Kibbee Nayee

Concur. It tastes the same, and the menu may be slightly smaller. But it's about the same quality. Interestingly, it has some serious competition in Springfield. Aabshaar is just up Backlick Road about a quarter of a mile, and it's pretty good Pakistani fare with a banquet room. There are also a few Indian places within walking distance of Ravi Kabob House in Springfield, like Chutny and the newer Hot Bakes and Cakes. In my humble opinion, kabobs are the second most ubiquitous dishes in Springfield, trailing Peruvian chicken, but not by much.

I would suggest dropping the name of our Board's fearless leader. It worked for me.

I'm not sure where to post this, but I'm sure a moderator will take it to the right place. I grew up in Amish country, where pork and sauerkraut always rings in the New Year despite our Middle Eastern ethnicity. I already bought my sauerkraut for this year and am pondering various cuts of pork. My Romertopf clay cooker will get a workout during the bowl games on Friday. It's a simple recipe, the aroma throughout the house is incredible, and the sides are simply mashed potatoes and applesauce. My questions are which restaurants offer traditional New Years good luck dishes, what do they offer, and what are you preparing in your homes to ring in the New Year?

Without drinks, easily under $100 per person, but Koji will deliver within your budget. If your budget is $50 per person, you'll get a heck of an experience.

I believe it can be explained very simply. While others may enjoy the bare brick walls and din that must be shrieked over to be heard, with architectural compositions bathed in foam coming out of the uber-chic open kitchen, there will always be a following for the warm and romantic classic that Cafe Renaissance represents. I have found myself tucking into a pile of mussels for lunch there, while appreciating the blue-haired ladies and their traditional companions at the other tables. It is an oases of all that was good and proper about restaurants before 'trend-crazed foodies' existed. If Anthony Bourdain was parachuted into Vienna, he would likely split his time between the Vienna Inn, maybe the Amphora, a possible tip of the hat to Bonaroti's or Marco Polo, the obligatory gushing over classic French at Le Canard, and then Cafe Renaissance.

Well, keep in mind that I ordered 3 rounds of sake for the 5-6 chefs, and GF and I also downed about 6 glasses of wine. Throw that in, and all 12-14 courses (for 2) came to just north of $250. I then over-tipped liberally, and then waddled across the street for a dessert of charcuterie at Blue Ridge. It was a consumption-fest, and well worth it. Forgot to mention in my original post that the dish that immediately followed the wild mushroom soup was a perfect little mold of cubed salmon tartare (or sashimi) mixed with diced asparagus, sauced with a citrus reduction and topped with some shavings of Oregon truffles. Sublime....

I enjoyed the dining experience of a lifetime last night. Celebrating GF's birthday, we sat in front of Koji and had the no-holds-barred omakase. I lost count of the number of courses, but Koji performed like the master talent he is. I remember that the first course was an incredible wild mushroom soup with a spoonful of lobster essence. Mind-blowing, bracing and satisfying are the words that best describe it. Chef's choice sashimi and chef's choice sushi followed in some sequence, then there was lobster with sea urchin, fried mushrooms wrapped in cured tuna (Koji mentioned it was his favorite combination) and nearly a dozen or so amazingly good bites from across the spectrum of Osaka's culinary traditions. The flavors, freshness, presentation and master craftsmanship were spot-on in every one. I honestly cannot recall a better meal, end-to-end, than this one. Toward the end of the sequence, I began buying a few rounds of sake for all the chefs. I intend to make this a semi-regular destination. The best word to sum it all up -- Wow!

I had an event meal at Sushi-Ko across the street, but Blue Ridge caught my eye as we arrived a bit early for our sushi feast. GF and I hit Blue Ridge for a drink, and the bar area was empty. The wine menu was perfectly acceptable, drawing from the east coast, the west coast and France, and looked like it was well thought through. Later, after the event meal at Sushi-Ko, we strolled back to Blue Ridge for an unnecessary night cap and an oh-so-unnecessary plate of charcuterie, which we were told are prepared in-house. I declare the charcutierie acceptable and will return to the bar on the future occasions I am in the Glover Park neighborhood.

Count me in and hold me a few Zadie's Dogs....

Not to hijack this thread, which is an interesting read (to say the least) but Canton Cafe is in my Cantonese rotation. Your words actually waved me off a potential visit this week, and I will instead hit Sampan Cafe. Thanks for the heads-up.

It is what it is, a very good restaurant with gracious hosts and a competent chef, attentive service and warm and romantic atmosphere. It is the anti-trendy restaurant of Vienna, where you feel like it's the 1970s again. If you like tableside preparations of Steak Diane and Bananas Foster, if you like the chef popping out of the kitchen to check on how you want the branzino prepared, if you like being treated like one of Saeed's or Soraya's closest family members, this is your place. Todd's and Tom's favorites lists tend toward the more trendy establishments, not the oases of comfort and tradition that Cafe Renaissance represents....

Darn...maybe that's been my problem! An important item missing from your list is to place the order, either at the Arlington HQs or the Springfield outpost, and then head to the Thai restaurant next door (both in Arlington and in Springfield) to get semi-smashed, since none of the Ravi's serve alcohol. By the time your order is ready you should have a nice buzz on....

And for all my Rockewellian friends I look forward to happy hours, picnics and $20 Tuesdays all throughout the new year.

Thanks to all for the good advice. I think I have a plan and will execute it, after which I will report results to the Rockwellian community.

I'm bumping this because Sunday approaches....for some reason I'm leaning towards Blue Ocean in Fairfax. Don't know why, but wanted to try someplace I hadn't frequented before, but the last review in the restaurant guide is about 9 months old. Any advice...?

I'm glad this place has been given its own entry in the Restaurant Guide. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best of the Italian places on that side of Fairfax County. It's the sister of Da Domenico's, and when it bought Da Domenico's the chef transferred to the Herndon locale. Far and away the best veal chop around, and one day's osso bucco was really, really good....I dug out the marrow afterward and slathered it on the fresh bread that came with the meal. Zeffirelli's has a very nice atmosphere and excellent service to accompany some of the best Italian cooking in northern Virginia. For my money, there are three restaurants worth going to on that side of Fairfax County -- El Manantial, Zeffirelli's and PassionFish -- and you can take the rest of the chain-dominated Reston Town Center and flush it.

Significant Other is having a birthday next Sunday and has requested sushi. Price is no object, but it appears hours are an issue. Some of the choices would be PassionFish, Kaz Sushi Bistro and Sushi Taro, but none of them are open on Sunday. We prefer a northern Virginia or Downtown venue, and so far, Tachibana is in the mix. Any good suggestions...?

How soon until MSNBC or Yahoo scoops up donrockwell.com....? I'm imagining a deal in the 9-digit range...

Uh....yuk! The ingredients: Chicken Broth, Navy Beans, Celery, Carrots, Dehydrated Potatoes, Soybean Oil, Bacon (Cured With Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Sugar, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrate), Dehydrated Onion, Salt, Smoked Pork Flavor (Hydrolyzed Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten and Soy Protein, Maltodextrin, Disodium Inosinate, Smoked Pork Fat), Natural Flavor, Spices. But I also note that customers who bought this also bought the Looney Tunes Golden Collection...!

OMG! OMG! If I were to reconsider my board name, it would be Shankleesh. I lived and died by this incredible cheese for over 50 years. My mother would make it from scratch, and thankfully I can find it in the refrigerated section at Lebanese Butcher and Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria. What a treat! Best ways to enjoy Shankleesh -- you got one of them, under scrambled eggs in the morning, with a side of fresh pita and a cup of strong black coffee. That's the breakfast of champions! But you haven't lived until you've tried zhayfeera -- chopped or crumbled shankleesh, mixed with olive oil (Zaifan from Lebanon is best), diced onions and diced hard-cooked eggs, with maybe a pinch of extra zaatar, stirred together and served on fresh pita triangles. Un-frikkin-believable...!

Had a bar lunch here today and it was scrumptious. The tuna sliders were incredible bites of deliciousness, and the oxtail tots, a riff on tater tots, were excellent and meaty. I didn't have the appetite for the PS7 take on the Primanti sandwich, but that's my next visit. I'm up for a HH here anytime. And by the way, the bartender knows us all well, and said her handle here is 'mixtress' (pardon any spelling errors).

Johnny's New York Pizza in Manchester Lakes near Franconia and Kingstowne is about as close as it gets in northern Virginia to a real Brooklyn pizza. But then, Brooklyn isn't actually that far for a good pizza, is it?

Maybe it's the setting, but I'm not sure the recipe does the dish justice. First of all, that "ham hock" was probably not what you get at the local Safeway. There was something different and special about the chunks of ham, like the aforementioned hint of clove. Then there was the texture. Creamy and chunky, almost perfect, influenced by maybe a dip of the immersion bender. Everything -- flavor, texture, aroma, presentation -- was in perfect harmony. I can take that recipe and make a perfectly respectable Senate bean soup at home, but it probably won't be what was in my bowl yesterday.

Let me begin by saying that I realize that this is not a restaurant generally open to the public, sort of like the Tower Club or the City Club. You have to be invited by a Senator during the prime hours, or by a staffer beginning around 1:30pm. And thus it was as I was seated around 1:45 with my host. Let's start with ambiance. This place is beautiful, start to finish, top to bottom, with original art on the walls and history all over the place. VIP sightings abound, and the service is probably close to Michelin 3-star. The Oval Room would have a hard time comparing to this restaurant. On to the food, and the singular purpose of my visit was contained in a bowl of bean soup, Washington's 'national dish.' It did not disappoint, and it was heavenly. Perfect texture and flavor, even a mere hint of clove on the ham chunks, this was heaven in a bowl. It was so good I wanted to dab some all over me and pour some down the front of my shirt. It was damn-damn-damn good. On to the main course, and my comparison to the Tower Club and the City Club was not unintended. You see, these members-only places with chefs from the "B List" have their ups and downs. They nail the atmosphere part with an A+, but the food creations have various failings that magnify on the plate. I ordered the 'Cuban sandwich sliders' which were three little sandwiches that had the requisite cheese, ham, pork, pickles and mustardy sauce, only the menu attracted my eye by replacing the "pork" with slow-braised pork belly. Hmmmm....must have....! After I placed the order, the waiter came back and told me that instead of the pork belly, today they were offering pulled pork on the Cubans. I decided to proceed, but the result was not pleasant. The sliders tasted too smoky, the rest of the ingredients were overwhelmed, and I added yet another failed attempt at a Cuban sandwich to my long list of Washington DC failed attempts at Cuban sandwiches. On the other hand, and true to the Tower Club and City Club analogy, the salads that I saw coming out of the kitchen were towering compositions of protein on top of greens and vegetables that looked about as good as any I've seen anywhere in a long time. But back to that bean soup....it was truly incredible. It's now in my top-ever-favorite-soups/stews ever. In any order, the Senate bean soup, Lampeter (PA) Fire Hall Chicken Corn Soup at the annual September festival, No Name Restaurant (Boston) fish chowdah, Cioppino at Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and just about anything on the menu at Pho 75. Give me my death row meal from any or all of these five, and I'll go out without a whimper....