Walrus

Nonetheless, when I broke my leg, I ordered from the location in Arlington on many, many days, and I was never disappointed in the food or found it to be inconsistent -- the pizza was never overcooked, undercooked, soggy, burned, overtopped, undertopped, cold, late, or what have you. They have a good selection of items, including sandwiches, salads, calzones, cookies, and -- of course -- a large pizza selection. I'm not claiming it's Fine Dining -- and neither are they -- but it is by far the best delivery pizza I have had.

Dean, don't tell me you buckled! What's the plan?

Not sure what it's worth, but we live in Arlington, haven't been, and probably will never go. There are SO many great restaurants in this area -- I'm really not going to waste my very hard-earned dollars on what might -- at best -- be good food with bad service, and what might also be bad food and bad service. No thanks.

Some light is shed: http://www.fooddrink-magazine.com/content/view/360/ "Fresh Ingredients To put an end to the perception that healthy food lacks flavor, Z Pizza created more than 17 unique flavor options for its specialty pizzas, Bright explains. Menu options range from Thai- and Mexican-inspired pies to signature pizzas such as the Tuscan mushroom, topped with three different types of mushrooms, drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkled with fresh thyme. Z Pizza's natural ingredients include organic tomato sauce, Montana winter wheat, fresh produce, additive-free meats, and low-fat mozzarella and soy cheeses. The pizza chain also sells fresh, artisan salads made of sweet mixed greens and uses high-quality ingredients. The company purchases products from boutique manufacturers who specialize in choice ingredients from California and Wisconsin. Dealing with small manufacturers required the company to connect with food distributor Sysco Corp. to form a national distribution network that ships products to its national franchisees. Bright said by doing so, each franchise can provide the same quality and natural ingredients of the flagship location."

Tripewriter's cousin was in from out of town this week, and surprise, surprise, we took her across the river to Mendocino Grille (she was staying in Rosslyn, so this was a very short and easy trip). What a fabulous meal! I agree with DanielK that the ravioli is superb -- fortunately for me (though not for him), Tripewriter was so busy catching up with his cousin (they hadn't seen each other in 12 years!) that I was able to abscond with a bite here and a bite there from his plate. He was far too polite to complain, much less move his plate farther away, as he normally does He and I followed up with the duck pastrami salad -- amazing. Beautiful fava beans, duck pastrami(!), curried pickled onions(!!!), and lovely greens with the perfect amount of salt to crunch. Divine. Tripewriter lost quite a few beans off his salad... Cousin had the Bibb lettuce salad and said it was great, if a little less adventuresome than duck pastrami For mains, I had the chicken ballotine -- so good, but I'll readily admit that for me, the star of the dish was the asparagus and the potatoes. Divine. Troy, who truly excelled in his pairings, provided a glass of red with the chicken that made all three of us gasp with delight -- no joke! Cousin even burst into joyful laughter at the scent. Troy, if you're out there, I forgot my card when we left -- what was the wine?!?!? Tripewriter had the halibut, of which I was able to obtain one small yet perfect crispy, salty, edge, and Cousin had the scallops. We then had the cheeses -- we particularly enjoyed their new soft Italian goat cheese, as well as their regular oozy cheese. The beers are back on, which meant we could have the beer pairings with the cheeses -- lovely. I don't know why that tickles me so much, but it's just so much fun to have beer with cheese. Then came the desserts and a black muscat. All were divine. I managed to snag a quarter of one of Tripewriter's apple beignet, but the plate was heavily guarded after that. I had the creme brulee Napolean, which I shared as little sandwiches. The grilled pineapple was also a hit. Then, four hours after we arrived (!), we wobbled on home, happy and full. What a great night. PS: The wine was Natalie's Reserve Rosa Vineyard Cabernet '05 from Yakima Valley, Washington. I have Arrowine on the job!

After I broke my leg, I was ordering from zPizza many times a week -- I think I'm addicted! I love their Mexican pizza. It's served with with fresh salsa instead of sauce, grilled lime chicken, onions, and avocado. I get it without cheese, on a whole wheat crust, and today I added sweet corn to the mix. Definitely a good decision. They also bake their cookies in their pizza oven, I believe, so they have that wonderful caramelly edge that I love. We also like their arugula salad, though we get the onions on the side, as Tripewriter loves them, and I prefer without. All in all, a very satisfying and delicious meal that's not too terribly "bad" for you and that -- apparently, no matter how many times you have it -- leaves you planning your return.

Can't wait! We're doing the Corduroy Dance over here!

Tripewriter and I will be there -- our delay in replying has more to do with not knowing yet what we'll be bringing than with not knowing whether or not we'll come...

Outstanding! How about Sunday, May 4, at 11:30 am? Thanks for being willing to make the reservation, Dean!

Anyone feel like having another lovely Dim Sum at Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard? Dean?

[Ooops -- please delete this! Bad computer! Bad!]

(Not to throw fuel on the fire, but I just wanted to remind everyone that we were told that the Mendocino Grille is in the midst of switching beer providers, meaning that their beer selection is not up to its normal high standards for the moment. If you're going to the Grille for the beer, I would suggest checking first to see whether they have their regular quality beer selection back. If you're going for the wine and food, don't hesitate, go now!)

oooh -- Spicy roasted tofu. It burns so good!!! Too bad it's double fried...I've not seen it anywhere else, sad to say.

I dunno, Capital Icebox, I've had both and am here to tell you that not one item I had the In-n-Out came anywhere near Elevation Burger. When EB is on, it's grand stuff.

Maybe this is what EB needed -- some places do better when they're part of a larger organism than when they're all by themselves. For one thing, they'll have more sway with their providers, which can only be a good thing. Good luck, Hans and April! (Also, this may not be the place for this, but we've used EnviroCab twice now and loved it! The cars are sooooo clean -- get that new car smell while you can! And because they buy more carbon offsets than they use, it's actually in some way better for the environment to use these cabs. Plus, they were on time and courteous -- impressed my guests so much they paid for us to take an EnviroCab to Alexandria when Tripewriter was stuck at work.)

I got off work late on Saturday, so we didn't make it -- how was it? Spill about the new flavors!

Two years already!?!?! We will try to make it -- I think it sucks that I work until 2 pm!!! Save some chocolate for me

Well, but the whole atmosphere of the Inn, from my paltry experience, is pretty showy. The whole thing is staged, from being met by 1000 uniformed employees when you first arrive to having the cheese selections on a cow cart with a mooing box. It's not like you're dining in the average DC restaurant...I think it would crack me up, and you definitely couldn't say it was boring! I'd say it's a little tongue-in-cheek and to not take it too seriously.

I don't believe that the tasting menu requires the participation of the entire table. I do think that going a la carte is the way to go. I've never done the chef's menu, though, so it may have special features of which I am not aware. As for must-haves, I really, really loved the flavor of the lobster dish with the (extra $) lemon/cashew rice. Now I want it! Thanks a lot The gulab jamun is lovely -- it's an elegantly plated version of a traditional dessert. It's not huge, but by the end of the meal, you'll be grateful that that's not the case! One warning I would have to offer is that although the food is great and the service good, the noise level is appalling. I'm in my mid-30s, and when I went out with Tripewriter and our friends, we mostly sat and smiled at each other because it was so hard to hear what anyone else was saying. We did talk about the food, but we sure didn't have the nice chatty meal that we had been anticipating. I think Sietsema said that Rasika is 85 decibels, which is pretty darn loud!

This restaurant is the reason why I'm not thinking 100% clearly this morning. We ate here last night to celebrate -- and mourn -- the final night of our houseguests' visit, and I think we were all just blown away by the food, wine, hospitality, and sheer pleasure of dining here. Please note that I had many, many glasses of wine last night, so if my descriptions are, perhaps, incomplete, please be assured that it is not because the dishes were not perfect nor because I didn't enjoy every single bite while I was there. It just seems this morning as if last night was a loooong time ago We started with a very amusing amuse of a miniature grilled cheese sandwich and broccoli soup. Hee. It was great and a nice way to introduce our guests to the divinity they would be tasting throughout the evening. Next, I believe, we had the scallop, and one guest, who is a lifelong detester of scallops (as in, wouldn't try them at any other restaurant we ate at and didn't even like them at Ray's or Corduroy on previous visits), loved it. As in, wouldn't share any of it with me and in fact scraped her plate dry. Now, this is amazing. And disappointing, as I was secretly hoping that she wouldn't want to finish it and therefore donate it to my cause We next had the halibut, which I've decided is my absolute favorite fish, crisply seared and then plated with a potato a clam and some clam broth -- Tripewriter smashed his potato into the broth and ate it all together. I wished I had thought of that, too! I think that this fish was my favorite mouthful of the night, or at least definitely close to the top. It was cooked perfectly. The next course made all four of us swoon -- chicken ballotin with duck confit and foie gras, on some of the most amazing potatoes ever (and I know from potatoes!), with asparagus that was so tender it was unreal. I think this dish got my guests the closest to actually licking their plates Next we had an amazing piece of lamb, and I was lucky enough to get the crispy end piece -- w00t!!! After that, Chef Barry came out to make sure that we were still alive and to confirm that we did, indeed, want cheese and dessert, and not just dessert alone. And really, it was a valid question, except, have I ever rejected cheese? We had four varieties of cheese, and we'd had none of the specific makers before (so, yes, we'd had cheddar before -- but not THIS cheddar. And it was very, very good.). We had one beer with them, as they're switching beer providers and running a little low on the "interesting" beers. It was great, and I even liked the blue cheese (Italian). I loved the soft cheese, too (estrella from Portugal), but the goat was at the other end of the cheese board from me, so I only got a nibble or two before it went away. We finished with chef's famous desserts, and my guest, even after this meal, was able not only finish the incredibly rich chocolate mousse cake but to scrape the plate clean. I was impressed! I maneuvered the beignets to being in front of me (ha ha!) and loved them and the perfect ice cream. My other guest had the creme brulee Napolean, which was elegant and tasty -- the pineapple slice next to it was a particular hit. Tripewriter had the trio, which was a banana shake, a butterscotch pudding, and an espresso pudding(?). I got to try the butterscotch one, and it was outstanding. If you're looking for a comforting dessert, my pick will always be the beignet, but if you're looking for something that both looks super impressive and tastes delicious, this trio is the way to go!!! The one sad, sad note is that the lovely Nicole is leaving Mendocino Grille to take over the program at BLT. Her last day is April 22. We know that we will still be well taken care of at the Grille, and I guess we now have an excuse to go to BLT, but we will definitely miss the combination of Barry's food and Nicole's wine!

We ate at Eve on Saturday night in the Tasting Room for Tripewriter's birthday and had a typically outstanding experience! Two at our table decided to let chef choose their courses, and the other two of us had different items still, so I don't know that there's any possible way for me to remember all 20+ items (!!!), but I will say that there were a few standouts from my selections that I couldn't possibly forget! Beginning with the spring garlic custard, topped with the season's first morels. Delicate yet creamy, with the morels having amazing flavor and no grit at all, it was a great way to start out. I also had the butter-poached lobster and the quail, which were beautifully flavored and strikingly presented. I am blanking on the other course that I had, which is sad because I remember it being a stand-out. I'll just have to go back and have it again so that I can report on it here The course that impressed me most was the dessert course, with creations from Rebecca Willis gracing our plates. I had the floating island on the lemon tart, and it was superb. This was one of those meals where you start thinking to yourself, "How can we manage it so that we can eat here every week?" Thanks to all involved for a great night, and particularly to Evan, who took excellent care of us.

We had a very late cocktail here on Saturday to round out the celebration of Tripewriter's birthday. We think that they stayed open just for us, which, wow. Thank you! My guest had a gin and tonic, which was not shared, and Tripewriter and I were both in the mood for a Mule. This batch of ginger ale had a remarkable kick to it -- so much that we were both initially unsure that it was going to work for us, but once we got past the first sip, it was perfect. Ice cold, with a lovely bite, it was an outstanding way to end a lovely evening.

My guests and Tripewriter and I had a great time at Proof on Monday night. I had given our visitors three options -- Proof, Rasika, and Central -- to choose from for this evening, and after reading the menus, they chose Proof. We started, of course, with the ginormous charcuterie board. We all four enjoyed it and, in fact, polished off every morsel. Note to self -- this is MUCH easier to do with four than with two! Our server, whom we'd had the last time we were at Proof, remembered that the Westry Shea Pinot Noir 2003 was a special bottle for us, and he let us know that there was just one bottle left -- so we pounced on it. As fabulous as ever. I had the piadina, which cracks me up because we always get the giant board o'meat, and then the next thing I get is also covered in meat. However, this time there was a very nice balance between the cheese and greens and meat. Our guests had the chickpea flatbread and a salad, and Tripewriter also had a salad. For mains, I had the amazing scallops, my guests had the steak and the duck, and Tripewriter had a real winner in the pork on the butternut squash risotto -- amazing, and definitely what I'm getting next time. Probably. Desserts were the sticky toffee for them and something delicious for me and for Tripewriter that has at this time completely slipped my mind. A highlight of the meal was Hmmboy, who had been dining in the next booth (a pleasant surprise) gifting us with the pork belly -- wow! I wish Christmas were that good! That's the other thing that I'm definitely getting next time. Probably...

We ate here Thursday night. My guest said the linguica pizza was possibly the best he'd ever had. We also shared the Vermont pizza to start, and it too was delicious. Tripewriter declared the spaghetti excellent, and my lobster pie was once again perfect. I also had the duo of creme brulee again, and I just have to say that it is just a perfect dish. We had a lovely meal all around, and it was a great way to start our week of fabulous dining.

We ended up at the Alexandria location yesterday afternoon. It seemed pleasant, though empty (I will say that it was a rainy Monday afternoon in April, and Eammon's was pretty empty, too, so this is not a judgment). My guests each had coffees and split a brioche pastry (it looked similar to a Danish). They declared it delicious, and despite having had lunch at Eammon's, they ate the whole thing. I only had room to sip my mint lemonade, which I found tasty -- very tart and refreshing. I would definitely like to go back and try the breads, all of which looked fantastic.