hopsing

Now that Tysons is kaput

FWIW, since I seem to be the only one that can half tolerate this place, La Madeleine opened up a store inside the mall.

I used to be a big fan of the Due, always ordering a half croque monsieur and small onion soup. The croque monsieur was good or bad, depending on how long it had been sitting out there. The onion soup was pretty salty. I stopped going there (Georgetown or Baileys XRoads) once I saw the nutrition information regarding salt (outrageous) since my blood pressure was getting high. Nowadays, if I want a French food fix and I am in Georgetown, I go to Muncheez Mania and order a ham/cheese crepe to go. They cut it into bite-size portions for you and give you a fork. I walk down to the Georgetown Waterfront Park and have a nice al fresco lunch.

I was wondering if Liberty Tavern really has wifi. I've tried to access it on my phone at various times passing by and never see their signal.

The fairly decent Greek place was called "Aegean Taverna." The food was okay, but what was wonderful was the outdoor patio, draped with grape vines, and on Saturday night, they had live Greek music. You were no longer on Wilson Blvd, but in Santorini. My husband and I miss that dearly.

I have to admit, the restaurant name is a draw. I gave my friend two choices for lunch, both of which we'd never been to: Kite Runner or Earl's Sandwiches. She picked Kite Runner because she loved the book. And it was a mighty good choice. Regarding parking, both of us parked along the side street: her on Oakland and me on Pollard. It was a Friday and I had to drive a couple blocks south on Pollard because lots of spots were taken and some of the parking spots were zoned 8am-5pm. Normally I wouldn't mind but it was pouring rain on Friday. On a weekend it should be easier. They have about 6-8 "retail" spots behind the restaurant but it looked like a bit of a tight squeeze.

My neighborhood listserv has been praising this place ever since it opened a couple of months ago, so my friend and I decided to try it.  The praise was spot-on.  This food is downright delicious.  We had the baba ganoush (best I've ever had) with fresh-made pita, and chicken kabob sandwiches.  Everything was so flavorful and fresh.  Can't wait to go back and try more things.  You can dine in, but also looks perfect for carryout.  The website is here.

We were there last night at the Clarendon location and got the new menus. However, we just had our old standbys: burgers and fries. I like the sweet potato fries. The lettuce is arugula (yay!) Their burgers are pretty good and SD now my go-to place for casual burger. Also surprising was how good their organic malbec wine was. Way better than their other 2 reds plus they have new stemless ware too. My husband likes their citrus salad. BTW, don't get the pot roast - not very good with powdered mashed potatoes.

Mad Rose Tavern in Clarendon has wifi. No password needed.

I know Panera is a chain but I like this sandwich:

My husband loves the Willow burger and fries. It's a hidden gem.

You can delete Wiinky's from your list because they are out of business.

I had a final Wiinky's burger for lunch today. It was so good I'm going to have a 2nd final burger this weekend.

I am a pizza snob, hailing from 60s Brooklyn pizza. In the old days, maybe even a decade ago, every time I went to Brooklyn, I would drop my bags and run to the nearest pizza place. Nowadays, I never do that. With PP, Pupatella, Orso, Piola, and Vapiano, and Bronx Pizza, I am all set right here in my own backyard.

Yeah, I have to go by and have one last burger before they close for good. I hope they open a new place soon.

Noodles & Company in Ballston mall. No password needed.

I used to love their meat pastries (pierogis, samsas, etc.) and their fruit pastries with the same brioche-style crust. After that, I didn't find much to like. I dragged my friends over there for dinner one time and we were all disappointed with the quality of the food. However I will miss the samsas.

Rock Bottom Brewery in the Ballston mall. No pw needed.

BTW, sorry about the onesie-twosies. I'm making a point whenever I eat out or walk by a restaurant to pull out my phone and check their wifi.

Please add Rocklands BBQ, located on Washington Blvd across from Mala Tang. No pw needed.

I ate lunch at Central today. Despite being very disappointed in my croque monsieur I did try out their free wifi on my Blackberry. That at least worked well. No password needed.

At the risk of dating myself, I know who Heyboy is. Not because I remember that old show that well, but because my husband has the DVDs and watches them while he eats lunch on the weekend. Actually he is done with now and is watching his new Route 66 DVDs.

My favorite shrimp toast was at the long-defunct Ruby Restaurant in so-called "Chinatown." It was replaced by Eat First. I've never eaten as good a shrimp toast as I have had there. However, next time I am in Sterling, I'll have to give your recommendation a whirl.

Wiinky's. Not fine dining but mighty fine burgers.

^{Spider Kelly's.}

I went for the first time in 5 years to meet a friend. I had the new grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. It was pretty good.