Ericandblueboy

Krinn didn't own 2941 and I'm pretty sure he didn't deal with any "boorish" landlords. Perhaps you mean the owner(s) of 2941 are boorish, but how would you know that?

I admit there aren't many great restaurants in McLean/Vienna but I still don't go to a GAR restaurant voluntarily. If I had to eat in the area, I would go to Woo Lae Oak, Evo Bistro, Capri, Kazan, Tachibana, Rose Cafe, Yoshi, and Plaka Grill. More importantly, it's not a long drive to DC. And there are solid restaurants in Annandale and Falls Church that are a short drive away.

First impression, this is like Atlantic City without the fancy casinos and half decent restaurants. First meal was at Luna Sea - the best thing is being able to eat outdoors on a nice late spring evening. The menu said the fish bites were battered and fried but our waiter said the fish of the day again is tuna, how would you like it cooked? I said, what do you mean, I thought it's fried? He replied it's seared, and we can have it from rare to well done. We asked for medium rare but it came out medium well done, with a soy dipping sauce and sriracha. The Lunasea salad was okay, if you don't mind slightly firm avocados. The steam clams were tiny - thumbnail sized ($11 per dozen - rip off!). My wife did eat her chicken sandwich but she added that she was starving. Lunacy indeed. Umm....it's either buffet or barfood around here.... Second night. A little farther from the boardwalk is One Fish Two Fish. This restaurant is actually in a marina, thus giving you a nice water view. The interior is modern and airy - exuding a sense of fine dining. We started with some smoked salmon and smoked trout. The menu does't specify whether the fish is hot or cold smoked - and I was a little disappointed that it was hot smoked. Fortunately both the salmon and the trout were tasty, especially with the horseradish cream sauce. My Caesar salad was nothing special - lots of flavorless dressing. My fried calamari tasted of uncooked dough. My wife's Greek salad was a work of art - layers of tomato, cucumber, feta cheese and olive paste topped the greens. Her seared ahi tuna was also nicely done. This was much better than the night before.

That's gonna suck. We have lunch planned and reserved in a couple of weeks. I did manage to squeeze in a couple of great dinners there.

What models are you looking at? This sounds like a fabulous idea for home hot pot entertaining. We currently use portable gas burners.

Ah Mi Tuo Fo

FWIW, I don't mind a little sogginess and I definitely don't like a crunchy crust. My favorites are pizzas that aren't too soupy and not crispy.

I know nothing about this place. Only been there twice for brunch and we're definitely not insiders. Friendly staff though, they commented on the big eyes of our baby (but not the chubby cheeks).

Good brunch venue. It's a little farther away than A&J and Joe's (less than 10 minutes farther from McLean) but well worth the extra time. Had some soup dumplings, potstickers, and spicy wontons. The spicy wontons' sauce was really flavorless despite a heavy coating of red oil slick. The soup dumplings were good but not oozing with juice like Din Tai Fung's. They're also not as good as Joe's Shanghai in NYC (according to my bro who lives in NJ). We also tried their clear beef noodle soup and dan dan noodles. The place is known for their hand made noodles and both dishes were quite good. The beef noodle soup was particularly good, whether as a result of MSG or not, we're not so certain. The dan dan noodle is made with dry shredded pork, something we've never seen before (yet it's strangely tasty). The you tiao was crispy with no aftertaste.

Family's in town to visit and we went to China Star last night (Sat). The place was crowded but not packed at 7:30ish. We ordered the (i) cold spicy beef and tripe app, (ii) scallion fried fish, (iii) sauteed bok choy, (iv) chives stir fried with shredded chicken (the menu says these are leeks but they're not), and (v) a duck stew/hotpot (must be called the spicy emperor duck). Everyone enjoyed the scallion fried fish, which is very similar to the cumin fish served at HKP, except that HKP accompanies the fish with onions and spicy green chili peppers instead of scallions. The batter is a little thicker here as compared to HKP (we prefer thin vs. thick). The duck stew is surprisingly good - I don't think the entire duck is in there but we got some neck pieces and a kidney (or maybe it was a heart). The duck was brought out simmering on top of canned heat, it was flavorful but not all that spicy (despite its name, the menu). The other dishes were homestyle dishes that are tasty but don't require much talent. It's definitely worth visiting. Of the VA Sichuan restaurants, I'd rank them HKP, China Star, Tempt Asian (with no recent visit to Sichuan Village in Chantilly, which has a massive menu and a good reputation).

I'm a little annoyed when they call baked pizza bread "focaccia." Maybe they're technically correct, the menu even describes it as "homemade dough, pressed flat and baked with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and fresh herbs." The cold cuts of prosciutto, soppressata, and salami were quite salty. The G'town Pizza (broccoli rabe, sausage, and basil) was quite soupy. Even the Diavola was soupy in the center. Despite this, they're pretty good pizza, but not as good as 2 Amys or Red Rocks. The pic is our leftover "focaccia." When I lived in G'town, the place was the Alamo, IIRC.

Where's the closest good Neopolitan Pizza to Tysons Corner as of today (i.e., Pupatella isn't open as of today)? Another question, what time does 2 Amys get packed? Don't want to wait for a table tonight...

The chicken liver was quite nice but the burnt toast kind of ruined this dish. The oysters crudo didn't do much for me, I couldn't taste the lemon emulsion so it tasted like I was just downing raw oysters with no accompaniment. What was good tonight was the squid ink pasta with crab meat. The crab meat was chunky and fresh, the pasta was firm, and the touch of spiciness made me wish I had double portions. (I almost didn't order this because the first time I had it the pasta was bland and overcooked).

I've seen DiNic's featured for this sandwich. I have no idea who invented it. I've only had it at DiNic's - it doesn't rock my world. Maybe I'll try the version at Tony Lukes. ETA: they pile on the broccoli rabe at DiNic's and my wife had to pick hers off.

I associate hot pots with winter - so I'm waiting...

I think we'll be eating every dinner around 5:30. What's good (presumably the yakitori)?

I've been to Katz's (back in the early 90s). I wouldn't say the lower east side was all that exciting back then and I was more interested in staying in shape and hitting the bars rather than fat tasting. What exactly is fat tasting?

$2.95 for a small order of dim sum. Based on today's offerings, I can't say it's better than Sampan. Will have to cross the river to see if it's really much better on the other side.

How do you travel in NYC with an infant (other than with our own car)? We can take the subway but I prefer cabbing it but what do you do to secure the baby? Best soup dumplings in Manhattan (is it Joe's)? Ippudo vs. Sapporo (49th st.) for ramen? Katz vs. 2nd Ave Deli? Keste vs. Motorino vs. Otto? DBGB vs. Spotted Pig? Momofuku Ssam vs Ma Peche? Any other suggestion for casual dining that we can't get in DC? Manhattan only (below 100 st) - not schlepping to another borough. We're staying at the Muse (46th & Broadway) with our dogs and baby in tow. It's considered one of the better steakhouses in NYC. I went there when I lived in NYC with co-workers.

I've been to the buffet before and after it became Uncle Liu's. The items didn't change much although I think the quality might have improved slightly. At $8 or $9, it's quite a bargain., especially since most of the food is authentic and somewhat tasty. I have been to alot of Chinese buffets and most of them really suck (e.g., Peter Pan, Harvest Moon). Even the Chinese buffet counters at Vegas casinos suck (Bellagio and Wynn comes to mind). The dim sum items here are pretty decent, especially if you compare them to the food counter inside Great Wall. Still, buffets can't compare to cooked to order dishes and the buffet itself isn't worth driving any sort of distance for. It's a good deal and a quick meal if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Marcus sounds like he talks alot of trash. Just because he's born Ethiopian, raised in Sweden, and now living in NYC, that doesn't mean his food is worldly (as he claims). But this is just based on watching the show.

Susur continues to pulverize his competitors. Seriously, is he really that good? Do I have to go to Toronto to get the best of Susur?

The question is your premise that workspaces are not subject to trespass, which I disagree. You cannot go into the workspaces at the White House. You cannot go onto a baseball field. You're not allowed into a law office and even if you're invited, you're not allowed to go into a cubicle. You're also not allowed in your nieghborhood automotive service bay. Most of these areas either have signs that says "keep out" or it is understood that those areas are private. I started by saying both are dicks. The chef is a dick and you've already pointed out why and I see no reason to elaborate. I only question the behavior of this diner. It's quite clear he can't clearly recall what happened exactly. Assume he went into the kitchen, to me that crosses the line. As long as you're in a public area, you're just expressing your right to free speech. If you go to a private area, then you've committed a tort, which is actionable. (It's been a long time since I've dealt with trespass but that's my recollection). As for intervening in other people's business. I'll use Arcturus' example and then give a similar example. Someone's is berating an old lady in public. There is no stipulation as to the relationship of the parties but no one's breaking the law and I'm ambivalent about whether you want to be a busybody or not - obviously you can be as long as you're not breaking the law, but there's also no requirement that someone should step it. What if you see someone scolding his child in public? I've seen bad parenting behavior before but I think the relationship between a parent and child is, for the lack of a better work, "sacred." Even in public one ought not to interfere with someone's parental relationship (absent physical harm), lest you want yourself to be subject to interruption based on someone else's standard of what constitutes good parenting.

So I must whisper my criticism to my employee? According to you, I have the right to march into your kitchen or household and tell you how you should run your business or raise your children. You know, this is a free country and we're governed by laws, not whims. Marching into someone's kitchen uninvited is trespassing. No law condones trespassing unless you're preventing physical harm to someone. When there's no imminent threat of physical harm, you're the menace, not the savior. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Both are dicks. If I'm dressing down an employee and you tell me how I should run my business, I will tell you it's none of your bloody business. If you don't like the way I run my business, then go somewhere else. Mostly it's his holier than thou attitude. I remember driving back to NYC to visit friends. I called a friend on my cell while I was driving - which is illegal - and a woman next to me was so upset that I was violating the law that she started yelling at me and not paying attention to traffic, she ends up rearending a car in front of her. Mind your own damn business. It ain't your place to tell him how to run his job. Just like it ain't your place to tell someone how to raise his/her kids - especially when there's no physical harm. If I was the chef, I'd taze the dude for trespassing in the kitchen. Restaurant Marc Forgione. The chef is the owner. I don't think going to the GM will do anything at all when you know the one doing the yelling is the owner.