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tbantug

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Everything posted by tbantug

  1. I think the Italian Store will be great for Westover! It will bring traffic (in more ways than one), and yes, I think parking will be more difficult. As far as I know, Italian Store owns that property and parking lot, and I think they'll be adding outdoor seating. I'm not sure if the county regulates the number of parking spaces for each business, but I imagine they do. I've talked to quite a few of my customers about it and we're all excited for them to open up (which seems to be delayed now).
  2. The hours are probably not flexible. This is because of limited parking. I imagine the market will be year-round.
  3. A few residents and business owners in Westover Village (Washington Blvd. and McKinley in N. Arlington) are exploring the possibility of farmer's market at the Westover Branch Public Library on Sunday mornings, from about 8AM-12noon. If it can get off the ground, would you go? If not, what vendors would get you to go? What kinds of products, locally grown or value-added, would you like to see? Do you think another farmer's market in N. Virginia is a good idea? Two farmers markets that would be potential competition are the Falls Church and Columbia Pike markets. How could a Westover market compete with these other two?
  4. Took the family to Orso this past weekend, and it was okay. From what I read about it I expected the pizza to be on par with 2Amy's and even better than pie-tanza, but it is a different style of pizza altogether and I get that. It was soggy in the center, which was expected, but it seemed a lot more soggy or wet than it should have been. My kids did not like the pizza at all. My wife thought hers was okay, but she was not a fan of the over soggy middle, either. The taste was great; cheese was creamy and gooey, and the outer crust had a nice char and was crispy and chewy, the way I like it. We also got some apps which were pretty good, the crostini I believe. I like the decor and location, I wish the pizza was a little better. On the recommendation of my sister we went to pupatella the next day, which I thought was fantastic and how Orso's pizza was going to be. It was our first time at both, so we have to go back a few more times to determine if our first experiences were spot-on, or if they were anomalies.
  5. Went here for the first time Saturday afternoon. My sister wanted me to try it after I told here I brought the kids and wife to Pizzeria Orso Friday night. I must say, Pupatella is outstanding! I had the prosciutto-arugula, and the crust was hot, crispy on the outside, and doughy in the middle. The sauce was tangy, and the prosciutto was tasty and salty. There was so much arugula on top it could have been a salad. Cheese was chewy and gooey, just the way I like it. My wife had the eggplant pizza which she liked, and a regular cheese for the kids. After going to Pizzeria Orso, which was a big disappointment, this was fantastic. My kids even said they liked Pupatella more than Orso! We also had some fried brussel sprouts that were incredibly delicious, a special for the day. I'm not too fond of the Ikea inspired decor, but it is a welcome change from some of the other places around here. Can't say too much about the gelato, I'm a superpremium ice cream guy myself. It was also nice to see the owners putting in the hours and making the pizza. I'm a little surprised that they are closed TWO days a week, but hey, it's a tough business! Thanks for the great pizza Pupatella, we'll be back!
  6. It's a shame that Gifford's had to close the way they did, by leaving a bad taste in their customers' mouths (literally). It probably would've been better for them to quietly disappear, than to go through the summer half-a$$ed, with bad service, no flavors, and unkempt stores. Not to mention how appalling it is to charge super premium prices for mass market ice cream. Talk about betraying the public trust. But really, I'm torn between feeling a little sympathy for them and having a "you made your bed now lie in it" attitude. After all, as stated in the Post article, they knew that the company they sold their retail stores to had a history of mismanaging them. I Googled "Deal Metrics" and found a wealth of information on them, mostly articles about how they mismanaged and closed long standing Brigham's restaurants after they took over. DM stopped paying rent, stopped paying employees health insurance, started paying employees in cash, started paying vendors from the register... pretty sad, and information that's not hard to find. Seems like Gifford's did zero due diligence when they were approached by DM. Also in the article it stated that no money changed hands up front in the deal? I'm no math major, but that doesn't sound right, either. For a while there, Gifford's seemed like it could do no wrong. The Bethesda store was in a great location. The wholesale business was growing, and I even saw pints in Harris Teeter. They opened more storefronts in Chevy Chase and downtown. They even sold ice cream at Nationals Park! That's a pretty good run! Too bad it had to end a little early. RIP Gifford's PS- I encourage everyone to keep licking locally. Search for homegrown, independent ice cream shops! Great ones are out there!
  7. My wife and I tried this place earlier this year when we heard about it, and I must say it was pretty good. Hard to find authentic Ramen in these parts. It's sad to hear that they're closing, but I hope they re-open soon!
  8. I am a big fan of Bernie's as well. I live in Fairfax City and discovered this place with my wife not too long ago. Best place to get a sandwich in Fairfax! I wish they were open for dinner!
  9. Like others here, I loved the Five Guys by Skyline and in Old Town Alexandria. Like others, I too have become disappointed at their rapid and seemingly uncontrollable expansion. And in crazy places, too. I have noticed the drop in quality, and have not been in a while, and I'm not sure I'd take any out of town guests there anytime soon. I used too, but now it's just not that good or special. I guess that's what happens when you expand with minimal quality control. My go to burger place is now Elevation Burger in Falls Church, but I hear they're starting to franchise, also. I hope they don't go down the same road...
  10. Full Kee wonton noodle soups with roast pork are fantastic! We almost exclusively go there for that. Both at Bailey's and Chinatown, although when we eat at the Chinatown Full Kee we normally bring guests, so we order quite a bit more off the menu. Good stuff in general tho, I highly recommend.
  11. Wow, that's a shame. I'm Filipino, and I thought the place was pretty decent. I went there about 2 or 3 times, shortly after they were reviewed by Washingtonian. The food was generally okay, but some of it was very good, and reminded me of the Philippines very much. It was very hard to drive to and get out of, especially around that time when they were re-constructing that part of I-95. More than once I went the wrong way down a one way street to get out. Being Filipino, I can say there are no really good Filipino restaurants around. For some reason other Filipinos with the chance to open a restaurant will open a "carinderia" or cafeteria type place, with a steam table and food sitting out all day. There are no Filipino restaurants in the DC area that are really "date-worthy," a sit down restaurant with good Filipino food, good service and a nice atmosphere. I'm thinking along the lines of Thai restaurants, like Tara Thai, but serving Filipino food. At any rate, thanks for the brief spot on the map, Manila Cafe. You'll be missed.
  12. I agree that Rocklands BBQ isn't the greatest, but for what it is it's pretty good. The atmosphere, the sides, the sauce... I like it. It's a good BBQ experience for what you get around here. I've never been to Urban in Rockville, so I can't compare. I've been to Rocklands numerous times, and it never disappoints.
  13. I saw this place and I agree that it's an odd man out. I went to Autozone the other day to get some new windshield wipers and noticed this place. I was curious, but seeing people smoking in the doorway and loitering around the entrance doesn't help the atmosphere. I definitely try it and compare it to the other kabob places I've been to, Moby Dicks (2 out of 4 saffron leaves), Lebanese Taverna (3 of 4), the new kabob place (Corner Kabob? 3) near the intersection of 50 and 29 and 236, and King Kabob (2) by Noodles and Co. in Fairfax City.
  14. I've seen that place, and it generally looks okay... kind of like the Walmart of Asian food. I remember hearing a good thing or two about it previously. I'll have to check it out more seriously next time I'm at the mall, which is rarely. Seeing Asians patronize an Asian restaurant is always a good indicator of food quality. I can say that because I'm Asian and thats how we roll.
  15. It's a shame Moorenko's ice cream shops closed. I thought the Silver Spring location was still open, but I guess not. I know they still sell wholesale because I saw it at Ray's Hell Burger. I have yet to see it at Whole Foods. At any rate, their loss is our gain! Everyone is welcome to come to our ice cream shop, Scoop Beauregard's Ice Cream & Coffee in Arlington, VA. We're right off Washington Blvd. If you come and ask for Toby, mention you saw this on Don Rockwell's and I'll even give you 20% off your ice cream! We serve homemade, superpremium ice cream, and we'll soon be making it on the premises. When I was in college, I was an ice cream maker for a local homemade ice cream company and also took the University of Maryland Ice Cream short course. With the weather getting warmer, drop by and say hi! Lick locally, think globally! Toby Scoop Beauregard's Ice Cream & Coffee Arlington, VA
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