JBag57

"Moving on from Patowmack Farm, Chef Tarver King Announces Plans for New Restaurant in Paeonian Springs" by Karen Graham on paeoniansprings.com Bucolic heaven is Paeonian Springs.

Thank you, genericeric. Hours and food selection leave a bit to be desired, to say the least. Also, it is not their fault that the Resort itself is not firing on many cylinders at present, but with so many people (owners, renters, guests) up there during the pandemic, it is frustrating that they are not taking full advantage of the pent-up demand for a place to shop for some things that not found at, or are somewhat different from, the offerings at Blackrock Market. DeVine would do well to fashion itself more after the Basic Necessities shop down in the valley.

Someone needs to convince Basic Necessities to work on taking over operations at the DeVine wine shop up on the mountain near the Wintergarden Spa. The current proprietor doesn't seem to have his/her heart entirely in the establishment.

I am sure that there is some other way to interpret "intentional" as not being the opposite of or contrasted with "unintentional", but I can't get this meaning out of my head!

Downtown Crown has a sister store in Falls Church, Dominion Wine and Beer, and it is easily in the top 5 of Northern VIrginia beer retail spots. They also have Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda, which may have a similar selection to Downtown Crown, they both probably get all of the top beers distributed in Maryland. Dominion is limited to beers that are distributed in Virginia, as are all other retail shops in NoVa. I now might have to cross the river and head up 270 to see what they have to offer that I can't get in Virginia! ETA: I knew this all sounded familiar--I now realize that I said much of this a couple of posts up! Please feel free to delete.

Back in April, I got the "Parma", one of the Italian cold cut subs, and found the standard sub roll that was used was pretty subpar. I didn't find the meats compelling either. The most recent time before that was probably 10 years ago, and , in a moment of deja vu, realized that I had the same reaction back then. Most of the Town of Vienna raves about them, though. If Santini's put about 10% more meat on their "Godfather" it would unquestionably run circles around the Italian subs here. (I prefer the Godfather as is over the Parma, but the bread-to-meat ratio is slightly high.) I haven't been to The Sandwich Shop, but used to frequent Chase. When it opened, the TSS menu prominently featured Boar's Head meats, which I figured I could buy at several local supermarkets and make the sandwiches myself. Or do restaurants have access to some premium grade of Boar's Head?

Bier Mi is a great list of breweries within an approximately 100 mile radius of my address (in Vienna, VA), but very few of the listed breweries actually deliver "to my location." One that does, Ocelot Brewing, from out somewhere near Dulles Airport, has been my go-to. (NRG Provisions would be another go-to if I lived in their delivery radius). Ocelot has some good IPAs, a nice Italian Pilsner, and everything they make is at least above average. Free delivery, $70 minimum order, and they deliver all the way East to Alexandria, but only in Virginia. Ordering is done through a link on their Facebook page, which takes you to a document that might be a Google docs form. Order before Noon on Wednesday for delivery on Thursday or Friday. You enter your order, and they call you to obtain payment information. (I would provide some kind of link, but I simply don't know how...) IMPORTANT EDIT: I just went to make my order for this week, and their Facebook page says that DELIVERY IS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED (my guess is this will turn into "permanently") as they figure out how they will address Phase 2 operations that will start soon. They do not have any outdoor capacity, so they stayed with pickup and delivery up to now. It was definitely great while it lasted!

Mama Chang or Taco Bamba (this is in the strip mall right across from the Patriot Center).

Reported a little over a week ago: https://www.alxnow.com/2020/02/13/old-hat-gastropub-is-official-at-former-king-street-blues-in-old-town/

Catherine Douglas Moran of tysonsreporter.com is today reporting that Urbano 116 (original in Old Town Alex.) is going to open in the Brine space at Mosaic this summer.

Dominion Wine and Beer in Falls Church is about as good as they get in Virginia (Norm's in Vienna being my sentimental favorite)! A good number of out-of-state breweries do not distribute in Virginia, which puts the stores at a disadvantage relative to DC, but some progress is being made. In DC, Craft Beer Cellar on H St. near Union Station has had a pretty diverse selection, but I haven't been in a while.

There is a Circa at Navy Yard near Nats Park, and I believe I heard that an Open Road would launch somewhere in that area by next Spring.

There used to be a donut place in that building, and maybe something even before that. They have pizza by the slice at least at lunchtime (the only times I have ever been) and they do a decent job of not overcooking the slices in the reheat process. Many options available by the slice as well. Two slices is way more than enough for a hearty lunch!

Will crushed it at Pizzeria Orso in his time there, I have high hopes for this new place!

You don't say what style of sandwiches you used to get at Taylor Gourmet, and if the Nats don't advance, this will be useless information, but inside Nats Park, at the Caviar storefront (next to Haute Dogs in the free-standing building in left field), Grazie, Grazie! has been operating there lately (at least the last week of the season and the three playoff games). This is the operation started by one of the founders of Taylor Gourmet, whose name escapes me. The offerings are limited to a Chicken Parm sub and the "8 + 1", an Italian cold cut sub that seems to be the same as the "9th Street" (8 + 1 = 9) on the Taylor menu. Risotto balls with marinara are also available, and maybe one or two other small things. The 8+1 is $11, a bargain for ballpark prices, and tasted exactly like I remember the 9th Street tasting. Both times I ate there, the lines were considerably shorter than most other concession lines. Here's hoping I get to buy another one at the park next week! (Maybe this is a better fit for the Eating at Nationals Park thread, so please move if desired) P.S., I think I saw that a Grazie, Grazie! had opened at the Wharf, as well.