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Bob Wells

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Everything posted by Bob Wells

  1. Bob Wells
    I'd like to know what people think about the food writing in Northern Virginia magazine, now that it's upgraded from a glossy fishwrap to a full-fledged periodical. Full disclosure: Warren Rojas is an old colleague of mine. I think he is a very funny, talented writer. The current "Cheap Eats" issue has some good stuff about places I'd never heard of, such as Virginia Barbecue Company.
  2. Bob Wells
    There are three good bagel joints that I know of in Fairfax County. My ranking is 1. Bagel Buddies (Fair Lakes); 2. Tysons Bagel Market; 3. Main St. Bagel Deli (Fairfax). All three are far superior to any of the chain bagel joints around here (Einstein, Chesapeake, etc.). As for Bruegger's, that is the best chain bagel place around. I was very sad to see them leave the area in what was dispute between the home office and the local franchisee.
  3. Bob Wells
    We're getting a Paisano's in Chantilly soon -- in the new plaza being constructed just west of Chantilly Park Center on Route 50, where Picante!, Minerva, and Thai Basil are located. Are you implying that Paisano's blows? Gee, what a suprise.
  4. Bob Wells
    Song Que is my Eden Center choice for bubble tea -- usually coffee or one of the exotic fruits, of which they have a large selection. I'd like to know if some of the other Eden Center bubble tea joints are any good.
  5. Bob Wells
    Hey Polly, it's Bob W. from Chowhound I will second Polly's recommendation of DeBaggio's. That place is truly amazing, and it's in such a nice neighborhood too. I live around the corner
  6. Bob Wells
    Prolly a few months since Minerva opened. Good location for them, right across 50 from the Avion office park, which is full of techies. Here are two more Westfields options, and actually very close ones: Fiora's Ristorante and Bluewater Grille in the Safeway shopping center. Nonchain, locally owned. We tried Fiora's for the first time Saturday and were pleasantly surprised. So it's not all chain hell out here! Oh, one more thing, it's Thai Palace in Chantilly Crossing, not Thai Place.
  7. Bob Wells
    Some thoughts. First, that's not a rumor, I drive into Market Square at South Riding from time to time to see if there's any evidence of ZPizza yet and there is indeed a sign for a forthcoming Indian joint. Glad to hear it's got some CP vets on board -- that place had a very nice run. Now, for more options. In the same plaza as Thai Basil and Picante (Chantilly Park Center) there's Minerva, part of a small local Indian chain with a good buffet. Also in there is Rawal Kabob, a downscale joint featuring quick foods from the subcontinent (I think the proprietors are Pakistani). A bit east on 50 in Sully Plaza is Pho Bac, a vietnamese place we didn't much like a few years ago when we tried it soon after it opened but seems to be doing a very good job now. Also in there (in back, near K Mart) is Buon Appetito, a decent pizza/pasta joint. There's also R Deli for subs. Our favorite Chinese spot in the area (Ok that ain't saying much) is Kirin Cafe in South Riding, on Elk Lick Rd behind the village center. Thai Place in Chantilly Crossing is not bad -- not as good as Thai Basil but not bad.
  8. Bob Wells
    hm how would you compare both to Cheeburger Cheeburger?
  9. Bob Wells
    You need to check out the ribs at the Mighty Midget in Leesburg -- available on Fridays and Saturdays only, until they run out, which always happens. I think you can call and reserve a rack.
  10. Bob Wells
    You'll like Harris Teeter. We dumped a brand new Giant in South Riding in favor of HT a couple miles down the road in Stone Ridge as soon as it opened.
  11. Bob Wells
    The few times I've gone to B Smiths I usually had the "Swamp Thing," which has always been pretty good. The food there is very very heavy. I do seem to recall the service as been not so good.
  12. Bob Wells
    We would concur with your friends that the beans at Willards are NVG. But, forgettable beans seems to be a common problem at cue joints. The cornbread has been very variable, ranging from moist to almost inedibly dry. Speaking of their menu diversity, I like their gumbo a lot.
  13. Bob Wells
    Did you try the brisket? that's our favorite. Good point about the single-meat theory. Willard's has a "Wall of Fame" listing great 'cue joints around the country and most are single-meat spots -- and of course that's because they are in single-meat barbecue areas. This being an area with no real barbecue tradition, there's no single meat to coalesce around.
  14. Bob Wells
    ell, that is great news for us South Riding vicinity residents. Getting decent eats in the Route 50 corridor from the Fairfax County line to Middleburg is like water torture. The Glory Days Grille at Stone Ridge is ok, with one really good item -- the beef on weck sandwich.
  15. Bob Wells
    Sthitch: have you tried Willard's in Chantilly? For a jack-of-all-trades place they do a good job. Don't miss the cobblers!
  16. Bob Wells
    In the Sephardic tradition beans are allowed during Passover. Apparently in Israel, some Passover products are marked "For beaneaters only" -- referring to Sephardim, not Bostonians.
  17. Bob Wells
    Talk about damning with faint praise. "For an Alabama bagel shop...." "For a Cheyenne sushi bar..." Seriously, we have a Famous Dave's about four miles from our house. We tried it just because it was so close. It's about a quarter-mile out of the way and after one visit we decided it's not even quarter-mile barbecue. The sauce tutorial from the server is ridiculous, and the vacant stares we got from everyone from the server to the manager when we asked for sport peppers to jazz up the tasteless green beans told us all we needed to know. The ribs were ok but you can get ribs like that at so many places. Feh. If you are in the vicinity of the Dulles Expo Center, take your barbecue cravings to Willard's.
  18. Bob Wells
    Great call. Blenheim's ginger ale is amazing stuff. It's almost too spicy for me. Pretty amazing that the folks who own South of the Border didn't ruin Blenheim when they bought it a few years back. And you can buy it right from Pedro, just seconds off I-95.
  19. Bob Wells
    Alonsoville? That's just sad.
  20. Bob Wells
    Yep, as indicated by its location on WEST Cold Spring Lane. It may or may not be in Roland Park, but it's definitely not Hampden, which is to the south and west of this area. I wouldn't call it Keswick either. Damn, it's been way too many years since I too was a Charles Villager.
  21. Bob Wells
    I think they were probably counting -- to some degree -- on the folks who do "destination dining" at places like Inn at Little Washington, L'Auberge Provencale, Ashby Inn, etc. After all, the population of Paris, VA is around 50, yet the Ashby Inn does just fine.
  22. Bob Wells
    Isn't Black Coffee Bistro gone now too, replaced by an Italian joint? Also, BCB was a place you'd be far more likely to drop into on the spur of the moment than is Aster -- so it's no wonder they did better on Washington St. One thing about the Aster/old BCB location: That's one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen a restaurant in. This whole episode does bring up one interesting thing about Middleburg. Considering its reputation, its dining choices are, relatively speaking, surprisingly downmarket.
  23. Bob Wells
    Based on Bilrus's earlier post, it sounds like Bloom will be charging right into the teeth of the Harris-Teeter Line in Loudoun County. They have three stores very close to the north-south Rte 659: one in Stone Ridge, one in Brambleton, and one somewhere in the Ashburn area. There's a Food Lion in South Riding that I am sure would do quite well if it's converted to a Bloom. There's no way that one will go downmarket to Bottom Dollar.
  24. Bob Wells
    Well, that is too bad. I was looking forward to taking Twinsmommy to Aster for our anniversary in a few months. I would like to know the real story here. While Aster got some very nice reviews, the food might have been a bit too out there for the Hunt Country crowd (the people that could afford to eat there).
  25. Bob Wells
    nterestingly, the only other person I've heard say/seen write "Feh" is Tony Kornheiser. Et tu Brute? Thanks to everyone for the responses. They certainly confirm that (1) there's a good reason why no one talks about Flaps and (2) Tony K. and his cronies either (i) don't know bad food or (ii) know bad food but will eat anything if it's free.
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