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JBag57

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Everything posted by JBag57

  1. JBag57
    You must have made a reservation there before. They use texts to allow you to confirm or cancel your reservation several hours beforehand. They are using those phone lists to announce that they are now doing lunch on Thursdays and Fridays. (here's hoping that the cheeseburger reappears on that menu) Their website also notes that they will stay open between lunch and dinner "for open seating with a snack menu." They also do something of a happy hour on weekdays, but I do not know what the deal is for that. As to brisket being a staple item on the menu, at some point last Summer or Fall, they scaled it back to only doing it on weekends, and would commonly run out some time over the course of the weekend. I don't think they did it at all over the Winter months, but am not entirely positive. I haven't been in since the weather took a turn for the better, so I don't know if they have fired up the smoker again this season. ETA, the cheeseburger did make it onto the lunch menu: http://www.clarityvienna.com/lunch-menu/
  2. JBag57
    More bad news, at least for me. The arrival of Nick Palermo has coincided with the disappearance of their wonderful cheeseburger from the menu. On a positive note, the kitchen seems to be getting dishes out in a more timely manner.
  3. JBag57
    Sorry to say this, but the inclusion of Old Ox in the District Drafts rotation is a downgrade.
  4. JBag57
    Might be a little on the expensive side for this endeavor, but I nominate Nonna's Kitchen, Will Artley's new home (since this past November).
  5. JBag57
    TedE. I agree, except, for the most part, I have been able, so far, to see right past the branding. Something about the packaging for these and other pseudo-micros screams to me "not a micro!" Maybe they will get "better" at fooling us over time, but hopefully not.
  6. JBag57
    With all of the chatter about the Isabella Galleria deal, as well as the regrettable (already) deal that the Nationals struck to rename the Red Porch as the Budweiser Whatever, it seems that the news this week that was overlooked is that the Redskins have partnered with some restaurant group to open a Redskin-themed restaurant at One Loudoun. You sub-50 year olds will be able to find and post links easily, so help me out. Interesting that the Redskin name itself is not part of the branding. Will not be going unless I see 10+ favorable reviews on this forum...
  7. JBag57
    As much as I am now a huge craft beer aficionado, I liked Zima in its day. It was not too cloying, and was a refreshing change from the macros. That being said, the hard root beers do nothing for me. However, Henry's Hard Soda is putting out flavors in addition to root beer, including orange, which I doubt that I will ever try, and ginger ale. The ginger ale lacks the snap of some of the livelier non-hard ones out there, but does not bring in too much sweetness. And it comes in at a manageable 4.2% ABV. I have found that the hard ginger beers taste more sweet than their non-hard counterparts, and that is a turn off for me. I would drink the Henry's ginger ale, which I found at my local 7-11, again, when warmer weather comes around.
  8. JBag57
    The website is not functional, but the dinner and draft menus can be accessed via their Facebook page (sorry do not know how to do those hyperlinks you guys use), and are actually hosted on the DC Beer website. I attended a pre-opening party, and they did a really nice job on the buildout. Did not get to sample much of the food, though, so will need to go back. If you are going, and are not familiar with where Champions was, and The Sovereign now is, it is down a short alley to the left of the Abercrombie and Fitch store on Wisconsin Avenue, one building up from M Street.
  9. JBag57
    I wonder if they will be able to acquire the historic old sign, or will have to settle for replicating it.
  10. JBag57
    The restaurant wasn't all that far from my office, but just enough out of the way that I never made it there over several years. I promise that if they reopen somewhere, I will become at least a semi-regular patron. My wife and I have a couple of fond memories of having rijsttafel, and I had wanted to try it here.
  11. JBag57
    This past Saturday, my son was doing laundry, etc., to get ready to head back to college, and we were not cooking at home, so carryout it was. I was in Alexandria, headed home to Vienna, and suggested Amoo's as a slight diversion off of the GW Parkway. I brought home the Zereshk Polo with chicken for my son (I think he was enamored with the description referring to it as the "dish of kings"), the Fesenjoon (chicken) stew for my wife, and the Tahdigh appetizer for me (tahdigh comes with a serving of one of the stews, and the "meatball" is now listed on their menu as one of the stews--I did not see it on their online menu, and forget the name of it). Surprisingly very little sharing, particularly as my son hoovered down the very substantial portion of his "dish of kings"! Everything was superb. I have only done carryout here a few times, and carryout will probably be our main way of enjoying Amoo's, but I will be doing it on a more regular basis, at a minimum. I was glad to see that the dining room was completely full at 8:00 on a Saturday night, as well it should be, and there were a lot of happy voices carrying across the room.
  12. JBag57
    Agreed on the SN Tropical IPA. I bought and enjoyed a 6-pack recently. Bought it at a 7-Eleven near my office, and believe it or not, when I went back a couple of days later, it was not on the shelf. Possibly they received a case in error. (I couldn't believe that anyone else would buy this at this particular 7-11). Norm's Beer and Wine in Vienna now has it on their (relatively) new set of taps for growler fills, and I am going tomorrow to get a half-growler's worth. If you don't run across the SN Tropical IPA, as suggested, there are others that are good. I also like the Green Flash Soul Style tropical IPA, in particular.
  13. JBag57
    Wow, are these places better than Peter Chang's? Because we just ate at Peter Chang's in Arlington, and I felt like we had been taken back 30 years, in terms of having fresh, clean (i.e., no thickening agents, and no dumbing down) Szechuan food. We might have to take a trip across the river if that is the case...
  14. JBag57
    Drove past today on the way to buy beer, and noticed two things in this shopping center. One, new signage for a place called Dal Grano; two, Bistro Vivant's window treatments were fully lowered. Closer inspection revealed that BV has closed (sign on the door), and (via sidewalk billboard and a drive-by peek) that Dal Grano is serving housemade pasta, salads, etc., in what appears to be a "fast casual" setting. Yelp reviews skew positive for the new place, with a couple of dings for portion size and blandness of sauces. I was "between meals", so did not try it out.
  15. JBag57
    I am a fan of Jimmy's also (although by saying so, I am probably ruining whatever credibility I might have on this site, particularly on the current Kinship thread). I have not had true Canadian poutine, but Jimmy's seems to get very close to what I have heard described. Beef on Weck, good; Philly Cheesesteak (this is close to some I have had in Philly). Just wish they would start caving in and putting a microbrew or two on tap.
  16. JBag57
    Yeah, I was pretty disappointed to see the menu prices of this supposedly approachable restaurant. I paid, I think, $34 for a whole roasted chicken "for the table" recently at a restaurant at a group dinner just outside of Boston (a place recently opened by the Eastern Standard folks), and, despite it being very good, felt that it was just barely worth it. I have my doubts that I would feel the same about a $56 whole roasted chicken, unless it got up and entertained us upon being served... After all, it is just chicken. I also am not a fan of the "for the table" approach, to the exclusion of a handful of $28-$35 entrees. My wife and I do not often have anything close to the same entrees, and this seems to force one's hand when dining as two. Unless, of course, we each spring for a $50+ "for the table" entrée. Which puts this restaurant into the "special occasion" category. I am now hoping against hope that the tasting menu at Metier will not require me to take out a second mortgage, and will be "saving my pennies" to go there instead.
  17. JBag57
    If you want to get out of downtown Charleston over to a beach area, as jandres374 noted, The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan's Island is terrific. The GM there is Jonathan Bentley, formerly of Rustico in Alexandria. Check out their menu, and if appeals to you, I highly recommend it. Then stop at Poe's for an after dinner beer-nice draft selection.
  18. JBag57
    There are a lot of things I don't like, but the most puzzling to me is that I love bacon, and really can't stand pork belly...
  19. JBag57
    Cannot recommend Citizen Burger Bar highly enough. The burgers are big (8 true oz), but of the highest quality grass fed beef. You may need to spilt a burger, or, at a minimum, split an order of fries, in order to not leave a lot of food on your plates.
  20. JBag57
    Had a Virginia Italian today. Virginia ham, mortadella, proscuitto, coppa, (sharp) provolone, etc. I ordered "no onions". Top quality meats. They do an "emulsified Italian" oil and vinegar, and also put on a separate oil. I was not a huge fan of the "emulsified Italian", but it was not awful. It might, however, make me keep this rated a little lower than the Italian Store subs, and even the old "The Deli" (Herndon) Hot Sicilian (it has gone downhill). Still a great sub. $9.75, $10.60 with tax. I definitely want to try their bulgogi sub with kimchi puree, as bulgogi is starting to find its way into sandwiches in the place of plain old sliced ribeye (they have one of those also). Will be back to try this and others.
  21. JBag57
    The Plaka Gyro (roasted slices of pork stacked on spit, served with French Fries on sandwich) will be equally messy. Really tasty, though. You just need to go in with your fingers and pull out a few fries and a couple of slices of the roast pork, maybe a little of the other ingredients, and you will have a great sandwich, with a few extra things to nibble on as you go or at the end.
  22. JBag57
    A Facebook post relays that they were sold out of goods by 2:00 this afternoon (10:30 open), and were beginning to prep for tomorrow! Sounds like a pretty good first day... Also, I would expect it to be kid friendly, not only because of the multitude of young ones in Vienna, but also because the establishment is named after their 3 year old son, Chase>
  23. JBag57
    Wow, I was just about to post that I didn't think it would be Clarity. I haven't seen that dish before, and even the water glass looks skinnier than I remember.
  24. JBag57
    Agreed re: Houlihan's. We still occasionally go to the one across from Worldgate in Herndon--they do a pretty good French Dip sandwich (the accompanying fries are below average). The rest of the menu is kind of hit-or-miss.
  25. JBag57
    I am sure that I am stating the obvious, but I have concluded, from the places I have been (but not Fiola Mare), that the non-availability of rolling over a bar tab to a table tab has to do with the establishment not figuring out a way to apportion tips between the pre-meal drink service and the meal service. Like you guys, I feel they should figure this out, and not leave the problem in the hands of their patrons.
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