Kibbee Nayee

It's been over a year since my post about the graveyard for good restaurants that Tysons has become. We have seen the likes of Colvin Run, Maestro and Inox come and go. We also heard the Gordon Ramsay rumor come and go. I'm hoping for a positive turnaround in this area, and soon.

Not to mention Botox and implants....

Can we do without this portion of the menu? Not sure why the kitchen is heading in this direction, but it seems perfectly dreadful.... East Meets West BURRITO SATAY CHICKEN $7.95 grilled chicken, jasmine rice, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion with peanut sauce. side of small salad with peanut dressing. side of small salad with peanut dressing. BURRITO GREEN CURRY CHICKEN $7.95 green curry chicken in coconut milk, jasmine rice, mushroom, eggplant. side of small salad with peanut dressing. CROISSANT BASIL BEEF SANDWICH $7.95 croissant stuffed with stir fried basil, beef steak on lettuce, tomato, american cheese. side of french fries. CROISSANT GREEN CURRY SANDWICH $7.95 croissant stuffed with stir fried green curry chicken in coconut milk on lettuce, tomoto. side of french fries. CROISSANT SATAY CHICKEN SANDWICH $8.95 croissant stuffed with grilled chicken on lettuce, tomato, red onion with peanut sauce. side of french fries. SPAGHETTI GREEN CURRY CHICKEN $9.95 stir fried spaghetti, green curry, eggplant, mushroom, chicken. DRUNKEN SPAGHETTI CHICKEN $9.95 stir fried spaghetti, brown sauce, basil, pepper, chili, onion, chicken.

Thus far we have two for Tuesday the 15th and one for Thursday the 17th....need a few more inputs for the democratic process to kick in....

I'm starting to think about Tuesday, June 15, or Thursday, June 17. Please give me a sense of availability. My choice of venue is House of Siam in Brookfield Plaza. The construction crews were there over the past week tearing up and repaving the parking areas, so I will revisit it this week and see if the coast is clear. If there are any problems, I might move the venue down Franconia Road to Mediterranean Gourmet Market, which is a few doors down from Sampan Cafe and across the street from Rice and Noodles (Thai). Stay tuned....

For whatever reason, I've eaten here twice in the past three days, and I've been impressed both times. I'm thinking that if I had to use Sietsema's ratings, Asian Grill is in the 1.5 to 2 star range, and the past few nights, in the 2 star range. [First, a mea culpa. Darren and Maggie are not married to each other. They have worked together for 17 years at Ho's Dynasty and now Asian Grill, and they work together marvelously. But they each have spouses.] Over the past few nights, the appetizers that SO and I have enjoyed included fried chicken wings, cold noodles in peanut sauce, spare ribs, and chicken-apple salad. All were good, but the highlight was the chicken with apple salad. I'm not sure how Chinese it was, but it was doggone good. The spare ribs evoked old-style Americanized Chinese, with lots of meatiness and the mysterious red color. The fried chicken wings were cooked perfectly, but otherwise not very distinct. The cold noodles were decent, but there was no kick in the peanut sauce. As for the entrees, girlfriend had the Szechuan seafood and vegetables combination both times, while I had the fried soft shell crabs on Thursday and the kung pao pork tenderloin tonight. All three were really good, and maybe excellent. The seafood combination was loaded with flavorful shrimp, lobster and scallops, along with fresh broccoli, carrots and baby corn. The dish had a nice spicy kick, the seafood was obviously fresh and the shrimp were the size of small lobster tails. This is a top-notch seafood dish. The soft shell crabs were fried to perfection, which, when compared to the chicken wings, seemed to indicate that the kitchen knows how to handle the ol' fryolator. This is how I want to enjoy crabs, as often as possible. And the kung pao pork tenderloin was the best recent Americanized Chinese dish I've had. Lots of flavor, with some crunch and spice. Very satisfying. This is not sophisticated cooking nor is it authentic Chinese fare. But what it is, is good, flavorful, enjoyable and hearty. And Darren and Maggie make it an enjoyable event by virtue of their gracious personalities and welcoming presence (even if they're not married).

Looks like Durwoodx, Ilaine and Kibbee Nayee (+1) so far. I'd love to see some of the Mike's fans join us, like mdt. Or Grover can help us navigate the Sahm Oh Jong menu. I'm thinking that meeting at House of Siam on an upcoming Tuesday or Thursday gets us started with a drink and a nice appetizer menu, and then we can either stroll or settle in.

Another vote for the American Indian Museum Mitsitam cafe. It's the best of the Smithsonian cafeterias, by far. You're in a tough area of town for eating, but if you're up for the walk, the other side of the Mall crosses Constitution and Pennsylvania Aves., opening up all the Penn Quarter restaurants to you.

In the past two weeks, I have had lunch at Four Sisters and Present, trying the Shaking Beef at each place for comparison. Today was Four Sisters, and I give it a slight edge over Present for this dish. Both were excellent examples of a nice beef dish with fresh ingredients and solid flavors. The Four Sisters version came to the table a bit hotter, with more vibrant flavors and a nice bit of carmelization on the edges of the beef chunks. I would return for this dish at either place, and I generally consider these two places as equals, but the tasting judge in me gives a slight nod to Four Sisters today....

If there's a staff meal involved, there are two very lucky people out there....

There is a large-ish central table at House of Siam. Might work well for a small crowd, and Ravi Kabob III and Sahm Oh Jang are mere steps away. I'll stop by there later tomorrow and see what the proprietor will welcome....

Initial post under "Events and Gatherings" is up. Standing by for the responses....

There has been plenty of discussion about some of the ethnic dining in Springfield, and I'd like to see if we can organize an appropriate event. We'll aim for $20 each, but what the heck, the more you want to eat and drink the more it will cost. We should nail down a date and location for a progressive meal. For location, my first choice would be Brookfield Plaza on Backlick. Within a few steps are House of Siam (Thai), Sahm Oh Jang (Korean), Ravi Kabob III (Pakistani), and just a half a block or so from the likes of Chutny (Indo-Pak) and Tippy's Tacos. And just across Backlick (for the adventuresome) are Le Bledo Bakery (Vietnamese), Delia's (Mediterranean) and El Sabor Boliviano -slash- Village Chicken. Plenty of walking distance options....and I skipped a few. Farther up Backlick, near Mike's, is the K-Mart plaza, where Tommy Thai and Canton Cafe can be found. There is a kabob place there too, but I haven't formed an opinion on it yet. And then there's Mike's. This progressive walk might be a little less interesting overall, but hits the high points of some of the discussion to date. These are the two best locales unless we wander farther up Backlick to Gamasot, and there are a few other options there as well. So....I suggest the first venue for food and drinks, and we aim for a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday evening. Let's get a sense for whom wants to join in, when is a good date and any other particulars anyone wants to toss in. Maybe we can make this happen in June....?

I'm 100% in. Let's do it. Ilaine, where did you have in mind...?

Went downtown for a meeting today, and arrived early enough for a lunch at Acadiana. Not saying I'm an expert or anything like that, but if there's a better crawfish etoufee anywhere in this city, it has thus far eluded me. This is a hearty stew with plenty of crunch from the veggies and plenty of, um, crawfish from the crawfish. The flavors were fresh and the textures were downright fortifying. Even the mound of Mahatma rice in the center was cooked perfectly, however that's done in a kitchen that is managing 20+ dishes at any given time. On a cooler day, I might have ordered a second bowl. This dish has me convinced that Chef Tunks' tenure in Louisiana in the early '90s has blessed his menu.

OK, finally this thread is turning in the right direction. Except for Scarlett Johanssen, who scared the sh!t out of me in Iron Man 2.....and anytime you want to meet at Ravi Kabob III, mdt, and even stroll up and down that strip mall to Sahm Oh Jang and House of Siam, I'm in. In fact, hitting the other places will be necessary because Ravi Kabob III has a G-rated drinks list.

No, thankfully, short-smoked salmon and sun-dried cranberries appear to be unique to Mike's (and all other GAR kitchens). Also can't find a cowboy rib-eye marinated in salt and sludge and more salt, except at Mike's. Also can't find that abominable pasta jambalaya dish anywhere except Mike's. You're absolutely right, there are no other restaurants in Springfield that serve similar food, and I am very grateful for that.

So....rather than take my specific challenge, where I mention five dishes off the top of my head that Mike's (and thus, any GAR kitchen) cannot compete with, you just assert how right your opinion is. Well, after Memorial Day weekend, I will defend to the death your right to be wrong.

You missed the discussion a few years ago. On 09 October 2007 I posted: A little more intrigue....according to someone in the know, the owner of the property that includes 2941 is a bit of a 'hands-on' sort of person. Whether or not that had anything to do with Jonathan's departure for greener pastures is unknown, but I still have very high expectations for the Boulud chefs coming to the area.... And jpschust immediately responded: I have heard that more than a few times from those in the know. These were politely softened statements, as this is a public board, but I then received a few confirmatory private messages from others in the know....

Hey, I brought those bacon jelly beans! They are available at the Paper Source, along with bacon soap. The latter was a Valentine's Day present for my sweetie, but she decided against using it. I suppose she knew the consequences of doing so....!

He's 15, but he's 6'3" and weighs 220 lbs., with the appetite of a racehorse. If I had brought him to the picnic I believe the pig would not have made it to the table.

I think you just described Clyde's, only Clyde's has better food.

I'm talking about the building, not the restaurant. At the time Krinn left, it was widely speculated that he had some run-ins with the landlord of the building.

I also wish them the best. I also wish them some good counsel and business acumen. When Krinn was at 2941, I suspect that the boorish landlord may have had something to do with his desire to seek another destination. But the choice of Tyson's raised a few eyebrows on this board and elsewhere. Sort of like jumping from a frying pan into a fire. Let's hope the next destination has all the business variables well under control so he can get down to some undistracted food service.

I simply can't let this one go. Tell you what, I'll set a table with six plates, and we'll have an independent tasting. Here are the plates: 1. Lamb Kabob from Ravi Kabob III 2. Pad Thai from Tommy Thai 3. Black Pepper Beef from Canton Cafe 4. Bibimbap from Sahm Oh Jong 5. Half Chicken from Village Chicken with a side of Saltenas from El Sabor Boliviano (heck, it's the same place!) 6. ANYTHING from Mike's All of these places are within about a half mile from each other. And I didn't even include Chutny, Aabshaar, House of Siam, Kate's or Saigon Village. We'll convene an independent tasting panel and review the results. If your assertion that none of these family-run Springfield restaurants compares to a GAR restaurant is confirmed, then I will endlessly applaud your refined palate and discerned taste. I will even consider parting with a treasure I hold dear -- the cork from a bottle of 2000 Nigl Riesling that our leader brought to the DR.com picnic last week.