mcbriden

My kids are big fans of El Paso in Springfield.  When we go, I order the El Diablo.  It's no longer on the menu, but they will still make it for you.  It's a steak burrito stuffed with grilled jalapenos, rice, and beans and topped with a habenero sauce finished with two grilled jalapenos sticking out of it like horns.  It's huge and muy caliente!  I usually eat about 1/3 and take the rest home.  I've also had their carnitas, which are very good.  My kids and husband go for the tacos or the enchilada and are always pleased with their entrees.

They have a special for taco tuesday - 20 street tacos, rice, and beans for $20.  Think we might try this tonight.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Taco Bamba actually comes later this year.  I've heard they will be in the old Best Deli location next to Halal Guys.

Saw that they are planning on opening up one near George Mason University. 

One just opened in the Twinbrook shopping center on Braddock Road in Fairfax.  I'm a huge hot chili pepper fan, so my husband stopped and picked up the ghost pepper wings.  They have a little kick, but not quite what I was expecting.

I've been to Chima and Texas in Fairfax and prefer Chima.   

The Texas in Fairfax is in a mall, and the dining room and the salad bar are both smaller than Chima.   When I visited, the service seemed more casual at Texas. 

Our first time at Osteria Marzano was dinner last night.  It was a little difficult to find the restaurant once we got to the address, but the parking made up for it. Garage parking with a covered entrance to the back of the building. The restaurant was located in the front, just a short stroll through the center of the building.

I was underwhelmed with the bread basket. The focaccia was too dense, dry, and crumbly and the other type tasted like a homemade, thick sliced white bread. Calamari appetizer was very rubbery and unevenly cooked. Some pieces were very dark and hard and others were light. 

The highlight of the meal was the Angolotti de Magro - angolotti pasta filled with spinach and ricotta in a walnut cream sauce. This was outstanding.  The Lasagna Alla Bolognese was good -  bolognese sauce, besciamella, ricotta, and Parmesan. Finally entree was the special of ricotta gnocchi with pancetta and pistachios in a Gorgonzola sauce. I love Gorgonzola so I enjoyed this dish, but it was too rich and strong tasting for my younger daughter. We also ordered a side of broccolini, which was very good.

My younger daughter ordered dessert. She chose the chocolate layered cake with raspberry sauce and felt it was very dry and extremely cold, almost like it came from the freezer.

Service was standard, and we were seated in the flexible bench seating side of the room. If you are seated there, be careful with the low hanging lights. One of our party banged their head hard on those lights are we were leaving.

Overall, I thought was a mixed bag. Perhaps that was due to eating on a Sunday night? We will definitely return to give it another chance, and will explore the homemade pastas a little more. 

Stopped in last week and noticed a sign that said they were opening in Centerville in June.  I asked about the location and was told it was near the Centerville Library.  I guess that means somewhere around all those shopping centers near the 29/28 intersection?

21 Great American Bistro in Fairfax City. 

I had my first Taylor Gourmet sandwich this past September at National while waiting for a flight.  I ordered the Patterson and really enjoyed it.  Last weekend, I ordered another Patterson at the H Street location.  This time was very different.  It was extremely greasy and overly spicy, sort of smokey/salty tasting. 

Is this normal?  Do the sandwiches vary this much from store to store?

Even though Villa Mozart has been open for about 9 years, and we live right down the street from them, we made our first visit last week.  It was an evening during the week and we showed up at 7:30 without reservations. Fortunately for us it was not crowded at all, with only two occupied tables.  We parked behind the building, which is accessed via a very narrow ally next to the restaurant.  It shares the parking lot with a hair salon, and only has 3 parking spots allocated to the restaurant.  While we were parking in one of the spots, people from the hair salon kept watching us out of the back window.  Parking wars?  Who knows?

We started with two glasses of wine.  As mentioned above, the pours were very generous.  On a school night, one glass was plenty for me!  They brought out grissini, which are thin, house made breadsticks, and they were very good.  We placed our orders and then they brought out foccacia, placing two pieces on each persons bread plate.

Our appetizers arrived shortly after:  Potato Soup, calamari, and a special of house made mozzarella wrapped in a pastry crust served over a bed of sauteed eggplant.  I had the calamari, which was seared calamari, green peas, white beans, Kalamata olives in a lightly spiced tomato sauce served with garlic crostino on the side.  This was the best calamari I've ever had!  The rings were tender - perfectly cooked. The combination was fantastic.  The garlic crostino was sliver thin and looked like lace.  It melted in your mouth.  I'm not sure exactly what was in the soup, but it was reported to be very rich and was enjoyed.  The special wrapped mozzarella was not the favorite.  The mozzarella was excellent, and the sauteed eggplant was good, but the pastry was dry and added nothing to the dish.

Entrees were Chef Andrea's Hometown ravioli, penne martelli, and tagliata.  I had the ravioli which was rye ravioli, mountain cheese, spinach in a buttery sauce.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, but be aware that the sauce makes it very rich.  The penne martelli was penne with lobster.  It looked wonderful, but I was unable to get a bite.  The tagliata was for my little carnivore.  It was sirloin steak, celery root puree, porcini mushrooms, and a chive potato cake with a red wine sauce.  She devoured it and declared the potato cake was much better than the one she had the week before at 21 Great American Bistro around the corner. Once again, I was unable to get a bite.

Although we all ordered the three course dinner, only three of us got desserts.  The special dessert was apple strudel, which requires 12 - 15 minutes to cook.  The waiter told us about it when he brought the entrees and two of us ordered it.  I ordered the sorbet, which came with three scoops - cinnamon/cardamon, blueberry, and raspberry.  I wasn't a fan of the cinnamon/cardamon, but enjoyed the blueberry and raspberry.

When we left, two more groups had arrived, including a large group seated by the front window.  There seemed to be only one waiter and he was kept moving.  Unfortunately, it made our meal take over two hours.  I'd happily return, but would definitely leave the under aged at home.

After the home show at the Dulles Expo Center this past weekend, my husband and I stopped by Dumpling Queen for a late lunch.  Here's what we ordered:

Lili's steamed dumplings - very good.  I've read that the skins were thick, but I felt they were thinner than other dumplings we've had from places in Fairfax.  I really enjoyed them. Generously filled with pork, shrimp, napa, and chives.

Snow Pea Tips - excellent.  It was on the specials board at the door.  Similar to sauteed spinach and garlic, but with a milder flavor.  

Crispy and Spicy Chicken (from the Authentic Chinese section, or something like that) - okay.  We were looking for something spicy and the waitress recommended this item.  This reminded me of the Szechuan Chili Chicken that Peter Chang made in his China Star/TemptAsian/China Boy days.  Chunks of fried chicken with lots of chili peppers.  It was salty and spicy at the same time.

We'll be back for the ribs next time.

My daughter and I stopped by ABC Canteen for dinner last week after a not-as-bad-as-I-thought-it-would-be orientation session at college.  It was during one of the many recent downpours we've been experiencing, so I expected the place to be slow.  We found it completely empty at 6:30PM!  With some trepidation, we decided to go in and order anyway.  It was a great decision.  We over ordered and brought home stuff to reheat the next day.

The owner (I think) talked to us a bit and told us he had been opened for about three months. He also told us that the tortilla are hand made with every taco order, which meant I had to order them.  The salsa bar was right next to the register and had a nice selection.  In addition to great salsa fresca, they had several different heat level salsas as well as cilantro, lime and some other toppings.

Here's what we got:

Fish and Chips.  As mentioned above, the fish is outstanding, but the fries are nothing special.  You can just order fish by the piece, which I might do next time we go.

Fish Taco.  Wonderful fish and a good tortilla..  I moved here from SoCal, so I'm used to getting cabbage and a white sauce on the taco.  This one comes completely plain and there is a salsa bar to dress it yourself.  Still would have liked some cabbage though.

Carnitas Taco.  Very moist and tasty pork with a good tortilla.  Once again it was served plain and you dress it at the salsa bar.

Tamale - Pork with green sauce.  This was my least favorite item, but it was still one of the better tamales I've had in this area.  The pork was good but the masa was a little dry and I couldn't find any evidence of a green sauce.  I grabbed hot salsa from the salsa bar to doctor it up, but it was actually too hot for me!  I'm a ghost pepper kinda gal, so that is saying a lot.

Hushpuppies.  They were good, about 10 large ones in the order.  As mentioned above, they were fluffy and not greasy at all, but some type of a honey butter would have been a welcomed addition.

Flautas.  This one I didn't get to try.  We got them to go and they came in a large container covered with lettuce, sour cream, and salsa.  My daughter heated them up the next day and said they were good.  Not as good as the rolled tacos we got almost every day in Cali the beginning of July, but she said she would order them again.

Overall, my daughter and I really like this place and are planning a return visit.  I hope business starts to pick up for them soon and they stay around.  We can really use more places like this in this part of Fairfax County.

My daughter is a huge lasagna fan, so picking an Italian restaurant for her birthday celebration was a no-brainer.  After perusing the dining guide for someplace close to us, we decided on Ciao.

We had a group of 8 and tried to make a reservation on OpenTable, only to be told that we exceeds the number of diners allowed to reserve online.  I called the restaurant directly and had no problem making a reservation.  We arrived and realized why they don't allow large parties to reserve via OpenTable.  The restaurant has about 12 booths total lining the two side walls and about 12 tables of 4 in the center.   When we arrived, one table of 4 was empty and the table next to it was finished but hadn't vacated the table yet.  We waited around 15 minutes for them to leave. No big deal.  Later in the night, the owner came by and told us they can sometimes squeeze a 10 top in, but that is the absolute limit for them.  He also told us they had acquired the Baskin Robbins next store and planned to expand into that area.  He said he was going to have a bigger bar in the back, more tables, and a gelato bar in the front.

We started with the bruschetta and the calamari appetizers.  As buzzy mentioned, the bruschetta was good, but the bread was very large and heavy, which made it difficult to eat w/o using a knife and fork.  The calamari was very good - tender and well-cooked and served with a lemon pesto sauce and a marinara sauce.  They also brought rolls out, with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar/parmesan cheese mix to dip the bread.

My F-I-L ordered the wine special because he wasn't familiar with anything on the wine list.  He worked in South America for most of his career, so he usually sticks with South American wines.  I did not see the wine list, but I would assume it was mostly Italian wines.  It was our only mistake the whole meal.  The wine was not very good and I would recommend avoiding it.

For entrees, four of us had veal.  I had the La Milanese, which came out with a heaping serving of arugula over a thin piece of breaded veal with two roasted tomato quarters and topped with lemon rosemary dressing and shaved parmigiana reggiano.  I enjoyed this dish, but had to search a bit to find the veal underneath the arugula.  It was a light but satisfying meal.   The other three got Fiorentina, which was sautéed and topped with fresh sliced tomato, eggplant, prosciutto and mozzarella with a cream sauce and side of pasta.  My sister was kind enough to share some with me, and I thought it was a much richer dish than what I ordered.  It was delicious.

My husband got the chicken special, which I believe was rolled with prosciutto, mushrooms, and mozzarella with a cream sauce served with a side of pasta.  He enjoyed it, but I wasn't able to get a taste of it. My mother got the Linguini Vongole, which was linguini pasta served with clams in a garlic or tomato sauce.  She went with the garlic sauce. We are half Italian and she used to make spaghetti and clams for us growing up.  She loved this dish and claimed she would order it again in a heartbeat.  She wouldn't say if it rivaled what she used to make, but she was very happy with this version.

Finally, the birthday girl got the Lasagna Di Carne, which were lasagna noodles with meat sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella served in a round dish.  Normally, she eats about half of any lasagna and takes the other half home.  Not this one.  Every bite was consumed!  I was at the other end of the table, so I didn't get any, but she really enjoyed it.

They offered a birthday dessert for the birthday girl, but we passed.  Don't judge, but she loves ice cream cake, so we went home to sing and eat Carvel ice cream cake.  For her, it was a perfect ending to a wonderful 18th birthday.

I asked a similar question and here's what I received:

Graduation Dinner, 17-18 People, $20-25 Per Person

Thanks! I saw that thread but this was lunch so I thought I'd ask a similar question. I was thinking of a place like Trummers, but they are only open for lunch on Friday and Saturday, so I was hoping for some suggestions.

Outback Steakhouse is right there.

If you want to go upscale, Villa Mozart is merely a right turn on Route 123, likewise Bellissimo and Le Mediterranean Bistro (make sure Driss Zahidi is there for your party).

The other night, I went to El Fresco in Chantilly (thanks to ulrath, I discovered one of the better Tex-Mex places in the area, with outstanding guacamole and house-made chips), and you can get there from GMU in 10 minutes without traffic. It was good enough where I raised it to Italic; however, you have to stand in line and order at the counter; more importantly, it opens up that area of Chantilly for you - up Braddock, North on Fairfax County Parkway, West on Route 50. Use the Dining Guide to help you - if people knew just how much time I spent on this (I just updated some Twitter accounts in Mount Vernon Square, for example, as part of an ongoing campaign to keep it up-to-date), they would be shocked.

Outback...nice one. Although several in our party think that is the ultimate place, I was going for a something different. Besides, I don't think they are open for lunch on a Tuesday.

Villa Mozart is a great suggestion. I've never been there, but have always meant to go and this is the perfect opportunity. I think we'll head there.

Thanks for the El Fresco tip. My last experience at Picante in Chantilly wasn't one I ever want to repeat, so I've been looking for a new Mexican/tex mex restaurant.

Thank you for all your work on the dining guide. I have used the dining guide before, and it always helps me out, but am blocked now because I haven't made 10 posts yet. This post puts me at 10, so I'll be able to use it again!

My daughter is graduating from the Patriot Center on a Tuesday morning in June.  We'd like to take about 12 people to a nice lunch after the ceremony, preferably in Virginia.

We've done the GAR's to death, so I'd rather skip those restaurants. Does anyone have any suggestions for a very nice lunch restaurant?

We haven't tried Taylor's yet, but we stopped by Primo Hoagies on Saturday, on our way to a HS softball game, and picked up lunch to go. We ordered an Italian, an Abruzzi, and a custom sub for my picky younger daughter, along with Herr's chips. I got the pickle flavor potato chips, which were very good, and my daughter got the baby back rib chips, which were, um, interesting.

We got small hoagies so we could split them and try more than one type. The small is about 7 inches or so, and the crust was crisp and the inside was soft. My favorite hoagie was the Abruzzi, which was roast pork and sharp provolone topped with fresh broccoli rabe. This hoagie was outstanding! The roast pork was thinly sliced and flavorful, the provolone was sharp and the broccoli rabe was the right level of bitterness. The broccoli rabe I make at home is much bitterer than this one was, but this version was a good combination with the sharp provolone and roast pork. The Italian was my husband's favorite. It had prosciutto, provolone cheese, hot capacola & genoa salami. It was good, but not what I remember from my youth in Philly. I'm thinking it might not have had enough vinegar in the dressing, but I guess I'll need to try it again to make sure that was what was different about it. My daughter's custom sub had corned beef, turkey and cheese with lettuce. She didn't like the corned beef, so I had to take it off for her, but I thought the corned beef was fabulous. It had a good, spicy crust on it - which was probably why she didn't like it.

This is a great find for us, since we're in the Leesburg area every six to eight weeks for softball, and we'll definitely be back.

Edited to add that I think it was oregeno missing on the italian, not red wine vinegar.

Please name that deli! I have found no redeeming deli's in my 'hood.

Just went to Bernie's for the first time for lunch a couple of weeks ago. Not much open on GMU's campus during the summer and parking has been tough recently. Bernie's is walking distance from my office and we got our order to go.

Overall, it wasn't too bad. I don't have a burning desire to make a return trip, but I think it is better than Elie's Deli in University Mall.

Had a regular turkey, cheese, & avocado on sourdough. If the sourdough bread wasn't so gummy, it would have been a good sandwich. Coworkers had the veggie, hot pastrami, corned beef, and a grilled chicken salad. The only dud in the group was the grilled chicken salad. It was already pre-boxed and looked like it had been sitting for a while. It had iceburg lettuce in it - the only kind of lettuce I hate with a passion. No one thought it was fabulous, but they didn't think it was bad - with the exception of salad man.

We usually go to Jaipur on Lee Highway. In the past, we were fans of Minerva, but not since we've found Jaipur. Indian City Grill on Main Street was supposed to be started by Connaught Alumni - but we haven't visited yet.

Jaipur - 9401 Lee Hwy

Indian City Grill - in the old Brasa Roja spot on Main Street between Roberts and Burke Station Road

Minerva - Lee Hwy & University Dr

Paula and I ate at That's Amore about 4 months ago using a gift certificate that we were given 2 years ago. Even with the gift certificate I still felt we got ripped off. The food was average-to-horrible, and the red wine was served at room temperature, if room temperature is defined as mid-summer heatwave with a broken air conditioner. Hopefully, you will have better luck than I did.

I have passed this place a couple of times, but don't know anybody that has eaten here. Anyone? Bueller?

Mama's Italian Restaurant

9715 Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA

(703) 385-2646

Mama's closed a while ago and has been replaced by a Greek restaurant called Mythos.

My husband is still annoyed that he couldn't get Chen Tsang beef when we journeyed to TemptAsian - it was his standard dish at China Star. I asked the waitress, but she had no idea what I was talking about. So, um, which number item is it on the Chinese menu? We're going back next weekend, and I'd like to surprise him...

Sorry, but it's not on the numbered section of the menu. Our waitress pointed it out on the first page of the menu, which was printed in chinese. I believe it was the second from the bottom. Perhaps that page is a copy of the chalkboard specials?

My first visit to TemptAsian was wonderful, but I had a problem locating the Chen Tsang beef on the menu. After a lengthly discussion with the waitress, she pointed out what she thought I wanted on the first page of the menu - written in Chinese. It was exactly what I wanted and I thought it was better than I remember it from China Star - although it could have been because I had such a craving for it!

We also had the crystal shrimp - the asparagus addition is great - along with the fish rolls with cilantro and the scallion pancakes. Everything was really good.

Now that I know where the chen tsang beef is on the chinese language menu, anyone know how often that will change and/or if it will be going away?

A trusted source has been to 15 ria this week, and says to avoid it like the plague. Apparently, the menu still "reads" well, but what's emerging from the kitchen is, to put it kindly, substandard.

Has anyone visited this restaurant since Chef Leeds left?

I only get out w/o kids about once a month and this Sunday night is May's outing. I would rather not go to 15 RIA if it's gone downhill since Chef Leeds left, but, as you know, it's slim restaurant pickings on Sunday night.

Thanks!

Nancy