taverna in the Tysons Galleria. The rest of the week, Tony is waiting on tables at Amuse, and he's one of the best there is. Tony is soon to be 74, and shows no signs of slowing down. He ranks with Helmut at Blue Iguana, who retired at about age 90 a few years ago, Cathy at Eleni's in Springfield, and that guy at greeting stand at Old Ebbitt Grill, whose name I forgot. Here's to Tony, who makes every dining experience feel like you're in very good hands.
  19. Kibbee Nayee
    First comment in 3 and a half years...? Went to Kaz Sushi Bistro for lunch with two companions today. First observation -- the scaffolding and construction out front really obscure the entrance, so you have to know where you're going. If you're a first-time visitor, you might be confused. Second observation -- two of our party of three got there a little early, and we were informed that we would only be seated when the entire party was there. But there's not a lot of room inside the front door, so after the two of us starting conversing and taking up space, she decided to seat us anyway. They should probably rethink that policy. Third observation, for those of you so inclined -- fugu season is soon approaching, and reservations for 2 or 4 are being accepted. I seem to recall it's priced at $150 per person. Fourth observation -- we were among the first to arrive at 11:45 for lunch, but by 12:30, the line was almost out the door. My Wednesday bento box special was a nice portion of ginger pork, a similar portion of rice, a salad with miso dressing, and a few spare pieces of sushi. Not a bad deal at $16, but nothing really stood out. Although not my first choice for sushi downtown, I still appreciate that this place is still somewhat vibrant after all of these years.
  20. Kibbee Nayee
    Technically on the other side of I-395 from Alexandria, and therefore should be in Annandale, but its address is Alexandria: Yamazato It's one of my absolute go-to places for sushi. Quality is high, prices are fair, service is good. But it's only barely in Alexandria....
  21. Kibbee Nayee
    This is behind a pay wall....summary?
  22. Kibbee Nayee
    Lady Kibbee and I have been on a phở bò binge on these sub-freezing days of late, and in keeping with our desire to limit carb intake, we order the large bowl combo no. 1, with meatballs too, but we don't bother with the noodles. Le Bledo was elbowed out of the plaza now dominated by Chik-Fil-A and its choking traffic, so it ended up in its current location on Bland St., kitty-corner from LA Mart. We frequently stop here for carry-out from their openly displayed items from Hue. These are quick, tasty treats on the run. The phở bò here is reputed to be good, and has been in the past, but today it was wan and watery. There was an atypical lack of flavor and richness. The sides we ordered were chả giò and pork balls. The chả giò was crisp on the outside but mushy on the inside, as if not properly fried at the right temperature. The pork balls were excellent, especially when dipped in the fish sauce that had shredded carrot and diakon in it. I'll chalk all of this up to Le Bledo having a bad day, with almost everything being a bit off. For Springfield comparison, yesterday's phở bò at Pho Hong Anh was very good, and last week's version at Saigon City was also very good.
  23. Kibbee Nayee
    I have to admit, with the arrival of the Hamilton just across the street, I frequent OEG less often than I have in the past. My most recent dining experience there was with Lady KN, and we enjoyed a lovely half-priced orca platter and a bottle of wine prior to a concert at DAR Constitution Hall, a mere 3 blocks away. No complaints.
  24. Kibbee Nayee
    It appears to be on the tapas menu, not the dinner menu?
  25. Kibbee Nayee
    BYW, hands down my favorite buffet is at Sizzler Steakhouse. Unfortunately, they're all out west, save for a lonely outpost in Kissimmee, Florida. When I'm visiting the west coast, I invariably have a meal at Sizzler, hot and cold salad bar only. That's all I need....
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