catharine

This. We use both a juicer and a vitamix. (We usually do smoothies for breakfast and juice during the day.) When you juice you get a ton of micronutrients. You couldn't get the same volume if you included all of the fiber.

Well that is very interesting. On Sunday, August 5, we had dinner at Orso (with cucas87 and Scott Johnston). Monday morning of the 6th my water broke. (Unfortunately my little guy did arrive until the 8th, but that's another story.) Coincidence? Yeah, probably. But, hmmm... Chef Will, prepare....all of the very pregnant ladies in DC are going to start heading to Orso. As it happens, Orso was the first restaurant we took the little muffin to. The atmosphere is just right and we get a great meal. The staff is absolutely wonderful! (See also the Dining Out with Allergies thread.)

Greetings, DR friends! The last time most of you heard from me I was a big, happy pregnant lady. Well, it has been a while. In addition to the craziness of having a newborn, the other big reason that I've been completely off the radar is because I feel like I can't really eat anything anymore so reading about or talking about food is not much fun. Despite specifically ordering an easy, unfussy baby, I got quite the opposite. My poor son, now 5 months old, is a major sweetie pie but has a number of issues that keep us on our toes. The reason I started this post is that my biggest challenge is that he has food allergies (which they call sensitivities at his age). The long and short of it is that if I eat anything with even a trace of dairy or soy my sweet baby screams in pain for hours on end. So where does that leave us? Well, I dropped the pregnancy weight and then some. And not to start a pity party but I miss eating. It is incredibly difficult for me to eat out. Really, I could write a book. When the pediatrician suggested eliminating dairy and soy I thought it would be hard, but I had no idea. It turns out that soy is in EVERYTHING. Just for fun, look at the Au Bon Pain allergen chart on their website. There are around 3 safe items. Soybean oil, soy flour, and soy lecithin are hidden in tons of things you would never expect. The purpose of this post is to try to generate ideas for safe places to eat (and to compliment restaurants who have made my life a little bit easier). I've had very mixed experiences. I know I am not alone in having food restrictions, as there are many people with issues far more severe or challenging than mine. Please share if you know places where food allergies are taken seriously and patrons are not made to feel like fussy crybabies. Thus far, I've had a few positive experiences where restaurants took my concerns seriously and/or prepared things differently for me: Pizzeria Orso in Falls Church "“ Obviously, pizza is out. Well, cheese pizza at least. Thanks to the wonderful Chef Will, I had a great meal here. Chef (and the manager, Sarah) were awesome about helping me find food I could eat. It was the first good meal I had had in a LONG time and I was so grateful. 2941 Restaurant "“ I had a very positive experience when I was invited to an event here where I was to be the guest at a friend's company dinner. I called ahead and told them about my restrictions. They went over the menu with me on the phone and we arranged to have my selections prepared without dairy or soy. They also notified my server ahead of time and when I arrived I identified myself to her. They allowed me to avoid making a big to-do over my restrictions. Ceiba"“ I went here for an office lunch recently. I was so impressed with how accommodating they were. The two waiters I spoke to over the phone and in person seemed extremely knowledgeable about food allergies and were able to immediately tell me which items contained dairy and soy. They were fabulous and I enjoyed a nice meal. The Hamilton "“ I'm heading here this week for a work function so I called ahead to discuss my options. A chef named Brian was wonderful. He spent time with me going over different options, and went to the trouble of pulling out packages to read ingredient lists. It was clear to me that he was sincere when he said the restaurant takes food allergies very seriously. Finally, ordinarily I avoid most chains, but these days they can be my best option. Most chains have allergen information on their websites.

During my recent hospital stay to deliver my baby, I actually found something delicious to eat. I became addicted to Arrezio Italian Ices, which are a Sysco product. They come in a cardboard push-up cone package. Does anyone know how I can find out if they are sold in a retail market? If not, can someone help me order some? Thanks!

Wow, what a huge loss for Masa 14! Congrats to you, chef, and good luck. Can't wait to see what's next but I know it will be great!

I would love to hear more reviews on this place. Has anyone else been there?

Dinner last night at Orso was in a word: Outstanding. We hadn't been here since the DR.com dinner here years ago and hadn't set out to go here last night. But when our intended destination turned out to be closed, I convinced the husband to indulge me (his very pregnant wife) by reminding him that Chef Will was now at the helm. Needless to say, no convincing will be necessary in the future, as every bite of the many dishes we tasted were truly fabulous. I know we will become regulars. We tried many of the small plates and can't really pick a favorite. We started with the calamari, which was as good as any calamari I've ever tried. It came with a basil aioli that was terrific. Definitely order this if you are a calamari fan. Another favorite was the BLT gnocchi, which was absolutely delicious. Chef Will shared that it had gotten a bad review from the Washingtonian when he served it at Evening Star and I just don't get it. I guess that's why I am not a critic - it was one of the best dishes of the night and I will have a hard time not ordering it next time I'm there. The gnocchi were light and fluffy and the sauce was the ideal creamy/smoky flavor to match. We tasted the mussels in a blue cheese broth (very good) with the wonderful house-made sourdough bread, as well as the grilled watermelon salad which was very surprising in how the flavors melded together. The grilled onion/watermelon combination was something I'd never had before but find myself craving as I type this. Then we tried Sophie's meatballs, which I think will be another "must order" for us on every future trip. I loved everything about this dish - the flavorful meatballs, the beautifully creamy polenta, the sauce. It was amazing! Next we tried the aforementioned scallop, Wow! It is as good as others have said. Pricey, yes. But worth it, in my opinion. Believe it or not, after all of this, we still had room left for pizza and so we got two: the Margherita DOC and a special that wasn't on the menu (the Toscana?) which a previous reviewer mentioned that had salami, green olives and Fresno peppers. Now, I am a huge Pupatella fan. Chef Will and I discussed the difference between his pizzas and theirs and explained that he uses a sourdough-based crust, whereas Pupatella uses a yeast-based crust. I definitely tasted the difference. I also noticed a difference between the sauces and cheese. Honestly, I can't say I like one more than the other - and I also feel that by this point in the meal I was a bit too full to assess the pizza fairly anyhow. I will say that it was excellent and that I look forward to trying it again. About the pizza with the salami and olives...my husband pretty much eats anything, but he is a self-professed olive hater. However, he had told the chef to pick a pizza for him and that he liked meat on his pizza. So I was a little worried when it came out with olives all over it. Well, wouldn't you know that he loved it. The olives aren't like your typical green olives. They were sliced into very thin slivers and were firm and juicy. We both really enjoyed it. Finally, for dessert we tried the whipped nutella-topped donuts. Oh my goodness. I've never tasted anything like that before but I hope to have it again very soon. The donut was not greasy at all. Just light and airy, just like the topping. It is right up there with my favorite restaurant desserts. We also tried the cannoli, but at this point I was probably too full to appreciate it. It was filled with a pistachio cream (I think) which is not what I think of when I think of cannoli. While it wasn't my favorite, I think I might need to give it another chance. I'm really excited to have such a gem so close to home, especially since Orso appears to be kid-friendly. That will be a big factor for us in just a few weeks.

I'm so very sad to hear this. Todd & Nicole, like most restauranteurs, really invested themselves in this endeavor. I always enjoyed the food and their warm hospitality. I didn't get there nearly as often as I would have liked, but it was always a nice treat to discover the specials that Chef Todd whipped up.

Sorry, but I need to cancel. Maybe next time.

Oyamel has a nice lunch special for a three-course meal for $20. Fiola has a lunch deal that looks pretty good.

That is exciting news! The dark chocolate mousse is one of my favorite desserts of all time. Give me a Calette steak, some creamed spinach, followed by some mousse and I'll be in heaven.

Really? Just four? I'm surprised. I'm signed up (+1). 1000yregg is signed up. Surely we aren't the only ones who are excited about this.

We're in. (Me +1)

I sampled some selections from the Dim Sum bar on Sunday (Fairfax store). It was pretty good. I think I had about 6-7 pieces - a few different shumai (chicken, shrimp & pork?), a couple of dumplings, and a steamed BBQ pork bun for around $5. I was a happy camper.

I just posted on the main thread. My favorites were the crispy chicken and the triple seafood delight. I was impressed with how tender the seafood was and I really like the flavor. We will definitely be back. We had such a great time with everyone. Thanks for a nice night!

We had a great $20 Tuesday here earlier this week. The highlights for me (other than seeing old friends) were the whole crispy chicken and the triple seafood delight. The service was excellent for our party of 11 and we are looking forward to going back.

It says I started this thread but this is the first time I saw this. Oops. I need to confirm with the hubby, but I think we can do this. Please add us to the list. I will let you know ASAP if we aren't going to make it. So glad I had a few minutes to check the board today.

We also have the Omega masticating juicer and love it. My husband makes Junger's "green juice" from his book "Clean" several times a week. It is actually much better than you would expect. Ingredients: - 2 green apples - 3 stalks celery - 1 leaf lacinato kale - 1 leaf Swiss chard - 1/4 cabbage - 1 head broccoli - 1/2 medium cucumber - 1/2 lemon Directions: 1. Run all of the fruits and vegetables through a juicer. (We often strain the juice but it is not necessary) 2. Drink immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to a day. Recently we tried adding a little parsley and were surprised at the smooth flavor it imparted. Cilantro was not as good for us. As for other ideas, one of my favorite combinations is carrot-apple, sometimes with the addition of spinach. When we first got the juicer, I wanted recipes or exact combinations. But we learned to improvise and utlize what looks good at the store and sounds good at the moment. I'm looking forward to the summer so we can start using good melons and berries again. Yum! My best tip is something we recently started doing, a year and a half after getting the juicer. We will prep the veggies for several days worth of juice and store them in the fridge. That way we prep once and juice a few times.

I'm game.

Not having read this thread, we stopped at Chubby's over the weekend b/c I vaguely recalled receiving a recommendation for the BBQ. I think DanielK or Scott Johnston suggested it to me on Facebook the last time I found myself looking for food on my way back from the Finger Lakes - a trip I make regularly to visit family. Overall we were pleased with our meal here. Coincidentally, we ordered as Don did last June and had the smoked and grilled pork belly. It was definitely better on rolls than straight. We really enjoyed it. The four sauces that were provided on the table were all excellent. We do have one gripe, though. We ordered ice water with our meal but were told by the sweet waitress that she was unable to serve us ice water. We could either buy bottled water or she could bring us cups of ice. Apparently the "owner's policy" is not to serve ice water. Huh!? I have never experienced this before, though recently Mancini's in Alexandria informed me of a 15 cent charge for a cup for ice water. Fair enough. I can only think this is a financially motivated decision, or maybe the owner is so concerned about the quality of the water that he is looking out for us!?! I am not a business owner and I don't want to get into a whole debate about this, but it really left us with a bad taste in our mouths (pun intended). So we ordered the bottled water, which was actually an unknown brand of filtered water. It probably cost the restaurant pennies, but they charged us $2 or $3 a piece. With this kind of nickel and diming, I am a little less likely to return. Anyhow, the food was good, but the experience doesn't have us rushing back.

Vapiano is one of my top picks for pre-race food. Quick, easy, tasty and plenty of carbs. It is also a good choice for a group. I believe there is one near Gallery Place.

I really like Meaza, but my vote goes to Enat.

My sister and I stopped in here last night and I have to say, I was pretty surprised by how much we liked it. We are definitely planning to go back. I think wlohmann really nailed the pertinent details. Two things that haven't been mentioned: 1) The restrooms situation is unfortunate. You have to get the key and go outside and down a corridor to get to the restroom. 2) The place is adorable. In addition to tables, there is a bar area and a little informal sofa and chairs area. When we arrived there was a solo diner finishing his meal in the "living area." It looked like a very comfortable place for a solo diner and my sister, who lives nearby, plans to return on her own on occasions where she wants a good meal but doesn't feel like the formality of Evening Star. Onto the food. We started with the Grass Roots Salad, which was mixed greens, beets, goat cheese, and green beans in an orange dressing. It was perfect. Just the right balance of ingredients and not heavily dressed. We were also served some delicious bread - slices of grilled or toasted french bread. Yum! For my entree, I had the lobster ravioli special. It consisted of six (?) large ravioli in a delicious tomato cream sauce. I was shocked when I cut into the ravioli and there were huge pieces of lobster meat. It appeared to be claw meat, but whatever it was, it was terrific. And for $12.95, I thought it was quite a deal. My sister ordered the vegetarian sampler that wlohmann mentioned above. Apparently the menu we were given was not correct so we were a little surprised that this included sautéed greens as one of the three items instead of the Bolivian potatoes. Not a big deal. I was skeptical about ordering Ethiopian food here, but it was excellent. The injera was as good as any I've had. I'm a huge Ethiopian food fan and my sister made fun of me for devouring my meal and part of hers, but hey, I'm eating for two. (In addition to the Vegetarian Sampler on the menu, they had the Mak's Special available. I think it was $12 for 5-6 vegetarian items.) Everything was delicious and we will definitely be back. There was one adorable waitress working the entire place. She had the nicest demeanor and was very helpful in choosing our dishes. She was a nice ray of sunshine on a yucky, rainy night.

Having eaten here twice, I am surprised that there isn't an existing thread on this place. It is located in the small strip mall where N. Chambliss meets Lincolnia Rd - very near Total Wine/Landmark Plaza. Here is the website. I visited Enat about a month ago on a Saturday night (using a Living Social voucher) and then again last week on a weeknight. I love Ethiopian food, but DH is not as big a fan. I really enjoy a big vegetarian platter with lots of colorful, delicious veggies and legumes. However, our arrangement is that DH will agree to Ethiopian if we order a meat dish in addition to the veggies. Sounds fair, right? Ambiance: The atmosphere is mostly what you would expect from a hole-in-the-wall ethnic joint. It is pretty small. The tables are close together. There are flat screen TVs on the walls and it is definitely on the loud side (especially when there are sports games on). On the plus side, there are tablecloths and cloth napkins and the place is very clean with decent restrooms. Service: Both times we dined here we were impressed with the attentiveness of the servers. Our dinners were at peak times and while they could have benefitted from additional help, we were generally very pleased with the service. Food: Now, for the important part. The food here is very good/excellent. Admittedly, the first time we were here I wasn't blown away by the veggies. They were fine, but just a tad undercooked for my taste. The second time the veggies were far better and were perhaps the best I've had in the area. (My usual favorite place is Etete.) The real standout here is the meat dish we had both times. DH liked it so much that *he* actually suggested our second trip. I'm happy! The dish is the Shennt Tibs, which is rib eye sauteed with onions, jalapenos and Ethiopian butter. It is the best quality meat I've had at an Ethiopian joint (but admittedly, as mentioned above, I favor the vegetarian platters). Definitely check it out. I really like this place and am thrilled that the DH likes it, too. I hope they stick around.

2/10 would work best for us!