Kibbee Nayee

Does he at least still do three visits...? And does anyone have any idea how to become one of his entourage when he visits these places....?

Nice thread. Unfortunately, the slam-dunk answer is the Home Depot off the Fairfax County Parkway at Lee Highway/West Ox. No comparison! Within footsteps is the Costco (best darn pepper-smothered sausage around), as well as Sakoontra (best Thai restaurant in Fairfax County) as well as Gigunito's Italian Sandwiches (right up there with the Italian Store).

Not to interrupt the reparte between DR and Eric, but had dinner there last night in a party of four. We all split The Plate, and that was the first time I ever had frickles. They were salty, to be sure, but quite good, and the deviled eggs were outstanding. Two of us had the sirloin special, marinated nice and spicy. It was cooked to perfection and mouth-watering. The other two had the Scottish salmon -- we asked the server why it was called "Scottish" and she had a nice recital on wild-caught and organic, but not on Scottish. Anyway, the salmon was superb too, and cooked to a perfect medium/medium rare. I'll be back often.

I almost hate to do this, because I didn't eat there, but I was in the Reston Town Center for other business today and noticed the ubiquitous and ever-evil Sysco truck parked outside PassionFish. I'm hoping it was just dropping off paper napkins or something similarly inedible....

At Malaysia Kopitiam or Pasara Thai? I've been meaning to try Pasara Thai in Kingstowne, but not if you're waving me off....anyone been there recently?

I like this place a lot, and it has become my go-to Chinese restaurant in the Springfield area. However, down Franconia Road is Sampan, as I noted above, which compares favorably in its reincarnation. My problem with Sampan is that it's in the same plaza as Mediterranean Gourmet Market, and if my moniker is any indication, I'm not likely to pass up the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia when I'm in the vicinity.

I am on a mission to taste my way through southern Fairfax County and I've contributed some Springfield reviews over the past year. I have eaten a few times at Pane e Vino in what appears to be the Lorton Town Center, if that's what it's called, but it sure looks like it's trying to be one of those now ubiquitous Town Centers popping up everywhere. DR will have to expand the restaurant guide to include a Lorton listing now. Pane e Vino is family owned, and therefore checks the box of not being a chain, so that's the first positive sign. It has its own pizza oven, so that's the second positive sign. It has become so successful that it bought the Americanized Chinese place next door and expanded into it, so that's the third positive sign. And I haven't even gotten into the food yet. As for the food, well, there are many family owned Italian places from Burke to Lorton, all of them pretty good, from Rafagino's in Burke to Vinny's in Lorton, with Victor's next to the Springfield Whole Foods and San Vito down on Rolling and Braddock. All very good and all very reasonably priced, and none of them near the quality of Pane e Vino. This place is now my go-to Italian restaurant south of Fairfax. Dinner starts with an almost-amouse of a three tastes to go with the fresh bread basket. In one ceramic rectangle was three mini-bowls of olives, olive oil with parmesan, and marinara that tasted fresh made. With the warm breads, this was a hearty start. We accompanied this with a bottle of chardonnay off the daily special list, and since they didn't have the one we ordered, they gave us a more expensive one for the $22 special price. Tonight we ate off the specials, more or less. Girlfriend had the blackened rockfish, covered with marinara, spinach and olives, which to this day is the best rockfish dish I have ever eaten in my life. Absolutely cooked to perfection. I had the chicken frescia, which is a boneless breast of chicken pounded thin and covered with tomato sauce, spinach and mozzarella, served with a side of pasta and red sauce. To die for, and cooked to a juicy and tender doneness that is difficult to achieve for white meat of chicken. This place also has a pizza menu that looks tempting, and with the aforementioned pizza oven, it is one of the specialties of the house. I am torn here, because pizza would make a nice noon meal when split with a friend, and across the street is the Fireside grill, which has some tempting grilled sandwiches and is the subject of another review. And when I think of pizza in the southern part of the county, I am drawn to Delia's....oh well, maybe pizza is another topic for another time. We couldn't have left more satisfied, and a dinner for two (without dessert) with a bottle of wine and tax and tip came to just over $60. I will continue to treat this place as my go-to Italian restaurant this side of Dolce Vita, Da Domenico, Mama's or Bonaroti.

I don't know the etiquette of citing other boards here, and I don't want to hijack a thread on finding the best cheese steaks in the DC area, but one of the best-ever threads on the subject of Philly cheese steaks is over at RogueFood. This is the kind of trip we ought to organize some weekend, and you can count me in!

Set aside the quality of fare for the moment -- the trending in Tysons is not good. The lunch crowd is largely driven by expense accounts, and the current market has whacked away at those expense accounts considerably. The dinner crowd is going to be affected by the traffic snarl, which I hear will be so bad that competition in McLean and Vienna will likely benefit as diners decide to detour out of it. By the way, one of the major benefactors of Chima has been Freddie Mac, usually with a large table or party in the back just about every day. That revenue is drying up for Chima. I'm rooting for Inox, but Gordon Ramsay will be next door and the ubiquitous beef-eating crowd has The Palm, Capital Grille and Morton's nearby, all with ostentatious martinis and cigar friendly bars.

Let me just say for the record that I hope you're right, and I'll be in line for a reservation. I'm rooting for Krinn to succeed in this market. We need far fewer chains, and more Inox'es.....!

Yes. I picked up that rumor today, along with the one about Ramsay at the Ritz -- apparently, the Ritz wants more than the Ramsay name, they want him in person, at least doing cameos. And I'm surprised Krinn chose this place in this market. I may have mentioned in a Chima's thread that a friend of mine on the Board at the Tower Club says that every Board meeting deals with the traffic in Tysons and how horrific it will be as they construct the Metro out there, and how no restaurant can survive the combination of traffic snarl and deep recession at the same time.

I'm now hearing it's under the PWC building in Tysons, a level below the seafood restaurant that's there. Interesting location, with plenty of nearby competition, including Gordon Ramsay at the Ritz. This is a tough market to be opening a high end restaurant, don't you think?

Forgot to mention that on the way out, the manager-looking guy who thanked me for coming mentioned that Saturdays and Sundays from 11-2 is dim sum. Gotta try that!

Had a pre-dinner meal at Sampan Cafe this evening. This place is in the little strip mall where Mediterranean Gourmet Market is located, and whenever I'm in this vicinity, I always eat at Mediterranean Gourmet Market. It's the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia, I'm convinced, but it turns out it closes on Sunday evening at 5pm. So, Plan B was Sampan Cafe, a few doors down. I had been going to Sampan Cafe for over 20 years in its original incarnation. It used to be the definition of American Chinese, with big floppy egg rolls and chop suey on the menu, and the waiters clad in red tuxedo tops. Not many Chinese people ate there back then. It closed about 6 years ago and an average-ish Vietnamese restaurant took its place. Then about 4 years ago, it reincarnated as Sampan Cafe, under different ownership. I have raved a bit on this board about Canton Cafe in Springfield. Sampan Cafe is at least its equal, and maybe then some. Aside from a few quirks in the service -- girlfriend's entree arrived about 5 minutes before mine -- the food here is very good and the clientele is mostly Chinese. We started with a whole steamed oyster with black bean sauce that was exquisite (and large). Last night I had the Beef in Black Pepper Sauce at Canton Cafe and labeled it Peking man-food. I mentioned that at $16 it was superior to any beef dish I ever had at Morton's or Ruth's Chris or any other steak house that would charge $40 for a la carte beef. Well, tonight I had the same dish at Sampan Cafe, and it was even better and was only $14. It came out sizzling like Canton fajitas, but the beef was perfect, tender and juicy. Girlfriend had her standard seafood combination, which in this case was off menu. Chunks of scallops, shrimp, lobster, and veggies in a white sauce, for $12.50 (did I mention lobster?). The chef's specialty here is "Hong Kong style" and I intend to come back and taste "Sour Cabbage Stir Fried with Intestine" and "Salt Fish and Chicken Stir Fried with Chive Flower".... Bottom line is that Sampan Cafe in its current incarnation is very good, and at least the equal of Canton Cafe, but at a better value. [but I still have the problem of passing up the best Middle Eastern food in northern Virginia just a few doors down!]

Return trip again tonight, and this place is growing on me. The clientele demographic is clearly tilted towards Chinese-Americans, which is a good sign, but on a Saturday night I expected the place to be more than about a third full. Maybe it's the economy. The food continues to impress. Girlfriend and I had the chrysanthemum tea to start, along with seafood and bean curd soup for 2. For about $6, the soup easily filled four bowls, and was loaded with seafood, tofu and egg white. I asked the waitress up front to make sure I got Chinese spicy, not American spicy food, and she brought me a small bowl of mixed chilis in oil. These were quite hot, but a sparing half teaspoon into the soup was just perfect. For the main course, Girlfriend had the Combination Seafood with Chinese Broccoli, which was loaded with squid, shrimp, large scallops and probably giant clam, and the broccoli was cooked perfectly. That dish clocked in at about $13.50 and was worth every penny. My main course was phenomenal -- Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper was it's name, but it was genuine Peking man-food. About 7-8 quarter inch slices of cooked to perfection beef tenderloin, slightly crunchy on the outside and drop-dead tender on the inside, swimming in a deliciously spicy brown sauce and smothered in sauteed onions. To die for may be the best description of this dish. For about $16, it literally clobbers any $40 steak I've had at Morton's or Ruth's Chris or Bobby Van's or Capital Grille. Not even close. And you can't dab that hot chili oil on it at those places like you can here. Looking around the menu, there are over a hundred dishes and ingredients such as duck tongue, duck webs, conch, frog, sea cucumber, duck blood, dry squid, pig skin and a whole section of congee dishes. That's one heck of an ambitious kitchen.

I had an enjoyable lunch at Tara Temple yesterday. It replaced Tara Thai -- thankfully -- and is managed by the guy who formerly managed Cafe Asia in Rosslyn. More accurately, it is the remodeled Tara Thai, but I'm glad that Tara Thai is no longer dishing out so-so Thai food. This is a trendy black-and-steel place that looks like it should be in Manhattan or San Francisco, and it has mini tables with padded stools ringing what will soon be a combination bar area and dance floor if the notice on the door for a dance hall permit is approved. The throbbing techno music in the background adds to the trendiness, I suppose. The food is Asia fusion, and pretty darned good. The green tea came out in a coffee press and was thick and flavorful. We had quite a few of the sushi rolls and nigiri, all flawless and fresh. The salmon cheek yakitori was delicious, proof that we often toss away the best morsels of salmon in this country. I forget the style of fried rice we tried, but it was excellent and I would be tempted to get it as carry out whenever I'm in the neighborhood. All in all, this was a surprisingly good meal, albeit in a way too-trendy environment. I'll definitely be back for the food, but not the atmosphere.

Probably my next adventure -- the Chinese lady who draws my blood for an annual physical highly recommends this place. She barely speaks any English at all, but I coaxed it out of her. Will report accordingly.

OK, this is now on my must-eat-at list. About two decades ago, the New Orleans Emporium in Adams Morgan was the best Creole/Cajun place around, by far. The bar was upstairs, and my friends and I would dive into "Cajun popcorn" (fried crawfish tails) and "Oyster Shooters" (fresh shucked oyster with a dollop of hot sauce and a shot of peppar vodka in a tumbler). A basket of popcorn and 3-4 shooters would get us ready to move downstairs to the restaurant, where the blackened lamb chops were simply incredible. When that place closed, the only reasonable facsimile was Louisiana Express, and maybe RTs in Alexandria. If this place is in the same league, here I come!

Finally made it there today (Sunday evening) with girlfriend in tow. Very nicely appointed place convenient to the theaters. Bad news first -- the place was packed on a Sunday night, with a line almost extending out the door, and therefore the service was spotty. We sat for 10 minutes before water was placed on the table and the waitress took our order about 15 minutes in, and entrees came out while we were still eating appetizers. Chalk all of this up to growing pains. That's the end of the bad news. The meal was really good, and this place remains the best and most consistent Vietnamese restaurant in the area. We started with the fresh garden rolls with peanut sauce and an order of baby clams sauteed with pork and served with sesame crackers (two elephant ears of thick crackers to be snapped apart and used to scoop the clams/pork). The former dish was executed flawlessly and the latter dish was substantial enough to serve as a full meal. A dab or two of the chili sauce elevated it to lick-the-plate goodness. For the main course, girlfriend had fish fillets with mixed vegetables, and I had the vermicelli topped with cha gio and grilled pork. Her dish was excellent, with the fish fillets actually tasting like fish and the vegetables nice and soft-crunchy (al dente?) in a fragrant sauce. I've had my vermicelli dish often at various Vietnamese restaurants, and this is the best by far. Little piles of shredded carrot and lettuce and bean sprouts along the side allowed for mixing it the way you like, plus a little fish sauce on top and a dab of chili sauce here and there....wow! All of this plus a bottle of chardonnay, plus tax and tip, came to $75. Not bad, and I'll be back and back and back. Almost sad side note -- we walked up the block to Sea Pearl afterwards to see what was the buzz with the oldest sister's new restaurant. We walked in and thought it was closed -- one person at the bar and 2-3 couples in the expansive and opulent dining room. The eldest sister was happy to greet us and walk us around the beautiful dining room and lounge, but I felt bad for her. In this market, it's a matter of minutes before she defaults on all of her loans, and charging $25 for scallops and $29 for lamb won't help when the dining room is so empty. Luckily, as busy as Four Sisters is, she would be welcomed back as a waitress any time.

OK, stopped by tonight after a great meal at Four Sisters. I was shocked. Four Sisters was packed on a Sunday night with a line going out the door, and Sea Pearl was practically empty. The eldest "sister" showed me around -- and I agree, this place is opulent to the extreme -- and I thanked her and grabbed a menu on the way out. While I might someday want to try a Rack of Colorado Lamb for $29 or a Szechwan Style Flat Iron Steak for $25, I can walk half a block to Four Sisters and have 3 courses for the same amount. Pass.

Return visit last night, and I was happy to see that the place was packed in the midst of a lousy economy. Girlfriend and I started with chicken wings and grilled fish stick, the latter of which is nicely executed along the lines of satay, but with a sheet of salmon covered with a tangy hoisin and sesame sauce. Maggie, the owner's wife and head waitress, steered girlfriend to the Mandarin seafood combination and it was perfect -- chunks of flounder swimming in onions and a semi-spicy sauce. I had the Lamb Chops special, which is an award winner. Four tender and juicy lamb chops with a nicely salty crunch, served over a mound of brown fried rice and with two dipping sauces -- the spicy one was best. Then came a surprise dessert that supposedly came with the lamb chops, a plate drizzled with chocolate sauce and covered with sliced bananas and strawberries, with a 'crepe' in the middle of the plate stuffed with a frozen banana and topped with a fresh dollop of whipped cream. Wow. The owner was working the dining room, playing with the children at various tables and hugging the women as they arrived and left. He is also the owner of Ho's Dynasty in Burke, but apparently spends all his time at the Springfield outpost now (Ho's has been in Burke for over 20 years). If you're looking for a place where the food is good, even a little creative, and the prices are right and the management makes you feel like you're best friends for an hour or so, this is one of my Springfield recommendations.

Went yesterday for lunch and came away impressed. Cajun/Creole food in the Washington area has been tough to come by since New Orleans Emporium in Adams Morgan closed over a decade ago. The table started out with the shrimp/crawfish beignet appetizer, which was outstanding. I enjoyed a cup of Alligator Stew, with nice chewy chunks of alligator in a gumbo-like roux, and I would definitely enjoy that again. I chose the Haddock special for my main dish and I'm glad I did. Haddock stuffed with chunks of crab and crawfish, with a wine cream sauce. Two companions had the Steak Frites, and by the time I looked up from my dish their plates were wiped clean.

My Falls Church boundaries are a little bit grander. I have a general top ten of 2941, Mark's Duck House, Fortune, Lebanese Butcher, Dogwood, Hong Kong Palace, Myanmar, Viet Royale, Argia's and Saigon Cafe.

Peruvian roasted chicken becoming the ubiquitous Springfield dish. I usually try it at Delia's (they bought Tumi next door) because I can take my little ones in there for my son's favorite mousaka or my daughter's favorite pizza, while I nail half a chicken. And I love the green chili sauce loaded with cilantro. There's another excellent example across Backlick in Brookfield Plaza, perhaps the best block of eating in northern Virginia.

I recently became employed by a company up the street just past the State Theater, and I've had the pleasure of eating at Argia's about a half dozen times. I have been impressed. The Asian woman who runs the kitchen obviously understands Italian fare. Each pasta dish I've had -- usually the daily special -- tasted fresh and perfect. Salads here are ample and tasty. And the soups are a real treat, especially the daily special. There are way too many choices in the Falls Church area to eat, and my moniker usually draws me to Lebanese Butcher. But Argia's might be in my top ten list for Falls Church.