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hopsing

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Everything posted by hopsing

  1. hopsing
    I bring my own ice when I go there.
  2. hopsing
    I highly recommend their roast pork croissants and eggplant stuffed with shrimp.
  3. hopsing
    This morning we wanted to try out the new Blumen Cafe in Clarendon, but found out the hard way it opened at 10am and we were standing in front of it at 9am. As we were mulling over a Plan B, I noticed that right next door Earl's Sandwiches was opening up. I remember a lot of favorable buzz about it from this forum, so asked if they had breakfast sandwiches. Yes they did so in we went. Well I have to say that I had one of the best egg, cheese, and sausage sandwiches I have had in a long time. Eggs fresh and delicate, ciabatta nice and not too chewy, but the star was the maple-syrup imbued sausage! It was large too so good thing we had ordered one to split. Now I feel more motivated to try one of their regular sandwiches. Now I am glad Blumen Cafe was closed.
  4. hopsing
    I have to step back from my effusive praise in October. I've been there 3 more times since then and got eggplant parmesan all 4 times. The first 2 times it was great--freshly made. Last 2 times, I don't know. Was it frozen eggplant bought from somewhere--soggy, some spices on it, didn't even taste like eggplant. All I can say is night and day. The last time, I asked the chef what the difference was; he said they make it the same each time. I don't think that is true. I did notice that the first 2 times, the chef was different than the last 2 times -- maybe the first chef makes it fresh and the others don't. All I know is I will be ordering something else next time or if I see the original chef, ask him how he is making the eggplant that day. However, the frozen dairy custard still is yummy!
  5. hopsing
    This place lives up to all its hype. The five of us went to the Clarendon location last night. I tried to book a few weeks prior but nothing was available on OpenTable. So I called and was able to make a reservation that way. When you first enter, the din is incredible. It is extremely LOUD!!! The 5th person was a little late, but the hostess seated us without making us wait for the 5th person. We all opted for the $35 Balkan Experience--you can't have some people order the all-you-can-eat and others order a la carte. Food was great and different! I highly recommend the stuffed cabbage, stuffed pepper, meat pie, grilled shrimp, mussels, fried zucchini, French fries. The bread assortment included fried whole wheat dough (sort of like savory zeppolis). Wine was good too. Everybody ordered 3 things right away and they spaced the food out nicely. After eating all that, we ordered one thing at a time. Service was friendly and efficient...also accommodating. One guy wanted to taste a sample of the wine before ordering a bottle and they brought him out a half-glass. A fantastic asset to Clarendon. My only complaint is the NOISE!!! We were seated at a round table and you could only converse with the people on either side of you...and even then you needed to shout.
  6. hopsing
    I've gone a couple of times to their L'Enfant Plaza location and really enjoyed the falafel and the fixings bar. I used to pile up on the fried eggplant which was as good as the falafel. Ironically, yesterday I had a hankering so went to the Clarendon location for the first time. Wouldn't you know it, the place looked emptied out and a guy told me they had just closed. Figures...
  7. hopsing
    We went there for the first time last night. Boy, was I impressed with the food! Nothing fancy, but solidly executed with fresh ingredients. First, the foccacia bread - freshly baked, soft-ish with a saucer of olive oil/balsamic for dipping. We had a bottle of wine- Malbec $25 - not bad! Seafood crab soup - really good - there was even noticeable amounts of crab in it. The caprese salad was excellent - big enough for 2, fresh mozzarella, very nice dressing consisting of olive oil, balsamic glaze, and tasty shredded basil. I had the eggplant parmesan entree. I'm always nervous about ordering eggplant because many places cook it days in advance and then you are eating old eggplant. Not here - freshly made and plenty of it. My husband had spaghetti and meatballs that he liked, but he liked my dish better. The tomato sauce in both was good. For dessert, I had to try the famed frozen custard - quite good! Prices here are wallet-friendly. Service was friendly and excellent. The furnishings are very casual - so maybe not a first date kind of place. Who cares - good food beats fancy digs every time. This will be part of our regular rotation now.
  8. hopsing
    I have mixed feelings about this place. I used to be a regular in the 70s/80s. Remember the juke box that used to play Dean Martin's That's Amore. To this day, when I hear that song, I always think of Spaghetti House. I used to love their veal or chicken castellano. Then I quit going for some reason, don't remember why. A few years ago, I went back and ordered my beloved castellano for takeout. It was one of the worst meals I have ever had - burnt, tasteless. Had to throw it out. Never been back since. My nextdoor neighbor, who is very picky, however, loves their manicotti. So I am torn, do I try their manicotti? Did I come on a bad day? Having a checkered tablecloth Italian place near me is great, but I am afraid to try it again.
  9. hopsing
    I was at Eden Center yesterday near the fountain manning a table for voter registration. I went into Song Long to make sure they were registered when I realized the door was locked. Peered inside, all lights off and merchandise was all gone. It must have happened recently because, sitting at the table, I kept seeing customers try the door before realizing the place was closed. Anyone know what is going on? There was no sign explaining it. Are they moving somewhere else or closed for good. I'll miss the banh mi's (I guess Kim Phung is my new banh mi place now) and the friendly family that owned it, especially the twin boys. By the way, I hope everybody is voting in November. Try to do early voting in your state to avoid the long lines on Election Day. Virginia (absentee voting): http://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/absentee-voting/ Maryland: http://www.elections.state.md.us/voting/early_voting.html DC: https://www.dcboee.org/ev/
  10. hopsing
    I went to the Springfield location yesterday for a lunch with old friends. They have this incredible $14 deal where you eat one pasta dish and you get another one to take home! I had eggplant parmesan (pretty good but had Romano cheese in it which I don't like) and brought a spaghetti and meatball meal (one meatball but pretty big) for my husband who said it was good. That is $7 per meal which is a real bargain. There may be a visit to the closer Tysons location soon. I'm used to the Chevy Chase location where my office would hold team lunches or Christmas parties. They have private rooms there with its own bar which is nice. I was used to big portions of decent food. I wasn't aware of this 2 for 1 promotion.
  11. hopsing
    The other day, I tried the meatball (xiu mai) banh mi at Kim Phung bakery. I usually get my baguettes there but they give me the stink eye when I just buy a couple of baguettes. Verdict: not bad. The meatballs tasted okay but they were cold. They put the meatballs in the baguette and then into the toaster oven for a while. Then they add the veggies and sauce. However that just warms up the bread, but the meatballs are still cold. When I got home, I took the meatballs out and microwaved them and put them back in the sandwich. Much better that way. I really like their baguettes. Some other banh mi places use what seems to be supermarket sub rolls.
  12. hopsing
    After a couple of recent positive reviews by others, I don't feel so lonely being a Piola fan anymore. Thank you!
  13. hopsing
    I generally like this place. We had a group lunch here last Christmas season and they gave us a nice private room in the back. I was lured back Saturday with the offer of $25 off for $75 food purchase. What a good time for us to order 1/2 lb. lobster tail. Lesson learned: unless you are in Maine, ask them if the lobster is fresh. This was not. I guess I subconsciously thought if it costs $40 it must be fresh. Nope. Was tasteless. The sides were good though and I am in love with their biscuits. Avoid the lobster!
  14. hopsing
    I haven't been to Piola in a while because my husband isn't that crazy about it plus he thinks of pizza as something one does for delivery. Anyway, I was drawn to the half-price wine bottles for the month of September. My pizza was as good as ever (margarita with black olives). My husband had the Honolulu (ham and pineapple) which he said was okay. I got their $27 Sangiovese bottle for $13.50. Great deal and it was perfect for pizza. I'm going to go again in September to take advantage of the deal. I told my husband to order the tagliatelle bolognese or spaghetti with meatballs next time. It was great eating outdoors on Sunday except for the constant loud airplane noise.
  15. hopsing
    Yeah, I had one a few years ago and concur with Tweak's assessment. I get my banh mi sandwiches only at Eden Center for now.
  16. hopsing
    I tried Huong Binh's banh mi for the first time yesterday. Had my benchmark xiu mai (meatball). It's okay, not great. Much prefer Nhu Lan and Song Que Deli. It is however ridiculously cheap at $3.
  17. hopsing
    I went to Nhu Lan for the first time today. I always get the xiu mai (meatball) banh mi wherever I go. It was pretty good, similar to Banh Ta. I can see switching between Song Long and Nhu Lan for a change of pace. However, they need some congeniality lessons. Really unfriendly woman there. I also asked for a plain baguette and she charged me $1. Then she changed her mind and didn't have any to spare (couldn't spare a square) and threw the dollar back at me. So I went to Kim Phuong and got a much better baguette for 65 cents. So there. BTW, the people at Banh Ta and Song Long are super-friendly and could teach Nhu Lan lady a thing or two about customer service.
  18. hopsing
    Just to clarify, your grayish hue pizza was Flippin' Pizza and not Bronx Pizza, right? It reminds me. My neighbors and I have lunch once a month. Time to "drag" or "drug" them over for a Bronx pizza pie in August!
  19. hopsing
    I am only talking about a freshly made pie. I've had their pizzas by the slice and they are generally very dry. I try to bring someone with me so we can order a pie. I like mushrooms on it. The fresh pie is very good. Granted, my husband won't come with me (he doesn't like their pizza) so I have to drag other people. I think the dragged people like it. I might survey them and find out. I recently learned that a friend had moved to Clarendon and we were going to meet for lunch. I, of course, suggested Bronx Pizza. He said: I love that place! He even had a frequent diner card (which I didn't even know about). He's Italian American FWIW. I like NY style in general and this sort of fits the bill. Wiseguy Pizza is still my favorite in this area, then Piola, then Bronx Pizza. I like the manager too (big bear of a guy); he is very nice.
  20. hopsing
    I go to Liberty Tavern, Bronx Pizza, and Amsterdam Falafel. That is about it for me. Maybe a chocolate chip scone from Whole Foods once in a while.
  21. hopsing
    I used to love the previous tenant, Sette Bello. The best seafood pasta dish! How I miss them. ATR, won't miss them at all.
  22. hopsing
    Joe's used to be my go-to pizza delivery place but now my favorite is Lost Dog. Joe's minestrone soup is terrific. They also give you lots of food. I wish they had pizza like they do at Il Canale (sister restaurant). Then I might eat there again.
  23. hopsing
    I was just there on June 25 and enjoyed the Sunday Gravy pasta dish for the first time. Yummy meatballs and sausage with pasta in a red sauce. Real comfort food. Now it's gone. Oh well, maybe it is more of a winter meal and will be back when the weather gets cold. Branzino looks interesting. May try that next time.
  24. hopsing
    I always associate Applebee's with the infamous Tonya Harding. From her website:
  25. hopsing
    He gave La Tagliatella a bad review and that place went out of business, probably because the review was true. I'm surprised when positive reviews don't yield more business. Banh Ta is the darling of the banh mi crowd and has had a lot of press in the past few months. Yet I never see anyone in there, even on a Friday lunch hour.
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