Al the Pal

Given how people in KC seem to argue over the best bbq places, I'm guessing many are probably excellent for different things. We tried LCs which I loved. We did carry out as the dining room is pretty small and was full. Highly recommend the burnt end and the ribs. The spicy green beans are fried and crispy. Sort of like some sort of vegetable crack. Really addictive. The french fries were disappointing but came with the platters we ordered. Skip the fries and just go for the string beans.  It was fun to see the meat in the smoker which is behind the counter.

I always wondered why when you call a restaurant to cancel, they almost always sound so grateful. It sounds like a lot of people just don't show up.

On 8/23/2014 at 1:07 PM, anhdeluxe said:

Is there a place in the DMV to get Issan-style Khao Soi? I had this coconut curry noodle soup with chicken at Pok Pok in Portland and have to get it more often than just when I am back home visiting! Bangkok Golden had it on their menu but have told me that they don't offer it anymore because it was so rarely ordered.

I think it is on the Baan Thai menu at Tsunami on 14th Street. (They recently added a special Northern Thai menu.)

So sorry to see this place go. I have really fond memories Freddy's. A few years back, we had a friend in her mid-80s, Emily, who had a fall and had to be hospitalized and went to rehab in the Hebrew Home in Rockville. Emily loved dining out and discussing restaurants. One of her favorite things was lobster so while she was in the Hebrew Home, I brought her a few lobster rolls from Freddy's. Since lobster isn't exactly kosher, I had to put down a plastic table cloth and provide all utensils ets., and when she was done we had to wrap everything up and toss it in an outside garbage bin. Emily LOVED it. Her face was just glowing. She talked about it for weeks! Unfortunately, Emily never left the Hebrew Home and passed away a few months later.

This place has closed. There is a For Lease sign up.

Wonderful wedding anniversary dinner tonight at 2941. (We had our reception there so we had a number of anniversary dinners there.) I was wondering if the chef is already doing double duty between 2941 and Pizzeria Orso. If so, you cannot tell. Everything I ate was just great. Some highlights-the spaghetti with lobster in a bacon cream sauce, the potato gallete (sp?) that accompanied my husband's filet mignon, and the chocolate bostock. My husband loved his steak which he said was cooked to perfection. He requested well-done which isn't my idea of perfection, but he was happy.

We like the Delauney not far from Covent Garden. Its a "European" cafe (Austrian/German food) with fantastic desserts. (However, its been about a year since we were last there.)

To Karen Bernard, a high school friend who fought a six year battle with cancer.

Oops! Sorry! I thought I walked by and saw a sign in the window! My mistake. It must have been another business!

The Falls Church location has closed.

We had a wonderful dinner last night at Fiola Mare. The service was very helpful and attentive although we sort of lost their attention a tiny bit once the restaurant filled up. No worries though we were happy. My husband had oysters (Wellfleet, I believe). He seem to enjoy them. Raw oysters make my skin crawl so I didn't try them. I had the jumbo lump crab salad. While somewhat expensive (for a salad--$24) it was worth it considering how much crab meat was there. The crab sits on roasted tomatoes with a cream topping. Really nice. My husband had a sword fish entree and ordered spinach on the side. He said it was good but not great. He thought the swordfish was a little tough. They offer the pastas in half portions so I had 1/2 portion of the smoked potato gnocchi and 1/2 portion of the gragnano spaghetti. I don't know if the chef was being especially generous last night, but the portions were huge. I ended up eating about 1/3 of my pastas. I really liked the gnocchi but realize it may not be everyone's liking as it smoked. Our server said it was slightly smoked, but I thought it had a strong smokey flavor (which I liked). The gragnano spaghetti was great. My husband ate half of it and loved it. Its like a very fresh clam sauce spaghetti.

For me, the highlight was dessert. We had the marchesi (spelling?). It was spectacular. Really the best dessert I've had in recent memory. It was a chocolate square topped with pistachios and fresh mint. Just enough mint to make the dessert refreshing but not overpowering. if you like chocolate, you'll love this. We had coffee which I thought was the weakest part of the meal. I just wasn't crazy about it. Sort of strong. I think it was Illy.

I've tried the zpizza in Falls Church twice and each time thought my slice (cheese, if I remember) was awful. The crust tasted like a smashed English muffin (although a real smashed English muffin may taste better.) I just couldn't get past the terrible crust. A friend raves about another outpost of zpizza in Maryland so maybe the quality varies across locations. We live so close to Pizzeria Orso where they have great lunch deals so we've never had a reason to return to zpizza.

Walked by today at lunch time, and it was closed for no apparent reason. Is this place still in business?

Just wondering if anyone had suggestions of foods to buy or prepare for someone who has started chemotherapy. I know different types of chemo can affect people differently and even the same type of drugs can affect people differently. Also there is a family with kids. I didn't know if I should make something for everyone or maybe make a lasagna (or something kid friendly) in addition to something separate for the person under treatment. Any ideas???? Thanks so much.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions and the menus. I consulted with my friend and I think we will try Oyamel for brunch. Its been a crappy year for me so all those interesting cocktails will be a necessity!!

Looking for suggestions for a place to meet on a Sunday for brunch or early lunch near the Archives Metro. thanks!

I went to  the Orange Monkey when they first opened. It looks very cute inside. Since I'm not suppose to eat dairy (although I do have butter in cooked food)  I asked them if they had any nondairy flavors. They asked me to wait to ask the person who knows. It took forever for the guy to come out from the back. So I asked him if any of the flavors are nondairy and he asks me what dairy means and I say dairy means it has milk in it.   He said that none of their yogurt has milk in it. Ah, ok. I guess, it comes in some sort of powdered mix and they don't add milk to it?? Perhaps, he doesn't know what is in the mix?  I found it hard to believe it was all nondairy although I guess its possible. I haven't been back since.

My husband thinks they make the best brownies in the area (or maybe any area.) I have to pick up a few for him fairly regularly. I love the bee sting cookies.

4 to 8 pm.  (8th Street SE)

Thanks for the time and YES I should have mentioned that the street is on 8th St in SE (Barracks Row).

I am sorry to see the Georgetown shop go. they had wonderful cookies and delicious interesting chocolates.

According to their Facebook page, the store in Georgetown has closed, but they are moving online. However, the website isn't ready yet. They also mentioned having a pop up on Thursday, March 28 at Tabula Rasa on 731 8th St. I'm not sure of the time though.

To Chloe.

I'm sorry, Al the Pal.

(Would you post some pictures?)

Thanks Don! That is very sweet. I will be toasting her too. She was a good cat who lived to be about 16 years old.

How does the banana pudding compare with Bayou Bakery's? I'm such a big fan of Chef Guas's recipe, but, due to sheer laziness, Clarendon is much closer than Courthouse...

I liked the Bayou Bakery version but I loved the BakeShop one (even better..) Give it a try if just for comparison purposes!!

The banana pudding is very tasty. It is the traditional recipe with the vanilla wafers, bananas and whipped cream. This is one of the best versions that I've had in recent memory. (I ate lots more of this when I was a kid.) Definitely recommend it!

Really enjoyed a slice of the strawberry lemonade pie last Friday. It appeared to have two layers of filling: lemon cream and strawberry covered with whipped cream and some sliced strawberries in a graham cracker crust. I don't think they have this pie every day. The store was not very crowded. Most orders were for take away and not for eating in.

The baked goods that I've tried are great especially the chocolate chip cookies.