FVT

Thank you for the suggestion. I live in Fairfax, so I tried a brand that I found at Giant. Seemed OK but not awesome. I'll have to look for D'Artagnan later.

Hello, Does anyone know where I can locally buy Chef Paul's brand of andouille sausage? I know I can order online but I have a craving for it to make jambalaya soon. I've tried all the major groceries such as Wegman's, Whole Foods, Safeway, Giant, Trader Joe's and Harris Teeter, and struck out so far. Thanks for any help.

My father-in-law is visiting from Minnesota. He loves Chinese food so I would like to take him to a really good restaurant (food + decor). His tastes are decidedly American-Chinese, so all I want is someplace that uses superb, fresh ingredients and can expertly execute standard dishes like orange beef, dumplings, etc. For comparative purposes -- I have tried Mark's Duck House but would like to find some place a little better. We live in Virginia so a bonus if the restaurant is in VA, but for the right restaurant we are willing to drive a bit of distance. Thanks in advance!

Final Report -- Meal #2 was today, lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn. Some background info to explain the odd choice. Yes, I would have preferred to choose from many of the fine restaurants that were recommended, but my two 70+ year old ladies had some peculiar requirements. Neither of them eat dinner, which I did not know before this visit and which severely limited meal options. We were doing Mount Vernon today and it was either leave the place or stay, eat at the Inn, and enjoy the area more afterwards. So we ate at the Inn. Dining experience grade -- C. My chicken salad sandwich was OK, but the bread was stale, very stale. My mom's soup came out barely warm and we had to send it back. The ladies' ham sandwiches were too salty. I though the view would somehow make up for the food but I was WRONG. There is no view to speak of from the Mount Vernon Inn restaurant. The Mount Vernon Inn restaurant is located near the circular driveway where cars drop people off to enter the estate. From the restaurant, you get absolutely none of the spectacular view for which Mount Vernon Mansion is known for. Lesson learned. Overall, this was a lot of fun, to experience the help and to learn about the great restaurants in this area. Thank you all.

That would have been pretty neat to run into you there, as it was your recommendation and subsequent further research that got us there. We arrived about 1:45 pm and sat near the wine room, against the frosted glass divider at the lower level of the restaurant. Now I wish I tried the chilled cucumber soup too, though my salad was superb. I did have the lemon chess pie! I shared my aunt's pecan pie, which really impressed me because pecan pie is something that I have some context from which to compare its quality (also superb, actually better than superb). Lastly, I do recall the mention of your husband's work on display at the the National Geographic ... we could not make it there this time but I hope to do so before too long. Thanks again.

In-Progress report. From the many recommendations thus far, I chose Vidalia for lunch today for meal #1. Probably the best $20 lunch (tasting menu) I ever had. Food -- delicious, superb. The salad dressing on my salad was heavenly. How does one put that much smoke flavor on a cream sauce? My mom and aunt raved about the soft shell crabs. The pecan pie was absolutely spot on. Comment on ordering/what I got. This could be a mistake on my part, but I'm 99% sure it's not -- I asked the server's opinion between the shrimp w/grits and the tenderloin. Could swear he said the latter was better so I went with his recommendation. Out comes the shrimp w/grits, though. I questioned the server and he held firm but offered to change the dish, but I dropped the matter because the mood of the meal would have been disrupted. Driving home, it annoyed me a little (enough to write this). Oh well, I'll write it off to mutual misunderstanding and chalk up the meal as an A no matter what. I'll be back for sure. Thank you very much for the Vidalia recommendation. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Will do meal #2 soon.

Hello, I joined recently and noticed while rereading Don's introductory email today that this was the thread to introduce myself. I actually posted a question in the Help Needed question already and am very happy with the help that I did receive. Been living in the DC area for 19 years. Never thought I would be interested in reading about restaurants but a visit from my dear aunt from Korea spurred the need to find out more. She is 70 years old and has had two heart surgeries already, so we're thinking this is her first and last visit to the DC area. She is a lovely woman and she has refined taste in all things (good enough that she'd eat anything I serve her and tell me everything is wonderful). Hence, I wanted to find some places that are a step or two above the normal fares that I've been stuck on. Well, once I started reading in this website, my eyes have been opened! The one thing that stopped me from seeking out better restaurants in the past was the cost. Well, from what I've learned in reading the many posts here and researching thereafter, the price differential is not all that much from an expensive dinner out at some of the high-end chain restaurants that my wife and I sometimes treat ourselves to. That's going to change now. Thank you for opening my eyes to the possibilities.

This is getting close to Angie's List type of a reply but you asked and levjn recommended Ryan's Landscaping, so I feel obliged to comment about Ryan's. I have used Ryan's on at least five occasions. Here's what they're good at -- clearing stuff. If you have plants/bushes that you want whacked, if you have some area of the yard/garden that you want killed off or dug out to start fresh, Ryan's your man. He does it well and inexpensively. But if you need something delicate, not so much, in my opinion. When things go wrong (e.g. bushes, trees, sod die or don't take), resolution is less than satisfactory. So it depends on the job. Next time I have a need to hire landscaping work, I plan to call imageworks landscaping. http://www.imageworkslandscaping.com/ Full disclosure, I have not used them before, but I've talked to the company president during two years' worth of soccer games and practices (daughters belong to same team) and he and his company sound solid. They do lots of commercial property work around No. Va., as well as individual homes. Good luck in your project.

DonRocks, would you care to let me know which of the restaurants fall under such description? Would help me in weighing all the choices. For context, many of the recommendations were in keeping with my comment that ambiance/decor was the primary consideration, although obviously we do not want to sit in a pretty setting and have a "raunchy" meal. Thanks for your help, as I value each input. An update -- it looks like Vidalia tasting lunch special will make the cut. The ladies want to visit the Phillips Collection, which makes it an easy lunch at Vidalia before/after that. Can't wait!

Dear wife has thrown a monkey wrench regarding dinner #1 at the Old Ebbitt Grill. Her input is that it's on par with Sweetwater or its sister restaurants in terms of atmosphere and food, so given our geographical logistics (after sightseeing DC, have to go back to Fairfax to pick up daughter and come back to DC during dinner time) OEG is not so superior as to make it worth it. I do see her point so I'm rethinking dinner #1 while still needing two restaurants for two dinners. Thank you for all the suggestions. If not used for my aunt's visit, my wife and I are looking forward to trying them out throughout the year(s). Now that I've thought through our driving logistics, I may focus more on recommendations of restaurants located in No. Va. unless something really stands out. Tweaked's Ethiopian comment jogged a memory ... my aunt loves American cuisine but also likes Thai food, and good Thai food is rare back home for her. Is there an opinion as to the best Thai place in the DC area? Ambiance/decor is most important, then food quality. For example, I really like Po Siam but I feel like the room is too small and does not that have that special feel that I'm looking for. Thank you again for all the replies and I'll report back again when I've made some choices.

Dear wife has thrown a monkey wrench regarding dinner #1 at the Old Ebbitt Grill. Her input is that it's on par with Sweetwater or its sister restaurants in terms of atmosphere and food, so given our geographical logistics (after sightseeing DC, have to go back to Fairfax to pick up daughter and come back to DC during dinner time) OEG is not so superior as to make it worth it. I do see her point so I'm rethinking dinner #1 while still needing two restaurants for two dinners. Thank you for all the suggestions. If not used for my aunt's visit, my wife and I are looking forward to trying them out throughout the year(s). Now that I've thought through our driving logistics, I may focus more on recommendations of restaurants located in No. Va. unless something really stands out. Tweaked's Ethiopian comment jogged a memory ... my aunt loves American cuisine but also likes Thai food, and good Thai food is rare back home for her. Is there an opinion as to the best Thai place in the DC area? Ambiance/decor is most important, then food quality. For example, I really like Po Siam but I feel like the room is too small and does not that have that special feel that I'm looking for. Thank you again for all the replies and I'll report back again when I've made some choices.

Reporting back after going over your very helpful replies. I would love to try 1789 (looks perfect), but the price tag is a little out of reach. For a party of 5 I can't swing it at this time, esp. since I have other expenses related to this hosting privilege. On the other hand, what a pleasant surprise to check out the photos of the Old Ebbitt Grill -- I had no idea it looked like that inside. Wow. My aunt would love it, esp. when I tell her the history associated with the place. Eventide website says they do not take reservations for the rooftop and, reading between the lines, the wait could be long, so that nixed it right there. Can't imagine waiting too long for a table with two ladies in their seventies after a day of sightseeing. Vidalia, photos of the dining room looks nice. The anniversary tasting lunch special for 19.90 looks good enough to try a lunch instead of dinner. Any idea whether the portions are adequate? I will save the recommendations for Tosca, La Lucia, Mendocino Grille, Sea Catch and the crab houses for those occasions when just my wife, daughter and I are planning to dine out. They look excellent, and they may even merit a further look as I make my final choices for this occasion. Very glad to have such choices available for those times when we grumble about not knownig where to go. In sum, I think The Old Ebbitt Grill is choice #1 for dinner for sure. Vidalia is a backup choice for lunch if we don't do another dinner out. Would love to find one more dinner place. Current backup for dinner #2 is the Chart House for its view (thanks to monavano for the "enjoy with your eyes more than your palate" wisdom).

Thank you for the replies so far. This is a neat experience, to receive help like this. I will be checking out each recommendation. goldenticket, your comment has me convinced to cross off Sequoia. 1789 was not on my radar but I will now have to look at it more closely to see if I can swing it on my budget. Demetrius, the room at Kinkead seems nice and cozy. Was initially afraid it was related to the rather pedestrian Kincaid's in Minnesota (chain?), but turns out not to be the case.

My mother and her sister from Korea will be visiting me in No. Va. this Sunday for 3 nights. They're both in their 70's. This is my aunt's first and probably last visit (bad heart) to the DC area and I really want to make it extra special. I would appreciate recommendations for 2 dinners. Some info to steer us in the right direction -- We are all non-drinkers so a place's wine list is obviously not important to us. My aunt does not eat too much red meat given her heart condition but she does enjoy chicken, seafood, pasta. My aunt loves to be in a restaurant that has a nice ambiance or feel. Ideally, the ambiance would have a connection to the DC area, but that's not necessary if the place is a home run in all other areas. No Korean restaurant recommendations please, as my aunt can have that anytime when she goes back home. Budget -- unfortunately this is a factor, but $50-60/person range (before tax, tip) for each occasion seems doable. I am not knowledgeable about the DC dining scene, so based on my limited experience, I was thinking about the Chart House in Alexandria for its view. I've been there about five times, and am not so excited about the food but I think my aunt would like being on the Potomac. Also, I liked what I read about Don's experience at Passion Fish but I have never been there -- though my aunt likes jambalaya -- I wonder if it's too crowded and noisy for her to enjoy the ambiance. I've read that the Sequoia has a good view but I've seen wide-ranging comments about the quality of its food and service so I hesitate there. Even in a great restaurant, the worst table there could leave one feeling less than good about the experience, so if you have any recommendation, please also advise us as to the general area of the restaurant that would be good for seating or avoiding. Apologies in advance for being so detailed but I feel this need to get it right as much as I can for this one opportunity to show my aunt a good time.