catharine

I totally agree. I logged before my first visit to East River a few months ago to get some ideas about getting there and what to order. I sorted through pages and pages of posts, many of which did not specify to which restaurant they pertained. I know this is a touchy subject but I really believe that it is a disservice to our board members to keep these two different establishments in one thread.

I'm in +1. We haven't figured out what we're bringing yet.

Not to beat a dead horse, but the point of my post really wasn't to complain about the server or even the restaurant itself. I rarely let one employee ruin a meal, or even my opinion of an establishment. The point is: Art & Soul is not observing RW for lunch this week. The subtext is: It would have been really nice if I had known this ahead of time. Bad on me for not realizing it.

I guess I am not as astute as you, choirgirl. In hindsight, looking at these links: Dining in DC, DC Foodies, About.com. Examiner.com, gave me no indication that lunch wasn't covered. Yes, it is right there on their RW menu page, but as I readily admit, I didn't read the fine print (or not so fine print). Having no reason to read the introductory paragraph, I simply read the menus on the restaurant's website. I don't think I'm overreacting or being stubborn. I'm saying that the experience left me with a negative feeling about the place. A place that is out of the way for me, and that will like play into my decision to go there in the future or not. I guess I expect people in customer service to be kind. If I were in her shoes, I think I would say something like, "I'm sorry, but we're not offering RW this week for lunch." That kind of simple statement goes a long way. Just some sign that they cared about my disappointment. That's all. Goodeats, next time, let me know about the wedding so I can crash it - 'kay? I was there today, though (and the restaurant was very empty). I met Art Smith when I was there once and agree that he is a nice guy.

We just returned from lunch at Art & Soul and felt we should post about our experience. We wanted to take advantage of restaurant week, and since last week was too busy for us, we decided to look at the list of restaurants that were extending their RW offerings. Many places like the Examiner, DC Foodies, and About.com provide such a list. They all state that Art & Soul is extending through August 29th. Upon being seated for our lunchtime reservation we were given the regular menu. We inquired about RW and were told that they only extended the RW dinner offerings. I couldn't recall seeing any mention of that anywhere. I was able to pull up the Art & Soul RW menu on my droid and noticed that they did in fact state on their website that "Lunch and dinner is available August 16 - 22. We've also extended the special prix fixe menu for dinner from August 23-29." I totally missed that and I take responsibility for that - though I do question that decision and am sure I am not the only one who did not notice that beforehand. It was a big bummer for our one planned RW outing. I guess it comes down to my failure to read the fine print, but I don't think it was unreasonable for me to assume that I the RW deal continued to apply to lunch as well. Our server was completely unapologetic and unsympathetic. Her attitude was quite off-putting, and almost caused to leave in a pout. But we decided to stay and enjoy a nice, albeit smaller meal than we would have otherwise (we decided to skip the appetizers and share a dessert). I did not expect to be accommodated...just perhaps less of an "oh well, you were wrong" attitude. She did explain that the restaurant had chosen not to extend the lunch deal since they were "expecting a large party" (??? - a conference, maybe?). In any case, the fried chicken and mashed potatoes were very good. I echo the other poster's sentiments about lack of veggies. I didn't even see side dishes of vegetables on the menu, but maybe it was just another oversight on my part. I've had a couple of nice meals here in the past and now I feel like today's experience left me with a negative feeling about the place. It is a shame.

This sounds awesome. I'm in +1. (And I love cannoli - I hope I can save room.) Thanks, Pizzaman.

Definitely.

I've seen it both ways. Wasabi downtown was pay per plate the one time I went there years ago.

Had a nice meal here last week. The highlight was the shrimp and lobster sausage. Very different than anything I've ever tasted. I've been craving it ever since.

Great meal at Oohhs and Aahhs [correct spelling according to their website] last night. I had the dark meat fried chicken (three pieces: drumstick and two big thighs) with mac and cheese and collards, he had the fried boneless chicken breast (w/gravy) with collards and green beans. Plus two sweet teas. We came for the fried chicken and we weren't disappointed. As other posters have noted, the chicken - which is cooked to order - is not at all greasy. My favorite thing about the chicken was how well-spiced the coating was. For me it was just the right amount of salt and seasoning. He throughouly enjoyed his chicken breast with the lemon pepper-spiked gravy. I'm not much of a gravy fan, but I really like the flavor of it. The sides were totally satisfactory as well. Actually, the mac and cheese was outstanding. I don't know why others have been unhappy with it. We really liked it. Good texture, nice cheese to pasta ratio, and balanced flavor. The collard greens were perfectly fine without added meat and didn't need salt or anything. The green beans, however, though cooked perfectly, were lacking in flavor. The chef/owner, upon hearing that it was a our first time there, prepared us a little sampler plate of all of the side dishes. Though I was starving when I tasted it, I thought that everything on it was great. Next time I am definitely ordering the yams. The cabbage and potato salad were also very tasty. A bit pricey at $36 and change for 2 meals plus 2 iced teas, but that won't stop us from returning. The chef was so personable and seemed really appreciative of our business. I feel comfortable recommending this place for some good, downhome cooking.

I must echo all of the other comments on Radius' summer menu. What a wonderful meal we enjoyed last night! We started with the mussels. Radius' mussels is one of my favorite dishes anywhere. This is amazing considering that before I had them here last fall I wasn't much of a fan of the mollusks. The summer version of this dish, made with ripe summer tomatoes instead of canned, was freaking phenomenal. I'll even admit that since I didn't have a spoon, I began using a mussel shell to scoop the amazing tomato broth out of the bowl and into the mouth. You know, because I didn't want to do something as uncouth as drinking the broth straight out of the bowl. We also tried the tomato and grilled watermelon salad with feta and fig balsamic vinaigrette. We really enjoyed the flavors here. I could have used a little more feta, but I am a cheese lover and can never get enough feta. Speaking of... This brings me to our main course: the yellow roma and pesto pizza. The pie was beautiful! I wish I had taken a picture. The bright green and yellow screamed summer to me. As always, the crust here was perfect. The pesto was as good as any I've had. But for me, a NY-gal, I think I need a little more mozzarella on my pizza. There was a bit, and a good amount of yummy ricotta. I guess when I think of pizza I think of melted cheese oozing off the slice. Once I started to think of it as a flatbread (don't hate me, Chef), I liked it more. Oh, and I almost forgot - we tried a taste of the gazpacho. Delicious! Even if you're like us and don't really like gazpacho (Nicole said she could relate and that a lot of gazpacho tastes like pureed salsa), try this gazpacho anyhow. If you've tried any of Chef Wiss' other soups, you know I'm right. I don't know how he does it. All in all, a fantastic experience that left us wondering why we don't go to Radius more often. Oh, right, that whole Ironman training thing, and living in Virginia. Still no excuse, this place is worth going out of our way for and we definitely earn the calories

Thanks, Eric and Scott. It is nice to hear from some trusted sources.

Hello fellow triathlete (or spouse of a triathlete)! I never did explore the Luray dining scene. Are you really eating at the Inn at Little Washington the night after the Oly and before the sprint? Can I join you? It isn't gourmet, but if you need a meal Friday night, please feel free to be my guests at our Team Z tent at the race site. The tradition is to keep the grills going for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We'll arrive Friday afternoon and leave Sunday (camping at the race site). Not sure what's on the menu, but it is always a ton of fun. PM me if you're interested or you just want to meet up at the race.

I'm being dragged (not kicking and screaming) to meet a friend at Tequila Grande in Vienna next week. I don't see a thread on this place. Should I be scared? Eat before I go?

Although it has been a few years, I used to be a fan of the nachos at Austin Grill. My favorite was the kind with grilled vegetables. Now I'm craving them, too.

Has a date been selected yet?

I've visited the Orlando restaurant and I am excited that they're coming to our area. Perhaps they'll expand to VA one day. I appreciate their focus on healthy cuisine, and I have enjoyed the meals I've had there. Not over-the-top outstanding, but good enough to go out of my way when I'm down that way.

Either date will work for me.

This sounds great! Thanks for organizing. I'm in.

Enjoyed a small cup of peach yogurt with mochi topping the other night. I am not a big tart yogurt fan, so the peach was just right for me. The mochi topping was different, but delicious. Definitely a nice, refreshing treat on a warm evening. And at only 100 calories a cup, I'm hoping to become a regular (sorry Justin and Jason, but I can't have cupcakes and chocolate quite as often).

Very sad news, indeed. He will be remembered fondly by many, including me.

I'm afraid that as much as I wanted to like this place, my review is not favorable. We had dinner here last night because Mom, who's visitng from out of town was craving Chicken Picatta. She has a thing for capers, so she is careful to order only from places that include capers in their picatta dishes (why some places don't, I won't debate). We picked Toscana Green because after an online search we determined that they had her dish (with capers) on the menu. The interior of the restaurant is very fun. Nice bright colors that reminded me of my childhood bedroom (which was orange, for some strange reason). The place is really cute and cozy. Appetizers for our party of four were the stuffed mushroom and a salad. The mushrooms weren't what was expected, but were really good. Nice meaty Portobello caps topped with a tomato-based meat sauce and mozzarella. What's not to like? The salad was fine. The bread (they gave us 3 slices for 4 people) was bland sliced white bread and was unremarkable. Half way through the appetizers, our entrees arrived. We did the plate shuffle/rearrangement. Mom's chicken picatta arrived sans capers. After eating half her meal, my sister had a bit of a discussion with the waiter (who initially denied that capers were on the menu), he finally arrived with a small serving for her. My custom pasta dish was gnocchi with pesto sauce, asparagus, artichokes and shrimp. The gnocchi themselves were quite good. The texture was really light and tender. The 3 large shrimp were nicely done as well. The artichokes and asparagus were terrible. Stringy and hard artichokes that were obviously from a can. I don't know what I expected. The asparagus were overcooked. All of this was bathed in a most odd 'pesto' sauce that was a thick, creamy, dark green sauce. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good, and it is certainly unlike any pesto I've ever had. I got to try the Linguine Bolognese and that was by far the best dish at the table. I only got to steal a couple of bites, but if I had ordered that dish I would have been really happy with my visit. Unfortunately, I didn't, and I walked away really unsatisfied. I'd like to say I would try it again, but memories of my plate of green goo might prevent that.

Eco-friendly foods usually has chicken at the Arlington farmers market on Saturday mornings. I picked some up last weekend. Report back on the results of your experiment. Sounds interesting.

I'd be up for joining you on the 24th.

Actually, the latest news on facebook is that the opening will be on Wednesday. Something about getting the filtration system installed. ETA: Here's an article. The menu can be found here.