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hopsing

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Everything posted by hopsing

  1. hopsing
    I live in Arlington but regularly used to visit Lavandou because we liked it there despite the parking issues. Unfortunately, there is no longer a restaurant in Cleveland Park that compels me to overcome the drive and parking right now. Admittedly, I haven't tried many new CP restaurants there but don't feel the need to.
  2. hopsing
    Good timing on that! So now that parking is free in the evenings, will I have more of a problem parking there on Next Friday night for dinner at 7pm? I guess it's my glass half-empty half-full question. Thx!
  3. hopsing
    Even on a Friday night around 7pm?
  4. hopsing
    I'll be spending a Friday night at the Dulles Marriott in a couple of weeks to fly out early next morning. I was thinking about Mon Ami Gabi for dinner after checking in, but reading about the parking fees and headaches at RTC is making me seek out a restaurant in Herndon instead. Although my googling informs me that MAG will validate, it is only in one garage. If it is full, I guess tough noogies.
  5. hopsing
    After a Kennedy Center lunchtime concert on Friday, I stopped by Campono. I used to be a big fan of Willow and now the owners run Campono. The food is still Willow-quality thank goodness. The place is more casual but comfortable. All tables are communal so you don't have to sweat it worrying if you will have a place to sit down to eat your food. You order, pay, get a number, and they bring the food to you (just like at La Madeleine or Corner Bakery or Plaka Grill). I had the Willow pizza which is not the same as the old Willow flatbread back in the day, but still yummy. The crust was really good as were the toppings. Good selection of beer, wine, sodas. Looking forward to trying their other pizzas and sandwiches. This will definitely be my go-to Kennedy Center pre- or post-event eatery.
  6. hopsing
    So far, I've also tried the tofu and eggplant hotpot and pork with dried bean curd. Both really good. Plus some battered fried shrimp dish that was terrific.
  7. hopsing
    I add my vote to China Wok's Peking duck. That old guy is a gem!
  8. hopsing
    Speaking of soggy, when I go out of town like I did this weekend, my husband will order 2 meals to go from Tirolo. The schnitzel he'll eat that night because he says it doesn't taste good as a leftover. But the chicken parm with spaghetti works well the following night.
  9. hopsing
    I'm a regular here for carryout: chicken parm with spaghetti, wiener schnitzel, pizza, and Caesar salad. All terrific. I don't see a lot of customers here so I hope some Rockwellians will check them out soon. Not foodie stuff, but solid, wholesome food.
  10. hopsing
    I'm in an egg McMuffin phase these days. I think they have actually improved it. The English muffin actually tastes like a Thomas's English muffin. It would be perfect if they didn't overcook the egg and used cheddar instead of American goop, but my expectations are not that high. I like the location on Wilson and George Mason, across from Pupatella. It is nicely renovated and really clean. I like Sausage McGriddle too, which does not bode well for my cholesterol. I like McD's sandwiches better than Starbuck's sandwiches these days (which I guess is not a high bar).
  11. hopsing
    It's been some years since we've been to Ray's the Steaks but we were tired of our usual rotation restaurants and decided to revisit. It's still good and still a good deal! I think the wine has gotten more expensive, but the $26 malbec I got was just fine! Wine was a perfect temperature too (rare these days!) Crab bisque, hangar steak, steak au poivre, sides same quality as before. Service still good. I think only cholesterol concerns will keep me from adding it to my regular rotation, but I've added it to my once in a while rotation.
  12. hopsing
    I wouldn't think them capable of Peter Chang-quality cuisine, but I thought it would be possible for them to cook more authentically but simply for the Chinese. Maybe home-style cooking which would be a yawn for the tourists but revelatory or at least nostalgic for me. Why do many restaurants relegate tofu to only the vegetarian section of the menu. Tofu tastes great with pork! How about beef with cauliflower (like my mother used to make) instead of beef with broccoli all the time. How about more Chinese vegetables like bok choys, daikon, and gai lan instead of American broccoli and snow peas all the time.
  13. hopsing
    I wonder what the Chinese tourists think of their food. I certainly didn't like it. Maybe they cook differently for them.
  14. hopsing
    I've been twice, once at Tyson's and the other day at the McLean location. I loved it the first time. The second time not so much. The arugula had no taste, the eggplant dip (baba ghanoush?) didn't taste like eggplant. Beef meatballs cold and tough. Olives were good and the black cherry soda was a standout. But it made me long for Amsterdam Falafel which has much tastier ingredients and tons better falafel. Too bad the Clarendon location closed. I make a point of going to the L'Enfant Plaza location when I am visiting museums.
  15. hopsing
    I got their chicken once a couple of years ago due to the buzz, but thought it was just okay. I did like their steak fries though. They were awesome with a real potato-y taste.
  16. hopsing
    I was a regular here for lunch years ago. My go-to sandwich was the turkey breast (fresh!) on multi-grain with lettuce, tomato, mayo, sprouts and cranberry sauce. I don't have proof but I felt the place was run by Koreans. I vaguely remember the place being associated with Philips Cafe in DC but I also have no proof.
  17. hopsing
    I was referring to the Courthouse location, FWIW.
  18. hopsing
    Yeah, I was there Sunday 9 am with a friend. I go about once a year. There were a couple of people ahead of me on line. I ordered a small French Press and beignets. They gave me the card "Feliciana". I waited and waited and my friend already had her oatmeal, getting cold while she waited until I got my beignets. She had also ordered drip coffee and was waiting for it to be called. Finally, I went up and asked about my beignets. They looked and looked and could not find my order. However they made them quickly. Then I went back to the cashier (and there was a much longer line now) and asked for my French press. They said it is almost ready but I could take it now and wait a minute then plunge it. I asked about my friend's drip coffee. Oh, it's right here, she should have picked it up right after she ordered it. Great, probably cold by now. It seems after all these years, they should have their act together. However, warm beignets softened me to their service deficiencies.
  19. hopsing
    A few years ago, I had physical therapy in that building. I think I heard the cafe there was good. Can you sit and eat or is it carryout only? I like to support the mom & pops.
  20. hopsing
    I live around Ballston and I frequently go to Booeymonger's. Their sandwiches are pretty good, not great, but it is a comfortable place to eat and read the paper. You can customize your own sandwich so I either get hot pastrami with mustard on rye (or bagel) or I get ham and brie on croissant. Yes, I'm in a rut. Friendly staff. When weather is nice, you can sit outside. I'm also there sometimes for breakfast too. I like the Chicken Little (cholesterol be damned). If you can go to Pupatella, you can go to Fettoosh which is right next door. Went there for the first time yesterday for lunch. Food is delish. I had the vegetarian combo (falafel, spinach pie, cheese pie, dolmas, baba ghanoush, hummus, tabbouleh). My friends had lamb with veggies and beef shwarma platter. They liked their meals as well. Bonus: they sell Mexican coke (although the staff didn't know it was called that). Downside: the place has an overpowering smell of I don't know what - sort of like a car freshener that you hang in your car but 100 times the strength. I would probably do take out from now on.
  21. hopsing
    Cafe Tirolo is an Austro-Italian "cafe" now run by Koreans who learned the recipes from the original owners. Their chicken parm with spaghetti is solid as is their schnitzel. They also offer Korean food but I only go there for the European stuff.
  22. hopsing
    For whatever reason, I stopped going to A La Lucia. Thanks to Alexandria Restaurant Week and the fact that most of the interesting Alexandria restaurants were already booked, we went there again. Their RW menu was extensive with lots of choices. I immediately locked eyes on the eggplant involtini appetizer. That was the hit of the night! We also enjoyed the black linguini with seafood although it wasn't as good as I remembered. The clams, shrimp, and scallops tasted great but the dish was a bit bland. My husband said a few salt shakes improved it 100%. Next time I'll try something else and there will be a next time as RW did what it was intended to do - convert me into a regular customer.
  23. hopsing
    By a happy coincidence, my birthday fell during RW. I decided to treat myself to a solo birthday lunch. Although I have been here several times for dinner and always came away not super-impressed, the menu and the location was what I was looking for this time. Well, I'm here to report that lunch was great! I had salmon rillettes as a starter. I'd never had this dish before and it was delicious. Great salmon and lemon flavor. Also had the steak frites and that was really good as well - maybe sitting under the heating lamp a little too long because my arugula was warm and the meat had cooled a bit. Probably because I'm a slow eater and it took me a while to finish the rillettes. Dessert was this big ball of chocolate mousse which came with a scoop of sorbet, an almond wafer cookie, and a sauce I thought was made of sour cherries, but the menu said cranberries. Really good! Why did I love this lunch yet was so lukewarm to my 4 dinners here in the past? I think it had to do with ambiance. On Saturday nights, this place is jammed with people; it's noisy, crowded, and very dark. So dark you cannot read the menu nor can you see your food properly. Nor can you relax. In contrast, lunch was a sedate affair. I sat on a banquette by the window so it was easy to read my newspaper. The place was medium busy but people spoke in normal voices - they did not need to shout to hear each other like they do in the evenings. And finally, I could see my food. I could see the rillettes came with pretty pickled veggies and a nice presentation. Same with the dessert. Seeing the food made me enjoy the food more. This place also turns out be comfortable for the solo diner. I saw several single diners being seated as I was next to the reception stand. There was this one old coot carrying a yellowed paperback who seemed to be a regular as the waitstaff addressed him by name and asked him if he wanted his usual martini. He later made a bit of a fuss because his egg was not cooked properly on his croque madame. Waitstaff was really nice and accommodating with him. When he left and said goodby, I was expecting them to roll their eyes, but they didn't which I thought was sweet.
  24. hopsing
    We went to the Ballston location for the first time, surprising since we are walking distance from there. Last night, we drove because of the rain and after a struggle found parking on the street. We entered and right away saw the sign that said free parking in the garage. Oh well--next time maybe. Service was great, place was hopping. Food, however, was hit or miss. Oysters rockefeller was the special app last night and I could not resist although it cost $13. I should have resisted. All I tasted was romano (I think) cheese. Didn't taste spinach, didn't taste oyster. I could feel the oysters and they were incredibly small as if someone had cut an oyster into thirds and spread them into the shells. My husband's head-on shrimp was just okay. Steak frite was better and my husband liked his short rib pasta dish (except for what he called the horseradishy taste). If we go back it will be for the main dishes and, despite it having an oyster bar, avoid the oysters.
  25. hopsing
    I will have to give wu gok another try. As a kid, I really disliked it but perhaps with my sophisticated adult palate...
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