Dr. Delicious

FWIW, I'm headed to Paris next year and am eager to hear about others' experiences, old and new. The amount of info out there is overwhelming, and I intend to rely heavily (mostly!) on the suggestions made here.

This is silly, but I don't like that the "profile views" includes the number of times I've looked at my own profile. I suppose I don't like to be reminded of my own egotism. Also, +1 on the search feature for this website sucking the dog.

Art's Tavern. I've never been, but when i get takeout from Taco Bamba, it looks like a proper local dive bar and people always seem to be having a good time.

It appears they're opening a new location next to the Whole Foods in Falls Church.

Schneider's of Capitol Hill sells it. Back in 2008, Scooter/Scott, from Corduroy (at the time), gave me a spectacular recipe using St. Germain Elderflower: In a cocktail shaker with ice add 1/2 oz Gin (sapphire works), 1/4 oz of fresh lemon juice and 1/4 oz St. Germain Elderflower. Shake and strain into a champagne flute and top with the sparkling wine of your choosing. Anything Brut will do. Finish with a twist of lemon and that's it.

Founding Farmers looked to have an amazing brunch when we stopped in recently. We didn't stay and eat because it wasn't what we were looking for, but I have a mind to go back given how everything looked.

For lunch yesterday, I had an order of She-Crab soup, a whole Beef Brisket Po' Boy w/ debris gravy, and apple crisp. I thought the soup was pretty good, with nice chunks of crab. I thought the broth was a bit thin, but that could be more reflective of my personal preference than any deficiency on part of the kitchen. The Po' Boy was tasty, if a bit too salty. Also, could they spare the debris? This sandwich should never be dry, but it was for several bites. And a whole is just two sandwiches, which adds nothing, and looks rather silly when it comes to the table. Also, i'm there for a work lunch and so i look like an asshole who ordered 2 sandwiches. The apple crisp was good tho it came with the smallest allowable scoop of vanilla ice cream, such that it could be considered a scoop by the National Association of Ice Cream Scoopers. Bad joke, fine, but seriously, put some fucking ice cream in the dish, OK?

FWIW, I've just booked a trip to Paris for next year (our first visit), and am appreciating everyone's enthusiasm and suggestions. Please keep posting suggestions (food and sights) here or in the Paris thread. This Eiffel Tower thing sounds like a big deal...hah!

We have one tradition in our family, which is that we gather once a year for an extended weekend get-together. This gathering always includes one night out to dinner (there are 11 of us), and that dinner is always a disaster (an unwelcome tradition of its own). Recent trips over the years to Maggiano's and Clyde's (places that can seat large parties and have ample menu options for kids and unadventurous palettes), among others, have always come with horrific service and/or food-related issues. My take-out trips from Pulicnella caused me to give them the chance to turn our fortunes around. As I said to my family before we walked in, we probably won't be walking out talking about how amazing the food was, but we won't be pissed off, either. If anything, I underestimated the restaurant given our experience. First, we had spectacular service. It started 4 hours before our reservation, when they allowed me to push back our expected arrival time one hour. Sure, the restaurant was only at most half full the entire night, but it was generous of them to accommodate this last minute request, particularly given our party size. When we got there, the waiter cleverly had us put in the kids orders right away, while the adults took their time considering food and drink options. All food and drink orders came out in a timely fashion, and were completely correct (no small feat given the range of requests). Indeed, our service was cordial and professional throughout the meal. Second, the food, which I thought would be merely good, was actually very good. We had a range of dishes and preparations including pizza, veal, eggplant, chicken, spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo, and all around the table were smiling faces. It was our first ever complaint-free meal (as far as I can recall). Nobody walked out angry. I am grateful to the restaurant for this experience.

Yes, the reason I gave it a "solid but unspectacular" description was because we also thought it was too salty (and, after further review, I think the hummus and fries (which in Jerusalem are often included as a topping in the pita) should be better). I didn't mention it specifically because I wasn't sure if it was a result of our topping combination, or just that they over salt the meat. (I suppose I could/should have included this with the caveat in my original review.)

West. I wasn't there in the best of times, and my Israeli Arab/Palestinian (they self-identify differently) friends were wary of taking me to East Jerusalem. Either way, I don't mean to oversell the comparison.

I was walking out from Baja Fresh when I noticed this place, which is relatively new. I popped in quickly to see what it was all about, and it reminded me of the schwarma places like they have in Jerusalem. I stopped by for lunch the next day (nothing says "I love you" on Mothers Day like takeout Schwarma), and got chicken in a pouch with yogurt sauce, hummus, pickles, onion, and tomato/cucumber mix. It was solid if unspectacular. The chicken was flavorful and it appears they have new fancy cookers (rotating, gyro style, with auto cutter), so it had moist and crunchy parts. There were at least a dozen choices for toppings, and they looked good, if nothing else. The pita they gave me was stuffed, so they don't skimp out on the meat or toppings. The side of fries were terrible (limp and tasteless). The side of hummus and pita was huge, given the price, tho I never got around to tasting it alone (it was unremarkable in my sandwich, but there was a lot of other stuff in there, too). There are clearly service issues to be worked out, but nothing that can't be solved with time and experience (that is, nothing egregious happened).

I honestly have no idea. It's probably the first time I've eaten cottage cheese in 30+ years, so I have nothing to compare it to. All I know is that I ate more than my fair share, much to the chagrin of my wife.

We had an excellent meal on Saturday night. Our waiter was funny, even if it was a well-rehearsed routine, and patient, given it was our first time eating there. He carefully explained how the menu works (you choose the entree first, then consider an appetizer, and the meal comes with a bunch of other items as well), and went through the specials of the day. We ordered our food, and then they brought out a bread basket and butter, a plate of garlic bread, and a cup of cottage cheese (primarily mixed with garlic and some unidentified herbs). I've been avoiding cottage cheese my whole life, but what they brought over was amazing. I could have eaten a gallon of it with just a spoon. I realize we're just talking about cottage cheese here, but still, they paid great attention to a seemingly unimportant item, which i will now have to learn how to make for myself. The garlic bread was also excellent, and it appears it may have spent some time on a grill. The amuse bouche was a small cup of split pea soup that had a pleasant creamy texture, and was very good. We stuck with the mixed green salad, which was sourced from the garden. It was dressed with one of the better vinaigrettes I've ever tasted. For apps, I got the caramelized onion and bacon tart, which had a nice smokey taste. And bacon. My wife got a special app, which was a piece of filet mignon (around 7 bites) served with a tomato salsa (of sorts) and potato. This was very good, and I was (pleasantly) surprised there was no upcharge for this item. A sorbet of lemon, orange and rosemary followed as a palette cleanser, and I seriously considered asking for a bowl of it as my dessert. For mains, my wife got the poached lobster and crabmeat in a butter sauce, and the bite I had was very good. I got a plate of seafood served in a lobster sauce. It was amazing. The lobster sauce was to die for....creamy, rich, and tasty. I need this recipe! (Alas, not listed on the website.) For desserts, we ordered a chocolate soufflé and baked alaska. Both were very good, but not worth bragging about. We were also very full, so that may have tampered our enthusiasm. The bill came with two chocolate truffles and two almond cookies as well, which was a nice touch (and good!). 2 minor quibbles: [1] I went to adjust my plate when they set my entree down, and the plate was so hot that I damn near burned my fingers; [2] I wanted a scotch and asked the waiter what they had, the waiter said they had everything, and then they didn't have what I wanted. A list would have been useful, so I didn't have to play the guessing game.

We got some good takeout on Friday night from the Arlington outpost. The best of the bunch was the Bamboo Flounder Fish, which to my palette, demonstrated the flavor nuances that have been mentioned above. These were good-sized nuggets of fish coated with what I'd describe as a dry curry rub. At first we were wary because there wasn't any sauce, but given the flavor of the fish and rub (which was more than just a dusting of curry powder), none was needed. Contrast that against the Bang Bang Shrimp, which is an ample portion of lightly fried shrimp in a tasty sweet sauce, and you get a good idea of what this restaurant can do. They can lure you in with subtle flavors, and knock you out with good old fashioned gloopy sticky sweetness. An order of fried pork dumplings was solid, and worth getting again. As Don noted above, they'll sell you the scallion pancake to go if you tell them you don't mind if it's flat, but I actually didn't care for it, which is strange because I'm a man who loves to dip things in sauces. And it was anything due to restaurant prep/cooking, I just didn't like it. The only main we got was the Golden Mountain Chicken, which were shredded and fried chicken bits in a sweet and sour sauce. A large portion that was solid, if not spectacular. There unfortunate items: [1] Many things promoted on the board here aren't available for takeout (cheat codes as yet unavailable). I suppose they have their reasons, but it seams odd that, for example, a random (to me) noodle dish isn't take out worthy; [2] they were already out of Spring Rolls at 6:30 pm on a Friday night; and [3] they give an awfully small portion of (fried) rice with their main entrees (or, at least, the one we got).

Anyone been recently? I'm taking the old lady here for her birthday in a couple weeks...

autocorrect for tomato...now revised. Either way, the salad was damn good

As usual, took the boy for a pizza, and the kids pie continues to be a great value, $7 for a delicious 12 inch (about) pie. For the one piece the boy allowed me to have (read: I took it without him noticing), I thought the crust was very salty, but i quite liked it. I got an order of Arancini, which included 8 (iirc) quarter-sized balls, and were good, if not great. A bit bland to my tastes, and nothing like the fancier version they used to make. I also got a small Italian Chopped Salad, which was very good, and quite large. Indeed, the large portion must come on a different plate, because the small I got was piled high and there wasn't any more room. Anyway, it was a good mixture of lettuce, onion, tomato, olives, peppers and meat. I miss the old menu, and preferred my past order choices, but still a very good meal at a very good price.

We got a menu in the mail with a coupon, so we decided to give the place a try. I thought it was good. We started with an order of Samosas, Onion Spinach Bhajia, and Palak Chaat. Each of them were pretty good. Actually, the Bhajia was great, crunchy and tasty. We got Raita to dip them in, and that was a nice added touch. The Palak Chaat was also great, even better than Curry Mantra 2, tho not near the portion size. Still, it was a good size salad and the don't skip on the accoutrements. For mains we got Butter Chicken and Chicken Dhania Korma. The Butter Chicken was the better of the two, tho some might consider the sauce too sweet. The Korma was a bit bland, and picked up with a bit of salt. An order of Onion Kulcha helped us sop up all the sauce (of which there was a lot). I did not notice the oil issues Don mentioned above. I would order from here again. In fact, they have a very good online ordering system.

Dining at Disneyworld, Redux The Plaza Restaurant (Magic Kingdom): Again, I had a really good Cheesesteak, and topped it off with a giant banana split. Boma (Animal Kingdom Hotel): Ditto: I've eaten here several times and always enjoy it. It's an expensive buffet and probably not worth it, yet I can't help but go. I do really like the food and the amount of choices. It's also nice to get outside before/after a meal and see the animals grazing about. Sci-Fi Diner (Hollywood Studios): I got The Famous All American Picnic Burger, which was a burger patty topped with a split hotdog. This burger was large and tasty, however it played mind tricks on me because what I was eating was clearly in burger form yet I was mostly tasting hot dog. It also came with a side of cucumber salad, which was thinly shaved with a vinegar based dressing and a bit of onion. They also had flavored cokes (vanilla or cherry) with free refills. Given the prices, and the fact that the novelty has worn off, I doubt we'll eat here again even tho it was tasty. Fulton Crab House (Downtown Disney): We got in right away for lunch during a pretty bad rain storm, so props for that. I had an order of Fish and Chips, which came with fries topped with Old Bay seasoning. This was two large battered and fried pieces of white fish atop a generous pile of fries. I felt it was a large portion at the good low price of $13. While I enjoyed my meal, an was rather impressed, others in my pary thought it was just average. The wife in particular had the grouper sandwich, thought it was a bit bland and the bun didn't hold up. Hacienda (Epcot, Mexico): Good view for fireworks, tho it's best to sit near the glass windows. Fortunately, tables by those windows didn't have a problem with kids moving to the wall and sharing that space. This place has much better food than at their indoor Mexican restaurant, and a better/larfer menu too. For apps, we got an order of Gorditas (two to an order) and Queso Fundido (a large portion of melted chees with chopped chorizo). Their chorizo was particularly good. For mains, I split their mixed grill platter, which came with steak, chicken, chorizo, veggies, beans, and rice. The wife had shrimp tacos. All portions were ample, and the food was very good; the best meal we had, I'd say. Tucker House (Animal Kingdom): This is a buffet, very similar to Boma, but differentiates itself because it is a place for Character dining. Given the size and price, it lacked some things that Boma offered, in particular there were no soup offerings. However, if you have kids, this is the place to come to because of the characters (and you get the same Boma-style food). Flippers Pizzeria (near Sea World): We were looking to get off property for a pizza and this place had good trip advisor reviews. It's a chain but that doesn't bother us and I was too tired to look further than the first place I came across with positive reviews. Anyway the place serves everything made to order, brick oven-style pizza (600 degrees!) with Pepsi products. The tossed salad was a good size, but had some questionable pieces of lettuce in it. The pizza came out hot and was pretty good. I would have preferred more toppings, but that's me. It's not worth going out of your way for, but if you're looking for a solid pie and are in the area, you could do worse than to find yourself at this place. Well, that's all till the next trip!

As I was walking out the door with my order, the lady at the counter thanked me for my business because they are closing tomorrow! It appears the current owners have sold the restaurant. I was nearing the door with hot food, and so didn't ask to see if it was re-opening under new ownership or closing for good. Anyway, tomorrow night may be the last night to get their excellent fish dish! The fact that I now have to find a new Chinese food place is a major disappointment. Boo!

I had a really great rack of baby back ribs at the Montgomery Inn, The Boathouse the other day. The restaurant is located on the banks of the Ohio river, and with a rounded glass wall, provides excellent views. The sauce is thick, wet, and on the sweet side, so it's not the dry southern-style of bbq. I prefer it this way, if I'm being honest. I also shared an order of the Saratoga Chips, which is basically another method for eating their sauce, this time via potato chips (house made). It's an old-school kind of place filled with Ohio sports memorabilia. I rather enjoyed it.

I just found out about this place when a buddy brought some to the Super Bowl party. I haven't looked through this thread, so I may be repeating others. Anyway, I got my own order from the Fairfax location the other night, and it was very good. I didn't realize that it would take 35+ minutes for them to cook my order, so now i know to call ahead. We got a large combo of wings and drumsticks, and a small strips, all in soy-garlic. Even after a 15 minute ride hime, everything remained crunchy. I'd prefer a bit more sauce on the drumsticks and wings, but that's a personal preference and not a systemic failure of the restaurant. This probably varies by order anyway, as I recall the Super Bowl versions being saucier. The drumsticks and wings were much better than the strips, btw, with the strips being less crunchy and rather bland. In fact, I wouldn't order the strips again (that is, unlike my sauce comment, i do think this is how the restaurant makes them). The pickled radishes on the side were a nice touch, and the slaw was just fine (again, almost no sauce), but mostly an afterthought.

I get that. But this is not a restaurant that has simply thrown a handful of non-Pho dishes on its menu for those that don't wan't Pho. The restaurant has a 10+ page menu offering a wide variety of dishes, with only one of those pages dedicated to Pho. Even if it's in their name, it doesn't seem unreasonable given the breadth of their menu, to expect non-Pho dishes to be at least tasty (I wasn't expecting them to be prime examples of what they should be).

I only had a sip of the wife's chicken pho, but I thought it had a good flavor. Not enough of a taste to give a more detailed review. I got #609, which was a noodle dish with all sorts of meat and veggies. I didn't like it. The sauce was very gloopy and lacked taste. The food was also swimming in it. It got better after I dumped sate sauce in it, but not enough to make up for a bad dish. Oh well you wun some you lose some